Elemental Excelerator Launches Toolkit for Local Climate Action for Mayors At Climate Week 2022

Members of the African American Mayors Association to pilot a climate toolkit designed to help cities identify actionable climate policies, secure funding, and deploy technologies

NEW YORK, Sept. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Elemental Excelerator, a leading non-profit climate investor, launched its Toolkit for Local Climate Action to empower mayors to take climate action at a time when unprecedented public funding is available for local leaders. The toolkit was created by Elemental Policy Lab fellow Heather McTeer Toney, in partnership with the African American Mayors Association (AAMA) and with additional support from Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), where Toney also serves as Vice President for Community Engagement.

"From putting out fires and managing a budget to securing a resilient and stable future, mayors are the frontline gatekeepers tasked with preparing and protecting our communities," added Heather McTeer Toney, EDF's VP of Community Engagement, Elemental Policy Lab fellow, and former mayor of Greenville, Mississippi. "The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the Justice40 Initiative represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity for mayors to tap into millions of dollars in federal funds to transform and protect their communities. That's why we've put together the Toolkit for Local Climate Action — to get mayors the information they need to combat climate change and protect public safety."

The Toolkit for Local Climate Action is a timely resource that enables mayors and staff of small and mid-sized U.S. cities, no matter their level of expertise on their climate journey, to more readily identify policy actions, federal funding, and technological innovations to bring to their communities. The toolkit provides guidance on three core sectors - energy efficiency, energy supply, and transportation. Every city, large or small, has buildings to heat and cool, utilities to provide, and residents who need to move around safely and efficiently. Activating in these core sectors can deliver new jobs, increase safety and health, and help citizens save money while adopting transformational technologies.

"Together with our partners, we are energized to co-create and develop this toolkit to help mayors, their teams, and cities – our hubs of innovation and engines of economic opportunity – to meet this moment," said Dawn Lippert, Elemental founder and CEO. "Over the past year, we have been honored to work with our policy fellow, former mayor, and climate visionary Heather McTeer Toney to translate technology and community insights into actionable, equity-centered solutions for mayors."

Toney unveiled the pilot version of the toolkit to participants of a roundtable, including a group of U.S. mayors primarily composed of members of AAMA, at a Clinton Global Initiative event during Climate Week in New York. By design, this toolkit is a living document by mayors for mayors, and has been constructed to be an evolving framework built to adapt to ever-changing circumstances. Over the next two months, a group of AAMA mayors will provide input and feedback before it is published in early 2023.

The toolkit focuses on:

• Policy actions and examples addressing three priority areas (energy efficiency, energy supply, and transportation) closely aligned with city priorities. 
• Federal funding opportunities, starting with the IIJA, curated for cities ready to take immediate climate action. Additional funding opportunities will be regularly added - including those available in the Inflation Reduction Act.
• A playbook to identify technologies, partners, and strategies to bring innovative climate solutions to all communities.

"Our mayors are proud to be a part of the work being done now that we expect to be transformative to communities nationwide for years to come," said Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. (Little Rock, AR), President, AAMA. "2022 has seen significant attention towards climate policy, and we're excited to return to our cities with something immediately actionable to support our transportation and energy needs and help create quality jobs for our residents."

"It's been an absolute honor to work with Heather and our partners on this bold roadmap. We applaud the leaders, designers, and implementers, who - much like the tech innovators we support - see an opening for change and are audacious enough to do something about it," said Lippert. 

About Elemental Excelerator
Elemental Excelerator is a leading non-profit investor focused on scaling climate solutions and social impact for all communities. Since launching in 2009, Elemental has invested in over 130 growth-stage companies, celebrated more than 24 exits, funded more than 100 technology projects in over 30 countries, and built a proven platform for supporting equity-centered, market-driven solutions to climate change. Elemental's Policy Lab, launched in 2021, brings together policymakers, technology entrepreneurs, and community leaders in collective action to drive change where it is needed most. We do so by creating the building blocks of implementation—toolkits, case studies, frameworks, and hands-on support—because it's how solutions are deployed that ultimately delivers on the promise of policy and technology.

For more information, please visit elementalexcelerator.com.

Media contact:Tom Biro, Elemental Excelerator, (862) 485-0711, [email protected] 

About African American Mayors Association
The African American Mayors Association (AAMA) is the only organization dedicated to representing over 500 African-American mayors across the United States. AAMA seeks to empower local leaders for the benefit of their citizens. The role of the AAMA includes taking positions on public policies that impact the vitality and sustainability of cities; providing mayors with leadership and management tools; and creating a forum for member mayors to share best practices related to municipal management. For more information, visit ourmayors.org.

Media contact: Kuae Noel Kelch, (973) 280-9350, [email protected] 

About Environmental Defense Fund
One of the world's leading international nonprofit organizations, Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org) creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. To do so, EDF links science, economics, law, and innovative private-sector partnerships. With more than 3 million members and activists/supporters and offices in the United States, China, Mexico, Indonesia and the European Union, EDF's scientists, economists, attorneys, community and policy experts are working in 30 countries to turn our solutions into action. Connect with us on Twitter @EnvDefenseFund.

Media contact:
Lexi Ambrogi, Environmental Defense Fund, (973) 960-0073, [email protected]
Alyse Rooks, Environmental Defense Fund, (804) 414-4743, [email protected] 

SOURCE Elemental Excelerator