Affiliate Members
Founded in 1931 by Ernest O. Lawrence, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Berkeley Lab — is a multiprogram science lab in the national laboratory system supported by the U.S. Department of Energy through its Office of Science. It is managed by the University of California and is charged with conducting unclassified research across a wide range of scientific disciplines, including topics related to energy, environment, water and high performance computing. Researchers at Berkeley Lab, eighty of whom are members of the National Academy of Sciences, are advancing the scope of human knowledge and seeking science solutions to some of the greatest problems facing humankind, including strengthening community resilience to climate change and natural disasters. Technologies developed at Berkeley Lab have generated billions of dollars in revenues and thousands of jobs, and Berkeley Lab developments in energy efficiency and other technologies – from cool roofs to window coatings to appliances – have also generated billions in consumer savings.
BuroHappold is a global, integrated, multidisciplinary consulting engineering firm that offers a complete range of services for the built environment, from individual buildings to campuses, and from neighborhoods to regional plans. BuroHappold is engaged in both the built and natural environments, tackling complex design and implementation issues relating to buildings, neighborhoods, cities, and institutions. In providing a range of technical engineering and management consulting services, BuroHappold combines globalized knowledge with local understanding and experience.
California ReLeaf empowers grassroots efforts and builds strategic partnerships that preserve, protect, and enhance California’s urban and community forests. California ReLeaf works statewide to promote alliances among community-based groups, individuals, industry, and government agencies, encouraging each to contribute to the livability of our cities and the protection of our environment by planting and caring for trees. California ReLeaf also serves as the State’s volunteer coordinator for urban forestry in partnership with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Climate Resolve is a Southern California based nonprofit organization that focuses on local solutions to global climate change, and works to achieve outcomes that bestow multiple benefits. For the past 9 years, Climate Resolve has been a leader in helping pass climate policy at the state and local levels, as well as taking on efforts to equitably implement those policies. Climate Resolve does this through coalition organizing with transportation and nature advocates, providing technical assistance on affordable housing projects, doing outreach on energy and water efficiency, and guiding environmental planning processes. Climate Resolve also works with partners to strategize on urban cooling solutions like cool roofs, cool pavement, connected tree canopies, landscaping, bus shelters, and more. Lastly, Climate Resolve communicates climate science to make local climate impacts relatable to everyone and ensure that solutions are actionable.
The California State University (CSU) system is made up of 23 campuses across the state of California. In 2018, the CSU will initiate the development of a Systemwide Climate Action and Adaptation Plan that will synchronize existing campus and state level climate action and adaptation plans and standards. This plan will establish minimum standards for climate action and adaptation across the system using the best practices from existing campus plans and identify specific actions necessary to meet the CSU’s emission reduction goals. The adaptation plan will evaluate the sensitivity and severity of anticipated climate impacts to help campuses prioritize adaptation strategies to cope with anticipated climate impacts.
EcoAdapt, founded by a team of some of the earliest adaptation thinkers and practitioners in the field, has one goal – creating a robust future in the face of climate change. It achieves this goal by bringing together diverse groups of players to collaboratively and holistically reshape planning and management in response to rapid climate change through research, innovation, capacity building and knowledge exchange programs. Since 2008, EcoAdapt has been building the field of adaptation by coordinating, magnifying, designing and making climate change adaptation capacity and resources more accessible and applied. You’ve probably already met us through the National Adaptation Forum, Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE), our State of Adaptation assessments or an Awareness to Action workshop. Our work moves people from understanding how climate change is affecting them to implementing solutions to address those emerging challenges to assessing what actions are effective and how to improve those that aren’t. EcoAdapt is a positive, responsive force for effective adaptation action!
The nonpartisan Georgetown Climate Center seeks to advance effective climate and energy policies in the United States and serves as a resource to state and local communities that are working to cut carbon pollution and prepare for climate change. As part of Georgetown Law, the Center works extensively with government officials, academics, and an array of stakeholders. It analyzes the provisions of federal policy relevant to state and local government, works with states on developing innovative new policies, and encourages policymakers to learn from state experience. The Georgetown Climate Center recently launched the new and improved Adaptation Clearinghouse to help communities find the resources they need to prepare for climate change. The new system features an improved search interface, greater content curation, and new tools for partner organizations and websites.
Since 1991, the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) has worked in the United States and around the world to help communities, cities, industry, and NGOs accomplish their environmental, economic, and social goals. ISC uses training, technical assistance, peer-to-peer learning, and demonstration projects to help unleash the power of local people and institutions to address immediate challenges and opportunities – all while building those on-the-ground solutions into national and international best practices and policy. At the heart of the organization’s approach is results focused, authentic, and pragmatic engagement with all stakeholders, which unearths locally-driven and equitable solutions to the biggest challenge we face – global climate change. Learn more at sustain.org.
The Local Government Sustainable Energy Coalition (LGSEC) works to enhance the role of local governments in California’s sustainable energy future by providing a collective voice for our members on statewide energy policy and programs. LGSEC has built the blueprint for California’s energy strategy through the formation of Local Government Partnerships, Regional Energy Networks, and Community Choice Aggregations. Together, we help make sustainable energy and resilience achievable for California’s local governments. Learn more about LGSEC and how to become a member at lgsec.org.
Resilient Cities Catalyst (RCC) is a global nonprofit organization that designs and manages multi-sector and multi-stakeholder resilience projects, plans, and processes at multiple scales. RCC’s vision is that cities, communities, and people–in particular those facing the most significant vulnerabilities–are safe, healthy and thriving in the face of everyday stresses and are able to recover more quickly and effectively after shocks. One of RCC’s flagship programs, the California Resilience Partnership (CRP), is a public-philanthropic effort that brings together multi-sector practitioners to increase investments in a pipeline of high impact projects that will build a more resilient and equitable state. CRP is collaboratively led by RCC alongside ARCCA. CRP works in regions statewide, bringing resources for local nonprofit and government partners to support project development–offering technical assistance, crowding in global best practices, and fostering collaborative knowledge exchange.
Rincon Consultants is a multi-disciplinary environmental science, planning, and engineering consulting firm that provides professional services to both government and industry. Our broad bench of skilled professionals have extensive experience in climate adaptation and resiliency planning; land use and hazard risk planning; natural resources and watershed assessment; resource conservation; climate action planning; GHG emissions analysis; CEQA compliance and streamlining; and equitable public engagement related to these services. Our approach focuses on well-designed solutions that respond to our clients’ specific needs in a cost-effective manner. Rincon has extensive experience in climate adaptation planning as well as related climate vulnerability assessments, local coastal programs, and general plan safety and environmental justice elements addressing climate hazards and risk to people, ecosystems, structures, and infrastructure. We’ve assisted numerous counties and cities throughout the state with climate adaptation, action, and implementation and have built cutting edge tools to help jurisdictions track and monitor progress over time.