Converting Climate Goals to Strategies in Knoxville
THE NEED
In 2019, the City Council of Knoxville, Tennessee, adopted goals to reduce greenhouse gases by 50% by 2030 for municipal operations and 80% for the overall community by 2050, as compared to 2005 levels. Elected the same year, Mayor Indya Kincannon convened cross-sector leadership to form the Mayor’s Climate Council (MCC) that would help identify and evaluate climate mitigation strategies in three broad areas: transportation, energy and buildings, and waste. The Mayor’s Office of Sustainability called on Milepost to facilitate MCC meetings and help collect input from MCC members through surveys.
OUR APPROACH
Starting with our proven discovery process, we learned Knoxville’s goals and objectives and identified best ways to facilitate the MCC meetings and collect input. We worked collaboratively with the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability in developing meeting agendas, facilitation exercises and follow up surveys. We used stakeholder feedback throughout the process to iterate and improve.
THE RESULTS
We facilitated and produced attending surveys for a total of seven meetings that helped the City of Knoxville in its development of an Energy and Sustainability Work Plan. Overall, participants provided favorable feedback on the process, including the quality of meeting content and speakers. Participants also expressed a high level of satisfaction in their ability to contribute to the conversation.
OUR ROLE
- Facilitation
- Data Collection & Reporting
- Stakeholder Engagement