Climate Solutions Accelerator of the Genesee-Finger Lakes Region

Collective Impact/Color your Community Green:Collective impact is a framework for bringing together a wide and diverse group of stakeholders to tackle an urgent, yet complex problem (like climate change) that cannot be solved with a single solution or from within a single organization or sector. The Accelerator uses a collective impact approach, because it aligns with our commitment to equity and inclusive, collaborative processes. The Accelerator has convened a steering committee for this initiative, made up of key decision-makers and "lived experience experts" from a wide range of sectors, including government, business, health, housing, transportation, and agriculture. (Continued on Schedule O)This steering committee worked with consultants from the Stockholm Environment Institute to develop the Genesee-FLX Climate Action Strategy, and is now developing a shared measurement system to assess progress toward achieving the strategy's goals. The steering committee and issue-based working groups coordinate mutually reinforcing activities to implement the strategy and reduce redundancies, break down silos, and maximize the efficient use of resources.The goal of this work is to move our region quickly towards carbon neutrality and end our dependence on fossil fuels, as required by New York State's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. In addition to mitigating climate change, the systems-level solutions identified in the Genesee-FLX Climate Action Strategy will enhance the quality of life for our region's residents in a variety of ways, such as improved public health, energy affordability, opportunities for green job development, sustainable transportation options, access to public greenspace, neighborhood stability/resilience, and home comfort.The Accelerator is mobilizing climate action across the nine-county region through our Color Your Community Green (CYCG) initiative. CYCG is a volunteer-driven initiative that connects and organizes concerned individuals, by municipality or neighborhood, to form a network of climate-focused citizen action teams that (1) identify locally-relevant, high-impact climate solutions and develop implementation strategies using the CYCG "Toolkit, and (2) advocate for environmental justice and equitable climate solutions to be implemented at the municipal level and in schools.