Strategies for Community Engagement in Cdr

Having served as an advisor for some of the biggest buyers in the CDR market and supporting the earliest iterations of the Carbon Direct #Criteria for High Quality #CDR I know firsthand how difficult it is to navigate the challenges buyers face. Now that I’m sitting on the other side of the table and reviewing the Criteria from the project developer’s perspective I am doubly grateful for the expert guidance provided from groups like Carbon Direct, Microsoft, Stripe, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), CarbonPlan and others, without which this market would be even more fragmented and lost. With that in mind, I've been thinking a lot about community engagement lately and believe the aforementioned guidance from experts listed above put project developers like Spiritus on much firmer ground for getting this right than in generations past. 🏡 CDR projects should initiate community engagement as early as possible in the project development cycle to maximize involvement and impact. Spiritus is working with community engagement partners with a presence in Wyoming (it can’t be overstated how important it is not to parachute in without local context) to develop our engagement and benefit plans. We want to hear directly from stakeholders and affected communities to learn what they want to see out of Orchard 1. We will let the community tell us what they want from this project, not the other way around. 🛠 CDR projects should bring employment opportunities and benefits to communities where they are being sited. There are few places in the country where you can find a work force better suited for direct air capture and geologic sequestration than you will in Wyoming. Spiritus is committed to stepping into the employment gap left behind by the retirement of aging fossil infrastructure by hiring local and providing a living wage. We are committed to regularly revisiting our job training, recruitment, and hiring practices to ensure that benefits are going to local communities and underrepresented or economically marginalized populations. ⚡Direct Air Capture requires a lot of heat, energy, chemicals, and construction to durably remove large volumes of CO2 from the atmosphere. Reducing these critical inputs not only make DAC more economical and efficient but can also drive additional impact by reducing related externalities like exposure to criteria pollutants and dust from heavy traffic and construction that predominantly affect disadvantaged communities. Spiritus is bringing a new generation of DAC to market that dramatically improves energy, sorbent, and CAPEX inputs to deliver low-cost, high durability CDR. These are exciting times and I’m looking forward to sharing more about Spiritus's progress in the coming months. If you are a CDR buyer or consider yourself CDR curious and want to learn more please shoot me a DM, I’d be more than happy to share updates on what we’re working on at Spiritus or answer questions about the #VCM.

I had the privilege of welcoming Jorge Figueroa from City and County of Denver's Office of Climate Action, Sustainability & Resiliency to my Essentials of Stakeholder Class I teach at the University of Colorado Boulder. For organizations aiming to navigate the complexities of sustainability and climate action, integrating community engagement and equitable practices is essential. Drawing from Jorge Figueroa's insights, here are 5key takeaways that organizations can adopt to enhance their sustainability efforts: 1. Make Equity a Cornerstone: Start by embedding equity at the core of all sustainability initiatives. Focus efforts on supporting communities disproportionately affected by environmental issues, understanding that true progress comes from lifting everyone. 2. Engage Deeply with Communities: Shift from top-down approaches to genuine co-creation with communities. This means valuing local insights and experiences, and working together to develop solutions that are not only effective but also deeply resonant with those they aim to serve. 3. Understand Before Acting: Dedicate time to fully grasp the complexities of the challenges at hand. A thorough understanding of the problem not only informs better solutions but also ensures efforts are directed where they're most needed. 4. Adopt a Flexible Solution Framework: Avoid the trap of single-solution fixation. Embrace a broad spectrum of potential solutions, remaining open to adaptation based on evolving insights and community feedback. This agility is crucial in navigating the unpredictable terrain of sustainability. 5. Cultivate Transformative Dialogues: Engage in conversations that empower. By fostering environments where every voice can contribute to shaping the future, organizations can unlock innovative solutions and inspire collective action towards sustainability goals. #Sustainability #OrganizationalImpact #CommunityEngagement #EquitableSolutions #ActionableInsights Parallel Labs

Community engagement strategies are often overcomplicated. Here are 3 insights I've gained through my work with Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County and Consensus Building Institute on the Mid-Hudson Regional Clean Energy Hub. 💡 Connection with the target community is THE most important aspect of outreach and engagement. Too many people have negative associations with governments and NGOs, and for good reason. There's a history in the social impact space of paternalism and negligence. In order to begin rebuilding relationships, show up with honesty and a genuine desire to learn before making recommendations, asking for time/energy, and designing initiatives. Real recognizes real. 💡 Meet people where they are. In a similar vein to above, attempting to drive people toward one action, meeting, or goal, without building a rapport is a waste of time, energy, and resources. Once you have an understanding and relationship with the community you want to serve, you have a better understanding of how to get their input. This involves actually BEING in the community. If people know you from the bodega, church, or the grocery store, or from roasting that cringey Ice Spice Dunkin Donuts commercial (see photo below) they're more likely to hear what you have to say and respond with authenticity. 💡 Offer a tangible, immediate benefit. The social-impact space can be alarmingly extractive. Be conscious of the power differential in your initiatives and proactively mitigate this by compensating all participants. Provide childcare, dinner, a gift card - something! Folks working in this space often forget that the daily issues marginalized communities face take higher priority than completing a survey. Actively anticipate this and find ways to make engagement attractive. 🗣 Social impact professionals, I want to hear your thoughts! What insights, tips, or practices have worked in your community engagement initiatives? Share below in the comments! ---- 💌 I'm back from a short LI hiatus and gearing up for my monthly #opendoorclimate group call this Saturday, 6/1, at 2p EST. If you'd like to learn more about my journey or find out more about what it means to work in climate, sustainability, and energy, send me a DM with the word #opendoorclimate and I'll forward the registration link!