Dear Climate Action KC Community, We hope 2023 is shaping up to be a prosperous year for all of you. It’s definitely off to a fast start. Like many of you, Climate Action KC has been busy continuing its work to make our region a healthier, more economically prosperous, and climate-resilient community. In that fashion, we...
The Greater Kansas City Food Policy Coalition, a long-standing initiative of KC Healthy Kids, convenes diverse stakeholders to advocate for an equitable, sustainable and resilient food system in greater Kansas City and promote policies for the nutritional, economic, social and environmental health of the community. The coalition is an alliance of individuals, government representatives, businesses, and...
Being a sustainable commuter doesn’t have to be isolated to the warmer months. RideshareKC, a program of the Mid-America Regional Council, recently co-hosted a Winter Bike Commuting Workshop with Bicycle Depot Kansas City to help commuters feel empowered to keep biking to work throughout the winter.
On December 9, a group of energized individuals gathered at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to take part in the Resilient Success Stories Event. With a packed house, participants heard 12 stories from around the region: The Merriam Residential Sustainability Grant, Kompas Kapital’s refurbished headquarters building, Kansas City Public Library Climate Action Dashboard, Lee’s Summit Green Infrastructure improvement program, The HCA Nature Action Crew, Big Shoal Farm, Mission Conservation Improvement program, Johnson County Watershed Master Plan, Johnson County Park & Recreation Districts Forest Restoration, The Tomahawk Creek Water Treatment Facility, The KCMO Neighborhood Clean Up Program and KCMO's Climate Resiliency Protection Plan.
What is ozone and why do we care about it? Though chemically identical, there is “good ozone”—the kind that is naturally present in the stratosphere (as the Ozone Layer) and keeps Spaceship Earth comfortable—and there is “bad ozone.” Bad ozone is man-made ozone that hangs out at ground level and is a hazard to public...
The newly formed Climate and Environment Council held its first meeting last month to begin the important task of determining its work plan for the year. Each council member will provide input on their top five priority activities that align with the strategies in the Regional Kansas City Climate Action Plan. At the second meeting...
KC Plogtober celebrated its second-ever event last weekend with over one hundred "ploggers" turning out at 13 sites across eight municipalities to pick up litter at their favorite parks and trails.
Congratulations to Team Clay County (pictured), who brought home the "Top Plogger" award, providing almost half of the total cleanup volunteers! Another noteworthy accomplishment was the team from Raytown, MO, who had the largest single-site turnout on the Rock Island Trail.
RideshareKC is a publicly funded program that provides commuter resources to individuals and employers in the Kansas City metropolitan area — helping to create transportation options for area workers. Established in 1980, the program serves commuters from five counties in Missouri and four counties in Kansas. Learn more at RideshareKC.org.
RideshareKC is a publicly funded program that provides commuter resources to individuals and employers in the Kansas City metropolitan area — helping to create transportation options for area workers. Established in 1980, the program serves commuters from five counties in Missouri and four counties in Kansas. Learn more at RideshareKC.org.
September is Disaster Preparedness Month. And even though we’re a little late to the game, don’t worry! We’ll be peppering readers with disaster preparedness and community resilience tips and resources all year long.
As I’m writing this, Hurricane Ian is working it’s way across Florida. Some Floridians have chosen to follow evacuation mandates and advisories, some have not. Hopefully, all will have prepared adequately and will come out unscathed. I’ve seen Florida friends post to social media about their preparations, whether it’s installing the hurricane shutters, stocking up on food or digging out the solar phone chargers. Of course, this brings to mind the question: what prepares us for disaster in the Kansas City region? And what does disaster-preparedness mean in the face of climate change?
Climate change will exacerbate those natural hazards we are all familiar with here in the metro: flooding, heat, drought, winter weather, tornadoes and thunderstorms. The full impact of more extreme versions of these hazards leaves a lot of uncertainty. But one thing is for sure, the impacts could be broad and wide-reaching. We need to think expansively about our risks and vulnerabilities. Disasters in a different area of the country could impact our region — mass migration, food shortages or economic disruptions, as examples. Read on for a few ways you, your household and your city can build climate resilience by being prepared when we are faced with disaster.
