Building Bridges, Sharing Knowledge: The Office of Sustainability team hits the road!

Throughout this fall, members of the Office of Sustainability team have had the opportunity to join other national and global climate leaders in events centered on learning from one another, sharing challenges, and celebrating successes. These opportunities offer the Office of Sustainability a chance to share our work on a larger scale and develop lasting relationships with those in similar roles, all working towards a more just and sustainable future. Read on to hear about where we’ve been!

Representing at New York Climate Week

This September, Chief Sustainability Officer Zach Baumer was invited to present on a panel as part of New York Climate Week. Hailed as “the biggest annual climate event of its kind,” New York Climate Week invites leaders from the worlds of government, tech, academia, business, and more to support action and innovation. Baumer participated in a panel called Adapt Together: Urban Neighborhoods Against Climate Change that focused on how urban development can support necessary climate adaptations while promoting equity.

Photo and graphic courtesy of New York Climate Week.

Learning Together at the Urban Sustainability Directors Annual Meeting

In October, a team from the Office of Sustainability traveled to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to attend the annual meeting of the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN). The City of Austin served as a founding member of USDN in 2008. The network now includes over 2,500 participants in more than 290 communities.

“I really enjoyed building and strengthening connections with others working on climate action across the US,” said Shannon Stewart, Public Information & Marketing Manager with the Office of Sustainability. “What felt particularly impactful for me was hearing from the attendees living in areas recently affected by climate disasters in North Carolina and Florida. Listening to their stories really hit home the urgency of this work.”

Supporting Sustainable Sister Cities

While many on our team were in Minneapolis, Rohan Lilauwala, Climate Project Manager with the Office of Sustainability, showcased the work of our office at the Gwangmyeong Carbon Neutral International Forum.

Rohan was invited to present through the Sister Cities program, which creates long-term partnerships between communities across international borders. The forum brought together elected officials and climate professionals from countries worldwide, including Korea, the United States, Germany, Japan, and China. Through presentations, exhibitions, discussions, and public events, attendees learned from each other and identified solutions to advance their carbon neutrality goals. 

“The forum helped remind me that international cooperation, cultural understanding, and intellectual curiosity can help us identify best practices and learn lessons from one another,” said Lilauwala. “Successful climate policies require flexibility and a willingness to adapt to local needs and challenges. Seeing how each city tailors its approach shows that there's no one-size-fits-all solution, but rather a range of solutions that must evolve over time.”

The Office of Sustainability team is looking forward to incorporating these learnings into our ongoing initiatives. Opportunities like these help remind us of the creativity and innovation needed to address the impacts of climate change so that we can continue to be at the forefront of this work.