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| Emerald Cities Collaborative | |
|---|---|
| Name | Emerald Cities Collaborative |
| Formation | 2007 |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Headquarters | Oakland, California |
| Region served | United States |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
Emerald Cities Collaborative is a US-based network of nonprofit organizations, labor unions, community development corporations, and environmental justice advocates focused on equitable urban planning, building retrofit, and green job training. Founded in 2007, it works at the intersection of United States climate initiatives, community development practice, and workforce development strategies to reduce energy use in buildings while advancing economic opportunity in underinvested neighborhoods.
The initiative emerged from collaborative discussions among leaders associated with The Greenlining Institute, Natural Resources Defense Council, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Apollo Alliance members, reflecting influences from Al Gore's Live Earth advocacy and Sierra Club campaigns. Early pilots linked with municipal programs such as City of Seattle retrofits, City of New York energy benchmarking efforts, and City of Chicago workforce partnerships. Funders and partners in its formative years included The Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and the U.S. Department of Energy via programs like the Better Buildings Challenge. Initial demonstrations drew on models developed by Enterprise Community Partners, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, and Grid Alternatives.
The organization states goals consistent with frameworks advanced by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Paris Agreement objectives, and Green New Deal proposals. It aims to coordinate action among mayoral offices, state government agencies, utility companies, and labor unions such as the Service Employees International Union and the United Steelworkers to deliver deep energy retrofits, resilient infrastructure, and equitable hiring. Programmatic goals reference standards from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and align with investment principles used by Community Development Financial Institutions Fund and C40 Cities networks.
Programs include pilot retrofit projects modeled after Retrofit Chicago and NYC Retrofit Accelerator, workforce pipelines similar to Building Trades Unions apprenticeship programs, and community engagement approaches used by Environmental Justice Movement organizers like those from WE ACT for Environmental Justice and Communities for a Better Environment. Initiatives have partnered on projects with municipal entities such as Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, Los Angeles Mayor's Office, and regional authorities including Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Technical assistance draws on protocols from U.S. Green Building Council, data systems used by Energy Star Portfolio Manager, and financing structures reminiscent of Property Assessed Clean Energy programs and New Markets Tax Credit investments.
The network operates as a coordinating hub connecting member organizations including Asian Pacific Environmental Network, People's Production House, Home Forward (Portland), and local community development corporations. Governance models resemble consortiums like National League of Cities partnerships and incorporate advisory input from academics affiliated with Harvard Kennedy School, University of California, Berkeley, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Staffing and program management often collaborate with consultants from firms such as ICF International and Navigant Consulting, and interplay with legal partners like Natural Resources Defense Council attorneys on policy advocacy.
Funding streams have included philanthropic grants from Kresge Foundation, Energy Foundation, and Calvert Impact Capital alongside public funding from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant programs and state-level green bank initiatives modeled after Connecticut Green Bank. Partnerships extend to utilities including Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Con Edison, and Commonwealth Edison, workforce entities including AFL–CIO affiliates, and finance partners that utilize tools similar to Community Reinvestment Act obligations and impact investing vehicles. Collaborations with research institutions like Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory inform measurement and verification.
Reported outcomes highlight projects that mirror savings claimed in Better Buildings Challenge case studies: reduced energy consumption in municipal and affordable housing portfolios, job placements through training partnerships modeled after ApprenticeshipUSA, and local economic investment comparable to Community Benefits Agreement standards. Evaluations reference methodologies used by RAND Corporation and Urban Institute for impact assessment, and outcomes have been presented at forums including United Nations Climate Change Conference side events and Greenbuild International Conference and Expo.
Critiques draw on debates similar to those targeting green gentrification in studies by Aalborg University and commentators in The Atlantic and New York Times coverage about displacement risks associated with neighborhood revitalization. Some observers compare tensions to controversies around public-private partnerships in infrastructure and disputes seen in Urban Renewal projects of past decades. Questions have been raised about reliance on utility partnerships echoed in debates involving Enron-era policy critiques and about measurement transparency akin to criticisms leveled at certain carbon offset programs.
Category:Environmental organizations based in the United States