Climate Communities is located in the iconic DC headquarters of the National Association of Realtors, the first LEED-certified building in Washington. We are on Capitol Hill and steps away from Union Station. Come visit us when you are in town.

About Climate Communities



500 New Jersey Avenue, NW | Suite 600 | Washington, DC 20001 Phone: (202) 261-6011 | Fax: (202) 261-9884 | E-mail: info@climatecommunities.us


Climate Communities is a national coalition of cities and counties that is educating federal policymakers about the essential role of local governments in developing new approaches to create livable communities, reduce energy use, improve water efficiency, and curb greenhouse gas emissions. Climate Communities is working with local governments to ensure that federal policies provide strong incentives and resources for local sustainability actions.

Founded in 2007, Climate Communities has achieved a number of significant successes, including: 

  • Climate Communities has built local government support and championed annual appropriations for the Partnership for Sustainable Communities initiative between the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the EPA. Since 2009, HUD, DOT and EPA sustainability programs have distributed more than $4 billion in grants and technical assistance to help communities across the nation grow and improve their quality of life. 
  • Climate Communities rallied local government support for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program, and helped secure $3.2 billion for the program in the economic stimulus legislation. The EECBG Program enabled cities and counties to enact strategies that reduce fossil fuel emissions, cut total energy use and improve energy efficiency.
  • Climate Communities worked with Congress to secure $20 million in FY 2009 and FY 2010 appropriations for a Climate Communities proposal to create a climate change demonstration pilot program. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Climate Showcase Communities grants enabled local governments to implement projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Climate Communities launched the Energy Block Grants Work! campaign to demonstrate the success of the EECBG program by profiling how communities across the country used block grant dollars to create jobs, reduce energy use, and curb greenhouse gas emissions.
  • As Congress debated climate change legislation, Climate Communities worked with Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Joseph Lieberman (ID-CT) and John Warner (R-VA), as well as Representatives John Dingell (D-MA), Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Edward Markey (D-MA), to amend the ultimately unsuccessful bill to include more than $300 billion for climate actions at the local government level.

Climate Communities has been busy on the federal legislative/administrative front. Activities have included: 

  • Building local government support for federal appropriations that fund city and county sustainability projects, including $500 million for the DOT’s TIGER program; 
  • Championing bipartisan energy legislation sponsored by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) in the Senate, and Representatives David McKinley (R-WV) and Peter Welch (D-VT) in the House, that would provide opportunities for local governments to secure funding, technical assistance and training to implement and enforce building codes that improve energy efficiency;
  • Supporting the White House’s State, Local and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness, and nominating local government elected leaders to serve with the group;
  • Urging the DOE to direct unspent EECBG funds and unused loan fund dollars into competitive grants for local energy efficiency and renewable energy projects;
  • Working with the EPA to profile the achievements of the Climate Showcase Communities; and
  • Encouraging city and county elected leaders to support the EPA’s efforts to regulate greenhouse gas emissions at existing utilities.

Climate Communities hosts a monthly webinar series (the last Thursday of the month at 2 pm Eastern). The webinar trainings focus on funding opportunities that can support local sustainability initiatives, local government sustainability best practices and federal sustainability policies that benefit or impact cities and counties. Climate Communities also organizes frequent conferences, workshops and events to pull local government leaders together, as well as leads regular advocacy campaigns to support federal sustainability programs important to localities.