Cool City – Carbon Neutrality and Community Resiliency

Cool City Challenge

Empowering Cities to Become Carbon Neutral

A Climate Moonshot Strategy

We Need A Few Cool Cities…

Is Your City Ready to Change the World?

Climate scientists tell us we must achieve by 2030 what humanity is trying to accomplish by 2050 to avoid irreversible ecological tipping points. In other words, we must accelerate time by 3x. To achieve this, we need to change the way we think about change. Business as usual climate solutions are not up to the task. We need a climate moonshot strategy.

The Cool City Challenge invites cities (initially in California, then US and worldwide) to embark on the climate moonshot of our time: becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

Technologically we know this is possible, but it is the magnitude and speed of change that is the challenge. This is a second order change problem and needs a second order change solution.

The Cool City Challenge moonshot strategy is a robust second order change climate solution based on three decades of experience that brings the whole system together. It provides a multi-sector team with the financial resources, tools and consulting support to embark on this profoundly inspiring mission for humanity’s future.

$1 Million for 3 Winning Cities

$1,000,000 each to three California cities plus Empowerment Institute’s deep capacity building support.

Applications were submitted September 7, 2021

Winners will be announced October 25th, 2021

Next year's Cool City Challenge will be announced March 2022

To get a head start for the 2022 Cool City Challenge, consider starting Cool Blocks in your city today.

$1 Million for 3 Winning Cities

Climate Moonshot Thinking

What is Moonshot Thinking?

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“Jennifer Granholm, the energy secretary, called the U.S. plan to tackle climate change ‘our generation’s moonshot … we need a mind-set that overcomes resistance to change.’”

New York Times 4/23/21

Moonshot thinking is when you choose a huge problem and propose a radical solution using breakthrough technology.

Huge problem: The need to dramatically accelerate the speed and magnitude of carbon mitigation in cities which represents 70% of the planet’s CO2 emissions.

Radical solution: Empower cities to become carbon neutral by 2030 accelerating by 3x the 2050 United Nations goal.

Breakthrough technology: Our climate moonshot strategy’s second order change social technology.

Climate Moonshot Strategy

Cool City Challenge

Click on image to learn about the strategy.

Carbon Neutral City Scaling Strategy

Cool City Challenge: Carbon Neutral City Scaling Slides

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Second Order Change “How To” Manual

Social Change 2.0

Click on image to learn about second order change and what is possible.

It All Begins on the Street Where You Live

Cool Block Program

Pre-Application

$1 Million for 3 Winning Cities

$1,000,000 each to three California cities plus Empowerment Institute’s deep capacity building support.

Applications were submitted September 7, 2021 Winners will be announced October 25th, 2021 Next year's Cool City Challenge will be announced March 2022

To get a head start for the 2022 Cool City Challenge, consider starting Cool Blocks in your city today.

$1 Million for 3 Winning Cities

Application Available June 1st.

Applications were submitted September 7, 2021

Winners will be announced October 25th, 2021

Next year's Cool City Challenge will be announced March 2022