Read all posts from the series here:
Miami-Dade County Builds Resilience to Climate Impacts
Mississippi River Towns Unite for Economic and Environmental Sustainability
Center for Planning Excellence Moves Louisiana Toward Statewide Resilience
New Orleans Models Green Infrastructure in Gentilly Resilience District
Little Rock ‘LEEDS’ on Green Building, Sustainable Public Procurement 
Shelby County, TN, Models Regional ‘Greenprint’ Approach to Connecting Neighborhoods with Nature
‘Livable Nashville’ Puts Advanced Technology to Work for Comprehensive City Sustainability
About The American Resilience Roadtrip:
The rhetoric surrounding national politics would suggest that our country is more divided than ever. Issues surrounding climate and environment, health, women, and even the role of the community itself have somehow become hot-button issues mired by polarization. Or so it may seem.
At the ground level, a very different narrative can be found. ICLEI USA has worked in hundreds of cities and towns around the country, in red states and blue states, in communities wealthy and underserved. And what we see happening at the local level nearly everywhere is inspiring in its connectivity, tolerance, and dedication to keep and maintain relationships. To showcase this local-level wisdom, we have hit the road!
A concerned citizen, Ben Colombo, contacted ICLEI shortly after the November elections. Ben was concerned about this divisiveness. Like many of you, he wanted to take action so he reached out to ICLEI with an idea to embark on a year-long, 50-state tour to find out how city governments, citizen groups, nonprofits, and others are making their communities more sustainable, more resilient, and better served. We love his idea because ICLEI serves to empower – not overpower people and we are happy to team with Ben to tell the story of local action.
The concepts and concrete practices offered through sustainability initiatives and community service efforts are fortifying, inclusive, and able to forge connections across communities in ways the national conversation fails to acknowledge. Follow Ben and ICLEI USA here on this page, on our CityTalk Blog, and on Twitter and Instagram as we discover a more sustainable, more compassionate USA thriving at the ground level.
Angie Fyfe
Executive Director, ICLEI USA