What we do
The Urban Drawdown Initiative (UDI) brings together cities, resource specialists, community-based organizations, scientists, innovators, land managers, and others to accelerate implementation of carbon removal strategies that simultaneously improve the social, economic, and environmental resilience of local communities. Inspired in part by Paul Hawken’s groundbreaking book, Drawdown, the Initiative was established to support and disseminate city-scale actions that operationalize high-leverage drawdown actions.
Background
In 2017, a group of cities began exploring the role of cities in carbon drawdown. Working with the Urban Sustainability Director’s Network and Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance, these cities began developing innovative solutions to carbon drawdown that could also address climate adaptation and social equity objectives. This work has produced an evolving framework and action pathways for city-based drawdown opportunities, as well as a growing resource database.
team
Brett KenCairn is the Urban Drawdown Initiative’s founding director. As a Steering Committee member of CNCA, Brett has helped to spearhead drawdown initiatives within both CNCA and USDN. He serves simultaneously as the City of Boulder, Colorado’s Senior Policy Advisor for Climate and Resilience. As part of Boulder’s commitment to leverage broader climate action outside of its city boundaries, the City supports Brett in holding these dual responsibilities.
The majority of “staffing” resources utilized to implement the UDI workplan are leveraged through implementation partners. This enables the majority of funding raised through UDI to go directly to drawdown pioneers on-the-ground. It also supports local resource leveraging by providing match funding that opens additional funding pathways. As part of the strategy to minimize organizational overhead, the Urban Sustainability Director’s Network has formally sponsored CDI and provides much of the needed administrative support required as part of their sponsorship.
supporters
This Initiative was incubated and enabled through the generous support and strategic guidance of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. UDI now enjoys support from a number of leading philanthropic organizations, as well as our administrative and fiscal sponsor, the Urban Sustainability Director’s Network (USDN). We also work closely with the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance (CNCA) and a growing network of global climate professionals and funders who are moving quickly to integrate drawdown with existing GHG emissions reduction strategies.
Strategic advisory Committee
Strategic guidance for the Initiative is being provided by a committee comprised of leaders in four categories integral to the development and implementation of city-based carbon drawdown action. These include: leaders of municipal organizations; representatives from city networks, specialists in carbon drawdown; and leaders in equity-based community development.
City leadership
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City Innovation Networks
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SPECIALISTS: Equity + Science
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City of Boulder, Colorado, Senior Policy Advisor for Climate and Resilience