Many of the things your city government can do to adapt to climate change are the same things you should encourage your community to do. Lead by example and use your efforts as a way to educate your community.

• Encourage energy efficiency and conservation within city operations
  • helps reduce electricity demand and blackouts during high heat events
  • blackouts during high events increase incidents of heat related illness

• Use distributed renewable energy to help power city operations
  • helps reduce grid demand and blackouts during high heat events
  • blackouts during high events increase incidents of heat related illness

• Practice water efficiency and conservation within city operations
  
  • Install low flow toilets, fixtures and plumbing in city buildings
  • Adopt a native/adaptive species policy for all city owned properties

• Put green roofs on city buildings
  • insulates and reduces energy consumption in buildings
  • reduces the urban heat island effect
  • absorbs storm water and helps prevent flooding

• Plant native trees on city properties 
  • mitigates the urban heat island effect
  • absorbs storm water and helps prevent flooding
  • aids aquifer/groundwater recharge
  • strategically placed trees can reduce energy demand in buildings

• Adopt a native/adaptive plant landscaping policy for all city properties

• Use light colored pavements and building materials in city projects
  • reduces urban heat island effect

• Plant/establish bio-swales and rain gardens on city appropriate city properties
  • absorbs storm water and helps prevent flooding
  • aids aquifer/groundwater recharge
  • mitigates the urban heat island effect

• Use permeable surfaces such as pervious pavement, pavers, and gravel on city owned properties
  • reduces storm water runoff and helps prevent flooding
  • aids aquifer/groundwater recharge

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Additional resources and best practices

Managing Wet Weather with Green Infrastructure. U.S. EPA

Heat Island Effect. U.S. EPA

Preparing for Climate Change: A Guidebook for Local, Regional, and State Governments. University of Washington in association with ICLEI

Local best practices

• Middleburg Heights, Glenwillow, and Seven Hills have all implemented storm water control programs for city complexes