SSDN‘s Green Minds: Recent Episodes
Laurel Creech, Catherine Mercier-Baggett
”Green Minds” is a collaboration between members of the Southeast Sustainability Directors Network and guests who have experience, knowledge, passionate and dedication to sustainability.
About SSDN: The Southeastern U.S. is no different than the rest of the world when it comes to dealing with the problems associated with climate change. Extreme heat, rising seas, strengthening storms, flooding, drought, and crop loss are just some of the challenges we face.
The Southeast Sustainability Directors Network (SSDN) addresses these problems through sustainability efforts — work that creates a healthy, clean, and more stable environment for current and future generations.
We connect local government sustainability professionals throughout the region to accelerate, scale, and implement sustainable best practices so that communities are equipped to adapt to and mitigate climate change.
Learn more about SSDN at www.southeastsdn.org
Dr. Shaleen Miller talks with Cameron Gonzalez, Grounds Maintenance Supervisor, and Kimberly Conley, Sustainability Coordinator, with the Town of Morrisville, NC, about the real-world transition to electric vegetation management equipment. Hear what they have learned about costs, battery life, charging, crew performance, staff buy-in, and quieter day-to-day operations. #sustainability #SSDN #SoutheastUS
Join host Diego J. Cancel from Coral Gables, Florida, as he interviews several of our SSDN members and leadership at the 2026 Annual Meeting. Interviewees share the important things they learned and what they are taking home with them.
Celebrate Mobility Month this May as host Mika Gadsden, Director of Sustainability for Charleston, South Carolina, interviews Executive Director Katie Zimmerman and Director of Programming Savannah Brennan with Charleston Moves about local mobility efforts. #biking #charlestonmoves
This Earth Month, we explore the connection between sustainability work and mental health. Host Jessica Reid is joined by two guests bringing complementary perspectives. Ashley Stokes, who currently works for the Seminole Tribe of Florida and is the creator of the documentary Good Natured, discusses the role of storytelling in helping people process climate emotions and move toward action. Sarah Sterzing of Keep Norfolk Beautiful shares how her background in social work informs a trauma-informed approach to sustainability.
Together, this conversation offers practical insights and reflections for those working in climate and sustainability, especially those navigating the emotional weight of the work.
Watch Good Natured
Check out this article that some of our SSDN members enjoyed, inspiring this episode.
🎙️ March Green Minds Podcast
Coral Gables Sustainability Supervisor Diego J. Cancel and SSDN member sits down with Pulitzer Prize winning environmental journalist Mark Schleifstein to discuss climate and resilience to major storm events.
GreenMindsPodcast #SSDN #Louisiana #resilience
🎙️ February Green Minds Podcast
Got glass? Get sand.
Osceola County, Florida, is doing something unique with their recycling program. They are turning their glass into sand.
Explore the topic with Dr. Shaleen Miller in our latest Green Minds podcast edition, featuring Paul Conover, Sustainability Project Manager and Nicole Enverga, Sustainability Program Specialist.
GreenMindsPodcast #LocalSustainability #GlassRecycling #SSDN
🎙️ January Green Minds Podcast
This month’s episode of Green Minds features a conversation with Rob Phocas, SSDN’s new Executive Director.
Rob shares with host Dr. Shaleen Miller why he’s excited to be back with SSDN at a pivotal moment, what it’s been like to see the network grow into its first year as a nonprofit, and why peer networks are essential for sustainability professionals working at the local level.
We also talk about what makes a network work — what SSDN needs from participants, why showing up matters, and how shared learning and collaboration help move projects forward faster and with greater impact.
If you work in or alongside local government and are looking for connection, practical support, and a community that understands the realities of this work, this episode is for you.
GreenMindsPodcast #LocalSustainability #ClimateLeadership #PeerLearning #SSDN
How do local governments talk about resilience and recovery after hurricanes and tropical storms? In this episode, Jessica Reid from the City of Raleigh, North Carolina, talks with local government leaders from across the Southeast about how they communicate through crisis, connect with residents, and frame climate challenges in ways that build trust and understanding. Guests include Leslie Gahagan, the Sustainability and Natural Resources Director for the City of Foley, Alabama; Matt Efird, Assistant Town Manager and Community Services Director for the Town of Hillsborough, North Carolina; and Ashlee Painter, Chief Resilience Officer for the City of Sanibel, Florida. Our thoughts and hearts are with all the communities that continue to experience impacts from climate-related disasters. Check out the episode to hear some great insights about how communities can respond to and prepare for these impacts.
In this episode, interview host Dr. Robyn Byers of Charlotte, NC, interviews John Richardson and Brennan Bouma (Chapel Hill, NC) and Jackie LeBouitz (Sarasota County, FL Extension Agent) about Leave the Leaves. Many of our member communities have already started their own Leave the Leaves campaigns, where residents are encouraged to not rake their leaves during fall. Leaf cover offers many benefits including a warm place for smaller animals to live during the colder months and by keeping soil mulched and moist. We hope you enjoy this episode of Green Minds.
Chapel Hill Leave the Leaves https://www.townofchapelhill.org/government/departments-services/public-works/streets-and-construction/leaves/leave-your-leaves
FL Extension Office Leave the Leaves
https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/sarasotaco/2025/03/19/support-your-local-bugs-leave-the-leaves-get-a-free-bumper-sticker/
AI is already transforming how we manage energy, model climate risks, and optimize city services—but it also has a growing environmental footprint. How can we use AI sustainably?
In this episode of Green Minds, host Dr. Shaleen Miller speaks with Dr. Arun Majumdar, Dean of Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and former VP of Energy at Google, about what AI means for local governments, the planet, and the future of climate work.
From vendor certifications to data transparency and digital equity, this conversation is packed with insights for cities, sustainability leaders, and anyone curious about the climate-AI connection.
GreenMindsPodcast #GreenMinds #Sustainability #Resilience #AI
In this episode of Green Minds, Shaleen Miller dives into the realities of landing—and thriving—in sustainability jobs, especially in local government.
From breaking into the field to stepping into leadership roles like Chief Sustainability Officer, our guests Abena Ojetayo with the City of Tallahassee and Shelby Buso, formerly with the City of Atlanta and now with the City of San Diego, CA, share their personal career journeys, the skills that matter most, and the advice they wish they’d had starting out. We also get real about burnout, balance, and staying grounded over the long haul.
Tune in to hear practical tips, candid stories, and inspiration for building a purposeful career in sustainability.
In this episode, we are joined by Michelle Midanier (Atlanta, Georgia) and Leif Olson (Fayetteville, Arkansas) to talk climate action planning. The conversation built from where were we in the late 2010's to now, what has been added, how to integrate climate action plans with other strategic plans, and how about funding? These great guests cover that and more in this episode of GreenMinds. Enjoy!
Fayetteville, Arkansas Sustainability
Atlanta's Mayor's Office of Sustainability and Resilience
In this episode, Dr. Shaleen Miller with Winston Salem and I tackle what we love about SSDN member and talk with Rebecca Coplin, Beautification Project Manager for the City of High Point NC, who is considering SSDN membership. We talk about the traditional and non-traditional benefits of SSDN, gush about our relationship building and connections, talk about grant support, and more. If you are not a member of SSDN, consider listening to all the benefits and let's sing you up :). For those of us who are members or know someone who isn't sure about membership, may not have a sustainability position, etc., please share this one wide as we celebrate this great organization.
As always, please send topic ideas to robyn.byers@charlottenc.gov. Have a great one!
This episode is a longer one - I just couldn't cut it down any more than just shy of an hour. Settle in and get ready for a packed episode where co-host Jessica Reid (Sustainability Analyst, City of Raleigh, NC and author of Planet Now) and I chat with Anthony Flaccavento (Rural Urban Bridge Initiative - RUBI) on how we can better communicate about sustainability. Enjoy this candid episode full of tips!
As always, please send topic ideas to robyn.byers@charlottenc.gov. Have a great one!
Rural Urban Bridge Initiative
This episode is a dose of laughter straight from our members. Welcome special co-host for this episode, Dr. Shaleen Miller, and I as we talk about funny moments we've had, and invite two members to share their funniest moments. Takeaways from this episode, check what other groups have the acronym you're hoping to use before you confirm committee names, search for context clues when talking to someone you don't recognize, Always have a re-usable cup and/or bag on you just in case, and have lemons on hand if you tangle with worms.
Enjoy!
As always, please send topic ideas to robyn.byers@charlottenc.gov. Have a great one!
This episode is a short primer for the fall season of the SSDN Green Minds podcast. We start with host Robyn Byers sharing a quick recap from the SSDN Annual Conference, held in Charlotte last May. We even reveal who was "A Spy" for the Charlotte trivia game ;). There's a short review of what's coming up for the fall episodes and we close out with quotes from you, our network, captured from the conference of your favorite bits.
Enjoy jumping back in this fall and we can't wait to continue sharing.
Email any topic ideas to robyn.byers@charlottenc.gov.
Thank you!
Related Links:
Innovation Barn: https://www.envisioncharlotte.com/innovation-barn/
Join us for this half hour dedicated to trees and urban heat in an urban setting. We are joined by Dr. Vivek Shandas with Portland State University, Victoria Aguilar - Asst. City Arborist for the City of Charlotte, and Erin Oliverio - Division Manager with the City of Charlotte's Landscape Management team.
Thank you!
Related Links:
Charlotte's Renew Brew
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story
In this short episode, we share the responses we received from SSDN members on what gives them hope to continue working in sustainability. Through our philosophical musings, we come to suggest a "word of the year" for 2024.
Is your organization struggling to access federal funding? Michael Dexter and Nick Deffley with the Southeast Sustainability Directors Network present the Inflation Reduction Act and the assistance services provided by the Local Infrastructure Hub.
Links mentioned in this episode
SSDN's Grant Opportunity Database: https://www.southeastsdn.org/programs/ssdns-federal-programs/southeast-sustainable-recovery-center-ssrc/
SSDN's Local Infrastructure Hub: https://www.southeastsdn.org/programs/ssdns-federal-programs/local-infrastructure-hub-cohorts/
LIH Factsheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Wqpwul1xK-7Uo9LI1KYQbCdiRR-wY9H-/view?usp=sharing
SSDN's Green Minds rebooted! We welcome a new co-host, Dr. Robyn Byers (Sustainability and Resilience Manager, Charlotte, NC), and we are slightly changing the format of the podcast to be more engaging.
In this conversation, we speak with Laura Thomas, Director of the Office of Sustainability for Richmond, VA, about the recently adopted Climate Equity Action Plan 2030.
Also mentioned in this episode: Charlotte's Strategic Energy Action Plan
The third and last episode of this special series on regenerative design includes three interviews featuring The Sustainability Institute (Charleston, SC), Green Spaces (Chattanooga, TN), and our very own Southeast Sustainability Directors Network.
These organizations are supported by the Kendeda Fund, an Atlanta-based foundation that invests in transformative leadership and ideas, and creating a more just and equitable world. Learn more about their work at kendedafund.org.
This is the second episode of three-part series focusing on pioneer practitioners in regenerative design. Co-hosts Catherine Mercier-Baggett and Laurel Creech speak to different organizations across the southeast region about regenerative design. These organizations are supported by the Kendeda Fund, an Atlanta-based foundation that invests in transformative leadership and ideas, and creating a more just and equitable world. Learn more about their work at kendedafund.org.
Part two features the Southface Institute and the Greenbuilt Alliance.
This episode is a three-part series focusing on pioneer practitioners in regenerative design as co-host Catherine Mercier-Baggett and Laurel Creech speak to seven different organzations across the southeast region about regenerative design. These organizations are supported by the Kendeda Fund, an Atlanta-based foundation that invests in transformative leadership and ideas, and creating a more just and equitable world. Learn more about their work at kendedafund.org.
Part One of this three-part series features Dennis Creech, Fund Adviser for Sustainability with the Kendeda Fund, and Shan Arora, Director of the Kendeda Building at Georgia Tech University.
Michael Dexter and Chris Barber, both with SSDN's Southeast Sustainable Recovery Center, explain the basics of the Justice40 Initiative, aimed at distributing at least 40% of federal investments to disadvantaged communities. They also present an interactive mapping tool developed for SSDN's members that compares the various set of criteria that can define disadvantaged communities.
SSDN's Justice40 Web App: https://uvalibrary.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=9973040fb53f4d0faa91e42f4aca364d note this map will be moved to a different address soon - do not bookmark!
White House: Justice40 Initiative | The White House
Columbia University Capstone Report: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DXhzk3Ys54pifVr_PyxulgQHktGseTJQ/view?usp=sharing
This episode of Green Minds Podcast features the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) - why they are important and how municipalities can engage. First podcast co-host Laurel Creech speaks with Anne Livingston, SSDN Director of Policy Programs, about her knowledge of IRPs. Then we focus on GA and Georgia Power's IRP process that concluded in July 2022 with guests Alicia Brown, City of Savannah's Clearn Energy Program Manager, and John R. Seydel, City of Atlanta Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer.
The availability of food, fresh and nutritious food in particular, is naturally a primordial preoccupation for communities. Some local governments are taking initiatives to facilitate the production and distribution of food, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable areas.
This episode hosted by Catherine Mercier-Baggett looks at the work conducted in the cities of Atlanta (GA) and Winston-Salem (NC). J. Olu Baiyewu and Moriah Gendy, both municipal employees dedicated to increasing food resilience and security in their respective cities, graciously share their experience.
Atlanta's AgLanta: https://www.aglanta.org/
Winston-Salem's Think Orange Program: https://www.cityofws.org/3050/Think-Orange-Food-Resilience-Campaign
On this episode of Green Minds, co-host Laurel Creech talks with two cities who received SSDN's Community Collaboration Catalyst Micro Grants aimed at providing small pots of funding to local governments to overcome barriers to systemic inequities alongside dedicated community partner organizations. Learn how the cities of Richmond, VA & Nashville, TN leveraged collaborative partnerships to work innovatively impact community-led and equitable approaches to sustainability. This SSDN grant was made possible with support from The Kresge Foundation,
MaryPat Baldauf (Columbia, SC) nominated the session hosted by Tobin Freid (Durham County, NC) and KatieRose Levin (Cary, NC) as her favorite highlight of SSDN's 2022 annual meeting. The peer learning session was on Addressing Urban Heat Islands and Heat Mitigation Strategies - an appropriate topic with summer unofficially starting with Memorial Day in the Southeast.
Resource mentioned in this episode:
- UHI Mapping Initiative (Columbia): https://cpac.columbiasc.gov/urban-heat-island-mapping-initiative/
- Extreme Heat and UHI (Durham County): https://www.dconc.gov/county-departments/departments-a-e/engineering-and-environmental-services/sustainability-office/climate-resilience/extreme-heat/-fsiteid-1#!/
- Cool Roadways Partnership: https://globalcoolcities.org/cool-roadways-partnership/
- Tree Equity Score (American Forests): https://treeequityscore.org/
This episode of the Green Minds Podcast is hosted by Laurel Creech (Nashville, TN) and features food waste awareness and mitigation in recognition of April being Earth Month and many states and cities recognizing the month as Food Waste Awareness Month. This episode kicks off with NRDC's Darby Hoover and Nashville's Linda Breggin on a national food waste perspective then we visit the cities of Asheville, NC; Hollywood, NC; and Orlando, FL on how these Southeast cities impactful initiatives are reducing food waste.
Sustainability spans across a multitude of disciplines, and the variety of individual backgrounds of sustainability professionals are a reflection of this reality.
In this episode, we visit with Casi Callaway (Mobile, AL), Glen Hadwen (Fort Lauderdale, FL), Lennie Massanelli (Little Rock, AR) and George Santucci (Town of Boone, NC) to discuss their unique paths.
This episode of Green Minds focuses on the sustainability organizational and staffing structures of four different size cities in the SSDN network and both their differences and commonalities: Susannah Troner of Miami-Dade County, FL; Helen Peplowski of the City of Winston-Salem, NC; George Santucci of the Town of Boone, NC; and Rebecca Harvey of Boynton Beach, FL. We discuss their histories, their current staffing, and future growth plans of each of these diverse cities.
The first 2022 episode of Green Minds explores the making of the latest canopy study for the City of Sandy Springs (GA) with Bridget Lawlor, GIS Manager. She is followed by Dr. Kendra Abkowitz, Chief Sustainability and Resilience Officer with the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County (TN), who discusses the latest efforts in Metro Nashville to preserve and increase the tree canopy.
Sandy Springs' urban canopy resources
Root Nashville initiative
Free canopy assessment and planning tools: i-Tree
Tune into this episode as Green Minds Co-hosts Catherine Mercier-Baggett and Laurel Creech as we talk with five SSDN cities to hear about their accomplishments in 2021: Fulton County, GA; Winston-Salem, NC; Orange County, FL; Durham, NC; and Chapel Hill, NC.
For more headlines and stories from SSDN's members in 2021, check out our year-end newsletter (plus our archives!) and latest blog post on our website.
This episode of Green Minds is focused on City Scale's recent report The State of U.S. Local Climate Action Planning, a collaborative reflection of a group of local climate practitioners. Through a series of conversations in 2019, climate practitioners across the country came to a shared recognition that local climate action planning had reached an inflection point. Guests Michael Armstrong, Katherine Gajewski, and Ariella Maron, of City Scale, bring their local government expertise to this enlightening and much-needed discussion.
The IPCC is releasing its sixth round of reports (AR6), confirming that we must control our impact on climate. Dr. Jairo Garcia, author of the Atlanta Climate Action Plan and instructor at Georgia Tech, explains what is the IPCC and why their findings are critical for local governments. Nell Boyle, Sustainability & Outreach Coordinator for the City of Roanoke, VA, reveals how the IPCC report release makes a difference in her work.
IPCC AR6 - Summary for Policymakers
This episode of Green Minds features Michael Dexter, SSDN's new Manager for the Southeast Sustainable Recovery Center (SSRC) which supports communities in their mobilization of COVID-19 relief and economic recovery in innovative ways which yield equitable solutions that make our communities more resilient to future stressors. We talk about the SSRC and how it will be valuable to members and Michael's previous roles in federal and local agencies.
Learn more about the SSRC here.
In this second episode of Green Minds, Catherine Mercier-Baggett (Sandy Springs, GA) discusses what sustainability means in the municipal context with Dr. Lynn Patterson of Three Points Planning and Georgia Tech, and Vanessa King, Network Manager at SSDN.
This is the first episode of Green Minds hosted by Laurel Creech and features Kris Stenger, the founder and former host of Green Minds Think Alike. We discuss Kris' new position as he leaves City of Winter Park to work as International Code Council's (ICC) Director of Energy.
Meg Jamison, Executive Director of the Southeast Sustainability Directors Network , joins the podcast to talk about the power of the network and the SE Sustainable Communities Fund. We also dive into what impacts Covid has had on the network and what opportunities lie ahead.
Chris Castro has been making headlines and the silver screen with the work he and his team at the City of Orlando have been accomplishing. Chris joins us for a few minutes to talk about how he arrived in Orlando and how the Mayor of Orlando laid out ambious goals that has Chris thinking globally but still acting locally.
Kim Cheslak of New Building Institute and Institute for Market Transformation talks about the energy code training provided through Southface as part of a DOE Commercial Building Study. Kim is formerly the Building Official for Washington DC and talks about how her experience in government has really benefited her work at IMT and now NBI.
Alissa Farina @FarinaAlissa from the City of Miami joins us from the Florida Sustainability Directors Annual Meeting. Alissa speaks to her work on Resilience and Resilience Hubs in the City of Miami.
Katrina Locke, Sustainability Director for Volusia County, Florida shares with the us about the project they are undertaking in the Spring Hill Community with the help of a grant from the Southeast Sustainable Community Fund. The Grant was also able to provide a convening on Race, Equity and Community Resilience facilitated by Government Alliance on Race & Equity and Race Forward.
Kumar Jensen, City of Evanston Sustainability Director joins us from USDN 2019 Conference in Detroit. Kumar shares how equity has led his work in USDN and in Evanston's Climate Plans.
Vincent Martinez COO of Architecture 2030 @arch2030 joins us from @USDN 2019 in Detroit. Vincent gives a history of Architecture 2030 and how this has manifested itself into key code proposals to the 2021 ICC Codes
We are coming to the end of the 2021 ICC Code Change Process as the Code Hearings are underway in Las Vegas. Hear a brief snapshot of how the code development process works.
US Green Building Council Florida Chapter hosted President and CEO, Mahesh Ramanujam. Mr. Ramanujam presented the state of USGBC and the advancements made in LEED v4.1. Mahesh also shared with us livingstandard.org a new initiative to share the stories of the role green buildings play in each person's life. Listening to his presentation leaves me no doubt that great things lie ahead at USGBC.
Glen Hadwen with the City of Ft. Lauderdale, FL joins us at ssdn2019 to talk about the history of usdn, ssdn, and fsdn. Also Glen shares what is going on in Southeast Florida and great story with Al Gore.
Vanessa Balta Cook joins Kris to discuss her first experience at the #USDN annual meeting in Denver, Colorado
Maggie Ullman provides the story for the creation of the Southeast Sustainability Directors Network. The direction and passion Maggie has brought to the development of network shines through in this interview.
John R. Seydel, Director of Sustainability for the City of Atlanta joins the podcast from the Southeast Sustainability Directors Annual meeting.
Hear our interview on Rollins College radio WPRK as we talk along things sustainabile in the City of Winter Park, Florida