SSDN‘s Green Minds

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 S...

🎙️ 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 #LocalSu...

🎙️ 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 th...

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 Gaha...

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 benefit...

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 plan...

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...

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.  Enjo...

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 no...

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...

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 so...

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...

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...

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-sustainabl...

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 epis...

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 creatin...

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 mo...

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 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 ju...

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 Justi...

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...

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-Sa...