How Small Communities Can Boost Climate Action Through Regional Collaboration

It’s a concern many climate planners share: how do you ensure that years of work by staff, community members, modellers, and analysts lead to action rather than languishing as another report on a shelf? As Brian Jackson, Mayor of Beverly Hills in St. Louis County, Missouri puts it, “A climate action plan without implementation is just a waste of trees.”

As communities across the US wrap up regional and state climate action plans funded through federal Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG), they are grappling with how to transform these plans into action and fund implementation. For Mayor Jackson, who leads a city of fewer than 600 residents, regional coalitions are a potential solution.

Coalitions Make More Possible

In Beverly Hills, Mayor Jackson has had to make things happen on a “razor-thin budget.” Several years ago, he and other mayors of small municipalities recognized that collective purchasing and advocacy could change what was possible. As Jackson explains, “One mayor can walk into the state building and get ignored. Fifteen mayors walk in together and suddenly you have a platform.”

Beverly Hills is one of 22 neighboring municipalities that make up 24:1 Communities, a coalition aimed at leveraging the power of the collective. The group started by buying road salt in bulk to reduce costs. It later expanded to coordinating sidewalk repairs and demolition of derelict buildings. Over time, the coalition grew into shared work on housing, health, and services tied to the local school district. 

Applying The Coalition Model to Climate Action 

That same model can apply to climate action. The St. Louis Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan identifies building upgrades—such as insulation, air sealing, and efficient appliances—as key actions for reducing emissions. These upgrades also improve comfort, lower utility bills, reduce indoor air pollution, and make homes more resilient—addressing climate goals and everyday concerns at the same time. 

Coalitions like 24:1 Communities offer a practical way to deliver these upgrades. By aggregating demand, standardizing programs, and connecting residents to trusted support, coalitions can share the load for program implementation and making the case for funding. 24:1 Communities already works in housing and community development through its Beyond Housing program. That existing infrastructure could extend to energy efficiency and retrofit efforts, helping residents access services and financing more easily.

The St. Louis region is also supporting collaboration at a broader scale. East–West Gateway is facilitating coordination through the OneSTL initiative and its Sustainability Labs program. The group’s Climate Action Summit in January brought together community members, elected officials, and municipal staff to focus on implementing the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan.

The lesson from Mayor Jackson’s experience is straightforward. Regional plans bring communities together to set a common objective. Coalitions create the scale that makes implementation possible. Access to the right resources for implementation is the last piece. For small municipalities, working together is one essential piece of turning climate goals into tangible improvements for residents.