Missoula's Community Climate Smart Action Plan​

Our Community Climate Smart Action Plan v1.0 was released in July 2015. Essentially a blueprint for addressing climate change, it represented a huge step forward for our community!

The plan is organized into 9 different focal areas, or "Buckets," that are critical to Missoula's climate mitigation and resiliency efforts. At the center of the nine buckets, and at the heart of what we do, is education and outreach and inventory and metrics.  Our bucket strategy originated from years of community conversations and two community-wide summits where Missoula's leaders and innovators came together to develop climate strategies and priorities for our community. The strategies from the summit were prioritized based on the following criteria: 
  • Emissions reduction (mitigation): strategies lead to a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions
  • Preparedness (adaptation): strategies reduce risk or maximize benefit under a changing climate
  • Community cohesion: strategies inspire a broad network and enhance visibility of climate aciton
  • Momentum: strategies possess existing funding, resources, or people working on them currently
  • Practicality: strategies are practical given current political, economic, or cultural trends

Climate Smart Missoula is now over four years old, and we've continued to grow and evolve. Our goals remain the same: a carbon neutral, resilient, and socially connected Missoula, ready to respond to the climate crisis with creativity, determination, and resolve, but the way we organize our work has shifted.

For those interested in our 2015 approach, explore the accordion below to see the highlights from each bucket or download the 2-page summary of the plan. You can also download the full plan in its entirety, part 1 (for the overview, history, people, and endorsement), or part 2 (for all the bucket goals and strategies). While the 2015 Action Plan was an important milestone for our community, please keep in mind that many of these strategies are no longer up to date.

​For more recent information on our work, visit the pages under the adaptation and mitigation tabs on our website. 
EDUCATION AND OUTREACH
  • We envision a knowledgeable Missoula community that is informed on the issue of climate change, understands the community's goal to be carbon neutral, and is aware of the various community networks that are addressing climate-related issues. 
  • Our community will build synergies among those motivated to take climate action, facilitate cross-sector collaboration, and create targeted education and policy changes. 
INVENTORY AND METRICS
  • ​​We envision a vibrant and resilient Missoula community that has established the necessary metrics and carbon emissions inventory to track, report, and make progress toward Climate Smart goals. 
  • Our community will create a framework for conducting a community wide carbon emissions inventory, establish the necessary infrastructure to complete successive inventory updates with replicable methodology, and work with each bucket to create appropriate metrics that will track the progress of mitigation and resiliency projects and initiatives.
 Primary Strategies from 2015 
Conduct Community Carbon Emissions Inventory
​Develop and Track Bucket Specific Metrics
FORESTS AND OPEN LANDS
  • We envision that our surrounding forests and open lands, together with our urban forests, are healthy and adapted to local climate conditions, contribute to climate mitigation, and are supported by a broad sector of the community. 
  • We'll work together to enhance forests and local habitats so they're resilient and can provide an array of goods and services including: shade & cool temperatures, carbon sequestration, clean water, diverse wildlife habitat, and renewable wood products. ​
 Primary Strategies from 2015 
Support and Enhance Our Urban Forestry
Re-plant and restore open space and public and private lands
Connect forests and water
Engage in forest and climate education
GREEN BUILDING and energy efficiency
  • We envision a community where the built environment is part of the climate solution, where resident, business, non-profit, and government buildings are increasingly energy efficient, and where community members of all socio-economic status benefit.  
  • Our community will reduce greenhouse gas emissions that stem from buildings and develop a high demand for green buildings (new and retrofits) from all community sectors. 
 Primary Strategies from 2015 
Create and support a network of green-building design, building, and finance experts
Develop and encourage financing and funding opportunities
Initiate neighborhood energy efficiency and conservation projects
Develop energy efficiency projects within specific community sectors
HEALTHY COMMUNITY
  • We envision Missoula as a caring community, focusing on health, preparedness, personal and community resiliency to create a healthy community in which people thrive, even in the midst of climate change stress. 
  • Our community will enhance our climate-related disaster and threats preparedness, educate Missoulians about the climate-health link, and build more resilient individuals and community. 
 Primary Strategies from 2015 
Enhance community disaster and threats preparedness
Link health and climate change
​Build personal and community resilience
LOCAL FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
  • We envision a vibrant, affordable, and resilient local food and agriculture economy in the Missoula community with an educated consumer base that creates sufficient demand for local food. 
  • Our community will enhance Missoula's water resources and floodplains so they have the resiliency to withstand new pressures imposed by climate change and continue to provide clean water and ecosystem benefits to our community. 
 Primary Strategies from 2015 
Engage in comprehensive education
Expand local food distribution and establish food processing facilities
Promote the use of land use planning tools
RENEWABLE ENERGY
  • We envision a Missoula that is powered by renewable energy and where community members are engaged with and have control over affordable energy systems.  
  • Our community will significantly reduce our reliance on carbon-based fuels and increase the percentage of renewable energy in Missoula's energy budget. By 2050, we will generate enough energy through renewable sources to supply the entire Missoula community's electrical energy needs. ​
 Primary Strategies from 2015 
Accelerate renewable energy development in Missoula
Advocate for needed policy
Engage in education and outreach
SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
  • We envision a local economy that is increasingly prepared for forthcoming climatic challenges and opportunities, and that works for all people, the planet, and profits. 
  • Our community will develop and strengthen long-term economic strategies, policies, and financing for the Missoula area that fits the latest climate science, follows relevant resiliency recommendations, and builds social equity in our community.
 Primary Strategies from 2015 
Initiate a climate smart economic conversation
Develop funding mechanisms
Develop strategies for enhancing state level policy
TRANSPORTATION AND SMART GROWTH
  • We envision a community that focuses growth inward in the direction of existing infrastructure, neighborhoods and public services to reduce our contribution to climate change and prepare us for its impacts. 
  • Our community will develop infrastructure and new growth that is sustainable, adaptable, and in the direction of existing services.  
 Primary Strategies from 2015 
Reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT)
Enhance expansive, accessible, and affordable public transit
Develop safe, comprehensive transportation infrastructure
WATER CONSERVATION AND PROTECTION
  • We envision the Missoula area will have sustained quantity and quality of water needed for human, animal and ecosystem health.
  • Our community will enhance Missoula’s water resources and floodplains so they have the resiliency to withstand new pressures imposed by climate change and continue to provide clean water and ecosystem benefits to our community.
 Primary Strategies from 2015 
Enhance stream and wetland protection and restoration
Protect floodplains and wetlands to reduce flooding and enhance groundwater infiltration
​Expand water-focused education initiatives
​zero waste
  • We envision a community that continually reduces its waste by reducing, reusing and recycling all materials possible, providing opportunities and incentives to do so for members of all socio-economic groups.
  • Our community will actively work to become a Zero Waste Community.
 Primary Strategies from 2015 
Build support for waste reduction across sectors
Investigate community waste behaviors and barriers to waste reduction
​Foster community understanding of benefits of waste reduction

Community Climate Smart Milestones
​(since 2015 Plan Release)

  • 2016 | Summer Smart launched 
  • 2016 | Missoula Community Carbon Emissions Inventory Published 
  • 2017 | Energy Smart and Solar-ease launched
  • 2018 | Zero by Fifty Waste Plan Adopted
  • 2019 | 100% Clean Electricity Resolution Adopted by Missoula City Council and Board of County Commissioners
  • 2020 | Climate Ready Missoula plan completed and on its way to adoption by City Council and Board of County Commissioners. 
  • 2020 | Missoula Food Policy Council established

The Buckets in Photos