To open vibrant school playgrounds to the public in underserved Los Angeles; empower low-income residents through enhanced community engagement, and advance local joint-use policies.

Lessons learned about tools and tactics through the project that other sustainability directors could use to advance their work.

• Holding frequent general and ‘working group’ meetings, including all-day retreat style workshops, offered stakeholders the opportunity to participate in the prioritization of sustainability objectives.
• The placement of Chief Sustainability Officers in multiple city departments, such as the Department of Recreation and Parks, allowed for more customized and frequent contact with the grant recipient, which allowed for substantive collaboration on sustainability goals.    

Lessons for developing a collaborative process between a local government sustainability director and local place-based foundation(s).

An in-person workshop with stakeholders was hosted, which helped planning initiatives by gathering ideas on addressing the cross-cutting issues of Equity, Adaptation and Resilience, and Workforce Development. During the workshop, the sustainability director and participants also discussed potential Partner Initiatives – programs or actions led by organizations and local place-based foundations that align with and help deliver local sustainability plans.