Envision

EnVision Tempe is a one-stop resource center designed to meet community needs and help families in our city thrive. The center at 1310 E. Apache Blvd. is expected to open in 2022. It will be a place where individuals and families come for services such as help finding a job, GED classes, housing assistance, parenting programs, and before and after school care. Services will be offered through the City of Tempe Human Services, nonprofit organizations and other partners. EnVision Tempe will have the ability to provide human services year round, as well as the capacity and infrastructure to serve residents with limited incomes as a neighborhood resource during a disaster as a part of a whole community-based approach to emergency management. Learn more about resilience hubs at the Urban Sustainability Directors Network.

Resilient Energy Hubs

Resilient Energy Hubs are a highlight action of Tempe’s Climate Action Plan and is highlighted in the Climate Action Plan Update Climate Justice Agenda and Neighborhood Agenda. This project will support the City’s efforts to become more resilient to extreme heat and will also support the city’s carbon neutrality goals.

Tempe’s piloting of the Resilience Hub concept with EnVision Tempe is the beginning of creating a citywide network of Resilience Hubs and Resilient Energy Hubs.

Policy

• Exploring solar and battery (microgrid) opportunities with utilities Programs
• Developing programs for EnVision Tempe
• Conducting neighborhood engagement and developing programs for EnVision Tempe

Infrastructure

• EnVision Tempe at Dorsey Lane and Apache Boulevard will open in 2022

Considering that climate change disproportionately affects frontline communities and people of color, our city government has the responsibility  to meet the needs of all residents and ensure that resources are available to everyone. The Office of Sustainability invests in people by embedding equity in city operations and capital investments now and for our future. Tempe’s inclusivity is central to our city being sustainable and resilient.

Tempe values our rich social and cultural history, and supports a variety of community programs to preserve and celebrate those assets.

Carl Hayden Campus of Sustainability

Rio Salado Foundation

Cool Kids, Cool Places, Cool Futures is a grant about advancing extreme heat resilience in the Escalante and Gilliland neighborhoods. Council members will work alongside researchers, city staff, local artists, social workers and teachers to complete projects including communications and arts projects, cooling projects like food forests and native gardens, and guidelines for the city on how to invest in urban cooling. Find more under the Extreme Heat work we are doing in Tempe (link).

To see past grants that progressed Social and Cultural Sustainability within the City of Tempe, please visit the completed grants webpage here.

It is non-negotiable to make equity and justice issues central to sustainable change. The social aspect of sustainability often gets less of a focus, considering its complexity, but Tempe will strive to make equity fundamental in our city. 

City Collaboration

Work alongside Tempe to advocate for equitable policies and programs. 

• Learn about the Equity in Action and ULI Affordable Housing grants Tempe is currently working on. 
• Attend Tempe’s Sustainability Commission meetings.
• Submit an application to join one of the many boards and commissions in Tempe.
• Contact the Council Communicator in support of affordable housing and equitable engagement. 
• Join the newsletter for the ASU Sustainable Cities Network (SCN) and review their Library of Sustainable Resources. 
• Learn more about targeted universalism, a concept central to policies and programs at Tempe’s Office of Sustainability.
  • Here is a link to the Urban Sustainability Director Network (USDN) equity training. 

Individual Actions

It is of the utmost importance to learn the history of systemic racism and begin dismantling by centering equity in decision-making. In addition, it is important to discuss and address the impact of racism and discrimination on the mental health of our black communities. Below are actions you can take to stand in solidarity:

• Here are resources, support, and educational materials regarding mental health issues facing the black community. 
• Here is an exhaustive ally resource guide.  
• Here is a guide that outlines ways you can take action for the Black Lives Matter movement.  
• Learn about and get involved with different civil rights organizations in the Greater Phoenix Valley. 
• Supportlocal black-owned businesses in the Valley.
• Support immigrant-owned businesses in the Valley.  
• Support businesses and nonprofits that are members of the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Arizona.  
• Support businesses that are members of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and these Hispanic/Latinx organizations in the Valley. 
• Support LGBTQ+ businesses that are members of the Greater Phoenix Equality Chamber of Commerce.
• Use this online marketplace to buy from black-owned businesses (instead of buying from Amazon).
• Download the free Buycott mobile app to scan barcodes in the store and ensure you’re voting with your dollar in the way you want to.

Equity and justice must be fundamental to decision-making. Find ways you can center people in your organization:

• Take the Sustainability Pledge to work with other businesses to save money and take action.
• Contact the Council Communicator in support of equitable engagement.
• Find ways to make empathy central to your organization. 
• Here is a link to the Urban Sustainability Director Network (USDN) equity training.
• Here are ways your business can advance racial justice.
• See how capacity building can help develop your organization.
• Learn about the Voluntary Environmental Stewardship program from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ).