Community Sustainability Testbed

Sustainable Rio Claro 2020

(2016-2017)

As co-founder of this initiative, I worked directly with the community between 2016 and 2017 to formulate their vision of a Sustainable Rio Claro 2020, and implement the first phase of action towards this vision. Since 2017, I have been advising the community leadership on sustainability issues, and studying how the initiative is evolving to learn more about the dynamic process of community-led sustainability transitions. Different elements of the initiative are supported through a variety of local funding and community resources.

Formulated in collaboration with the residents of Rio Claro, Sustainable Rio Claro 2020 is a community-led experiment in planning and implementing solutions for achieving a shared vision of sustainable futures. What started out as a small waste management measure quickly grew to different community-led sustainability initiatives; including revitalizing water resources, creating better conditions for all homes and people in the community, grassroots-led policy intervention, and becoming more proactive in demanding accountability from local administration. The community is a living testbed for experiments on multi-dimensional transformations.

Find out more about the initiative here

This research was supported by the ASU-USAID Global Development Research fellowship and the Messner & Patzer Sustainable Energy Grant.