Who We Are
The Climate Solutions Accelerator is an inclusive, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to inspiring and facilitating a large-scale climate mobilization in the nine-county Genesee-Finger Lakes Region.
In the weeks leading up to the 2014 People’s Climate March, more than 30 local organizations joined together to demand action on climate change and form the Rochester People’s Climate Coalition (RPCC). Following the march, representatives from member organizations worked together to define the Coalition’s mission, goals, and structure. For six years, the organization operated as RPCC, with a focus on organizing collaborative efforts to address climate change in the nine-county Genesee-Finger Lakes Region. Initially all-volunteer led, RPCC became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2017 and hired its first staff person in 2018, to support the coalition’s rapid growth and increasing activity.
In 2020, the organization changed its name and look to reflect its critical role in launching and accelerating efforts to address climate change throughout the nine-county Genesee-Finger Lakes Region. With a growing staff, Board of Directors, and wide ranging group of member and partner organizations, the Climate Solutions Accelerator uses its wealth of experience and energy to galvanize high-impact climate action at the local level.
Our Mission
To create a healthier, more equitable, and regenerative community by catalyzing local efforts to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and address the effects of climate change.
Our Vision
A thriving region on a healthy planet, achieved through bold, systemic climate solutions that promote prosperity and security for all.
Our Values
The Climate Solutions Accelerator is:
Inclusive
Nonpartisan
Solutions-focused
Collaborative
Scientifically-informed
Transparent
Committed to social, racial, economic, environmental, and intergenerational justice
Our Work
The Accelerator is working to achieve systemic change via two main pathways:
Convening and unifying a diverse range of partners to facilitate organizational action and nurture leadership development within organizations.
Organizing and empowering concerned citizens at the local level to facilitate individual action, nurture the development of effective community leaders, and build the power of our local climate movement.
All of our work is infused with an equity lens and prioritizes climate solutions that both accelerate emissions reductions and promote health, safety, and economic prosperity for all members of our community.
Our Commitment
As part of the Climate Solutions Accelerator’s commitment to climate justice, the organization has signed on in support of the Black Agenda Group’s declaration that racism is a public health crisis. We acknowledge that systemic racism has shaped our community and continues to do so today. The impacts of systemic racism on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in the Genesee-Finger Lakes Region are seen in these persistent disparities, with significant implications for the health and wellbeing of our entire community. Furthermore, we recognize that climate change will only serve to worsen these disparities if we do not center equity and climate justice in our regional efforts to address climate change.
The Climate Solutions Accelerator is firmly committed to incorporating the pillars of the Black Agenda Group’s declaration as part of our efforts to co-create a local climate justice movement that prioritizes equity and works toward climate solutions that can be used to mitigate other systemic community concerns.
Our Staff
Our Board of Directors
What distinguishes the Accelerator is its focus: let’s get something done! I was skeptical when I was approached by Executive Director Abigail McHugh-Grifa. I am an advocate of free enterprise. I lean right politically. I am more libertarian than liberal. None of that mattered to Abby. Do I think climate change is the result of human activity? Do I think we should do something about it? Yes and yes. That’s all Abby cared about. It is rare to be approached so open-mindedly in this era of political dysfunction. It’s a winning formula. The tent gets bigger when we tolerate different perspectives. I have been delighted to participate as a volunteer supporting the Climate Solutions Accelerator. I look forward to more of the same.
— John Calia, Author of The Reluctant CEO: Succeeding Without Losing Your Soul
