Blog

The National League of Cities partnered with Bright Cities to convene local and state leaders for a conversation about strategies to equitably reduce exposures that harm the developing brain while providing climate adaptation co-benefits, and the impact on children’s ability to grow and thrive in their communities.

City staff and partners implemented a pilot project that transitioned three neighborhoods to chemical-free turf maintenance, inherently making the community safer for its smallest residents.

Pine Bluff staff implemented projects to support healthy brain development in children like planting trees, increasing access to organic produce, and reducing lead exposures.

How can we continue to build the connections between healthy brain development, climate, and justice? For Earth Day—and for all the children in our lives—let’s just “try it" using the Bright Cities Earth Day Checklist.

Submit your proposal to equitably reduce air pollution, lead, or other neurotoxic exposures that harm children’s brain development, have resilience co-benefits, and leverage bipartisan infrastructure law funds when possible.

Staff decided to lead by example in city-owned properties. They embarked on an internal audit to determine what actions the city could take to reduce neurotoxic pollution and foster healthy green spaces.

Mayor Larson and sustainability staff set about to identify effective sustainability purchasing policies and identify the biggest levers that the city can have in influencing community purchasing choices.

Here are the 5 key steps that led to scalable, measurable change in Bright Cities, and the importance of each step in the words of a city leader.

Staff identified methods to robustly clean playground structures using non-toxic methods and to encourage families to visit city parks using an innovative Park Passport program.

Revive Flint Community Health Center pulled together a fabulous “pampering session” for expectant moms that was coupled with information about identifying and mitigating potential sources of lead exposure at home.