This week the CityLinks team brought delegates from Durban South Africa to Fort Lauderdale Florida to meet with officials from the City of Fort Lauderdale and Broward County to discuss the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Compact. During the week the delegation met with a number of stakeholders from the community that have supported the work of the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Compact. The group shared with delegates from Durban the importance of finding "Climate Champions" in the community to advocate for local policies that support climate resilient communities. 

One of the early champions of the Compact was Caroline Lewis, founder of the CLEO Institute (Climate Leadership Engagement Opportunities). Caroline has helped to expand the network of champions through a philosophy of  "Promote, Provoke, Celebrate". By promoting the supporters of climate resilient communities she provokes others to come to the movement and then celebrates their success. This simple but effective cyclical methodology has created a broad network of diverse stakeholders spreading the word about how individuals, families, businesses and government can take actions to adapt to the effects of climate change in their communities. 

To find out more about the work of the CLEO Institute you can visit their website at www.cleoinstitute.org