In a collective effort to combat the changing climate, many U.S. cities have sought to enact forward-thinking policies that are geared to create a cleaner and cooler future. In February 2025, Mayor Paul Young of Memphis, Tennessee, announced the city's partnership with a Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative that aims to develop environmentally friendly communities.
In March 2024, the Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities initiative was created in an effort to encourage cities throughout America to "build low-carbon, resilient, and economically thriving communities."
The $200 million initiative is geared toward promoting the use of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. In total, over $400 billion in federal funding is available to local governments to invest in improved infrastructure.
In addition to Memphis, the BASC initiative selected 24 other cities such as Cleveland, Ohio, Oakland, California, and Jackson, Mississippi.
In each of the 25 cities, the BASC initiative will work as an overarching support system for projects designed to aid "disadvantaged communities historically overburdened by pollution."
While speaking to Action News 5, Mayor Young described just how his city plans on utilizing the funds from the BASC initiative. "We're focusing on green infrastructure," Young said. "So infrastructure that we can build that has less impact on the environment."
Additionally, the initiative will also positively affect residents throughout the city. Young aims to improve the quality of housing in Memphis that he calls "energy inefficient." He argues that those inefficient properties are costing people a good amount of money by "sucking up a lot of energy."
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, there are several ways homeowners can address their concerns over the efficiency of their home's structure, heating, cooling, and even energy systems. One upgrade that you can make is to switch to solar power. Not only can solar energy reduce your home's impact on the environment, but it can reduce your energy bills as well.
Fortunately, individuals can also utilize the benefits of the IRA to improve their home's energy efficiency. TCD offers a comprehensive IRA guide to see how you can take advantage of tax breaks and credits.
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