Senior Budget Analyst of Fort Collins, CO, Cody Forst chats with us about a typical municipal budget timeline and how crucial involvement from community members through online feedback and participatory budgeting aid in the process.

ESAL speaks to a former and current members of Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center (PI-CASC) to learn about how they supports and connect local natural resource managers, researchers, cultural practitioners, policy professionals, community leaders, and graduate students on the Island of Hawaiʻi Island to build adaptive capacity.

This is the second in a series of three articles to help you understand and interpret local budgets. ESAL sits down with Open Budget Oakland’s Felicia Betancourt and Jess Sand to discuss their efforts towards making municipal budgets accessible. Read about how Open Budget Oakland advances local government engagement by combining community and coding.

This is the first in a series of three articles to help you understand and interpret local budgets. Learn more about the fundamentals of the municipal budget such as how city governments spend funds to what goes into a typical budget development process.

ESAL sat down to chat with Liz Snyder, a PhD turned co-founder turned Alaska state representative. Snyder uses her interest in environmental public health to lead initiatives that fortify Alaska's food systems at the state level. Snyder discusses how her education has impacted her long-term goals and career choices as well as her current projects.

The SciTech Institute is using its powers to enable students astute in STEM to take up leadership roles and impact communities within the state of Arizona. Since its launch, the institute's Chief Science Officer program has extended its reach to ten states and four countries outside the U.S. Learn more about the inspiration for creating SciTech and what is in store for the future.

On April 28, 2021, ESAL discussed with professionals in the field about plastic waste and science-informed efforts to mitigate the harmful effects of it.

On March 2, as the final installment of the Covid Conversations series, ESAL spoke with three active members of the science communication scene to learn more about civic engagement. The discussion includes methods for effectively communicating with one's own local government, communication styles among scientists, and vaccine distribution.

ESAL had the opportunity to speak with Queens Deputy Borough President Rhonda Binda, a native of Queens, who has been spearheading the endeavor to ensure the borough becomes a model smart city and remains prosperous.