Building a climate responsive and just future is happening, many would argue, most meaningfully at the local level, due in part to the vision and persistent hard work of people like Lucia Athens. Lucia, trained in landscape architecture, talks about the need for design- and systems-minded people in government roles; writing green building policy, which she has done in both Seattle and Austin; and about some of the public buildings that resulted. We also talked about how equity informs Austin’s climate plan and the Austin Civilian Conservation Corps, turning climate action into jobs.