About Us
Learn more about Climate Smart Missoula: missoulaclimate.org.
Missoula’s Climate Catalyst Fund is a program of Climate Smart Missoula and supported by a professional Advisory Team. We came together to develop an initiative that simultaneously reduces our community emissions while supporting local housing affordability and energy efficiency efforts.
Climate Smart Missoula staff Abby Huseth, Shanti Devins, Amy Cilimburg & Susan Teitelman
Upgrading lights at the Missoula Senior Center to save energy and reduce costs.
Our Catalyst Fund Team
Climate Smart Missoula, Staff
Amy Cilimburg, Executive Director
Shanti Devins, Program Director
Climate Smart Missoula, Board of Directors
Paul Herendeen, Clearwater Credit Union, VP of Sustainability
Chris Brick, retired, Clark Fork Coalition Science Director
Community Members
Dave Morris, M.S. Environmental Studies, Wild Rockies Field Institute (WRFI) Instructor
Mike Wood, PhD Sustainability Education, Founder of High Ride Leadership
Molly White, Greenhouse Gas Management Institute, Senior Director, Education Program.
Kristin Cushman, Blue Strike Environmental, Founder & CEO
Our Evolution
Missoula’s Climate Catalyst Fund began as a traditional carbon offset program - The Footprint Fund - in which we brokered transparent emissions credits. True carbon offsets are often controversial, difficult to measure and challenging to ensure compliance. Over time, we realized that our limited resources could best be used to make the emission saving projects happen and that verifying the exact number of CO2 saved was less crucial.
We heard from our donors that they want to support emissions reduction in Missoula. Some donate to counterbalance their travel; others have done what they can in their home or business but cannot get to “zero pollution” and this is a way to pay it forward. All were satisfied in knowing that our clean-energy and efficiency projects couldn’t have happened without their support.
Finally, we also know there’s pushback about focusing on individual carbon footprints as the way to reduce emissions because we need systemic change. Each of these factors led to our evolution from an offset-centered program to a fund focused on catalyzing local climate action.
We’d love to know more about you and why you support this effort - we also want to answer any questions you have about program.
Email Amy and we can talk: amy@climatesmartmissoula.org
Contact Us
Climate Smart Missoula
PO Box 8945
Missoula, MT 59807
Physical Office:
103 Hickory Street
Missoula, MT 59801