As Seven Generations Ahead marks its 25th anniversary, founder and executive director Gary Cuneen says the organization is entering a critical new phase, expanding its role as a connector between communities and climate solutions.
Rooted in local and regional sustainability, Seven Generations Ahead has emphasized climate, equity and long-term impact throughout its work. Looking ahead, the organization aims to connect public and private institutions with initiatives that lower expenses while achieving greenhouse gas reduction targets, creating community benefits, and advancing wider sustainability goals.
“It’s really about identifying resources, connecting our institutions with partners operating in the clean energy and broader sustainability space, and driving these solutions forward. We’re in this interesting period, of course, with the federal government funding cutbacks, which requires us to dig in stronger and harder at the local level. There are tremendous opportunities for mainstream institutions to take action,” Cuneen said.
He said part of the organization’s role is to connect institutions with suitable partners and projects tailored to their needs, while also helping them access the resources necessary to carry those projects out.
“Our current federal administration is denying climate change, so they are not providing funding resources. I think part of our job, honestly, is to parse out what is still available. We’re doing that with respect to federal incentives and funding programs established in previous administrations, and helping our institutions take advantage of those opportunities,” Cuneen said.
Even as federal tax incentives through the Inflation Reduction Act phase out onsite solar tax credits by July of this year, institutions still have viable pathways forward, said Cuneen. Battery storage credits remain available and can be combined with solar projects to generate high returns and meaningful cost savings.
“It’s putting some of these opportunities in front of our municipalities now, as well as community institutions. One of the challenges is that there is a lot of information out there and many different types of projects and approaches. We are working with institutions that, by nature, are designed to do what they are intended to do for K–12 schools, that is, to educate children,” Cuneen said.
Cuneen said local governments are tasked with numerous responsibilities, including public safety and everyday services such as sanitation and street maintenance. This focus on building partnerships and connecting institutions with practical climate solutions helped lay the groundwork for broader collaborative efforts across the region.
One such effort is the initiative known as C4, which began around 2022. Building on the concept of public-private partnerships, the founding team came together in collaborative, community-focused work. C4 is led collaboratively by the mayors of Broadview, Oak Park and River Forest, along with the Urban Efficiency Group and Seven Generations Ahead. This coalition deepens coordination among communities, governments, nonprofits and private sector partners.
Oak Park Village President Vixki Scaman said when C4 began it started exploring ways to strengthen partnerships across neighboring communities, as well as with government agencies, nonprofits, and private companies. Building on the concept of public-private partnerships, the founding team came together through shared connections and a mutual interest in collaborative, community-focused work.
“We believe that we would have a greater influence in receiving grant dollars and discretionary funds from our state legislators and in advocating for the broader group with companies like ComEd, NICOR and others for support in this venture,” Scaman said.
According to Scaman, when a community joins C4, the first step is meeting with Cuneen and Urban Efficiency Group CEO Darnell Johnson to assess where it currently stands. She said they meet communities where they are, whether they are just starting sustainability efforts or have been engaged for years and help them develop a roadmap based on their specific needs and goals.
“We also work to have everyone report back regularly so that we’re able to track our progress with the C4 initiative. Gary is primarily the grant writer. So if he identifies a grant through the EPA, Cook County, the state, or any other organizations that would be appropriate, he looks at where that grant would make the greatest impact,” Scaman said.
Many institutions do not have sufficient staff to consistently track advances in sustainability, particularly in underserved areas and Seven Generations Ahead steps in to bridge this gap by serving as an extended sustainability director across communities. In doing so, they deliver information and opportunities that support local residents and stakeholders.
“It’s connecting youth to some of the initiatives we’re doing with adult leaders in our community institutions and also providing them with the capacity to advocate for climate solutions in their local schools and communities. That’s a big piece for us moving forward.” Cuneen said.
When asked what success looks like for Seven Generations Ahead over the next decade and how real impact will be measured, Cuneen said it will be reflected in the volume of greenhouse gas emissions reduced through strategies related to energy efficiency, clean energy, and composting, among other efforts.
“We are hoping to expand the number of communities in our cross-community climate collaborative. … We want to get more mayors involved,” Cuneen said.
Fifteen communities have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on climate equity and sustainability. The goal is to expand participation by bringing more mayors and communities into the initiative and equipping them with the tools to take action. This includes supporting not only municipal governments but also other institutions in implementing strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as electric vehicle infrastructure, onsite solar, onsite geothermal, and the procurement of clean energy from projects developed in Illinois.
“There are so many different organizations that are advancing solutions and working in these different spaces and I would encourage people to get connected to those organizations. There are many ways to volunteer, do internships, and support existing organizations and initiatives and we have a lot of that in the Chicago metro area that have been working on these issues for quite some time, like us,” Cuneen said.