I work to advance climate progress that makes people and communities better off day to day, like lower energy bills, cleaner air, safer transportation, and more accessible public services.
Since 2007, I’ve built and led solutions that deliver results like these, from the ground up to widespread adoption across states, industries, and the nation. I spent 15 years doing that at BSR and CALSTART before going independent and bringing my experience to local government in Boulder.
HOW I WORK
Right now, I am going three things.
1. I advise advocacy leaders who are pushing for climate action, wellbeing for all, and more effective local government. I help them sharpen their strategies, work well with elected officials, and find where their agendas reinforce each other to deliver public benefit at scale. More at Moreworks ➚.
2. I launch targeted initiatives to help public infrastructure and services reach more people. I organize the people who need infrastructure and services to work better, find ways to improve their experience, and make it easier and more cost-effective to improve the breadth and quality of service. I have a few things cooking, including an effort to grow secure bicycle parking. If you’re working on something similar, I’d like to hear from you.
3. I serve on Boulder City Council. My mission is to make our community work for everyone, now and in the future. I am working to cut the costs of living, adapt our community to a change world it isn’t built for, and make local government more predictable and effective–with climate action built into everything we do. I was re-elected in November 2026. More at ryanwithboulder.com ➚ and I write a newsletter ➚.
WHERE I’M FOCUSED
I operate at two levels. In the big picture, I develop comprehensive strategies for equitable climate change mitigation and adaptation, clean air, and good jobs. In depth, I help guide the real-world transitions communities need to make, along with the public support, capacity, and funding to carry them out.
Four of those transitions get most of my attention.
Compact, connected neighborhoods. Affordable places to live, from pairing infill housing with good transportation access to the details of safe streets, frequent transit, secure bike parking, and electric options for every way people get where they are going.
Clean, reliable energy. A grid with fewer and shorter outages, combined with home and neighborhood electrification that lowers bills and provides backup power.
Wildfire protection and water security. Cost-effective ways to keep the whole community safe from fire, water planning that stretches supplies and builds resilience to drought, and landscapes and buildings designed to do both.
Strong, stable city finances. Budgets that deliver services efficiently now and hold up over the long term, accounting for climate shocks, ongoing stresses, and costly lock-in.
