Communications and Engagement

Our diverse experiences allow us to communicate and address environmental and regulatory policy issues to various stakeholders, whose interests and motivations might range from hedging risk, minimizing environmental impact, cost reduction, safety, or managing public relations, among others. By ensuring that issues and goals are communicated with specific audiences in ways that bring value to them, we are able to help your organization achieve your sustainability goals by garnering additional support. Habla Español.


Recent Clients


Stakeholder engagement

We have led effective and impactful stakeholder engagement processes that have resulted in sustainability plans and programs that are unique to the communities they impact and address local concerns, opportunities, and partnerships. By working with our clients to understand the project goals, relevant stakeholders, and unique aspects of each community, we develop a stakeholder engagement process that will ensure that your project is supported and successful.

Led the stakeholder engagement process that informed the development of Summit County’s Climate Action Plan in collaboration with High Country Conservation Center. Lotus worked with HC3 to determine the relevant stakeholders and community experts to include in the Climate Action Plan development. Our team convened meetings of stakeholders and experts, provided education and background on climate change, and facilitated conversations to develop strategies that will reduce emissions and achieve the goals of the Climate Action Plan for this mountain community.  

Led the City and County of Denver's 80x50 facilitation and strategy development process, and revised and further developed strategies based on stakeholder and community feedback. We worked with Denver and a group of expert stakeholders to identify ambitious, yet feasible, GHG emission reduction strategies to meet Denver's 80% reduction in GHG emissions by 2050 plan. We also modeled these strategies for their relative impact on GHG emissions and on secondary criteria such as cost, ease of implementation, impacts on social equity and environmental justice, public health, and air quality. You can read the report by clicking here.

Worked with a wide network of stakeholders in the Gunnison Valley to develop an energy efficiency program for the community. The result was the Gunnison Valley Home Energy Advancement Team (GV-HEAT), a multifaceted program that leverages grant funding, existing efficiency programs, and partnerships with local utilities to provide support for energy efficiency projects and efforts for all residents of Gunnison County. Lotus led the program research and development process and worked with a wide network of stakeholders to identify the most appropriate strategies, funding, and approach for delivering this program. Our ability to address the concerns of various stakeholders and maintain the commitment towards the efficiency program’s goals ensured that the final program that was developed was efficient and effective in meeting the unique needs of this community.

Facilitated workshops for the City of Lafayette and the Lafayette Energy and Sustainability Advisory Council (LESAC) to define the approach and strategy to identifying 2019 strategies and objectives towards the City’s 100% renewable energy goal. Lotus was able to act as an impartial and neutral facilitator when Lafayette was interested in identifying and prioritizing next steps towards the achievement of the City’s 100% renewable energy and emissions reductions goals.


Outreach and Education

We have developed outreach, education, and engagement programs that ensure that all members of the community are informed of and have the opportunity to participate in sustainability efforts. We have experience working with a wide variety of audiences and can tailor outreach and education materials to meet the needs of each audience.

Developed detailed, relevant, and attractive case studies on community solar garden projects for project developers to use in communicating project opportunities, goals, and successes to potential investors and off-taking organizations. Lotus supported the development of multiple marketing and storytelling pieces, including case studies and video, that highlighted successful community solar projects for RC Cubed.

Evaluated eight low-income Community Solar Demonstration projects across Colorado, including detailed interviews with project stakeholders and participants. Lotus worked with the Colorado Energy Office to analyze, evaluate, and report on the CEO’s Low Income Community Solar Demonstration Project. The effort included extensive conversations and interviews with project stakeholders and participants, leading to a series of case studies on each solar project and a final report regarding the program. These case studies and report can be used to inform and guide the development of similar community solar and low-income solar projects in Colorado and across the country.

Manager of Boulder Housing Partners' (BHP) Energy Empowerment Program. In concert with two other consulting firms, we helped Boulder Housing Partners reach their goal of becoming the nation's first net-zero energy housing authority through an innovative occupant engagement program. The project involved outreach and education to BHP residents regarding energy consumption and energy efficiency, and included in-depth work on behavioral change models that can be effective to reduce energy use. You can learn more about our work by clicking here

Developed energy education and outreach guidelines for community solar projects in New Hampshire. Lotus conducted detailed research and stakeholder interviews to develop a list of recommend program participation guidelines for the NH Solar Shares program, including in-depth information and guidance that was used to create an energy education and engagement program for low-income community solar garden participants in Plymouth, New Hampshire. The energy education and engagement program will provide resources to engage individuals of all ages and awareness around sustainability issues in better understanding and reducing their environmental impact. This project was a part of the US Department of Energy’s Solar in Your Community Challenge, and NH Solar Shares’ summary video provides a great overview of the effort.


Relevant Blogs and Webinars

The following is a list of blogs and webinars that we have created highlighting our experience with stakeholder engagement, outreach, and education: