Cities and Businesses Together for Impact: Moving Into Action at the Green Transition Summit

Last week, local city, business, and policy leaders from around Washington D.C. gathered at the stunning Embassy of Sweden to discuss the latest approaches to energy efficiency for buildings, smart mobility, and clean construction.

The clear message from the Green Transition Summit 2025: the transition is no longer dependent on what’s technically possible; it’s about how we actually get it done.

The event, co-hosted by the Swedish Embassy in D.C. and the World Resources Institute (WRI), highlighted new technologies and proven approaches to building more resilient and sustainable cities and communities. Sessions featured current collaborations between cities and businesses as they work to shift from ambition to action.

Particularly exciting were the exchanges on construction and building retrofitting, which hold some of the most actionable opportunities for change. According to C40 Cities, construction is responsible for roughly 23% of global CO₂ emissions, and initiatives like the C40 Cities Clean Construction Program and the North American Electric Construction Coalition are showing how public procurement can drive demand for cleaner equipment. Panelists from C40 Cities, Volvo, Husqvarna, and Atlas Copco shared how electric and zero-emission machinery is becoming both technically and economically viable.

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When it comes to older buildings, a case study of the Empire State Realty Trust illustrated the enormous positive impacts that can result from investments in energy efficiency and resilience. New York City’s Retrofit Playbook provides helpful examples for standardizing efficiency retrofits and applying them across an entire building portfolio, allowing building owners to meet climate goals with the right mix of policy, data, and planning.

Initiatives in transportation and data also sparked inspiration for cutting carbon and energy use. Tech providers like KTC are building data systems that make smarter, more efficient buildings easier to manage. Their wireless network systems enable building operators to identify savings opportunities and optimize energy use. Startups like Candela are redefining what clean mobility looks like in practice. The Swedish electric boat maker showcased how advanced hydrofoil technology can cut energy use by up to 80% compared to traditional vessels, proving that electrification isn’t limited to cars or buses.

Throughout the Summit, every speaker and panel showcased how businesses are collaborating with cities to solve climate challenges and build greener communities in new and innovative ways.

Offering a bright spot in a tumultuous year for climate action, the mood at the Summit was both forward-looking and optimistic. Even for harder-to-abate sectors, the conversation has clearly shifted from “can we” to “how will we” decarbonize. Organizations like CALSTART and the U.S. Climate Alliance are bridging the implementation gap by deploying tools like the Finance Navigator, which connects climate projects with funding.

As one speaker put it, policy now needs to act less as a regulator and more as an enabler, aligning incentives, innovation, and investment.

Christina Carlton attended the Green Transition Summit 2025, which took place on October 20, 2025, at the Embassy of Sweden to the U.S. in Washington, DC.

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Christina Carlton

Christina Carlton is a Senior Sustainability & Climate Analyst at Governance & Accountability Institute. She supports both sustainability and climate engagements, and her work bridges sustainability planning and reporting with targeted climate initiatives, helping companies enhance their ESG performance and integrate resilience into their overall sustainability frameworks.