🌐Global Citizenship in Action

Connecting Grassroots to "Grasstops" for a Sustainable Tomorrow

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From global citizenship to local trust, watch or listen to our latest Interview with Kate Landon of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation on their efforts to mobilize leaders to advance global sustainability and climate goals.

“We have no Plan B because there is no Planet B.” — Ban Ki-moon

It’s more than a slogan. It’s a mandate. And in Miami, that call is being answered—not through top-down declarations, but through local action, trust, and collaboration.

When Kate Landon of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation came to Miami during Climate Resilience Week, she wasn’t just here to speak. As Executive Director of the foundation, Landon came to listen, partner, and shine a global light on what’s already happening in one of the world’s most dynamic and diverse cities.

“You are not waiting for somebody to come and tell you to get moving. You are already moving, in your own way,” she said in our latest Opportunity Miami Interview.

A Global Mindset, Rooted in Community

Landon brought a clear message about what’s stalling global progress on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Only a fraction of them—fewer than 20%—are on track to be achieved by 2030.

“Too many leaders of institutions wake up with blinders on, accountable only to their industry, or their city, or their country,” she said.

That, she emphasized, has to change.

“If we don’t adopt some type of global citizenship mindset, we’re going to continue to operate in our boats in a very siloed way that makes these inequities continue,” Landon noted.

But embracing a global lens doesn’t mean abandoning the local. In fact, it's the opposite. It means centering communities like Miami—where innovation, inclusion, and urgency collide.

Miami: Where Solutions Already Live

“We brought together over 100 different companies, our academic partners, nonprofits, and everybody’s got this singular goal: How do we actually make this place more livable, more sustainable?,” Landon noted.

From rising sea levels to booming tech growth, Miami’s challenges and opportunities are interconnected. And its leaders are already stepping up.

Take Scarlett Lanzas, founder of Accountable Impact, a community-rooted organization advancing the Sustainable Development Goals through local business and civic action. Her team’s impact has been profound—bridging grassroots momentum with national strategy and building tools for sustainable economic growth that are scalable beyond South Florida.

Or consider Opportunity Miami, which not only hosted this year’s SDG Challenge alongside students and civic leaders—but won. It wasn’t just a victory. It was a message: Miami is not waiting for the future. It’s building it.

Investing in the People Already Leading

The Ban Ki-moon Foundation believes that to move global goals forward, we must invest in underrepresented leaders who are already solving problems in their communities.

“We haven't had enough bold and targeted investment in underrepresented communities, people who are actively moving solutions in their communities now, that are working but are not getting the visibility,” Landon said.

That’s why they’re funding Indigenous youth leaders, youth-led startups in Sub-Saharan Africa, and now partnering in the U.S. to bring SDG-based curricula into high schools and colleges.

“Young people live these realities every day,” Landon noted, adding: “They see these issues in their communities. They have the fire in them to make a difference, and we’re just trying to give them that little boost and open up doors to bigger and better opportunities.”

Turning the Bow

Leadership, Landon stressed, is about the everyday choices we make—and their long-term trajectory.

In Miami, that shift is already happening. From equity in AI startups to SDGs in classrooms to regional collaboration between cities like New York, Bogotá, and Nairobi, Miami is showing the world how to align economic growth with justice, sustainability, and inclusion.

The Foundation wants deeper ties with Miami. Landon invites business leaders and stakeholders to join their efforts and step into a global movement powered by local fire.

“What you're doing has tremendous implications, not just for South Florida, but for the entirety of the U.S.,” she said.

PITCH US

If you have a company or an entrepreneur to suggest or an idea to share that relates to building Miami’s future, email us at next@opportunity.miami. We invite you to subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on our social media channels. If you were forwarded this newsletter, you can subscribe by clicking here. And if you are new to Opportunity Miami, you can learn about our mission and work here.

~ Dr. Paula Hopkins, Executive Vice President, Strategic Partnerships and Funding Development at The Beacon Council