Conference ThemeIn the aftermath of Copenhagen, Gaining Ground re-asserts its belief in what California Governor Schwarzenegger calls “the tremendous role of sub-national governments in climate-change mitigation.”Gaining Ground: Resilient Cities in October, 2009 laid the foundation for just this contention, and Mark Holland’s powerful Resilient Cities Manifesto eloquently summed up the work of the conference and set out a roadmap for action in the immediate future.Our 2010 conference is focused on the idea that North American cities—in partnership with their respective states and provinces—need to plan and act as the de facto leaders of an ecological project that includes climate action, and which is really about designing and implementing complete new strategies for sustaining a healthy economy and social well-being while profoundly reducing inputs in energy and all other forms of natural capital.