Projects and Community Collaborators
Below are the most recent projects StarLuna Consulting is or has been working on.
Town of Cumberland,
Rhode Island
February 2024 – Present
Community Engaged Research, Evaluation, and Participatory Action Research
StarLuna, in collaboration with Stoss Landscape Urbanism, is leading the development and implementation of an equity-centering community engagement process to support the development of a Master Plan for the Valley Falls Heritage Park.
Resilient Together: El Punto
May 2023 – Present
Community Engaged Research, Evaluation, and Participatory Action Research
In partnership with the City of Salem’s Sustainability Division and Linnean Solutions, StarLuna Consulting is developing and facilitating a process to access the experiences, barriers, needed supports of the El Punto residents. We will be facilitating the process and creation of a group of El Punto based Community Researchers. Alongside the Community Researchers, we will be exploring prominently climate change impacted areas and research questions.
Barr Foundation
May 2023 – Present
Strategic Advising, Climate Resilience Team
StarLuna Consulting is providing advice and support to advance grantmaking efforts outside of Greater Boston, in various regions across the state. StarLuna is identifying prospective grantees, organizations, and initiatives that could be promising partners. Lastly, StarLuna is assisting in designing a grantmaking project that will complement the state’s new MVP 2.0 resilience program.
Barr Foundation
May 2023 – Present
Strategic Advising, Racial Wealthy Equity Narrative Change
StarLuna Consulting is conducting interviews with key media leaders to understand the greater Boston non-White ethnic media ecosystem. StarLuna is also conducting interviews with key leaders of Boston area community based social movement organizations to understand whether and how they use local media to support their advocacy. StarLuna’s team is performing a scan of select non-White ethnic media to assess whether and how wealth, wealth equity, and racial wealth equity is discussed.
Boston Climate Action Network
February 2023 – Present
Community Engaged Participatory Action Research
StarLuna Consulting is leading the development and implementation of the data collection and analysis activities associated with the Barriers to Mass Save in Boston’s EJ Communities Research Project. This involves managing the partnership with community based organizations in five neighborhoods of Boston. Specifically, we are supporting the partners in organizing neighborhood based Community Conversations with landlords and renters about the Mass Save program, distributing community-wide surveys, and training community-based Mass Save navigators to collect data on the experience of attempting to use Mass Save programs.
Boston Athletics Association (BAA) / Boston Running Collaborative (BRC)
January 2023 – Present
Community Engaged Research and Evaluation
StarLuna Consulting is developing and facilitating a process to access the experiences, barriers, needed supports of the Boston Running Collaborative (BRC) convened by the BAA. We will also be facilitating a process where BAA and staff and BRC members co-develop the BRC’s purpose, goals, and measures of progress and indicators when there is diversion from racial justice goals.
Boston Mutual Aid Project
September 2022 – August 2023
Mutual Aid and Community Resiliency
In partnership with Next Leadership Development Corporation, StarLuna organized a symposium in Fall 2022 to provide an opportunity for skill building, relationships building, and to identify the needs, priorities, and challenges experienced by mutual aid and community care groups. Following this, we organized a 9 month Fellowship with 10 mutual aid and community care organizations in the greater Boston area. The Fellowship will culminate in an August 2023 convening where Fellows will share their learning and propose changes to policy, procedures, and practice to better address systemic barriers to resilience and thriving.
January 2023 – July 2023
Learning and Unlearning Series
StarLuna Consulting is developing and facilitating an interactive five session learning series for executive staff and the Board of Directors to support equity, inclusion, and belonging efforts.
February 2022- Present
Stakeholder Engagement and Social Equity
StarLuna Consulting is on a team led by Linnean Solutions and in partnership with BSC Group to develop the next iteration of the next iteration of the Municipal Vulnerability Planning process. We designed and implemented a Delphi (asynchronous focus group) process, contributed to the design of a new grant program, and helped develop guidance for the new process. In collaboration with All Aces, Inc., we developed a training series as part of the new grant process.
October 2022 – Present
Environmental Justice / Social Equity Consulting
StarLuna Consulting provides guidance related to social equity and environmental justice concerns in the design of a statewide study and analysis of results. The study will estimate potential loss of carbon removal/ sequestration on natural and working lands given ground solar installation proposals being considered by the Commonwealth and seeks to identify the mix of solar energy development siting options that would meet 2030 and 2050 energy goals while minimizing loss of natural and working lands.
August 2021 – November 2022
Participatory Action Research
StarLuna Consulting developed and facilitated a participatory action research process in support of the Homes for Equity initiative. Document the role that the City of Boston played in enabling or promoting racial discrimination in the homebuying process or in homeownership.
April 2021 – September 2022
Environmental Justice / Social Equity Advising
StarLuna Consulting provided guidance and support to the Harvard Forest Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) NSF program in connecting equity in conservation analyses to conservation opportunities in environmental justice communities. StarLuna Consulting also evaluated the teaching content and tools developed by RET participants and provided support as needed.
March 2021 – June 2022
Social Equity Advising
StarLuna Consulting provided guidance and supported an equity-centered focus in the development of the City of Boston’s Urban Forest Plan. Support included creating and supporting the Equity Council, ensuring adequate language access was provided by the City, supporting the lead consultants on Boston specific policy processes, and assistant with the development of an equity centered engagement process.
July 2021 – March 2022
Social Equity Research and Policy Advising
StarLuna Consulting supported the design of a stakeholder engagement process in support of efforts to improve community engagement and participation in the EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management’s decision making and regulatory processes. StarLuna Consulting also provided general advising on policy issues related to social equity and environmental justice.
July 2021 – October 2021
Learning Collaborative Education
StarLuna Consulting developed and facilitated an interactive 3 session series for members to explore ways to advance equity and inclusion initiatives.
February 2021 – August 2021
Anti-Racism / Social Equity Advising
StarLuna Consulting facilitated conversations and hosted anti-racism/ social equity learning sessions with Board and staff of Greenbelt. She reviewed and provided guidance on DEI statements, Land Acknowledgement statements, and the draft Strategic Plan to strengthen anti-racism and social equity language.
Various Community Based Organizations
StarLuna Consulting assisted communities and organizations in developing or strengthening policies and programs to support equity, inclusion, and belonging efforts. This includes supporting capacity development to understand bias, microaggressions, and intervention strategies; and helping organizations understand and prepare for threats to institutional stability from right-wing extremism and related anti-social philosophies. StarLuna Consulting providex public learning opportunities in and for communities around civics, erased histories, and the structure of law and policy.