Mayor Barbara Buffaloe speaks to an audience of MU students at an event organized by Sustain Mizzou on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, at the Leadership Auditorium in the MU Student Center in Columbia, Mo. Mayor Buffaloe spoke about what her campaign is doing to promote sustainability in Columbia and in other cities around the world.
Buffaloe shared her experience about working in sustainability in Columbia and the challenges of being a leader in government
On Oct. 23, Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe spoke to Sustain Mizzou and the Missouri Students Association about sustainability in Columbia and her work as a public figure.
Sustain Mizzou Student Director Makayla Mayhew said they organized the event to give students a chance to learn more about environmental initiatives in Columbia.
“We really like collaborating with the community,” said Mayhew.
Buffaloe graduated from the University of Missouri with a bachelor’s degree in architectural studies and worked as an architect in St. Louis. She said she chose to attend MU because Columbia is interwoven with the university campus.
After graduate school, Buffaloe volunteered with the Columbia Climate and Environment Commission.
“I started to learn about the importance of local government on our built environment, but also sustainability and quality of life in your community,” said Buffaloe. “Local government is where you actually see action happen when you interact with it.”
Buffaloe noted that infrastructure and former building codes are responsible for a significant part of greenhouse gas emissions. During her time on the committee, she began to advocate for what she cared about, including stricter building codes.
“I started to realize the impact these small decisions could have on our entire city,” said Buffaloe.
In 2010, the city received the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant, initiated by the Obama Administration. Through this program, Buffaloe became the first Sustainability Manager of Columbia.
Since Buffaloe stepped into the role with no predecessors and only 20 cities in the country having this program it provided a more challenging task for her position.
She created a network of other city sustainability managers to create a safe space and share ideas. The network has expanded to different countries around the world where anyone can learn from each other and build up their confidence.
Buffaloe emphasized to students the importance of networking, not just in sustainability but in public servant roles as well.
“The relationships that you build and these networks that you make are what get you to that next step,”said Buffaloe.
In 2022, a friend pushed Buffaloe to run for mayor. While she had never run for office before, she said she had the skills to be mayor.
Buffaloe said because she worked in sustainability, she had tough skin as she was used to opposition. She also knew how the government worked and how to explain it truthfully to voters. She added that being a woman helped.
“We are very good at multitasking and can put up with a lot,” Buffaloe said.
Once Buffaloe finished discussing her career, she mentioned the sustainability projects she was excited about. Columbia recently received the first charging infrastructure grant to make electric vehicles more accessible.
Buffaloe has helped do two things for the city: create electric utility incentives and add charging infrastructure to downtown garages with a grant.
After Buffaloe finished her presentation, she then opened it up for discussion for questions. Students asked her about sustainability policies, overcoming challenges to create initiatives and networking advice.
“We’re a university town and a lot of our population is students,” Buffaloe said. “Students understand the impact of the decisions we’re making for the future and I wanted to make sure I was hearing from them.”
Edited by Julianna Mejia | jmejia@themaneater.com
Copyedited by Ava Mohror and Hannah Taylor | htaylor@themaneater.com
Edited by Emily Skidmore | eskidmore@themaneater.com