Adaptation Professionals

The 2025 Mentorship Program Has Launched: Meet This Year’s Inspiring Cohort!

Wed, 14 May 2025 20:59:00 GMT

ASAP’s 2025 Mentorship Program is officially in motion! ASAP is grateful to have a strong cohort of inspiring, ambitious, and diverse professionals across the adaptation and resilience field. From graduate student level to seasoned experts, this year’s cohort is already building momentum toward powerful growth and connection.

A Cohort with Reach and Range

This year’s cohort brings together 15 mentors and 29 mentees , living and working across 15+ U.S. regions and international locations . With several regional concentrations, including the Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and Mid-Atlantic, cohort participants have had opportunities for in-person gatherings.

Both mentors and mentees bring an incredible mix of experience and backgrounds across academia, consulting, all levels of government (local to tribal), nonprofits, for-profits, and independent research institutions . In addition to mentees at the graduate student, junior, and entry-career levels, this cohort also includes several mentees at the mid-career level seeking new direction and deeper impact .

New Program Feature: Speaker Series

The program team is excited to offer the cohort a speaker series that will give insight into navigating career building in the adaptation and resilience field. Through panels, lightning talks, and roundtable discussions , the series will support mid-career professionals and individuals navigating career transitions, as well as early-career mentees.

The first Speaker Series session in late April featured a panel of ASAP members and past mentorship program participants sharing their career journeys, reflecting how they have deepened their expertise, shifted directions, and grown their impact in the evolving adaptation field. Upcoming session topics include:

Leveraging data and technology to support adaptation projects
Specific project features
Navigating career uncertainties
The future of the adaptation professional sector

Professional Guidance Resources

The nine-month program emphasizes co-creation, initiative, and reflection . Mentees are encouraged to lead one-on-one or small group meetings with their mentor, empowered by resources that help them clarify their goals, track progress, and share insights with confidence.

Through ASAP’s Professional Guidance resources, participants get access to documents to support pairs and groups for:

Goal setting and tracking
Building meaningful networking
Recognizing the value of lived experiences and professional insights to articulate their goals clearly

The Mentorship Program Team also collaborates with ASAP’s Professional Opportunities in Adaptation Affiliated Group to offer the cohort additional, complementary engagement opportunities. We are thrilled to have a couple of Mentorship Program participants join the group’s leadership team.

Going Deeper: Cultural Humility

In response to feedback from past participants, this year the Program Team is deepening its commitment to inclusion by sharing resources and introductory discussions on cultural humility . Cultural humility, an expansion of the term cultural competence, has been described as “an ongoing process of self-reflection and self-critique” and “entails acknowledging difference and positioning ourselves as people interested in learning and understanding” (Source: Richards-Desai, S., Lewis, L. (2016) Conversations about Culture: The Importance of Cultural Humility ).

Mentees and mentors have identified power dynamics, language, and building allyship as key focus areas for this year’s mentorship experience. This pilot effort lays the groundwork for a more robust integration of cultural humility in future programming.

Why They Joined: Voices from the 2025 Cohort

As part of the program’s launch, we asked participants to share why they chose to join this program. Here’s a glimpse into what brought this year’s cohort to the program.

Mentors shared:

“As the world continues to evolve, it is crucial that we learn from each other’s challenges, strategies, and successes. By sharing my experiences, I hope to guide the next group in developing their own resilience and adaptability, helping them thrive in a constantly shifting environment.”

“…working specifically with the ASAP mentors program, I’ve seen how it can catalyze the career of a mentee from early struggles to solid landings in new positions to advancing their caree,r becoming not only a continuing and active ASAP member, but a leader in the field.”

“I was in [a] previous cohort…as a mentee, and I found it extremely valuable for me both personally and professionally…I want to give back and serve as a Mentor this year, where I hope to provide wisdom and expertise I can to a mentee in this field to support their personal and professional goals.”

“There’s a lot to learn from early career professionals with different outlooks and more specialized education, and I hope to help new names, faces, and ideas enter and enrich the adaptation field; we need all the help we can get!”

Mentees shared:

“I am specifically seeking an ASAP mentor because I am less comfortable with climate adaptation topics than emissions mitigation topics at this point in my career and would like to become a more well-rounded professional.”

“I hope that working with a mentor will allow me to expand my network…as well as to help in building a supportive national network of both climate and environmental justice professionals that aim to spread positive change and move the world forward in the fight against climate change.”

“By having a mentor through the ASAP program, I will be a more effective consultant in the climate space and garner expertise independent from the confirmation bias of my current role.”

“I switched careers mid-life, and I got my PhD during the pandemic. Due to the pandemic, I did not have opportunities to attend conferences or do any meaningful networking and connect with others in my new field…It would be great to have a mentor who could help me navigate…finding ways I can become more active in the adaptation science community.”

Onward!

Thank you to everyone in this year’s cohort for their engagement, insights, and commitment so far. We are excited to see how these connections evolve and flourish throughout the remainder of the program.

Stay tuned for more updates and stories from the cohort later this year! This is just the beginning!

Geo Chart Map of All U.S. Locations and Experience of Mentors and Mentees in the 2024-2025 Cohort

World Geo Chart with Markers of All U.S. Locations and Experience of Mentors and Mentees in the 2024-2025 Cohort

A Message from ASAP’s 2025-2026 Board President John Phillips

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 17:25:00 GMT

Dear Fellow Climate Adaptation Professionals,

This letter is to introduce the ASAP Board of Directors. I am deeply honored to be the President of the Board and wish to express my gratitude to the Board election transition committee, our past board members, and the new board members who have volunteered to lead ASAP through this next chapter.

As we enter this new chapter, we recognize the field faces unprecedented challenges, and the Board is committed to working with ASAP members and staff to navigate these troubling times together. Many of us on the board have experienced similar circumstances in the past when changing times confronted the field – and as climate practitioners we must ourselves remain resilient and adapt to the times. We stay motivated by the importance of our work and a commitment to a safer and more resilient future for all.

ASAP was founded as an organizational network that unites professionals from academia, non-profits, and the public and private sectors. ASAP provides a platform for the Americans and international partners to work on climate change, to gather as a community, learn from each other, and grow through adapting and building resilience to climate hazards and societal risks. As the Board President, I am dedicated to guiding the Board, ASAP staff, and the organization through this crucial phase.

The new context means ASAP faces potential capacity and funding constraints as well as increased friction implementing solutions. However, the strength of the organization is the membership. Over the years membership has led the growth of the organization and served each other with staff and Board support. I have full confidence that this Board, representing different perspectives and expertise of the ASAP community, alongside ASAP’s dedicated staff, will serve the organization effectively. We aim to strengthen and build on our foundations, support our members, grow our communities, and address injustices that may become even more salient without our efforts, now and in the future.

We call upon each of you to advocate as best you can at city hall, state houses, and with federal representatives. As an organization, we will provide the tools necessary to educate those in power about the importance of our work.

In the coming months, we will aim to assess and realign ASAP’s mission and services with the most relevant field and policy priorities, reallocate resources and revamp our programming to support these priorities. We will tighten our fiscal management in response to shrinking federal funding and growth in philanthropy to ensure the sustainability of the organization. The Board is committed to financial development and exploring other funding sources to ensure our priorities are well-resourced.

As we chart this next chapter, we need your help and input. On March 24 4:30 EST, we will hold an open forum webinar with the new Board. This is an opportunity for myself, Bala Balachandran (Development), Katia Caranza (JEDI), Julia Chase (At-Large), Melissa Deas (At-Large), Sarah Dobie (Treasurer), Josh Foster (Secretary), and Russ Sands (President-elect), to introduce ourselves and outline our preliminary vision as a board. We also want to hear from you – we want to know what is working at ASAP and where we can improve. We will employ your feedback to inform our vision and strategies for ensuring the sustainability of the organization and continuing to advance climate adaptation that benefits all.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

John Phillips, President

Board of Directors

American Society of Adaptation Professionals

A Year of Impact: Reflections on ASAP’s 2024 Projects and Programs

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 20:43:00 GMT

As we draw near the end of 2024, it’s a perfect opportunity to celebrate the remarkable accomplishments and milestones of the past year. At ASAP, we’ve had the privilege of collaborating with diverse partners, fostering growth, and making significant strides in climate adaptation and resilience. None of this would have been possible without the invaluable contributions of our dedicated membership.

Your collective efforts have driven innovation, expanded our impact, and strengthened our shared mission. Take a moment to reflect on the incredible achievements of your peers and the progress we’ve made together.

Here are some highlights from our journey over the past 12 months:

ASAP Projects

Coastal Inundation Community of Practice

In collaboration with NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management (“OCM”) and the National Sea Grant Office (“NSGO”), ASAP organized an in-person workshop that brought together 100 coastal flooding practitioners representing diverse trans-disciplinary perspectives. This event facilitate the exchange of innovative ideas aimed to build and enhance resilience against coastal inundation.

Forest Service

Between October and December, the collaborative project between the Forest Service Office of Sustainability and Climate (“OSC”) and the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (“ASAP”) focused on implementing key activities for Years 2 and 3 of the project. Major accomplishments during this time include:

Learning Programs for Key Audiences – Learning Programs have been developed and finalized for three key target groups: Climate Coordinators, Specialists, and Line Officers. These programs are tailored to address the specific knowledge and competency needs of each group. The finalized versions of these documents are expected to be published in the first part of 2025.
Baseline Assessment and Methodology – A comprehensive Baseline Assessment and a Methodology document has been completed. This resource provides a clear framework to guide role-specific training and development.
Knowledge and Competency (K&C) Framework Deliverables – ASAP has engaged three contractors ( Ingrid Dabringer , Joshua Moses , and Sharon Hausam) to focus on the development of the Knowledge & Competencies Framework .
Funding and Finance Project – ASAP has made significant strides in advancing the Ready to Fund Resilience project. Key activities include: organizing focus group data and engagement with Member-Led Interest Groups.

LEAP Program

After nearly 2 years, ASAP successfully wrapped up with the Leading with Equity in Adaptation (“LEAP”) Program . Partnered with Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC), we recruited and trained teams of community and climate adaptation practitioners. Together, they implemented community-led adaptation projects, with a special focus on the Gulf Coast – a region home to 10% of ASAP’s membership that will greatly benefit from increased adaptation action.

Supporting Environmental Justice through TCTAC

This year, ASAP developed a comprehensive database of technical support providers to support the National Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center . This resource was designed to connect communities with expertise to advance environmental justice initiatives. Through this database, ASAP successfully fulfilled requests for technical assistance in multiple regions, including Regions 3, 5, and 9.

The database includes a diverse array of providers, primarily representing private entities, non-profit organizations, and universities, ensuring a wide range of skills and perspectives to meet community needs.

In October, ASAP Staff participated in a strategic planning meeting in Philadelphia. This gathering provided a valuable opportunity for reflection on the progress made, the challenges encountered, and the lessons learned. The team also worked collaboratively to outline priorities and set a clear roadmap for the next steps in supporting thriving communities and fostering environmental justice initiatives across the country.

ASAP Peer Learning Groups and Affiliate Groups

Adaptation and Vulnerability

Assisted with AdaptEd & SDG application – Letter of Support and volunteered to assist with a win for our stakeholders.
Helped prepare the second largest attended NAF presentation: “Achieving Climate Ambition at Corridor Scale – Uniting Cities, States, and Indigenous Nations” and “Stories from Frontline Alaska Native Villages and National Policy Recommendations”
Curated a database of adaptation tools, frameworks, and resources focused on building community resilience and addressing vulnerabilities.

Funding and Finance

Developed key ASAP funding resources, including the Ready-to-Fund Resilience Toolkit , general funding list, and resilience funding tracker
As part of ASAP’s grant with Climate Resilience Consulting and GLISA, the Funding & Finance and Policy Practice Group teams supported a focus group and incorporated updates to be made to the RTFR Toolkit.

Nature Based Solutions

The ASAP-led NBS session was the 16th most attended session at the conference (out of 100 total)

Policy Practice Group

The Policy Practice Group played a pivotal role in developing and updating ASAP’s policy priorities
The group has coordinated responses to federal agency requests for information on behalf of ASAP.
Hosted a webinar with esteemed nationally recognized speakers, such as Massachusetts’ first-ever Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer, to foster an insightful discussion on climate adaptation.

Rural Resilience Collaboratives

Restructured the group from rural-centered to rural-focused communities and built connections through members individually for rural-focused work.
Hosted regular peer-learning discussions with leading rural-centered experts.
Consultation for AmeriCorps grant project

CALE – Community Adaptation Learning Exchange

CALE has been instrumental in engaging the ASAP network through offering and learning opportunities.
This year, CALE led sessions at annual conferences and provided growth opportunities for members interested in organizational leadership.
CALE is currently planning for 2025 sessions, exploring in-person gatherings and online knowledge-sharing events.

Climate Migration and Managed Retreat

In 2024, this group designed, conceptualized, planned, and facilitated a full session on climate migration at NAF this year! This session included different modalities of expression (e.g., photography, discussion, community voices) to bring to light different perspectives on land back, climate displacement, and relocation.
Hosted monthly peer learning discussions and dynamic speakers featuring topics such as the NASEM Gulf study, beauty in the built environment, sister cities and moving/adapting within cities, and Pacific Island migration.

Private Sector

Created Private Sector initiatives, including optimizing ASAP technology platforms, and pursuing collaborative projects with other ASAP groups.
Developed thoughtful business development strategies with a focus on establishing relationships that can result in teaming and hiring among the broader ASAP Private Sector family
The idea around joint authoring a white paper needs leadership within the group

Professional Opportunities in Adaptation

Continuously provided a landing spot for people who are new to ASAP, new the the field, looking for jobs and trying to build their careers. While other groups cover the “subject matter” of adaptation, this group gets into the nuts and bolts of the skills you need to get a job in adaptation.

R*ECO*NNECT

Offered healing space and connected ASAP members with a broad sampling of people working on climate who share feelings, concerns, and commitments

JE DI

Hosted an intimate, free-flowing, and discussion-based three-part series to reconvene all of ASAP membership to reflect on and reinvigorate ASAP’s commitments to advancing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Opened call for those who might be interested in joining the leadership team. Reach out to Geoffrey Habron ( habrong@equitablecommunityresilience.org ) to learn more.

Looking Ahead

As we prepare for 2025, we’re excited to introduce our new board, expand our network of technical assistance providers, and gear up for new projects.

With gratitude for the past year and anticipation of what’s to come, we thank all of our members and partners for their decision and passion. Together, we will continue to build a resilient and equitable future.

Stay connected with the Slack channel , YouTube , and LinkedIn .

Celebrating the Leading with Equity in Adaptation Program: Building Climate Resilience in Houston

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 18:47:00 GMT

On November 8, ASAP concluded the Leading with Equity in Adaptation (“LEAP”) Program , a partnership with the Houston Advanced Research Center (“HARC”) . The milestone was celebrated through a powerful symposium highlighting the remarkable achievements and transformative climate resilience work carried out through community collaboration in Houston’s Third and Fifth Wards.

A Day of Reflection and Celebration

The event brought together a diverse group of participants, including ASAP’s Program Coordinator, Angelina DeBenedet , who attended alongside other invitees. The day began with an immersive walking tour through these vibrant Houston neighborhoods, where attendees explored firsthand the impactful work being done by local residents and community leaders.

The walking tour was complemented by a series of video stories showcasing community-driven efforts to build resilience against climate change. These images captured the essence of the LEAP Program —highlighting how community collaboration has been essential in tackling climate adaptation and resilience challenges in historically underserved areas.

Engaging in Deep Conversations on Climate Resilience

The event didn’t just reflect on past successes—it also set the stage for future progress. The workshop explored how the work achieved in the Third and Fifth Wards could continue within the broader context of regional and national climate adaptation policies. This conversation was vital, as it provided participants with tools and strategies to continue advocating for equity-driven climate resilience efforts as the world grapples with the growing impacts of climate change.

The symposium culminated with an insightful keynote speech from Lisa Lin, the Director of Sustainability for Harris County, who shared her vision for the future of city-level resilience initiatives. Lin’s speech emphasized the importance of scaling up local resilience efforts, building on grassroots work like the LEAP Program , and ensuring that adaptation policies are inclusive and equitable.

Looking to the Future

The symposium wasn’t just a time to reflect on the LEAP Program’s accomplishments but also an opportunity to inspire continued growth and action. As climate change continues to affect communities across the country, programs like LEAP demonstrate how community-driven solutions can be at the heart of adaptation efforts. The event provided a meaningful space for reflection and celebration while underscoring the need for ongoing collaboration and action.

As these communities face the ongoing impacts of climate change, the work completed through the LEAP Program will continue to serve as a foundation for resilience, offering valuable lessons for other communities looking to strengthen their climate adaptation strategies.

The LEAP Program is a testament to the power of community collaboration in building climate resilience. ASAP is proud to have been part of this transformative work in Houston, and we look forward to supporting similar efforts across the country. The future of climate resilience depends on the collective action of communities, local governments, and organizations, and the LEAP Program has shown us the way forward.

Thank You to Our Partner and Funder

Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) : HARC provides independent analysis on energy, air, and water issues to people seeking scientific answers and operates as a research hub finding solutions for a sustainable future.

National Academies of Science Gulf Research Program : In supporting a safer, more resilient, and sustainable future for the Gulf and all those who call the region home, the Gulf Research Program uses science, engineering, and medical knowledge to empower its citizens and to enhance Gulf Offshore Energy Safety, Gulf Environmental Protection and Stewardship, and Gulf Health and Resilience.

A Message From ASAP’s Executive Director – Strengthening Climate Adaptation Amid Uncertainty

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 20:01:00 GMT

Dear ASAP,

Over the past few weeks, we have all been trying to process how the new administration will impact the futures of our families, livelihoods and communities. Non-profit societies like ASAP are formed and informed by their members, individuals and collectives, who see the importance of advocating shared work and responsibility through relationships.

In my recent conversations and correspondence with members, I’ve felt a resounding passion to continue being guided by our core values and to intentionally adapt to what will be an uncertain landscape. As a senior leader in the field, ASAP has the responsibility to continue setting the standard for transformative climate adaptation practice and praxis.

Dr. Beverly Wright, who founded the Deep South Center for Environment Justice 30+ years ago, expresses sentiments that resonate through our greater community, “ that DSCEJ’s commitment to environmental justice has remained constant during five presidential administrations and countless environmental statutes and policy shifts. We have known the hope of promises made, the joy of promises kept and the bitterness of promises broken. As we prepare to usher in a new presidential administration, the mission of DSCEJ remains constant and our commitment to overburdened environmental justice communities is unwavering.”**

Together with the newly elected Board of Directors, ASAP’s Staff is committed to our individual members, funders, partners, communities and grantors. We will use our existing resources prudently and, with your help, seek additional funding streams and new sources of support. I’m confident that our new Board of Directors will govern with transparency and strategic vision. These board members are your voice and will reflect what the American Society of Adaptation Professionals is now and will become.

The year 2025 holds both challenges and opportunities. ASAP will offer a series of briefings and seminars throughout the next quarter, previewing our workshop supporting the national Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center (“TCTAC”) in St. Louis in April 2025. I encourage our peer learning and mentorship programming to actively share insights with the greater ASAP Community. MDPI is actively recruiting authors for a special issue of Climate, as well as ASAP’s participation in the International Conference on Advanced Remote Sensing – Shaping Sustainable Global Landscapes , March 26-28 in Barcelona, Spain.

Peace to all this season and beyond.

In gratitude,

Debra

**Dr. Beverly L. Wright is an award-winning environmental justice scholar, advocate, author, Founder and Executive Director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ), first environmental justice center in the United States. Dr. Wright was appointed to the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council and created the first Blue Zone Climate Justice Pavilion 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27). ASAP has partnered/supported and attended the DSCEJ HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) Climate Change Conference since 2020. dscej.org

2024 National Adaptation Forum Recap

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 19:43:00 GMT

The 6th National Adaptation Forum , held from May 14-16, 2024, at the RiverCentre in Saint Paul, Minnesota, sought to move beyond adaptation awareness and foster concrete adaptation action. This annual event emphasized the extensive range of adaptation initiatives underway within the United States and worldwide. With over 1,100 attendees, including more than 220 members of the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (“ASAP”), the forum showcased a robust representation of experts and stakeholders dedicated to advancing climate resilience.

The forum’s program featured specially organized sessions curated by ASAP Members, reflecting the collaborative spirit and interdisciplinary approach vital to effective climate adaptation. These sessions provided a platform for sharing cutting-edge research, innovative practices, and policy advancements, thereby facilitating knowledge exchange and capacity building among practitioners, policymakers, and researchers. The National Adaptation Forum reinforced its commitment to driving forward tangible adaptation efforts that address the multifaceted challenges posed by climate change.

ASAP Members who served as speakers, moderators, and special organizers have contributed their notes, session presentation materials, and feedback on sessions for the American Society of Adaptation Professionals Network.

Read on for a full recap of NAF sessions by day, or navigate recaps by session and date below:

Tuesday, May 14

Climate, Trauma, and Healing Special Session
Poster Session: ASAP and USDA Forest Service Partner to Address Gaps in Workforce Climate Literacy
Climate Resilience for an Aging Nation Session
Community-Led Adaptation Innovations and Policy Recommendations Special Session

Wednesday, May 15

Beacons of Hope and Justice: Trends and Examples of Transformative Adaptation

Thursday, May 16

Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating Successful Adaptation and Resilience Projects Special Session

Conference Feedback from Members

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Session: Climate, Trauma, and Healing Special Session

Session Description: With the frequency and intensity of climate extremes increasing the devastating costs on ecological and human communities, psychological trauma is also bound to increase. As is so often the case, these physical and psychospiritual impacts from disasters and climate-related losses affect the most vulnerable first and worst, leaving them with diminishing resources to recover – economically and emotionally. Additionally, these events typically intersect with systemic racism, forced displacement, colonial oppression, and generational poverty – forms of chronic trauma – which make climate-related trauma just one more in the long history of dehumanizing disregard for marginalized and underserved communities. In this session, we will hear different responses to this growing challenge: approaches to providing safe spaces for dialogue and healing as well as skill-building to address the psycho-spiritual impacts of climate disruption. Session attendees will experience a mix of brief panel contributions from four panelists, each offering a particular perspective and approach to dealing with climate, trauma, and healing. The panel will be followed by facilitated interactive discussions in smaller groups to explore these approaches more deeply. The session will conclude with a whole-group conversation about the implications for adaptation professionals.

Speakers

Jessica Brunacini, University of Maine, Coastal Resilience Specialist
ASAP Member and Past ASAP Board Member Susanne Moser , Susanne Moser Research & Consulting; Antioch University New England, Director; Research Faculty

Session Organizer

Marcella Bondie Keenan
ASAP Member Nicole Policicchio

Feedback:

“The session was very well attended (~80 people) and generated lots of hallway conversation about the importance of acknowledging climate-related losses and trauma, and the need to create spaces for grieving and healing. We opened the session with a case study of a community-facing retreat, and the use of photovoice to open up private conversations about loss and grief. It allowed people to process the changes happening and still coming and thus (hopefully) not getting traumatized. The session also included some basic education about loss, grief, anxiety, and trauma, and then offered people an opportunity to share their own stories of loss and grief.”

-ASAP Member Susanne Moser , Special Organizer

Poster Session: ASAP and USDA Forest Service Partner to Address Gaps in Workforce Climate Literacy

Session Description: The American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) has partnered with USDA Forest Service to create a structured education and training program for Forest Service staff, update ASAP’s Knowledge and Competencies Framework , and make a model for improving climate literacy that can be applied in multiple federal agencies and beyond. From this work, Maria Dozier, ASAP’s Training Specialist, will present a poster alongside Kristen Schmitt (USDA Forest Service Office of Sustainability and Climate) at the National Adaptation Forum in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

For almost 2 years now, ASAP and the Forest Service have been working side-by-side to guide progress on multiple project deliverables. At the poster session, you can expect to be informed on our:

Methodology for Addressing Climate Literacy Needs
Role Type analysis
Gaps analysis
Resource map
Learning program outline

Feedback:

“Reporting from the closing of the 2024 National Adaptation Forum in Saint Paul, Minnesota! I am so happy to have presented a poster on addressing gaps in workforce climate literacy and education— a collaboration between American Society of Adaptation Professionals and USDA Forest Service. A big thanks to Kristen Schmitt, Rachel I. Jacobson, Lily Swanbrow Becker, Shelley Crausbay, Brooke Hagarty, and all other contributors. It also was so lovely to meet up with all of the University of Michigan- School for Environment and Sustainability alumni at the conference! Thank you so much to EcoAdapt for organizing! All of the sessions were phenomenal, and I am excited to attend again next year.”

-ASAP’s Training Specialist, Maria Dozier

Please contact Maria Dozier at Mdozier@adaptpros.org for any questions about the project.

Session: Climate Resilience for an Aging Nation

Speaker, Danielle Arigoni, National Housing Trust, Managing Director for Policy and Solutions

Session Description: Older adults are disproportionately impacted by climate change, and yet are often overlooked in climate resilience planning efforts – a pattern we must reverse to account for our changing demographics. By 2040, one in five people in the U.S. will be over 65, and older adults will outnumber children for the first time. Action is needed now at the community scale to reduce risks and improve safety and well-being for people of all ages, particularly because of the disparate impact that climate change has on older adults. For 20-plus years, the majority of people who die in major events (Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy, Maria, and Ian; Paradise wildfire and PNW heat waves; winter storms in Buffalo, etc) are over 60 years of age. This session discusses findings from a new book, Climate Resilience for an Aging Nation, which argues that climate resilience must be centered on the needs of older adults to solve the systems-wide failures that expose them and other vulnerable populations to greater risk. This session will foster conversation on how climate change differently impacts older adults, and what must be done across diverse sectors to build community resilience for an aging nation.

Feedback:

“This feels like a watershed week. It was truly an honor to have the time and space with an engaged audience at #NAF24 to go in-depth about the need to center climate resilience and adaptation plans on the needs of older adults. These are the adaptation practitioners who are designing our resilience plans – and they walked away with new ideas about why older adults’ needs should be better included, and how. Thanks again to EcoAdapt and [the] American Society of Adaptation Professionals for the opportunity – and the great conference (1000+ people strong!).”

– Danielle Arigoni, National Housing Trust, Managing Director for Policy and Solutions

Session: Community-Led Adaptation Innovations and Policy Recommendations Special Session

Session Notes: ASAP’s Training Specialist Maria Dozier

Session Description: The American Society of Adaptation Professionals invites you to a special session focused on community-led adaptation innovations. This session includes two 45-minute panel presentations that aim to inspire and inform solutions from the local to national levels.

The first panel, “Achieving Climate Ambition at Corridor Scale – Uniting Cities, States, and Indigenous Nations,” will discuss how Mayors and the conservation industry have joined together to create the largest non-federal pipeline of natural infrastructure projects along the ten-state length of the Mississippi River Corridor to achieve resilience, mitigation, and climate ambition. Additionally, for the first time in U.S. history, Mayors and Indigenous Nations have entered into an agreement to bring cities and Tribal governments together along the Mississippi River in large-scale ecosystem restoration work. This panel will detail these partnerships and how the public and private sectors are working to adapt to the most critical food-producing river basin on Earth.

The second panel, “Stories from Frontline Alaska Native Villages and National Policy Recommendations,” will host Tribal leaders from three remote Alaska Native villages to share stories and recommendations for how to advance the equitable delivery of national climate adaptation resources and services for frontline communities. This panel is an opportunity to engage with communities facing relocation and managed retreat, and learn about an example whole-of-government implementation framework for Alaska that could be tested and expanded nationwide.

Speakers

Michael LaRoque, White Earth Nation, Treasurer
Sara Burns, Ducks Unlimited, Water Program Specialist
Colin Wellenkamp, Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative, Executive Director
Walter Nelson, Native Village of Napakiak, Managed Retreat Coordinator
Christina Waska, Newtok Village Council, Relocation Coordinator
Janet Erik, Chefornak traditional council
Tristan Agnauraq Morgan, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Community Grant Writer

Session Organizer

ASAP Member David Savarese , Jacobs, Program Delivery Manager
ASAP Member Max Neale , Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Program Manager, Center for Environmentally Threatened Communities
ASAP Member Sylvia Chang , AECOM, Senior Climate Adaptation and Resilience Planner
ASAP Member Nichole Kain , Antioch University New England, Doctoral Candidate

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

Session: Beacons of Hope and Justice: Trends and Examples of Transformative Adaptation

Session Description: At every NAF since 2017, attendees are invited to collectively help assess the state of US adaptation; to make sense together of changes that are unfolding in the field, and in so doing, to learn important lessons about how to make change happen. Traditionally, this involved a look at the purpose, the people, the practices, and the pillars of support (policy and funding) for adaptation.

The session will identify, highlight, and explore examples of where human systems are becoming truly equitable; where healing has occurred and justice is being restored; where ecosystems are reestablished and thriving despite change and strain; where economies are in service to wellbeing without sacrificing nature; where minds change, wounds and rifts are healed, and differences are being bridged and embraced as sources of strength.

Outcomes:

A sense of continued evolution and positive progress in the US adaptation field (building on the 2017 Kresge-supported Rising to the Challenge, Together state of the field assessment)
Concrete examples (“beacons of hope”) of transformative adaptation to counter frustration and despair about adaptation not advancing fast or well enough
A set of lessons learned of key “ingredients” of how to move toward, support and navigate transformational adaptation

Session Organizer

ASAP Member and Past Board Member Joyce E Coffee , Climate Resilience Consulting, President

Speakers

ASAP Member and Past ASAP Board Member Susanne Moser , Susanne Moser Research & Consulting; Antioch University New England, Director; Research Faculty
ASAP Member and Past ASAP Board Member Jacqueline Patterson, Chisholm Legacy Project, Founder and Executive Director
Suzanne Burnes, Partnership for Southern Equity, Director, Just Growth Portfolio
Jalisa Mauldin, Faith in Place, Indiana Outreach Coordinator
Brendolynb Jenkins Boseman, The Imani Group Inc, Executive Director
Katherine Egland, Co-founder, Education, Economics, Environmental, Climate and Health Organization (EEECHO)

Feedback:

“The session was co-organized with Joyce Coffee and Jacqui Patterson, both ASAP Members. We have a session at every NAF to assess trends in the US adaptation field. This year, we asked similar questions as we have asked every year (see Menti polling results), but we mainly focused on hearing about and sharing stories of transformative adaptation. We invited a panel of speakers (moderated by Jacqui) and distilled lessons learned from them, then the audience shared their own stories of transformation.”

-ASAP Member Susi Moser , Speaker, Presenter

Thursday, May 16, 2024

Session: Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating Successful Adaptation and Resilience Projects Special Session

Session Description: Regardless of where we are in the adaptation and resilience planning process, how do we support successful adaptation projects that are effective and provide the intended benefits? How can we build in metrics, track progress, and assess how we’ve been successful?

Evaluation is a key component in every climate adaptation and resilience project but can be challenging to build into a project’s lifecycle. This session creates an intentional space for discussing strategies and challenges in incorporating evaluation into adaptation and resilience planning and implementation. A mix of presentations and training will explore best practices and case studies for evaluation within vulnerability assessments, prioritizing risks and selecting indicators to measure progress, identifying equitable adaptation alternatives, as well as selecting and evaluating strategies and measuring outcomes.

Speakers

ASAP Member AnnaClaire Marley , ERG Inc., Climate Resilience and Data Specialist
ASAP Member Tess Sprague , Brown, and Caldwell, Water Resources Climate & Resilience Lead, Planning and Policy
Lindsay Willson, CDM Smith, Environmental Scientist
ASAP Member Maite Duquela , Independent Consultant, Climate Resilience Research & Projects

Session Organizer

ASAP Member Alec Appelbaum , AllBeforeUs, LLC, Storyteller
ASAP Member Matthew Lettrich , ECS in support of NOAA Fisheries, Team Lead
ASAP Member Rachel Johnson , Herrera Environmental Consultants, Water Resources Engineer

Member Feedback: Alec Appelbaum , Special Organizer

“Participants agreed that evaluation metrics should keep evolving with a project, reflect stakeholders’ experiences, and include some qualitative metrics.“

Member Feedback: Maite Duquela

“The National Adaptation Forum #NAF2024 was an incredible experience! I got to present my research on operationalizing the concept of climate resilience into a holistic and realistic framework. Moreover, I got to hear and talk to practitioners and experts afterwards on how much it resonated with their work, how useful it was, and how it validated or -in some cases- shifted their perspective!

I also got to meet amazing people in this space and got to hear about some of the exciting work being done to advance climate adaptation and resilience efforts!

Thanks to ERG for supporting this research, and to American Society of Adaptation Professionals, Alec Appelbaum, Matt Lettrich, and Rachel Johnson for organizing a wonderful panel session!”

-ASAP Member, Maite Duquela

Conference Feedback

ASAP Member Yilin Giltinan, Resilience Planner at Jacobs

“That is a wrap for #NAF24, an exhilarating two-and-a-half day of inspiring discussions, groundbreaking ideas, and amazing connections. I gained valuable insights into the latest trends, emerging ideas, and perspectives, particularly on the issue of #ExtremeHeat.

It was great reconnecting with American Society of Adaptation Professionals members, my fellow adapter within Jacobs, and a fantastic Community Adaptation Learning Exchange teammate with whom I have worked with remotely for the past two years.

I’m ready to turn this energy into meaningful projects for #resilience infrastructure and community. I can’t wait for the 7th National Adaptation Forum!”

ASAP Member Aruni Ranaweera, Graduate Research Assistant to Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx at Harvard University

“Just returned from the National Adaptation Forum in St. Paul, Minnesota! What excites me about adaptation is the interdisciplinary nature of conversations between policymakers, planners, advocates, engineers, and scientists. It was inspiring to hear about innovative adaptation and resilience initiatives from across the country. Here are some of my main takeaways:

It was so exciting to meet fellow adaptationers (American Society of Adaptation Professionals), including many who have inspired my career! Thank you to the Barr Foundation for the generous support in making it possible for me to attend!”

ASAP Member Logan Gerber-Chavez , Assistant Professor of Disaster Science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

“I’m so honored to have had the opportunity to present some ongoing floodplain buyouts research at the National Adaptation Forum in St. Paul, MN last week. This was my second time at the National Adaptation Forum and every time I am so amazed by the inspirational messages and inclusive environment for such a wide variety of people in the climate adaptation space.

Special thanks to American Society of Adaptation Professionals and the amazing Kelly Leilani Main, Vidya Balasubramanyam, and Elizaveta Barrett Ristroph, Ph.D., J.D. for organizing such a great session on Climate Displacement, Managed Retreat, and Relocation. We had amazing conversations and learned so much, hopefully we can keep working on these very important topics together.”

Thank you to everyone who contributed their materials to the network.

Photo Source: Maite Duquela

Photo Source: ASAP Member Yilin Giltinan, Center

– �� Displacement and relocation due to climate change will require government-supported land buy-outs and relocation assistance. As Lanor Curole from United Houma Nation Inc shared, it will be critical for policymakers to work with representative neighborhood and tribal coalitions to ensure communities receive truly just compensation that reflects the economic and cultural value of their homes and neighborhoods.

– �� Accurate climate modeling will be critical to decision-making in uncertainty to determine appropriate adaptations. It was exciting to get a preview of some of these models such as FEMA’s new Future of Flood Risk Data (FFRD) initiative that is working to create transparent, composite risk assessments for flooding.

– �� Adaptation can be integrated into a range of policy interventions, including mitigation efforts. As Joel Scheraga from US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) described, policymakers should view adaptation as tool of continuity — you want to ensure your investments, upgrades, and innovations are resilient to ongoing climate change.

– ��️Communicating the cultural and economic impacts that climate change can have on individuals’ lives, jobs, and communities helps expand support for adaptation beyond a climate audience. I appreciated Armando Moritz-Chapelliquen presenting Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)’s program on business continuity planning as a tangible adaptation action that resonates with small business owners.

– �� To make a stronger case for adaptation, it’s critical to both describe and measure the broad co-benefits and systemwide benefits that resilience can bring such as increased access to green space, increased public transit usership, or avoided storm damage costs. As Sarah Hammitt Colasurdo for The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey described, quantifying the full system benefits can keep resilience from being “value-engineered out” or cut from city capital planning budgets.

Photo Source: ASAP Member Logan Gerber-Chavez )

Photo Source ASAP – (ASAP Staff Pictured Left to Right: Meagan Putnam, Membership Coordinator; Debra Butler, Executive Director; Maria Dozier, Training Specialist; and Jennifer Montgomery, Communications Specialist)

ASAP to Support the National Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center

Mon, 12 Feb 2024 17:28:00 GMT

The American Society of Adaptation Professionals will collaborate with the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) and Atma Connect to engage with one of three national Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (EJ TCTACs) developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy.

The goal of the TCTAC program is to remove institutional barriers and to improve accessibility to federal funding for disinvested communities impacted by decades of structural environmental injustice. Our national EJ TCTAC will work alongside the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) to support the regional EJ TCTACs designated by the EPA.

In partnership with ISC and Atma Connect, ASAP will strengthen and enhance the capacity of regional TCTACs, local environmental advocates and their leadership, individual and aggregate communities and technical assistance providers by delivering needs-based, virtual, and in-person engagement, as well as coordinated activities, communications, tools, and place-centric resources. The current funding period for the TCTAC is five years (2023-2028).

What We Will Do as a National EJ TCTAC

Leverage our networks of local governments (ICMA), non-profits (ISC), tribal communities (NIHB), community leaders, and public health and environmental justice advocates to scale solutions nationally.
Support regional EJ TCTACs by conducting needs assessments,
Assist with training, and provide resources, technical assistance (TA), and opportunities for peer learning.
Accelerate the dissemination of successful tools, models, best practices, and resources.
Develop efficient systems to maximize the delivery of TA for regional EJ TCTACs that represent EPA regions, including national platforms, databases, and resource libraries for the regional EJ TCTACs and communities.
Convene TA summits to support the needs of the network and represent the EJ TCTAC network at national conferences.
Provide additional technical support to communities in ways that supplement and support the regional centers.
Raise awareness and engagement by engaging key stakeholder groups through our online platform, conferences, events, resources, and training.

In addition, ASAP will leverage our established peer learning groups, networks, and expertise in funding and finance, and related TA expertise, in support of the National EJ TCTAC. ASAP expects to coordinate ASAP Members in conjunction with ASAP’s Funding and Finance Group , which will lead ongoing content development work specific to funding opportunities through the National TCTAC web platform. This effort will track federal funding opportunities, translate and communicate such opportunities to communities, and design a tracker platform with the capabilities to interface with other funding opportunity trackers. ASAP will create peer-learning strategies for each regional TCTAC and, throughout the lifespan of the grant, (1) create and deliver training; (2) deploy a nationwide network of service providers; and (3) engage and support communities in their efforts to access and employ federal funds what support environmental, energy and climate work.

For more information about the EJ TCTAC, visit the program webpage or contact ASAP’s Communications Manager, Kyla Bloyer, at kbloyer@adaptpros.org .

About the Institute for Sustainable Communities

ISC is a non-profit organization with a mission to create equitable, climate change solutions around the world. We do this by forming collaborative, people-focused partnerships that support communities disproportionately impacted by the global climate crisis. Since its founding in 1991, ISC has worked with nearly 800 communities across 31 countries to mitigate the impact of climate change. For more information, please visit sustain.org .

About Atma Connect

Atma Connect is an award-winning, non-profit technology organization that specializes in creating web-based platforms that reach last-mile communities, enable localization, and drive support and funding to smaller organizations.

About the American Society of Adaptation Professionals

The American Society of Adaptation Professionals (“ASAP”) is a professional association and social impact network that connects and supports climate change adaptation and climate resilience professionals to better address climate change impacts. Together with our members and partners, we are advancing the field of climate change adaptation by learning from Western science, Indigenous knowledge, and the lived experience of those addressing climate impacts in their communities. ASAP helps members strengthen their professional network, exchange best practices and practical advice, and accelerate innovation – all leading to a more equitable and effective climate adaptation practice.

2023 Climate Service Providers Academy Recap

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 16:00:00 GMT

Last year marked the return of ASAP’s Private Sector Climate Service Providers Academy, a virtual course providing participants with the tools to develop higher-quality climate services and help businesses succeed in the rapidly evolving climate services marketplace.

The inaugural academy started in 2019 with funding support from the Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments ( GLISA ). It covered the Great Lakes region and grew in 2021 to include the Great Lakes, Carolinas, and Southwest. The 2023 academy was sponsored by the NOAA Climate Adaptation Partnerships Program and held from October 17 to November 28. A milestone to celebrate from the 2023 academy is the expansion to include six regions (Midwest; North-Atlantic; Mid-Atlantic; Caribbean; South Central; California, and Nevada) over 6 weeks.

The 2023 academy kicked off with over 80 attendees, and participants gained the following knowledge in 8 curated sessions with experts in the field:

New skills for accessing the best climate data and information for the North/Mid-Atlantic, Great Lakes, California and Nevada, South Central, South East, and the Caribbean.
Sophisticated knowledge and relevant examples of the strategies and approaches constituting high-quality climate change adaptation and resilience practice across North America.
Connections to complementary businesses and potential partners and collaborators.

A huge thank you goes out to our knowledgeable and robust lineup of speakers! Speakers by session included:

Opening Session – October 17

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Julian Reyes, Assistant Director for Climate Services at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Deputy Director for Services at the U.S. Global Change Research Program

Session Recording – Replay the session on demand!

Principles of Quality Adaptation – October 24

Graham Knibbs, Geohazard Specialist at Stantec Consulting Ltd .
Dr. Sue Kemball Cook, Vice President at WSP, Sustainability, Energy and Climate Change (SECC) Group Lead

Session Recording – Replay the session on demand!

Midwest – October 31

Ariane Laxo, Director of Sustainability at HGA
Amanda Farris, Associate Director of the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership
Dr. Heidi Roop, Director of the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership (MCAP) and an Assistant Professor of Climate Science at the University of Minnesota
Dr. Jenna Jorns, Co-Director at GLISA , University of Michigan
Teal Harrison, Climate Resilience Specialist at Adaptation International

Session Recording – Replay the session on demand!

California and Nevada – November 2

Ariel Choinard, California-Nevada Climate Applications Program ( CNAP ) Coordinator, Desert Research Institute
Dr. Grace Di Cecco, Postdoctoral Researcher at Eagle Rock Analytics
Kara Odegard, Founding Partner at Measure Meant

Session Recording – Replay the session on demand!

Caribbean – November 9

Dr. Eric Harmsen, Professor at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, Caribbean Climate Adaptation Network (CCAN)
Dr. Mimi Sheller, Inaugural Dean of The Global School at Worcester Polytechnic Institute , CCAN
Dr. Pablo Méndez-Lázaro, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences, CCAN Director
Dr. Patricia Chardon-Maldonado, Deputy and Technical Director at the Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System , CCAN
Dr. Sarah Strauss, Professor at The Global School at Worcester Polytechnic Institute , CCAN

Session Recording – Replay the session on demand!

South Central – November 14

Annie Vest, Mitigation and Disaster Planning Lead at Freese and Nichols , and the Vice President of the National Hazard Mitigation Association
Dr. Barney Austin, Aqua Strategies Inc.
Dr. Sharon Hausam, Climate Adaptation Planner and Research Scientist at the South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center
Dr. Vincent Brown, Climate Research Director at the Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program ( SCIPP ), Louisiana State University

Session Recording – Replay the session on demand!

North/Mid-Atlantic – November 16

Daniel Bader, Program Manager at the Consortium for Climate Risk in the Urban Northeast ( CCRUN ), Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University
Dr. Krista Romita Grocholski, Physical Scientist at the RAND Corporation and Director at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments ( MARISA )
Lena Easton-Calabria, Policy Analyst at the RAND Corporation and Program Manager at MARISA

Session Recording – Replay the session on demand!

Closing Session Panel – November 28

Jim Fox, Senior Resilience Associate at Fernleaf
John Phillips, Director of Integrated Watershed Management at Parametrix
Dr. Shalina Vajhala, Executive Director of PRE Collective and the Founder & CEO of re: focus partners
Tory Grieves, Director, Strategic Initiatives at Sustainable1

Session Recording – Replay the session on demand!

Stay tuned for details on ASAP’s next Climate Service Providers Academy and resources available from the sessions. Sign up to receive updates here .

Introducing Maya Buchanan, ASAP’s New Board President

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 15:28:00 GMT

To start the year, we are excited to share recent changes to ASAP’s Board of Directors! Effective this January 2024, Maya Buchanan became the newly elected President of ASAP’s Board of Directors. Join us in celebrating the hope and opportunity that a wave of new leadership brings. 2023 represented a significant transition year for ASAP, with changes in executive leadership, welcoming new staff, launching new projects, and focusing on the core purpose of ASAP’s existence – engaging, supporting, and empowering adaptation leaders across North America.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to pass the reins to a leader as insightful, compassionate, and collaborative as Maya. She has a seemingly endless well of passion, energy, and expertise for all things adaptation, and I’m humbled to serve on the ASAP Board alongside an adaptation professional as experienced as she is. I know that ASAP will reach new heights under Maya’s leadership,” shared Julia Kim, ASAP’s 2023 Board President.

Maya joined the board in 2023. A key priority as board president for Maya is to foster cohesion among the growing and under-resourced field of adaptation professionals and gain additional financial support from donors. Maya is an energized and dedicated senior climate adaptation professional and brings over 17 years of experience partnering with members of ASAP and overlapping communities. She hopes to leverage her long-standing expertise and relationships in the field during her time as Board President.

Maya shared, “I view ASAP as a much-needed sense of home for both seasoned and emerging climate adaptation practitioners. Collaboration and partnership among practitioners and organizations is the only way we, as a society, can leverage our talents and resources to truly meet the call of action. There are too many communities, roads, bridges, schools, and so on, in need of transformative change to simply go it alone . I look forward to leveraging my research and practitioner networks to help connect the many actors doing too much in isolation without the support and partnership they are looking for, the fruits of which we can all value.”

As the Assistant Vice President of Climate Risk and Adaptation at WSP USA, Maya advises on complex climate change adaptation projects with both governments and public-private organizations across the globe, working to connect climate information with diverse users to help foster a shared understanding and ownership over difficult decision-making contexts. Maya serves as a technical advisor, leads business development efforts, and has worked closely with donors and won generous grants from private and public foundations to operationalize climate risk information and ultimately benefit underserved communities.

Maya’s leadership skills are one of many assets she brings to her tenure as ASAP’s Board President. Katharine Jacobs, Director of the Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions and former Director of the National Climate Assessment, shared, “ASAP is very fortunate to have Maya as President for the coming year. Increasing the capacity for climate adaptation is critical for the US and for the globe, if we are to keep pace (and hopefully get ahead of) accelerating climate impacts. Maya brings great leadership skills along with highly technical climate modeling skills to the table. She has a range of experience, including public and private sectors and academia, along with work at multiple scales ranging from the New York City Panel on Climate Change to the US Global Change Research Program to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. She will enable us all to work together to address the needs of communities and adaptation professionals.”

We encourage you to join ASAP’s Peer Learning Groups , attend an upcoming event , explore our resource library , and, if you aren’t already, consider joining ASAP as a member to access additional resources.

A Year-End Message From ASAP’s Executive Director

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 20:55:00 GMT

Warmest greetings to the entire ASAP Network during this holiday season.

As the Executive Director of the American Society of Adaptation Professionals, I would like to thank each of you, my staff, and the Board of Directors for a prosperous and successful 2023.

From April to December of this year and to 2024 and beyond, I have envisioned ASAP as the preeminent leader in the field of climate adaptation practice, based not only on the quality of our work but on our commitments:

to employ transdisciplinary scientific and place-based knowledge;
to cultivate a broad range of technical and analytical skillsets;
to engage more of our membership in peer learning & working groups;
to provide innovative training and developmental learning assets to our clients and partners;
to expand our network more inclusive of practitioners in the broader scope of adaptive praxes, i.e., architecture, health sciences, construction, finance, military, and trade unions;
to lead the field as an exemplar of climate justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion through deep relational partnerships & collaborations with the communities we serve.

Please help us as we move forward to honor these commitments, to negotiate and navigate the challenges and uncertainties embedded in climate change, and to envision, advocate, and create safe, healthy, and just climate futures.

Donations to ASAP are tax-deductible and will help us tackle climate change and enable more equitable and effective climate adaptation work. Thank you for your support.

Wishing you joy and peace this holiday season!

Debra

A Year in Review: Climate Policy and the White House Summit on Climate Resilient Communities

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 15:11:00 GMT

The Biden Administration has undoubtedly made more progress on climate change adaptation and climate resilience than any other U.S. Presidential administration in history. One high point was last month’s White House Summit on Building Climate Resilient Communities. The Summit was hailed as the first high-level event explicitly focused on climate resilience in the federal government, unveiling new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act funding allocations and a National Climate Resilience Framework. We applaud the Administration’s efforts and appreciate their contributions to progress on these outcomes:

Consistent use of appropriate, future-focused climate data and information.
An enabling environment for members to implement quality adaptation and a strong market for adaptation jobs.
A shifting understanding of risk leading to decreased exposure and maladaptation.
Consistent acknowledgment of historical conditions that have forced people into climate vulnerability and rectifying those conditions.
A holistic narrative of climate action inclusive of mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage.

This blog highlights recent actions from the Biden Administration, demonstrates where additional progress is needed, includes a recap of the White House Summit from ASAP’s Executive Director, Debra Butler , and recognizes the work of ASAP Members.

First, let’s dive into the Administration’s recent actions and where more progress is needed.

Putting More Federal Dollars Into Adaptation and Resilience Efforts and Cutting Red Tape To Improve Equitable Access To Funding.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (“BIL”) and Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA”) together invest more than $50 billion in climate change adaptation and climate resilience. Some highlights announced in conjunction with the summit included:

The $575 million Climate Resilience Regional Challenge
Formula grants for grid resilience
More funding for existing NOAA Climate Adaptation Partnership (CAP)/RISA programs and a new CAP/RISA in the Central Midwest
$12.7 million in funding for the Climate-Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI), which aims to accelerate the pace and reduce the cost of creating inclusive and equitable climate resilience plans in communities across the U.S.

Further, the federal government and private funders are investing in technical assistance for disinvested communities to access funds, including four projects that ASAP and our members are supporting: EPA Environmental Finance Centers , Justice40 Accelerator, EPA Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers, and the National Coastal Resilience Fund Field Liaison Team . Additionally, agencies are issuing RFIs to drive grant reforms, to which ASAP’s Policy Practice Group regularly develops responses.

However, the administration is still lagging in three crucial areas:

ASAP Staff and Members observe that, despite the focus on marginalized communities in the administration’s directives for these funds, there are still very few systems in place to put climate-impacted people in control of how money is spent. Instead, competitive grants go to well-resourced places, match requirements make many of these funds a non-starter, and formula fund allocations at the local level are based on grassroots advocacy to states from well-resourced communities.
As described in the Fifth National Climate Assessment and this blog post by ASAP Policy Practice Group Members , we still do not know the extent of funds needed for adaptation. The group noted that it is necessary to “develop a comprehensive estimate of adaptation costs facing the nation through 2100. Such a study will enable Congress to make informed decisions about how much federal funding to allocate to existing and new programs that address climate adaptation. Currently, there is no credible, comprehensive estimate of the total national costs of climate adaptation.”
On a related note, we need to stop calling BIL and IRA once-in-a-generation investments. These injections of funds are a good start, but we need a steady stream of funding for climate action that matches the level of need.

Investing in Defining, Developing, and Training the Climate Change Adaptation and Climate Resilience Workforce

The Summit launched two exciting initiatives to support adaptation workforce development: the American Climate Corps (“ACC”) and Climate-Ready Workforce Grants . The American Climate Corps is designed to get more than 20,000 young people on career pathways in the growing fields of clean energy, conservation, and climate resilience — prioritizing underinvested communities and projects that help meet the Administration’s Justice40 goal. It encourages cross-sector collaboration to expand skills-based training partnerships and builds on the ten existing state-level Climate Corps. However, it’s unclear whether this announcement will come with new resources to activate its promises. The good news is that it is more likely that it will bring existing programs, national service members, and staff under one umbrella to encourage a common set of programmatic standards and post-service career opportunities.

In addition to the lack of new resources to support the ACC, fundamental questions are yet to be answered about its implementation. It’s also unclear how agencies will coordinate with the ACC and key global change agencies are missing from the ACC announcement, including EPA and HUD. Another question is how the ACC will make good on its promise to ensure programs provide an adequate living stipend. As members of the Partnership for the Civilian Climate Corps (“PCCC”), ASAP is supporting the development of implementation recommendations for the ACC, which will be published early next year.

The NOAA Climate-Ready Workforce Grants for Coastal States and Territories bring much-needed support to place people into good jobs that advance climate resilience and work directly with employers to develop a workforce that is climate literate, informed by climate resilience, and skilled at addressing climate challenges. However, there are foundational, national, climate resilience workforce assets – such as revised Standard Occupation Codes, career pathways, and competency models for climate resilience trades and professions – that are necessary to ensure the work performed under these grants is developing a cohesive, skilled workforce to address challenges locally, regionally, and nationally. Further, this grant is only available in coastal areas, leaving inland places – and those not selected for this competitive funding – without the capacity to address workforce needs.

Reforming Existing Policies To Avoid Maladaptation

The Biden Administration’s framework and investments emphasize holistic climate action interlinked with social resilience, justice, and equity, significant evolutions from Obama-era policies. This sets the stage for reforming existing policies to correct past hards and avoid maladaptation. However, there is still much work to be done to require the use of forward-looking climate information. Unfortunately, much of this would require congressional action, such as reforming the Stafford Act. Additionally, the Administration could be doing more to monitor where the benefits and risks of climate adaptation actions are being accrued. Justice40 is a good start, but it needs to take race into consideration, account for risk transfer, and include a monitoring and evaluation system.

Identifying Additional Gaps: Government-Wide Coordination, Accountability, and Lasting Authority

These gaps, in particular, highlight the continued importance of one of ASAP’s six policy priorities : to establish government-wide coordination and lasting authority to enact, act on, and evaluate progress on climate resilience priorities. For example, the framework could have been bolder in promoting/suggesting project-based and system-wide tools for the agencies (not just FEMA) to have more consistency as funds and parameters get put in place. Additionally, various agencies are creating programs through IRA funds, but they are not well-coordinated. For example, GGRF from EPA needs to align with Community Disaster Resilience Zones, while also tapping the new loans and guarantees at DOE… all using more of a holistic resilience tool from projects. We know there are many dedicated folks in the administration and within federal agencies working on better interagency coordination, but without a strong guiding force for this at the highest level, it can be hard to prioritize or see results.

Transformation

Given what ails us as a country and planet – colonialism, white supremacy, domination of nature, and economic exploitation – we need to focus more on transformative change, and the Administration’s actions miss the mark here. For example, transformation requires accepting emerging new realities, envisioning where we want to go, and enacting new policies to get there. The framework continues to raise the role and profile of FEMA, while missing the individual agency/cabinet pick-up for the holistic resilience and adaptation mindset. This tends to keep us in the recovery, rebuilding, DRR spaces, even with our adaptation colleagues.

Lastly, we aren’t moving fast enough. The first high-level federal government event on adaptation, the National Climate Adaptation Summit, was held in May 2010. Summaries of the 2010 event cite the need for cross-section partnerships, the marriage of national scientific resources with local lived experience, interagency coordination, and regional adaptation fora. Sound familiar? They’re things we’re still calling for today. One thing that could accelerate progress is durable, national-level leadership, such as a Chief Climate Resilience Officer, which would be provided via the National Coordination on Adaptation and Resilience for Security Act. Until then, we will continue to flounder in a sea of agencies plastering over old frameworks that have been inefficient at best, and harmful to ecologies that will collapse under the weight of “information, risk modeling, and bandage interventions”. What are we waiting for? Congress: pass NCARS now!

Summary and Perspective from ASAP’s Executive Director Experience at the Summit

The White House Summit on Building Climate Resilient Communities was convened at Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Thursday, September 28, 2023. Four ASAP constituents attended the Summit: Debra Butler , Executive Director, and three ASAP Board members, Jacqui Patterson, Jennifer Jurado, and Nuin-Tara Key .

The Summit began with a live-streamed plenary session focused on specific areas of interest and exploration and included a variety of speakers providing opening remarks, including discussions on How Federal Programs are Supporting Local Initiatives; Building Climate Resilience from the Ground Up; Community Action Partnership; and Expanding Our View of Climate Resilience.

Round Table Discussions

In-depth roundtable discussions with representatives of Federal departments and agencies that were closed to the press were held throughout the afternoon session. Roundtable Topics included: Opportunities for a Climate Resilient Nation, Planning and Response, Built Environment, Catalyzing Investment and Innovation, Actionable Climate Science and Services, Reducing Climate Risk through Nature Roundtable, and Growing Thriving Communities.

Vicki Arroyo, Associate Administrator for Policy, EPA, and Victoria Salinas, Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Administrator, FEMA facilitated Panel One, which Debra was assigned. Areas of discussion included:

What successes have your communities had anticipating and adapting to the risks posed by extreme events and climate change? What challenges did you encounter and had to overcome along the way?
What are the needs you have to support your efforts to adapt to the impacts of climate change? Of these, are there climate services that only the federal government can provide, or can do a better job of providing than other sources?
Are there immediate actions your communities are prepared to take but need the federal government to partner in a particular way to make happen?
What potential conflicts or trade-offs might arise when emergency managers try to integrate adaptation into preparedness and response actions to increase the resilience of communities? What innovative approaches or technologies can help accelerate the integration of adaptation into preparedness and response operations?

Possible Impacts and Opportunities for ASAP

Design and promote regionally scoped adaptation that is specific to the state/municipality’s language, communication, and preparedness for extreme events.
Maintain a registry of vetted contractors who are bound to Justice40 requirements.
Develop concurrent workforce and entrepreneurial models that sustain/grow community-based climate adaptation and mitigation intervention.
Advocate for federal & local oversight of block grant assessments and priority-setting.
Restore/remediate/remove all toxic waste dumps, incinerators, chemical spills & superfund sites by 2030.

What’s Next?

The Administration’s goal (I believe) is a more integrated approach (and incentives) for agencies, private investment, and philanthropy to participate in climate adaptation for the long term. Historically, agencies and departments have had Constitutional or congressional mandates directed toward specific areas of national interest, expertise, philosophies, or interventions. Climate change is THE universal problem and force multiplier across all federal, state, and municipal governments, as well as urban, coastal, and rural communities.

As a nation, this may be our last opportunity to do the right thing for the ecologies and places we depend on for survival. There are incremental adaptations (some more urgent than others) that lead to transformation change. We must understand that uncertainty cannot be measured or modeled, but it is our opportunity to pivot and change trajectory. This is real. What we choose to do will define who we are.

Recognizing the Work of ASAP Members

The Climate Smart Communities Initiative includes several ASAP Organizational Members: Fernleaf , Climate Resilience Fund , and EcoAdapt serving as CSCI Team Members.

Do you have contributions to share? Send us a message to be highlighted in a feature blog or publication to ASAP’s Communications Manager, Kyla Bloyer, at kbloyer@adaptpros.org .

New Community of Practice for Coastal Inundation

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 19:20:00 GMT

The American Society of Adaptation Professionals has partnered with NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management (“OCM”) and the National Sea Grant Office (“NSGO”) to bring together the people and ideas needed to build resilience to coastal inundation.

As climate change impacts worsen, so does coastal inundation (i.e., water on normally dry ground as a result of flooding caused by sea level rise, storm surge, high tides, precipitation, or other factors). This is a complex problem that requires a multidisciplinary, long-term, coordinated effort to address. The impact of coastal inundation can be devastating, leading to property damage, displacement of populations, and loss of life. Collaboration across the public, private, non-profit, and academic sectors ensures that the best available knowledge and expertise are being utilized to address inundation in coastal communities.

Over the course of 4 years, ASAP will collaborate with NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management (“OCM”) and the National Sea Grant Office (“NSGO”) to build and facilitate a Coastal Inundation Community of Practice.

ASAP was a natural fit to partner on this Community of Practice as we host a network of over 1,000 individuals from within all sectors – many of whom explicitly work on coastal inundation issues. ASAP is skilled in bringing those people together, as we do via a dozen or more peer learning meetings each month .

With the support of NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management (“OCM”), the Community of Practice leverages and expands upon their mission to provide coastal planners with the skills, tools, and data needed to manage the nation’s coastal resources and communities. OCM places an emphasis on collaborating with local governments, states, non-profit organizations, communities, and others to advance coastal management, research, education, and engagement.

Additionally, the National Sea Grant Office (“NSGO”) brings expertise on coastal, marine, and Great Lakes resources to support a network that engages and empowers coastal communities with knowledge, tools, and services.

Together, ASAP, OCM, and NSGO will support an implementation team composed of recognized leaders in coastal flooding from diverse expertise, regional affiliations, and ties to existing resilience networks to guide the CoP direction. Project partners and the implementation team will be instrumental in helping the CoP achieve its mission of creating a national network of practitioners that facilitates peer-to-peer learning, information exchange, and collaborative engagement to advance coastal flooding science, knowledge, and solutions.

How ASAP Members Can Get Involved

ASAP Members and the network can:

Learn more about the Community of Practice from the webpage .
Sign up now to participate in the virtual kick-off event on January 30.
Make sure to sign up to be the first to receive updates on programming and events for the COP.

Contact ASAP’s Communication Manager, Kyla Bloyer, at kbloyer@adaptpros.org with any questions.

Climate-Resilient Water Infrastructure in the Great Lakes

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 14:34:00 GMT

ASAP is Excited to Support Delta Institute as an EPA Region 5 Environmental Finance Center (EFC) for Water Infrastructure

We are excited to announce that ASAP Is teaming up with Delta Institute as a partner in an Environmental Finance Center (EFC) for EPA’s Region 5 alongside the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) and Current Water (Current), focusing specifically on Category 2: Regional Water Infrastructure. We’re excited to support the delivery of targeted technical assistance to local governments, states, Tribal governments, and non-governmental organizations to protect public health, safeguard the environment, and advance environmental justice.

The EFC will support historically underserved communities that have struggled to access federal water infrastructure funding, improving these communities’ access to resources for water infrastructure improvements. Over the next five years, the EFC plans that more than 200 communities will benefit from clean water and drinking water finance technical assistance services, specifically those that are disproportionately impacted by climate change and have previously lacked funding access.

ASAP’s role will include:

Co-developing strategies for effective implementation of EFC objectives.
Recruiting and supporting TA providers.
Identifying potential communities to receive TA.

Here are a few ways ASAP Members can get involved:

Help us identify communities within EPA Region 5 that would benefit from technical assistance leading to applications for State Revolving Funds (SRF). You may direct those communities to the EFC to help answer their initial questions, or send any questions to ASAP and Delta Institute.
Help us identify opportunities to connect with communities in the near future, e.g. through upcoming community meetings or other gatherings.
Share your insights on the types of Water TA communities need to successfully apply for SRF.
Help us identify individuals and organizations interested in becoming TA providers through the EFC.
Share your insights on how to effectively structure technical assistance to engage to communities at multiple levels, center lived experiences and grassroots activities, and address historical and current lack of access to technical services.

Highlights from the Midwest Climate Resilience Conference

Tue, 21 Nov 2023 20:34:00 GMT

ASAP’s Training Specialist Mia Dozier traveled to the Midwest Climate Resilience Conference in Duluth, Minnesota, held October 25-27, 2023. Dive into highlights of Mia’s experience at the conference, including a special equitable community engagement training, recruitment for water infrastructure from the environmental finance center for EPA’s Region 5, and an update on the Ready-to-Fund Resilience project. Thank you to Mia Dozier for sharing with the network!

Equitable Community Engagement Session

This training was designed by Mia Dozier and Rachel Jacobson from ASAP, Beth Gibbons from Farallon Strategies, and T. Jonathan Lee from Climate Resilience Consulting to support participants in bringing principles and practices for equitable community engagement into their climate and infrastructure projects. During the training, participants increased their knowledge of equitable community engagement practices, heard directly from community leaders involved in climate adaptation work in their community, built skills for listening and dialoguing with community members and engaged in exercises and small group discussions to solidify their learning.

The session at the Midwest Climate Resilience Conference featured an outstanding case study from Tiffany Sprague and Madison Rodman at the University of Minnesota on their project “One Block at a Time.” The One Block at a Time goals center on improving resilience to climate hazards through paired projects in four marginalized neighborhoods in Duluth, Minnesota; Erie, Pennsylvania; and Michigan City and Hammond, Indiana. The community-centric engagement processes of this project have increased opportunities for diverse groups to access climate information, participate in planning, and increase environmental literacy surrounding climate hazards and mitigation strategies.

EFC Poster Session

The Environmental Finance Center (EFC) Poster Session was oriented around identifying specific communities within EPA’s Region 5 that would benefit from technical assistance leading to applications for State Revolving Funds (SRF) for clean and drinking water. The Clean Water SRF Program is a federal-state partnership that provides low-cost financing to communities for a wide range of water quality infrastructure projects, including municipal wastewater facilities, nonpoint source pollution control, decentralized wastewater treatment systems, stormwater runoff mitigation, green infrastructure, estuary protection, and water reuse.

Another goal of the session was to identify opportunities to connect with communities in the near future, e.g. through upcoming community meetings and gatherings. Environmental Finance Centers are funded by EPA and deliver targeted technical assistance to local governments, states, Tribes, Territories, and non-governmental organizations to protect public health, safeguard the environment, and advance environmental justice. There are 29 EFCs in 3 categories: “multimedia” EFCs that work on various environmental issues, “regional water infrastructure” EFCs like ours, and “national water infrastructure” EFCs that support the regional water infrastructure EFCs.

With this, ASAP is still looking for technical assistance providers and communities in Region 5 to support. If you are interested or know anyone who would be a good fit, please consider filling out the survey.

Ready-to-Fund Resilience Session

The final presentation we gave at the Midwest Climate Resilience Conference was a 90-minute session on the Ready-to-Fund Resilience training. ASAP’s Ready-to-Fund Resilience Training tailors concepts in ASAP’s Ready-to-Fund Resilience Toolkit for a broad audience, including municipalities, community-based organizations, and more. It equips these groups with the knowledge needed to develop funding and finance pipelines with both public and private dollars to maximize project impact and sustainability. This training was designed by ASAP in partnership with Joyce Coffee from Climate Resilience Consulting.

Access to federal funding is crucial for municipalities and organizations pursuing climate change initiatives, as it provides the financial resources necessary to implement comprehensive and impactful projects. These funds enable organizations to scale up their efforts, reach a wider audience, and significantly contribute to overall climate resilience in their neighborhoods. Additionally, federal funding validates the importance of local grassroots efforts, fostering a collaborative partnership between communities and higher levels of government. This financial support also ensures that communities on the frontlines of climate change have equitable opportunities to enhance their climate resilience, promoting social equity and environmental justice.

We are excited to have the ability to keep working on this project in 2024! Stay tuned for updates.

Statement of Support for the National Coordination on Adaptation and Resilience for Security Act from the American Society of Adaptation Professionals

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 20:35:00 GMT

Short Statement of Support

Members of the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (“ASAP”) applaud the introduction of the National Coordination on Adaptation and Resilience for Security Act (“NCARS”). Should Congress enact this legislation, the U.S. will move from reliance on executive action directed toward individual agency interventions to a stable, long-term, coherent national strategy that will ensure climate change preparedness.

NCARS is particularly promising because: 1) it builds on existing national and sub-national adaptation and resilience efforts and 2) the legislation itself is adaptive. ASAP wishes to call particular attention to the bill’s requirement to develop a national adaptation strategy but also to create implementation planning, monitoring and evaluation guardrails, mechanisms, to ensure that justice and equity remain at the center of national action, together with adequate Congressional appropriations. Congress must pass this bill in order to achieve critical progress forward to prepare the United States for the impacts of climate change.

Read the press release announcing the bill here .

Long Statement of Support

Members of the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) applaud the introduction of the National Coordination on Adaptation and Resilience for Security (“NCARS”). This highly functional piece of legislation will end ad hoc climate adaptation planning at the national level and create dependable and consistent groundwork (frameworks?) for building a more resilient nation. If Congress enacts this legislation, the U.S. will move from relying on a series of individual agency activities authorized through executive action alone to a stable, long-term, coherent national strategy to ensure climate change preparedness. This is critical, This is critical, for communities that currently experience climate impacts as well as for equitable and just climate futures for all.

NCARS is particularly promising because: 1) it builds on existing national and sub-national adaptation and resilience efforts, and 2) the legislation itself is adaptive.

NCARS recognizes that adaptation practitioners and frontline communities across the country have been planning and implementing adaptation for decades. The bill creates pathways to inform national adaptation strategy through well-structured working groups and councils. ASAP applauds the emphasis on the importance of input from sectors beyond the federal and the opportunities to integrate citizen science and place-based knowledge.
NCARS is simultaneously specific and flexible, maximizing its potential for effectiveness in an uncertain future. The specificity of the actions required by the Working Groups and Partners Council, and the detailed account of what would be included in the NCARO Report and the National Coordination on Adaptation and Resilience for Security Act, ensure an inclusive and complete process for national-level climate adaptation planning. Meanwhile, the flexibility NCARS affords creative solutions and adaptive management, the ability to engage in or reject specific actions based on current or uncertainty in modeling future conditions. Finally, the mandate to report on a quadrennial basis promotes consistent feedback and evaluation and guarantees an iterative engagement process for non-federal actors.

ASAP calls on Congress to pass this bill as soon as possible. It will take time to develop a national adaptation strategy. Getting the process underway by expeditiously passing this legislation will materially impact how the US is able to adapt and increase the resilience of communities in both the short and long term. Further, passing this legislation will support the creation of thousands of jobs by signaling predictable federal support for climate change adaptation work, encourage and reassure employers across all sectors and industries to hire workers in climate adaptation jobs across the nation.

ASAP wishes to call particular attention to:

The bill’s requirement to develop not only a national adaptation strategy but also an implementation plan and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. These components are critical to achieving equitable and effective adaptation outcomes at the pace and scale needed.
Mechanisms to ensure that justice and equity remain at the center of national action under this legislation. This includes, first and foremost, centering the needs and experiences of underserved frontline communities. It also requires using the plans and recommendations that the bill mandates to critically assess policy and programmatic adjustments needed to improve the equitability and efficacy of the agency’s services and resources for climate adaptation and resilience.
The need to ensure adequate appropriations. In particular, the positions of CRO and Executive Secretary need to be appropriated, rather than paid by home agencies. Funding for the Working Group and Partners Council must also be appropriated to reduce unfunded mandates to the agencies or add additional burden to non-federal partners.

Congress should swiftly pass this bill and achieve an enormous step forward in preparing the U.S. for the impacts of climate change.

Read the press release announcing the bill here .

Contact: Kyla Bloyer, kbloyer@adaptpros.org | 919-272-8031

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Searching for Resources in the Field of Adaptation

Wed, 08 Nov 2023 15:19:00 GMT

This week’s Mentorship Program Spotlight highlights a mentee and mentor duo focused on helping an early retiree find a purpose in climate change adaptation. Meet Mentee Carol Anway and Mentor Jamesine Rogers Gibson!

Mentee Carol Anway took early retirement from Boeing to pursue climate change resilience strategic work. She is a decorated physicist with a Ph.D. in particle physics, with considerable work at Boeing in the areas of experiment design, statistical data analysis, military operations analysis, and systems analysis. She was awarded “Fellow of the American Physical Society” for her advancements in the field of statistical data analysis. Changing gears completely, she comes to the climate change resiliency effort to learn, grow, and help the world make the transition.

Mentor Jamesine Rogers Gibson has a master’s degree in public health and is a strategic, innovative, and analytical Senior Policy and Research Analyst with more than 15 years of experience researching, shaping, and implementing policies and strategies to advance clean air and climate mitigation and adaptation, while maximizing health and community benefits, at all levels of government. To date, her work has focused on: climate risk, infrastructure, energy, health, and air quality. Currently, she is working with Alameda County’s Office of Sustainability to update its climate action plan.

At the program’s start, Carol searched for resources for further study. As a generalist, she appreciates knowing the full scope of available resources and wanted more obvious and available documentation supporting this new field of adaptation professionals.

During discussions, Jamesine and Carol decided that Carol could benefit from Jamesine’s experience in vision and mission statement development. Carol’s personal mission statement serves to tighten and focus Carol’s interests and efforts. Carol’s new mission statement covers how she follows the science and communicates it in ordinary language to neglected populations as one of the many communicators needed to bring that out into the world.

Carol has developed a presentation about what we expect life to look like in 2050 in specific areas and presented tailored versions at Rotary Duluth, Rotary Bozeman, Rotary Bozeman, Sunrise, and Bozeman Bridger Ski Foundation.

Jamesine’s expertise has helped Carol’s current work by allowing her to focus on aspects of sustainability and adaptation that really resonate with her background. Carol is working freelance on science communication to conservative church populations in Montana.

If anyone is looking for an engaging and informative speaker with an optimistic outlook to the future, contact Carol. Thanks to Carol and Jamesine for sharing their experience!

ASAP Is Here To Support Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion In Adaptation Practice

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 17:23:00 GMT

ASAP’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Fund (“JEDI”) is now in its third year. The fund is one of many ways that ASAP can prioritize accessibility and inclusion throughout its network for individuals and communities who identify as Native American or Indigenous, African American and African descended, Hispanic American, Asian American, and Oceanic/Pacific Islander. ASAP continues to evolve our understanding of the intersections of race, ethnicity, and culture as experienced throughout multiple diasporas in the Americas, and seeks to decolonize current language that homogenizes and devalues the realities and lived experiences of those individuals and communities.

In 2023, ASAP announced a $10,000 grant to the JEDI Fund from the American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact . This generous gift provides financial stability for the fund and has enabled ASAP to expand our goal of developing a more just, equitable, inclusive, and diverse adaptation and resilience field of practice. ASAP is committed to anti-racist principles and practices. Anti-racism is a conscious and intentional strategy through which our members, staff, and board of directors create spaces to address, condemn, and repair overt and covert racist behaviors, attitudes, policies, and practices in our network and to advocate more broadly throughout the field.

Explore ASAP’s JEDI Statement or find ways to take action .

Support from the JEDI Fund is available to individuals and communities who have identified as Native American or Indigenous, African American and African descended, Hispanic American, Asian American, and Oceanic/Pacific Islander. The fund is also available to individuals who request support due to limited financial resources.

We encourage you to apply for funds today or make a tax-deductible donation to the fund!

ASAP’s JEDI commitment acknowledges the legacy of racism and exclusion throughout our collective practices. We work to expose and eliminate racism and to repair and restore our members’ intentional work, programs, education, engagements, and public outreach.

Actions You Can Take Today:

Take Time To Ensure Your Member Profile Is Complete . Please update your member profile to include racial and ethnic data. While this is not required, it helps ASAP measure (a) how effectively we articulate our JEDI commitment, mission, and goals; (b) how well we meet member concerns, needs, and interests, and (3) how we can recruit a range of new individual and organizational members that mirror our urban, rural, coastal, forest, plains, and island cities, towns and homelands.
Share Your Story! Regardless of identity, ethnicity, and/or culture , please share your experience in the ASAP Network. Personal experiences help us create and offer relevant and meaningful content, programming, and training. Please email your story and headshot to kbloyer@adaptpros.org .
Apply to the Fund . Support from the JEDI Fund is available to individuals who identify individually or at intersections of African and African descended, Native and Indigenous, Hispanic, Asian, and Oceanic/ Pacific Islander. Support from the JEDI Fund is also available to individuals with limited financial resources.
Donate to the Fund . When you donate to ASAP’s JEDI Fund, you are helping individuals and communities participate in and contribute to ASAP’s network as full members. Thank you!

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Traversing Funding Hurdles for Community Adaptation

Wed, 11 Oct 2023 17:31:00 GMT

This week’s Mentorship Program Spotlight highlights two mentees and a mentor focused on overcoming funding hurdles. Meet Mentee Tanvi Sule + Areli Ariana Balderrama and Mentor Sushila Pandit!

Mentor Sushila Pandit is a climate & resilience professional with over 14 years of experience in climate change, disaster risk management, and building resilience. Her core area of expertise lies in the intersectional approach to vulnerability reduction & climate resilience, people-centered locally-led adaptation, promoting indigenous & local knowledge, forecast-based anticipatory action, nature-based solutions, participatory approach for knowledge co-creation and integration of gender & social inclusion on the work she does. Sushila is doing her PhD in the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Kent and is also a PlanAdapt Fellow from Nepal, based in Canterbury, UK.

Mentee Tanvi Sule has eight years of experience in the environmental sector through education, volunteering, and work. Tanvi’s interests lie in nature-positive solutions focusing on policy, finance, community development, and carbon markets, cultivated from personal experience and work in the non-profit sector. She currently works as a Planning Fellow at The Land Conservancy, developing open space and recreation plans, environmental resource inventory, and grant applications. She is exploring domestic and international climate adaptation and mitigation opportunities through the ASAP Mentorship Program.

Mentee Areli Ariana Balderrama Areli and Tanvi discussed community climate adaptation and finance, focusing on planning and funding.

Sushila supported Areli and Tanvi’s professional development through eLearning courses, certifications, and conference information. Sushila and Tanvi have also discussed REDD + sector, policy implementation challenges, and career avenues, which have provided Tanvi clarity in her career goals. Areli

The group weighed the shortcomings in funding and the prevalent challenges encountered in community development. By sharing their field experiences, they have improved their professional expertise.

Fun Facts about the Mentee and Mentor

Tanvi speaks three and a half languages (she hopes to finish learning French and try Spanish). When she’s not at her desk, Tanvi enjoys traveling, reading, and hiking (she always ends up looking for birds instead of watching her path).

Sushila loves to draw and paint, and although a beginner, it helps her release stress. She loves to spend time in nature. She loves to talk and discuss ideas with people from various backgrounds and develop new concepts.

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Creating a Path Towards Long-Term Fulfillment

Tue, 26 Sep 2023 18:20:00 GMT

This Mentorship Program Spotlight highlights a mentee and mentor duo focused on long-term career visioning. Meet Mentee Carey Schafer and Mentor Brian Ambrette !

MENTEE Carey Schafer is a Project Coordinator with EcoAdapt where she manages knowledge exchange programming, including the National Adaptation Forum and the Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKEx). Prior to joining the EcoAdapt team, Carey completed a year-long fellowship with PLACE:SLR, a partnership that aims to increase resilience to sea-level rise throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico. In her free time, Carey enjoys eating at the many restaurants in the Seattle area, hiking, and (poorly) playing tennis with her partner, Jon.

MENTOR Brian Ambrette is a Senior Climate Resilience Coordinator with the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future for the State of Maine. Brian helped develop the adaptation sections of Maine’s four-year climate action plan, Maine Won’t Wait and helped launch the Community Resilience Partnership, a state program that provides technical and financial assistance to municipal and tribal governments for climate action. In his free time, Brian enjoys racing triathlons, cooking with his wife, and hiking the woods of Maine with his dog.

One of the major motivations for Carey pursuing the mentorship program was to have the time and space to discuss long-term career visioning. Carey and Brian discussed the fact that in our day-to-day work, we don’t often have the time to consider longer-term career goals and what we envision for ourselves in the future. ASAP’s Mentorship Program provided this space and time, allowing Carey and Brian to explore what their versions of success look like in the field of adaptation.

A main thread through their mentorship conversations has been identifying work that provides fulfillment and enjoyment. Carey admitted that it is often hard for her to differentiate between work she genuinely enjoys and work she is simply good at doing. During one of their calls, Brian helped her sort through tasks she enjoyed versus those she was good at but didn’t enjoy to clarify what tasks and jobs could lead to longer-term job-related fulfillment.

In addition, Brian helped Carey organize a number of informational calls with professionals across the field of adaptation. Carey found that hearing about what Brian and others liked or found challenging about their positions helped clarify her long-term career goals.

Overall, the mentorship program has been an extremely valuable experience. Through Brian’s mentorship and insight, Carey feels much more clear-headed and confident about what she wants and hopes to achieve in the long term as an adaptation professional.

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Finding Common Ground in Varying Geographies

Tue, 26 Sep 2023 18:07:00 GMT

This Mentorship Program Spotlight highlights a mentee and mentor duo focused on professional development and navigating opportunities for growth in the resilience field. Meet Mentee Erin Minnigan and Mentor Tom Eisele !

Mentee Erin Minnigan is the Director of Preservation and planning for the Preservation Society of Charleston, the nation’s oldest grassroots preservation organization (est. 1920). In this role, she oversees the Society’s planning and zoning advocacy and manages preservation programs. Bringing a wealth of experience in technical preservation, project review, and public process, Minnigan is passionate about maintaining the authenticity of Charleston’s unique historic environment by promoting managed growth and shaping compatible new development.

Minnigan previously served as the Board of Architectural Review-Small Administrator for the City of Charleston, where she authored design guidelines for elevating historic buildings and managed community revitalization projects for the City of St. Augustine, FL. She has contributed to and presented on a number of projects regarding community revitalization, designation of sites associated with underrepresented communities, and flood adaptation strategies for historic districts. Minnigan holds a B.A. in Historic Preservation & Community Planning from the College of Charleston and a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Florida.

Mentor Tom Eisele is an urban planner, licensed architect, LEED Accredited Professional, and Certified Passive House Designer with 39 years of professional experience in building and planning projects around the world. Tom is a member of The American Institute of Architects, The Urban Land Institute, and The National Institute of Building Sciences. He has been a member of ASAP since 2019. From 2010 through 2019, Tom was Senior Policy Advisor in the New York City Mayor’s Office of Sustainability (MOS) and Office of Resiliency (MOR), drafting local laws amending the city’s construction codes, zoning resolution, and environmental regulations. He is currently working on the development of the NYSERDA New York State Stretch Energy Code for 2023 and as a building sector advisor to the New York State Climate Impacts Assessment.

Erin and Tom made a great pair for the ASAP Mentorship Program this year based on their similar backgrounds and interests. The focus of their conversations has been on professional development and navigating opportunities for growth in the resilience field. Having now transitioned to a role in the non-profit sector, Erin originally got her start working for local governments, helping guide land use and design proposals. Tom similarly has a background in urban planning and architecture, and so the two were easily able to speak the same language!

Quickly, Erin and Tom realized that although they come from very different environments in Charleston, South Carolina, and New York City, both professionals face similar challenges in their cities and have a lot to learn from each other. While the core of Erin’s work is advocating for the preservation of Charleston’s historic character, she has become increasingly focused on adaptation strategies for properties and neighborhoods affected by changing climate conditions. Interested in developing her expertise in climate resilience and how to impact local policy reform best, Tom was able to impart useful resources and strategies he found effective during his tenure as a Senior Policy Advisor in the NYC Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and Resilience.

Tom was particularly helpful in guiding Erin through the national resilience scene, including significant players and events, as well as key pieces of legislation and data sources. Tom even introduced Erin to some of the top professionals working for the Federal Government, who are working to shape critical climate policies for the future. Erin was incredibly grateful for this mentorship experience and looks forward to maintaining these meaningful connections, including her relationship with Tom!

Fun Facts about Erin and Tom

While Erin is in Charleston and Tom is in New York, they are both Southerners by heritage (Tom is from Arkansas and went to university in Texas, and Erin is originally from Florida).

Historic Preservation is a principal focus of Erin’s career and a shared passion of both mentor and mentee. But Tom is smacking his forehead because he forgot to mention to Erin that he organized a lecture series on the fledgling topic of architectural historic preservation when he was an undergraduate in 1979!

Finally, during the course of the mentorship, the two discovered their shared agony over creating a “one-page resume,” but Tom supported Erin through this dreaded but necessary exercise.

Meet the Speakers for the 2023 Climate Service Providers Academy

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 14:40:00 GMT

Are you still waiting to register for the 2023 Climate Service Providers Academy? Register today to learn how to use the very best regional climate data and information in your services and programs. The lineup of presenters and panelists is now live for all sessions of the academy!

The Opening Session kicks off on October 17, where participants will have the opportunity to hear from Keynote Speaker Dr. Julian Reyes.

Principles of Quality Adaptation – October 24

Midwest – October 31

California and Nevada – November 2

Caribbean – November 9

South Central – November 14

North/Mid-Atlantic – November 16

Closing Session Panel – November 28

All Academy participants should plan to attend the first two sessions, the closing session, and as many of the regional sessions as desired. See more information and regist er TODAY! Registration is $250 per person, and ASAP Members receive 25% off of the workshop fee automatically at checkout (members must be logged in to receive discount).

Financial Support for Attendance
Cost should not be a barrier to attendance. Eligible registrants are invited to apply to ASAP’s JEDI Fund to cover their registration costs.

Questions? Contact ASAP’s Training Specialist Mia Dozier at mdozier@adaptpros.org .

Dr. Julian Reyes is the Assistant Director for Climate Services at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Deputy Director for Services at the U.S. Global Change Research Program.

Graham Knibbs (Case Study) is a Geohazard Specialist with Stantec Consulting Ltd.

Sue Kemball Cook (Case Study ) is the Vice President of WSP USA ‘s corporate climate risk and resilience practice.

Teal Harrison (Case Study) is a Climate Resilience Specialist with Adaptation International .

Kara Odegard (Case Study) is the Founding Partner at Measure Meant .

Dr. Patricia Chardón-Maldonado (Case Study) is the Deputy and Technical Director of the Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System (CARICOOS) .

Annie Vest (Case Study ) is the Mitigation and Disaster Planning Lead at Freese and Nichols , and the Vice President of the National Hazard Mitigation Association .

Daniel Bader (Presenter) is a Senior Staff Associate at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory , part of Columbia University’s Climate School.

John Phillips (Panelist) is the Director of Integrated Watershed Management at Parametrix .

Dr. Shalini Vajjhala (Panelist) is the Executive Director of PRE Collective and the Founder & CEO of re:focus partners .

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Embracing Adaptation, A Journey of Career Development and Resilience

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 13:14:00 GMT

This Mentorship Program Spotlight highlights a mentee and mentor duo focused on a journey to navigate the adaptation field. Meet Mentee Dolly Na-Yemeh and Mentor Amanda Farris .

MENTEE Dolly Na-Yemeh is a Climate Adaptation Specialist with the South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center at the University of Oklahoma. She collaborates with researchers, resource managers, and local communities to develop science for climate adaptation. Her research interests include stakeholder engagement, climate adaptation, extreme weather impacts, and monitoring. Beyond professional pursuits, Dolly volunteers for community service, conducts outreach and enjoys Zumba, teaching, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

MENTOR Amanda Farris is the Senior Program Manager for the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership (MCAP). In this role, she helps coordinate the MCAP program and several ongoing grants, collaborates with regional partners, translates climate data and information to support decision-making, and builds networks of climate adaptation practitioners. A key component of Amanda’s work is bridging the gap between climate science and stakeholder communities through network building. Amanda enjoys reading, practicing yoga, and taking road trips to see family with her husband, Ryan, and two dogs, Harmon and Brew.

Dolly was excited to be paired with Amanda because Amanda had experience collaborating with regional partners, translating climate data and information to support decision-making, and building networks of climate adaptation practitioners – experiences relevant to Dolly’s new job as a climate adaptation specialist. Throughout the mentorship journey, Amanda and Dolly have been delving into career development questions and the essential skills required for excelling in their fields. These discussions have been enlightening, fostering an environment of learning, collaboration, and personal growth for both of them. Topics discussed included career development and strategies to excel in adaptation, building strong professional skills, and navigating power dynamics and workplace conflict.

The pair discussed and recognized the vital role of networking in career advancement. Amanda provided invaluable guidance on networking strategies, encouraging Dolly to attend industry events, join relevant associations, and leverage online platforms to expand her reach. As a result of their discussions and the program, Dolly forged new connections, opening doors to potential collaborations and opportunities. Dolly enjoyed learning about Amanda’s positive outlook on life and her career, mainly when they discussed how she handled periods of transition in her career. The mentorship program experience has provided a network of mentees, mentors, and resources available for Dolly’s disposal, and she’s fortunate to have been selected as part of the 2023 cohort!

Fun Facts About the Duo

Amanda and Dolly proudly bear the title of “big sister.” Amanda’s unique family dynamic includes being a twin herself. Dolly’s familial ties to twins run deep, as her dad is a twin, and she’s surrounded by the joyous presence of not one but three sets of twin cousins. Clearly, the bond of twinning is a cherished inheritance in their families.

Despite the geographical distance separating them from their families, Dolly and Amanda hold a special place in their hearts for their loved ones. They understand the value of these connections and eagerly anticipate every opportunity to reunite, celebrate, and rejuvenate their spirits.

In the grand tapestry of life, Dolly and Amanda shine as individuals who carry forward the legacy of family bonds and the joy of togetherness, no matter the miles that may lie between them.

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Your Values and Pivoting to an Adaptation Career

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 12:50:00 GMT

This Mentorship Program Spotlight highlights a mentee and mentor duo focused on values and making successful transitions to a career in adaptation. Meet Mentee James Holman and Mentor Dana Brechwald!

Mentee James Holman is a professional Civil Engineer with 14 years of experience in engineering project management and design. Throughout his career, the projects he has enjoyed the most have been purpose-driven, people-centric, and exploring adaptation solutions from an engineering perspective. These specific qualities have driven him to make a career pivot into the adaptation field. Normally based in the Washington, D.C. metro, James is currently consulting this summer for a social-ecological organization in the Dominican Republic. From this experience and guidance from ASAP’s Mentorship Program , James is excited to see where this career transition takes him.

Mentor Dana Brechwald is the Assistant Planning Director for Climate Adaptation at the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, a California State agency seeking creative solutions for region-wide adaptation planning along the San Francisco Bay shoreline. She leads the Bay Adapt Initiative and the Adapting to Rising Tides Program, whose mission is to increase collaboration, provide resources to amplify capacity, elevate a collective voice to funders and legislators, and answer hard questions so cities and communities don’t have to do it themselves. Dana has previously worked on disaster recovery, earthquake, and wildfire planning. Dana’s approach to her work is to identify commonalities and multi-faceted solutions, demystify new ideas, and support the people working in this space so they don’t feel overwhelmed or burnt out but instead empowered to create a better future.

Pivoting to a Career in Adaptation

At first glance, the adaptation field can appear to be an endless pool of possibilities for climate resilience professionals. The number of sectors is so vast that it can be overwhelming for one to find their niche. On the other hand, it is refreshing to learn about the different varieties of work in this field that, when put together, encompass our best response to climate change. This is where Dana and James started their mentorship program journey as they began to explore how one can find their place in climate resilience.

From the onset, James was impressed with Dana’s professional journey to Assistant Director for Climate Adaptation. From their early discussions, Dana shared how she prioritized connecting with professionals in her desired field and learning what fits best with her values. She also left room for growth to follow paths she may not have planned out from the beginning. Dana’s experience inspired James to follow his own similar path to explore how he can utilize his respective skills in adaptation.

One of the most rewarding subjects Dana and James worked on after their initial meeting was identifying James’ work values. After a series of exercises that identified these, James was able to target some adaptation pathways that best aligned with himself. He also better understood why he enjoyed working on certain aspects of his previous engineering projects, such as consulting with FEMA. This experience was invaluable because it reinforced his desire for a career transition into adaptation and provided a pathway he could carve out, using his own experiences from engineering and personal values, that would keep him true to himself. In addition to this, Dana also shared some contacts from her previous organizations that could provide different insights into their adaptation careers. They are currently working on how James can best display his transferable skills in his resume and cover letter.

While a career transition can be daunting, especially in a field as vast as climate adaptation, Dana and James continue to work together and explore the best possibilities for a career pivot. Through her guidance, professional network, and experience, Dana has given James the tools to kickstart and carve out his own path in the vast adaptation arena.

Let’s Get Educated! Creating a Path to Improving USDA Forest Service’s Climate Literacy

Tue, 12 Sep 2023 18:39:00 GMT

The USDA Forest Service is investing in climate education through a partnership with the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP). The collaborative project, Addressing Gaps in Workforce Climate Literacy , aims to increase the Forest Service’s capacity to respond to climate change by establishing standardized, agency-wide training on climate change and environmental justice. The project just wrapped its first year, where team members Lily Swanbrow Becker , Kristen Schmitt , Rachel Jacobson , and Shelley Crausbay cataloged existing climate training resources, analyzed the climate literacy needs of key Forest Service staff roles, and outlined holistic training programs for those key staff roles. We sat down to talk with Chris Swanston , Forest Service Climate Advisor and Director of the Office of Sustainability and Climate in the Forest Service’s National Headquarters, to hear his motivations for pursuing the project and his hopes for years two and three.

The Need for Climate Change Action

Chris Swanston is firm in his belief that every employee has a part to play in making the Forest Service a climate-positive agency. And he’s clear on how to achieve that, “If we are going to have intentional climate change action in the Forest Service, then we have to start with climate literacy,” Swanston said. “If everyone in the Forest Service understands climate change and how to apply that understanding to climate positive actions in their own work, we can make a difference.” Swanston reached out to ASAP to help achieve this goal, because “ASAP thinks about how to apply climate change and adaptation considerations across all kinds of different sectors. They truly listen and can help people and organizations be effective in different contexts.” He was particularly excited to apply ASAP’s Knowledge and Competency Framework, which was developed by public and private academics and practitioners, sharing that working with “ASAP was the obvious next step in helping the Forest Service achieve its climate literacy goals.”

Designing a Climate Literacy Model for a Complex Agency – on a Complex Topic

While the Addressing Gaps in Workforce Climate Literacy work has been a longtime goal for Swanston, he was quick to describe the challenges for implementing this project.

“Best available knowledge” is constantly changing – climate change is an evolving science, and so are the practices for slowing it down and adapting to it. As the Forest Service responds to this evolution, we need to understand the gaps in education and practice for our employees.
The agency is incredibly diverse – the Forest Service employs tens of thousands of people across the U.S. who represent a wide range of disciplines, including education, natural & cultural resources, human resources, engineering, business operations, research, and many others.
Employees have limited capacity to pursue climate literacy – we’re looking at a workforce that’s chronically stretched with time and energy. Time spent engaging in training/education has to have an application to the jobs they do on a daily basis.

The project was designed to address these challenges by creating a model that would work for both assessing and addressing gaps in workforce climate literacy. First, the team identified three types of roles within the Forest Service to organize the agency’s climate literacy efforts: specialists, line officers, and climate coordinators. Swanston explained, “the roles that were defined in this analysis are those that are aligned with helping people understand and plan for climate change or for people who work in resource management and need to understand climate change as a daily part of their jobs.” The team looked at job descriptions and interviewed people serving in these roles to understand what knowledge, competencies, and skills are most important for them to be able to address climate change within the context of their job.

Next, the team cataloged existing education and training resources and mapped them to the knowledge, competencies, and skills identified in the role-type assessments, using ASAP’s Knowledge and Competencies Framework (K&C Framework) to ground the analysis. Swanston shared, “educational resources need to have clear learning objectives and applications – by linking learning objectives to employee roles and to ASAP’s broader Knowledge and Competency Framework, we’re able to determine that the investments and time spent on workforce training is appropriate.”

Finally, the team conducted a gaps analysis to identify what training and education content was missing. “The gaps analysis,” explained Swanston, “is critical to understand what training and education investments will be most impactful for different types of roles within our Forest Service workforce.”

Addressing these challenges will help the Forest Service to guide discussions about where the climate education gaps are, why they exist, and how to fill them using internal and external resources. Also, what kind of time should be allocated to climate education, engaging with the educational resources among the workforce.

Paving the Path for Universal Application

Addressing Gaps in Workforce Climate Literacy project aims for its outputs, lessons, and materials to be ready for transfer to other agencies and organizations outside of the federal family as well. With this goal in mind, ASAP has released parallel, public-facing resources that other organizations can use with or without real-time guidance from ASAP. The project team is also proactively reaching out to other agencies to encourage replication of this program. Swanston stresses that successful replication requires leadership support at the highest levels. It also requires agencies to have a sophisticated understanding of how climate change fits into their mission so that they can craft the most impactful learning objectives and, ultimately, learning content. Finally, it is vital for agencies to know what materials they already have in use in order to understand the gaps that need to be filled fully.

On Wrapping Up Phase One of the Project

With Phase One of Addressing Gaps in Workforce Climate Literacy complete, Swanston and the project team are excited to see where the project goes and how people engage, as well as seeing learning accelerate in the Forest Service, yielding a gradual but sure spread of climate action arising from climate literacy. In years two and three, the project will include full learning programs for priority roles within the Forest Service, develop any new content needed in collaboration with training managers from across the agency, monitor learning outcomes, and adapt training programs to respond to employee feedback.

In a final reflection, Swanston shared, “one thing I love about this effort is bringing internal and external expertise and perspective together and applying it to the specific mission of the Forest Service. That’s really exciting to me because then we can take that learning and spread it to other agencies’ and organizations’ missions. This isn’t just about the Forest Service — it’s about society taking a step forward to create change.”

If you are interested in applying this project in your own agency or organization, we’d love to hear from you. Email Mia Dozier, ASAP’s Training Specialist, at mdozier@adaptpros.org .

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Learning to Adapt to New Situations

Wed, 30 Aug 2023 12:58:00 GMT

This week’s Mentorship Program Spotlight highlights a mentee and mentor duo overcoming new situations in adaptation. Meet Mentee Marcella Bondie Keenan and Mentor Anna Marandi !

Mentee Marcella Bondie Keenan is an environmental scientist, urban planning, and policy professional based in the Chicago area focused on environmental justice, climate mitigation and adaptation, and nature-based solutions. They are passionate about inclusive planning and policy design that advances community voice and ownership.

Mentor Anna Marandi is an adaptation specialist, facilitator, and strategist based in Washington, D.C. For several years, she has supported local and state governments and other stakeholders in their resilience planning efforts.

This mentorship found both Marcella and Anna during a time of change in their professional lives. While we often ASAP members think of adaptation at the broadest scale, the same lessons apply to our individual circumstances.

The following are a few of ASAP’s foundational values, and careers can be viewed through a similar lens:

Climate change is a real and serious danger to all sectors and systems. Its root causes must be addressed.

Anna and Marcella discussed at length how to show up for our values in the workplace. The root causes of climate change – extractive and oppressive systems – are not comfortable water-cooler chat. Still, as adaptation professionals, we have the responsibility to stay true to our north star.

Adaptation and resilience build stronger, more prepared regions, ecosystems, communities, economies, neighborhoods, and households.

Anna and Marcella cultivate personal resilience in the workplace by integrating into mutually supportive communities – both human and non-human relatives alike! Daily grounding, through walks among the urban canopy and understory, can be a powerful way to prepare for inevitable career challenges.

Adaptive decision-making, creativity, innovation, and transformative problem-solving are essential to address new and changing climate conditions.

To avoid burnout, we must adapt to the workplace ecosystem that we find ourselves within, creatively avoid obstacles, and find new solutions for personal and community thriving.

Grave injustices of the past, which have been allowed to perpetuate today, have created an unjust and inequitable society. Climate change exacerbates these inequities, as those who are the least responsible for climate change are often the most impacted.

This work is emotionally difficult. We practitioners are in the field because we care. But caring isn’t necessarily built into workplace culture, performance reviews, or policy decisions. Nonetheless, we hope and persist, and sometimes we can make the change.

The pair have talked a lot about some of the challenges that femmes face in the workplace and how important it is to maintain boundaries when faced with challenging people or personalities. What does it feel like to stand in your power even when you’re not technically in a position of power? They also discussed the job search process and how to feel, acknowledge, and release the temporary grief of rejection. Burying those sentiments can be harmful to one’s health, so it’s always best to process it as much as possible and then let it go and move forward. Given Marcella’s long-standing experience in the environmental field, these two are more like mentors to each other – a two person fanclub and cheering section!

Fun Facts About Marcella and Anna

Anna is a caring and generous mentor, speaks multiple languages, and has had a very “adaptive” career!

Marcella works in a municipality not far from where Anna spent her first seven years. She is a quiet but incredibly powerful ally and very thoughtful in her approach to supporting community action through local government work.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Navigating the Interdisciplinary Field of Climate Resilience

Wed, 16 Aug 2023 15:23:00 GMT

This week’s Mentorship Program Spotlight highlights a mentee and mentor duo overcoming the unexpected. Meet Mentee John McClure and Mentor Amy Bailey !

Mentee John McClure is a 25-year-old recent graduate from the University of Michigan, receiving his MS in Environmental Justice, Policy, and Planning, graduating in Spring 2023. He received his BA in Environmental Studies and Anthropology from UC Santa Cruz in 2020 and then worked as an Environmental Justice fellow with National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes Regional Center. John’s primary interests include climate adaptation and resilience planning and environmental justice policy and advocacy. After graduating, John would like to move to the Washington DC area to work for an environmental NGO or research center focused on climate change solutions while centering equity and resilience. Ultimately, John seeks to understand better how humans can better adapt to the effects of climate change equitably and sustainably, centering human stories and community engagement along the way.

Mentor Amy Bailey is the Director of Climate Resilience and Sustainability at the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES). In this role, she identifies emerging approaches and solutions for climate change resilience and increases information sharing between cities, states, the federal government, and companies. Amy manages the Alliance for a Sustainable Future initiative and leads C2ES’s participation in the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Climate READi Initiative. She also serves on the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Advisory Board of Stanley Black and Decker.

At the start of this program, John was in his final year at the University of Michigan’s Masters of Science program in Environment and Sustainability, gaining specializations in Environmental Justice and Environmental Policy and Planning, as well as a Graduate Certificate in Science, Technology, and Public Policy. Interested in learning from existing professionals in this field of climate resilience and adaptation, John and Amy began their mentorship by discussing some of the technical aspects of applying to jobs, including different ways of connecting to potential employers, how to reach out initially to organizations, and how to prepare generally for the job search and hiring processes.

During the discussion, it became clear that there are many ways of approaching and working towards the idea of “resilience.” There is a range of disciplines and ways of approaching climate adaptation and resilience, and because of that, there are many different types of employers that are hiring for these types of jobs, from non-profit organizations to government agencies to consulting firms. Just as important to recognize are the many different scales that this work is being done, from community neighborhood groups to national organizations working all over the country and world. One of the lessons John learned during these conversations was that the field of climate resilience is inherently interdisciplinary and collaborative and needs to be that way for true and equitable climate resilience and adaptation to take place.

Interested in working at the intersection of environmental justice and climate resilience, Amy was able to work with John throughout this mentorship program to help him grow as a resilience professional and figure out what parts of the country he would want to work in and the kinds of opportunities that would be available to him there to start his career after graduation!

Thanks to John and Amy for sharing their experience!

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Learning to Expect the Unexpected

Wed, 16 Aug 2023 15:14:00 GMT

This week’s Mentorship Program Spotlight highlights a mentee and mentor duo overcoming the unexpected. Meet Mentee Kate Leftin and Mentor Jenna Jorns !

Mentee Kate Leftin (she/her) is based in the DC area and is an associate consultant that works remotely for Kimball Sustainable Healthcare in San Francisco. This is a second career for her. The first was in social work, and ironically, it was her master’s in social work that ignited an interest in sustainability when she became involved in environmental justice initiatives. As a sustainability professional with a previous experience in healthcare settings, she is deeply passionate about helping healthcare live up to its responsibility to mitigate and adapt to climate change to protect human health. Last year she earned her Executive Master of Natural Resources with a certificate in global sustainability from Virginia Tech.

Mentor Jenna Jorns (she/her) is the Co-Director for GLISA, NOAA’s Climate Adaptation Partnership (CAP) team for the Great Lakes region. She is based in Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability . In this role, she works with academics, practitioners, and communities to advance equitable climate resilience in the Great Lakes. As a climate scientist by training, she enjoys helping GLISA’s partners develop and apply the best available climate science in their decision-making. She has a Ph.D. in Geosciences from Princeton University and a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

One of the things that makes the field of adaptation unique is that multiple disciplines hold it up. It brings together urban planners, ecologists, architects, and others that lend important perspectives to adaptation needs in a warming world. For that reason, it is not uncommon to find people pivoting careers into this space. For Kate, it was a drastic pivot, and being new to this career change has meant filling more than one skills gap. One of the themes discussed in mentorship meetings was advocating for pursuing professional development early in new positions. These discussions helped clarify Kate’s decision to pursue the LEED Green Associate credential.

Through these meetings, Jenna and Kate also discovered that they are both working moms of young children! That led to somewhat unexpected but fruitful discussions of work-life balance. The challenges of unpredictable preschool illnesses wreaking havoc on an otherwise organized work schedule can make it challenging to navigate meetings and deadlines at times. Discussions included ways to regroup when childhood illnesses undo the best-laid plans. In some ways, this is not unlike the field of adaptation itself. It requires professionals to evaluate risks and plan for them, knowing that the unexpected can always happen. While we know the general risks of climate change, climate events come with little warning to the localities they hit. The wildfire smoke that both Jenna and Kate experienced this summer from the Canadian wildfires is a good example.

For the healthcare industry, the drastic supply chain challenges with COVID-19 mobilized greater attention to sustainability and resilience for hospitals. Many in the field started challenging the culture of relying on single-use disposable tools when current reserves of PPE proved insufficient to keep workers safe. The crisis made many health systems pivot and innovate, combining with other factors to mobilize greater attention to sustainability and resilience in this sector. The challenges of work-life balance are much smaller in scale, but thinking about how to adjust and pivot quickly is a useful skill in a field that needs to adapt to unpredictable disruptions.

Thank you to Kate and Jenna for sharing their experience!

Climate Change Adaptation as Means for Economic Development: Strategies for Building Rural Climate Resilience and Workforce Capacity

Fri, 11 Aug 2023 15:10:00 GMT

Join us on Tuesday, September 19, from 12-3:30 PM ET to explore strategies for building climate resilience and economic opportunity in rural communities. Don’t miss this free virtual event.

The American Society of Adaptation Professionals (“ASAP”) is planning a national AmeriCorps program to address climate impacts and workforce needs in rural communities. We seek to simultaneously build the capacity of leaders in rural communities to address the climate impacts they’re experiencing, create the conditions for more resources to make their way into rural communities, and create lasting climate resilience and positive economic impact. We need your help to guide our work. Join us for a virtual event to:

Learn more about ASAP’s work co-designing technical assistance, workforce development, and education programming with members and partners.
Share your insights on climate adaptation and economic opportunities, needs, and barriers in rural communities.
Connect with ideas and potential partners to bring climate resilience resources and principles to your own programming or climate adaptation work in rural communities.

Who Should Attend?

Practitioners, community leaders, and applied researchers who are passionate about learning and sharing ideas at the intersection of climate adaptation, national service, and economic and workforce development in rural communities.
ASAP Members who want to inform the ASAP Network and organization’s activities in the national service or rural communities space.
Rural community residents who want to share their perspectives on – and get resources for – their climate adaptation and workforce development needs.
People or organizations implementing national service programs who want to improve their program to meet climate adaptation and/or economic and workforce development needs in rural communities.

Agenda Overview

Welcome from ASAP’s Executive Director, Dr. Debra Butler.
Meet other participants in the room in small groups.
Hear a high-level overview of each of the event’s four tracks:
- Community-Defined Climate Resilience Needs
- Developing the Climate Resilience Workforce
- Needs and Opportunities for Funding and Financing Climate Resilience Work
- Programming Options for Catalyzing Implementation of Climate Resilience Work
Learn about the work ASAP and our partners have completed in each track area, then participate in interactive discussions and exercises to share your insights and brainstorm the next steps.
Join regionally-specific conversations to apply insights to opportunities and needs in particular places.
Generate and summarize the next steps for this work.

Please contact ASAP’s Program Assistant Megan Putnam at mputnam@adaptpros.org with any questions about the convening.

This material is based upon work supported by AmeriCorps, the operating name of the Corporation for National and Community Service, under Grant No. 23NDCMI002. Opinions or points of view expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of, or a position that is endorsed by, AmeriCorps.

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Navigating Adaptation Efforts Across Federal Government Agencies

Tue, 01 Aug 2023 15:45:00 GMT

This week’s Mentorship Program Spotlight highlights a mentee and mentor duo focused on Federal Level Adaptation. Meet Mentee Tanja Crk and Mentor Jonathan Cook !

Mentee Tanja Crk has worked for fifteen years with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in regulatory and voluntary programs. Currently, she works as a product manager for the ENERGY STAR ^® program and is passionate about conservation biology, an area of research she pursued during her master’s at Columbia University. Through the ASAP Mentorship Program, she is exploring domestic and international opportunities in the climate adaptation space.

Mentor Jonathan Cook has been in the adaptation field since 2009 when he served as Deputy Director for the Adaptation Program at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). After WWF he spent nearly ten years working on adaptation for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where he currently serves as Senior Resilience and Climate Adaptation Advisor. He also spent nearly three years at the World Resources Institute as a core member of the secretariat for the Global Commission on Adaptation (GCA). He has worked extensively across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, including a secondment to Laos with WWF, and has been a contributing author to multiple publications, including the 4 ^th U.S. National Climate Assessment (NCA).

Adaptation in the Federal Government

Jonathan has significant international experience and is most familiar with federal government and non-government organization efforts on adaptation abroad. Tanja has primarily focused on environmental policy and climate change mitigation efforts within the United States. Together they are exploring U.S. domestic and global efforts on climate change adaptation policy and implementation. The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) has proven to be an excellent resource. The USGCRP sits under the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy and represents fourteen member agencies. This governing body produces the NCA every two years and will soon issue the first National Nature Assessment . The USGCRP is host to the Federal Adaptation and Resilience Group ( FARG ) which includes hundreds of experts across multiple agencies who coordinate and collaborate around various adaptation topics including nature-based solutions, climate risk management, and climate data.

Fun Facts about the Mentee and Mentor

Jonathan is a father of two, speaks four languages, and just returned from a summer vacation in one of his favorite places: Maine. Tanja is originally from Croatia, enjoys hiking, and used to dance salsa.

ASAP and HARC Bring Houston Community Leaders and Climate Adaptation Professionals Together for LEAP Kick-Off Event

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 19:24:00 GMT

On June 22, teams from the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (“ASAP”) and the Houston Advanced Research Center (“HARC”) met in Houston to officially kick-off the Leading with Equity in Adaptation Practice (LEAP) Program. ASAP’s Rachel Jacobson , Maria (Mia) Dozier , and Eliza Garcia participated in the kickoff event along with Dr. Erin Kinney and Dr. Sequoia Riley from HARC. A total of 26 community members from the Houston neighborhoods of the 3rd and 5th Wards and climate change adaptation professionals from across the United States and Canada participated in the event.

The main goal of the LEAP Program is to create a stronger and more diverse network of people preparing for the impacts of climate change in the Upper Gulf Coast. The LEAP Program centers community perspectives on the impacts of extreme weather and climate change, supporting community leaders’ efforts to make their communities safer and healthier.

Climate change disproportionately impacts the most vulnerable communities across Texas and along the Gulf Coast. Community residents within these areas have firsthand experience of how climate change affects their community’s infrastructure, public health, and overall quality of life. They also have a deeper understanding of what is happening on the ground and what is threatening community assets – the kind of knowledge that is essential for effective response, recovery, and climate preparedness. Connecting these voices to climate change adaptation professionals, who have the scientific knowledge and skills to address these issues, will help lead toward more successful and equitable climate adaptation in the Upper Gulf Coast.

The hybrid kick-off event brought together community leaders and adaptation professionals together to formally start the process of planning community-led adaptation projects in the Houston area. The community leaders and adaptation practitioners were assigned to three different preliminary projects:

a 3rd Ward Community Garden Project
a 3rd Ward Heat Island or Energy Resiliency Project
a 5th Ward Resilience Hub Project

With the project teams formed, HARC and ASAP guided participants and facilitated dialogue throughout the day. They provided a wide range of information, resources, and tools to help inspire the groups to implement their adaptation projects successfully. They also provided several opportunities for project teams to build relationships with one another through hybrid discussions and group exercises. The topics which were covered included the principles of quality adaptation practice; an insightful adaptation practice case study from Teal Harrison with Adaptation International ; the diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging framework for community engagement; and understanding where to find and how to use climate data in adaptation projects.

Over the next 15 months, the project teams will continue to meet to develop further and implement their projects. Next fall, the groups will present their project results and mark their accomplishments at a celebratory event with the other LEAP teams and their communities.

Pictured on Screen From Top Left to Right : Eliza Garcia, Bala Balachandran, Daniella Flanagan, Dori Wolfe, Carolyn Fahey, Renee Ness, Louis Conway, Damian Shapes Padilla, Nat Treadway, Stephanie Coates, Janari Ivory
In-Person From Top Left to Right: Ketelelo Moapare, Robert Grobe, Melissa Crane, Ed Pettitt, Olajumoke Ogbebor, Dr. Erin Kinney (HARC), Dalia Munenzon
Middle Row From Left to Right : Delores Ford, Lily Clee
Bottom Row From Left to Right: Rachel Jacobson (ASAP), Mia Dozier (ASAP), Dr. Sequoia Riley (HARC), Vanessa Toro Barragan

Pictured From Left to Right: Vanessa Toro Barragan, Ketelelo Moapare, Dolores Ford

Pictured From Left to Right: Catherine Flowers, Melissa Crane, Olajumoke Ogbebor, Ketelelo Moapare, Sevyn Freeman, Ed Pettitt, Lily Clee

Pictured from Left to Right: Mia Dozier and Rachel Jacobson from ASAP.

Pictured from Left to Right: Sevyn Freeman, Ed Pettitt, Melissa Crane, Olajumoke Ogbebor

Pictured from Left to Right: Lily Clee, Dalia Munenzon, Robert Grobe

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Pursuing a Career in Resilience

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 14:50:00 GMT

This week’s Mentorship Program Spotlight focuses on a trio of participants! Meet Mentee’s Josephine Justin and Damaris Borden as well as Mentor Julia Chase .

About the Mentees and Mentor

Mentee: Josephine Justin

Josephine recently graduated from UNC Chapel Hill’s Master of City and Regional Planning program. Previously, she has worked with the Southeast and Caribbean Disaster Resilience Partnership (SCDRP), San Francisco’s Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), AmeriCorps California Climate Action Corps Fellowship, City of Los Angeles’ Climate Emergency Mobilization Office, and US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). Josephine is passionate about disaster and climate resilience, equity and justice, creative communication, and community engagement. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephine-justin/

Mentee: Damaris Borden

Damaris Borden is a graduate of the Bard College Center for Environmental Policy with an M.S. in Climate Science and Policy and a B.A. in Environmental and Urban Studies. She has worked with a number of organizations, including the Erie and Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuges, the Reef Environmental Education Foundation, NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Radix Ecological Sustainability Center in Albany, NY. Damaris is invested in the intersection of food security, marine conservation, urban adaptation, and environmental justice in the context of climate change and is passionate about facilitating local action to bring forth adaptive and just outcomes along the city-to-sea gradient. LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/damaris-lael-borden

Mentor: Julia Chase
Julia Chase is the first Chief Resilience Officer for the City of San Diego and a certified sustainability planner who has worked in climate and sustainability planning in both the private and public sectors. Julia has led the development of climate change vulnerability assessments, the creation of adaptation and resilience strategies, and planning documents for local governments, and has extensive experience in stakeholder and community-focused outreach and engagement. Julia is passionate about climate resilience planning with a strong focus on equitable outcomes and nature-based solutions. She holds her Master’s in Environmental Science from SUNY-Environmental Science and Forestry and Bachelor’s in Environmental Studies from Villanova University.

Mentorship Program Experience

The beginning of this mentorship journey coincides with the beginning of Josephine and Damaris’ career journeys. As recent graduates looking to work in the climate adaptation and community resilience space, their mentor, Julia, has been guiding them through the process of finding their place and thriving as adaptation professionals.

Julia, Damaris, and Josephine’s conversations have largely focused on what it looks like to be working in the resilience space from both public and private perspectives. Julia has shared some of the projects she’s been working on, one of them being Climate Resilient SD, which is a comprehensive climate adaptation and resilience plan that addresses the primary climate change-related hazards for the City of San Diego. She’s also been involved in developing a Coastal Resilience Master Plan to identify specific resilience and conservation needs along San Diego’s coastline. Damaris and Josephine are both interested in how nature-based solutions can be used to promote resilience, as well as how to find funding to support resilience efforts that can help better prepare communities in the face of climate change and disasters.

One topic that is of particular shared interest in the group is the topic of equity and community engagement. For example, the mentees learned about San Diego’s Climate Equity Index, which is a tool developed to measure the levels of access to opportunity residents have in different areas and the potential impacts of climate change on those areas. This is the first tool in the United States made to guide adaptation efforts based on the distribution of climate change impacts, environmental pollution, as well as vulnerable populations. Julia was recently a panelist at a climate conference on the topic of protecting and empowering vulnerable communities and shared her experience. The group discussed how community engagement is not a closed loop, it’s important to keep that conversation open and ongoing. Engaging with the public can also bring about certain obstacles and challenges, especially when it comes to transforming vulnerable land used for recreation, such as golf courses, or waterfront properties to nature based solutions.

They also discussed how building trust is key when it comes to communicating risk to a community, especially when talking about topics that have large degrees of uncertainty. The mentees learned that while public meetings are necessary and important, you can reach more diverse audiences and gain a lot more useful information by also meeting people in their own communities and attending community events. Julia emphasized that while an adaptation professional can present themselves as subject-matter experts who can offer guidance and support, it is important that they also listen to and learn from community members who are themselves local subject-matter experts.

As Damaris and Josephine are both in the job hunt process, Julia has provided some helpful advice and tips to keep in mind. They talked about how one-on-one informal conversations can help us better understand the work and team culture and how it is important to ask how your performance is going to be evaluated at the beginning of a new job. Her advice when accepting an offer is to think about what position you want to be in long term in the future, and if the new role would build your knowledge and experience forward in that direction.

Some of the mentorship experience has also been about getting to know each other and learning about what each of us likes to do outside of the workplace. We have learned that we all enjoy spending time in nature, while Damaris and Julia both enjoy yoga and spending time with their cats, and Josephine and Damaris both enjoy design, fashion, and SCUBA diving.

So far, participating in this mentorship group has been a very valuable experience as the mentees have already learned a lot from each other and their mentor. With Julia’s mentorship, Josephine and Damaris feel more ready than ever to become adaptation professionals, and they look forward to the helpful early-career advice they can expect from Julia once they find the right jobs. Hopefully, the end of the formal mentorship by September will only be the beginning of three fruitful friendships and two new and impactful adaptation careers!

Thank you to all for sharing what they have learned! Take time to learn more about ASAP’s Mentorship Program .

Pictured From Left to Right: Vanessa Toro Barragan, Ketelelo Moapare, Dolores Ford

The American Society of Adaptation Professionals Joins the NAF Team

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 14:12:00 GMT

The American Society of Adaptation Professionals and EcoAdapt are joining forces to bring you the National Adaptation Forum!

The American Society of Adaptation Professionals and EcoAdapt are joining forces to bring you the 2024 National Adaptation Forum!

Since 2013, EcoAdapt has been responsible for the planning and execution of the Forum, along with the help and support of committee members and sponsors. This year, we are eager to join EcoAdapt as a co-organizer and co-convener of the Forum!

Aside from getting to spend more time with the amazing EcoAdapt Team, we are excited about this partnership for a number of reasons:

Combined Expertise: Bringing together the collective knowledge and experience of the ASAP Network and EcoAdapt Team allows us to create a more comprehensive, insightful, and useful program for Forum attendees.
Wider Reach: ASAP has a large network that spans all 50 states and a variety of sectors. Through this partnership, ASAP and EcoAdapt can attract new participants and speakers from different regions, sectors, and backgrounds.
Increased Impact: Attracting a broader range of participants will allow us to amplify our impact by fostering collaboration and driving meaningful action both nationally and internationally.

Together, we hope to bring you an even better National Adaptation Forum!

2024 Forum Overview

When: May 14-16, 2024
Where: The RiverCentre in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Who: You! (If you are interested in climate change adaptation or work in a climate-related or adjacent field, this conference could be for you!)

Support The National Adaptation Forum

You and your organization play a vital role in making the National Adaptation Forum happen. Without sponsors, the Forum is impossible.

Become a sponsor today.

Present at the 6th National Adaptation Forum

Proposal submissions will open late summer/early fall of 2023. Make sure to keep an eye out for our newsletters for more information on the Call for Proposals!

We accept submissions on a wide range of topics and from a variety of sectors – as long as it’s climate change adaptation-related.

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Finding Alignment Through Shared Passions and Lived Experience

Wed, 05 Jul 2023 14:46:00 GMT

Meet Mentee Samantha Nuno and Mentor Chantal Madray in this week’s Mentorship Spotlight!

About the Mentee and Mentor

In her Master’s Program, she explored courses and knowledge from interdisciplinary fields like sustainable science, community engagement, policy, urban planning, and law, which have inspired her approach in her career. In her current role at Climate Resolve , Samantha writes grant proposals and accesses new funding opportunities and relationships.

NACRP is a national network of community-driven planning facilitators, grassroots organizers, and multi-sector partners that fosters effective community-driven racial and climate justice solutions through training, peer learning, referrals, and capacity-building. Chantal holds a Bachelor’s in Environmental Thought & Practice and Global Sustainability, as well as a Master’s in Urban and Environmental Planning from the University of Virginia (UVA).

Shared Values in Adaptation

In the mentorship process, Samantha was looking for the mentorship of another woman of color navigating the adaptation world, and she was able to find Chantal, an experienced professional with similar values in social justice and racial equity at the center of the work she does. Chantal has been able to answer Samantha’s multitude of questions about the pros and cons of working at the federal level, the importance of ensuring one’s chosen workplace aligns with one’s personal values, and recommendations on professional development training opportunities. Along the mentorship process, Samantha has been inspired by Chantal and her ability to center her values in not only the work she does but in the places she chooses to work as well. Samantha knows there are so many different ways to be involved in the adaptation field, but Chantal has highlighted the importance of putting community and power building first when pushing for participatory policy development and community-driven planning for transformational change.

Through Chantal’s and Samantha’s discussions, they found common ground in understanding that the climate crisis is a systems crisis. Samantha, as a recent Master’s in Public Policy graduate, sees this exemplified in her current work within policy advocacy and climate resilience funding for adaptation solutions that are tailor-made for resource-underserved and climate-vulnerable communities. Chantal has exemplified through her shared work experience how active listening, effective communication, and community power building have been, and are key to, bringing about meaningful change. In Chantal’s recent roles, she has been able to work directly with community members and practice some of the vital skills for equitable resilience work, and Samantha has been able to learn what that looks like in practice for an everyday job. Samantha and Chantal also understand that community-driven planning is an essential but often overlooked process to develop plans and strategies. From both of their professional experiences, they stress the need for ongoing, engaged, and compensated community engagement in every step of the climate adaptation planning process for all entering the adaptation field.

Fun Facts About the Mentee and Mentor

Chantal works for a fully BIPOC and woman-run and led organization. And Samantha would like to work for one too!

Samantha likes to travel and recently attended a wedding in Cabo, Mexico! Chantal enjoys traveling too and once studied abroad in Costa Rica!

Thank you to both for sharing what they have learned! Take time to learn more about ASAP’s Mentorship Program .

Mentee Samantha Nuno – As a first-generation and low-income Mexican American woman, born and raised in the Northeast San Fernando Valley, she has personally seen how wildfires and extreme heat affect communities of color, many of which are already overburdened by high levels of air pollution. Her upbringing inspired her passion and values for climate resilience and environmental justice within her academic and professional career. Samantha recently graduated summa cum laude from UCLA in 2022 with a Master’s degree in Public Policy as well as cum laude from Scripps College in 2018 with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Analysis.

Mentor Chantal Madray – As a first-generation American and Brown woman from a low-income family and frontline community, she too has seen how flooding from extreme storms, which have only increased in duration, frequency, and intensity, have affected her family and extended family in Queens, NY–disproportionately burdening communities of color, low-income communities, and immigrant communities. These lived experiences ignited her passion for racial and climate justice. She recently joined the phenomenal all-woman team at People’s Climate Innovation Center (Climate Innovation) as Program Manager for the National Association of Climate Resilience Planners (NACRP)!

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: The Complexity of Local Climate Planning

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 14:15:00 GMT

Mentor Clare Fogelsong is currently developing and managing climate adaptation and resiliency programs in the Bellingham Washington Office of Climate . With decades of experience in the management of environmental resources and additional years developing and implementing climate action plans, Clare is participating in the ASAP Mentorship Program to provide mentees access to the lessons learned from his experiences.

Mentee Sarah Saydun has spent over a decade in the Boston area working with youth and organizing for social justice. As a climate planner at Linnean Solutions , Sarah works with local governments and communities to develop collaborative, intersectional, and values-centered approaches to mitigating and adapting to climate change. Sarah is completing her Master’s in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts, and her thesis explores equitable climate adaptation at the intersections of housing and environmental justice. She’s excited to sharpen her climate planning skills and climate justice practice through the ASAP Mentorship Program.

Mentee Varun Bhat is a Ph.D. student studying Community Climate Adaptation at one of ASAP’s Organizational Members, Worcester Polytechnic Institute . As a first-year student in his current degree program, he wants to investigate the implementation barriers of global environmental change energy policies. His research examines the workforce problem, from training and upskilling to finding gainful and meaningful employment in new and transitory sustainability careers.

Together, mentees Sarah and Varun are exploring local government approaches to climate mitigation and adaptation.

Clare is supporting Sarah and Varun’s professional development by sharing project management tools with them. Sarah and Clare have also discussed pathways and barriers to equitable engagement in climate planning processes. As a Ph.D. student, Varun wants to look into the sustainability implementation barriers at the local level. Discussions with Clare have also involved understanding the time sinks and bottlenecks regarding swift decision-making. The group has also talked about workforce development issues and finding common pain points. As a group cohort, Sarah and Varun enjoy unique discussion calls. They have all found ways to enhance their professional practice by sharing their experiences in the field.

What hobbies do Clare, Sarah, and Varun have? Glad you asked! When not working for the City of Bellingham, Clare’s recreation revolves around bikes and boats – he races canoes. He loves sci-fi and speculative fiction. He also recommends buying gravel bikes with tour lugs if you are around the Bellingham area! In her spare time, you can find Sarah tending lovingly to her plants, attempting to roller skate, or devouring urban fantasy novels like N.K. Jemisin’s The City We Became. Varun likes to bake in his spare time (and when he has the inclination). Otherwise, not really (it’s too much work!). He is in India this summer!

Thanks to everyone for sharing their expertise!

Pictured from Left to Right: Mentor Clare Fogelsong , Mentee Sarah Saydun , and Mentee Varun Bhat

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT – Meandering Paths Toward Adaptation

Tue, 06 Jun 2023 18:40:00 GMT

They completed their Master’s of Urban and Regional Planning (’22) with a focus area in transportation planning and their Bachelor’s in the Environment (’20) from the University of Michigan.

Not all adaptation professionals begin their careers in adaptation. Many have meandering journeys that brought them to climate work. Camilla and Jessica are no exceptions.

Camilla’s greatest strength is their multitude of interests and passions. They take pride in not being defined as one thing. Since they were young, they have participated in art and writing. A semi-regular poetry hobby turned into a poetry editor position at their college’s literary magazine, which led to academic publications, then songwriting, and now organizing shows and events with a Philadelphia queer art collective. Camilla has always had a deep connection to the environment, but it wasn’t until their grandparents became climate migrants, moving from the heart of California wildfires to the more temperate Midwest, that climate adaptation became a crucial part of their life. For Camilla, climate adaptation is about making the world more livable for humans, and the way they approach that is from an urban planning and environmental justice perspective. Adaptation is a theme they aim to continue exploring in their art, music, and creative writing in the near future.

Jessica started out studying museology and working in academic museums on both the East and West coasts. Museums led her to the greater arts and culture sector in Philadelphia and a role at The Pew Charitable Trusts, which is one of the main funders of arts organizations in the region. After a decade there and in the independent nonprofit that Pew spun off to maintain the project she was part of, she found herself taking stock and realizing that she had been managing a technical SaaS project for some time- perhaps it was time to dive into tech. But the jump from nonprofit to for-profit is across a chasm, so she found a bridge between the two in the B Corp Azavea . It was there that she was first introduced to the specifics of making climate science accessible to decision makers throughout the country. After many iterations– evolving from a simple API to a decision-support tool for communities undertaking their own vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning– Temperate.io emerged as the first climate product that Jessica was to manage. Five years later, she wanted to devote 100% of her time to climate solutions and left Azavea for Cervest , another SaaS product designed to democratize access to and use of climate intelligence.

One common thread in these two stories is that both Camilla and Jessica live in the Philadelphia metropolitan region. During her time at Azavea, in addition to product management, Jessica had the opportunity to manage several environmentally focused client projects. Through those projects, she learned not only about the tireless work of the City’s Office of Sustainability (specifically their Building Energy Benchmarking program) but of regional organizations like Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission that help to coordinate efforts across jurisdictions. Alongside city and local government climate initiatives organizations like The Water Center at Penn are local anchors bringing private and public groups to the table to safeguard our water supplies. Nonprofits like People for Bikes and the Clean Air Council (via their GoPhillyGo program) advocate for our communities to be more cycling-friendly and less reliant on gas-powered vehicles. Camilla has also had the privilege of working with several Philadelphia-based organizations addressing resilience and environmental justice work. In their free time, they volunteer with the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and 5th Square , an urbanist political action committee. Both organizations advocate for the improvement of public and active transportation. As an active bike and transit rider, Camilla has closely followed SEPTA Forward’s Bus Revolution . They have also managed an environmental campaign focused on improving the city’s waste management system while working for Trash Academy , an environmental justice branch of Mural Arts Philadelphia . Each of these departments and organizations approach climate resilience from a different angle, but all are part of the solutions we will need to adapt to the future climate reality facing us.

Thanks to Jessica and Camilla for sharing their experience! Learn more about the mentorship program here .

Mentee Camilla Lizundia : Camilla Lizundia is an urban planner and artist based in Philadelphia, PA. They are the founder of Moving People Studio , a blog, and marketplace honoring the art of movement and contemplating the built environment. Camilla is particularly passionate about neighborhood-level responses to climate change, such as expanding transit networks, urban gardening, and community coalition building.

Mentor Jessica Cahail: Jessica Cahail is the Product Lead for EarthScan at Cervest , a climate intelligence company (and B Corp). Before joining Cervest, she was a Product Manager at Azavea, where she guided the development of Temperate, a vulnerability assessment and climate action planning tool for communities.

ASAP and USDA Forest Service Partner to Address Gaps in Workforce Climate Literacy

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 20:03:00 GMT

In 2018, ASAP Members began a series of discussions on professional education needs for the climate change adaptation community. It quickly became clear that the group’s most valuable output would be a knowledge and competencies framework for our field.

After several months, the resulting working group ultimately created ASAP’s Knowledge and Competencies Framework for Climate Change Adaptation and Climate Resilience Professionals (K&C Framework). This framework provides a complete view of the knowledge and competencies needed to ensure that workers in any sector, field, or role are prepared to equitably and effectively integrate climate change adaptation and climate resilience into their work. The K&C framework has been applied in curriculum design for numerous professional education and higher education courses, including Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s Masters in Community Climate Adaptation and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission/Gulf of Mexico Alliance’s Adapting to a Changing Gulf Region online course .

Last year, ASAP embarked on its most ambitious application yet: using the K&C Framework to increase the USDA Forest Service’s capacity to respond to climate change by establishing standardized, agency-wide training on climate change and environmental justice. We are thrilled to work with long-time ASAP Member Chris Swanston, who leads the Forest Service’s Office of Sustainability and Climate (OSC). Chris was a member of the original K&C Framework working group and had been envisioning a collaboration with ASAP on a project like this for over a decade. Chris believes, “If we want to have intentional, persuasive, and meaningful climate action in the Forest Service, we have to start with climate literacy.”

Our collaborative project, “ Addressing Gaps in Workforce Climate Literacy ,” is unique. It combines ASAP’s broad expertise in capacity building for climate change adaptation with the Forest Service’s specific knowledge and focused expertise of climate adaptation within the scope of natural resources. We are fortunate to be able to build on the wisdom and experience of ASAP members as well as that of a broad range of practitioners from the Forest Service workforce.

We have completed the first year of what we expect to be a three-year project. Over three years, we intend to:

Analyze the climate literacy needs of key Forest Service staff roles and design holistic training programs to increase the climate literacy of staff in each role.
Catalog existing education resources and categorize according to the K&C Framework, assess gaps, and develop new content to address gaps.
Monitor learning outcomes and adapt training programs as needed.

The timetable for each phase of the project is as follows:

Year 1: gathering data, analyzing the learning needs for key roles, and cataloging existing resources
Year 2: building learning programs and developing content to address gaps
Year 3: evaluating and making adjustments to learning programs and training content

We are grateful to the Forest Service for their leadership in developing this pilot project and their commitment to ensuring this work is transferable to other contexts. In order to achieve that goal, we will create parallel, public-facing resources at each project phase that other organizations might find useful, with or without real-time guidance from ASAP.

Today, we are excited to release these template resources as an outgrowth of our first phase of the project:

Role Type Analysis :

This document can be used as one of the earliest steps in the users’ curriculum development to understand the skills and capacities that individuals serving the priority roles in their organizations need or should have. These skills and competencies are based on ASAP’s Knowledge & Competencies Framework .

Climate Change Education Resource Map :

The resource map is a tool for cataloging information during the climate change project planning process. As a template, it is designed to organize objectives, concepts, including specific elements and the range of resources within a given project. This template encourages thoughtful, multi-dimensional examination of project resources.

These skills and competencies are based on ASAP’s Knowledge & Competencies Framework .

Gaps Analysis :

The Gaps Analysis identifies training and education gaps within teams, as well as potential areas for individual and collective growth.
The Gaps Analysis is also used to determine gaps in existing resources (identified by initial role analyses) and the current and programming/educational resource map.
This document serves the users of this template best when it’s structured as a big-picture bulleted list of major gaps.

Learning Program Outline :

The Learning Program Outline addresses learning and programmatic gaps outlined in the Gaps Analysis. This outline (1) describes the targeted audience; (2) provides a summary of the new or expanded learning objectives for their program; and (3) aligns those objectives with ASAP’s Knowledge & Competencies Framework .
The Learning Program Outline is also used to create individual or team learning program outlines by aligning learning objectives with specific concepts, skills, and existing resources.
The result is an effective learning program outline that will be expanded into a learning program, which is defined as a set of resources that provide comprehensive articulation of the training, titles, descriptions, and learning objectives needed for a particular role type. The learning program has the capability to access existing individual training, resources, and thorough pre- and post-learning evaluation for the program participants.

ASAP’s Forest Service Office of Sustainability and Climate (OSC) partners have pointed out that organizations should first think about their mission, their staff’s ability to identify climate literacy needs, and which learning outcomes are most critical to accomplishing the mission. It is also crucial that organizational leadership is supportive of staff development and its contribution to optimal outcomes. We acknowledge the support of the Forest Service leadership and the ways it has been instrumental in getting this project off the ground.

These templates are effective tools for organizations to identify current resources that are aligned with their workforce needs, the gaps or deficiencies that should be addressed, and the level of strategy, investments of time, and capital to remedy them.

These templates can also guide organizations in developing clear learning objectives and applications for training content. Customized platforms for delivering content ensure that workforce efficiency and effectiveness are enhanced by a process that creates immediate, impactful ways to put learning into action.

As Chris shared, “We will succeed if each staff person can help the Forest Service become a climate-positive agency: if every member of the Forest Service workforce understands climate change and how they can make change through their actions and their role in the agency.”

Contact: Mia Dozier, ASAP’s Training Specialist at mdozier@adaptpros.org .

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Sisters of Adaptation

Fri, 26 May 2023 13:57:00 GMT

Welcome to the first Mentorship Spotlight of the 2023 Mentorship Program Cohort! Mentees Alexis Monti and Olivia Poon dive into their experience under the leadership of Mentor Megan Holcomb.

Meet the Mentorship Program Participants

Mentorship Program Experience From the Trio

Alexis, Olivia, and Megan have spent their early mentorship discussions on leading confidently as the local expert on sustainability. The three have sustainability-related backgrounds, where being surrounded by peers with similar educational backgrounds is common. Alexis and Olivia, however, have entered new occupations where they have been hired as the external sustainability “expert,” and colleagues are eager to learn from them. Being in this position has come with some pressure, and Megan suggested disentangling the idea of an expert being someone who carries years of experience. Instead, we can think of experts as possessing a “unique” experience. Being humble, being OK with learning on the fly, and letting go of the need to always be ready can help us practice confident leadership. This lesson was valuable and highly transferable, as sustainability continues to gain interest from broader audiences.

Related to leadership, Alexis, Olivia, and Megan identified communication as an essential and day-to-day responsibility in their roles. Focusing on panel discussions as a specific area for professional growth, the group exchanged advice. They identified preparation as good practice for successful panelists, specifically: 1) Dressing to be comfortable, 2) Establishing relationships with the panel group prior to the event, and 3) Being present and wearing a curiosity lens.

The process of creating visuals to support communication was another focus area. Alexis, Olivia, and Megan related to the understated amount of time this process can take. Megan shared her insights: Having technical design skills is valuable and relevant. It can help to plan and rehearse the script of your presentation before creating the supporting visuals.

Fun Fact About the Group

None of them have brothers. Instead, they all come from families where they are one sister of 3 or 4, total!

Mentee Alexis Monti: Alexis Monti graduated from Umass Amherst in 2022 with degrees in Environmental Science and Natural Resources Conservation. She is currently working in the non-profit sector as a Climate Resiliency Specialist on the Minnesota-Wisconsin border. An ideal mentor for her would be someone who would be willing to share their story and could give advice or guidance on what steps to take to succeed/advance in the climate adaptation field. LinkedIn

Mentee Olivia Poon: Olivia Poon graduated in 2016 with a degree in Environmental Engineering, focused on remote sensing. Currently, she works at Emerson, an industrial manufacturing company, to help lead their Responsible Sourcing Program and reduce upstream Scope 3 emissions. Previously, she worked at CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) on corporate environmental disclosure, and has other experience with stakeholder-focused decision-making science, a logistics startup, a sustainable coffee roastery, and a sustainable coffee ratings app. She enjoys playing tennis, snowboarding, and sewing. LinkedIn

Mentor Megan Holcomb: Megan Holcomb is trained as a climate scientist, biological systems engineer, and restoration ecologist. She has built a career by braiding climate modeling research with government strategy (natural resource management), state policy and disaster response, climate tech investment, and entrepreneurship. Megan has deep experience in network science and systems theory; public funding (grantor, grantee, grant writing); cooperatives, collaboratives, and consortium building; and transboundary high conflict negotiations (Colorado River, drought, flood, fire, and international water-human health fields). Throughout her career, she has specialized topically in water supply planning, drought, forest health, and waterborne disease and many aspects of community activation and organizational change, such as effective teaming, leadership empowerment, and transparent, collaborative decision-making. LinkedIn

The American Society of Adaptation Professionals Names New Executive Director

Thu, 27 Apr 2023 14:24:00 GMT

YPSILANTI, Mi. (April 27, 2023) —The American Society of Adaptation Professionals (“ASAP”) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Debra M. Butler as Executive Director, beginning April 24, 2023. Debra M. Butler is a native of the U.S. Gulf Coast, growing up in Mobile, Alabama.

Dr. Butler will bring her transdisciplinary leadership, knowledge, and experience with organizations to support adaptation professionals and practitioners in addressing the multitude of challenges in the adaptation and resilience field. As a survivor of Hurricane Katrina and the BP Deep Horizon Oil Spill, Dr. Butler has brought her lived experiences and reciprocal collaborations with communities in developing plans and resources for climate resilience, adaptation, and mitigation for almost 20 years.

Dr. Butler earned a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Miami, masters’ degrees in both Education (Harvard) and International Business (Brandeis), and a Ph.D. in Environmental Studies from the University of Massachusetts-Boston. Her transdisciplinary research intersects climate displacement and migration, Native and Indigenous knowledge, and ecological-human-quantum assemblages.

“I am incredibly thrilled and humbled to return to ASAP. ASAP is perfectly positioned to connect, resource, support, and train adaptation professionals at every stage and trajectory of their praxes and careers. My goal is to center ASAP’s values and beliefs in all of our work, and through our members and partners, create sustainable pathways toward just, equitable, and inclusive futures,” said Dr. Butler.

Dr. Butler was selected following a thorough search and interview process. “Dr. Butler is a perfect match for ASAP, especially given the historic moment we find ourselves in as adaptation professionals,” said Julia Kim, President of the Board for the American Society of Adaptation Professionals. “We are confident that Debra will bring the leadership, creativity, and compassion needed to support members in navigating new challenges and to deepen ASAP’s impact in our growing field.”

For any media inquiries or interviews with Dr. Butler, contact ASAP’s Communications Manager, Kyla Bloyer, at kbloyer@adaptpros.org .

###

About the American Society of Adaptation Professionals

The American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) is a professional association and social impact network that connects and supports climate change adaptation and climate resilience professionals to better address climate change impacts. Together with our members and partners, we are advancing the field of climate change adaptation by learning from Western science, Indigenous knowledge, and the lived experience of those addressing climate impacts in their communities. ASAP helps members strengthen their professional network, exchange best practices and practical advice, and accelerate innovation – all leading to a more equitable and effective climate adaptation practice.

ASAP Welcomes the American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact as JEDI Fund Partner

Tue, 25 Apr 2023 21:02:00 GMT

ASAP is thrilled to announce that the American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact (AmFam Institute) is providing the ASAP JEDI Fund with a $10,000 sponsorship to catalyze the Fund’s third year. This generous gift provides financial stability for the Fund, enabling us to grow its impact as we pursue a more just, equitable, inclusive, and diverse adaptation and resilience field.

“We are thrilled to partner with ASAP to support equity by explicitly allocating resources to ensure underrepresented professionals have access to opportunities and resources to support their professional development. In doing so, we are prioritizing the wisdom and lived experience of these individuals in the climate adaptation and community resilience conversations,” said Beth Churchill, community impact consultant with the AmFam Institute.

Through this partnership, we will continue supporting adaptation professionals who identify as Black, Indigenous, Persons of Color, or as having limited financial resources to pursue professional development opportunities and compensating them for contributions to our network programs. The JEDI Fund helps awardees grow while strengthening the ASAP Network and the adaptation field.

Celebrate the JEDI Fund

Join us in celebrating one recent awardee, Camilla Lizundia! With the support of the ASAP JEDI Fund, Camilla could attend the October 2022 National Adaptation Forum in Baltimore, Maryland. “Attending the conference was an excellent opportunity to learn from practitioners who aim to be intersectional in an effort to demonstrate the integrated nature of successful adaptation work.”

We are looking forward to seeing just how far the JEDI Fund will reach this year! Thank you to the American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact and to all past and future JEDI Fund supporters. Through your generosity, we are shifting resources – and ultimately power – for a more climate-resilient world.

About the American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact

The American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact is a venture capital firm and partner of choice for exceptional entrepreneurs who are building scalable, sustainable businesses in a long-term effort to close equity gaps in America. It also recognizes that capacity building and supporting organizations and experts who have been working toward social causes are equally important in making a positive impact within our communities around the country.

About the JEDI Fund

ASAP established the ASAP Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Fund in April 2021, in response to the commitments outlined in ASAP’s JEDI Statement . ASAP’s permanent staff members at the time provided a seed contribution, and the Fund has benefitted from the generosity of the ASAP network over the past two years. The JEDI Fund supports adaptation professionals who identify as Black, Indigenous, Persons of Color, or having limited financial resources as they build their professional capacity and share their knowledge and expertise through ASAP programs.

Welcome Dr. Debra Butler as ASAP’s New Executive Director

Fri, 21 Apr 2023 15:42:00 GMT

Dear ASAP Network,

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Debra M. Butler as ASAP’s next Executive Director! Dr. Butler joined ASAP as a member in 2017 and worked part-time for ASAP in 2019 while completing her Ph.D. dissertation in Environmental Studies from the University of Massachusetts-Boston. As a survivor of Hurricane Katrina and the BP Deep Horizon Oil Spill, Dr. Butler has brought her lived experiences and reciprocal collaborations with communities in developing plans and resources for climate resilience, adaptation, and mitigation for almost 20 years.

As ASAP explores new opportunities to address the multitude of challenges confronting adaptation professionals and practitioners, Dr. Butler will bring her transdisciplinary leadership, knowledge, and experience with organizations such as the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals , the Climigration Network , and Rising Voices at the National Center for Atmospheric Research , to guide ASAP’s growth.

ASAP’s JEDI Commitments , Five-Year Action Plan, and 2020-2040 Strategic Plan will continue to serve as ASAP’s foundation as we usher in the next chapter of ASAP under Dr. Butler’s visionary leadership. “Dr. Butler is a perfect match for ASAP, especially given the historic moment we find ourselves in as adaptation professionals,” said Julia Kim, ASAP’s Board President. “We are confident that Debra will bring the leadership, creativity, and compassion needed to support members in navigating new challenges and to deepen ASAP’s impact in our growing field.”

This announcement follows a 6-month long search involving ASAP Members, Board Members, and Staff who participated in the hiring committee and supported a rather intensive recruitment process. We thank the entire Hiring Committee for their time and dedication throughout this process to help select ASAP’s new Executive Director. We would also like to recognize ASAP Staff who worked tirelessly throughout this transition period, particularly Rachel Jacobson, who served as Acting Director. Thank you, Rachel, Jeff, Kyla, Meagan, and Mia, for your unwavering commitment to ASAP and our Members.

To our Members and Partners: thank you for your patience during our executive search and your continued engagement in ASAP. We look forward to working with you and supporting your important efforts as we welcome ASAP’s next chapter.

With Gratitude,
The ASAP Board of Directors

ASAP Receives National AmeriCorps Planning Grant

Wed, 05 Apr 2023 13:53:00 GMT

ASAP has received a year-long grant of $150,000 from AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, to plan a national service program to catalyze adaptation work in rural communities. Rural communities have some of the lowest capacities in the United States to adapt to worsening climate impacts. ASAP’s AmeriCorps program concept seeks to catalyze adaptation and resilience planning in rural communities while creating long-term sustainability for adaptation and resilience work in those communities.

The program will leverage ASAP’s strong, diverse network of members and partners and our robust suite of adaptation and resilience training, education, peer learning, and mentorship opportunities. “The need for increased climate adaptation in rural communities is massive and there are not enough people in place to execute the work,” stated Acting Director Rachel Jacobson .

“This is an opportunity to simultaneously build the capacity of leaders in rural communities to address the climate impacts they’re experiencing, create the conditions for more resources to make their way into rural communities, and create positive, lasting climate resilience and economic impact. I’m grateful to all of the ASAP Members and partners who have built the resources that will form the foundation for this program, and to AmeriCorps for providing the time and money we need to research and plan a fantastic program,” continued Rachel Jacobson.

Engaging ASAP Members to Design the Program

ASAP is thrilled to partner with Farallon Strategies and Nomad Planners on this exciting project. Farallon Strategies, including ASAP Members Kif Scheuer and Michael McCormick, brings a wealth of experience designing and implementing climate-focused national service programs and will advise and build several of the program design pieces. Nomad Planners, led by ASAP Member Maria Hart, has deep expertise in workforce development analysis and workforce program design. Maria will conduct a state-by-state assessment of the climate resilience workforce and economic opportunities in our target states. We will also leverage ASAP’s Ready-to-Fund Resilience program resources to conduct an assessment of the public and private funding and finance resources available which can support climate resilience activities integrated with the work that national service members will conduct through the program.

We’ll also connect with each of our peer learning groups this Spring and throughout the planning process to inform the program design. Stay tuned for additional program details!

Interested in Adaptation Work in Rural Communities?

Don’t forget to register for the next Rural Regional Collaboratives (“RRC”) Group Meeting! RRC is a new member group that highlights unique challenges and opportunities for rural regional climate alliances.

Join us on Tuesday, September 19, from 12-3:30 PM ET to explore strategies for building climate resilience and economic opportunity in rural communities. Register HERE for this free virtual event or learn more .

Check Out Cohort Profiles for the 2023 Mentorship Program

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 21:11:00 GMT

Mentor and Mentee Profiles are now live for the 2023 Mentorship Program! Below you will find details and information on the participants this year:

Mentors

Brian Ambrette: Brian Ambrette is the Senior Climate Resilience Coordinator with the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future in Maine. Brian supports the implementation of Maine’s four-year climate action plan with a focus on enabling community action that addresses risks to critical infrastructure and vulnerable populations as well as accelerating the transition to clean energy and energy efficiency. Previously Brian was the Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy in Maryland where his work included capacity building in rural coastal communities combining climate resilience and conservation. During that time, he served as a member of the Maryland Climate Change Commission’s Adaptation & Response Working Group. He holds a Master’s of Environmental Management degree from Yale University’s School of the Environment and a Bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College.

Amanda Farris: Amanda Farris is the Senior Program Manager for the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership (MCAP). In this role, she helps to coordinate the MCAP program and several ongoing grants, collaborates with regional partners, translates climate data and information to support decision-making, and builds networks of climate adaptation practitioners. Amanda also works with researchers at the UMN Institute on the Environment to improve climate data visualization and communications. Prior to joining the MCAP team, Amanda worked with the Carolinas Integrated Sciences & Assessments (CISA), an applied climate research team at the University of South Carolina Department of Geography. A key component of Amanda’s work is bridging the gap between climate science and stakeholder communities through network building. She served as lead organizer for the biennial Carolinas Climate Resilience Conference from 2014 to 2021. She has served on the Program Committee for the National Adaptation Forum since 2015 and has served as a mentor for the American Society of Adaptation Professionals’ (ASAP) Mentorship Program for two terms. More information is available at Amanda Farris | University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership (umn.edu) .

Amy Bailey: Amy Bailey is the Director of Climate Resilience and Sustainability at the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES). In this role, she identifies emerging approaches and solutions for climate change resilience and increases information sharing between cities, states, the federal government, and companies. Amy manages the Alliance for a Sustainable Future initiative and leads C2ES’s participation in the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Climate READi Initiative. She also serves on the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Advisory Board of Stanley Black and Decker.

Anna Marandi: Anna Marandi is based in DC and currently works at the Pew Charitable Trusts on state and federal flood policy. Before that, the bulk of Anna’s work centered around stakeholder engagement, developing equitable solutions with cities, providing technical support to cities and regional collaboratives, and a sprinkle of research and highlighting/sharing best practices. As a mentor, Anna loves supporting adaptation colleagues ranging from younger practitioners looking for early career guidance to people in the midst of a career change or other transition, and even those who have been working in the field much longer than me who are experiencing burnout and could use a thought partner. Anna is looking forward to connecting with this year’s cohort and to finding a great mentor-mentee match up!

Julia Chase: Julia Chase is the newly appointed Chief Resilience Officer for the City of San Diego , with over 8-year experience in climate planning in both the private and public sectors. Julia has led the development of climate change vulnerability assessment, the creation of adaptation and resilience strategies, and planning documents for local governments, and have extensive experience in stakeholder and community-focused outreach and engagement. Julia is passionate about climate resilience planning with a strong focus on equity outcomes and nature-based solutions.

Jonathan Cook: Jonathan Cook is a Senior Climate Adaptation & Resilience Advisor at USAID , where he has spent seven of the past nine years. Previously Jonathan worked for two years with the Global Commission on Adaptation, hosted at WRI in Washington, D.C. Jonathan has also worked on conservation and climate adaptation at WWF in Washington and overseas.

Clare Fogelsong : After 20 years working on natural resource and climate programs in the Public Works Department of the City of Bellingham, WA, Clare is transitioning to the Mayor’s newly formed Office of the Climate and Resiliency as the Climate Policy Manager. Bellingham has been at the forefront of climate action and advocacy. Clare’s work has included the completion of an Adaptation Strategy, a 2007 Climate Action Plan, and a 2018 revision of that Plan. As well as supporting a Climate Task Force of community members. Clare is currently managing adaptation programs in the areas of fire risk reduction, sea level rise, forest health, and water supply vulnerability. Plus we are working to bring our mitigation and adaptation plans into one document in 2023. Due to working for a small to medium size local government with limited staff, he has also had experience with a broad range of natural resource issues.

Dana Brechwald: Dana Brechwald is the Assistant Planning Director for Adaptation at the San Fr0ancisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission . Dana has directed BCDC’s climate adaptation program for the past four years, focused on transitioning from vulnerability assessments to adaptation action. Currently, Dana is implementing a series of region-wide actions to overcome adaptation barriers as identified in BCDC’s Bay Adapt Joint Platform. Dana’s passions are regionalism (working outside of single jurisdictional boundaries all bound by a single San Francisco Bay), diversity and inclusion in planning processes, decision-making, and outcomes, and collaborative problem-solving (with a particular fondness for the Collective Impact model). Dana believes in doing work that aligns with your values both in and outside of work and would love to work with you on showing up as your most authentic self to do transformative climate work.

Barbara Ewals: Barbara Ewals is the current Executive Director of the Initiative for Global Resilience (i4gr) – a global movement that advances partnership initiatives on resilience in all forms. i4gr assists all stakeholders to scale for impact – enhancing north-south and south-south cooperation through improved partnership mechanisms. Partnerships & Stakeholder Engagement have been at the forefront of her career. She was one of the key experts that were tapped by UN-ESCAP & UN University to validate the guidelines they were developing to assist member states, public & private organizations as well as civil societies in managing their partnerships to implement the UN’s 2030 Agenda. This guideline was then published and unveiled during UN-ESCAP’s Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development 2018 – which is also the regional high-level forum for UN-ESCAP’s member states.

Kaitlin Harris: Kaitlin Harris has over a decade of experience in the climate adaptation and resilience field both in domestic and international contexts. Currently, Kaitlin works for Washington State as an Environmental Planner integrating climate change impacts and responses that center equity and justice into ecosystem recovery work.

Jamesine Rogers Gibson: Jamesine Rogers Gibson is a climate expert skilled in connecting people, ideas, and data to create a future where everyone can thrive. For nearly 20 years, she’s researched, shaped, and implemented cutting-edge strategies, policies, and initiatives to advance equitable climate mitigation and adaptation, economic inclusion, clean air, resilient clean energy and infrastructure, public health, and smarter land use and transportation systems. Her experience includes positions at all levels of government (U.S. Congress, federal, state, regional and local), two non-profits, and a foundation.

Jeffrey Meek: Jeffrey Meek is a sustainability and climate resilience professional. He has led a city sustainability office and a state transportation climate resilience effort. He is currently working for a firm supporting city and state climate action and resilience planning, and strives to ensure the ASAP JEDI statement is reflected throughout his work.

Jessica Cahail : Jessica Cahail is the Product Lead for EarthScan at Cervest , a climate intelligence company (and B Corp). Before joining Cervest, she was a Product Manager at Azavea, where she guided the development of Temperate, a vulnerability assessment and climate action planning tool for communities.

John Phillips: John is the Director of Integrated Watershed Management at Parametrix . He focuses on approaches to natural resources and infrastructure development in watershed planning, management, restoration, and climate change adaptation. Prior to Parametrix, John worked for King County, managing the Combined Sewer Overflow Control Program. Over his 23-year career, He has managed and developed the Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) and Climate Change Adaptation programs. His climate work has been referenced in both the IPCC and National Climate Assessment reports.

Megan Holcomb: Megan Holcomb is trained as a climate scientist, biological systems engineer, and restoration ecologist. They have worked primarily in public research, state policy and funding, and private tech. Megan has deep experience in network science/systems theory; climate funding (grantor, grantee, grant writing); cooperatives, collaboratives, and consortium building; and cross-boundary negotiations (western US & international water resource management). Specialist in drought, water supply planning, forest health, water quality/quantity modeling

Jenna Jorns : Jenna (she/her) is the Co-Director for the Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments (GLISA) at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability. She and the team at GLISA work at the boundary between climate science and decision making, striving to enhance Great Lakes communities’ capacity to understand, plan for, and respond to climate impacts now and in the future. Since joining GLISA in 2017, she was a co-author of the Midwest chapter of the 4th National Climate Assessment and serves as Co-Principal Investigator on two ongoing GLISA research projects focused on stormwater management and remote engagement in the Great Lakes and Gulf of Mexico. Previously, Dr. Jorns worked as a Policy Associate with The Climate Registry in Los Angeles to maintain existing and develop new greenhouse gas accounting policies and to improve energy efficiency and clean energy initiatives in Los Angeles with Global Green USA. She has a Ph.D. in Geosciences from Princeton University, where she studied the response of marine phytoplankton to increasing carbon dioxide concentrations. She also received a science, technology, and environmental policy certificate from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Chantal Madray: Chantal is a Climate Programs Manager at Second Nature . In this deeply collaborative role, Chantal manages intersectional climate action initiatives focused on resilience planning, cross-sector climate action, and climate justice and equity. She also manages the Acceleration Fund, a mini-grant program that fosters campus-community collaboration. Chantal enjoys working closely with Second Nature’s member institutions to understand challenges, identify opportunities, and develop tools and resources to advance their shared climate action goals.

Sushila Pandit: Sushila Pandit is a development practitioner with a decade-long experience in climate change, disaster management, and resilience, and had worked in various capacities like policy advocacy, technical lead, and program manager in leading organizations like Practical Action, CARE, and Mercy Corps. Sushila started their career as a young climate activist and was awarded international climate champion in 2009 and awarded a national award by the Nepal government in 2013. Also worked in the UNFCCC headquarters as an IUCN Global gender fellow. Currently, Sushila is working on their Ph.D. in climate adaptation policies.

Joel Smith: Joel Smith has been working on climate change vulnerability and adaptation for 35 years. He has worked in government but was a consultant for most of that time. Joel has also been involved in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and National Climate Assessment.

Tom Eisele: Tom Eisele is an urban planner, licensed architect, LEED Accredited Professional, and Certified Passive House Designer with 39 years of professional experience on building and planning projects around the world. Tom is a member of The American Institute of Architects, The Urban Land Institute, and The National Institute of Building Sciences. He has been a member of ASAP since 2019. From 2010 through 2019, and was Senior Policy Advisor in the New York City Mayor’s Office of Sustainability (MOS) and Office of Resiliency (MOR) drafting local laws amending the city’s construction codes, zoning resolution and environmental regulations. He is currently working on the development of the NYSERDA New York State Stretch Energy Code for 2023 and as a building sector advisor to the New York State Climate Impacts Assessment.

Mentees

Carol Anway: Carol Anway has a Ph.D. in physics. Carol worked a career at Boeing, on a team that advanced the field of lightning protection of aircraft. Carol is a person of faith, a Presbyterian. Their goal is to reach conservative people of faith in Montana by showing up and talking about global warming in a way that creates a safe environment for questions and discussion. Carol prepared a presentation and learned a lot in their first three events. Carol sometimes feels quite despairing about climate change and seeks both resources to support the presentation and encouragement to continue the work.

Areli Balderrama: Areli Balderrama is passionate about public health because of its challenge; it requires people to imagine a reality beyond their own and to carry out possible solutions to contemporary problems. A tenet of their career is that marginalized communities should collaborate to build healthy, equitable, and sustainable communities. Areli’s career in public health concentrates on housing and transportation issues; they firmly believe that to improve the quality of life, we must have safe and secure housing complimented by accessible modes of transportation. In Areli’s free time, they enjoy backpacking, hiking, traveling solo, and cycling.

Bharat Balyan: Bharat Balyan (he/him), is from Minneapolis, MN. He received a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota in 2016. Following his undergrad, Bharat took a gap year and did a service year with MN GreenCorps, where he was placed at the Minneapolis Health Department. Post-GreenCorps, he completed a MPH in Global Environmental Health at the University of Minnesota in 2019. Bharat has been with the Climate and Health Program at CDC since February 2021, where his primary work has been researching the impact of drought on mental health. In his free time, he loves spending time playing disc golf, video games, board games, and roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons. He is a big sports fan, especially for the Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Timberwolves (yes, it is a rough life being an MN sports fan). Last but not least, he is a proud cat dad of Jango, who may be the biggest belly rub fiend you’ve ever met.

Varun Bhat: Varun Bhat is from India. Varun’s primary research interest lies in creating contextual climate change policy frameworks for localities, including policymakers. Varun’s future career goals involve getting into academia as a professor, or doing some form of action-based research! In their spare time, Varun cooks, bakes, plays video games, or just hangs out with friends.

Marcella Bondie Keenan: Marcella is a proud Latine (she/they) and a Chicago booster. Marcella started out in traditional environmental consulting and then made a mid-career switch to environmental planning and policy. Marcella strongly believes that climate work cannot be done from a purely technical and environmental perspective, but must incorporate community wisdom and holistic perspectives. Marcella loves climate justice, nature-respecting solutions, and community collaboration.

Tanja Crk: Tanja Crk’ s educational background is in conservation biology and international policy. Their professional background is in public sector environmental policy. Tanja is interested in the adaptation and resilience framework and policy implementation.

Damaris Borden: Damaris Borden recently graduated as a Master’s student who is looking to relocate to the D.C. area and is passionate about improving local and state policy in order to protect human communities at the urban-ocean interface. Damaris grew up in the US mountain west (Northern CA, NV, and ID), but since 2015 has been based in upstate New York, where they pursued a B.A. in Environmental and Urban Studies and an M.S. in Climate Science and Policy at Bard College. During this time, Damaris supplemented their education by participating in a series of internship programs — biology research in rural Western PA, visitor services for a wildlife refuge in coastal AK, citizen science and administration for a marine conservation and education NGO in the Florida Keys, climate change planning for a NYC park, and environmental justice work for an urban farm and EJ hub in Albany, NY. Damaris believes strongly in the power of cities as critical players in meeting climate mitigation, adaptation, and environmental justice goals, and hopes to build upon their varied professional background as well as her curiosity and communication skills to bring forth adaptive and just outcomes along the city-to-sea gradient. Some personal interests include hiking, caring for their ducks, sustainable fashion, creating multimedia art, and SCUBA diving.

James Holman: James Holman is currently working as a Civil Engineer in the Washington, D.C. Metro area. Throughout their career, they always have had a desire to do work with more meaning. As a professional, a couple of their most impactful projects were working in the cleanup efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and working on an innovative energy storage project in New York City. James realized they had a passion for helping people and wanting to build a more sustainable future in the face of climate change. James wants to learn more about sustainability and build the skills necessary to transition into this exciting field.

Josephine Justin: Josephine Justin is finishing their last year at UNC Chapel Hill as a Master’s of City and Regional Planning student specializing in land use and environmental planning. Josephine is also pursuing a Natural Hazards Certificate and is passionate about environmental justice, disaster resilience, and community engagement. Currently, they are working for the Southeast and Caribbean Disaster Resilience Partnership (SCDRP) as a Program Coordinator and also an intern with San Francisco’s Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA). Previously, they interned with the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and also was an AmeriCorps California Climate Action Corps Fellow working with the City of Los Angeles’ Climate Emergency Mobilization Office. Since Josephine is in the process of researching and applying to jobs and other opportunities in the climate resilience and adaptation field in the Southeast and California, they would greatly appreciate the opportunity to connect and learn from ASAP Members!

Alanna Komisar: Alanna Komisar is an upcoming adaptation and resilience specialist based in Toronto, Canada. Alanna’s background is primarily in sustainability-related fields though she previously worked as a loss prevention engineer with an insurance company. Some recent highlights include creating resilience and adaptation guidance for commercial buildings, supporting creating community resilience hubs for vulnerable communities for an international non-profit organization, and serving municipalities to adapt to climate change. She’s garnering a lot of traction on operational and systems-based approaches. She’s anticipating starting her first project looking at climate resilience in post-disaster reconstruction in conflict zones in 2023. This is very exciting, but she’s particularly interested in connecting with someone with an international lens to support the transition from a domestic to an international focus. All fields are welcome. Though her background is in engineering, she’s interested in also exploring relationships with others from different backgrounds to garner different perspectives.

Allie Larman: Allie Larman, and is a recent graduate from the Community and Regional Development program at UC Davis. As a student, they had the opportunity to work on the National Climate Assessment, climate vulnerability studies, and with a local planning department. Allie is passionate about equitable climate adaptation and plans to pursue a career in the field. Allie hopes to receive mentorship support as they begin their career, and learn more about the field. In their free time, they work as a gymnastics coach and love to explore the outdoors!

Kate Leftin: Katie Leftin is finishing their Executive Master’s of Natural Resources with a certificate in Global Sustainability from Virginia Tech and has a sustainability internship with Inova Health System in Northern Virginia. In 2009 Katie received a Master’s of Social Work. During that program, Katie was a cofounder of the Environmental Social Work Initiative that raised awareness of how environmental health and justice issues affected vulnerable communities. After Katie’s MSW, they worked in clinical social work in a variety of healthcare settings but made a career change because Katie wanted to contribute to improving environmental conditions needed for communities to be healthier. Katie has been a part of ASAP for a year and a half and was part of the leadership team for Convening Climate Collaborators earlier this summer before their current internship began.

Camilla Lizundia: Camilla (they/she) is a 24-year-old urban planner and artist based in Philadelphia, PA. They work for Mural Arts Philadelphia as a campaign manager for an environmental campaign. They completed their Master’s of Urban and Regional Planning (’22) with a focus area in transportation planning and their Bachelor’s in the Environment (’20) from the University of Michigan. They have experience in academic research, transit technology, and environmental non-profits.

Ren Martin: Ren Martin was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. From a young age, they enjoyed creating artwork and studying about the environment. Ren seeks to help others through their work in the nonprofit sector, and continues to advocate for social, economic, and environmental justice in the areas of energy, agriculture, and democracy. Ren’s specialties lie in visual storytelling, communication, and environmental justice education. Now, as an Eco-Justice Program Coordinator, Ren aims to inspire people to create a more equitable and loving world for all.

John McClure: John McClure is a 25-year-old graduate student at the University of Michigan pursuing an MS in Environmental Justice, Policy, and Planning, graduating in Spring 2023. He received his BA in Environmental Studies and Anthropology from UC Santa Cruz in 2020 and then worked as an Environmental Justice fellow with National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes Regional Center. John’s primary interests include climate adaptation and resilience planning and environmental justice policy and advocacy. After graduating John would like to move to the Washington DC area to work for an environmental NGO or research center focused on climate change solutions while centering equity and resilience. Ultimately, John seeks to better understand how we as humans can better adapt to the effects of climate change in an equitable and sustainable way, centering human stories and community engagement along the way.

Erin Minnigan: Erin Minnigan is the Director of Preservation & Planning for the Preservation Society of Charleston, the nation’s oldest, grassroots preservation organization (est. 1920). In this role, she oversees the Society’s planning and zoning advocacy and manages preservation programs. Bringing a wealth of experience in technical preservation, project review, and public process, Minnigan is passionate about maintaining the authenticity of Charleston’s unique historic environment by promoting managed growth and shaping compatible new development. Minnigan previously served as the Board of Architectural Review-Small Administrator for the City of Charleston, where she authored design guidelines for elevating historic buildings, and managed community revitalization projects for the City of St. Augustine, FL. She has contributed to and presented on a number of projects regarding community revitalization, designation of sites associated with underrepresented communities, and flood adaptation strategies for historic districts. Minnigan holds a B.A. in Historic Preservation & Community Planning from the College of Charleston and Master’s of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Florida.

Shawn Miya: Shawn Miya has been in the Environmental Health and Safety field since 1998. Currently, they work at Indiana University as a Lab Safety and Laser Safety Specialist. Shawn received a Master’s of Public Health degree from IU in December 2021 and completed the Yale School of Public Health’s Climate Change and Health certificate program in July 2022. I have served on the City of Bloomington Commission on Sustainability since May 2022 and lead a working group whose mission is to create a Heat Management Plan to help mitigate and adapt to extreme heat.

Alexis Monti: Alexis Monti , is a recent graduate of Umass Amherst with degrees in Environmental Science and Natural Resources Conservation. She has held a series of internships as a Coastal Resilience Program Assistant, Newsletter and Outreach Coordinator, Forest Monitoring Technician, Sustainable Policy Analyst, etc. and is in the process of trying to find her next role. Alexis is originally from the Boston area but now lives in Fort Collins, CO as she finishes up her current role as a Harmful Algal Bloom Communication and Outreach Intern. Alexis is passionate about the climate adaptation field and is looking to find her footing within this area, perhaps as a sustainability coordinator, climate resilience specialist, or a hydrology technician. An ideal mentor for her would be someone who would be willing to share their story and could give advice or guidance on what steps to take to succeed/advance in the climate adaptation field. Linkedin

Dolly Na-Yameh: Dolly Na-Yemeh is a Climate Adaptation Specialist with the South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center at the University of Oklahoma. Dolly hopes to build a strong network of collaborators, researchers, and end users to facilitate efforts towards climate adaptation and actionable science. Her research interests include the impacts of extreme weather events, climate change and climate impacts, stakeholder engagement, science translation and climate adaptation.

Oliva Poon: Olivia Poon graduated in 2016 with a degree in Environmental Engineering, focused on remote sensing. Currently, she works with CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) as an account manager to support large, fortune 500 companies on their CDP Disclosure and Supply Chain engagement. This covers disclosure on emissions, targets, governance, climate-related risks and opportunities, and engagement with stakeholders. Her prior work experience is varied: she has worked with federal research organizations, a logistics startup, a sustainable coffee roastery, and a sustainable coffee ratings app. On the side, she enjoys playing tennis, snowboarding, and sewing.

Samantha Nuno: Samantha is a Mexican-American and first-generation student, born and raised in Sylmar in the Northeast San Fernando Valley. Growing up at her family home with five siblings, she has personally seen how climate change impacts like extreme heat and wildfires affect communities of color, many of which are already overburdened by high levels of air pollution. Her upbringing inspired her passion for climate resilience and environmental justice within her academic and professional career. Samantha recently graduated summa cum laude from UCLA in 2022 with a Master’s degree in Public Policy as well as cum laude from Scripps College in 2018 with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Analysis. In her Grants and Programs Analyst role at Climate Resolve, Samantha writes grant proposals and accesses new funding opportunities and relationships for Climate Resolve and underserved communities (including municipalities, organizations, and tribes).

Josh Richardson: Josh Richardson (he/him) is the founder and director of a nonprofit focused on increasing climate resilience within faith communities as a means to increase overall community resilience, especially for individuals who typically are unable to access traditional resources. Josh has an M.S. in geology (aqueous geochemistry) and an M.A. in Public Ministry (this is essentially a justice and social change degree). Josh has worked in numerous environmental spaces including environmental geology/wetlands remediation, institutional sustainability, and education for social change. Josh also was raised in an Environmental Justice community and is a cancer survivor.

Suzette Risacher: Suzette Risacher is a disabled veteran trying to enter the workforce. Suzette volunteered with the Virginia Native Plant Society and graduate with a BS in 2021, and expects to graduate with an MS in Natural Resources in 2022. Suzette has not worked for over 23 years, so is rusty with the skill sets needed to gain employment. More importantly, Suzette is still trying to figure out the right fit or area of discovery to explore.

Sarah Saydun: Sarah Marie Saydun is a climate planner, participatory action researcher, and a firm believer in the transformative power of relationships. She has spent over a decade in Boston working with youth and organizing for social justice and is completing her Master’s in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts. She is excited to bring those experiences to inform her new role as a resilience and adaptation planner at Linnean Solutions. In her spare time, you can find her tending lovingly to her plants, attempting to roller skate, or devouring urban fantasy novels like N.K. Jemisin’s The City We Became.

Carey Schafer (she/her): Carey Schafer is a Project Coordinator for EcoAdapt , where her main job is to organize the National Adaptation Forum and other knowledge exchange programming. Previously Carey completed a one-year fellowship with the National Academies Gulf Research Program and worked with PLACE: SLR, an organization focused on helping communities plan for sea level rise on the Gulf Coast. Carey has an MS in marine science and a BS in environmental science.

Tanvi Sule: Tanvi Sule has a Master’s in Environmental Science & Studies (Resilience & Adaptation). Tanvi has experience in conservation( wetland, terrestrial, coastal ), sustainability, policy, resource management, and stakeholder engagement. A collaborative and inquisitive individual looking for opportunities that intersect adaptation and resilience, policy, sustainability, and community development. Tanvi’s interests include climate change mitigation, conservation, urban development reform, circular economy, energy efficiency, and resource management.

Tiana Noelani Thorp (she/her) Tiana Noelani Thorp is an engineer by trade but is also passionate about climate change activism, art, and the ‘Āina Back movement. Tiana is currently in the second year of her Ph.D. at the University of Delaware where she studies civil engineering with a focus on engineering & public policy as a Distinguished Scholar Fellow. She previously received a BS in civil engineering with a focus on structures from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and dual MS degrees (structural engineering and wood science & engineering) from Oregon State University. Tiana’s dissertation research focuses on saltwater intrusion induced deterioration of infrastructure. Her long term career goal is to make sustainable building materials available to all people regardless of their financial circumstances through policy initiatives and grassroots activism. Tiana is currently training to run a marathon for charity (Students Run LA) next March and is a proud dog parent. ��

A Message from ASAP’s Incoming Board President Julia Kim

Mon, 30 Jan 2023 19:12:00 GMT

Dear ASAP Members and Partners,

Happy New Year! I hope your 2023 is off to a great start after a restorative winter break.

I am honored to serve as ASAP’s Board President this year and want to first express my deepest gratitude to ASAP’s staff and board for their ongoing leadership and commitment to supporting North America’s growing community of adaptation professionals.

As CivicWell’s Climate Change and Energy Program Director, I work with communities and coalitions across California to support local and regional resilience-building efforts and to promote an enabling policy environment for ongoing investments and progress toward an equitable and resilient future. As an adaptation professional, I strive to embody ASAP’s Living Guide in every space I am involved in, with particular attention to cultivating mutual relationships with leaders working on-the-ground to combat climate change and uplifting their efforts. And I am fortunate to have had the opportunities to work alongside and learn from leaders like Emily Wasley who served as ASAP’s President these past two years.

“Having known Julia for many years now, I am thrilled to have her serve as ASAP’s new President. She is a dedicated and compassionate adaptation leader – centralizing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in everything she does – both professionally and personally. We are so lucky to have Julia in this role, and I look forward to seeing what transformational changes we can make together with her leadership,” shared Emily Wasley, outgoing ASAP Board President.

Never has the urgency for climate resilience been greater – but this time around, we’re seeing historic levels of federal investments that can put plans into action, move projects and programs forward, and bring much-needed resilience resources to our most under-served and marginalized communities. Whether you are a community organizer, a scientist, a planner, an advocate, a policymaker, an educator, an engineer, or a technical assistance provider, we each have a critical role to play in the adaptation ecosystem and ASAP is here to support your efforts.

I encourage you to join ASAP’s Member-Led Interest Groups , attend an upcoming event , explore our resource library , and, if you aren’t already, consider joining ASAP as a member to access additional resources.

Thank you for your tireless efforts in serving your community. We look forward to another impactful year working together to build resilience, equity, and a brighter future for all.

With gratitude,

Julia Kim
ASAP Board President

Explore ASAP’s Peer Learning Groups in 2023

Fri, 20 Jan 2023 20:54:00 GMT

Last week ASAP announced this year’s Peer Learning Groups! Keep reading to explore the groups and sign up to receive vital monthly updates and calendar invites. If you have questions or need help finding the right group for you, join one of our ASAP 101 Orientation sessions or connect with ASAP’s Program Manager, Breana Nehls .

*- indicates groups that were voted in via ASAP’s Member-Led Interest Group formation process. Thanks to everyone that voted and submitted groups!

Funding and Finance Group – next meeting, January 23 at 12 PM ET
Focuses on defining strategies to help small and medium-sized local governments in the U.S. integrate key characteristics into their climate resilience projects to make them fundable. Register here .

Climate Migration and Managed Retreat – next meeting, January 25 at 4 PM ET
This group is a discussion and networking space for those interested in topics related to climate migration and managed retreat. Contact Barrett Ristroph at barrett@ristrophlaw.com to join.

Convening Climate Collaborators – next meeting, January 26 at 12 PM ET
January is this group’s final meeting as an ASAP MLIG. The group welcomes ASAP member, Ann Goodman, Ph.D., who will share highlights from her book about collaborative solutions in the climate adaptation field. Register here .

Community Adaptation Learning Exchange – next meeting, January 26 at 12 PM ET
January’s session focuses on building the business case for climate adaptation with a presentation by Shalini Vajjhala, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of re:focus partners. Register here .

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee’s Community of Practice – next meeting, January 27 at 3 PM ET
In January we will discuss (In)effective Community Engagement for Just Outcomes. Contact Galen Treuer ( gtreuer@gmail.com ) to join.

Private Sector Adaptation Professionals – next meeting, February 1 at 4 PM ET
Join the Private Sector Prime Sub-Group which uses a co-opetition model to pursue adaptation projects together. Contact Jim Fox ( jfox@fernleaf.us ) to join.

* Policy Practice Group – next meeting, February 3 at 1 PM ET
February’s meeting focuses on ASAP’s sixth policy priority “Establish government-wide coordination and lasting authority to enact, act on, and evaluate progress on climate resilience priorities.” Register here .

Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee’s Accountability Group – next meeting, February 8 at 12:30 PM ET
This group is as a sounding board for ASAP Staff and members to ensure that our work holds up and celebrates our JEDI Commitments . Contact Sharon Hausam ( sharonhausam1@gmail.com ) to join.

Network of Networks – next meeting, February 10 at 1 PM ET
This is a community for those who coordinate and lead existing adaptation networks, collaboratives, and groups to share ideas and benefit from a supportive community of peers. Register here .

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee – next meeting, April 17 at 12 PM ET
This group meets quarterly. Join us in April for a panel focused on storytelling for adaptation and resilience. Register here .

Nature Based Solutions Group – next meeting TBA
This group highlights promising practices for nature-based coastal resilience work and is part of a partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF). Register here .

Professional Opportunities in Adaptation – next meeting TBA
This group convenes those who are job searching, pivoting careers, or seeking other professional opportunities in the adaptation field. Register here .

* Adaptation & Vulnerabilities: Centering People, Homes, and Things we Love – meeting time TBA
This group brings together people of all backgrounds and identities to create the foundation for transformative adaptation solutions by listening deeply, engaging creatively, and shifting power to the people and communities experiencing the worst consequences of climate change. Register here .

*Rural Regional (Climate Adaptation and Mitigation) Collaboratives – meeting time TBA
Members of this group identify common challenges and opportunities typical for rural contexts, share resources and work collaboratively to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Register here .

R*ECO*NNECT – This third iteration of R*ECO*NNECT builds on a long history of ASAP personal resilience-oriented member groups and will begin in April 2023, with details on this year’s area of focus, schedule, and registration process forthcoming. Please email Lily Swanbrow Becker ( ljswanbrow@gmail.com ) or Susi Moser ( promundi@susannemoser.com ), to be added to a contact list for the coming year.

See you at a meeting soon!

ASAP Joins Technical Assistance Team for NCRF Grantees

Tue, 06 Dec 2022 19:45:00 GMT

ASAP is thrilled to join the Field Liaison Team for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF). Throwe Environmental, LLC leads the Team, which also includes Native American Fish and Wildlife Society (NAFWS).

As Field Liaisons, Throwe, ASAP, and NAFW will support NCRF applicants across the U.S. throughout 2023. The Team will host virtual and in-person peer-to-peer learning events and presentations. We will also conduct direct outreach, host conversations with potential applicants to develop project ideas, and troubleshoot with previous applicants as they consider reapplying for funding.

“ASAP excels at bridging gaps between sectors, scales, and geographies in the climate adaptation space,” says ASAP Acting Director Rachel Jacobson. “Getting projects funded is the number one challenge practitioners share with us. That’s why we use the power of our network to help communities navigate the complex worlds of climate resilience funding and finance. We look forward to bringing that power to NCRF and helping increase the climate resilience of coastal communities across the US.”

We are grateful to our partners at Throwe Environmental, Native American Fish and Wildlife Society, and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for this exciting opportunity. Look out for more information in the coming weeks about how to get involved.

Mentorship Spotlight: Professional Growth in the Field of Adaptation

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 17:25:00 GMT

Through the Mentorship Program, Celis and Revathi explored various topics such as equity in planning for climate action, approach to resilience in different parts of the country, differences in working for the public and private sector, the importance of resilience hubs in communities, and emerging areas of practice in the field of climate adaptation. They discussed ways to navigate through career changes that align with one’s goals and interests while leveraging previous experience.

They also discussed ways to approach professional growth in the field of climate adaptation. During their meetings, Celis shared his insight on several career development topics that ranged from personal assessment methods, online training courses, certificate programs, and networking to grow as a professional. Through the Mentorship Program, they met every two weeks; however, Celis was always only an email away! Revathi enjoyed hearing all about Celis’ home improvement projects.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Mentee Revathi Veriah is an Urban Planner and Policy Analyst for AECOM in their Urbanism and Planning Practice in Dallas, Texas. She is passionate about sustainable development, resilience, planning for climate change and equitable community development. Revathi brings her expertise to support public sector clients in various projects, including climate action plans, sustainability studies, economic resilience studies, emergency management and compliance.

Mentor Celis Brisbin is a management professional with over ten years of experience in creative and engaging climate solutions across various countries and industries. He is currently a Public Assistance Task Force Leader at FEMA, where he works on infrastructure projects related to climate resilience and recovery. Celis’ passion for climate solutions emerged when he witnessed the devastation of record droughts and storms while serving in the Peace Corps. Prior to FEMA, Celis worked to increase the availability and feasibility of renewable energy in the Northeast, where he developed innovative financing solutions that made community solar possible for small businesses and held the position of Deputy Director for the Massachusetts branch of the US Green Building Council. Celis holds an MEM from Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment and a BA in Community and Environmental Planning from the University of New Hampshire.

Action Plan for 2022 Policy Priority #3

Wed, 30 Nov 2022 17:24:00 GMT

As part of the 2022 goals for the Policy Practice Member-Led Interest Group (“PPG”) a series of meetings are planned to address each of the American Society of Adaptation Professionals’ (“ASAP”) policy priorities and develop actionable plans to be more proactive in advocating for climate-related policies. This is the action plan for policy priority #3 – Require all physical and social infrastructure decisions to consider future climate conditions.

Action Plan for 2022 Policy Priority #2

Wed, 30 Nov 2022 17:19:00 GMT

As part of the 2022 goals for the Policy Practice Member-Led Interest Group (“PPG”) a series of meetings are planned to address each of the American Society of Adaptation Professionals’ (“ASAP”) policy priorities and develop actionable plans to be more proactive in advocating for climate-related policies. This is the action plan for policy priority #2 – Prioritize justice and equity in all aspects of climate resilience investments.

A Giving Tuesday Message From Beth Gibbons

Tue, 29 Nov 2022 15:01:00 GMT

Over the past month, as I have transitioned out of my position of Executive Director to being a general member of ASAP, I felt incredible support, gratitude and fulfillment. I have no doubt that the future of ASAP is bright because of the shared trust between us all. This trust enables us to create just and equitable climate solutions so we can all share in the power and prosperity of a climate-resilient future.

It is critical for adaptation professionals to have a space to share ideas, get support, and learn. ASAP continues to create this space thanks to gifts of many kinds: wisdom, leadership, energy, and financial support. Today, on Giving Tuesday, I hope you will join me in giving a gift to ASAP so that we can continue to work and grow together.

Thank You For Your Support,
Beth Gibbons, Former ASAP Executive Director

At ASAP our core values are trust, reciprocity, member leadership, and something for everyone (but not everything for everyone). But what is trust? Trust is a gift given between people or institutions. It extends beyond common interests and shared goals to being mutually vulnerable to one another. Trust is a deep and powerful bond. It can live unspoken and unseen, but anchors two beings together through good times and bad.

I learned so much over the past six years as the Executive Director of ASAP. The most important lesson is that the success of this network requires deep trust in one another.

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Incorporating Climate Adaptation Policy- A Localized Approach

Wed, 12 Oct 2022 18:43:00 GMT

Based on their experiences working for the public sector, Jayla and Jamesine spent much of the mentorship engagement discussing how to successfully implement climate adaptation strategies in local government. Climate adaptation strategies are often thought of as large-scale infrastructure projects that require a lot of capital and political buy-in. However, effective climate adaptation strategies can also be small-scale, localized, and intersectional. Climate adaptation in Salt Lake County, Utah looks different from climate adaptation in the Bay Area of California due, in part, to varying political contexts that affect stakeholder interests, staff capacity, and resources. Nevertheless, as Jamesine shared, there is an opportunity for action by anchoring climate adaptation to the priorities and mandates of decision-makers and stakeholders.

Jayla, for example, works to remediate environmentally contaminated properties and on a workforce development program that supports low-income individuals in completing training programs and securing high-quality jobs. These programs address policy concerns for the community and County leadership. From a climate adaptation lens, these are seemingly disparate activities. However, cleaning up known contamination in blighted neighborhoods strengthens communities and makes them more resilient to climate impacts. Similarly, supporting low-income individuals in entering high-paying jobs advances community economic mobility and stability. These activities can also lay the groundwork for community engagement to inform climate adaptation planning. With the lessons learned throughout this mentorship engagement, Jayla will continue to work to integrate climate adaptation into policy priority areas through a localized, intersectional lens.

Interested in becoming a mentor or mentee? Submit an application to join the ASAP Mentorship program by November 20 or learn more !

Mentee Jayla Lundstrom is an Economic Development Coordinator with Salt Lake County where she works on EPA Brownfields programs to assess and remediate environmental contaminat ion in underserved neighborhoods. Prior, she worked as an AmeriCorps VISTA for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium where she supported Alaska Native communities in securing grants to understand climate impacts on community infrastructure. Jayla is interested in the intersection of grassroots community engagement, economic development, and climate adaptation.

Mentor Jamesine Rogers Gibson has nearly 20 years of experience advancing equitable climate mitigation and adaptation, clean air, resilient clean energy and infrastructure, public health, and smarter land use and transportation systems through cutting-edge strategies, policies, and initiatives. She has worked at all levels of government (U.S. Congress, Federal, State, and Local), two non-profits, and a foundation. Her recent pro bono work focuses on the intersection of climate with equity and business. Currently, she is a Senior Advisor on Climate for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

September 2022 Peer Learning Round-Up

Wed, 28 Sep 2022 16:39:00 GMT

Peer Learning is at the heart of the ASAP Network! Welcome to the monthly Peer Learning Round-Up! Let’s recap the last opportunities for peer learning at ASAP:

Policy Practice Group

Our September Policy Practice Group meeting hosted a peer learning session on our third policy priority, “Require all physical and social infrastructure decisions to consider future climate conditions.”

Meeting Resources + Key Takeaways :

Notes
Policy Tracker – all round robin policy updates are captured on the tracker
Many resources for the IRA are in the Slack Channel .
We focused our discussion on integrating equity into infrastructure projects.
Our breakout rooms focused on case studies that highlighted where attendees have experienced successes and challenges in integrating equity into infrastructure projects. See notes from breakout groups here .
Action plan from priority #1 is here .
Action plan from priorities #2 and #3 will be ready soon!

Group Overview: Members seek to encourage and leverage meaningful U.S. state and federal government interventions that support adaptation planning, implementation, and research through legislative, regulatory, or budgetary policy actions in line with ASAP’s Policy Priorities.

Next Meeting: Join us for our next group meeting on October 7th at 1:00 pm EST. We will be moving to our fourth policy priority “Preserve, restore, and manage natural systems for climate resilience”. Stay tuned for speaker details!

Network of Networks

This month our speaker was Rewa Phansalkar, Research and Outreach Specialist at the New York State Water Resources Institute at Cornell University and colleagues. Rewa presented on “ Adaptation Governance Networks along the Lake Ontario Shoreline: Identifying Opportunities to Build Local Adaptive Capacity through Regional Collaboration” highlighting climate-induced flooding along the shoreline of Lake Ontario caused significant damage to infrastructure and property. As climate change continues to impact lake levels in unforeseen and uncertain ways, the region faces a threat from increased erosion, flooding and low water levels. It is critical to establish dynamic adaptation strategies for lake level management on Lake Ontario and reduce barriers to local adaptation under climate and lake level management uncertainty. This project uses Social Network Analysis (SNA) to describe the systems that govern adaptation outcomes along the shoreline, and aims to outline possible gaps and barriers in coastal adaptation at the community level by understanding various stakeholders, players, and processes that comprise the network.

Group Overview: This is a community for those who coordinate and lead existing adaptation networks, collaboratives, and groups to share ideas and benefit from a supportive community of peers.

Next Meeting:

Funding and Finance

The September ASAP Funding and Finance Group meeting focused on a discussion on federal funding with Krystal Laymon from FEMA. Below is a meeting recap and related resources.

Meeting Notes – Sep 2022 Agenda – Google Docs
Resilience Funding Tracker – Resilience Funding Tracker – Google Docs
Ready to Fund Resilience Toolkit – Ready-to-Fund Resilience Toolkit – Adaptation Professionals

We will not be meeting virtually in October, but we hope to tag-up with everyone who will be attending the National Adaptation Forum in Baltimore. We will resume our regularly scheduled meetings in November.

Group Overview:
Focuses on defining strategies to help small and medium-sized local governments in the U.S. integrate key characteristics into their climate resilience projects to make them fundable.

Next Meeting:

Community Adaptation Learning Exchange

In September CALE held a discussion with Dr. Megan Lawson, Economist at Headwaters Economics and Jon Snyder, Senior Policy Advisor for Outdoor Recreation and Economic Development at the Washington State Governor’s Office. This session titled “How Outdoor Recreation Can Support Economic Development and Climate Adaptation” focused on the opportunities and challenges associated with outdoor recreation economies, and what communities with outdoor recreation-based economies are doing to adapt to a changing climate.

CALE’s theme for 2022-2023 is exploring the ways that adaptation and resilience planning can drive economic opportunity. Watch past sessions HERE .

Group Overview:

Convenes conversations about climate adaptation practice to facilitate knowledge development and support member connections.

Next Meeting:

Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee

The last Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee meeting focused on Designing Adaptation Projects to Center Equity! It was a pleasure to have Emily Eisenhauer and other staff members from the EPA present the Equitable Resilience Builder, followed by a brainstorming and Q&A session.

Four main takeaways emerged from the Q&A, chat and discussions: the role of funders in the design of adaptation projects, community agency in adaptation projects, the need for system change, and language impacts on equity. Watch the meeting on demand or read the summary notes to learn more.

Committee Overview:

Advances and discusses the urgent need to equitably adapt to climate change necessitates the removal of oppressive systems and requires a transformation into a society where we all share in the power and prosperity of resilient economic and social systems.

Next Meeting:

For the October ASAP JEDI Committee Quarterly Meeting, we will be focusing on examples of community engagement from the perspective of an outside organization coming into a community in contrast to an organization embedded within a community seeking outside assistance. We will be sharing tools for understanding the potential role of power in relationship building, lessons learned from lived experiences, and some best practices for community engagement in your work.

JEDI Community of Practice

This month we had a conversation on the what and why of land acknowledgments. We explored questions like: Why do we share land acknowledgments? How do we go beyond an acknowledgment and move to action? How do we do this with authenticity without feeling awkward or performative?

Group Overview:

Join this space to discuss implementing JEDI into your work or engage with the sharing of challenges and success stories.

Next Meeting:

JEDI Accountability Group

This month ASAP Staff shared how ASAP as an orgnaization can remain accountable to our JEDI Commitments.

Group Overview:

This group acts as a sounding board for ASAP Staff and members to ensure that our work holds up and celebrates our JEDI Commitments .

Next Meeting:

Professional Opportunities in Adaptation

Recap Coming Soon!

Group Overview:
This group is for ASAP members who are job searching, pivoting careers, or seeking other professional opportunities, to build the tools and network to land their next opportunity in adaptation.

Next Meeting:

Convening Climate Collaborators

Group Overview:

A space to connect, learn, share and design collaboratively solutions to advance the adaptation agenda with other professional organizations. Would you like to share an overview of your organization at a meeting? Contact Breana Nehls .

Next Meeting:

We are still defining our speaker, let us know if you’d like to share!

Private Sector Adaptation Professionals

We will be spending our next couple of meetings discussing how to make our group even more useful. Join us to help shape the future of the group!

Group Overview:

Working together to establish best practice and collaborate for success.

Next Meeting:

RECONNECT

Group Overview:

This group is focused on strengthening connections to build personal resilience. The group welcomes new participants seasonally!

Next Meeting:

Climate Migration and Managed Retreat

Group Overview:

This group will serve as a discussion and networking space for those interested in topics related to climate migration and managed retreat.

Next Meeting:

��️ Friday, October 7, 1-2 PM ET
�� Register now .

��️ Friday, October 7, 3-4 PM ET
�� Register now .

��️ Monday, November 28, 12-1 PM ET
�� Register now .

��️ November, Date and Time TBD
�� Register now .

��️ Wednesday, October 17, 12-1:30 PM ET
�� Register Now .

��️ Friday, October 28, 3-4 PM ET
�� Email Galen Treuer at gtreuer@gmail.com .

��️ Wednesday, October 12, 12:30-1:30 PM ET
�� Email Sharon Hausam at sharonhausam1@gmail.com .

Career Panel
��️ Friday, October 21, 1-2 PM ET
�� Register now .

��️ Thursday, October 27, 12-1 PM ET

�� Register now .

��️ Wednesday, October 5, 4-5 PM ET
�� Register now .

��️ TBD
�� Email Lily Swanbrow Becker ( ljswanbrow@gmail.com ) or Susi Moser ( promundi@susannemoser.com ).

��️ Tuesday, October 25, 3-4:15 PM ET
�� Email Christian Kamrath at ckamrath88@gmail.com .

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Climate Resilience and Adaptation Conversations Between the Public and Private Sector

Mon, 26 Sep 2022 19:32:00 GMT

Ben and Sidney have discussed a series of topics throughout the 2022 Mentorship Program, yet one topic has been the main focal point. The main focus has been on “how to be a climate adaptation professional professionally and technically”. As Sidney recently entered the climate adaptation space, he is curious to discover how more experienced professionals have navigated their early career stages. During the mentorship, a few questions were raised: how to network as a young professional, maintain a good work-life balance, and improve public speaking skills. Ben shared many great tips and experiences from when he first encountered similar situations. Sidney finds the experience sharing valuable as the type of knowledge is often lacking during academic training.

Apart from the professional career development, Ben and Sidney discussed many on-going changes in the climate adaptation space, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and the SEC’s proposed rule on climate disclosure. Ben and Sidney shared their perspectives on how such policies might influence the public and private sectors.

Sidney quickly picked up on Ben’s deep passion for nature and conservation. The image of a New Hampshire river surrounded by wildflowers on his zoom background tells the story! Ben also enjoyed getting to know Sidney on a personal level through stories of Sidney’s travels to various West Coast cities with friends. His positive attitude and bright smile undoubtedly make Sidney a joy to work with!

Thanks to both for sharing what they learned!

Mentee Sidney Chen is an associate consultant at WSP USA with an educational background in development practice with a focus on sustainability and climate change. Sidney supports clients by providing strategic and analytical support. Specifically, he helps clients assess business risks and opportunities associated with the physical impacts of climate change and the transition to a low-carbon economy, conducts client benchmarking, and develops roadmaps aligned with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosure (TCFD).

Mentor Ben Sweeney is a Watershed Management Specialist with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES). He works with New Hampshire’s coastal communities to address their stormwater management challenges and increase their resilience to worsening coastal flood hazards. Before his current role, Ben was a NOAA Coastal Management Fellow with the NHDES and the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership. He gained private-sector experience providing stormwater, wastewater, and drinking water asset management services to communities throughout northern New England. Ben holds an M.A. in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island and a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of New Hampshire.

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Be present. Be active. Be engaged.

Mon, 26 Sep 2022 18:49:00 GMT

“Be present. Be active. Be engaged,” Anna and Chris unearthed this simple mantra during their second monthly meeting, and it has been a guiding force throughout their mentorship process.

With Chris in the early stages of his career, adopting the mindset of being present, active in the climate adaptation space, and engaged with a diversity of people and professionals has allowed him to explore new areas of the field that diverged from his professional background – like climate impacts on national security, environmental policy, and public health.

During their meetings, Anna helped Chris navigate a wide range of career development topics that spanned personal assessment methods, interview tactics, and how to redirect negative perceptions. They would regularly meet each month; however, the opportunity to reach out to Anna anytime was there, which made a world of difference when tackling professional development issues in real-time.

Since entering the mentorship program, Chris has developed a greater sense of awareness of his capabilities as a scientist, educator, and communicator. It turns out all it took was a gentle ask for help and an open mind! Chris is excited to see where his fresh skills (and a few he already had) will take him next – always mindful about being present, active, and engaged.

Mentee Chris Bobryk is a Planner at the Clinton River Watershed Council in Rochester Hills, Michigan. He leads a variety of programs that help communities plan stormwater management designs and establish long-term community connections to natural resources.

Mentor Anna Marandi is a Program Officer at PEW Charitable Trusts working on state-level flood resilience planning and partnerships and federal flood policy initiatives. In this role, Marandi works to ensure that policies and programs effectively serve local governments and generate equitable outcomes for communities. Previously, Anna worked on metro-regional climate collaboration efforts and, later, supported city officials through the National League of Cities on a broad array of climate resilience issues, including climate-induced migration.

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Planning for Life’s Personal and Professional Transitions

Tue, 13 Sep 2022 13:19:00 GMT

A key component of Amanda’s work is bridging the gap between climate science and stakeholder communities through network building. She served as lead organizer for the biennial Carolinas Climate Resilience Conference from 2014 to 2021. Amanda is a co-chair of the Program Committee for the National Adaptation Forum and has served as a mentor for the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) Mentorship Program for two terms.

Both Katie and Amanda were in the midst of personal and professional transitions throughout the ASAP Mentorship Program. At the beginning of the program, Katie was living and working in Alaska and Amanda was in North Carolina. Throughout the program, Katie and Amanda both transitioned to new professional and academic opportunities and moved across the country. Katie moved from Alaska to Connecticut to start graduate school, while Amanda moved from North Carolina to Minnesota for a new job and personal adventure. Many of their conversations throughout the program focused on how to plan for life’s transitions, embrace the uncertainties of new opportunities, and how to be intentional in leaving and entering new professional environments.

For Katie, the biggest takeaway from the Mentorship Program was the importance of using professional development planning as a tool during transitions. Katie has developed a professional development plan in partnership with Amanda that will guide her time during graduate school by helping her focus her academic coursework, professional experiences, and extracurriculars around her development goals. Katie found tremendous value in connecting with someone else who was feeling uncertain about transitioning to a new place and the excitement and anxiety that comes with finding a new home in a new place.

Similarly, for Amanda, this year’s Mentorship Program offered a unique opportunity to connect with colleagues and discuss shared experiences and approaches during our transitions.

She began working remotely with MCAP last October before moving to Minnesota this summer. As she started the new position, she was quickly able to see how transferrable many of the skills and knowledge she had built in the Carolinas were. She felt that she was able to speak from personal experience to reassure Katie that she would find similar opportunities to apply her prior work experience to her graduate studies and to use those experiences to guide her professional development path.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Katie Lund is a Master’s of Environmental Management (MEM) candidate at the Yale School of the Environment. At the beginning of the ASAP Mentorship Program, Katie was working as a Community Resilience Specialist with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC). For four years, she supported Alaska Native communities in planning, developing, and implementing community-driven adaptation strategies from climate impacts to infrastructure. Katie is pursuing a MEM degree to develop policy and planning skills, explore career paths within the adaptation field, and increase her technical knowledge of climate impacts. Katie received a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Macalester College in 2018.

Amanda Farris is the Senior Program Manager for the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership (“MCAP”). In this role, Amanda helps to coordinate the MCAP program and several ongoing grants, collaborates with regional partners, translates climate data and information to support decision-making, and builds networks of climate adaptation practitioners. Amanda also works with researchers at the UMN Institute on the Environment to improve climate data visualization and communications. Prior to joining the MCAP team, Amanda worked with the Carolinas Integrated Sciences & Assessments (CISA), an applied climate research team at the University of South Carolina Department of Geography.

A Message From President Emily Wasley on the Importance of ASAP in the Adaptation Community

Tue, 30 Aug 2022 19:37:00 GMT

Join ASAP’s first-ever giving campaign and hear from ASAP members on how the Network inspires them and has been a driving force in advancing their career. The campaign ends September 18, make your contribution today!

This week hear from ASAP’s President Emily Wasley on what makes ASAP a place we all love.

How did you find ASAP?

Emily was drawn to ASAP’s values of democracy and transparency which ultimately inspired her to become ASAP’s Board President, ensuring the work of the Board and the work of ASAP Member Leaders is integrated, complimentary, and accessible to the entire ASAP community. In the words of Emily: “ASAP’s incredibly supportive, innovative, collaborative, and driven network of practitioners has a place for everyone, no matter how long you have been in the field or what your needs might include.”

Why is ASAP valuable to you?

ASAP is a community where Emily feels most at home. Her adaptation career has progressed with the support and engagement of ASAP and she has gained an incredibly strong and supportive network of colleagues, partners, and friends through ASAP.

How do you use ASAP programs, resources, and network?

As the President of ASAP’s Board Emily finds herself leveraging her experience as a corporate climate resilience leader to bring more businesses to the table to take advantage of “the incredible opportunities for partnerships, co-designed solutions, and innovative finance mechanisms that could arise if we bring together governments, corporations, universities, NGOs, and communities to collaborate and create a shared vision for a more sustainable and resilient future.”

ASAP’s greatest strength — collaborative, cross-sector partnerships.

What is the change you see ASAP making in the world?

Emily believes that ASAP has the adaptive capacity from members and the adaptation field to provide effective and consistent support no matter what the future holds for our profession, climate, or society. For Emily, ASAP is an exciting way to engage in discussions more deeply and to be a part of this incredible movement to enhance our adaptive capacity at a variety of scales from the personal, organizational, community, national, and global.

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Understanding What Makes a Climate Adaptation Professional

Mon, 29 Aug 2022 13:54:00 GMT

Alec and John have spent a large portion of the mentorship discussing a strange question: what makes a climate adaptation professional? Climate adaptation can be applied by multiple fields: engineers, planners, community managers, scientists and more. However, they all have universal skills that cross disciplines. Since Alec is developing his career, he and John have been discussing what universal skills are necessary for a climate adaptation professional. These are the most critical items they have come up with:

Knowledge of and ability to apply adaptation solutions
Being able to conduct a site-specific analysis
Ability to deal with uncertainty and be capable of making a decision based on uncertainty
Analytical skills and ability to understand data and its scale
Communication skills – specifically, communicating with stakeholders
Business development skills
Ability to think creatively

Thanks to both Mentorship Program participants for sharing what they have learned! Stay tuned as applications for the 2023 program participants opens this fall!

Mentee Alec Rodriguez is a Water Resources Engineer at Atkins in Denver, Colorado, where he works on water resources and climate resilience projects. He also has experience with H&H modeling, emergency management planning, and water utility risk and resilience assessments. In addition to his day job, he is the Co-Founder and Operations Chair of the Resilience Youth Network , a nonprofit that is developing the next generation of leaders in the field of climate resilience. Alec is passionate about helping communities adapt to climate change and is working to build his career in that space.

Mentor John Phillips has been working in the water industry since 1999 and is the Director of Integrated Watershed Management at Parametrix . He has experience in emergency planning, comprehensive planning, long-range planning, climate change science, climate adaptation, wet weather issues, green infrastructure, and co-benefit analysis. He has an extensive background in climate adaptation, equity and social justice and applying climate science to pro-active actions. John has spent many hours working with the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group scoping specific studies to better understand how science impacts urban planning and utility planning. His work has been featured in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report and the 2014 National Climate Assessment.

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Exploring Climate Adaptation in the Private Sector

Mon, 29 Aug 2022 13:39:00 GMT

Throughout the 2022 Mentorship Program , Danielle and Alua have been exploring ways to grow as a private sector adaptation professional. One focus has been identifying resources to build technical expertise for climate adaptation such as online training courses and certificate programs. Additionally, Alua has been encouraging and helping Danielle leverage opportunities for networking to grow as a climate adaptation professional. Alua has provided great tips on how to leverage LinkedIn, reach out to others, and form professional connections. Discussions have also included different specialties within the climate adaptation field and different career paths. Additionally, Alua has been helping Danielle identify skills from her background in consulting that transfer to the adaptation field.

Thanks to both Mentorship Program participants for sharing what they have learned! Stay tuned as applications for the 2023 program participants opens this fall!

Mentee Danielle Curri is a graduate of North Carolina State University with a degree in Civil Engineering. During her time in school, she spent three years serving as the lead researcher on a project developing an optimization model to assist with sustainable industrial development. This project helped spark her passion for sustainable infrastructure. Over the past two years, Danielle has worked as a Civil Engineering Analyst at Kimley-Horn. While her primary practice area is transportation planning and traffic operations, she has been working to incorporate climate adaptation into her career.

Mentor Alua Suleimenova is a corporate sustainability strategist with 6+ years of international experience in climate program management, water stewardship, and ESG strategy. Alua currently works as a Global Sustainability Program Manager for Marvell Technology. Before joining Marvell, she worked as a sustainability consultant providing advisory services to Fortune 500 companies focused on developing and enhancing climate-related programs and initiatives. Previously, she worked as a project consultant with two United Nations agencies and as a sustainability analyst for a multinational buildings material company. Alua holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and a master’s degree in Water Science and Engineering.

“One of my main reasons for joining the ASAP Mentorship Program was to gain more direction as a climate adaptation professional. Going into the program, I knew I had a passion for resilient and sustainable infrastructure but was lost on how to grow that passion into a career. Alua has helped introduce me to a variety of adaptation career paths and specialties. She has helped me articulate my goals as a climate adaptation professional and provided guidance on how to reach those goals.” – Danielle

What Inspires You? ASAP’s President-Elect Julia Kim Shares Her Insights

Tue, 23 Aug 2022 13:57:00 GMT

Meet ASAP’s President-Elect Julia Kim and understand how she came to love ASAP:

How did you find ASAP?

Why is ASAP valuable to you?

How do you use ASAP’s programs, resources, and network?

What is the change you see ASAP making in the world?

I was lucky enough to step into an existing partnership between ASAP and my organization when I started at CivicWell. Through this partnership, I had the opportunity to work with the incredible staff at ASAP as part of the 2016 California Adaptation Forum , just as I was launching my career in the climate adaptation/resilience field. This marked the beginning of my (almost) 7-year journey with ASAP!

ASAP helps me stay informed and inspired in this rapidly growing and evolving field — one that can also feel daunting and scary at times. The spaces and opportunities that ASAP has created for us are gifts that just keep on giving. The connections I’ve been able to form with adaptation leaders from across the country have been invaluable.

ASAP events , newsletters , and member-led groups have all been great resources for me over the years. But one that really stands out is ASAP’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee and Leadership Team, which I have had the honor of serving on since 2019. Being part of this community provides a sense of safety, support, and camaraderie not just to keep me going, but to push me further.

ASAP is helping to sustain and grow the adaptation movement by focusing on what really matters: the people. People on the frontlines and those of us working behind the scenes; adaptation pioneers and adaptation newcomers; across generations and across state lines. Wherever you are in your climate adaptation and community resilience journey, there’s a space for you here.

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: A Values-Based Foundation for a Career in Climate Adaptation

Tue, 16 Aug 2022 13:23:00 GMT

What Alli and Dana Have Accomplished

Alli and Dana are exploring personal values, how they show up in the workplace, and how being aware of one’s values can help them throughout their careers. Dana has helped mentor teams through values workshopping before, and was able to help Alli think about and articulate her personal values by sharing useful articles and workshopping scenarios planning. As a young professional in her adaptation career, articulating values is helping Alli frame experiences more positively on her resume, better inquire about company culture, and provide more mindful responses to interview questions.

The two have also spent a chunk of time discussing the job search. As she considers her future, Alli is learning more about job titles and career paths and planning for a successful job search. The two have focused on creating a strong resume and cover letter. The most valuable lesson Alli has learned is to describe herself using terminology based on the skills she wants to cultivate and not limit herself based on her current title.

Conversations about values have led Alli and Dana to discern between two types – professional values and personal values. After talking about personal values, they transitioned to discussing professional values by reading ASAP’s Living Guide to the Principles of Adaptation . The Living Guide explores values and fundamental principles for engagement in adaptation. Being able to discern between – and articulate – the push and pull between personal and professional values has helped Alli better plan for a future with a healthy work-life balance and not lose sight of what’s important. Being in touch with one’s personal and professional values has specifically helped Alli better define boundaries that will help her thrive, what is most important to her, and what she is willing – or not willing – to sacrifice along the way.

What Alli and Dana Think About Each Other

As a graduate student, Dana did a ton of informational interviewing (and maybe more importantly, reflecting on what she learned!) As an introvert who finds informational interviewing tough, Alli admires the effort that Dana put into this process and appreciates Dana sharing the wisdom that she learned from this time in her life!

Alli had a past career as an auto claims representative and Dana loves how she’s mined that job – as well as other life experiences – to show how her skills and expertise shine through no matter what field she applies them to.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Learn more about the ASAP Mentorship Program .

Mentee Alli Wenman is an Outreach Specialist at the UW-Madison Arboretum, where she manages a project aimed to develop the skills of local advocates involved in healthy stormwater action through outreach, general education and formal training, and small grant awards. Alli holds her B.S. (’16) in botany and her M.S. (’21) in environmental conservation, both from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She joined ASAP in June of 2021 and has been most active with the Professional Opportunities in Adaptation member-led group.

Mentor Dana Brechwald currently leads a team at the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, a California State agency, that seeks to find creative solutions for region-wide adaptation planning along the San Francisco Bay shoreline. The team’s mission is to increase collaboration, provide resources to amplify capacity, elevate a collective voice to funders and legislators, and answer hard questions so cities and communities don’t have to do it themselves. Dana has previously worked on disaster recovery, earthquake, and wildfire planning. Dana’s approach to her work is to identify commonalities and multi-faceted solutions, demystify new ideas, and support the people working in this space so they don’t feel overwhelmed or burnt out but instead empowered to create a better future.

American Society of Adaptation Professionals’ Policy Priority #1 Action Plan

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 21:23:00 GMT

Priority #1 is to Establish Standards for Climate Data and Require use of Future Climate Projections.

As part of the 2022 goals for the Policy Practice Member-Led Interest Group (“PPG”) a series of meetings are planned to address each of the American Society of Adaptation Professionals’ (“ASAP”) policy priorities and develop actionable plans to be more proactive in advocating for climate-related policies.

Examples of proactive activities would include support of bills at the state and federal level, using key messages about ASAP priorities in conversations with elected officials, developing material for members to use when advocating for policy and sharing priorities with partners.

Action Plan

The action plan for policy priority one was divided into three sections, federal, state, and local. The reason for this division is the need for locally relevant data and the ability for each sector to either provide data or incentive the creation of data.

Federal

Engage with key federal departments that are likely sources of information (Commerce, Agriculture and EPA) to advocate for a unified science.
Engage with CEQ to identify places in NEPA for impacts related to available climate projections.
Continue to support federal bills that provide funding for regional and state advancement of climate research with requirements for outreach and training on the data. Use the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group as a model and the Northwest Climate Consortium.
Continue to engage with NOAA RISAs, USGS Climate Adaptation Science Centers, USDA Climate Hubs, USDOT Transportation Resilience and Adaptation Centers of Excellence, and other climate services network components, including the National Center for Environmental Information, Regional Climate Centers, State Climatological and Weather Forecast Offices, etc.
Promote the establishment of National Climate Service(s)

State

Advocate for state-level adaptation through hazard management plans and state hazard management offices
Monitor state preferences for climate change and resiliency. This issue was brought up for the states that have shut down any climate change related work for political reasons. Education/communication/outreach. Different approaches to outreach.
Advocates to move beyond “consider” climate change.
Look to other partners (for example, The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club, FloodPlains by Design, and Universities) to develop statewide plans for climate adaptation.
Where feasible and useful engage state agencies, for example, transportation, public health, environment, natural resources, etc. with established and well-developed climate resilience and adaptation programs as models of state-level action

Local

Assist with metrics for building codes and community planning guidance.
Advocate for city-wide standards for scenario development.
Develop client assistance memos and how-to guides for ASAP members.
To assist local governments, advocate for the state and federal actions listed above.

To aid in discussions about Policy Priority #1, the April 2022 meeting included speakers who could discuss action around data integration and use of climate data and policy. The speakers were:

Eric Burnstein from Urban Institute and co-author of the recent Urban Institute/Pew report State Flood Resilience and Adaptation Planning: Challenges and Opportunities .
Kelsey Ducklow from California Coastal Commission will speak on how standards and projections were handled in the development of California’s sea level rise planning guidance.
David Herring with NOAA’s US Global Change Research Program and co-chair of Federal Adaptation and Resilience Group.

In the following meeting, PPG facilitated small group discussions broken into federal, state, and local interests. This document summarizes the discussion and key takeaways from the facilitated discussions. The following list of actions is derived from the discussions within the small groups.

ASAP’s 2022 Policy Priorities

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 17:30:00 GMT

Introduction

American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) is the professional home for close to 1,000 individuals and over 45 organizations – collectively employing over 100,000 workers – across North America. ASAP members represent all sectors of society and dozens of industries. In the past year, ASAP members have seen increased awareness of climate impacts and the need for adaptation, more established standards for climate risk disclosure, and increased attention to the inaccessibility of government funds for adaptation. The coming year offers a rare opportunity for lawmakers to intentionally invest in just and equitable climate adaptation and resilience policies and programs. In order to seize this window of opportunity and ensure public programs and resources address critical climate adaptation needs, ASAP recommends pursuing the following priorities at all levels of government:

ASAP’s 2022 Policy Priorities are:

Establish standards for the use of best available climate data and mandate use of future climate projections, whenever possible.
Prioritize justice and equity in all aspects of climate resilience investments.
Require all physical and social infrastructure decisions to consider future climate conditions.
Preserve, restore, and manage natural systems for climate resilience.
Invest in defining, developing, and training the climate change adaptation and climate resilience workforce.
Establish government-wide coordination and lasting authority to enact, act on, and evaluate progress on climate resilience priorities.

ASAP Members urge policymakers at all scales – local, state, provincial, regional, and national – to act swiftly and resolutely to stop the root causes of climate change, enable adaptation to irreversible climate impacts, and center the experiences and needs of people and communities most impacted* in climate action. Focusing on the priorities listed above will enable members to undertake effective and just climate change adaptation and climate resilience work and create the conditions for communities, ecosystems, and economies to transform into thriving systems that sustainably support lives and livelihoods.

Over the course of 2022, members of ASAP’s Policy Practice Group are convening monthly to deeply explore innovative policy solutions aligned with each of these priorities and document specific policy recommendations that can be implemented on the local, state/provincial, and national levels. This blog series will highlight the recommendations. We encourage all adaptation professionals and climate policy professionals to draw inspiration from this content for their own work and share widely. Learn more about ASAP’s Policy Practice Group here .

*People and communities most impacted by climate change include those that are both highly exposed to climate risks because of the places they live and have fewer resources, capacity, safety nets, or political power to respond to those risks because of widespread discrimination, promoted by histories of colonialism, white supremacy, domination of nature, and economic exploitation. They include Black people, Indigenous Peoples, people of color, people with low incomes and from low-income backgrounds as well as other individuals and communities such as immigrants, those at-risk of displacement, old and young people, people experiencing homelessness, outdoor workers, incarcerated people, renters, people with disabilities, and chronically ill or hospitalized people.

1. Establish standards for climate data and require use of future climate information.

Using locally relevant climate data and information and considering the full range of possible climate outcomes is foundational for clearly understanding climate risk, identifying effective adaptation actions, and avoiding maladaptation. It is critical to establish mandates requiring that future climate information be integrated into all decisions including planning, investments, and government program requirements. This means that policymakers must:

Allocate adequate resources to existing programs that provide locally-relevant climate data, information, and technical assistance. These programs support actors across all sectors and scales, providing both data and information as well as technical assistance and services to apply it in decision-making processes and take action.
Take legal and policy action to establish standards for disseminating and using future climate data and information. This includes requiring the use of future climate information in government programs and investments and in updates to standards and codes as well as requiring climate risk and vulnerability assessments.

2. Prioritize justice and equity in all aspects of climate resilience investment.

Every climate resilience investment decision affects justice and equity. Policymakers must put in place mechanisms to assess climate resilience investment decisions to ensure they prioritize justice and equity. This means that policymakers must:

Acknowledge the root causes of inequitably distributed climate impacts, namely systemic oppression and centuries of unequal investment. Address injustices, especially racial and economic injustices, at their core whenever possible to remove these barriers and create the conditions needed for individuals, communities, and systems to be able to adapt and transform. Address past injustices by reallocating money to those impacted by unjust systems in the past and present.
Create dedicated funding streams for the people and communities most impacted by climate change * and evaluate and eliminate challenges they face for accessing existing resources and services.
Track and report where climate resilience investments are being made and create mechanisms to assess who is benefitting from these investments.
Commit to fair decision-making processes by centering the needs and experiences of those most impacted by climate change* in policies and programs. Ensure that all individuals and communities have power in the processes and decisions that may affect them. Support people, especially Indigenous Peoples’, self-determination, access to traditional lands, and ability to move out of harm’s way if – and how – they choose.

3. Require all physical and social infrastructure decisions to consider future climate conditions.

As more public funds become available for physical and social infrastructure projects to build climate resilience, we need a much stronger policy framework to ensure project prioritization, planning, siting, design, construction, and maintenance address future climate conditions as well as equity and justice. Infrastructure unable to withstand current or future hazards inhibits the well-being of people, threatens our economy, and damages the health of our natural environment. Infrastructure in places highly exposed to climate risks may be better relocated elsewhere. Investments that appear to reduce vulnerability to climate change may actually do the opposite without careful consideration of the impacts to all populations and systems. To address these issues, governments should:

Require public investments in infrastructure to be designed to withstand future climate conditions, benefit first and foremost communities most impacted by climate change*, incorporate nature-based solutions, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Create incentives to ensure private sector investments in infrastructure do the same.
Integrate current and future climate information into building codes and standards.
Reduce barriers to communities for using existing and new public and private funding and finance mechanisms to build new – and retrofit existing – climate resilience infrastructure.

4. Heal and protect nature to build climate resilience.

Nature has intrinsic value for millions of species, provides irreplaceable protection against climate impacts, and provides the food, water, and materials necessary to sustain life, economies, and society. Natural systems are threatened by a myriad of hazards, including climate change. Policies should work to heal and protect nature by:

Supporting the use of ecosystem best management practices and indigenous land stewardship practices proven to improve ecological integrity, biodiversity, language, health, food security, and livelihoods. This includes setting standards for implementing these practices on public lands and incentives for implementing these practices on private lands.
Strengthening policies and laws that preserve and restore natural systems, improving nature’s ability to adapt to climate change, sequester carbon, and provide for human needs.
Respectfully engaging with – and deferring to – indigenous land stewards when establishing policies and programs and ensuring policies maintain and restore indigenous rights and authority.

5. Invest in defining, developing, and training the climate change adaptation and climate resilience workforce.

Climate change adaptation and climate resilience is a rapidly growing area of employment. Jobs span a large number of industries in every sector. In order to ensure equitable access to adaptation and resilience jobs, quality job performance, and consistent adaptation and resilience outcomes from work performed, governments need to collaborate with industry, labor, and education stakeholders to:

Understand the climate change adaptation and climate resilience workforce. This requires assessing how climate change adaptation and climate resilience work aligns with existing occupation classifications, connecting with employers to study workforce needs and shortages, articulating adaptation and resilience career pathways, cultivating a shared identity for workers, and ensuring equitable access to entry-level and career-building opportunities.
Invest in — and increase consistency of — education and training for climate change adaptation and climate resilience workers. This includes identifying skills and competencies, developing targeted training and apprenticeship programs, increasing incentives for uptake of existing education products, and developing consistent evaluation standards for all education products.
Ensure investments in worker education, training, and solutions prioritize those who are most climate-impacted to become a part of the climate change adaptation and climate resilience workforce, support their development as leaders, and are equally available irrespective of immigration status. Ensure equitable access to entry-level and career-building opportunities.

6. Establish government-wide coordination and lasting authority to enact, act on, and evaluate progress on climate resilience priorities.

Effective and efficient climate change adaptation and climate resilience measures require multi-scale coordination and leadership to set shared vision and priorities as well as transparent evaluation of progress. To achieve this, governments need to:

Create bodies to coordinate across departments within the government and across scales of governance. Establish leadership positions in these bodies (e.g. Chief Resilience Officer) and ensure these bodies have appropriate resources to carry out their missions.
Establish lasting authority and good governance in public climate change adaptation and climate resilience programs to enable long-term support and investment for beneficiaries and to provide mechanisms for input or co-creation with beneficiaries.
Establish mechanisms to transparently monitor and report on results to enable continuous improvement and sharing of lessons learned across contexts and scales.

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Between Two Sectors – Finding Common Ground in Environmental Justice and Climate Adaptation Work

Fri, 29 Jul 2022 21:58:00 GMT

Emerging Dialogue:

Karen and Jomar have recently discussed the need for authentic and effective liaisons and improved communication between community residents, community leaders, schools, NGOs, and government agencies. Between Karen’s work in government with a focus on improving climate resilience and Jomar’s work as an educator who is eager to enact community-level climate resilience plans with youth leaders, both have noticed a gap in awareness between local residents/community groups regarding climate resilience projects that government agencies are trying to implement. Together, Jomar and Karen are exploring how to bridge this gap. They discussed how state and local agencies can improve their projects with support from local residents, including through implementing and monitoring projects such as living shorelines for more effective data collection and proper upkeep of such installations.

Additionally, while they work in different sectors, Karen and Jomar face similar issues in terms of trying to increase equity and diversity in the environmental/adaptation field. Jomar is building a more robust understanding of climate resiliency work that affects communities through policy. They have discussed how ordinances and policies should focus on providing more equitable access to shorelines and beaches. This has helped Jomar better conceptualize how doing work “outside” of a direct community can still have a very direct impact on the communities that he holds at the center of his work. As he pivots out of teaching science in the classroom, Jomar has been exposed to a great deal of organizations that align with his interests with the support of his mentor. Karen’s background in non-profit work and strong environmental justice focus has motivated Jomar to see a future in a space that previously felt unwelcoming.

Fun Facts:

Karen has a great plan for steering clear of zombies when it goes down (I won’t spoil the plan, but I will add that it involves great consideration for quantity and quality of drinking water and buffer space). Also, they share an original interest in Marine Biology before pivoting into the world of Environmental Justice/Climate Justice. In addition to her workload at the Coastal Commission, Karen also contributes to a hiring panel that seeks to promote more equitable hiring processes.

Jomar has a ton of energy and interests, and is constantly involved in a lot of different projects from his role as a classroom educator to trying to improve the connections of the Mycelium Youth Network with other organizations (and being a student!). He seems to always be striving to improve the work that he’s involved in.

Thanks to both Jomar and Karen for sharing what they’ve learned!

Mentee Jomar Rodriguez Ventura currently works as an Environmental Justice (EJ) Educator/Climate-Resilience Coordinator with Mycelium Youth Network (MYN). Through this role, he facilitates learning experiences in EJ curricula such as “Climate Justice 101,” “Clean Air is a Right,” and “Water is Life” for youth in the San Francisco Bay Area. He also serves as a Climate-Resilience Community Coordinator, co-facilitating a Youth Leadership Council pilot program that utilizes Youth Participatory Action-Research with a focus on Nature-based solutions. Jomar is currently in a grad program for MS Sustainable and Resilient Communities through which he hopes to sharpen community resiliency skills and ultimately take on the climate crisis as an opportunity to advance social justice along with mitigation and adaptation strategies.

Mentor Karen Vu works as a Climate Change Specialist at the California Coastal Commission. Her work focuses on climate policy and analysis, with an emphasis on sea level rise resiliency. Additionally, she is working to better understand the intersections of environmental justice and sea level rise, and how to integrate environmental justice and equity in sea level rise adaptation planning. Prior to this, Karen completed a one-year Sea Grant State Fellowship with the Coastal Commission to gain experience in coastal management and policy planning. She has a Master’s in Environmental Management from the University of San Francisco with a concentration in water management.

The JEDI Fund Has Turned One!

Sat, 23 Jul 2022 19:37:00 GMT

ASAP’s Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Fund has turned one! The fund which was seeded by a contribution from ASAP staff members in 2021, has been a success in providing funding to several individuals identifying as Black People, Indigenous people, and people of color and also individuals demonstrating financial need. Following a review of the Fund’s first year we’re happy to announce a few small changes:

An increase in the total annual request limit to $600; and
More funding available to pursue professional development opportunities and share your knowledge with the ASAP network.

The simple donation process and program eligibility remains the same. Learn more about the JEDI Fund including eligibility and past awardees on the JEDI Fund Website .

Take the time to mark this anniversary with a celebration of stories from fund awardees:

We love celebrating the many ways members grow and strengthen the ASAP Network. Learn more about Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at ASAP through the opportunities and resources below:

Join the JEDI Committee ! Meetings are held quarterly (third Monday of January, April, July, and October) alongside monthly subcommittee meetings:
Community of Practice is held on the fourth Friday, contact Galen Treuer to get involved at gtreuer@gmail.com .
Accountability Group meets on the second Wednesday, reach out to Sharon Hausam at sharonhausam1@gmail.com to join.
Donate to the Fund : A little can go a long way through the JEDI Fund. Your donation goes directly to support for colleagues who identify as Black, Indigenous, Persons of Color (BIPOC), or having limited financial resources as they build their professional capacity and share their knowledge and expertise through ASAP programs.
Apply to the Fund : If you identify as BIPOC or have limited financial resources apply today to cover fees for conferences, webinars, trainings, courses, or other events and education opportunities!
Read ASAP’s JEDI Statement here .
Dig into the new JEDI Resource Library here .

Camila Tapias: Being part of the Co-Creation Series to lead the Equity webinar between ASAP and ARISE-US was an incredible experience. It’s always reassuring to be part of a group of adaptation/emergency management professionals that support BIPOC leaders in the field to achieve whole community resilience. The JEDI Fund allowed me to continue this great work and invite more BIPOC leaders to be involved.

Kyla Bloyer: I used the JEDI Fund to attend the Annual Meeting for Resilient Virginia in June! As the communications manager at ASAP, I feel that it is important to stay informed of current events and conversations happening within the adaptation space. I also live in Raleigh, NC, and have a strong connection to the coastal area, so attending this meeting helped me observe what other coastal towns/communities in a neighboring state are doing to stay resilient against climate change.

Omar Muhammad: The funding we received from the JEDI Fund Award allowed us to support the travel to Charleston, SC for four Environmental Justice organization representatives to attend EJSTRONG resilience training. Those in attendance will learn how to plan for man-made and natural disasters. Attendees will have the knowledge to take information back to their communities and implement strategies to plan community resilience.

Sophia Chan: My work is overseeing and maintaining the ASAP’s Policy Practice Group policy tracker that tracks climate adaptation and climate resilience policies at the federal, state, local, and tribal levels. The Policy Practice Group and the public can use this policy tracker to monitor how federal or state policies could affect their organizations and potentially react in productive ways. I am a young professional who is very interested in getting my start in climate and energy policy, but many opportunities typically do not compensate for labor or even require the participant to pay. The JEDI fund compensates me for my policy tracking work while I gain experience identifying, summarizing, and organizing relevant policy for ASAP members and the public.

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Examining Social Inequities in Climate Adaptation

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 20:32:00 GMT

About the Mentees and Mentor

From the perspective of Cailin, Saleh, and Leila: Our mentorship group of three has met one-on-one and as a group to learn from one another in a supportive environment. Our meetings have been free-form discussions where we share our goals and work through sticky issues in the adaptation space. For example, one discussion topic that we return to as a group is how adaptation measures can lead to social inequities. We are fortunate to learn from Dr. Saleh Ahmed’s work which examines how adaptation measures lead to greater disparities between genders in Bangladesh. Another topic that has been revisited is facilitation and conflict resolution. Leila has given Cailin helpful resources and has shared tips on how to improve in this skill.

MENTEE Cailin Notch is a Community Resilience Planner at WRA Environmental Consultants in the San Francisco Bay Area with an extensive background in land use planning and commu nity engagement. Her areas of expertise include development and design review, environmental review, meeting facilitation, stakeholder engagement, and project management. Previously, Cailin built capacity around wildfire prevention, emergency preparedness and forest health outreach as an AmeriCorps CivicSpark Fellow and also has experience in municipal planning.

MENTEE Dr. Saleh Ahmed is an Assistant Professor in the School of Public Service at Boise State University, where he teaches courses in Environmental Studies, Global Studies, Urban Studies and Community Development. His research focuses on the human dimensions of global environmental change, rural livelihoods, land rights, and climate justice. Most of his research has taken place in the Indian Ocean Region, mainly Bangladesh, India, and Myanmar. He has also a current research agenda that focuses on multidimensional stresses (e.g., climate change, neoliberal economic forces, and pandemic) and community wellbeing among historically disadvantaged populations in the Intermountain West (USA), and in the Americas (Honduras, Peru).

MENTOR Leila Mekias began working with the Green Door Initiative (GDI) in 2020, joining its Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP) Project to promote healthy indoor air quality in early childcare centers. Prior to joining GDI, Leila completed an environmental health fellowship with the City of Detroit Health Department, where she focused on programs and policies that foster a healthier environment in Detroit. As a Program Coordinator for Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice, she contributed to the development of the city of Detroit’s first climate action plan.

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Pivoting from Polymer Physics Ph.D. to Policy

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 20:17:00 GMT

About the Mentee and Mentor

Sophia received her BS in Chemical Engineering from UC Berkeley, where she conducted research on novel battery electrolytes and polymers for drug transport. She also completed several internships at Tesla Motors with the Gigafactory and Battery Quality teams, where she gained valuable experience with battery production and global supply chains. Since joining ASAP, Sophia has volunteered to be the Policy Practice Group’s Policy Tracker to learn more about the current policy decisions made in all tiers of government.

He has a Master’s in Entomology and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering with a focus on coastal watershed assessment and recovery from extreme events, supported through the US EPA STAR Fellowship program.

Sophia and Marcus’ Story

When her family was threatened by the California wildfires in August 2020, Sophia redirected her career trajectory from energy research to energy policy to make a more immediate impact in the fight against climate change. However, she soon realized the policy landscape, with its many topics and different levels of government can be overwhelming to navigate. With the rapid acceleration of climate change looming, she feels an incredible sense of urgency to find the best place to utilize her skills and make the maximum impact in fighting climate change. As a response, she joined the ASAP Mentorship Program to find a mentor who could help her pivot from an engineering Ph.D. to a policy career.

Sophia was particularly drawn to Marcus’ broad expertise with non-profits, local, state, and federal governments, and tribes. Oftentimes during their meetings, Marcus would draw on his personal experiences working with non-profits, state, and federal government as Sophia brought updates from her applications and interviews with those organizations. Marcus was able to provide insights that Sophia never considered such as the differences between east coast and west coast policy work and the ecosystem of non-profits.

Marcus also supported Sophia and co-mentee, Yilin, with professional development. Sophia has had trouble framing her engineering and research experiences for a policy aide or analyst position. Marcus provided great input in rewording engineering resumes and reorganizing interview answers to target policy-related work. Marcus also shared tips on salary negotiation, cold-contacting strategies, and finding great mentors in the workplace.

Through this mentorship with Marcus, Sophia is learning to focus on telling her story in the policy application materials and interviews, and she is creating a clearer plan for her pivot into policy through state and national fellowships.

Mentee Sophia Chan is graduating with a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University, where she was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow developing polymeric materials for gas separations like carbon capture. While at Columbia, she taught ESL high schoolers about renewable energy topics, co-founded her department’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee to address Ph.D. student issues, and rallied her student community to call for the first Black faculty hires in her department which eventually led to the hiring of two Black women faculty members to Columbia Chemical Engineering.

Mentor Marcus Griswold is a coach, scientist, community engagement specialist and founder of Calm Waters Group. He has 15 years of experience communicating science and policy, providing strategic leadership, fundraising, and empowering communities on the most complex and controversial projects. Marus works on and provides mediation, facilitation, and planning services to non-profits, local, state, and federal governments, and tribes. He believes that communities already know what is needed to solve climate justice, and helps them tell their story, advocate for their needs, and engage with agencies.

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Resiliency Co-Learning, Virtually!

Wed, 22 Jun 2022 21:01:00 GMT

Written from the perspective of Erin Bryan, a Mentee in the ASAP Mentorship Program and Madeleine Charney, a Mentor.

Was it by chance or design that we live in Central and Western Massachusetts respectively? Either way, we’re glad! Connected by proximate bioregions (Connecticut River Valley and Worcester Plateau) means we are immersed in overlapping culture, history, ecologies. We can also easily visit one in person. Until that happens, we have been sharing virtual resiliency-related experiences.

Her overall interests include biology, ecology, food systems, sustainability, regional planning, and resiliency planning. Erin will enter a full-time graduate program, also at WPI, in Community Climate Adaptation in fall 2022. Her career aspirations include helping bring about a more just and resilient future with our changing climate.

Her passion for accompanying people on their learning journeys led Madeleine to become certified as a nature therapy guide (Association of Nature & Forest Therapy), a labyrinth facilitator (Veriditas) and a mindfulness teacher (Koru Mindfulness). She supports these practices to inspire individual and societal resilience alongside protecting and caring for all beings and Earth which sustains us.

On February 23, 2022, we both participated in a “Networking and Idea Sharing” program hosted by the Blue Marble Librarians, a group Madeleine co-founded in 2019. A collaboration with Massachusetts-based group, Communities Responding to Extreme Weather (CREW), we moved between break-out rooms covering CREW’s Climate Preparedness Week and Climate Resilience Hubs as well as a citizen science project centered on flying squirrels

Erin shared afterward, “It was educational to hear about the different things that go into making a place, especially a library, a climate hub. I am aware of disaster preparedness planning since my family has a lot of firefighters in it, but I hadn’t before made the connection that in planning for climate disaster we can borrow a lot of what we already know from natural disaster planning. Another ‘aha’ moment for me was learning how public libraries are great candidates for hosting seed gardens!”

On April 27, 2022, Erin attended the guided nature therapy experience on Zoom that Madeleine offered for the ASAP network. Joined by her partner in their living room, she shared, “It was a great experience! We both came from very stressful days however, we embraced the experience as a way to unwind and center ourselves amidst the chaos. Since the weather was unpredictable, we stayed inside and used a houseplant as our connection to nature, which was a surprising source of comfort; being in contact with the soil allowed us to further tune in to the spirit of the experience. Once the weather cleared up, we took the Zoom call into the backyard and continued responding to the invitations with the grass, moss, and trees. We both ended on a very positive note and look forward to similar experiences in the future.”

“Madeleine is an incredible mentor and our interests align a lot. Madeleine has been helping me locate job boards that are pertinent to my career goals. Her recommendations have helped me narrow down what kind of jobs might fit my values and aspirations. She also provided a comprehensive list of reading material for me to expand my knowledge base, including books such as Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by Adrienne Maree Brown and Earth Emotions: New Words for a New World by Glenn Albrecht.”- Erin shared.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Erin Bryan, a Mentee in the ASAP Mentorship Program graduated in May 2022 from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) with a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology & Biotechnology with minors in Environmental & Sustainability Studies and in History. This summer she is working as a research assistant with Professor Seth Tuler at WPI on a project that is exploring the connections between various land use groups in Massachusetts. This exploration is being conducted through a model based on the Stewardship Mapping program created by the U.S. Forestry Service. The team aims to collect survey data to then inform planning recommendations for the groups to work towards their goals more effectively. She is also involved with the Worcester Cyanobacteria Monitoring Collective, a citizen science effort to monitor the water quality of lakes and ponds around the city of Worcester, MA.

Madeleine Charney, a Mentor in the ASAP Mentorship Program is a research services librarian at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She supports students and faculty in the departments of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning and the Sustainable Food & Farming and Arboriculture & Community Forestry programs as well as sustainability across the curriculum. She holds Master’s degrees in library science (University of Rhode Island) and sustainable landscape design and planning (Conway School of Landscape Design).

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Trio of Success in Climate Adaptation

Wed, 22 Jun 2022 20:33:00 GMT

Meet Mentee Bethany N. Bella (she/her), a passionate sustainability and climate-action advocate based in Columbus, Ohio, Mentee Emily Schoerning, Ph.D. , the founder of American Resiliency https://www.americanresiliency.org/ , a nonprofit bringing information and adaptation services to agricultural and working-class communities, and Mentor Jessica Cahail is a Technical Product Manager with Cervest , a UK-based B Corp that aims to democratize Climate Intelligence.

With Jessica as a mentor in the ASAP Mentorship Program, Bethany and Emily have had the opportunity to develop their own career paths! She connected Emily with groups doing similar work to her area of interest, as well as non-profit tax professionals, and gave her important background information regarding the current culture of the adaptation field. Most importantly their participation in the program has allowed Emily to understand more of the emerging structure and culture of the vigorous nascent field and it has helped her feel more confident in her work going forward.

Likewise, Jessica has assisted Bethany with resources and early-career advice for entering the climate adaptation space after her graduate school program finished up last semester. The pairing has allowed Bethany to receive resources on key institutions and professional networking opportunities, including the National Adaptation Forum, allowing her to remain connected to the larger adaptation community in her new role with the City of Columbus!

As a Sustainable Columbus Coordinator with the City of Columbus, Bethany is involved in the implementation of the city’s first climate action plan, published in December 2021, as well as the coordination of green building policies and programs related to Sustainable Columbus initiatives. View her portfolio of work at: https://bethanybella.com/ .

At Azavea, she led the development of Temperate , a decision support tool for small- to mid-sized communities doing vulnerability assessments and climate change adaptation planning. With a background in anthropology and nonprofit administration, Jessica believes that while technology can aid collective action, it’s the collaboration between the actors themselves that provides true innovation.

Jessica has served as a mentor for both Bethany and Emily in a small group since the start of the ASAP mentorship program cycle in January 2022. Through this cohort model, three people with different backgrounds have been able to come together around common goals, focused on exploring big questions around climate adaptation field assumptions, norms, and practices. Everyone’s unique ideas have contributed to a growing perspective within the climate adaptation field, shaping both mentees’ climate adaptation futures and illuminating the ways in which the narratives we craft can contribute to that future’s realization.

Bethany, Emily, and Jessica have all appreciated the group-learning model with this mentorship cohort and enjoyed the opportunity to hear and learn from multiple perspectives on common areas of interest. Jessica– who originally applied to be a mentee!– has been honored to act as a sounding board for Bethany and Emily and has found tremendous value in learning more about their individual experiences and paths. Thanks to all three for sharing what they have learned through the ASAP Mentorship Program!

About Bethany

Bethany N. Bell is a recent graduate from The Ohio State University’s Knowlton School, where she earned her master’s in city and regional planning with a focus on sustainability planning and equitable community engagement.

About Emily

Emily Schoerning, Ph.D. is in her first venture in the climate adaptation field, after a decade in science education research. Her research has focused on how to engage hard-to-reach groups around complex, controversial issues. Her science outreach work has received national and international recognition. Now, she wants to find ways to apply her strengths to the big adaptation problems facing small communities, like her own in central Iowa, so we can build a resilient future for all Americans.

About Jessica

Mentor Jessica Cahail was the Director of Climate Initiatives at Azavea , a small, geospatial software engineering firm and B Corp that seeks to have a positive civic, social, and environmental impact.

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Navigating Professional Conferences

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 14:07:00 GMT

In preparation to attend her first professional conference in May, the Climate Leadership Conference, Julia asked Jeff for advice on getting the most value out of her time there. Jeff talked about his pre-pandemic conference experiences and offered insight, such as:

Plan which sessions or panels to attend ahead of time and have a backup option in place in case the room is full.
When introducing yourself to other conference attendees, a great question to ask is “what brought you here?” This simple question allows you to learn who they are and what they are passionate about, without feeling like an overly-scripted professional introduction.
Networking can happen anywhere, even informally. Jeff encouraged Julia to chat with attendees when in line for coffee, waiting for panels to start, and anywhere else in between.

Julia attended the conference from May 24-26 and had a rich experience learning from others in the field. Following Jeff’s advice, she felt empowered to engage with those around her, ask questions and share knowledge, and make the most of her time there. Julia now looks forward to using what she learned at her next conference this October, the National Adaptation Forum .

Julia Nassar , a Mentee in the ASAP Mentorship Program is employed as a Senior Analyst at the Cadmus Group where she specializes in climate adaptation and resilience. Julia supports local and state governments, such as Boston, the District of Columbia, Fairfax County, and the State of New York to enhance their resiliency through strategic climate planning. She has supported her clients to assess their vulnerabilities and develop and implement adaptation action plans. She holds an MS in Energy and Environmental Analysis and a BA in Environmental Analysis and Policy from Boston University.

Mentor Jeffrey Meek is a climate resilience consultant at ICF where he leads efforts on climate change vulnerability and adaptation planning. Prior to his recent transition to ICF, Jeffrey was the Sustainability Coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and a Project Manager for the City of Indianapolis Office of Sustainability. In his previous experience, Jeffrey led the development of MnDOT 2022 Approach to Climate Resilience Report and Indianapolis’ first Sustainability and Resilience Action Plan.

ASAP and HARC Launch Program Committed to Growing Community Leadership in Climate Adaptation Projects

Thu, 02 Jun 2022 16:10:00 GMT

Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC), in partnership with the American Society for Adaptation Professionals (ASAP), has announced a new program to enhance climate adaptation in the Upper Texas Gulf Coast. Leading with Equity in Adaptation Practice (LEAP) aims to strengthen community-led climate change adaptation initiatives through partnerships, collaboration, and capacity-building. Alongside partners, ASAP and HARC will collaborate over the next three years to recruit, train, and support teams in the region as they implement community-led adaptation projects.

“Climate change disproportionally impacts the most vulnerable communities across Texas and along the Gulf Coast,” said John Hall, HARC’s President and CEO. “Communities need tools and resources to adapt to and prepare for the accelerating change in our climate. Program leaders need science-based research to effect change for a more sustainable, cooperative, and equitable future. LEAP aims to provide community leaders with the right tools and information to become more effective in the communities they serve.”

Over the past two decades, Texas has been hit by billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, more so than any other state. Based on NOAA estimates, these disasters have cost Texas between 235 and 500 billion USD. The densely populated Gulf Coast is vulnerable to hurricanes, storm surges, sea-level rise, coastal erosion, and flooding. The number of 100+ degree heat days is expected to double in the coming decades where Texas cities are hotspots due to the urban heat island effect. Rainfall becomes less predictable and more intense, causing more frequent floods and extended droughts. All trends point in the direction of growing climate impacts in Texas.

“Equitable and effective climate change adaptation and climate resilience projects are community-owned, center local priorities, and guided by residents’ lived experience,” explains Beth Gibbons, Executive Director of the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP). “LEAP builds a bridge between community leaders and climate adaptation professionals laying the foundation for more equitable and just climate adaptation in the Upper Gulf Coast.”

The LEAP Program will support adaptation projects based on lived experiences of climate impacts in the Gulf of Mexico. This summer, HARC and ASAP will recruit 30 community leaders and 30 climate adaptation professionals to work together to design and implement six adaptation projects. Participants will learn together, build understanding and trust, undertake local projects, and build a stronger, more diverse network of adaptation professionals. Communities will gain access to locally relevant adaptation resources and tools to better understand current and future climate impacts under different climate scenarios, with particular emphasis on critical infrastructure and natural habitats.

A search is currently underway for community-based organizations interested in supporting community leader identification for the program, and for a consultant to align program design and materials with justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion principles. For more information, please visit HARCresearch.org .

About HARC
HARC is a nonprofit research hub providing independent analysis on energy, air, water and climate issues to people seeking scientific answers. Its research activities support the implementation of policies and technologies that promote sustainability based on scientific principles. HARC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization building a sustainable future in which people thrive and nature flourishes. For further information, visit HARCresearch.org or connect via Instagram , LinkedIn , Facebook or Twitter .

About ASAP

American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) connects and supports climate adaptation professionals to advance innovation and excellence in the field of climate change adaptation. ASAP members are building essential climate resilience for communities, ecosystems, and economies. ASAP helps them strengthen their professional network, exchange best practices and practical advice, and accelerate innovation – all leading to a more equitable and effective climate adaptation practice. Are you thinking about how climate change impacts your work? Then join ASAP to get essential resources and services. Connect with us today via LinkedIn , Twitter , and Facebook and check out our recent programming on YouTube .

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Making Impact As You Can!

Tue, 03 May 2022 18:02:00 GMT

Yilin was able to thoroughly learn what roles build environment, policy and individual behavior plays in heat resilience. Right after Yilin’s transition to the USA in June 2021, she soon identified the need for her to be familiar with the climate policy and industry in the USA. Yilin is now an intern of Montgomery County’s planning department and supports integrating the county’s climate action plan into master planning. She also seeks an active role in grounding bottom-up adaptation.

Although Yilin wants to put her knowledge into practice, Yilin finds herself having a hard time finding the right entry point for her career as a newcomer knowing that only a few cities in the United States have a position for a Heat Officer. Marcus’ experiences as a long-term campaigner for integrating adaptation across local to federal sectors have provided Yilin the comprehensive information about the trend of adaptation policy in the USA, the nature of different institutions, and the agencies that work at the intersection of community-science and local adaptation. Additionally, Marcus also gives advice on networking and job application, which helps Yilin’s continuing career development in many ways.

While Yilin is in her transition position-being an intern in the county’s planning department, she tries to incorporate existing climate assessment and action into the master plan updating process. But she soon faced the challenge of institutional constraints, such as lack of policy guidance, standardizing process, and technical transition. Marcus’s experience in updating state-level environmental regulations gives insight into how the governmental sector works. They further discuss possible short-term and long-term strategies for confronting such issues. Although Yilin’s mission is still in progress, Marcus’s input allows Yilin to make a greater impact in an intern position and understand the trade-off of grounding climate action in local governmental sectors. So, she can dream big as a new adaptation professional and immigrant.

Yilin and Marcus are both introverts that enjoy advocating climate action inside a big system! Marcus’ lobbying tactics are much more applicable to Yilin, while her partner mentee-Sophia brings another dynamic and different areas of expertise. We are looking forward to supporting Yilin in the next steps of her career!

Mentee Yilin Lai Giltinan is a community-adaptation-planner with a focus on transferring climate data and a community’s adapting capacity into an integrated Urban-Heat-Island adaptation strategy and urban design. Yilin has a background in landscape architecture and received a MS.c in Integrated Urbanism and Sustainable Design from the University of Stuttgart, Germany. During this time she collaborated with climate engineering firm Transsolar in a climate passive urban design project and with Fraunhofer Institute of Industrial Engineering for a bottom-up heat-health adaptation plan

Mentor Marcus Griswol is a coach, scientist, community engagement specialist and founder of Calm Waters Group. He has 15 years of experience communicating science and policy, providing strategic leadership, fundraising, and empowering communities on the most complex and controversial projects. He works on and provides mediation, facilitation, and planning services to non-profits, local, state, and federal governments, and tribes. Marcus believes that communities already know what is needed to solve climate justice, and helps them tell their story, advocate for their needs, and engage with agencies. He has a Master’s in Entomology and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering with a focus on coastal watershed assessment and recovery from extreme events, supported through the US EPA STAR Fellowship program.

Climate Change and the Built Environment – Acting as a Collective Whole

Thu, 21 Apr 2022 17:55:00 GMT

This is a featured blog by ASAP Member Lisa Churchill .

“Many of us can point to a time in our lives that influenced what we might do when we grew up. For me, it began with a box of 430-million-year-old fossils that my parents collected when they lived in Wisconsin. I was around five years old when they first shared them with me and was absolutely fascinated with those vestiges of past worlds. Worlds that flourished with life, that were decidedly devoid of people and that, despite all their vigor, eventually disappeared.

Those early impressions held tight and I went on to earn degrees in geology and paleontology. I was as equally obsessed with learning about the ecosystems of those past worlds, as I was about unraveling the mysteries behind their extinctions. How did it come to be that 99.9% of all species that have ever existed on earth are now extinct? And is there a reason to expect a different fate for the 0.1% of species living today?

Climate change has brought an uncomfortable relevance to those questions. Fast forward to today, and, for me, those original questions have evolved. I now focus more on what can be done and ask: “Knowing what we do about these past events, what can we – as humans – do to avoid a similar fate?” And, I’ve found that my preferred answer is: “A lot – especially if we act as a collective whole.”

It is against this backdrop, that Trish Gary and I, with the support of Abbie Goodman and ACEC, were fortunate to find a collective of similar-minded individuals. People who both felt the urgency of the climate challenge and the commitment to sharing their insights in an effort to increase the pace of preparedness. It is from that shared vision that our book, Climate Change and The Built Environment , became a collaborative effort among eighteen professional women* working to make a real difference in the world.

Each one of us has our own compelling backstory as to how we were drawn to our current disciplines, and our own set of professional and personal experiences that led us to take on the climate change challenge. We each bring our own perspective, our own insights, our own unique expertise and drive to the table. Yet we are united by two key themes: a sense of urgency to address climate change and the need to act as a collective whole if we are to make truly transformational changes.

Climate Change and The Built Environment was written with three key objectives in mind:

to give hope, based on all that has been done and that can be done, to prepare for climate change;
to instill a sense of urgency and relevancy within the larger design profession; and,
to serve as a readily accessible guide to anyone who is interested in being part of the solution.

There is reason to be optimistic – we have the necessary knowledge and tools to do things differently and to reduce both our impact on the planet and climate change’s impact on us. The key is recognizing that we are all part of a shared future and that the level of change that we need to make will only come about if we act more as a collective whole, and less as competing cohorts. This book is an attempt to show what that collaboration might look like across the design profession, and we are hopeful that it encourages similar efforts elsewhere.

In a podcast interview for this book, I was asked whether I was optimistic about the future, given the current climate change challenge. My answer then remains the same today. Simply stated: “Some days, I am optimistic, but every day I am hopeful.” This book, and all the collaborative spirit and commitment from everyone involved with it, represents one of those sources of hope which feeds my optimism. I hope this book inspires others to feel optimistic as well. And inspired to make a change.”

*I am deeply grateful to all of the women who contributed their expertise, time and wisdom to this volume: Patricia Gary, co-editor and contributing author; Rachel Bannon-Godfrey, Luce Bassetti, Nicole Boothman-Shepard, Elizabeth Bradford, Julie Eaton Ernst, Raine Gardner, Karin Holland, Amy Hwang, Stephanie Kruel, Amanda Ludlow, Elena Mihaly, Kelly Maiorana, Deanna Moran, Nancy Rigassio, April Schneider, and Amy Seek. The book is a testament to the level of that collaboration.

Listen to podcasts on this book by various authors here or learn more about the book here .

MENTORSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Making Space for Long-Term Career Visioning

Thu, 21 Apr 2022 13:48:00 GMT

Cami is interested in applying her policy analysis and communication experience to supporting local government resilience initiatives. She is especially interested in projects covering coastal issues, flooding, and urban heat and in working with a team that centers equity and social justice.

Cami and Dana are working together to lay the groundwork for an engaging post-graduate career in the field of adaptation and resilience. In addition to covering short-time job search strategies, such as networking and salary negotiations, Cami and Dana have also made time to reflect on career values and long-term career visioning. Cami likes to call this exercise “slow-brain thinking”- making time for thoughts and reflections, rather than just immediate tasks.

To start, Cami created her short list of core values and put them in order of priority. Together they compared these values with potential career pathways and job opportunities. As an early career professional, Cami has found these exercises and conversations incredibly helpful in navigating the broad possibilities in the adaptation and resilience field. Cami and Dana are happy to share these strategies with other mentor-mentee pairs.

Mentee Cameron (Cami) Ramey has a background in climate adaptation, community resilience, and climate change communications. Cami has supported a number of nonprofits with policy analysis and research at the nexus of adaptation, urban planning, and environmental justice. Cami is currently Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Environment Review , where she manages a 12-student writing team that translates cutting-edge science for broad audiences. She is also a journalist/producer for Pricing Nature , a podcast that makes climate economics engaging for all. She is graduating this May with a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of the Environment .

Mentor Dana Brechwald currently leads a team that seeks to find creative solutions for region-wide adaptation planning along the San Francisco Bay shoreline at the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission , a California State agency. The team’s mission is to increase collaboration, provide resources to amplify capacity, elevate a collective voice to funders and legislators, and answer hard questions so cities and communities don’t have to do it themselves. Dana has previously worked on disaster recovery, earthquake, and wildfire planning. Dana’s approach to her work is to identify commonalities and multi-faceted solutions, demystify new ideas, and support the people working in this space so they don’t feel overwhelmed or burnt out but instead empowered to create a better future.

Uncovering Our Assumptions With American Resiliency

Wed, 20 Apr 2022 18:38:00 GMT

This is a featured blog from ASAP Member Emily Schoerning , Founder of non-profit American Resiliency .

What are Your Knowledge Assumptions?

My name is Emily Schoerning . As a researcher in science education, I’ve spent years studying how we acquire knowledge, and what unexpected barriers make it harder for us to learn new things. One of the biggest challenges in teaching and learning is uncovering assumptions; those held by others as well as ourselves. As I have connected to the adaptation field through the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP)’s learning and sharing opportunities, it’s been wonderful to meet so many like-minded people who are deeply invested in building a good future.

American Climate Knowledge is Limited

When we try to connect with the general public, we often bring these knowledge assumptions to the table. But the general public has almost no knowledge of how climate change is likely to impact their lives, homes, and the landscapes in which they live.

The general public has limited access to climate information. When I was doing outreach work on climate in 2017, almost no one I talked with had even heard of key concepts, such as ocean acidification. When I work with the general public today, I find more awareness of many crucial climate change concepts. However, most people have almost no knowledge of how climate change will personally impact them. Many people assume the future will be so catastrophic they become mired in despair. Others use denial as a defense mechanism. But both denial and despair have one thing in common. They prevent action.

When we understand our most-likely climate future, we learn how critical adaptation and resilience work will be in the coming century. We learn that action is critical and that for many people, there are important actions they can take to make their homes and communities more resilient to the changes that are coming.

The knowledge we share in our professional community is crucial and inspiring. Finding ways to share that knowledge, using my background in education research, is my mission.

Public-Facing Resources on Public-Facing Platforms

I founded a nonprofit, American Resiliency , to help get climate adaptation and resilience information to the general public. Right now we’re using YouTube, a popular, familiar, casual format. Using publicly available information, like the 4 ^th National Climate Assessment, we make 20-minute videos detailing regional and state-level projections for midcentury, generally using RCP 4.5 as a baseline.

Since we started releasing videos in September of 2021, they’ve been viewed more than twenty-one thousand times, with absolutely no advertising budget. There is clearly an appetite for this information! People often email us to ask questions, to learn how to access source material, and to express how long they’ve been looking for a resource that ties climate information together in a way they can understand.

Building Common Ground

Once people understand not only our climate future, but how much we can do to prepare, they can really get a sense of what their stakes are. By helping to make our field’s specialized knowledge accessible through my work with American Resiliency, I hope we can help bring more people to the table. We need everybody.

View videos here: www.youtube.com/c/AmericanResiliency .

And as I’ve gotten to know the community, I’ve started to try to uncover our assumptions. Within our professional community, our understanding of how the climate is predicted to change is so fundamental that we don’t even talk about it all that much. We work with others assuming we have the same knowledge.

Our critical adaptation work should always have a strong community outreach and engagement component. The problems facing us all are so big, that we need everyone on the team . I hope the resources American Resiliency is creating will help give you another tool to start conversations in communities. Everyone has a stake in adaptation work.

How You Strengthened the ASAP Nework in 2021

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 20:35:00 GMT

As a social impact network, ASAP relies on our members as leaders, partners, and collaborators in everything we do. Your participation in the member survey cultivates and affirms the essential elements of network culture that we strive to nurture –reciprocity, open access, something for every member, and, most importantly, trust– while also helping us shape ASAP’s services and programs.

Here are some milestones you helped us reach this year with your input from the 2021 member survey:

We completely revamped our social media presence to make it easier for all of us to share and celebrate our individual and collective climate adaptation accomplishments and ideas. Check us out on LinkedIn , Twitter , Facebook , and YouTube !
We began offering more education and training opportunities on a more frequent basis, like Principles of Quality Adaptation , Climate Migration Workshop , and Private Sector Climate Service Providers Academy .
We began offering ASAP 101 Orientation bi-monthly so that no matter how long you’ve been involved in ASAP you have a warm and welcoming space to meet fellow members, find your niche, and make the most of your member benefits.

Preparing the Great Lakes for Climate Migration

Mon, 28 Mar 2022 21:02:00 GMT

Two ASAP Projects Lay the Foundation for Socially Just and Environmentally Responsible Growth

By Susan S. Ekoh, Adaptation Fellow, American Society of Adaptation Professionals

What is Climate Migration?

With all the buzz about climate migration both inside and outside the adaptation community, let’s take a minute to define what climate migration actually means. Climate migration involves the movement of people in response to experienced or anticipated threats of climate change. Individuals, households, and communities may choose to migrate in response to climate-related effects such as extreme weather events, wildfires, sea-level rise, drought conditions, and others. The recent IPCC report on impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability highlights the choice to migrate voluntarily as an adaptation measure. However, migration may also be involuntary when people are forcefully displaced from their homes after a climate-related event.

How may Climate Migration Affect the Great Lakes Region?

In the United States, extreme weather events, wildfires, and other climate-related events could result in the displacement of millions of US residents. At the same time, the Great Lakes region is recognized as a possible climate migrant-receiving region , due to its relatively milder climate and cooler temperatures, when compared to other parts of the country that are projected to experience extreme climate impacts. Other factors that make the Great Lakes region attractive include – access to fresh water and infrastructure capacity to accommodate an increased population. Given this likelihood, some cities have expressed hope of becoming “climate refuge cities” by attracting climate migrants.

ASAP Climate Migration Projects Support Climate Migration Research and Practice Across the Network.

ASAP’s Climate Migration Methodology Accelerator brought together climatologists, demographers, and housing researchers to accelerate the development of methodologies to assess, predict, and prepare for climate migration. Through the Accelerator, supported by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) , ASAP hosted monthly learning labs to support selected multidisciplinary teams and other applied researchers, including ASAP members from across North America. These learning labs offered an opportunity for teams to share results and seek feedback across teams and from other participants on the calls.

Concurrently, ASAP led focus group conversations with stakeholders in the Great Lakes region, with support from the Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments (GLISA) . Intermediary organizations, many of whom are ASAP members, helped us identify participants. Adaptation professionals within and outside the ASAP network have been exposed to the new knowledge and enhanced understanding on climate migration these projects created by participating in outreach opportunities such as the December 2021 Preparing Receiving Communities workshop and media engagement in outlets across the U.S.

ASAP’s Projects Illuminate Push and Pull Factors, Needs, and Challenges of Climate Migration

The Climate Migration Methodology Accelerator and the Climate Migration Stakeholder Conversations projects highlight: 1) the push and pull factors of climate migration and 2) the challenges and needs for climate migration to the Great Lakes region. One Accelerator team – Matt Hauer, BJ Baule & Kim Channell – demonstrated that extreme cold temperatures in the Great Lakes could result in more people staying than migrating out of the Great Lakes . Another team – Ross Plattel and Isaac Gendler – drew from trends in migration due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and examined the readiness of a few cities in New York state to receive climate migrants . Ross and Isaac assessed walkability and transit scores, climate risk factors and haven factors. Based on this analysis, the authors demonstrated that communities with “relatively low climate risks and relatively high local amenities” attracted COVID-related movement in New York State. Hence, they suggest that areas where “local social capital” is improved are likely to attract incoming climate migrants.

Conversely, Kelly Main and Osamu Kumasaka explored staying in-place from the perspective of strandedness . Specifically, in the case of buy-out programs, homeowners are likely to move when affordable housing in less vulnerable areas are available. For households experiencing vulnerabilities tied to income, disability, age, lack of availability of safe and affordable housing may cause them to be stranded in place. Affordable housing is a crucial consideration for climate migration planning.

Focus group conversations also highlighted the need for affordable housing. Donna Givens, CEO, Detroit Eastside Community Networks, stated that: “housing costs in Detroit have skyrocketed. Especially rentals – we’re not building affordable rental housing for families, so where will they go? There’s a lot of homeless people in the street. If you’re a “destination place” it’s not good for poor peopl e.” This statement reflects the potential challenges of climate migration for communities in the Great Lakes region without adequate planning.

The focus groups also uncovered several additional issues that adaptation professionals interested in climate migration should consider. For example: the quality and capacity of infrastructure needed to accommodate migrants, the need to facilitate smooth social integration of migrants within welcoming communities, recognize and avoid structural inequalities being perpetuated through population growth in vulnerable communities, and to curb impacts on the natural environment and Great Lakes’ resources. Furthermore, the focus group conversation that took place with natural systems managers raised a key point on how rural communities may be impacted by climate in-migration. Fred, a natural systems manager shared,

“It probably will magnify inequities in rural communities where people who grew up and lived there are priced out of the area – this is a trend that is already common in many parts of the country. Big potential for winners and losers and will be troublesome without good policy to try and mitigate that ”.

At the same time, climate migration can yield potential benefits with adequate planning. Some benefits which were highlighted in the focus group conversations include opportunities for investment in infrastructure from population growth for a region that has experienced a population decline and its associated effects and labor opportunities that could contribute to the economic growth of the region.

What’s Next for ASAP’s Climate Migration Work?

The focus group conversations showed that there is not enough cross-sector conversation and planning on climate migration happening in North America today. Additionally, stakeholders are interested in knowledge sharing opportunities across the board, and opportunities for engagement with affected communities. Further, we have heard from many ASAP members that they need assistance to ensure they’re supporting communities’ needs and choices with respect to climate migration and making sure their climate adaptation practice includes appropriate and beneficial use of migration as an adaptation strategy. To respond, ASAP plans to 1) develop training and resources for practitioners across sectors and, 2) convene and facilitate dialogue between researchers, practitioners, and affected individuals. If you are interested in collaborating with us on our next set of climate migration projects, we’d love to hear from you! Email ASAP Deputy Director Rachel Jacobson . In the meantime, check out all project resources here and continue the climate migration conversation with ASAP’s Climate Migration and Managed Retreat Group !

Over the past two years, ASAP facilitated two projects to advance climate migration practice and research , focused on the Great Lakes Region. One project brought together climatologists, demographers, and housing researchers to accelerate the development of methodologies to assess, predict, and prepare for climate migration. The second project convened conversations with businesses, natural systems managers, local and state government staff, and community & environmental justice organizations to talk about opportunities, challenges, and needs related to climate migration in the Great Lakes. Through these projects, ASAP and our collaborators sought to 1) establish the foundation for socially just and environmentally responsible growth in climate receiving regions and 2) ensure that as the science of climate-informed demography emerges, the methodologies, outputs, and applications become owned and controlled by affected communities.

ASAP and CRC Launch Ready-to-Fund Resilience Toolkit

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 21:52:00 GMT

The Ready-to-Fund Resilience Toolkit is Here!

Are you struggling to attract investment for your climate resilience projects?
Do you want to use innovative finance tools but worry they may carry extra risks or costs?
Are you looking to learn how and why to center social equity in your climate resilience projects?

As climate impacts intensify and funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) starts to flow , use this toolkit to help ensure your climate action efforts transform communities into the safe, just, and resilient places we know they can be.

About the Toolkit

Despite recent growth in funding and finance opportunities, many communities have a difficult time securing private investment for equitable climate resilience. The toolkit is designed as a self-guided resource for local government staff and the technical assistance providers who support them to:

More effectively operate within the resilience funding and finance system.
Better prepare themselves to receive funding and finance for climate resilience-building.
Create equity through resilience funding and finance.

The Toolkit walks users through ten characteristics to integrate into climate resilience projects to ensure they’re ready to receive the funding and finance needed for success. It provides tips for overcoming challenges such as lack of resources, funding, or political will and a mismatch between older plans and community needs.

We love feedback! Please submit any questions or suggestions via this form or reach out directly to Rachel Jacobson at rjacobson@adaptpros.org .

Get More Ready-to-Fund Resilience Content

Wait, there’s more…

This summer ASAP and CRC will be piloting a Ready-to-Fund Resilience Training for local government staff and technical assistance providers. Would you or someone you know make a great learner or instructor for the pilot? Submit your recommendations here .
ASAP’s Funding and Finance Peer Learning Group , supported by CRC, meets monthly on the fourth Monday at 12 p.m. ET to advance the conversation on strategies to help communities get their climate resilience projects funded. The group also explores cutting-edge ideas in climate resilience funding and finance and discusses law and policy changes needed to enable funding and finance to be more accessible to local communities. Register here !

ASAP Peer Learning Groups are for climate adaptation professionals from all sectors, industries, and backgrounds. Join ASAP today to access all of our member benefits, or register for just one meeting to try it out.

Thank You to Our Collaborators!

The Ready-to-Fund Resilience Toolkit is part of the American Society of Adaptation Professionals and Climate Resilience Consulting (CRC) ’s Ready-to-Fund Resilience Project. See full project details here .

This project is supported by a grant from the Climate Resilience Fund’s Coordination and Collaboration in the Resilience Ecosystem Program .

A Look at the Infrastructure Investment Jobs Act and Climate Resilience Financing – March 2022

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 20:48:00 GMT

By: Camilla Gardner, Urban Sustainability Directors Network and T. Jonathan Lee, Climate Resilience Consulting

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), a US law that went into effect on November 15, 2021, serves as a pivotal moment in local government resilience finance. Because of IIJA, it is no longer true in all cases that “there is not enough money for resilience projects.” What is true now is that we need to make sure the resilience projects we plan are ready to receive allocations and compete for this unprecedented federal funding.

ASAP and Climate Resilience Consulting’s Ready-to-Fund Resilience Toolkit for local governments is part of the solution: check it out here .

IIJA tackles climate resiliency as a pressing issue and several U.S. federal government departments with climate action plans will be issuing related Notices of Funding Opportunities in the coming months. IIJA will lift new non-recovery funds to a level that has been unavailable for the past half a century, with significant allocations to the infrastructure sector which is in critical need of funding to help build effective resilience plans and projects.

The bill allocates funding in these categories:

Although just one of many funding areas, monies for climate resilience under IIJA are not limited to the resiliency category. If invested intentionally, many dollars across other funding areas can contribute to building community resilience. This spreadsheet , developed by ASAP Member Josh Foster, allows users to easily find available funding for projects under IIJA programs.

However, the level of funding in the bill – $47 billion over five years , or roughly $6 billion a year earmarked for resilience – is inadequate to support actions required to prepare and adapt to projected future climate changes. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Change Impacts and Risk Analysis (CIRA) project estimates average annual adaptation costs through 2100 associated with coastal protection, urban drainage, and roads, bridges, and rail to be $13-46 billion. Thus, the bill’s funding would cover less than half of the lower end of this partial estimate of national adaptation costs. (See additional analysis on these points here .)

Regardless, it is imperative that climate resilience leaders get ready to receive IIJA funding by ensuring their climate resilience projects use intentional processes, innovative accounting practices, and collaborative partnerships and that they benefit from enabling regulatory and policy frameworks. ASAP and Climate Resilience Consulting’s Ready-to-Fund Resilience Toolkit for local governments does just that: check it out here . Climate resilience leaders must connect with decision-makers at all scales of government to ensure IIJA funds effective climate resilience projects, setting up America’s communities to save lives and improve livelihoods in the face of climate disruption.

ASAP Needs Your Help Encouraging Members of Congress to Sponsor NCARS!

Fri, 04 Feb 2022 14:21:00 GMT

On January 20, Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.), along with a bipartisan group of seven colleagues, introduced the National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategy Act ( H.R.6461 / S.3531 ).

How Can you Help ASAP?

You can learn more about the bill and why ASAP is excited about it in our statement of support .
If you are excited about this legislation, there are three steps you can take: thank the original co-sponsors of the bill, encourage additional Members of Congress to co-sponsor the legislation, and encourage the committees to take up the legislation to move it forward.
You can review this blog post for more information on thanking the original co-sponsor.

Below is the list of Senators we hope to encourage to become co-sponsors. If you live in any of the states listed, it will be meaningful for your senator to hear from you! Even if you do not live in any of the states listed, you can still reach out to the senators listed and share why you think they should co-sponsor NCARS.

Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina
Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida

The legislation has been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee , and the committees can decide whether to move forward with the legislation. To encourage the committees to take up NCARS, you can contact the offices of the chair and ranking member listed below.

House Energy and Commerce:
Chair Frank Pallone of New Jersey ( 6th District )
Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington ( 5th District )
Committee contact page

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs:
Chair Gary Peters of Michigan
Ranking Member Rob Portman of Ohio
Committee contact page

Join ASAP in Thanking Members of Congress for Introducing the National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategy Act (NCARS)!

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 20:53:00 GMT

On January 20, Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) along with a bipartisan group of seven colleagues introduced the National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategy Act ( H.R.6461 / S.3531 ). You can learn more about the bill and why ASAP is excited about it in our statement of support . ASAP is encouraging members to reach out and thank these Members of Congress for their bipartisan leadership on climate adaptation.

Below is the list of Senators and Representatives who currently sponsor the legislation. If you live in any of the states or districts listed, it will be meaningful for your representatives to hear from you! Even if you do not live in any of the states listed, you can still reach out to the representatives listed below to thank them and express your support for the National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategy Act .

Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware
Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine
Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada
Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana
Rep. Scott Peters of California ( 52nd district )
Rep. Maria Salazar of Florida ( 27th district )
Rep. John Curtis of Utah ( 3rd district ) Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware

Join ASAP at the 5th National Climate Assessment Engagement Meetings

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 14:34:00 GMT

The 5th National Climate Assessment Chapters Engagement Meetings are now scheduled and open to the public! Public engagement sessions will take place between January and February 2022. All ASAP members are encouraged to attend at least one NCA Chapter Meeting to provide their input and expertise on this important national resource. Space is limited at the meetings to 200 participants, so be sure to register early and arrive in advance.

A complete schedule of the upcoming Chapter Meetings is available on the NCA5 Website: https://www.globalchange.gov/content/nca5-engagement-workshops

ASAP President, Emily Wasley is serving as the Chapter Lead for Adaptation, which will hold its public engagement meeting on Monday, February 7, 2022 | 11:00 AM – 3:30 PM EST.

About the report: The National Climate Assessment is a Congressionally mandated quadrennial report led by the U.S. Global Change Research Program. The report evaluates the effects of climate change on regions and sectors of the United States and reports on trends in climate change for the next 25 to 100 years. The Fifth National Climate Assessment will highlight advances in scientific understanding of human-induced and natural processes of climate change and the resulting implications for the United States. Major themes will be presented through the lens of vulnerability, impacts, risks, and adaptation. The report is expected to be released in late 2023.

The purpose of the public engagement workshops is to:

Provide an overview of USGCRP and the National Climate Assessment development process, including other opportunities for public engagement
Allow members of the public and assessment authors an opportunity to discuss proposed key topics, identify priority issues relevant to the chapter, and share resources
Give NCA chapter authors an understanding of how workshop participants use assessments, and what could be done to make the NCA more useful for decision-making

Each workshop will include a plenary session that provides an overview of the assessment and an introduction to the chapter. In breakout sessions, participants will have the opportunity to discuss the chapter’s key topics and their own priorities with chapter authors. For more information on the Fifth National Climate Assessment and for a complete schedule of engagement workshops, please visit the USGCRP website at https://www.globalchange.gov/nca5 .

Statement of Support for National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategy Act from American Society of Adaptation Professionals

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 21:54:00 GMT

Members of the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) applaud the introduction of the National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategy Act (NCARS). This is a highly functional piece of legislation that would end the ad hoc nature of climate adaptation planning at the national level and form a dependable and consistent basis for us to build a more resilient country. If Congress enacts this legislation, the U.S. will move from relying on a series of individual agency activities authorized through executive action alone to a stable, long-term, coherent national strategy to ensure climate change preparedness. This is critical, both for communities at the forefront of climate change who are feeling impacts now as well as to address the needs of future generations.

NCARS is particularly promising because: 1) it builds on existing national and sub-national adaptation and resilience efforts and 2) the legislation itself is adaptive.

NCARS recognizes that adaptation practitioners and frontline communities across the country have been planning and implementing adaptation for a long time. It creates a pathway to bring that wisdom to the national adaptation strategy through well-structured working groups and councils. ASAP applauds the emphasis on the importance of input from outside the federal government and the mechanisms the bill creates for that.
NCARS is simultaneously specific and flexible, maximizing its potential for effectiveness in an uncertain future. The specificity of the actions required by the Working Groups and Partners Council, and the detailed account of what would be included in the NCARO Report and the National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategy, ensure an inclusive and complete process for national-level climate adaptation planning. Meanwhile, the flexibility NCARS affords on how to proceed toward potential solutions and action allows for adaptive management and the ability to engage in or avoid specific actions based on current or expected future conditions. Finally, mandating reports on a quadrennial basis promotes consistent reporting and a set, recurring engagement process for non-federal actors.

ASAP calls on Congress to pass this bill as soon as possible. It is going to take time to develop a national adaptation strategy. Getting the process underway by expeditiously passing this legislation will materially impact how the US is able to adapt and increase the resilience of communities in both the short and long term. Further, passing this legislation will support the creation of thousands of jobs by signaling predictable federal support for climate change adaptation work, encouraging employers across all sectors and industries to hire workers to implement climate adaptation actions across the nation.

ASAP wishes to call particular attention to:

The bill’s requirement to develop not only a national adaptation strategy but also an implementation plan and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. These components are critical to achieving equitable and effective adaptation outcomes at the pace and scale needed.
Mechanisms to ensure that justice and equity remain at the center of national action under this legislation. This includes, first and foremost, centering the needs and experiences of underserved frontline communities. It also requires using the plans and recommendations that the bill mandates to critically assess policy and programmatic adjustments needed to improve the equitability and efficacy of the agency’s services and resources for climate adaptation and resilience.
The need to ensure adequate appropriations. In particular, The positions of CRO and Executive Secretary need to be appropriated, not paid by home agencies. Appropriations should also be made to support members of the Working Group and Partners Council so as to not create unfunded mandates to the agencies or add additional burden to non-federal partners.

Congress should swiftly pass this bill and achieve an enormous step forward in preparing the U.S. for the impacts of climate change.

Read the press release announcing the bill here .

Contact: Rachel Jacobson, rjacobson@adaptpros.org | 617-520-4339

The Color of ASAP: Race & Ethnicity in our Network

Tue, 18 Jan 2022 15:03:00 GMT

ASAP is an anti-racist organization. That means we are finding and rooting out racism in our network and the adaptation field. And it means we are prioritizing accessibility and inclusion in ASAP for people who identify as Black, Indigenous, or other person of color (BIPOC).

We are asking for your support by completing a short survey . The survey will ask for:

Your thoughts on the question and response options that ASAP currently uses to collect race and ethnicity information from members.
Your insights on how ASAP should report the racial and ethnic makeup of the membership in a way that’s concise and meaningful to the ASAP mission.

Additionally, if you identify as a Black person, Indigenous person, or other Person of Color, you will have an opportunity to share about your experience in the ASAP network. This will help us do better to ensure that you have a meaningful, useful, and inclusive experience as an ASAP member.

Why does ASAP collect information about members’ race and ethnicity?

ASAP collects information about members’ race and ethnicity to support our efforts to increase the accessibility and inclusivity of our network for people who identify as Black, Indigenous, or other person of color (BIPOC). We need information about race and ethnicity in order to understand people’s experiences and make necessary changes.

We are focusing on race and ethnicity for two reasons:

BIPOC individuals and communities are at the forefront of adaptation. They have been innovatively adapting to climate change and related issues for a long time. They are also affected first and worst by climate change due to widespread discrimination, promoted by histories of colonialism, white supremacy, domination of nature, and economic exploitation. We want the racial/ethnic makeup of ASAP membership to be representative of the broader community of people who are — or could be — doing adaptation work.
Members of ASAP have access to capacity-building resources that help them become effective adaptation professionals as well as advance their careers. We want all folks doing adaptation work to have access to those resources.

Right now, the majority of our members identify as White, so we are not representing the full community of people doing adaptation work or reaching them with ASAP resources. We want to improve.

ASAP calls out the specific categories of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to acknowledge two truths:

People of color in all racial and ethnic groups experience discrimination based on their race or ethnicity that translates to unequal access to opportunities such as formal education and awareness of or inclusion in specific social-professional spaces. This may correlate with a lower probability of becoming aware of, and being able to access, the benefits of ASAP membership.
ASAP is centered in North America, and within that it is centered in the United States. North America, and especially the United States, has perpetrated severe, longstanding injustices specifically against Black people and Indigenous peoples that have resulted in even less access to opportunity and even greater susceptibility to the impacts of climate change.

Learn More: Read ASAP’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Statement

Mentorship Spotlight: Can Regenerative Food and Farming Enhance Community Resilience?

Tue, 18 Jan 2022 09:00:00 GMT

Mentee Laura Lengnick is an award-winning soil scientist with 30 years of experience putting sustainable values into action in food and farming. She contributed to the 3 ^rd National Climate Assessment as the lead author of the USDA report, Climate Change and Agriculture in the United States: Effects and Adaptation. In 2015, Laura founded Cultivating Resilience, LLC, a private firm that works with organizations of all kinds to integrate resilience thinking into operations and strategic planning. Her award-winning book, Resilient Agriculture: Cultivating Food Systems for a Changing Climate , explores climate change, resilience, and the future of food through the adaptation stories of some of America’s best sustainable, organic and regenerative farmers and ranchers. In September 2021, Laura joined the Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming to serve as the Director of Agriculture.

Mentor Tonya Graham is the Executive Director of the Geos Institute and the Director of its ClimateWise Initiative. She and her ClimateWise team help community leaders understand likely future conditions, determine vulnerabilities, and develop strategies to address them that care for both people and nature. In 2019, Toyna led the launch of Climate Ready Communities, an “assisted do-it-yourself” climate resilience planning program that provides affordable assistance to small, mid-sized, and/or under-resourced communities nationwide. She co-authored A Practical Guide to Building Climate Resilience , a free, step-by-step planning guide that serves as the foundation for the Climate Ready Communities program.

Since launching her consulting firm in 2015, Laura has served as the working lands climate resilience lead on a number of local, regional, and state adaptation planning projects. These experiences highlighted a troubling lack of awareness among community-based planning leaders of the potential resilience benefits of working lands – especially small and mid-scale farms using regenerative farming practices to produce food for metropolitan markets. Working together, Laura and Tonya made a plan to develop a new resource for the Climate Ready Communities program that introduces the community resilience benefits of regional, regenerative food and farming. Laura got started by learning more about the conceptual and practical barriers to integrating working lands resilience benefits into community resilience planning. These range from the inability or unwillingness to recognize that different agricultural production methods produce distinctly different kinds and qualities of community co-benefits, to a lack of available resources suitable for use in community planning processes. About the time that Laura’s work turned from research to drafting the brief, she received an unexpected job offer that shifted the course of this project. Tonya’s willingness to share her insights gained through many years of experience supporting community-based resilience planning was instrumental in Laura’s confident decision to move into the new position. For now, the work that Tonya and Laura planned to do together is on hold, but Laura intends to finish the project once she has settled into her new position.

JEDI and MLK Day 2022

Fri, 14 Jan 2022 20:03:00 GMT

At ASAP, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a time for us to put more than just words behind our racial justice goals: it is a day to ACT. MLK’s Dream remains a powerful vision of the just and equitable world we want to live in. Take action with us to build that world.

We believe it’s possible to transform into a society where we all share the power and prosperity of climate-resilient ecosystems, communities, and economies. This MLK Day, take a step toward the change needed to make it happen. Check out these opportunities for virtual and in-person service and learning.

TAKE ACTION

Find a service opportunity : Find an opportunity near you through one of these organizations: AmeriCorps, Idealist, Just Serve, California Volunteers, MENTOR, Volunteer.gov (National Park Service), and VolunteerMatch.

Donate or apply to the ASAP JEDI Fund : Awards from the JEDI Fund provide financial support for members to engage in professional development and capacity-building activities and provide compensation to people for their time as they contribute to ASAP’s programs. Since its launch in April 2021, 13 adaptation professionals have received awards from ASAP’s JEDI Fund. Learn more about how this fund is uplifting ASAP Members and the field .

Share your service activities with the ASAP Network : Are you participating in a virtual or in-person community service activity in honor of MLK Day? Share the opportunity, share some pics, or share what you learned via the ASAP #JEDI Slack Channel or tag us on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.

LEARN

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) connections and resources from across the ASAP network and beyond can prepare you to accelerate and hold transformational change in your professional and personal life.

Black Lives Matter in a Changing Climate – Williams College
Tuesday, January 18, 2022 | 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. ET | Free | Virtual
Williams College’s 2022 MLK Day programming on the theme “Black Lives Matter in a Changing Climate” features a webinar with environmental justice advocate Wawa Gatheru.

JEDI ASAP Committee Resource Library
Did you know? ASAP has tons of resources for adaptation professionals on integrating JEDI into their work and life.

NCA5 Adaptation Chapter Public Engagement Workshop

Thu, 13 Jan 2022 13:46:00 GMT

February 7, 2022 | 11:00am – 3:30pm ET

Please join the authors of the Fifth National Climate Assessment for a virtual workshop to share your thoughts on the climate change-related issues most important to include in the Adaptation chapter. We really need your input!

The workshop is free and open to the public. The information gathered will help authors decide which topics to cover in their chapter of the Fifth National Climate Assessment, a major U.S. Government report on how climate change affects people and places in the United States.

This is an excellent opportunity to help inform, influence and shape this chapter. It is a low commitment that will have a lasting and substantive impact on the final product and outcome for those who use the NCA content. We plan to discuss ways to support others’ adaptation work in and after the NCA5 process. When you register, you will get a copy of the Zero Order Draft of the Adaptation Chapter (currently out for public comment for the next 90 days) and a copy of the workshop agenda.

2022 ASAP Member-Led Interest Groups

Thu, 06 Jan 2022 15:01:00 GMT

Get involved in ASAP Member Led Interest Groups in 2022 .
The votes are in and we are excited to announce the 2022 ASAP Member Led Interest Groups!

Policy Practice Group
Private Sector Adaptation Professionals
Professional Opportunities in Adaptation
Convening Climate Collaborators (webpage coming soon!)

A big THANK YOU to everyone who submitted one of this year’s six Member Led Interest Group applications and all members who voted in through a democratic ranked-choice voting process. All groups will kick off with new or updated regular meeting times in February; check your ASAP publications and the ASAP calendar later this month for details. Or better yet, register for an ASAP 101 Orientation session .

That’s not all… in addition to four member-led interest groups, in 2022 ASAP will continue to host Affiliated Groups Network of Networks, Community Adaptation Learning Exchange , Climate Migration and Managed Retreat , and R*ECO*NNECT along with the Ready to Fund Advisory Group .

Participating in Member Led Interest Groups is a member benefit, learn more about joining ASAP today.

Did you participate in any Member Led Interest Groups last year? If so, please tell us about your experience in this survey so we can ensure these groups are meeting your goals. The survey will be open through the end of January.

New Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Fund Supports Black, Indigenous, and People of Color

Tue, 04 Jan 2022 17:21:00 GMT

Inspired by members driven to create a tangible change, ASAP launched our Justice, Equity, Diversity, And Inclusion Fund in April 2021. The Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Fund provides financial support for ASAP members to engage in professional development and capacity-building activities as well as compensate people for their time as they contribute their knowledge, expertise, and labor to ASAP’s programs to those identifying as Black, Indigenous, a Person of Color or as having limited financial resources.

Since launching last spring, the JEDI Fund has made 13 awards supporting new work and providing compensation for people’s service to ASAP’s programs. A total of nearly $3,000 has been awarded to support adaptation professionals that identify as BIPOC or having limited financial resources.

Below we highlight stories from some of our JEDI Fund recipients. ASAP is honored to support these adaptation practitioners and celebrate their story with members.

Queen Quet of the Gullah Geechee Nation is using the funds to enhance community engagement in the St. Helena Island Gullah/Geechee Living Landscape project. In addition to curating landscape architectural design boards, the funds will also be used to create videos to inspire others to engage in using green infrastructure especially in coastal communities. Interested in supporting the Gullah/Geechee Land & Legacy Fund? Consider donating here .

Another fund recipient stepped forward to seek compensation for her time donated to the Resilience Dialogues Program – a program started under the Obama Administration and co-implemented by ASAP and other partners which paired subject matter experts with communities to identify their resilience needs and deliver resources to those places.

Nancy Gilliam , Executive Director with the Model Forest Policy Program & Climate Solutions University, received funds to support her participation in a discussion about climate adaptation in rural America with ASAP’s Professional Opportunities member group . The JEDI Fund made it possible for Nancy to take on this extra commitment to share leading practices with the ASAP Network.

Kim Grubert, Sustainability, Energy and Climate Change Project Consultant with WSP, was awarded the JEDI Fund to support her leadership role in the Mentorship Program . Growing up as Kim Hernandez (Kim’s maiden name), her tan skin combined with her family name led her to experience prejudice for most of her life. When Kim got married and changed her name to Kim Grubert, that prejudice interestingly waned. She believes it is critical to leverage her position of privilege as a white-passing Mexican/Latina/Hispanic woman to advocate for a more just and equitable world. Kim is grateful to have the opportunity to help shape, support, and inspire the climate advocates of the future as part of the Mentorship Program.

Centering justice and equity in adaptation work goes beyond words on paper at ASAP. Through our Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee , Accountability Group, and JEDI Commitments we are building a community of professionals who are committed to and actively working to be anti-racist and inclusive of people from all class backgrounds in our network. ASAP will continue to award these funds as long as funds are available. Donate today to support adaptation professionals from all backgrounds and experiences.

Local and Regional Hubs Microgrant Accomplishments

Tue, 07 Dec 2021 03:43:00 GMT

As part of a pilot program, ASAP supported three microgrant projects to catalyze members’ collaborative, place-based climate change adaptation work and stimulate grassroots involvement in the ASAP network. The three project teams, from Asheville, NC; Los Angeles, CA; and the U.S. Southwest, have been hard at work since launching their projects this fall. Read on to see where they are now and how you can get involved!

One of the main goals of the Hubs Microgrant Program is to activate grassroots engagement across the ASAP network. See something below that interests you? Get in touch with the Project Team, they will be excited to hear from you! Also, check out ASAP’s Living List of Networks to tap into additional networks in your local area.

Asheville Climate Equity

At the outset of this project, ASAP members in Asheville aimed to develop opportunities to engage local residents in a climate equity dialogue to enhance Asheville’s Climate Resilience Assessment Plan . The project launched amidst COVID-19, causing the team to pivot their original focus. Rather than deliver climate equity dialogue activities, the team built relationships with community leaders supporting BIPOC communities in Asheville.

The team connected with a community partner to dive into climate equity dialogues through a Narratives and Story Circles lens. In partnership with the Word on the Street/La Voz de les Jovenes organization, youth were empowered to explore the connections between art and resilience. The youth will continue to engage in three upcoming webinar series focused on GIS, resilience survival stories, and the intersection of art and social issues. In conversations with the community, the team also learned about mistrust of government, the essential need to work with community-based organizations, and the general perception that climate is not high on the list of priorities for BIPOC communities.

Partnerships were a major theme for this group. In addition to connecting with the Asheville BIPOC community and youth, the project team also made connections amongst themselves. One member of the team modeled their graduate research around the project and others on the team applied to a grant program to develop a transferable model for end-to-end co-production of actionable and equitable climate resilience solutions in at-risk communities in the Carolinas.

Project Team: Geoffrey Habron (Furman University), Jennifer Runkle (NC State, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information), Jim Fox and Aashka Patel (NEMAC + FernLeaf), Ned Gardiner (NOAA Climate Program Office), and Megan Odom (The Collider).

Want to learn more? Contact Geoffrey Habron

Baldwin Hills Conservancy Resilience Hub – Los Angeles

For this project, Climate Resolve and SLATE-Z worked together to produce a study on a resilience hub for the Baldwin Hills Conservancy in Los Angeles. Community engagement was key to the mission of this project. The group hosted three community engagement events to inform South LA residents about the project and to collect their feedback on resilience and access strategies for the Baldwin Hills Parklands. The team also conducted a survey of 300 South LA residents to inquire about the community’s usage of the parks and further understand their needs regarding resilience and access during climate emergencies.

The project examined the risks to the local community associated with climate change, including topics like extreme heat, wildfire, flooding, earthquakes, and other local risks. In partnership with the community, the team analyzed and requested feedback from local stakeholders about best practices and desired resources for the parklands as part of the resilience hub effort. The resilience hub is still in development- stay tuned for more updates!

Project Team: Natalie Hernandez, Jonathan Parfrey, Woodrow Covington, Chase Engelhardt, Seth Jacobson, Thelma Briseno, Lia Cohen, and Gabriel Varela.

Want to learn more? Contact Gabriel Varela

Southwest Practitioners Adaptation Network (SPAN)

This microgrant project focused on developing a new network for collaboration- the Southwest Practitioners Adaptation Network (SPAN) . ASAP members in the Southwest developed a network visualization tool and website to increase SPAN member connectivity and allow for better access to resources, expertise, and events. These new tools enable SPAN members to explore curated lists of publications, reports, and tools created or recommended by SPAN members. Users are also able to search the member database by geography, name, or organization. There is also a feature for members to connect up to three links to their profiles to showcase their projects, websites, and tools.

All of these tools are shared with members at monthly SPAN coffee chats (“get to know your network”) events. SPAN now has over 60 members and 23 connected networks. Looking forward, the project team hopes to expand these lists to a searchable resource library, launch a quarterly member newsletter that features member spotlights, a network of the month, and opportunities, and offer member affinity groups. They look forward to seeing SPAN, and its connection to ASAP, continue to grow in the years to come!

Project Team: Amanda Leinberger and Kathy Jacobs (Center for Adaptation Science and Solutions), Carolyn Enquist (SW Climate Adaptation Science Center), Ladd Keith (U. Arizona Extreme Heat Network), Emile Elias (USDA Southwest Climate Hub), Benét Duncan (Western Water Assessment).

Want to learn more? Contact Amanda Leinberger

One of the main goals of the Hubs Microgrant Program is to activate grassroots engagement across the ASAP network. Saw something that interested you? Get in touch with the Project Team!

Welcoming the 2022 Mentorship Program Team

Tue, 02 Nov 2021 14:03:00 GMT

ASAP is excited to kick off the 2022 Mentorship Program with the leadership of our amazing program team leaders. Welcome to the team, Emma, Kim and Sarah! Interested in learning more about the Mentorship Program? Email us! mentorship@adaptpros.org

Emma Cutler is a system dynamics analyst with the International Institute for Sustainable Development(IISD) and is based in Rochester, MN. Her work entails economic assessments of nature-based infrastructure for climate adaptation, with a focus on including social and environmental externalities in decision making. Prior to joining IISD, Emma was a coastal management fellow with the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, where she worked with the Wisconsin Coastal Management Data Infrastructure Community of Practice to develop geospatial tools for resilience planning. She holds a PhD in engineering sciences from Dartmouth College and a BA from Bowdoin College. In her free time, Emma enjoys running and hiking with her dog. As a former ASAP mentee, she is excited to support the next Mentorship Program cohort!

Sarah Huang is a Program Coordinator with Shared-Use Mobility Center (SUMC), where she provides technical assistance, develops tools and resources, and coordinates peer learning opportunities for the Clean Mobility Options program which funds clean and accessible transportation solutions in California’s underserved communities. Prior to joining SUMC, Sarah worked for the CivicSpark program to support fellows to implement local capacity-building projects to address California’s biggest challenges in climate change and community resiliency. Sarah received her B.A. in Geography & Environmental Studies from UCLA, and is interested in the intersection of climate change, transportation and public health. She hopes to apply her previous experience as an ASAP mentee and as a mentor-role for CivicSpark fellows to support the upcoming cohort of ASAP mentors and mentees. Sarah is currently based in Southern California and enjoys cooking and baking, starting new art projects, reading books, and running in her free time.

Thank you for your leadership Emma, Kim and Sarah! Tune into the ASAP Blog for monthly updates on what mentees and mentors are exploring as part of the Mentorship Program.

Kim Grubert is a sustainability and climate change consultant at WSP USA and lives in Westminster, Colorado. She leverages an interdisciplinary education from Duke University (M.E.M.) and the University of Kansas (B.S.) and nine years of climate adaptation experience working in the public and private sectors to support corporate, utility, and government clients in assessing their risks to climate change, adapting to changes, and finding opportunities to enhance their resilience. Prior to joining WSP, Kim worked for 5.5 years as a coastal planner in the Maryland Department of Natural Resources where she led projects to enhance the state’s coastal ecosystems and communities. She also serves as the Co-Chair of The Coastal Society’s Chapters Committee, where she helps connect students to opportunities to enhance their professional development. She is excited to apply her diverse skills and experience to support the ASAP Mentorship Program for a second year!

ASAP Calls for Increased Federal Funding and Federal Leadership on Climate Change Adaptation

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 15:30:00 GMT

This blog was written collaboratively by ASAP members active in the Policy Practice Group .

A lot has happened on U.S. federal adaptation policy since ASAP published its Policy priorities in March : 20+ federal agencies published adaptation plans , the Securities and Exchange Commission gathered input on climate risk disclosure , and FEMA announced the first recipients of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program . As ASAP members follow — and participate in — these actions, we see two important needs emerging for effective national-scale policy : 1) the U.S. needs a substantial increase in federal funding for adaptation and 2) federal leadership on adaptation needs to be stronger and better coordinated. Addressing these needs will enable the federal government to more effectively carry out adaptation to address national interests from national security to interstate commerce to social justice, as well as carry out its responsibility to support adaptation in tribal, state, and local jurisdictions, in the private sector, and in the natural environment. A strong federal role is critical to ensure a successful, fair, and integrated approach across the country.

Increased Federal Funding for Adaptation

The case for increased federal funding

The bi-partisan infrastructure bill passed by the Senate in August commits $47 billion on resilience over eight years . ASAP welcomes this increased federal funding for resilience; it acknowledges that investments in adaptation are in the long-term financial interest of the federal government. ASAP calls on Congress to pass the bill and the President sign it into law.

However, the level of funding in the bill – roughly $6B/year – is most likely not adequate to support action needed to prepare and adapt to projected future changes in climate; those actions will probably require trillions over the rest of the century. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Climate Change Impacts and Risk Analysis (CIRA) project estimated average annual adaptation costs through 2100 associated with coastal protection, urban drainage, and roads, bridges and rail to be $13 to $46 billion. Thus, the funding in the bill would cover less than half of the lower end of this partial estimate of national adaptation costs; ASAP therefore calls for a substantial increase in federal funding for adaptation.

The Federal government is not the sole funder of adaptation action — private investment and public funding at other levels of government also play a role. However, the federal government will need to be a large contributor of financial resources to enable U.S. communities, ecosystems, and economies to adapt to climate impacts. In particular, communities that have faced systemic oppression and unequal investment now face higher climate risks and therefore require significant federal funding to implement needed adaptation actions and to make up for historic harms. ASAP supports the Justice 40 initiative’s goal of having 40% of total federal investments be directed to disadvantaged communities as a minimum requirement and asserts that many communities will need additional financial (up to full funding) and technical support to address their climate risks .

How much funding is needed?

ASAP calls on the federal government to develop a comprehensive estimate of adaptation costs facing the nation through 2100. Such a study will enable Congress to make informed decisions about how much federal funding to allocate to existing and new programs that address climate adaptation. Currently, there is no credible comprehensive estimate of the total national costs of climate adaptation. The Fourth National Climate Assessment offered the very general conclusion: “Nationally, estimates of adaptation costs range from tens to hundreds of billions of dollars per year” The CIRA project provides a partial estimate, but that project did not assess all impacts, did not specifically describe costs to governments of response strategies, and did not estimate the federal share of these costs. Therefore, the federal government needs a comprehensive estimate of adaptation costs facing the nation through 2100 that accounts for uncertainties about the magnitude and character of climate change as well potential changes in socio-economic and environmental conditions. It should also consider how anticipatory, efficient, and equitable adaptation can affect costs.

Stronger Federal Leadership on Adaptation

Concurrent with increased federal funding, ASAP also calls for stronger federal leadership to address national interests and support the needs of state, local, and tribal governments, communities, ecosystems, and economies. Important actions for such leadership include:

Articulate a clear vision for national adaptation action: The federal government needs to create and disseminate an overarching vision for adaptation in the U.S. and use that vision to consistently guide its actions. The “whole of government” approach — integrating climate adaptation into other actions and policies — is important, but it’s not enough. To achieve the pace and scale of adaptation needed in the U.S. the federal government must articulate an explicit vision and specific policies designed to address current and imminent climate change impacts.
Better coordinate federal adaptation activities: The federal response on adaptation needs to be consistent, eliminate contradictory policies and measures, avoid overlaps, and fill in gaps. ASAP recommends that the Executive Office of the President (EOP) perform a strong coordinating function for federal adaptation action by leading an inter-agency adaptation task force. The Biden Administration should establish a fully funded and resourced position in the EOP with clear responsibilities on adaptation and with Presidential support.
Lead by example in federal adaptation decision making : The federal government should lead by example in its own adaptation actions and decision making. This includes, for example: adopting policies and standards to assure that it designs, sites, builds, and manages assets based on projected future climate conditions; taking care to avoid pushing climate risks onto surrounding communities through maladaptation; championing nature based solutions; and looking beyond disaster risk reduction programs to promote and fund proactive, systems-level adaptation action.
Convene entities to develop consensus approaches to adaptation : The federal government can convene sub-national governments, tribes, the private sector, environmental groups, frontline communities, and others in policy roundtables to help develop consensus approaches on adaptation. A federal convening role on adaptation may be most applicable where there are strong national interests, such as national security, or with respect to cross-regional issues, such as interstate transportation, water management, pollution, and ecosystem protection. To be successful as a convenor, the federal government should ensure specific, local needs and lived experience guide discussions while providing national-level insights and frameworks. It should also acknowledge and seek to compliment international efforts, ideas, and norms on adaptation.
Safeguard justice and equity: Frontline communities face higher risks to many current and future climate hazards than other communities. This condition is the result of a long history of systemic oppression and unequal investment. Federal investments in adaptation must recognize such inequities and ensure that investments reduce the inequitable risks and in no circumstance widen inequities. In addition to supporting the application of 40% of total federal investments to disadvantaged communities as a minimum requirement, the federal government should design processes for frontline communities to fully engage in planning and implementation of climate change adaptation policies, programs, and investments.
Establish standards to guide federal and non-federal adaptation actions: Many adaptation issues require standards and guidance to ensure the nation uniformly, equitably, and effectively adapts to increasing climate risks. States, local governments, and tribes should have authority to exceed federally issued standards and guidance to provide enhanced levels of adaptation. Executive leadership and actions can help establish guidance, but the federal government needs to develop lasting authority, including through the legislative process, to create federal commitments and standards needed for truly impactful national adaptation policy.
Provide technical assistance to non-federal acto rs: An important part of federal adaptation leadership includes allocating adequate resources to technical assistance programs that provide resources for climate-informed decision-making at all sectors and scales. In particular, the federal government must play a strong role in ensuring local decision makers have access to regionally relevant climate data, information, tools, and resources.

Execution of these leadership actions is critical to advance a myriad of policy issues relevant to adaptation, particularly those called out in ASAP’s 2021 Policy Priorities . The American Society of Adaptation Professionals applauds the Biden Administration’s leadership on mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adaptation to the consequences of climate change. It is imperative that U.S. GHG emissions reach net zero by the middle of this century. It is equally imperative that the nation become more resilient to climate change to reduce risks, particularly reducing risks to the most vulnerable among us. While adaptation will happen at levels of government and outside of government, a strong federal role is critical to ensure a successful, fair, and integrated approach across the country.

Investing in Adaptation and Resilience Jobs

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 15:00:00 GMT

ASAP is committed to creating equitable access to adaptation and resilience jobs, ensuring quality job performance, and promoting consistent adaptation and resilience outcomes from the work that adaptation professionals perform. And while adaptation jobs are rapidly expanding, we hope that demand for the work will grow even faster. That’s why, more than ever, we need a greater shared understanding of adaptation jobs, the adaptation workforce, and adaptation careers. That’s where ASAP comes in. Check out how members and staff are:

Getting adaptation jobs information to members of Congress.
Sharing stories and perspectives in the media about adaptation careers
Measuring the adaptation workforce
Connecting adaptation employers and job seekers

Fact Sheet Highlights Adaptation Jobs

Read the Environmental and Energy Study Institute Climate Jobs Fact Sheet

Adaptation and resilience is a rapidly growing area of employment, with jobs spanning a large number of industries in every sector. We need better data on the workforce and its needs to create equitable access to adaptation and resilience jobs, ensure quality job performance, and promote consistent adaptation and resilience outcomes from the work. Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI)’s 2021 Climate Jobs Fact Sheet sheds light on adaptation jobs, promoting greater federal investment in the adaptation workforce. New this year, EESI staff person and ASAP member Anna McGinn collaborated with ASAP member Maria Hart and ASAP staff on a companion article describing what we know and what we still have to learn about the adaptation workforce. The article uses ASAP’s Adaptation Jobs Database, which Maria developed using Burning Glass and ASAP’s job board guidelines.

“It is critical that we have a workforce that is trained in and knowledgeable about addressing climate impacts, and that we understand how these jobs are distributed across the economy. With that information, policymakers can make better decisions about deploying the training and resources to support this critical, growing workforce. It is important and exciting to be able to share ASAP job data with EESI’s Congressional audience, and we look forward to continued work together.”

-Daniel Bresette, Executive Director, Environmental and Energy Study Institute

What We’re Reading

In this Hothouse series, ASAP members and staff, including Kevin Doyle, Breana Nehls, and Beth Gibbons, share their perspectives on professional certifications, continuing education, and where and how to find jobs. Check it out!

By the Numbers

ASAP is your go-to source of information about the climate adaptation workforce. Our jobs database and our member survey are uncovering critical insights about adaptation jobs for employers, job seekers, and policymakers.

Want to access our data? Interested in partnering on or sponsoring ASAP’s adaptation workforce activities? Contact ASAP Deputy Director Rachel Jacobson .

Call to Action

Use ASAP’s Adaptation Jobs Board

Did you know?

ASAP members get an adaptation jobs, opportunities, and events digest in their inbox every week
Employers who are ASAP members can post jobs for free in the digest and on our listing boards.

Check it out! And, if you’re not a member yet, join today !

Springfield Rain Garden Project from Regenerative Design Group .

Mentorship Spotlight: Gaining Adaptation Perspectives

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 09:00:00 GMT

Mentor Chris Choo works at Marin County’s Department of Public Works. Her efforts support Marin Communities with sea level rise, flood protection and watershed restoration. She manages BayWAVE, the sea level rise planning and adaptation program for the bay shoreline in Marin. Marin is among the most vulnerable counties in California. Chris leads the work with local jurisdictions to solve problems together. Since starting with the County’s Watershed Program in 2008, she works to bring science and technical information to the public to make good decisions for better communities.

She was involved in launching the www.MarinWatersheds.org and www.MarinSLR.org websites, identifies project and funding options to reduce flooding and increase habitat, and supports regional planning for water resources through the North Bay Watershed Association and the Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management planning process. With sea level rise, Chris works with communities, local and regional governments to plan for a wetter future.

His future interests lie in using sustainability and resiliency planning as a vehicle for (a) achieving greater recognition, voice, control, access, etc in planning efforts for communities, (b) supporting eco-cultural revitalization, (c) partnership development/reconciliation and (d) collaboration between Western and Indigenous knowledge systems/perspectives to achieve better social and environmental outcomes. He has over four years of planning experience focusing on sustainability/resiliency and have worked with Indigenous communities in the Amazon and in the Lake Tahoe area of California.

Based on Bryce’s interests, most of the conversations were around initiatives to increase Tribal (and underrepresented) communities’ recognition in planning efforts. It was beneficial for both of them to have worked in local government in the Bay Area. They discussed the current context of Marin county (where Chris works) and other examples in the Bay Area. The Integrated Regional Watershed Management Plan was focused on a bit due to current efforts to involve Tribes and promote collaborative planning. They also generally discussed how to incorporate community voices into planning efforts and how to gain resonance with multiple stakeholders. Collaborative planning was an additional theme discussed where they discussed examples such as One Tam or the North Coast Resource Partnership.

The conservations have helped Bryce gain further perspective on roles for him in this field, courses to take in grad school, relevant professionals to connect with, particular projects to follow and more.

Mentee Bryce Henney is attending University of British Columbia’s Master of Community and Regional Planning Program this fall within the Indigenous Community Planning concentration. His past experience includes climate mitigation and resiliency planning for the City of Berkeley’s Office of Energy and Sustainable Development, master planning and strategic consulting for the design and planning firm MKThink, and resiliency planning, biomass development, and ecosystem management near Lake Tahoe. He has been fortunate to continue to visit and support Indigenous communities in the Amazon including helping to develop a strategic plan and more for the Shiwiar community of Juyutinsa’s organization.

Mentorship Spotlight: Grounding Climate Change Planning in Local Experiences

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 09:00:00 GMT

Mentee Annabel Cryan is committed to building a world capable of withstanding the uncertainties of our changing climate where both society and the environment thrive. She is passionate about strategic thinking and new technology that builds more resilient urban centers and business communities. She has spent the past 2.5 years working at the American Flood Coalition, where she provides support to over 270 city, state, civic, and business leaders addressing flooding and sea level rise. In her role, she facilitates best practice sharing, organizes convenings for thought leadership and issue advocacy, and authors guides to addressing some of the challenges these leaders face. Prior to this role, Annabel worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the Stratospheric Protection Division where she conducted business sector outreach and was responsible for testing the feasibility of new voluntary program concepts.

Annabel holds a Masters of Science in Sustainable Development from the University of St Andrews. She presented her dissertation research on equity in adaptation planning with a case study of Dhaka, Bangladesh at the Twelfth International Conference on Climate Change: Impacts and Responses hosted by Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. In addition, she holds a BA in International Relations from William Smith College and an MBA from the Quantic School of Business and Technology.

Upon joining the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) in 2020, Annabel identified the ASAP mentorship program as a valuable opportunity to learn from experienced adaptation implementers and continue her professional development, particularly given the challenges of professional networking due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The beginning of the mentorship program coincided with the completion of Annabel’s MBA program and prompted the mentorship pair to identify a core theme for their calls: finding methods for leveraging MBA skills in the adaptation space.

Annabel has spent the past few years of her career responding to the questions and needs of communities facing flooding and sea level rise. Jamesine encouraged her to explore emerging subjects in the adaptation space in anticipation of future community needs. Doing so will both better serve the communities she works with and provide an opportunity for Annabel to be well positioned as an expert within the adaptation sector.

Jamesine and Annabel have also discussed some of the new and exciting research and projects being conducted in the fields of climate risk and financing – an area of mutual interest – and how through various media, convenings, and conversations with experts Annabel can build on her interests and merge her MBA and adaptation skills to be an expert in this field.

Another theme that consistently emerged in their conversations was the need for anchoring climate action plans in the experiences of communities and individuals. Jamesine has worked on climate action plans at both the state and local level and has shared valuable insights and advice for thoughtfully convening a diverse group of stakeholders and centering equity in the development and implementation of plans.

Jamesine and Annabel are both hopeful and enthusiastic about returning to in-person convenings in the near future, but in the meantime, they enjoyed sharing examples of how virtual convenings can be structured to facilitate inclusion, groundedness, and best practice sharing.

Mentor Jamesine Rogers Gibson is a Consultant and Senior Climate Analyst with the County of Alameda, California. She has 20 years of experience advancing clean air and climate goals (both mitigation and adaptation) with an emphasis on centering equity and maximizing public health, economic, and community benefits. Jamesine has led research and shaped and implemented key policies and strategies in her roles in government (California Air Resources Board, U.S. EPA, and Office of then-Senator John Kerry), the Union of Concerned Scientists , and the Risky Business Project . Her experience working in a variety of climate mitigation and adaptation roles at the local, state, and federal levels and her knowledge of the climate risk field have helped Annabel to gain insight into the range of professional pathways that she can plan for and the skills that can amplify her current experience.

Leaving Room for Serendipity

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 09:00:00 GMT

Mentee Mary Hannah Smith is an urban planner hoping to help communities proactively adapt to climate change. She currently works as an Associate Resiliency and Environmental Planner at the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC), serving 39 suburban and rural towns along with the City of Worcester. She holds a B.A. in Global Studies, a B.S. in Sustainability, and a Masters Degree in Urban Planning. Prior to attending graduate school, Mary Hannah helped electric utilities improve their public communication of power outages. Mary Hannah is an Arizona transplant to New England and loves living in a place with four seasons. She is an aspiring cross country skier, baker, and balcony gardener.

At the beginning of the ASAP mentorship program, Mary Hannah had recently begun her first professional planning role at CMRPC. She was feeling uncertain about future professional development outside of the graduate school environment, so during their first call Tom and Mary Hannah discussed a series of professional goals. However, these were quickly put aside. Mary Hannah realized that what she most missed about an academic environment was not the structure of classes and internships but the opportunity to discuss complicated policy topics with like-minded peers. Fortunately, over the last six months, Tom has been happy to muse about subjects ranging from the net effects of greenfield solar development, individual vs. collective climate action, climate action plans, municipal growth controls, and personal resilience for climate adaptation professionals.

Mary Hannah and Tom have also spent time sharing information about projects they are currently working on like Mary Hannah’s municipal climate resilience work with small towns in Central Massachusetts, and Tom’s work supporting a Climate Positive Community Plan for Port Jervis, New York. Tom has also shared thoughts drawn from his long experience as a policy-maker, including his philosophy on the role of policy-makers in the policy-creation process, and how to maintain perspective in the face of policy opposition or setbacks.

Tom also shared candid advice on the function and process of networking, both for professional development and to support policy-making goals. Mary Hannah had viewed networking as a “necessary evil” but Tom’s viewpoint has reframed this process for her as an opportunity for meaningful connection with like-minded individuals and those with whom she might disagree. Tom’s encouragement to “leave room for serendipity” in networking and professional development especially resonated with her, and summarizes their ASAP mentorship experience.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Mentor Tom Eisele is a resiliency and sustainability consultant in New York City and Miami, Florida. He is an urban planner, licensed architect, LEED Accredited Professional, Certified Passive House Designer, member of the American Institute of Architects and the American Society of Adaptation Professionals. He has over 37 years of professional experience on building and planning projects around the world. From 2010 to 2019, Tom was Senior Policy Advisor in the New York City Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning & Sustainability (MOS) and the Mayor’s Office of Resiliency (MOR) where he drafted local laws amending the city’s construction codes, zoning resolution and environmental regulations. Tom also created work force development programs and policies addressing environmental justice. He has acted as principal drafter of over 60 local laws. Tom worked with MOS to develop methodologies for tracking building energy consumption and establish metrics for this purpose, including the targets for mandated Greenhouse Gas Emissions caps for buildings as part of the city’s Climate Mobilization Act. After Hurricane Sandy, Tom worked with the city’s Department of Buildings on updates to flood-resistant construction requirements of the NYC Building Code. He also served on the Technical Review Committee in the city’s Housing Recovery Office (HRO) to help homeowners rebuild after the disaster.

Breaking the Disaster Cycle

Wed, 25 Aug 2021 12:19:00 GMT

By Dakota Fisher and Beth Gibbons

Dakota Fisher is a Community Planner working for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The views presented in this newsletter are his opinion and may not reflect the opinions of FEMA.
Beth Gibbons is the Executive Director of the American Society of Adaptation Professionals.

Adaptation is, and must continue to be, more than disaster response .

This month’s IPCC report is a reminder that climate impacts are here to stay for the long haul. It also provided an authoritative statement on the role climate change plays fueling bigger, more frequent, and more destructive extreme events. But, climate adaptation is more than disaster response. It begins long before a disaster happens and the benefits extend before, during, and after an event occurs. Adaptation, done well, builds the resilience of people, places, and communities with or without a single acute event occurring. In response to IPCC Report and the upcoming (we’re hopeful here) passage of the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act here are five ways to use adaptation to break the disaster cycle and build more resilient places, no crisis required:

Invest in the strategies outlined in adaptation plans that are in place today.
Draw from local knowledge and technical resources to continue bringing best available information to all planning decisions.
Improve the quality of hazard mitigation plans and provide technical support for every community to develop a HMP.
Stop building in disaster prone zones – immediately.
Give direct cash to communities and individuals with priority on frontline communities.

1. Invest in strategies outlined in adaptation plans that are in place today.

Through state and local planning efforts cities across North America already have adaptation plans, just waiting for implementation. According to CDP’s Cities on the Route to 2030 Report , over 150 US cities have adaptation plans waiting for funding. Georgetown Climate Center’s State Adaptation Tracker shows 22 states with adaptation plans. All of these offer ready-to-go strategies that we could resource today to avoid and mitigate climate impacts.

2. Continue bringing best available information to conversations .

Data, most notably climate change data, is essential if we want to break the disaster cycle. In order to properly plan for the negative impacts of climate change, planners and other practitioners must come equipped with good information that will enable well-informed decision making. Happily, we have high quality data and information at our fingertips today. A few recommended resources include NOAA’s Digital Coast , a user-friendly interface offering sound data and an engaging visual platform; the U.S. Climate Explorer offers county-based climate data with historic and future climate conditions displayed by heat or precipitation with seasonal toggles; and for those who like to get their hands dirty, the World Meteorological Organization offers an alternative Climate Explorer . This tool is more technical and allows users to inspect a variety of different climate variables across different time series. While the formerly mentioned Climate Explorer tool can aggregate data down to the county level the latter views climate data at a macro level.

3. Improve the quality of hazard mitigation plans and provide technical support for every community to develop a HMP.

Hazard Mitigation Plans (HMPs) get a bad name when it comes to disaster response. Every place needs one, but too few places have them and even fewer places are proud of what is written. In ASAP’s response to FEMA’s Request for Information , members took on the challenge of critiquing and offering recommendations for how HMPs could become a useful adaptation tool. First, HMPs need to integrate quality climate information and risk assessments from local or regional climate adaptation and climate resilience plans. Next, every community needs to have access to engage in an excellent HMP development process so that the plan and the process to create are enhancing the adaptive capacity of the community. Thankfully, we have excellent examples of what this integration and HMP excellence can look like in practice:

In 2018 the State of Massachusetts developed the first hazard mitigation plan that considered the impacts of climate change and developed adaptation strategies to address those impacts within one plan. The report says “It accounts for projected changes in precipitation, temperature, sea level rise, and extreme weather events to position the Commonwealth to effectively reduce the risks associated with natural hazards and the effects of climate change.” ( Massachusetts State Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan September 2018 )
King County Washington updated their hazard mitigation plan in 2020. The plan is a model for how we center equity in our planning processes. Early on in the plan the county notes the desire for more equitable outcomes when establishing their mitigation plan outcomes of which “Integrate equity and social justice into our understanding of risk and vulnerability” is one.

4. Stop building in disaster prone zones – immediately.

More than 30,000 homes in America have flooded multiple times; more than 2,000 homes have received National Flood Insurance Program dollars more than than 20 times. One way to end the disaster cycle is to stop it before it begins. We can do this by banning any new construction in flood-prone areas. This approach, coupled with the critically important step of updating NFIPs floodplain maps across the United States, has been a talking point of NRDC’s Rob Moore since for most of a decade. In 2019 he joined Doug Parsons on America Adapts to talk about our “ Flood, Rebuild, Repeat” cycle and how we can and must break it.

5. Give direct cash to communities and individuals with priority to those who have been under-resourced and placed in positions of risk. (aka frontline/forefront/fenceline communities).

The resource many communities and individuals need most is direct cash. By reducing resource scarcity individuals and communities are able to develop creative and place-based solutions to address their challenges. In ASAP Members’ response to FEMA , we recommended increasing the grant mechanisms that include 100% federal cost share for low-income communities. This is just one functional example of how we can transfer funds equitably to places where needs are high and people are ready to deploy adaptation strategies to build more resilience communities.

Photo by Andrew Seaman on Unsplash

Mentorship Spotlight: Strategizing for a Career in Adaptation and Resilience

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 09:00:00 GMT

Mentee Joe Lampe is an urban planner and leads projects ranging from transportation policy plans and airport master plans, to equitable public engagement efforts and statewide freight plans. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Joe has degrees in Environmental Science and Spanish from Allegheny College, and a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Minnesota. After working in a traditional planning setting for the past 5 years, Joe is looking to pivot his career towards a path that focuses on adaptation and resilience planning in the realm of planning, policy, sustainability, and infrastructure.

Throughout his professional career, Joe has been frustrated that climate change and resilience has not been taken fully into consideration in the planning projects he has worked on. He has fought to integrate climate change adaptation and resilience into projects and community conversations but has been told the topic was too controversial to discuss with local staff and community members. He struggled through this process as these same communities were being ravaged by increased severe weather events, flooding, and drought. He has been searching for a place to connect with like-minded professionals who took adaptation and resilience seriously and knew how to integrate these principles into their work.

Joe found ASAP through a colleague in late 2020 and realized that the organization was exactly what he was looking for. Coming into the Mentorship Program, Joe knew that he wanted to pivot his career from once focusing on traditional transportation planning into a role that held adaptation and resilience at its core. He wanted to understand how he could work with communities to develop robust strategies to help plan for a resilient future.

Since their first meeting, John has provided steady guidance, profound wisdom, and friendly support to Joe as he searched for answers to his most burning questions. Their conversations have focused on how to leverage Joe’s professional expertise, technical skills, and experience into a desired role in the adaptation and resilience field that align with his passions and long-term career goals. John has helped Joe brainstorm potential roles where he believed Joe would be successful in the future. They have discussed many steps that Joe could take to prepare for a new role including networking strategies and professional certifications. John shared stories on the path that his career has taken thus far and all the lessons that he has learned along the way. He has reiterated that, although a career path may have its bumps and curves, taking the right steps and preparing now will help Joe achieve what he is looking for down the line. John has put Joe at ease by letting him know that he is doing everything that he should be at this stage in his career.

Joe has enjoyed getting to know John and learning from his immense experience in both the public and private sectors. He has appreciated connecting with John as someone who shares a similar outlook on life. Through these conversations, and the invaluable wisdom John has shared, Joe has gained a better understanding of himself and how to best prepare for the road ahead as he pursues a career in adaptation and resilience.

Mentor John Phillips has 20 years of experience in environmental sciences and natural resources. He now serves as the Director of Integrated Watershed Management at Parametrix.

John has served in a variety of roles including as a Submarine Sonar Technician in the United States Navy, the Executive Director of the Corvallis Environmental Center, and the Combined Sewer Overflow Program Manager in King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division. In his most recent role at King County, John was responsible for the development and implementation of a pilot program to test new technology for wet weather treatment. John served on the Pacific Northwest Clean Water Association Executive Board from 2014 – 2018, including as President in 2017.

Thanks to both for sharing what they have learned!

Mentorship Spotlight: Grounding and Guidance During Career Transition

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 09:00:00 GMT

Mentee Carolyn Heaps is an environmental project manager and planning professional who is passionate about supporting communities to adapt to the challenges of climate change. She envisions a future in which urban environments support each of their residents to thrive under changing climate conditions. Carolyn graduated from the University of Virginia with a master’s degree in urban and environmental planning in May 2021. She recently moved to Hampton, Virginia, where she works as the city’s Resiliency Officer. Previously, Carolyn worked in international development as a project and operations manager at Chemonics International in the Latin America and the Caribbean region.

Benét and Carolyn connected through ASAP’s mentorship program at a time of transition in Carolyn’s career. She was preparing to complete her master’s degree and was searching for jobs at the intersection of planning and adaptation. As a result, the pair’s conversations have often returned to navigating career change and returning to full time work in the adaptation field. As Carolyn was reviewing job descriptions, they discussed that while learning new skills can be a great opportunity, no single individual needs to be an expert in every facet of adaptation work. Benét encouraged Carolyn to think about the strengths and interests she brings to the adaptation field in community engagement, planning and policy, and to focus on learning new skills that excite her or align with her strengths. In the context of transitioning to new roles and geographies, they have discussed the importance of listening to learn from communities, partners, and colleagues to inform decision-making, both as a new team member and an established leader. Both prefer to use more “organic” forms of networking to build authentic and mutually beneficial relationships and have discussed successes and challenges in accomplishing this in the adaptation field.

Over the past five months, Benét and Carolyn’s conversations – spanning periods of job search, offer, and orientation – have helped Carolyn gain perspective on her next steps as an adaptation professional. Throughout this time, Benét has served as a sounding board and source of guidance.

Thanks to both for sharing what they have learned!

Mentor Dr. Benét Duncan is a climate scientist who supports sustained assessment to better connect scientific information related to weather and climate with decision-makers. She is the managing director of Western Water Assessment (WWA), a university-based applied climate research program working across the US Intermountain West. Previously, she was WWA’s Climate Assessment Specialist, advancing sustained climate assessment with a focus on water resources. Benét’s expertise also includes coastal and oceanic applied climate science, with a focus on marine protected areas. She previously worked with the California Ocean Science Trust and was a postdoctoral fellow in UCAR’s Postdocs Applying Climate Expertise program.

Mentorship Spotlight: Adaptation in Maryland

Tue, 10 Aug 2021 09:45:00 GMT

Mentee Kate McClure is a Coastal Climate Specialist with the University of Maryland Sea Grant Extension Program. In this role, she assists residents and decision-makers in coastal communities throughout Maryland with understanding and preparing for the effects of climate change, with a focus on flooding due to sea level rise, precipitation, and storm events. Prior to joining the Maryland Sea Grant Extension Program, Kate was a Knauss Marine Policy Fellow with the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Gulf Coast Restoration and received a Ph.D. in Evolution, Ecology, and Marine Biology from Northeastern University.

Kate and Marcus quickly discovered that in addition to both working in the adaptation field, they also share strong connections to Maryland – and had experience working with many of the same stakeholders. Marcus grew up in Maryland and started working in climate adaptation there before heading west to the Bay Area. Kate has lived in Maryland for the last three years after coming to Annapolis to begin her climate adaptation career with Maryland Sea Grant Extension. Many of Kate and Marcus’ discussions have focused on sea level rise adaptation at the state and local level. Through these conversations, they have explored similarities and differences in the approaches used in their current states and discussed strategies from California that could potentially be applied in Maryland.

In addition to sea level rise adaptation, Kate and Marcus have also touched on strategies for incorporating equity into climate adaptation, professional development activities, and career opportunities in the climate adaptation field. Marcus’ firsthand experience working on climate in Maryland and across a wide range of sectors has provided Kate with a wealth of insights as she charters a path in the adaptation field. Kate and Marcus have enjoyed learning from each other and connecting on their shared interests in adaptation, the mid-Atlantic, and the outdoors this year.

Thanks to both for sharing what they have learned!

Mentor Marcus Griswold is a coach, scientist, community engagement specialist and founder of Calm Waters Group. He has 15 years of experience communicating science and policy, providing strategic leadership, fundraising, and empowering communities on the most complex and controversial projects. He works on and provides mediation, facilitation, and planning services to non-profits, local, state, and federal governments, and tribes. He believes that communities already know what is needed to solve climate justice, and helps them tell their story, advocate for their needs, and engage with agencies. He has a Masters in Entomology and a PhD in Environmental Engineering with a focus of coastal watershed assessment and recovery from extreme events, supported through the US EPA STAR Fellowship program.

Mentorship Spotlight: New pathways and perspectives for adaptation planning across levels

Tue, 10 Aug 2021 09:30:00 GMT

Mentee Karen Buchsbaum has a passion for food, community, and climate. She has over 15 years of experience in education, program management, outreach and communications and enjoys engaging with community leaders, students, non-profits, farmers, and the public around issues of nutrition, agriculture, and sustainability.

She holds a B.A. in Biology, and an M.S. in Environmental Science and Education. She is a Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Studies at Antioch University New England where she is using agent-based modeling and role-playing games to study climate change and farmer decision-making.

Karen served as faculty for the University of Maryland and Maryland University of Integrative Health where she taught courses in nutrition, food systems, and program evaluation for the Master of Science program in Nutrition. She is the director and producer of the award-winning storytelling project, Harvests of Hope, which highlights the innovative ways small farmers and communities are adapting to climate change.

Karen is getting close to completing her dissertation and has been grappling with her next career move. The question that keeps coming up in their conversations is what “level” makes the most sense for her to work at. Successful adaptation will require organization between levels of governance, and right now there are not many systems in place to facilitate coordination of resources, people and information across levels and between sectors. This is changing and they have had lots of good conversations about how she can find her niche and create opportunities for herself.

Karen has primarily worked on the community, and sometimes state level because she enjoys working on issues that are grounded in everyday reality and enjoy working with people from all walks of life. George has encouraged her to continue that work and also consider how her experiences could help provide important insights for planning and coordination at the regional and federal levels.

One of the things they have spoken a lot about is the need for deeper community level work, especially in vulnerable communities, and what a truly inclusive adaptation and risk management planning process might look like. So many people who are the most affected by climate change are left completely out of the decision-making process and that needs to change.

They’ve also spent some time focusing on the importance of including Indigenous perspectives and spirituality in adaptation efforts. Climate change will affect every area of our lives, and the Indigenous perspective recognizes our inherent interconnectivity with each other and the natural world. Adopting this perspective has the potential to fundamentally shift how we approach adaptation. George has worked with Native American tribes in Wisconsin and California to develop adaptation and hazard mitigation plans. He has shared valuable insights about his experiences with these planning processes and how they’ve been different from other experiences he’s had in adaptation planning.

Karen has dedicated her life and career to education, advocacy, and community building. Like many others who work in the environmental realm, she has often felt burnt out by the amount of work and has sometimes wondered how much of a difference it all really makes. It’s been heartening for her to hear someone who has worked at one of the highest levels of government validate the importance of local level work in promoting resilience.

Karen recently moved into an old farmhouse in Maryland and learned that George also lived in an old fixer-upper in New Orleans. They enjoyed swapping stories about the quirks and challenges of fixing up old homes.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Mentor George Haddow served as the Deputy Chief of Staff at FEMA in the 1990s and was a member of the senior staff team that conceived, designed, and implemented FEMA’s national community-based risk reduction program entitled “Project Impact: Building Disaster Resistant Communities.” George is a co-founder of ASAP and the former Chair of the Policy Working Group. His experience working in community disaster risk reduction, community engagement, and crisis communications have helped Karen to understand where she may best fit in helping my community to become more resilient while building a satisfying career.

Earth Refuge: A New Face Addressing Climate Migration

Tue, 03 Aug 2021 15:01:00 GMT

By James Sedlak , ASAP Member

My name is James Sedlak , a former wildland firefighter turned climate adaptation professional. Since my last fire season, I’ve been more involved in the climate migration field by joining the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP)’s related programs and volunteering for a new think tank which I am excited to share with the ASAP network.

It is no surprise that climate disasters are intensifying in today’s warming environment. While some communities have endured, others are confronted with hardships so severe that they are forced to address the issue of relocation. Some organizations recently reported that upwards of 30 million people were displaced by natural events in 2020 alone. For many of us not on the frontlines, it is hard to grasp the severity of this issue but nonetheless it is a growing problem for everyone not so far off in the future.

Thankfully, many organizations in the climate adaptation and migration field are tackling this complex problem. They are addressing it by helping communities on the ground gain the services to accomplish just relocation, bridging the gap between communities and government leaders to rebuild trust around finding equitable solutions, researching future impacts on receiving communities and abandoned ecosystems and more. Among these organizations trying to make a difference is Earth Refuge , a think tank dedicated to offering legal frameworks to individuals impacted by climate-related displacement, serving as an educational platform for the broader public, and offering a medium for impacted community members and field experts who wish to amplify their voices.

Earth Refuge was founded by two recent University of Penn LLM graduates, Stephanie Hader and Yumna Kamel , in an effort to address the lack of legal status and guidance for climate-displaced people. It is entirely volunteer-driven, with members spanning the globe in countries such as the United States, India, Australia, United Kingdom, Brazil, South Africa and more. It continues to grow it’s volunteer base and strives to be another organization providing solutions and engaging content alongside established organizations like ASAP.

Earth Refuge and ASAP’s work on climate migration coincide in many respects while conducting unique projects. Both organizations serve as a forum for practitioners to share their expertise and perspectives within the climate migration field. Contributions include academic papers, creative content and professional networking opportunities. They also give people who deeply care about climate migration the space to work on special projects and collaborate. ASAP has embarked on a cutting-edge, applied research program modeling climate-receiving communities in the New York State region while it’s Climate Migration and Managed Retreat (CMMR) Working Group continues to bring ASAP members together to learn more about related topics as they emerge in the field. Earth Refuge has undertaken the development of legal toolkits that will guide impacted individuals through environmental migration processes and provide case studies that could highlight legal precedent for certain protections in various climate-displacement circumstances. Earth Refuge volunteers have also been creating original content including think pieces, academic articles, podcasts (including Deputy Director Rachel Jacobson on ASAP’s work ), current affairs reports and captivating social media posts to educate the global community.

As a volunteer correspondent for Earth Refuge and member of ASAP mostly involved in the CMMR group, it is especially intriguing to see how Earth Refuge grows in the climate migration field alongside such a prominent adaptation organization. I look forward to any solutions that might come from synergies or potential collaborations down the road. For now, please visit the Earth Refuge’s website below or check out any of its social media platforms to learn more and discover how to get involved.

Website: https://earthrefuge.org/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/earthrefuge/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/earthrefuge?lang=en
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/11RKbk7jDWF2K8xdoK6oF6

Mentorship Spotlight: Building Community in Adaptation

Tue, 03 Aug 2021 10:00:00 GMT

Mentee Emma Diamond is a Master’s of Public Administration student graduating from the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington in 2022. Currently, she is working at the Washington State Department of Commerce as an Energy Policy intern. Emma is interested in local and state government, environmental policy, climate adaptation, and data analysis. Prior to graduate school, she earned her BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering and did sustainability work for the City of Milwaukee and the City of Sacramento. This is her first year participating in ASAP’s Mentorship Program.

Both Sara and Emma have enjoyed the Mentorship Program as a way to build community in their shared field. Participating in this experience during the COVID pandemic also gave them the opportunity to support each other through the remote work experience (comparing the gif and emoji libraries of various remote work software programs). Over the course of the program, Sara has helped Emma brainstorm networking strategies and select among her graduate classes and internship opportunities, aligning them with her longer-term work objectives. Sara provided the perspective of a Public Policy Master’s student ten years post-degree, in particular providing insights about the work landscape for holders of this degree in the California/West Coast context. Emma has really enjoyed and learned a lot from hearing about Sara’s variety of experiences in the field both in California and internationally.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Mentor Sara Moore has over ten years of experience in the climate adaptation field, currently working as an analyst with the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety at the California Natural Resources Agency, watchdogging the wildfire mitigation efforts of the state’s electrical utilities. She previously worked on the state’s Third Climate Vulnerability Assessment, contributing a study piloting the use of participatory scenario planning for natural resource management under climate change. Prior to that she supported environmental and indigenous NGOs in Siberia and the Russian Far East at the international NGO Pacific Environment. She holds an MPP from the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. This is her first year participating in ASAP’s Mentorship Program as well.

Mentorship Spotlight: Staying Open to Unexpected Opportunities in the Adaptation Sector

Tue, 03 Aug 2021 10:00:00 GMT

Mentee Isabela Schultz ( Bela) is passionate about every intersection between climate and people, so much so that during her undergraduate career she designed her own major in Environmental Sociology. She has dipped her toes into many different sectors and pathways to change, including doing research for Project Drawdown, grassroots organizing for the Sunrise Movement, and interning for Senator Elizabeth Warren. Since graduating into a rapidly changing world in 2020, Bela has begun an AmeriCorps program with The Nature Conservancy, where she serves as the Biodiversity Outreach Coordinator. Outside of work hours, Bela loves being outside, reading, and listening to music.

With her AmeriCorps program wrapping up in September 2021, Bela is now looking for her next opportunity. With family in Spain and Costa Rica, she is open to positions worldwide to utilize her skills in communications, outreach, and project coordination to change the tides of climate change and biodiversity loss.

One thing that has been foundational in their mentoring relationship is that Bela and Phoebe both share a distaste for “fluff” and small talk. It only took one Zoom call for them to get deep, quickly moving past superficialities to discuss the topics that really matter. Due to the nature of their conversations, Bela has come to see Phoebe as both a professional and a personal mentor, especially because Phoebe’s work has tracked many of Bela’s visions for her own career. With Bela struggling to find employment and Phoebe facing the opportunity to intentionally redesign her professional life, their conversations covered topics such as creating and owning your personal brand, building leadership skills as a young woman and professional, and staying open to the various directions that life can take you. The nugget of wisdom that Bela treasures the most from their conversations (so far) was Phoebe reminding her that one doesn’t need to plan their entire career trajectory out or feel trapped in a certain industry, company or sector. Indeed, Phoebe’s own extensive and exhilaratingly varied career path is proof of just that! Instead, Phoebe suggested that in each moment of decision-making, one only needs to make the decision that opens more doors to them, creating the potential for an increasingly wide breadth of opportunities. As both Bela and Phoebe are standing at the beginnings of new phases of their careers (albeit at very different stages), this openness to what life brings them will undoubtedly serve them in taking their next steps.

Thanks to both for sharing what they learned!

Mentor Phoebe Barnard is aglobal change scientist, public policy wonk, communications strategist and filmmaker. Phoebe has a fire in her belly for transformative sustainability change. She works at scales from global to local, on climate risk and resilience, ecosystems, global change ecology and societal futures. She is the Conservation Biology Institute’s Associate Strategist, Affiliate Full Professor at University of Washington, and Research Associate at University of Cape Town, and was awarded globally for impactful leadership and teambuilding. For 34 years Phoebe was based in southern Africa, and founded and led transformative national development programs and collaborative international transdisciplinary research and policy teams in Namibia and South Africa before returning to North America in 2017. Her PhD is from Uppsala University, Sweden in evolutionary ecology. She is a mountaineer, a meditator, yogi, community gardener, and leadership mentor. She mentors young professionals across Africa, Europe and the Americas – all now young leaders and changemakers in their own rights.

LA Microgrant Project Making Progress

Tue, 20 Jul 2021 17:13:00 GMT

Community Resilience and Access Planning for CA Parklands

Questions or want to learn more? Reach out to Gabriel Varela

With the assistance of an ASAP microgrant, Climate Resolve is currently working on a Community Resilience and Access plan for the Baldwin Hills Conservancy Parklands in Los Angeles, California. Climate Resolve’s work is one of ASAP’s three Hubs Microgrants which are all focused around activating grassroots engagement across the ASAP network. You can learn more about all of the projects here. The Hubs Microgrant Porgram is supporting Climate Resolve in fostering stakeholder engagement to gather feedback from community members on their vision for a resilience hub at the Baldwin Hills Conservancy Parklands.

The Climate Resolve project seeks to create an inclusive community resilience and access plan. The objective is for the parklands to become a resource for all of the region’s communities including those communities of color that are often denied access to parks and green spaces. Through this project the team is assessing multiple aspects of the way local constituents interact with the parks and uplifting the voice of the community to guide our recommendations.

In June, Climate Resolve helped lead a kick-off workshop together with project partners Slate-Z, Baldwin Hills Conservancy, and Sumire Gant Consulting. Thanks to the efforts of their project partners, the team was able to gather a group of 87 community members to participate in the workshop and give their feedback on access and resilience in the Baldwin Hills Parklands. The group consisted of both Spanish and English speakers living in South Los Angeles and surrounding areas.

For those that might not be familiar with the Los Angeles landscape, the South LA area is home to a large working-class BIPOC community. In the communities the project team is working with, Latinx and African Americans make up 94% of the population and 46% are below the poverty line. The area also ranks low when looking at the tree coverage. Access to green spaces is limited due to the legacies of freeway construction, redlining, and city planning among others. Therefore, trees and parks are essential to the response to the impacts of climate change and we want to make sure that the communities in South LA have an opportunity to access the parks and increase their resilience during the times of the year when we experience the worst impacts of climate change.

Through this kick-off workshop the team presented the project and goals to the greater South LA community, gathered thoughts on what community members consider important for local resilience, and collected initial feedback on community interactions with the Baldwin Hills Conservancy Parklands. Many comments were shared around addressing community members’ experiences with the parks. The team also listened to how community members travel to the parks and whether they encounter barriers to access. The feedback also included details on preferred modes of transportation, the most common physical activities for visitors, and the park amenities that residents would most like to see in the Parklands. This feedback will help guide recommendations geared towards making sure the South LA community has equitable access to one of the few large green spaces in the city.

Following this community workshop, the team is planning a visit to the Baldwin Hills Conservancy Parklands in the early Fall where community members and local stakeholders will have the opportunity to visualize the possibilities for improving access and resilience in the Parklands and take a tour of the various spaces where we can incorporate equity measures. This is just the first step in the community engagement process and we are excited to uplift the voices of the South Los Angeles community and include their feedback in the final resilience and access plan so that it accurately reflects the needs of the people.

Questions or want to learn more? Reach out to Gabriel Varela

Mentorship Spotlight: Embedding Equity in Transportation

Tue, 20 Jul 2021 10:00:00 GMT

Mentee Sarah Huang is a Program Coordinator at Shared-Use Mobility Center where she supports implementation and evaluation of the Clean Mobility Options Voucher Pilot program. With a strong interest in service and leadership, Sarah was previously a CivicSpark AmeriCorps Fellow and helped administer the program prior to her current position. As a Southern California native with a background and experience in climate change and public policy, Sarah is pivoting her career to focus on the transportation field and addressing the inequities and systemic challenges built into the existing infrastructure.

From the start of the mentorship program, Jeff has been a steady guide in providing support and perspective to Sarah as she navigated a change in job positions, a permanent move back to Southern California, and musings about graduate school in the near future. In their conversations, Sarah and Jeff have discussed some of the challenges and difficulties of starting a new job (especially remotely) and different approaches that Jeff has previously taken to understand a new role and build connection and community in a new work environment. Along the same line, the pair also explored strategies to grow one’s professional network through ASAP’s member-led groups and local professional organizations focused on planning and transportation.

In recent discussions, Jeff and Sarah have focused on the topic of equity and how climate adaptation and environmental justice show up (and don’t show up) in the transportation sector. Especially while working in a new pilot program with the goal of increasing clean transportation and mobility in underserved communities across California, meetings where the outcome of a decision can have far reaching and unintended impacts on staff, community members, program applicants and awardees can be kind of stressful. And in a growing, collaborative team full of a wide range of experiences and priorities, conflict and differences in opinion are bound to arise. Through some of the wisdom and lessons learned that Jeff shared, Sarah has gained a better understanding and perspective of knowing how to balance pushing for change and respecting the established process, the need for shared goals and clear expectations, and the importance of relationship building and connecting things back to the community being served.

Getting to work through some of the challenges encountered in the professional world is a helpful reminder of the importance of service and empathy. Climate adaptation, transportation, and policy work will always be messy because unlike mathematical models and scientific research, it involves humans who are a little unpredictable and uncontrollable but that’s also what makes it interesting and exciting. And it is humbling to be reminded that the work should always be in service of others and the communities most impacted by the work.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Mentor Jeff Meek has over 10 years of experience in the sustainability and adaptation field. Now leading the climate resilience efforts within the Minnesota Department of Transportation and with previous experience managing the sustainability office for Indianapolis, Jeff is taking on the most polluting and entrenched sector of transportation. Jeff has a MPA and MSES from Indiana University, and was an environmental education volunteer for the Peace Corps in El Salvador from 2010 to 2012.

Mentorship Spotlight: The Growing Adaptation Workforce, Finding Your Fit

Tue, 20 Jul 2021 10:00:00 GMT

Mentee Sarah Collins is a mother, educator, researcher, and scholar pursuing dual master’s degrees at the University of Michigan. She seeks to blend her Environment & Sustainability M.S. and Educational Studies M.A. toward addressing education for sustainability in the United States by helping local and state governments build robust adaptation plans that include how we educate children and the Sustainable Development Goals. She currently serves as the Education Program Manager for Pierella Rainforest Reclamation Project, where she puts her B.A. in Early Care and Education from the University of Washington and teaching experience to use. Expanding her experience with the global community, Sarah is working with the UNFCCC’s Climate Technology Centre & Network to understand the technology needs of the Global South toward a carbon-neutral future.

The adaptation field is growing rapidly, with investments being poured into it across the public and private sectors with increasing prevalence. For Sarah, this brings increasing hope that as she finishes her graduate program there will be more opportunities to help build a sustainable future for her daughter and the generations to come. Sarah has felt that finding where she fits in the puzzle has been overwhelming, with so many opportunities and needs across the field. Through her work with David, finding the perfect fit for her passion and skill has begun to take shape. Their work together this year has focused on how to look for local opportunities and understand individual strengths. David has helped Sarah get over her emerging professional jitters and helped her to dive into this work now, by getting involved on the local level. Sarah is attending local sustainability committee meetings and asking questions. David has inspired her to look for gaps, ask questions, and become the authority.

David and Sarah have spent their mentorship sharing insight about how topics like migration, racism, and classism are enmeshed in climate justice and adaptation. David’s authority of California state and local adaptation governance brings to life how these topics, histories, and legislation play out in real-time. Their talks focus on life over property and managing human displacement. These two are both passionate and driven, bringing a lot of energy to their work together.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned.

Mentor David Merino has over 25 years as an emergency responder (15 as Captain), and knows firsthand what communities need to build their adaptive resilience. Experienced in teaching multiple audiences (children, general public, NGOs, firefighters, fire officers, elected officials) regarding life-safety topics, Merino brings energy and nuance to his mentorship role. His experience in community hazard assessments, disaster planning, emergency response, and crisis management creates the depth and breadth needed to help emerging professionals find their fit in the local and state sectors in adaptation.

Microgrant Project SPANning the Southwest

Mon, 28 Jun 2021 21:09:00 GMT

Photo credit: Ari Sahagún/ Southwest Practitioners Adaptation Network

The Southwest Practitioners Adaptation Network (SPAN) is a network of networks that builds capacity for actionable climate adaptation solutions and SPANs the boundaries between science and decision-making. By connecting and leveraging existing networks, SPAN links climate adaptation and assessment practitioners with resources, support, and knowledge to build stronger partnerships across the Southwest.

The Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions (CCASS) at the University of Arizona hosts and leads SPAN with support from the Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (SW CASC) and US Geological Survey. SPAN is also excited to be part of the first cohort of recipients of the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) Hubs Microgrant Program . One of the main goals of the Hubs Microgrant Program is to activate grassroots engagement across the ASAP network. You can learn more about all of the projects here .

In April 2021, SPAN launched its new website and member portal . SPAN organizers are now hard at work building and expanding the network. Near-term activities include hosting member networking events and working group meetings as well as adding additional functionality to the network map and member portal based on user feedback. SPAN is also partnering with ASAP to host Adaptation in the Southwest: An ASAP + SPAN Networking Social on July 29! Learn more below and register to attend.

How to Get Involved with SPAN

SPAN is a growing community of climate adaptation and assessment professionals (practitioners, researchers, managers, etc.) who live and/or work in the Southwest region, which includes Tribal lands, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. Our members’ work also extends into Mexico and beyond.

Signing up as a member of SPAN is free and easy! Start by filling out the brief registration form . Once approved, you will have access to the member portal and can upload a photo, finish filling out your network profile, and start browsing other members. The more you use the portal, the better your experience will get.

Want to learn more about joining SPAN? Reach out to Amanda Leinberger .

Upcoming Events

We are excited to announce the upcoming event Adaptation in the Southwest: An ASAP + SPAN Networking Social on Thursday, July 29, 2021 from 3-4:30 pm PT. This event will be geared toward adaptation professionals working and/or living in the Southwest but anyone interested is welcome to join. Learn more and register to attend here .

SPAN also hosts “get to know your network” coffee chats the second Monday of every month. The next SPAN coffee chat will take place on July 12, 2021 at 9 am PT. Learn more here . We look forward to connecting with you!

Questions about the event? Reach out to Amanda Leinberger .

Mentorship Spotlight: Navigating Opportunities

Thu, 24 Jun 2021 10:00:00 GMT

Mentee Marie McNamara recently joined the RMI India team and is helping develop decarbonization strategies for electricity and mobility systems to support federal and state governments in India. Prior to joining RMI, she worked as a civil engineer for a municipal engineering firm. Through this experience, she developed an appreciation for how analytical research and policy can spur greener economies and was motivated to pursue a Master’s degree to build from this experience. This spring, she received her Master’s in Environmental Economics and Policy from Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment.

Many of Marie and Joel’s conversations have focused on the need for a range of stakeholders to be involved in climate adaptation initiatives. Drawing upon his career, Joel has provided insights into the varying roles private, nonprofit, and government organizations have in helping build greater climate resilience. Through these conversations Marie and Joel have assessed some similarities and differences between consulting work and working for government organizations. Having worked on a range of research topics, Joel brings an international perspective to climate adaptation issues. Marie and Joel have a shared interest in international work and how climate change impacts all communities; discussing in depth how climate change vulnerabilities pertain to a range of global climate impacts.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Mentor Joel Smith has a wide range of experience working on adaptation and elevating dialogs on climate change globally. Early in his career, he worked for the EPA, where he co-edited several reports, one of them being a report to congress on The Potential Effects of Global Climate Change on the United States. Joel has worked on numerous publications on climate change impacts throughout his career and was a coordinating lead author on the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Assessment Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Today Joel is an independent consultant and continues to collaborate with various organizations to assess how species and ecosystems have adapted and responded to climate change. Joel also serves on the leadership team for ASAP’s Policy Practice Group.

Mentorship Spotlight: Choosing partners/battles wisely

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 10:00:00 GMT

Mentee Ana Mejia has 3 years experience in the adaptation field working with nonprofits and natural resource agencies. She serves as the Environment Organizer with the Vermont Releaf Collective working to empower and elevate the voices of Black, Indigenous, People of Color on environmental issues so that every member of the BIPOC community can thrive in a safe, healthy, and resilient environment. Her lived experience as a community organizer in BIPOC, low-income, and immigrant communities informs her approach to climate resilience. Ana lives in unceded Abenaki land, settled as Hartland, VT. This is her first year participating in ASAP’s mentorship program.

The adaptation field is always growing and evolving which makes ASAP’s mentorship program very useful to both newcomers and seasoned experts. Ana Mejia, a newcomer to the field, was excited to be paired with Julie Wormer, an adaptation professional with over 10 year of experience, to receive words of advice and share some of her own insights. Over the past 3 months, Julie has been providing Ana advice on how to prioritize projects and partnerships and how to avoid burnout. Ana often struggled identifying which partnerships and projects were worth the investment of her limited capacity as part-time environment organizer representing a BIPOC network. Through their monthly chats, Julie has been teaching Ana how to communicate expectations with potential partners early on and how to prioritize partnerships with the most potential for positive impact. Julie and Ana have also discussed choosing battles carefully and building relationships and trust with wealthy funders before challenging the inequitable ways they operate. Aside from strategies, Julie has also provided Ana with tons of moral support as she finds her place in the adaptation field.

Thanks to both for sharing what they have learned!

Mentor Julie Wormser has over 10 years of experience in the adaptation profession, currently as deputy director of the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA). She co-founded and co-leads the Resilient Mystic Collaborative, a 20-municipality voluntary partnership in the Mystic River Watershed. Prior to joining MyRWA, she worked for over twenty years as senior policy staff for a variety of non-profits including Boston Harbor Now, The Boston Harbor Association, Environmental Defense Fund, Appalachian Mountain Club, and The Wilderness Society. She lives in the Mystic Watershed, the original home of the Massachusett Nation. This is her first year participating in ASAP’s mentorship program.

Mentorship Spotlight: Building resilience through language

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 10:00:00 GMT

Mentee Lucas Do ’s goal is to develop climate data into actionable, localized recommendations for climate adaptation. After receiving his BA, he served as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer with an environmental justice nonprofit in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky; this experience made clear the wide range of voices and issues that interact in the climate resilience sphere. After developing a passion for the quantitative side of climate adaptation research, he earned a Master’s in Environmental Science from Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands. Lucas is currently a research assistant at Illinois State University, where he is researching novel methods to assess climate vulnerability of fish populations in the state.

Many of Lucas and Ned’s discussions have centered on the necessity of developing shared language and syntax for climate adaptation initiatives. ASAP’s Living Guide shows the importance of addressing this challenge by making Learning Together and Collaborating two of the principles of quality climate change adaptation work. The breadth and complexity of global change means that no adaptation challenge will be solved solely by practitioners in one field. Interdisciplinary collaboration between areas of expertise and across sectors is necessary to tackle climate resilience, but comes with its own limitations. Working with other stakeholders to define climate risks and adaptation practices in the local context helps to overcome these limitations by facilitating effective communication between people with diverse backgrounds, and helps to build buy-in through transparency and ownership of the adaptation process.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Mentor Ned Gardiner works full time to get global change information into the hands of people who can do something about it. His PhD in ecology involved modeling sediment in rivers and evaluating impacts on the biodiversity–algae, macroinvertebrates, and fishes–throughout western North Carolina. Working with spatial data (some call it geomancy) made Ned develop an experiential relationship to geomorphology, geology, climate, evolutionary biology, and coupled human-natural systems. He spent two field seasons on the lower Congo River with ichthyologists studying the evolutionary history of cichlids who had diverged since the evulsion of that river channel. Ned’s heart and soul resonate with those biologically oriented research projects, but he learned immediately that data visualization provided a key to working with people to address the threats to biodiversity. He moved into climate communication to broaden his impact as a geospatial data visualization expert. He helped NOAA set up climate.gov and the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit and now works full time to get climate data into the hands of state and local government officials and to set climate action plans in motion. A native of Washington, D.C., Ned is grateful to ASAP for advancing action on social equity, for it has created a more holistic approach to adaptation.

Mentorship Spotlight: Learning about resilience- as a career and in life

Thu, 27 May 2021 15:21:00 GMT

Mentee Veronica Correa is a rising second-year master’s student at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability. She is especially interested in urbanization, environmental behavior change, and how to effectively communicate environmental issues to diverse audiences. She previously studied at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where she was active in student journalism. In her spare time she is probably reading a book on the couch or taking pictures of her cat, Gia.

As a mentee, one of Veronica’s goals at the start of the program was figuring out how to prepare for the full-time job search. More specifically, she wanted to learn how to find an employer whose work would align with her long-term goals and values. Amanda has helped Veronica a lot just by listening during one-on-one calls and connecting her to others who work in adaptation. Veronica has learned that networking doesn’t have to be scary – there are a lot of ways to find common ground with others and people are really willing to help early-career environmentalists get started. Having the Mentorship Program to help facilitate these connections has been so helpful.

The mentoring pair has also discussed that there isn’t just one way to work in adaptation or to make a difference in your career. Even though Veronica doesn’t know exactly what the rest of her adaptation career will look like, she’s learned that there are plenty of opportunities to apply her existing skills. The pair has also enjoyed sharing how they integrate yoga practice into their routines and how it supports them in approaching challenging situations with a sense of optimism and opportunity.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Mentor Amanda Farris has worked with the Carolinas Integrated Sciences & Assessments (CISA) at the University of South Carolina for over nine years. She initially began as the Communications and Outreach Specialist and moved into the Program Manager’s position in 2017. She recently led the Carolinas Climate Resilience Conference , which was hosted as a hybrid event May 10-12 in Durham, NC and online. In her free time, she enjoys practicing yoga, gardening, and cooking.

Making Moves on Climate Migration and Managed Retreat

Wed, 19 May 2021 16:48:00 GMT

To Start…

We, the ASAP Climate Migration and Managed Retreat member-led interest group, are excited to share below our updates and highlights from the past few months. We’ve seen the topic get elevated in various forms such as the Biden Administrations’ Executive Order 14013 , the subsequent letter from the Mayor’s Migration Council and the related policy recommendations outlined by the Legal Justice Coalition. With growing importance and urgency, we invite you all to join and contribute to the conversation through CMMR opportunities in the next three months.

CMMR Manifesto Published

Tackling Our Species’ Greatest Adaptation Challenge: A Manifesto for Climate Migration and Managed Retreat from Adaptation Professionals

The CMMR Manifesto was developed collaboratively with CMMR members in 2020 based on two years of shared learning through a monthly speaker series and interactive meetings. First and foremost the manifesto is meant to serve CMMR members in documenting our shared understanding, aspirations, values and guidelines as we work together to shape the CMMR field. The manifesto serves as a foundational piece to inform other activities of CMMR, including a companion piece on policy recommendations. We will also use the manifesto to introduce the work of CMMR to our potential collaborators and policymakers.

Manifesto Guiding Principles

Shaping the field
Leading with justice
Recognizing inevitable land-use change
Delineating climate contributions from impacts
Global problem, local solutions
Navigating challenges and maximizing benefits
Empowering positive change

Celebrating our First Webinar Series: Housing Futures

Our first 3-part series of monthly webinars focused on the future of housing in the context of CMMR. We heard about emerging trends, recently published reports and innovative tools that help us understand the key dynamics and policy choices that tie together the Wildland-Urban Interface, affordable housing in flood-prone areas and the mitigation of climate gentrification.

A brief summary of notable trends and discussion takeaways from all three series can be found here: Housing Future Recap .

A huge thank you to the special guests and presenters who made it possible! For folks who are interested, the recordings are all available on YouTube:

3/2/2021: Wildfire and Housing Development
4/6/2021: Flooding and Affordable Housing
5/4/2021: Actions for Housing in CMMR Policy

Engage with CMMR This Summer

Our next event series, taking place June 1, July 6, and August 3, will focus on in-migration and receiving communities. Take a look at what we will be exploring this summer below.

Where might climate migrants go? Defining, and sharing the stories of, climate-receiving regions: A conversation with Abrahm Lustgarten (ProPublica) and Keith Schneider (Circle of Blue)
International, Federal and Local Policy Tools for In-Migration Planning- We will dive into the policy that exists in support of in-migration and what we still need to advocate for
Visionary Frameworks for a Positive Future- We will get creative and dive into creating the future we want to see in the future.

Questions? Contact Collyn Chan at collynschan@gmail.com

Mentorship Spotlight: Lawyers Who Do More Than Law

Tue, 18 May 2021 10:00:00 GMT

Mentee Linda Reid has successfully merged her lifelong love of the Great Lakes with her professional life as the owner of Water365, LLC , where she supports freshwater sustainability and climate resilience efforts through capability and capacity development, technical consulting, and coaching. A lawyer and educator with an entrepreneurial spirit, Linda is an Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP), a National Green Infrastructure Certification Program (NGICP) approved trainer, and an Alliance for Water Stewardship Standard Specialist Professional. Through her experience in government, academia, and business (for- and non-profit), Linda has developed a unique perspective on developing partnerships to collaboratively prepare for and respond to the impacts of climate change on ecosystems and human communities.

Linda and Barrett have enjoyed comparing how each other’s legal training and experience has prepared them for their current adaptation work, which often includes research, planning, communicating with diverse stakeholders, and forming solutions that are acceptable to all parties. Although their work differs in certain ways, including the geographic areas where their clients are located, they have found a lot of synergies and they’re exploring ways to work together in the future. In the meantime, Barrett has given Linda some travel tips for her upcoming trip to Alaska!

Linda and Barrett share stories about the practicalities of running their own businesses, serving clients with limited resources and trying to remain profitable, while maintaining work-life balance. They also share tips about operational efficiencies and productivity. To de-stress, Linda enjoys cleaning and Barrett enjoys cooking. They’d make great roommates!

Mentor Barrett Ristroph is a lawyer, planner, mediator, evaluator, and researcher based in Alaska and south Louisiana. She is the owner of Ristroph Law, Planning, and Research, which provides services at a reasonable cost to tribes, communities, and agencies related to natural resources, hazard mitigation, government, and climate change adaptation. Her Ph.D work considered how Alaska Native Villages are adapting to climate change and how laws and planning help or hinder. Originally from Cajun Country, Louisiana, USA, she has gained perspective from living and working in the Northern Mariana Islands, the Philippines, Hawaii, Arctic Alaska and Russia. Through her work, she hopes to build bridges between communities in South Louisiana, Alaska, and the Pacific Islands that are struggling with climate change and the need for sustainable development and environmental justice.

Exploring Climate Migration in the Great Lakes

Mon, 17 May 2021 15:49:00 GMT

In the spring of 2020, ASAP began working with partners across the Great Lakes to explore what’s needed to prepare the region to receive climate migrants. This work is bringing together disparate voices and perspectives – from demographers and climatologists to natural resource managers and community based organizations – and laying the foundations for socially just and environmentally sound growth in the region. One year in, we have made progress on predicting migration, gained a foothold understanding the opportunities and needs of stakeholders and indigenous rightsholders across the region, and clarified our objectives. Read on to see what we’re learning. Be sure to check out project media coverage and connect with us in the coming year!

Predicting Future Migration

We kicked off our climate migration methodology work with a climate-informed demography workshop in December of 2020, featuring Matt Hauer, Bryan Jones, Joyce Chen, Vivek Shandas, Alex De Sherbinin, Radley Horton, Art DeGaetano, Robin Blakely-Armitage, and Kristin Marcell. Two key messages emerged: climate-informed demographic models are still a work in progress and models alone will not provide decision-ready output for community members or policymakers. In the process of developing this workshop, we learned that there is very little existing coordination between experts in different areas of this interdisciplinary field. This underscores the value of our Climate Migration Methodology Accelerator which provides a peer learning space, coordination support, and access to data and other resources. Current participants include Matt Hauer (Florida State University), Kim Channel and BJ Baule (Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments), Kelly Main and Osamu Kumasaki (Buy-In), and Ross Patel and Isaac Gendler.

Read the summary report from the December climate-informed demography workshop and access resources from the workshop here . Interested in participating in Climate Migration Methodology Accelerator Learning Labs? Email AcceleratorApplications@adaptpros.org.

Opportunities and challenges for in-migration to the Great Lakes

In addition to supporting methodology development, we are also creating a typology of perspectives, opportunities, and needs concerning climate migration in the region. The foundation for this is a narrative literature review , assembled by ASAP staff under the leadership of Kyle Sullivan. The review discusses “opportunities” that in-migration could bring to the region and “barriers” that could prevent institutions and residents from reaching those opportunities. It includes peer-reviewed literature, white and gray literature, and news media articles covering: Knowledge & Learning; Economy, Trade, & Industry; Human Suffering and Well-Being; and Social, Political, and Cultural Factors.

This work also includes exploratory conversations with stakeholders and indigenous rightsholders across the region, including local governments, liaisons to tribal governments, natural resource managers, businesses, and community-based organizations. These conversations serve dual purposes: to build a foundational understanding of opportunities and challenges and to ignite more interest in the topic of climate in-migration. People in the region are thinking a lot about historic challenges of population growth and change they’ve experienced to understand how to prepare for future change. This includes anticipating increased impacts to natural resources and shifting cultural and age characteristics in their communities. Changes experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic also influence what’s top of mind for people – for example, real estate booms in smaller and more rural communities.

Clarified Objectives

As we learn more, we continue to clarify how we talk about this work and our ultimate goals. One central theme has emerged: a commitment to centering affected communities , including both leaving communities (places where people are migrating from) and receiving communities (places people are moving to.) This is particularly important as researchers essentially create a new science by building and refining methodologies for predicting climate migration. We are working to ensure that the methodologies, outputs, and applications of that science become owned and controlled by affected communities. This includes involving affected individuals in activities like identifying variables for climate migration models. It also means thinking deeply about the potential consequences of applying these models – such as how model outputs may be used in decisions about housing stocks that affect housing access and affordability.

Project media coverage

Check out these media pieces where ASAP staff share insights from this work:

Connect with us

Sign up to receive project updates.
Save the date for our virtual climate-informed demography workshop: December 6-8, 2021
Interested in partnering with us? Contact ASAP Deputy Director Rachel Jacobson .

Thanks to our supporters, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments , a NOAA RISA Team.

“So far, this accelerator has been a wonderful opportunity for our team to learn more about climate-driven migration to, from, and within New York State, and connect with leading researchers in this field. We are currently crafting our own research objectives that center social equity and the unique qualities of household mobility in New York.”

– Isaac Gendler, Osamu Kumaska, Kelly Main, and Ross Plattel

This figure from Dr. Matt Hauer illustrates the complexity of variables which contribute to building a climate-informed demographic model.

“Local institutions have both a heightened burden and opportunity to prepare for climate migration. Communities in the region may poise themselves to gain back population and economic growth while reinforcing larger climate resilience efforts and addressing historic, entrenched issues–like economic segregation–that harm growth. Partnerships with other cities or peer institutions, academic institutions, and philanthropic and for-profit organizations will be key.”

Climate and Demographic Change in the Great Lakes Region: a Narrative Literature Review of Opportunities and Opportunity Barriers

Representing Climate Adaptation Professionals in Congress

Wed, 05 May 2021 15:19:00 GMT

By: Beth Gibbons, ASAP Executive Director

On April 14 Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-12) invited me to testify before the House Committee on Science, Space & Technology. Speaking alongside three other experts, my role was to share expert insights on the needs of climate adaptation professionals, recent advances in the adaptation field, and what our community of professionals needs from the federal government today. Preparing to deliver this testimony gave me a unique opportunity to reflect on where we are as a community of professionals and to appreciate how much work we have accomplished in the past several years, often with very few resources.

More than anything I wanted to insist that Congress take to heart, mind, and budget the experience and advice of adaptation professionals and frontline communities who are practicing and improving adaptation and resilience practice everyday.

My testimony highlighted the progress we have made forming standards and values for our field; the importance of networks as vehicles for two-way communication between communities and federal agencies; and some of the notable trends emerging in the adaptation field.

Testifying on behalf of our community of adaptation professionals is one of the greatest honors I have received in my career. I hope to have many more opportunities like this one in the future and I look forward to continuing to advocate for the needs of communities and professionals who are facing climate risks head-on and building just and equitable climate solutions across North America.

Watch the full hearing including expert testimony from Richard Moss, PhD , Liz Williams Russell , Jeff Basara, PhD

Read the full testimony from Beth Gibbons & Richard Moss:
Beth Gibbons Testimony
Richard Moss, PhD Testimony

Mentorship Spotlight: Beginnings in Multidisciplinarity

Tue, 04 May 2021 11:00:00 GMT

Mentee JUANITA BALLESTEROS comes from a multidisciplinary background, having recently graduated with a Master of City Planning and Master of Landscape Architecture from UC Berkeley, with prior training as an architect from her undergraduate education at MIT. She is interested in the intersections of planning and design within urban spaces, pulling from multiple lenses to craft more holistic solutions. Specifically, she is passionate about urban resilience and tackling the challenge of adapting our cities to the changing conditions of climate change and sea level rise. She believes that we must create cities and places that are environmentally and socially resilient, and is committed to pursuing this path through her work.

Dalia and Juanita are at the beginning of their mentorship journey and have started to explore two major themes: networking and the intersection of design, planning, and resilience. As a student who graduated into the COVID pandemic and a frozen job market, Juanita has dedicated her energy during this time to network and forge relationships and understand what the broad world of “resilience” can look like. With the virtual world of the pandemic, it was easier for her to connect to a larger group of people, spanning across fields and geographies. Dalia has extensive experience in this, since her time with One Architecture has heavily centered around networking, forging relationships between design and resilience practitioners in Boston and now Houston. They will be exploring strategies for networking, considering questions such as: what are your goals, what do you hope to achieve, and how do you use that information? One big help is spreadsheets, keeping tabs on the person, their field, their contact info, etc. And, of course, color-coding it.

The second major theme is about their shared intersections of design, planning, and resilience. Coming from design backgrounds, they are versed in physicality and tactility, in place-based challenges. So the question is how and in what ways can this be applied to urban resilience? Especially considering that this particular focus of urbanism is still a fledgling and is in the process of being defined. This type of work can be done within many different capacities, so their conversations have focused on the following categories: positions within engineering firms, consultancies, and design firms. Generally, roles that are focused on adaptation and resilience, with design and planning as key areas of focus, are more available across large engineering firms who are expanding their capacity by providing the urban resilience expertise in-house. Consultancies are generally more research and policy focused, publishing reports but not necessarily involved in the design or physicality of projects. Design firms, architecture or landscape, might have a resilience focus or research capacity, but that is usually a component of the day to day, rather than a central focus of it. This sort of clarification and classification has been a helpful way to approach the field, especially for someone who is just coming out of grad school. There are so many different pathways and opportunities, but it is a niche field, and so there is no clear-cut path forward. Being able to explore this do-it-yourself career path together will be invaluable.

Thank you to Juanita and Dalia for sharing their experience in the Mentorship Program!

Mentor DALIA MUNENZON , an Associate at One Architecture, has a decade of professional experience in architecture and urbanism, focusing on adaptive strategies and resiliency methods. She leverages experience in urban systems design, environmental planning, and architecture to work with local communities across scales towards resilient cities and urban environments. Dalia’s work on resilience is focused on waterfront design and long-term strategic planning. Dalia received a Master’s in Architectural Studies from MIT and a Bachelor’s in Architecture and Town Planning from the Technion Israeli Institute of Technology. She hopes to carry forward her knowledge and experience to promote healthy, inclusive, and resilient cities in the 21st century.

Our Commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Mon, 03 May 2021 17:38:00 GMT

We are writing this letter today to affirm life and the work that needs to happen to preserve it, especially in communities at the forefront of adaptation. Our profession is one that both cares for and celebrates the natural world and life in all of its forms; as adaptation professionals, one of our main concerns is reducing harm by keeping people as safe as possible from climate change.

A year ago, we affirmed our commitment to life by publishing the ASAP JEDI Statement . In it, we committed ourselves and ASAP to

For us, as ASAP staff, this has meant different things in our personal and professional lives.

For Marce , it has meant to learn and speak up at different times and contexts to point out when something is not right. It has also meant to support mutual aid efforts for Indigenous Nations that exist within Mexican territory.

For Breana , it has consisted of an ongoing journey of creating space and prioritizing time to unlearn systems of white supremacy to instead center the voices of Black, Indigenous, and people of color in her everyday choices.

For Rachel , it has meant to relearn the history of the United States from the perspectives of Black people, Indigenous peoples, and people of color, and center the experiences of people who hold those identities in her conversations and actions.

For Beth , it has meant tempering the urgency of climate action with the patient pace of relationship building, seeking joy in our pursuit of justice, and accepting the emotional work of anti-racism in her community activism and professional life.

As a team, we decided to find tangible, concrete ways to show our solidarity. Especially as we continue to see our colleagues and neighbors being threatened and killed by white supremacy , we want our actions to speak louder than our words. That’s why today we are launching the ASAP Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Fund. This fund, which ASAP staff have seeded with $2,000, demonstrates our commitment to allocate financial resources to grow the adaptation field with people who are at the forefront of adaptation and people who come from affected communities.

We invite all those who share this commitment to participate in the JEDI fund. You can donate money and contribute to making our field more just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive; you can also request resources from the Fund to grow your practice as an adaptation professional. We hope you will join us in these acts of solidarity and reciprocity.

Thank you for joining us on our journey to work towards the liberation of all people. We are not free until everyone is free.

In solidarity,
Marce, Breana, Rachel, and Beth

“… not allow the actions of the past to dictate our future and we commit to leveraging our network and resources to promote justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in the climate adaptation field and beyond.”

ASAP Policy Round Up | Jan-April 2021

Mon, 03 May 2021 14:53:00 GMT

The Policy Practice Group is excited to launch our first quarterly policy digest! Each quarter, the Policy Practice Group will send out a policy round up including updates shared by members during monthly Policy Practice Group meetings. These policy updates are also collected live during meetings and can be found on the groups’ Policy Tracker. The tracker is updated after each meeting and we encourage you to reference it as a go to place for the latest adaptation policy being discussed by fellow members. When crafting our Policy Digest, we are paying particular attention to legislation that relates to ASAP’s policy priorities. You can explore the priorities here.

State and Local Updates

Florida

A new state budget proposal was introduced in Florida this March to include over $1B for “Resilient Florida”. Learn more…

New York, NY

On March 18th, New York passed a law to amend the city code to include climate resiliency design guidelines and resiliency scoring content. Learn more…

Federal Updates

Legislative Branch

Bills Passed

The Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation (STORM) Act, passed into law in January, provides a revolving loan fund for pre-disaster mitigation. Learn more…
Passed into law in December, the Omnibus Appropriations Bill , while largely aimed at COVID relief, also provides provisions from the 2020 Water Resources Development Act to provide funding for transportation, HFCs, and energy efficiency initiatives. Learn more…

Bills Introduced

The Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act reauthorizes and establishes several water infrastructure programs to provide safe drinking water. Learn more…
The BLUE GLOBE Act was introduced to improve data collection and monitoring of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts. Learn more…
The Insular Area Climate Change Act was introduced to provide funding and technical support for climate change planning, mitigation, adaptation, and resilience in U.S. Territories and Freely Associated States . Learn more…
The CLEAN Future Act was introduced to provide comprehensive legislation to combat the climate crisis including topics such as microgrids and energy resilience ,transportation, climate risk disclosure, and requirements for climate action planning for national security. Learn more…
The GREEN Building Jobs Act looks to amend the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to fund job-creating improvements in energy and resiliency for Federal buildings managed by the General Services Administration. Learn more…
H.R.1984 aims to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide a credit for those owning disaster resilient property. Learn more…
If passed, the Environmental Justice Mapping and Data Collection Act would establish the Environmental Justice Mapping Committee. Learn more…
S.873 was introduced to establish the Climate Change Advisory Commission. Learn more…
The Flood Resiliency and Taxpayer Savings Act was introduced to require federal agencies to evaluate and mitigate the risk of floods to federally funded projects, safeguard taxpayer resources, and strengthen the Nation’s resilience against severe storms and flooding. Learn more…
The WHIP+ Reauthorization Act was introduced to expand the Department of Agriculture’s Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+) to include coverage for crop loss due to wildfire. Learn more…
H.R.1936 was introduced to require the Comptroller General to evaluate and issue a report on the structural and economic impacts of climate resiliency at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Learn more…

Executive Branch

During the Leaders Summit on Climate, President Biden announced a new target of a 50-52% reduction in greenhouse gas pollution from 2005 levels by 2030. Learn more…
Resilient infrastructure and investing in vulnerable communities were called out in the Biden-Harris American Jobs Plan that was released in March. Learn more…
President Biden signed an executive order in February aimed at rebuilding and enhancing programs to resettle refugees and planning for the impact of climate change on migration. Learn more…
The United States has formally announced it would rejoin the Paris Agreement on President Biden’s first day in office. The U.S. reentered the Agreement on February 19, 2021. Learn more…
In January, President Biden signed an executive order to protect public health and the environment and restore science to tackle the climate crisis. Learn more…

Professional Associations

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners established a new Climate and Resiliency Task Force to meet monthly to address climate and resiliency. Learn more…

Get Involved!

Interested in being part of live updates and discussing them as a group? Join ASAP’s Policy Practice monthly meetings! Each month we hear round robin updates on the latest adaptation policy from your fellow ASAP Member practitioners. The Policy Practice group has also developed ASAP’s 2021 Policy Priorities and is actively seeking member comments to submit to the Request for Information from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on the SEC’s regulation of climate change disclosures. Share your comments here. Hope to see you at a meeting soon!

Updated Professional Guidance Resources

Tue, 20 Apr 2021 16:28:00 GMT

Updated ASAP Professional Guidance Resources better integrate justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion concepts and language

Updated versions of the ASAP Code of Conduct and Professional Ethics , Living Guide to the Principles of Climate Change Adaptation , and ASAP Professional Guidance Resources Glossary are now available in the ASAP Resource Library ! Key changes include:

Revised language in the Code of Ethics and Living Guide to reflect concepts and language used in the ASAP JEDI statement and to embrace asset-based framing.
Reorganized sections in the Code of Ethics to reflect order of priority for ASAP members.
Enhanced complimentary of Code of Ethics and Living Guide by matching language and streamlining how Values and Beliefs are presented.

“The prioritization and integration of JEDI is a process – a process that needs to inform all aspects of an organization: its structure, policies, programs, and more. Updating ASAP’s Code of Conduct and Professional Ethics and Living Guide to the Principles of Climate Change Adaptation is an essential step in ASAP’s journey to live and breathe our values.”
— Julia Kim, ASAP Board Member and ASAP JEDI Committee Leadership Team Member.
View additional statements of support here .

A huge thank you to all of the members who participated in the update: Emily Wasley , Gil Peach , Josh Foster , Julia Kim , Vanessa Lueck , Shameika Hanson , Kyle Sullivan , Galen Treuer , Sharon Hausam , Kim Lundgren , Beth Gibbons , Rachel Jacobson , and Breana Nehls . You can find the updated resources here or by clicking on the “professional guidance resources” tab in the resource library . Questions or feedback? Email ASAP Deputy Director Rachel Jacobson .

Thanks to all members who participated in the drafting and review of the original resources – to see those names, visit the ASAP Serves webpage and click on “Advisory and Working Group Members”.

Local and Regional Hubs Microgrant Projects Making Progress

Mon, 05 Apr 2021 17:33:00 GMT

ASAP is supporting three microgrant projects to catalyze members’ collaborative, place-based climate change adaptation work and stimulate grassroots involvement in the ASAP network. The three project teams have been hard at work since launching their projects this fall. Read on to see where they are now and how you can get involved!

One of the main goals of the Hubs Microgrant Program is to activate grassroots engagement across the ASAP network. See something below that interests you? Get in touch with the Project Team, they will be excited to hear from you! Also check out ASAP’s Living List of Networks to tap into additional networks in your local area.

Asheville Climate Equity Dialogue

Project Goal: ASAP members in Asheville are developing opportunities to engage local residents in a climate equity dialogue to enhance Asheville’s Climate Resilience Assessment Plan. Through six interactive dialogue and engagement sessions, this project connects community leaders and ASAP experts to enhance local peer connection and create the space to increase the diversity of voices involved in climate action deliberations.

What They’re Up To: The team has been hard at work building cohesion and creating team synergy. The group has identified three methods to engage the Asheville community in a climate equity dialogue- world cafes, collecting stories and building narratives, as well as building scenarios and worldviews. Currently, the team is testing how these three methods work together and how they may apply to various community groups.

Putting justice, equity, diversity and inclusion priorities into action, the team is exploring existing local efforts made by underrepresented groups rather than assuming they have all the answers for what will serve the community. Through this collaborative framework, the project aims to advance climate equity in Asheville through community listening and learning while understanding and exploring impacts of those impacted by climate change.

The Asheville team also shared their story with the ASAP Network as part of our Co-Creation series “Bridging the Partisan Divide with Resilience Solutions” event.

Project Team: Geoffrey Habron (Furman University), Laura Lengnick and Laura Anthony (Cultivating Resilience, LLC), Jennifer Runkle (NC State, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information), Jim Fox and Aashka Patel (NEMAC + FernLeaf), Ned Gardiner (NOAA Climate Program Office), Megan Odom (The Collider).

Want to learn more? Contact Geoffrey Habron

Baldwin Hills Conservancy Resilience Hub – Los Angeles

Project Goal: Climate Resolve and SLATE-Z are collaborating to produce a detailed study on a resilience hub for the Baldwin Hills Conservancy in Los Angeles. The study examines community risks and suggests actionable solutions, analyzes resilience hub best practices, and covers topics such as independent energy sources, water supply, and information dissemination.

What They’re Up To: The team has been busy connecting with local stakeholders to conduct a targeted accessibility needs assessment to ensure equal access to the parklands. The team is especially proud that they are prioritizing community focused resiliency plans. This community centric focus has garnered a lot of interest across California and State officials are recognizing the project as an important case study for other areas of California.

Tapping into the California ASAP Network, the team presented their progress with the Los Angeles Regional Collaborative. After sharing out project updates, the team hosted small group discussions to create space for feedback on how to develop their resilience plan and identify barriers for implementation.

Project Team: Natalie Hernandez , Jonathan Parfrey, Woodrow Covington , Chase Engelhardt, Seth Jacobson, Thelma Briseno , Mariana Estrada, Gabriel Varela

Want to learn more? Contact Gabriel Varela

Southwest Practitioners Adaptation Network

Project Goal: ASAP members in the Southwest are developing a network visualization tool and website for the Southwest Practitioners Adaptation Network (SPAN) to increase member connectivity and allow for better access to resources, expertise, and events. Improving this critical network infrastructure will catalyze SPAN’s member engagement across the Southwest and enhance connections to the ASAP network regionally and nationally.

What They’re Up To: The team is excited to announce the launch of the SPAN webpage! The goal of this webpage is to be the home for adaptation practitioners in the Southwest and provide a space to build adaptive capacity and tangible adaptation outcomes in their region. As part of the Virtual Southwest Adaptation Forum (taking place April 6-8), the team will launch the membership portal of the SPAN website and recruit members to join the SPAN network.

Looking ahead, the team will be hosting an event this summer to connect ASAP members and those engaged with the Southwest Adaptation Forum. Want to be invited? Connect with Amanda Leinberger .

Project Team: Kathy Jacobs and Amanda Leinberger (Center for Adaptation Science and Solutions), Carolyn Enquist (SW Climate Adaptation Science Center), Ladd Keith (U. Arizona Extreme Heat Network), Emile Elias (USDA Southwest Climate Hub), Benét Dunca n (Western Water Assessment).

Want to learn more? Contact Amanda Leinberger

One of the main goals of the Hubs Microgrant Program is to activate grassroots engagement across the ASAP network. Saw something that interested you? Get in touch with the Project Team!

The post Local and Regional Hubs Microgrant Projects Making Progress appeared first on Adaptation Professionals .

ASAP Receives Climate Change Business Journal Business Achievement Award

Thu, 25 Mar 2021 14:41:00 GMT

We are honored to announce that ASAP has received the Climate Change Business Journal Business Achievement Award for Advancing Best Practices – Climate Change Adaptation & Resilience! This award recognizes ASAP’s cutting-edge work on climate migration and managed retreat (CMMR) via our CMMR Member Led Interest Group and our NY State Climate Migration Accelerator .

“This award is an incredible recognition of the work that members have put into the whole organization and especially the Climate Migration & Managed Retreat Member Group over the past two years.”, says ASAP Executive Director Beth Gibbons.

View the award ceremony here , passcode is 6i=r%Skk

Thank you to the fantastic award proposal team – ASAP members Judy Dorsey (Brendle Group), Jim Hight (Writer and Strategic Communications Consultant), and Patrick Marchman (Kleinfelder) as well as the entire Climate Migration and Managed Retreat Leadership Team- Collyn Chan, Christian Kamrath, Judy Dorsey, and Patrick Marchman. ASAP also wants to thank members Anna Marandi, Kelly Main, Ira Feldman, Gretchen Bank, and Roger Sorkin for their work in this area. We are so grateful to celebrate this esteemed award alongside our member leaders and many other influential organizations.

ASAP’s 2021 Policy Priorities

Wed, 24 Mar 2021 16:46:00 GMT

With President Biden’s Administration cabinet almost fully confirmed, including a strong climate team, ASAP members are seizing our moment to accelerate adaptation policy. The White House team is taking a “whole of government approach” to climate or what adaptation professionals call “mainstreaming” climate information and adaptation action (see ASAP’s Living Guide to the Principles of Climate Change Adaptation .) But while integrating climate adaptation into other actions and policies is important, it’s not enough. We can’t achieve the pace or scale of adaptation needed without a distinct set of policies designed explicitly to address current and imminent climate impacts. In addition to distinct policies to accelerate adaptation action, we also need our priority adaptation policies to respond to the unique conditions of 2021: the ongoing implementation of response programs addressing health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 disaster and massive social, education, and infrastructure programs that address systemic and individual racism.

ASAP’s 2021 Policy Priorities respond to those demands while describing what’s needed for adaptation professionals to be able to implement effective and just adaptation and resilience work across all sectors and scales.

Join us in making progress on these top priorities in 2021:

Establish standards for climate data and mandate use of future climate projections.
Treat climate change as a crisis and prioritize justice and equity in crisis response.
Overlay climate resilience needs on all infrastructure decisions.
Preserve, restore, and manage natural systems for climate resilience.
Define, develop, and train the climate change adaptation and climate resilience workforce.

These priorities, created by and for ASAP members, don’t just signal what we’ll advocate for in 2021. They also represent where ASAP members have deep expertise. If you’re a decision-maker at any scale of governance looking for adaptation insight to take your climate agenda to the next level, look no further than the ASAP network.

Photo by Justin Cron on Unsplash

Join us for a conversation with David Hayes, Special Assistant to President Biden for Climate Policy

Mon, 15 Mar 2021 21:42:00 GMT

Communities, Climate Action and New U.S. Leadership Webinar | April 2, 1:00 p.m. ET | Free | Register here

You are invited to a unique online discussion with David Hayes, Special Assistant to President Biden for Climate Policy.

This webinar is co-hosted by the American Society of Adaptation Professionals, the Tribal Climate Health Project , and the Local Government Commission , which represent and serve large networks of climate practitioners and experts across the country working on the ground to protect local and Tribal communities from the impacts of climate change.

In addition to playing a key role in Biden’s Climate Team, Mr. Hayes has an extensive background in State and local climate matters. He has graciously offered to take this time to talk with us about:

How the new administration will roll out President Biden’s climate adaptation and mitigation and environmental justice plan
How Tribal, local and other community stakeholders can prepare for, influence, or support what is to come
Ongoing ways to collaborate with the federal government on policy initiatives and best practices

In addition to hearing from Mr. Hayes, this event will also feature brief remarks by co-hosts Kate Wright (LGC), Shasta Gaughen (TCHP), and Beth Gibbons (ASAP). Attendees will have an opportunity to submit questions.

If you are pushing to move forward faster on climate action in your neck of the woods, we think this conversation will certainly be worth your time. Spaces are limited so register as soon as possible.

Register for the event here.

Celebrating Black Excellence in Adaptation

Tue, 23 Feb 2021 15:13:00 GMT

This Black History Month, ASAP is celebrating the excellence that our Black members bring to the field. Among them are Shameika Hanson, Community Protection Specialist at The Nature Conservancy, and Emma Tipton, Policy Associate at the American Meteorological Society. We’re honored to share their reflections with our community.

Read on to learn how they are centering community perspectives in adaptation projects, science applications, and decision-making, and how they’re harnessing their involvement in networks like ASAP to share and expand their knowledge.

Shameika Hanson

Emma Tipton

Shameika Hanson

Community-Led Solutions to Benefit People and Nature

Shameika Hanson has been an active ASAP member for years. She works as Community Protection Specialist at The Nature Conservancy, where she seeks to work with communities to identify best practices to address flood issues throughout NY state.

A founding leadership team member of ASAP’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee, Shameika discusses how she brings communities to participate into The Nature Conservancy projects, how her involvement at ASAP has allowed her to further the reach of her knowledge, and how her lived experience has made her a better adaptation professional.

Share a story with us that illustrates your work at The Nature Conservancy. What do you find meaningful about it?

At TNC I work as a Community Protection Specialist on our NY climate adaptation team where we are focused on addressing flood issues throughout the state of NY. Here we have identified that rising sea levels and other climate impacts will result in increased flooding in the state both coastal and inland. Due to this, our team seeks to work with communities to identify best practices for making way for water. Most recently, a small subset of this team worked to create and release a request for proposals (RFP) for community visioning post buyouts. This funding opportunity is just one way, among others, that we are seeking to provide communities with the resources and support they need to adapt.

How do you build strong equitable relationships with the communities you work with at The Nature Conservancy?

My work engaging communities at TNC changes in tandem with the needs of our projects. I begin all my relationships in communities with the local leaders. These leaders can be government officials, civic association leaders, clergy, or even well-known community organizers. These leaders and the residents are the experts of their community. I do not presume to know more about where they live, the issues they face, or solutions to address those problems. By listening to voices and perspectives from the community members, we are better able to support solutions that are beneficial to both people and nature.

How does identifying as Black/African-American impact your work?

I bring multi perspectives and experiences to my work that some of my white colleagues don’t have. I am a first-generation citizen from an immigrant family with parents who worked very hard to provide my middle-class upbringing in the suburbs of Long Island. Living in one of the most diverse yet segregated areas of the country, I have consistently had to navigate spaces where I felt uncomfortable, unwanted, or unqualified to be in. These experiences drive my desire to ensure all community members are heard, are seen, and feel as though they matter because they do.

Did you face any barriers to get to where you are right now? How did you navigate the predominantly white institutions in the climate space?

My Long Island upbringing prepared me for operating in spaces where I was the only person who looked like me. Though none have been perfect (academic or professional), I have learned, grown, and moved into better spaces with more supportive people. In all of these spaces, I have been fortunate enough to always have white allies, confidants, and/ or mentors. These people have helped me tremendously and have done everything from defend myself and BIPOC friends and colleagues from racist trolls online, to filing official complaints on my behalf when I have felt uncomfortable doing so. It isn’t always easy navigating these spaces so it is imperative to find people who understand what inclusivity truly looks like and who are willing to step up and speak out against bad actors.

How has your work as a JEDI Committee Leadership team member at ASAP helped you work towards a more equitable adaptation field?

At ASAP the JEDI Committee’s leadership team has worked to bring equity into adaptation nationally, well beyond my reach in NY. Working on documents such as our equity statement , code of ethics, and living guide has been a way for me to integrate my experience and knowledge beyond my team and work locally. Through my work with ASAP I have also been able to build relationships with professionals across the country, so we are better able to support one another and share best practices in real time. Since joining ASAP I have become an Advisory Board member of Mycelium Youth Network (an ASAP Organizational Member ) and am a member of the justice and equity working group for the National Adaptation Forum (NAF).

What’s one piece of wisdom or advice you can share with the ASAP/adaptation community about pursuing racial justice in their adaptation work?

History matters, many of the issues we are seeing regarding adaptation needs stem from systemic injustices, racist practices, and inequitable policies that have existed for a very long time. BIPOC communities have consistently been the last considered and worst off from past decisions that were made for them, by people who did not have their best interests at heart. These communities have heartbeats, pulses, and though not without their issues need real investment and commitment from those doing work there. Remember that no matter who you are you can learn something from everyone.

Emma Tipton

Bringing Climate Science to Community Adaptation Practitioners

Meet Emma Tipton, one of ASAP’s newest members. Emma works as Policy Associate at the American Meteorological Society. Her interests include urban air quality and climate change adaptation efforts, particularly as they pertain to communities most impacted by these issues. Her current work focuses on developing actionable scientific assessments to support decision-making surrounding coastal resilience.

In this interview, Emma talks with ASAP about how she weaves communities’ perspectives into her work and what opportunities she sees in bringing science to the heart of policy.

In your professional experience, what are the opportunities to improve policy around coastal resilience and adaptation? How can science be translated into actionable policy?

Resilience strategies are not one-size-fits-all; every community has to work in ways that match their unique priorities, goals, and resources. But while communities are the best judges of their own resilience decisions, my work at American Meteorological Society involves determining how these decisions might be supported through advances in Earth system observations, science, and services. There is a real opportunity to tailor weather, water, and climate science to match the needs of the communities and stakeholders that need it. However, it is also important that science is situated within social and economic contexts in order to give a holistic picture.

How do you integrate a community’s perspective into your work? How do you bring to the table the perspective of different stakeholders?

My work is very much focused on bringing weather, water, and climate science to community adaptation practitioners and decision-makers. What’s the best way to find out how a community might be better supported by science? It’s to ask them! As a result, I am constantly in contact with coastal community members and adaptation providers, through individual conversations and roundtable discussions, in order to hear from as many different perspectives as possible. Many communities also have committee meetings on coastal or environmental issues and I drop in to listen when I can. The movement to the virtual space has been great in that regard!

What’s the importance of networks like ASAP for your professional practice?

Since entering the climate professional field, I have learned that there are a great number of formal and informal networks in place which are all working hard to help communities manage existing vulnerabilities and prepare for the future. However, these networks exist on a wide variety of scales and it is not always the easiest to find out about them and their work –especially as they might not have a large internet presence and we are in the midst of pandemic times. I have found ASAP invaluable in getting a sense of what’s out there and ensuring that I am not trying to reinvent the wheel. Attending member-led interest group meetings and looking through the ASAP member directory has helped me make connections in places that I doubt I would have stumbled across on my own.

Photo by Oladimeji Odunsi – Photo by Christina – Photo by Domenico Gentile – Photo by Nico Marks – Photo by heylagostechie – Photo by Jessica Felicio – Photo by Kevin Nice – Photo by Muhammadtaha Ibrahim Ma’aji – Photo by Oluwakemi Solaja – Photo by Piron Guillaume – Photo by Suad Kamardeen

Introducing Emily Wasley, ASAP’s New Board President

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 17:52:00 GMT

A key priority for Emily is leaning into ASAP’s values of democracy and transparency to ensure the work of the Board and the work of ASAP Member Leaders is integrated, complimentary, and accessible to the entire ASAP community. Emily emphasizes that ASAP’s “incredibly supportive, innovative, collaborative, and driven network of practitioners” has a place for everyone, no matter how long you have been in the field or what your needs might include.

Emily’s Board service is driven by her desire to give back to this community that has nurtured her professionally and personally, and she’s imbuing that service with innovative ideas for harnessing one of ASAP’s greatest strengths — collaborative, cross-sector partnerships. Specifically, she’s leveraging her experience as a corporate climate resilience leader to bring more businesses to the table to take advantage of “the incredible opportunities for partnerships, co-designed solutions, and innovative finance mechanisms that could arise if we bring together governments, corporations, universities, NGOs, and communities to collaborate and create a shared vision for a more sustainable and resilient future.” Emily also works to advance women’s leadership in the climate space through her service on the Steering Committee of Women in Climate Tech (WiCT) , the Women in Resilience webinar series, a passion she’s excited to bridge with her ASAP Board service.

Emily has her sights set on increasing ASAP’s financial stability so we can enhance the adaptive capacity of members and the adaptation field, providing effective and consistent support no matter what the future holds for our profession, climate, or society. Emily secured ASAP’s first Transform-level organizational membership from her employer, WSP USA, in December 2020. In Emily’s words, “if you are an organization – whether public or private – joining as an organizational member is an exciting way to engage in the discussions more deeply and be a part of this incredible movement to enhance our adaptive capacity at a variety of scales from the personal, organizational, community, national, and global.”

Finally, Emily hopes to, “mainstream active hope and personal resilience throughout the organization.” A co-founder of ASAP’s Personal Resilience Group , Emily notes that our work as adaptation professionals can get, “very raw, hard, and depressing.” In order to sustain this work effectively over the long-term we must, “continue investing in our personal resilience and the resilience of our colleagues, partners, neighbors, friends, and family. This level of support will give us the courage, strength, and drive to continue daring greatly through this turbulent, yet beautiful world.”

This month we’re celebrating the hope and opportunity that a wave of new leadership brings. We couldn’t be more excited to announce that, effective February 1, Emily Wasley will become the new president of ASAP’s Board of Directors. An active ASAP member since 2012, Emily herself is hardly “new.” But her fresh ideas about how to connect ASAP membership and leadership, attract more funding and partners for ASAP, and cultivate “active hope” certainly are.

“ASAP is a community where I feel most at home. My adaptation career has progressed with the support and engagement of ASAP and I have gained an incredibly strong and supportive network of colleagues, partners, and friends through ASAP.”

— Emily Wasley, ASAP’s New Board President

2020 Texas Regional Adaptation Leadership Award Finalists

Thu, 03 Dec 2020 17:57:00 GMT

Erika Bierschbach

Austin Energy, Vice President, Energy Market Operations & Resource Planning

Erika Bierschbach has been instrumental in advancing the City of Austin’s goal of providing 100% carbon-free energy to residents by 2035. Carbon-free electricity is critical for curbing climate change and is more resilient in the face of increasing threats to our energy system. Erika has helped the city successfully make progress towards it’s goal through individual projects and, more importantly, through process. She has embraced regular requests for proposals to test the market for opportunities to expand renewable energy production, even though doing so leads to a heavy workload for her team. Erika’s leadership has guided much of the City of Austin’s expansion of renewable energy assets.

Erika played a key role in enacting the REACH (Reduce Emissions Affordably for Climate Health) program, which has reduced Austin’s Energy carbon emissions by 30% since it was enacted in March 2020. In her role as the lead Austin Energy staff on the project, she and her team crafted a program to reduce carbon emissions while balancing affordability and system reliability. REACH adds a small price to the cost of energy coming from coal power plants, similar to a carbon penalty, encouraging the utility to choose alternative sources of energy like wind and solar. Making use of market mechanisms is one of the most rapid, cost-effective, and substantial means to achieve the City of Austin’s goals for carbon emission reductions – a novel and important mechanism that has the potential to be quickly replicated throughout Texas. To enact the program, Erika worked tirelessly to develop buy-in from diverse constituents – environmental groups, consumer advocates, manufacturing representatives, chambers of commerce, and ultimately Austin City Council. Erika made full use of her staff level authority to propose and implement the program – she acted boldly, fully embracing and committing to an idea.

Erika has been willing to pilot new ideas, learn from her experiments, and embrace change. She and her team are among the reasons that Austin Energy is perceived as a leading and innovative electric utility.

Tatum is committed to developing resilient, ecologically sensitive, inclusive, and just cities. As a Senior Urban Designer at AECOM, Tatum has played an integral role in multiple adaptation projects of varying scales. She applies a broad lens to assess the intersection of economic, social and climate stressors. Tatum worked with the City of Dallas to create it’s Comprehensive Environmental and Climate Action Plan. Acknowledging that vulnerable populations will be disproportionately impacted by climate change, Tatum sought to create an inclusive planning process that engaged vulnerable populations. She envisioned and worked with the team to develop a “Meeting in a Box” toolkit which enabled residents to host conversations about climate change within their communities and provide input to the plan. To reach a larger audience, she encouraged the city to broadcast public meetings through Facebook Live. She advocated for all engagement material to be produced in Spanish as well as English. For her contributions to the Climate Action Plan, Tatum was recognized as one of Dallas Innovates ‘ Future 50 disruptors ’ in 2020. Tatum has supported a wide array of projects across the state of Texas. In all her projects, Tatum strives to include diverse viewpoints and advocates for equitable outcomes.

Tatum’s dedication to making communities better for all motivates her colleagues and inspires students. In 2019, Tatum facilitated a research partnership between the City of Dallas and environmental engineering students at Southern Methodist University. Through a capstone project, students created a prototype for a resilience hub in a disadvantaged neighborhood and a tool to help convert other public buildings into resilience hubs that provide community services and, during disasters, coordinate resources.

As an emerging professional, the passion and commitment Tatum brings to climate resilience and adaptation projects -from methodology, analysis, stakeholder engagement and even visual communication – is inspiring to all.

Tatum Lau

AECOM – Senior Urban Designer

ASAP Advances the Private Sector Climate Services Marketplace

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 17:35:00 GMT

Between 2016 and 2020, ASAP members from for-profit companies increased from 15% to almost 30%. According to Climate Change Business Journal, climate adaptation and resilience services market growth has been in the double digits since 2018 and is forecast to continue its growth at least 12-15% per year to at least 2022. Now is a critically important time to connect and support this growing component of the adaptation and resilience field.

To address this need, ASAP, through a 2019 small grant from Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments (GLISA), created tools to better understand for-profit providers’ practices and needs and support integration of existing public-sector climate data and information into providers’ products, services, and strategies.

We designed and tested a cutting-edge virtual workshop to build service provider knowledge and skills. The workshop supported development of higher-quality, competitive adaptation services and enhanced new business viability. It also helped to foster innovation and cooperation across sectors and functions in the climate data, information, and service marketplaces.
Through the workshop, parallel surveys, and interviews we identified the most important provider needs and barriers for using publicly available, vetted, region-specific climate data and information. This is critical for advancing definition and maturation of the climate service marketplace.
We used a relationship-centered approach throughout, one that holds much promise for ensuring that as the market grows, the quality of services also advances. This approach enables important progress on our goals of standardizing future climate information used in projects across the region and centering justice and equity as core values for adaptation and resilience services.

We’re excited to replicate and scale this work in 2021 with continued support from GLISA.

Cutting-Edge Knowledge- and Skill-Building Virtual Workshop

ASAP partnered with Adaptation International to design and market an impactful virtual learning experience for 29 participants at the Great Lakes Climate Service Provider Academy September 22-October 2, 2020. Participants represented 25 different organizations, a mix of multinational companies already operating in multiple Great Lakes states/provinces, larger companies headquartered outside of the Great Lakes seeking to expand their services to the region, small companies based in the region, and a handful of state-focused academic and government institutions. Over one-quarter of participants represented woman-owned businesses and around one-sixth identified as a small business enterprise. The Academy included introductions to ASAP, GLISA, and the adaptation services marketplace; deep dives into GLISA’s climate data and information resources and ASAP’s professional guidance resources; case studies from the project’s Advisory Group members; and hands-on exercises designed to enhance providers’ existing adaptation and resilience services. The workshop made excellent use of distinct virtual spaces to provide opportunities for large and small group discussion as well as one-on-one interactions to enhance participants’ learning experiences.

As part of our feedback loop, participants shared that the workshop provided a high level of value to their organizations and was successful in meeting the stated learning objectives: gaining increased confidence accessing vetted, publicly available climate data and information for the Great Lakes region and applying it to their projects; being able to recognize the presence or absence of field-spanning principles for quality climate change adaptation practice in their own work and the work of their organizations, partners, and stakeholders; and creating a resource that aids in integrating the best publicly available climate data and adaptation best practices into their business. The success of the workshop demonstrated there is strong demand for this type of event, that it can be executed successfully online, and that ASAP’s pilot version is ready to be refined and replicated. Learn more about the design and delivery of the 2020 Great Lakes Climate Service Providers Academy here .

Identification of Needs and Barriers for Providers, the Marketplace, and the Field

The workshop, as well as data collected through surveys and interviews, revealed the importance of strengthening information sharing networks in the Great Lakes region to help providers find new sources of high quality data that meet their needs . For-profit climate service providers use a wide variety of climate data and information resources. Federal and state resources are popular because they are highly visible and required by regulations and funders for certain climate adaptation projects, especially those affecting public works and construction. Awareness of public climate data and information resources produced by boundary-chain organizations like GLISA is comparatively low. Interview participants described the marketplace for publicly available climate data and information as large but difficult-to-navigate, which may be because it includes many decentralized actors. Therefore, it is important to strengthen information sharing networks in the Great Lakes region to help providers find new sources of high quality data that meet their needs. Because key federal resources are a common touchpoint for service providers, these federal programs could be valuable partners for that work. It is also important to continue the work of mapping actors in this space in a way that’s clear and useful for all. For example, this project refined and socialized the “Actors in the Climate Data Lifecycle” archetypes developed through ASAP and its partners’ work to enhance interoperability of climate knowledge brokers and online resources for adaptation practitioners :

Climate Researcher : Conducting basic scientific research on climate change, including collecting data and developing climate projections
Climate Science Provider : Providing climate science to decision makers
Climate Data Visualization and Tool Provider : Producing climate data-driven tools and climate data visualizations
Facilitator : Facilitating the effective use/application of climate data and information
End User of Climate Data and Information : Making decisions for groups of people based on the application or interpretation of climate data and information
Climate Advocate : Advocating for certain decisions to be made based on the application or interpretation of climate data and information
Funder : Providing financial resources to enable other organizations to conduct one or more of the functions described in this list

Our research and our workshop feedback clearly demonstrated that service providers are seeking individual technical assistance . For-profit climate service providers vigorously pursue new resources, partnerships, and skills to improve the quality of their products and better meet demand in the marketplace. They have strong, clear ideas of what makes their business successful, knowledge of their areas for improvement, and a strong commitment to the integrity of their products and practice. They can also be tentative about sharing information about their services and needs with those outside their company. Individual technical assistance not only allows for more targeted training and resource deployment but can also help ease for-profit providers into the collaborative norms of the adaptation and resilience field, yielding long-term positive impacts.

For-profit service providers demonstrated strong, consistent interest in making greater use of publicly available climate data to expand and improve their existing climate services. However, lack of training and skills, regulatory incentives, and client demand are big barriers to integrating climate data and information provided by boundary organizations like GLISA. Boundary organizations can increase use of the highest quality publicly available climate data and information among for-profit providers by directly targeting these persistent barriers. For example, by working with providers to develop marketing language that can help providers demonstrate the value to clients of integrating GLISA resources into projects, focusing on teaching providers how to evaluate GLISA data for how well it satisfies existing regulatory requirements, and building awareness for where GLISA data quality exceeds other common, mandated sources of public data. Climate service providers are beholden to their client’s specifications on data, value strong stakeholder engagement, and desire the most accurate data available to help give clients as complete an understanding of a project’s cost and benefit as is possible. Providing climate service providers with information that can help them make GLISA data meaningful to clients may increase the ability and willingness of providers to try GLISA data. Learn more about private sector climate service providers’ practices and needs in our report here.

Relationship-Centered Approach to Advancing the Climate Services Marketplace

ASAP rooted this project in our relationship-centered approach to building the adaptation field, beginning with recruiting a group of ASAP members to advise project development and implementation. The Advisory Group, representing large and small for-profit firms, industry groups, and public sector entities, provided indispensable insight into barriers and needs providers are facing, served as networking nodes for project outreach, and provided case study examples during the Service Providers Academy to enhance participant engagement and understanding. They also shed important light on how to navigate concerns about privacy and proprietary information, how the structure of fee for service companies impacts their needs, and how special business designations can shape a providers’ identity and interests. Connecting and sharing in a collaborative environment was second nature to most Advisory Group members; not so for all workshop participants. However, by modeling the approach in a safe environment in the workshop we were able to demonstrate its value. We created multiple options for participants to engage in applied learning: interacting with an instructor or interacting with other participants. The majority of participants chose the former during Session 1; by Session 4 well over half of participants chose the latter. Thank you to our Advisory Group Members!

Laura Briley, Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments
Jessica Cahail, Azavea
Ann Ellingson
Jim Fox, NEMAC+FernLeaf
Ned Gardiner, NOAA CPO
Erica Heller, The Brendle Group
Jeffrey Meek, Minnesota Department of Transportation
Sascha Petersen, Adaptation International
Ted Redmond, paleBLUEdot llc
Daniel Schoonmaker, West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum
Justine Shapiro-Kline, One Architecture and Urbanism
Brian Smoliak, Two Degrees Adapt

Replicating and Scaling in 2021

In 2021 ASAP will refine research and engagement tools and apply them in additional region(s), building momentum and progress on critical outcomes for the climate services marketplace and the adaptation field by:

Supporting development of high-quality, competitive adaptation services and enhanced new business viability.
Fostering innovation and cooperation across sectors and functions in the climate data, information, and service marketplaces.
Advancing definition and maturation of the climate service marketplace.
Making progress on standardizing the future climate information used in projects across the region and centering justice and equity as core values for adaptation and resilience services.

Companies and RISA programs interested in working with us in 2021 should reach out to Rachel Jacobson , ASAP Deputy Director.

Announcing the New York State Climate Migration Modeling Accelerator. Applications due December 14.

Mon, 09 Nov 2020 17:33:00 GMT

INTRODUCTION

As communities, ecosystems, and economies are pummelled by worsening climate disasters, the world is opening its eyes to an unavoidable consequence: human migration. But researchers and practitioners are just beginning to think about where people will move to — and how to prepare so-called climate-receiving communities. We must act now to establish the foundation for socially just and environmentally sound growth in climate receiving regions.

American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) is excited to announce the launch of an applied research program to address this gap: the New York State Climate Migration Modeling Accelerator. Through this program, supported by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), three to five multidisciplinary teams will develop models for predicting climate-induced migration to, and throughout, New York State at a variety of scales. These models will be designed to be used to inform policy and management decisions and better prepare the State and its communities to receive climate migrants.

Access the Accelerator application here . Email your team’s completed application to AcceleratorApplications@adaptpros.org by December 14. Be sure to read all information contained in this announcement prior to beginning your application. Interested individuals and teams are encouraged to attend an Accelerator information session on December 3, 2020 as part of the Climate Informed Demography Workshop. Workshop information and registration link are available here .

New York State offers a unique case for studying and understanding climate-induced migration. The state includes major populations centers with high climate vulnerability; significant areas of the state (including urban and rural communities) that are well positioned to be population-receiving communities under future climate conditions; and has a wealth of State-approved climate information for future planning available to researchers and practitioners. By participating in the Accelerator teams will have access to:

Climate and demography experts from across the U.S. and Canada.
Coordination support from program staff.
Structured opportunities through which to learn from experts, learn from other teams/participants, and identify opportunities for cross-team collaboration.
Opportunities to promote their work in a variety of government, academic, and social impact spaces.
Connections to other applied climate projects taking place throughout New York State and the Great Lakes region.

The Accelerator Program will also provide stipends of up to $600 per individual to those who demonstrate need.

Accelerator Hosts:

Matt Hauer , Assistant Professor of Sociology and faculty affiliate in the Center for Demography and Population Health, Florida State University. Matt’s expertise is at the intersection of demography, migration, population projections, and climate change.
The American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP): ASAP is a professional association and social impact network dedicated to serving climate change adaptation and climate resilience practitioners and applied researchers. ASAP connects and supports individuals and organizations advancing adaptation and resilience from across sectors, scales, and regions. ASAP expertly designs and executes innovative environments for cross-sector collaboration using cutting edge virtual engagement practices, democratic decision-making, and a culture of reciprocity and trust-building. The Accelerator is part of ASAP’s larger body of work preparing communities to receive climate migrants. Learn more here .

The Accelerator is supported by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). NYSERDA partners with stakeholders throughout New York to develop, invest, and foster the conditions that attract the private sector capital investment needed to expand New York’s clean energy economy, overcome barriers to using clean energy at a large-scale in New York, and enable New York’s communities and residents to benefit from energy efficiency and renewable energy. NYSERDA aims to improve human health and protect New York’s natural resources by minimizing the impacts of generating and using energy. NYSERDA conducts research related to climate change mitigation and adaptation, including to assess climate change impacts and adaptation strategies and climate change policies in New York State.

PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY AND REQUIREMENTS

Eligibility: Eligible applicants are teams of between three and five individuals. Each team must include expertise in each of the following three areas: demography, climate impacts, and end uses/applications for the model itself or model outputs.

Examples of demography experts: scholars or practitioners with backgrounds in demography, geography, or sociology including those working both inside and outside of academia and both faculty and students.
Examples of climate impacts experts: scholars or practitioners with backgrounds in climatology, climate impacts assessment, or climate change adaptation and resilience including those working both inside and outside of academia and both faculty and students.
Examples of end use applications experts: water and energy systems professionals; natural resource managers; non-profit and business leaders; and decision makers from state, county, tribal, or local government. We encourage teams to include end users who are members of – or working for – frontline communities.

These descriptions are examples and do not constitute an exhaustive list of eligible backgrounds or positions which could contribute to the three areas of expertise required for team eligibility. One individual may hold expertise in more than one area and thus contribute in multiple ways to the team expertise needed for eligibility but teams must still include at least three individuals. Individuals who are interested in applying for the Accelerator but do not yet have a team assembled may look for teammates here and submit their information here . (Note: ASAP will not be actively monitoring the form results nor forming teams for people.)

Program Requirements

Each team must create a model for predicting climate-induced migration into or within New York State by July 15, 2021. By that date, each team must submit to Accelerator staff a written description of the model, model output, and a memo describing intended or potential applications.
Each Accelerator participant must commit to attending at least 75% of program meetings (approximately 60 minutes per month between January-July 2021) and commit to attending a one-day capstone convening in August 2021.
Teams must collaborate with Accelerator Program Staff to write one article that will be submitted to a peer-reviewed publication. This single article will highlight all of the models created via the accelerator.
At least one team member must commit to serving as a liaison to the Accelerator Program Staff.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE, REVIEW PROCESS AND EVALUATION CRITERIA

Teams should complete and submit an application to the New York State Climate Migration Modeling Accelerator by December 14 ,2020 . Email completed applications to AcceleratorApplications@adaptpros.org . The application requests information about each team member and details about the planned model. Program staff will consider only clear and complete applications that adhere to the eligibility requirements described above. Program staff will select up to five teams to participate in the Accelerator. The review and selection process will include the following steps:

Program staff screen applications to determine whether they meet eligibility criteria and will contribute to the Accelerator objectives
- Eligibility criteria: Team of 3-5 people; all areas of expertise represented as discussed above.
- Accelerator Objectives: develop models for predicting climate-induced migration to, and throughout, New York State at a variety of scales that can inform the State’s policy and management decisions and better prepare the State to receive climate migrants.
Program staff score each application on each of the following criteria using a 1-5 scale
- Definition: Does the team have a clear plan for what scale their model will assess and what variables they will include? If a team does not have that information clearly defined do they describe the discovery process they intend to use to make those design decisions?
- Feasibility: How feasible is it that the team will be able to produce the model described in the application in terms of time and available resources? Staff will take into account:
  - Scope of the model and required resources to complete it
  - Existing capacity available to the project team, including: knowledge, skills, experience, and relationships.
  - Resources the Accelerator will provide to all teams, including: stipends, access to experts, and opportunities for cross-project idea sharing and troubleshooting.
- Usability: How relevant would model outputs be for informing policy and decision making?
- Justice, Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity (JEDI): To what extent does the application address justice, equity, inclusion, and diversity? Some ways that this can be achieved is by:
  - including on the project team someone who is positioned to guide the team to develop the model in a way that will advance justice, inclusion, equity, or diversity goals in the location in which the model will be applied.
  - Through intentional choice of variables to include in the model (for example integration of a social vulnerability index)
  - by thoughtfully explaining the challenges of integrating justice, inclusion, equity, or diversity into the project.

Program staff participates in a consensus-based discussion, in which all criteria are considered equally, to choose which projects will be invited to participate in the Accelerator. The program staff will select a suite of teams that offer a diversity of approaches to how climate change will impact demographic trends for New York State.

New Mentorship Program Co-Chairs

Thu, 05 Nov 2020 18:21:00 GMT

ASAP is excited to kick off the 2021 Mentorship Program with the leadership of our new program co-chairs. Welcome to the team, Kim and Tori!

Tori Griffin started her educational career at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI studying Marketing and Communications. Her studies sparked an interest in the decision-making process, but she longed for a purpose to this skill. The next step in her education and role as an environmental advocate was attending the University of Michigan’s School of Environmental Science and Sustainability for a Masters in Behavior, Education, and Communication. Tori is a Project Manager with the Pierella Rainforest Reclamation Project, where she advocates for the reinstatement of rainforest in Costa Rica. She is an avid rock climber and has been enjoying many outdoor trips throughout the pandemic. Tori is very excited to be working with this year’s Mentors and Mentees and looks forward to meeting all of you.

Kim Grubert is a project consultant at WSP USA and lives in Westminster, Colorado. She leverages an interdisciplinary education from Duke University (M.E.M.) and the University of Kansas (B.S.) and ten years of environmental experience working in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors to support clients in assessing their climate-related risks and finding opportunities to enhance their resilience. Prior to joining WSP, Kim worked for five years as a coastal planner in the Maryland Department of Natural Resources where she led projects to enhance the state’s coastal ecosystems and communities. She supported the development of the Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary and the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Action Plan, and helped coordinate the Adaptation and Resilience Working Group of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change. She is also on the Board of Directors for The Coastal Society, where she helps connect students to opportunities to enhance their professional development. She is excited to apply her diverse skills and experience to support the ASAP Mentorship Program!

Adaptation Is On The Ballot

Thu, 29 Oct 2020 20:50:00 GMT

Very few events in the world are as influential as the U.S. federal election, and this election is like none other.

Throughout our history we have seen policies implemented –or removed– to have hindered progress to slow climate change, but these past four years have been brutal not only in our approach to science but in our ability to act on it. Symbolic acts, such as removing the words “science” and “climate” from government websites, and more consequential acts like proposing large cuts in funding for scientists and appointing Supreme Court Justices who haven’t made up their mind about climate change , will have a lasting impact in our country.

This administration has eliminated virtually all the public safety rules and recommendations made by the EPA under previous mandates, putting more people at risk to suffer from conditions related to pollutant exposure. The president has replaced scientists with industry representatives, has repeatedly denied that climate change is real, and has taken this one step further by withdrawing our participation from major international agreements to mitigate it. Climate change is already causing an increase in the number and reach of wildfires, tropical storm intensity, sea-level rise, and extreme flooding/drought intensity. Today, more than ever, our scientific institutions and knowledge are weakened, and now is the time to do something about it.

Our future is on the ballot. A future in which we can mitigate and adapt to the growing climate crisis, we can adequately adopt policies to assuage the magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic, we can stop the confinement of children in cages at the border, and the ransacking of indigenous nations and their territories. We can make a future in which Black Lives not only Matter, but they thrive.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get back on track and build a country based on equity and justice, where our communities are safe and healthy, and can demand and exercise their rights.

By the Numbers

Climate change and adaptation need to be addressed at every level of government. However, the current administration has taken numerous steps to revoke environmental protections and reverse progress in the fight against climate change. Here are some important numbers detailing the actions of the last four years regarding federal environmental protections and regulations, appointments, and resource valuation.

Sources:
1. What is the Trump administration’s track record on the environment? , and Tracking deregulation in the Trump era , Brookings.
2. The Trump EPA is vastly underestimating the cost of carbon dioxide pollution to society, new research finds , Yale Climate Connections.
3. Climate change skeptics run the Trump administration , Politico.
4. Why Amy Coney Barrett’s addition to supreme court may undermine climate fight , The Guardian.
5. Open for Business: The Trump Revolution on America’s Public Lands , Yale Environment 260, and Donald Trump’s five most dangerous attacks on the environment , The Guardian.

Mentorship Spotlight: Personal Resilience

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 10:00:00 GMT

Mentee Sam Horowitz is an MEM candidate at the Yale School of the Environment. He was born and raised in NYC, where his experience with Superstorm Sandy sparked a passion for climate adaptation and resilience. He has advised the DNC Council on the Environment and Climate Crisis, written policy for a 2020 presidential campaign, and helped enact landmark climate policy in New York as a Field Advisor with Our Climate, a youth-focused climate advocacy group. Sam also served as President of the Democrats of the Claremont Colleges, helping to make the schools some of the most civically engaged in the country. Sam is a graduate of Pitzer College.

Through the Mentorship Program, Sam and Celis have discussed how to weave their various professional and life experiences into a single coherent and compelling narrative. They have highlighted the importance of self-reflection through this narrative building process. Following their discussions, Sam has grown to be more confident in not selling himself short and becoming comfortable in speaking to his experiences and skills.

Personal resilience was also a key part of the pair’s discussions. They acknowledged that life is not always a clear path, and that we have to adjust our goals, pitches, and skills in order to be resilient and adapt to changing circumstances. Personal resilience has become even more relevant to Sam as a recent graduate and in a world ridden by both a pandemic and a recession. They are both grateful that the Mentorship Program created the space for them to think about how their work is greater than themselves and their ability to strive for more, get further and move the needle using the lessons, networking and passion that was catalyzed by their mentoring relationship.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Mentor Celis Brisbin is a management professional with over ten years of experience in creative and engaging climate solutions across various countries and industries. He is currently a Public Assistance Task Force Leader at FEMA, where he works on infrastructure projects related to climate resilience and recovery. Celis’ passion for climate solutions emerged when he witnessed the devastation of record droughts and storms while serving in the Peace Corps. Prior to FEMA, Celis worked to increase the availability and feasibility of renewable energy in the Northeast, where he developed innovative financing solutions that made community solar possible for small businesses, and held the position of Deputy Director for the Massachusetts branch of the US Green Building Council. Celis holds an MEM from Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment and a BA in Community and Environmental Planning from the University of New Hampshire.

Celebrating Regional Adaptation Leadership Award Finalists

Wed, 30 Sep 2020 18:59:00 GMT

When the pandemic hit in March, ASAP was gearing up for an inspiring season of Regional Adaptation Fora and Regional Adaptation Leadership Award (RALA) ceremonies. While it quickly became clear this was not the year for in-person conferences, carrying forward the spirit of the RALA – strong leadership that inspires action and cultivates grounded hope – became more important than ever. And wow: our finalists sure delivered. The 2020 RALA, which covers New England and the Carolinas , honors adaptation leaders ranging from extension agents to the chieftess of an indigenous nation. Their stories demonstrate that individual adaptation leaders are successfully driving change within and outside their communities through the embodiment of the five RALA criteria: Visioning, Thinking, Communicating, Doing, and Learning. Their work, beautifully articulated by peer nominators, is a testament to the necessity of collaboration, grassroots engagement, and procedural equity for effective adaptation.

Many thanks to our selection committee members and to our regional partners: Carolinas Integrated Sciences and Assessments (host of the Carolinas Climate Resilience Conference) & Antioch University of New England, NOAA, and Island Institute (hosts of the Local Solutions: Eastern Climate Preparedness Conference).

Learn more about our finalists and view selection committee volunteer names on the ASAP Blog ( The Carolinas / New England ) Join us for the virtual RALA award ceremony on Wednesday October 28! (Details below.)

Call to Action

We’re thrilled to honor these incredible adaptation leaders during the virtual RALA Awards Ceremony on Wednesday October 28 at 12:00 p.m. ET.

ASAP Members : join us on Zoom as part of the ASAP Network Meeting
Non-members : Tune in on the ASAP Facebook Page

ASAP Members : Participate in the first phase of the 2021 Member Led Interest Group Formation Process : submit your topic idea here by September 30th.

By the Numbers

The RALA program was designed by ASAP members in 2016 and we have run the competition in even-numbered years since then. In addition to New England and the Carolinas, we have awarded the RALA in California and the Great Lakes. Here is the RALA program by the numbers!

2020 New England Regional Adaptation Leadership Award Finalists

Wed, 30 Sep 2020 15:03:00 GMT

ASAP is thrilled to highlight the incredible accomplishments of the 2020 New England Regional Adaptation Leadership Award Finalists. Thank you to our nominators and selection committee members who contributed the content for these highlights. Please join us for the awards ceremony celebrating these finalists and our finalists from the Carolinas live on the ASAP Facebook page at 12:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, October 28!

Effective adaptation work requires excellent collaboration and communications skills, and if there is anyone who embodies these characteristics through her practice it’s Melissa Ocana. Melissa not only brings climate adaptation professionals together, she also envisions and co-creates the future of the adaptation field making space for interdisciplinary projects that are both tangible and useful.

In the Massachusetts Ecosystem Climate Adaptation Network (Mass ECAN), Melissa has facilitated a thriving network of climate change adaptation practitioners who work together, share information and coordinate efforts to ensure that species and ecosystems are part of a comprehensive approach to climate change preparations. Her remarkable and tireless ability to nurture a state-wide climate adaptation network has empowered participants to get involved, connect with peers, contribute their expertise, and share their successes and failures. Melissa also leads ASAP’s Network of Networks Member-Led Interest Group , underscoring her passion and skill for using networks to advance the field as a whole.

From her home base at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Melissa partners with scientists from different disciplines and expertise to create integrated research and extension projects that address climate adaptation and participate in climate adaptation networks at the state, regional and national levels. Recently she has been exploring the nexus between environmental justice issues and ecosystem-based approaches to climate adaptation. Check out Melissa’s accomplishments, where she has imprinted her vision for using effective communication and collaboration to advance adaptation work:

Co-created the Massachusetts Ecosystem Climate Adaptation Network (MassECAN) community of practice.
Created and serves as a facilitator for six climate adaptation workgroups focused on: climate change communication, mainstreaming nature-based solutions, slow-the-flow, salt marsh adaptation, forest adaptation, and cold-water stream adaptation.
Developed the Massachusetts Wildlife Climate Action Tool to provide information to municipalities, landowners, land trusts, and other local conservation organizations on the science of climate change and actions they can take to protect natural resources.

For more than a decade, Pam Rubinoff has helped coastal communities develop and implement science-informed resiliency plans that engage a spectrum of stakeholders and reflect their collaborative visions. She works to ensure that resiliency projects reflect the issues and concerns of multiple stakeholders, make use of the latest and best science, and employ measurable and scalable solutions that are carried out collectively among government, private sector, academic, and community interests.

Her work in coastal community adaptation efforts is highly regarded in Rhode Island because she successfully translates science to stakeholders, works with disparate groups to find consensus and solutions, and earns the trust of her audiences as they build their own confidence in adaptation planning. Pam’s visioning expertise is evidenced in her work with the National Sea Grant network to research the challenges preventing ethnic groups in Rhode Island from participating as fully as possible in public dialogues concerning decisions about coastal and ocean resources, and to develop opportunities to foster engagement of ethnicities, such as the local Latinx population, in these economic, social, and environmental debates.

Pam is one of the University of Rhode Island (URI)’s most trusted and respected resiliency specialists and she is regularly requested to represent the college in media appearances concerning climate change stories. She spearheaded the development and implementation of PREP-RI, a series of online modules that were created at the request of the Rhode Island legislature to provide now-mandated resiliency education to elected officials and volunteer boards at the state and local levels. She worked with the Rhode Island marina industry to develop a manual and a checklist tool to help businesses hone in on practical and affordable options for waterfront protection against strong storms and sea level rise. And she serves as the extension specialist for a Department of Homeland Security effort to test adaption tools locally and recommend optimal tools for national dissemination.

Pam has cultivated a variety of means of reaching coastal communities with palatable, easy-to-understand climate change science. Check out recent events she’s organized for the Common Fence Point community:

A hurricane presentation by a local meteorologist that couched sobering science in song, humor, and engaging photos
A social distance scavenger hunt that acknowledged pandemic fears while moving resiliency work forward.

As a result of Pam’s detailed and careful work with the community, the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank/Municipal Resiliency Program approved grant funds to upgrade the main entrance to the community so it can better withstand flooding caused by weather events and sea-level rise. (Learn more about the Infrastructure Bank in this recording from ASAP’s Co-Creation webinar series.)

Julie Wormser plays a critical role in promoting forward-thinking action on climate resilience and preparedness in Metro Boston. Beginning with her tenure at Boston Harbor Association and continuing with the creation of the Resilient Mystic Collaborative, Julie has been a mainstay of climate resilience and preparedness work in the region.

The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) work has taken on a whole new level of energy, focus, urgency and reach since Julie Wormser joined the organization two years ago. Julie organized the Resilient Mystic Collaborative (RMC) to address climate impacts that stretch across municipal boundaries to all Mystic River watershed communities. This structure fills a critical void in Massachusetts, which lacks a cohesive governance structure for implementing regional adaptation projects. Julie uses her communications expertise to motivate members and create a regional agenda for climate change adaptation in Greater Boston, such as coordinating municipal staff to urge Massachusetts DEP to update its outdated stormwater handbook. Her detailed understanding of wide-ranging adaptation requirements enables her to organize the watershed communities to collaborate and leverage their respective climate adaptation work to achieve bigger wins together.

Julie also has a proven ability to create the conditions on the ground to move adaptation work forward. She has successfully applied for funding that has totaled more than $2.3 million since 2018, including funds to staff Resilient Mystic Collaborative and Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) action grants for nine communities in the Mystic River watershed. Her grantwriting and the funding it enabled has filled critical capacity gaps for municipalities.

Julie’s leadership is enhanced by her humility and curiosity, which brings many different people to important conversations and guides them to collaboratively probe deep problems to make change together.

Learn more about Julie’s accomplishments:

Founded the Resilient Mystic Collaborative , a 20-community collaborative that has committed to protecting the Mystic Watershed’s people and places from climate-intensified risks. Check out the Boston Globe coverage here .
Launched the Boston Living with Water Competition – which included 50 teams and 350 competitors from eight countries – to raise the visibility of sea-level rise and the scale of adaptation required.

Providence Racial and Environmental Justice Committee

Frontline community members in Providence, RI
Nominator: Leah Bamberger

The Committee is designing and implementing solutions to tackle systemic injustice and address the root causes of the climate crisis.

The Racial and Environmental Justice Committee (REJC) co-designed and led the engagement process for Providence’s Climate Justice Plan, prioritizing key concerns that are often not considered when thinking about climate solutions. They raised important issues, like making sure climate action doesn’t lead to displacement, and that the city prioritizes reducing carbon emissions and addressing climate impacts that harm Providence’s most vulnerable populations. The REJC worked tirelessly with the City’s Office of Sustainability to co-create this plan which envisions a healthy, climate-resilient, and just Providence.

The priorities set by the REJC in the Climate Justice Plan address structural and systemic issues that get at the root cause of the climate crisis. All strategies strive to address racial equity, climate mitigation, and adaptation. Notably, the plan includes future stories from residents because a truly just and equitable climate action plan will only succeed if the community creates, controls and holds the vision.

The REJC works tirelessly to help communities on the frontlines of climate issues. Their innovation and dedication has brought change to their communities, and they have significantly impacted the way the city government approaches climate justice plans. Check out their incredible accomplishments:

Created the city’s Climate Justice Plan to envision a healthy, climate-resilient and just Providence.
Established Green Justice Zones , a collaborative governance model which makes investments in frontline communities to achieve health equity, improve quality of life, and improve climate resilience.

Regional Partner and Selection Committee Members

Thank you to our regional partners, Antioch University of New England, Island Institute, and NOAA, hosts of the Local Solutions: Eastern Climate Preparedness Conference.

Thank you to the 2020 New England RALA Selection Committee Members:

Leo Matteo Bachinger, Doctoral Student, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Sam Belknap, Community Development Officer, Island Institute
John Bolduc, Environmental Planner, City of Cambridge
Alison Branco, Coastal Director, The Nature Conservancy of New York
Madeleine Charney, Climate Change Conservation Librarian, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Annie Cox, Coastal Training Program Coordinator, Wells Reserve at Laudholm
Ned Gardiner, Engagement Manager, U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit, NOAA
Robert Hart, Energy Efficiency Program Manager, Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources
Deanna Moran, Director of Environmental Planning, Conservation Law Foundation
Abi Abrash Walton, Director/Faculty, Antioch University New England

Melissa Ocana

Climate Adaptation Coordinator and Extension Project Manager, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Nominators: Marissa Weiss, Scott Jackson, and Bridget Macdonald

Melissa is using communication and collaboration to advance ecosystem-based adaptation and adaptation networks.

Jennifer West

Coastal Training Program Coordinator, Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Providence, RI
Nominator: Pete Wiley

Jennifer is strengthening local adaptation by building creative learning and planning spaces.

In her role as Coastal Training Program (CTP) Coordinator at the Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR), Jennifer West fosters innovation, trust, and commitment among the participants in coastal projects across Southern New England and acts as a conduit between the science of estuaries and those who use that information in decision-making and public policy. She works collaboratively with stakeholders to implement adaptation approaches that address multiple challenges for issues including coastal wetland protection and restoration, stormwater management, low impact development, green infrastructure, community resilience, science communication, and stakeholder engagement. Jen is skilled at community engagement, effectively drawing out participant experiences to connect them to the content in the training programs she runs. She has also been successful in incorporating values of justice, equity, inclusion, and diversity into her trainings as key elements. Her critical thinking has greatly advanced Narragansett Bay NERR’s understanding of how to use adaptive management techniques to improve coastal resilience in Rhode Island.

Jen brings a unique blend of intelligence, creativity, and energy into the role which allows her to be a critical player in the CTP sector and in the Narragansett Bay area, and to have a considerable influence in the New England region and across the national system of reserves. Her generosity of energy and ideas, along with a wicked funny sense of humor, make her an indispensable presence for the CTP community and the Reserve system as a whole.

Check out some of Jen’s impressive work, which centers around creating collaborative learning and adaptation planning spaces, connecting local communities to adaptation work, and influencing the thinking of decision makers in Rhode Island:

Developed the six-part Providing Resilience Education for Planning & Preparedness in Rhode Island (PREP-RI) modules aimed at increasing the decision-making capacity of the state’s local board, commission members, and municipal staff.
Expertly organized team meetings, ran webinars for end-users, and developed a suite of practical products for a national-scale, first-of-its-kind project to evaluate factors that affect the success of thin-layer sediment placement (TLP) projects to build tidal marsh resilience to sea-level rise .
Coordinated an innovative climate change adaptation workshop for local officials that utilized role-playing by the participants to encourage a better understanding of the issues.
Trained decision-makers on how to manage public meetings and gather public input effectively when discussing controversial issues, such as managing for climate change.

Pam Rubinoff

Associate Coastal Manager, Coastal Resilience, Extension Specialist, Rhode Island Sea Grant
Nominator: Jennifer McCann

Pam fosters cross-sector collaboration to ensure climate adaptation science and planning are accessible to all.

Julie Wormser

Deputy Director, Mystic River Watershed Association
Nominators: Patrick Herron, Rachel Jacobson, and Emily Sullivan

Julie is a forward-thinking leader who is pushing the boundaries of adaptation work and getting tangible results for communities.

2020 Carolinas Regional Adaptation Leadership Award Finalists

Tue, 29 Sep 2020 15:46:00 GMT

ASAP is thrilled to highlight the incredible accomplishments of the 2020 Carolinas Regional Adaptation Leadership Award Finalists. Thank you to our nominators and selection committee members who contributed the content for these highlights. Please join us for the awards ceremony celebrating these finalists and our finalists from New England live on the ASAP Facebook page at 12:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, October 28!

An activist and mobilizer, Queen Quet is usually steps ahead of everyone else when it comes to strategy, planning, and messaging. Her ability to connect with people from completely different backgrounds is unmatched, and she makes the topics of climate change and resilience familiar and approachable to everyone who has the opportunity to engage with her. Queen Quet is energetic and passionate, and she has done tremendous work to articulate and communicate her strong vision for the Gullah/Geechee Nation and connect it to others’ experiences.

Queen Quet formed the Gullah/Geechee Sustainability Think Tank to engage scientists, policymakers, activists, and academics to build preparedness, resilience and adaptation capacity amongst the Gullah/Geechee population. The Think Tank’s annual Coastal Cultures Conference serves as an intergenerational and interdisciplinary space that helps people to think beyond their particular education and cultural views to more holistically approach climate challenges.

Queen Quet’s presence at all levels – international to local – provides numerous platforms for her message of adaptation, inclusivity, and collaboration to address climate change, sea level rise, and resilience. She works within and outside her community to spread this message and build relationships to support adaptation work in the Gullah/Geechee Nation and beyond, including by engaging in the equity committee of the National Adaptation Forum and as an Agenda Setter in the Climigration Network alongside ASAP Executive Director Beth Gibbons. Through these platforms she effectively communicates the adaptation mechanisms being used by the Gullah/Geechee Nation and how they can be modelled in other coastal communities.

Queen Quet is in constant motion putting into action her passion and commitments as an advocate, teacher, mentor, and convenor. Experience Queen Quet’s leadership and message through these inspiring videos:

In roles spanning a professorship at the University of South Carolina to Antarctic climate research to the City of Columbia climate committee, Dr. Lori Ziolkowski is constantly seeking opportunities to educate and inform on climate change in a way that’s engaging and personable. Lori is a skilled translator of technical climate change science information with a keen ability to draw out nuance in experts’ assertions. She goes beyond traditional communication modes to engage people with different backgrounds and motivations, inspiring action to meaningfully respond to climate impacts. Lori is an outstanding advocate for climate causes in the media, giving interviews supporting efforts to combat climate change with science-informed policy. She doesn’t just seek to impact the understanding and decisions of others: Lori demonstrates commitment and adaptive thinking in her own choices as well, exemplified by her decision to shift focus from her work in the Antarctic because of her personal impact on climate change. This also underscores her understanding of climate change as a systemic issue and the challenging personal and professional decisions that come with addressing it.

Lori goes beyond the walls of a university to translate climate science to the general public, inspiring and educating future generations and future leaders. Listen to her inspiring message in this interview .

Regional Partner and Selection Committee Members

Thank you to our regional partner, Carolinas Integrated Sciences and Assessments, host of the Carolinas Climate Resilience Conference, and in particular to Amanda Farris.

Thank you to the 2020 Carolinas RALA Selection Committee Members:

Frank Alsheimer, NWS Weather Forecast Office, Columbia, SC
Ferdouz Cochran, Carolinas Integrated Sciences and Assessments
Rick DeVoe, SC Sea Grant Consortium
Jory Fleming, Carolinas Integrated Sciences and Assessments
Dana Haine, UNC Institute for the Environment
Kelly Larkins, Piedmont Triad Regional Council
Tancred Miller, NC Department of Environmental Quality
Sandra Rayne, NOAA Southeast Regional Climate Center
Anna Katherine Schwab, DHS Coastal Resilience Center of Excellence
Rebecca Ward, NC State Climate Office

Albert George

Director of Conservation, South Carolina Aquarium

Nominator: Adam Stein

Albert is improving resilience in coastal South Carolina through innovative educational programs and unique partnerships.

Albert George espouses a vision for coastal South Carolina where all residents understand the need to prepare for climate impacts, regardless of their age, ethnicity, or education. He has enacted this vision through an impressive range of collaborative projects and programs that advance science, resilience and environmental justice. Albert possesses a keen understanding of the serious threat of sea level rise, storm surge and changing ocean conditions and their impacts on human health, safety, commerce, culture, wildlife and natural habitats in South Carolina and across the region. He is translating that knowledge through innovative partnerships with entities such as South Carolina Educational Television and the Medical University of South Carolina, demonstrating his excellence as an ambassador for resilience among the diverse residents of South Carolina.

Through the Resilience Initiative for Coastal Education (RICE), Albert has developed partnerships with South Carolina Educational Television and the Medical University of South Carolina to move the climate adaptation dialogue beyond elite scientific and policy discussions and make the topic accessible to everybody, particularly socially vulnerable communities in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Albert demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of climate adaptation as a systemic issue, engaging a significant range of sectors, disciplines, agencies, and citizens in these efforts. He creates win-win initiatives that deliver integrative solutions that achieve multiple benefits and create synergy among stakeholders.

Albert’s work encapsulates the challenges and needs of all peoples who live, work and play in South Carolina and the region, including these impressive engagement and awareness-building programs:

Resilience Initiative For Coastal Education (RICE): making the topic of resilience accessible to everyone in South Carolina.
Center of Resilience Excellence South Carolina (CORE SC), a partnership between South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston County, SC, and the College of Charleston.
Sea Rise initiative , through which residents can explore how sea-level rise will affect homes, businesses, and quality of life in the South Carolina Lowcountry.

Albert’s commitment, strategic vision, and problem-solving skills ensure things move forward and get done in a just and balanced manner. The result is significant positive impacts for the people, environment, and economy of South Carolina.

Sushma Masemore

Deputy Assistant Secretary and State Energy Director, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality

Nominator: Marlena Byrne

Sushma is leveraging limited resources and shifting politics in North Carolina to plan for – and bring about – a more just and equitable climate future in the state.

In 2018, Governor Cooper signed Executive Order 80, requiring the state to integrate climate adaptation and resilience planning into policies, programs, and operations. Sushma Masemore was charged with leading the effort to prepare the Plan, with no dedicated funding and little staffing. Enlisting expertise from across the state, including ASAP organizational members NEMAC+Fernleaf and NOAA Climate Program Office, she led the development of North Carolina’sClimate Science report and Climate Risk and Reduction Plan. Although she began this work with a background focused more on climate change mitigation, Sushma dove deeply into her new role and created an environment of learning and engagement for all.

Sushma demonstrated sophistication in her approach to the Plan by encouraging state agencies to consider climate risks beyond physical impacts to state-owned infrastructure and calling for the inclusion of a climate justice chapter to address the fact that climate change does not affect all people equally. She succeeded in bringing together people from disparate backgrounds to form a stronger Plan, including creating alignment among several state agencies and hosting workshops across the state with residents, local government representatives, community organizations, and businesses.

Sushman’s leadership is evident in her ability to accomplish such a monumental task with no dedicated funding in just twenty months.

To learn more about Sushma’s vision and mission for a Climate Resilient North Carolina check out these links:

Queen Quet

Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation & Founder, Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition

Nominator: Kwame Sha

Queen Quet is harnessing traditional knowledge to implement local solutions and speaking out with her unique message to achieve global impact.

Lori Ziolkowski

Associate Professor, University of South Carolina, School of the Earth, Ocean and Environment

Nominator: Gwendelyn Geidel

Lori is inspiring individuals to make change through her innovative approach to climate education inside and outside the classroom.

Mentorship Spotlight: Stay Connected amid COVID

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 10:00:00 GMT

Mentee Kristin Kelleher was impelled to enter the environmental field by watching the impact of sea-level rise on her hometown, and further developed her commitment to environmental policy while working as a legislative aide in the Massachusetts State House. After the intense storms of the winter of 2018, Kristin led the Massachusetts Businesses Acting on Rising Seas Campaign. She currently serves as the Vice Consul of Prosperity, Energy, and Climate Policy at the British Consulate in Boston. She received her master’s degree in Environment, Politics, and Globalisation from King’s College London, and her undergraduate degree in International Relations from GWU. Kristin is a Rotarian, a member of the Emerald Necklace Rose Garden Committee, and an Agenda Setter for the Climigration Network.

With the global pandemic, Kristin and Tancred have had to alter their working styles and communicate more with colleagues on the phone. Tancred still worked in the office up until the start of July. Kristin is fully remote, and has now turned her guest room into an office. Through the Mentorship Program, both have discussed best practices and tips for communicating with colleagues and catching up on work. Tancred is leading a program to support cities and towns in North Carolina to begin the process of planning for climate change resilience and adaptation practices. Kristin led an adaptation program, Businesses Acting on Rising Seas in Massachusetts in the summer of 2018, and shared the report.

Kristin is developing a national net-zero roadmap workshop through her role at the Consulate, and she has asked Tancred to share best practices he learned from developing his adaptation workshops. Tancred is an avid deep sea fisher. On a recent outing in September he caught a Wahoo, weighing in at 43 pounds. Tancred and his wife ended up having fresh sushi for dinner! After realizing that they live within a 5-minute drive of three lakes with public boat launches, Kristin and her fiance purchased kayaks during the pandemic. They’ve already found the great blue herons, turtles, and hawks during their adventures.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Mentor Tancred Miller is the Policy & Planning Section Chief for the Division of Coastal Management, and the division’s lead on resilience and adaptation. Tancred leads the division’s work building local government capacity for climate hazards resilience, and coordinates the state’s Sea Level Rise Assessment Reports. He sits on Governor Cooper’s Climate Change Interagency Council, which was created to fulfill the Governor’s Executive Order 80 directives. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Morehouse College in Atlanta, and a Masters in Coastal Environmental Management from Duke University. Tancred joined the Division of Coastal Management in 2003.

Mentorship Spotlight: Local Climate Resilience

Tue, 08 Sep 2020 11:00:00 GMT

Mentee Sara Papanikolaou is a graduate student in the Climate and Energy Policy program at Johns Hopkins University, where she is completing her Masters thesis examining applications for renewable energy within the adaptation space. She is the Washington Campaign Organizer for Oceana, and also runs a local 350.org chapter, 350 Eastside, near Seattle, where she works on climate advocacy and in particular, public education around natural gas, including the recent short film she co-directed, ‘Yehow’ .

Both based near Seattle, Sara and John have been exploring regional climate resilience challenges, including flood risk mitigation, threats to transportation infrastructure, and food systems. One of the biggest takeaways from their conversations to date has been the comprehensive nature of climate adaptation- how it touches nearly every aspect of modern life, and will increasingly do so as climate change continues to advance.

John and Sara appreciated being able to connect on local areas they both had connections to. For example, John was involved in siting the wastewater treatment facility (and adjacent park) that Sara takes walks at on a weekly basis. Sara ran a winery in the Woodinville area of Washington. It is exciting when people can have direct experience with the food-water-energy nexus.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Mentor John Phillips is the Director of Integrated Watershed Management at Parametrix. He manages the firm’s approach to natural resources and infrastructure development in watershed planning, management, restoration, and climate change adaptation. Prior to Parametrix John worked for King County, managing the Combined Sewer Overflow Control Program. Over his 20-year career, he has managed and developed the Green Stormwater Infrastructure and Climate Change Adaptation programs. His climate work has been referenced in both the IPCC and National Climate Assessment reports. He is Past President of the Pacific Northwest Clean Water Association.

Celebrating North Carolina and Emerging State Adaptation Leadership

Fri, 28 Aug 2020 16:52:00 GMT

Marlena Byrne, Katie Spidalieri, Annie Bennett, Ned Gardiner, Jim Fox, and Aashka Patel contributed to this story.

As Gulf Coast communities rise from Hurricane Laura , ASAP members share how strong storms can give way to strong leadership.

When Hurricane Florence pummelled North Carolina in 2018, on the heels of 2016’s Hurricane Matthew, attitudes about climate change were already shifting in the state. These storms—Matthew took 25 lives and cost $4.8B, Florence took 43 lives and cost $24B— underscored the urgency of the climate crisis and shifted the conversation around how North Carolina should build back from them. Executive Order 80 gave voice to that urgency, mandating state action and resulting in the NC Climate Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan , released this summer.

Plans alone don’t get results but good plans support effective action. In North Carolina, breaking down agency silos and establishing a shared vocabulary and conceptual model of climate, hazards, measurable impacts, and potential actions to build resilience was critical. Partnering with academic institutions, federal agencies, local governments, nonprofit organizations, business owners, and community members resulted in a plan grounded in the best science and an approach that will bring results to communities. In particular, according to the Georgetown Climate Center, the plan is more successful than other states in addressing equity.

Having an office dedicated to resilience work – NCORR, led by NC Chief Resilience Officer and ASAP Member, Jessica Whitehead – is maintaining momentum for implementation across agencies and ongoing collaboration with local governments and NGOs. Together with NC Division of Coastal Management, NCORR just launched the North Carolina Resilient Communities Program. The program leverages state funding and grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Federation and Economic Development Administration to help communities develop shovel-ready local resilience projects, create a statewide resilience guidebook, and provide training and technical assistance to enhance resilience in rural communities.

A statewide resilience plan is often a first step, but not necessarily the key factor, in the success of state-led adaptation efforts. According to Georgetown Climate Center’s State Progress Tracker , 33 states lack a statewide adaptation plan. However, states also address adaptation through sector-specific plans and political action. Regardless, leadership at any level must give way to work on the ground. In North Carolina, what began with developing policy recommendations applicable across state government is leading to tangible shifts in resources to enable that work: factoring resilience into state spending decisions and providing technical expertise and funding to local governments.

By the Numbers

Hurricanes Florence and Matthew pushed North Carolina to take state level action, including a comprehensive climate risk assessment and resilience plan. North Carolina joins 17 other states with adaptation plans, as state leadership continues to evolve in this space.

What We’re Reading

North Carolina Climate Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan

The North Carolina Climate Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan is the state’s most comprehensive effort to address North Carolina’s vulnerability to climate change. The plan is a framework to guide state action, engage policy-makers and stakeholders, and facilitate collaboration across the state. Read the Executive Summary and Key Findings here . The full plan is available here .

Exploring Lessons from Richmond , VA

Transforming the James River in Richmond, by Ralph Hambrick : This book focuses on the complex processes behind the river’s transformation over four decades, from a glorified sewer to one of Richmond’s most valuable assets. According to NC Chief Resilience Officer Jess Whitehead, this book was an incredible source for lessons learned on facilitating and implementing transformative change in the state.
How Decades of Racist Housing Policy Left Neighborhoods Sweltering, by Brad Plumer and Nadja Popovich : The legacies of redlining in Richmond, including its urban heat island effect, are revealing important lessons for cities across North Carolina. This article provides insightful coverage of racial inequalities in heat health vulnerability.

Flooding from Hurricane Matthew at Cherry Research Station and NCDA&CS first responders, from the Guiding Principles of the North Carolina Resilience Plan , North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.

Guiding Principles of the North Carolina Resilience Plan. North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.

Source:
1. State Progress Tracker , Georgetown Climate Center.
2. North Carolina Climate Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan , North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.
J. Fox, personal communication, August 25, 2020. NEMAC+FernLeaf.

Mentorship Spotlight: Capitalizing on Collaboration

Tue, 25 Aug 2020 14:21:00 GMT

Mentee Jessica Robbins is an environmental planner based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Prior to joining her current workplace, Jessica worked with a wide variety of environmental organizations tackling such topics as science education, environmental decision-making and behavior, and energy efficiency evaluation. Jessica obtained her Master’s degree from University of Michigan, where she conducted research on climate adaptation evaluation and interned in the City of Ann Arbor’s department of Sustainability and Innovation.

Given this interdisciplinary and collaborative environment, both Galen and Jessica greatly appreciate the ASAP Network as a space where they as adaptation practitioners can connect and share information and provide support.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Mentor Galen Treuer is a climate and resilience professional who has acquired a diverse suite of skills over a 10-plus year career. Galen transitioned from work in the arts and providing financial consulting for local governments and nonprofits to focus on environmental behavioral sciences and decision-making. Galen obtained a PhD in environmental science and policy from the University of Miami studying risk perception and use of science in climate adaptation decision-making. After conducting postdoctoral research at the University of Connecticut, Galen returned to the Miami area as the Resilience Coordinator for Strategic Outcomes in Miami-Dade County’s Office of Resilience.

Collaboration has been a focal point for many of Jessica and Galen’s conversations. Throughout the Mentorship Program, they have discussed how to integrate a desire to pursue adaptation and resilience-work into different workplace environments. They acknowledged that knowledge about and enthusiasm for climate adaptation is variable depending on the workplace and how a lens of collaboration can foster positive relationships and initiatives. As both Jessica and Galen have backgrounds in public service, they discussed how climate adaptation and resilience work developed at the city and county level, is inherently multidisciplinary and requires a continued commitment to learning and collaboration.

Adaptation Co-Creation Series: Innovations in Adaptation Finance

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 16:09:00 GMT

ASAP is hosting a year long webinar program highlighting how partnerships lead to innovative adaptation action across the United States. The ASAP Board of Directors is spearheading this new initiative, with leadership from Jennifer Jurado (Broward County), Jessica Grannis (Audubon), and Emily Wasley (WSP).

Adaptation Co-Creation Series highlights innovation through examples of on-the-ground practice in adaptation through a variety of sectors and regions. The webinar series showcases private service providers and their contribution through partnerships with a diversity of collaborators to advance the adaptation field and embody innovation and excellence in practice.

You missed it? Watch our recording of Webinar 2: Innovations in Adaptation Finance , here . You can also review the slides here .

Webinar 2: Innovations in Adaptation Finance
August 25, 2020 | 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. ET

The challenge of climate resilience is mostly local. But local governments don’t have the capacities, including financial wherewithal, to cope alone during the next decades. Innovative bond initiatives, public private partnerships, and collaborations with States can each play a unique role in creating the climate-resilience financial system that local governments need.

Join adaptation and finance experts from Quantified Ventures , Climate Resilience Consulting , and re:focus partners as they share best practices and real life case studies that demonstrate how innovative finance tools like environmental impact bonds (QV), green banks (CRC) and public private partnerships (re:focus) are putting adaptation projects in the ground and making communities across the country more resilient in the face of climate change.

Register in advance for this webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information to join this session.

Co-Design, Present & Sponsor ASAP’s Adaptation Co-Creation Series

Are you leading a powerful adaptation partnership? We’d love to feature your work in an upcoming session. Get involved as a presenter, sponsor, or both! For more information, please contact Beth Gibbons .

Adaptation leaders from within and beyond current ASAP membership are invited to contribute in this new program! Participating in the Series can take many forms:

Joining as an active participant to learn from members and fellow adaptation leaders;
Presenting a project that highlights the value of partnerships in advancing adaptation innovations;
Sponsoring & co-designing a session in the series;
Sponsoring & co-designing multiple sessions;

Upcoming Adaptation Co-Creation Sessions

October 2020
Webinar 3- Advancing Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion through Professional Practice

December, February, April
Webinars 3 – 6 – Theme: Design the series with ASAP!

Session P resenters:

Ben Cohen , Director of Urban and Coastal Resilience, Quantified Ventures
Joyce Coffee , Founder & Principal, Climate Resilience Consulting
Shaun O’Rourke , Chief Resilience Officer, Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank
Shalini Vajjhala , Founder & CEO, re:focus Partners
Beth Gibbons , Executive Director, American Society of Adaptation Professionals

Session Moderator:

Emily Wasley, Senior Project Director and Future Ready Advisor at WSP

Mentorship Spotlight: Collaboration Amongst Crisis

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 11:00:00 GMT

Mentee Kira Rib is a graduate student at the University of Michigan, pursuing her MPH in Environmental Health Promotion and Policy. Her experience in sustainable agriculture and food justice across the country helped her to develop a passion for the impact of climate change on the resilience of food systems. Critically examining the intersection of climate adaptation, public health, sustainable food systems, and policy, Kira is working to build a career centering local strategies for the future wellbeing of communities. Her interest in emergency management helps her to synthesize the relationship between food security, public health, and the hazards of environmental change. Kira’s passion for sustainable and climate resilient agriculture was kickstarted by the time she spent learning to farm as an Adamah Fellow within the Jewish farming community.

Developing increased collaboration between emergency management and public health professionals at the local level has been the basis for the pairs mentoring relationship. The recent COVID-19 response has demonstrated two independent silos that aren’t currently organized to collaborate for long term adaptation. Further efforts are needed in each profession to consider and adopt the useful approaches of each profession and identify additional synergies. In order to address giant questions regarding climate adaptation as a “preparedness” challenge, improving collaboration will be incredibly important for the development of meaningful solutions.

Through mentorship, the pair has discussed the lessons all should be learning to ensure a collaborative response to the pandemic. They believe there are lessons to be learned during the pandemic that can be translated to climate adaptation and public health preparedness in the future. They have appreciated new approaches during COVID-19 in the integration of organizations while tackling such a massive crisis, and are inviting the thought that we as climate adaptation professionals should be taking note of how these crises are comparable in their collaborative needs. It is in the best interest of adaptation professionals to learn deeply from the pandemic. This has only affirmed the need to include public health and emergency management at the climate planning table.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Mentor Justin Kates joined the Mayor’s Cabinet in August 2011 after coming from his role as a Homeland Security Consultant for the Delaware Emergency Management Agency. In his role, Justin coordinates city-wide emergency response efforts by working with the Federal, State, and other areas of municipal government in obtaining the necessary resources to recover after a disaster. He developed the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan for the City and chairs the Local Emergency Planning Committee. During his time in Nashua, Justin was responsible for coordinating the response and recovery of FEMA declared disasters Tropical Storm Irene, the “Snowtober” Nor’easter, Superstorm Sandy, Winter Storm “Nemo”, Winter Storm “Juno”, and Pandemic COVID-19.

Adaptation Voices July 2020

Thu, 30 Jul 2020 12:00:00 GMT

Want Precise Flood Risk Projections? Account for Adaptation.

First Street Foundation recently made headlines with findings from their new flood model and the bottom line is stark: many more properties are at risk of flooding than previously thought . The innovative model takes into account future climate conditions including increased rainfall, sea level rise, and increased sea surface temperature. It uses authoritative data from Federal agencies that span several flooding sources including riverine, rainfall, storm surge, and sea level. It builds on years of scientific research and development and benefits from partnerships with researchers and hydrologists from Fathom, Rhodium Group, and several of the country’s top academic institutions.

To truly achieve precise risk calculations at the individual property level, however, First Street needed to account for how adaptation measures change flood risk . Assembling hundreds of data sources from federal agencies, state GIS databases, coastal zone management authorities, chief resilience officers, Georgetown Climate Center, ASAP, and news media, First Street’s Adaptation Team, under the leadership of ASAP member Sharai Lewis-Gruss , researched and mapped green, grey and natural infrastructure projects across the US. The result is a massive national database of individual flood adaptation features, the first of its kind to be used in a national flood model at this scale . The database not only increases the accuracy of the new flood model’s hazard layers but also provides a rich accounting of the scale and diversity of flood adaptation systems. For example, the team digitized the multitude of completed flood resilience projects in Miami-Dade County, including elevated roads, pump stations, stormwater system upgrades and detention basins.

First Street’s high-quality probabilistic flood risk information is publicly available for free through Flood Factor ^TM ( floodfactor.com ) so that governments, institutions, and individuals can make more informed decisions regarding flood risk. First Street shared that they, “seek to arm the public and institutions with the data to build smarter from the outset, mitigating losses before they happen.” With the development, inclusion, and continued support of their database of adaptation features, First Street is bringing to light the ways in which climate adaptation professionals already are.

This Adaptation Voices story was brought to you in collaboration with First Street Foundation, a nonprofit research and technology group dedicated to defining America’s flood risk. A special thanks to Sharai Lewis-Gruss and Michael Lopes from First Street Foundation for their contribution to this story.

By the Numbers

In an effort to create as accurate a flood model as possible, the First Street Foundation’s adaptation team developed the nation’s first flood adaptation database. Here’s a quick look at the massive scale on which it accounts for flood adaptation features:

What We’re Reading

The First National Flood Risk Assessment: Defining America’s Growing Risk
This new national report from the First Street Foundation provides a comprehensive national analysis of the state of flood risk in the continental U.S. The findings are the result of the First Street Foundation’s new Flood Model, a high precision, climate adjusted model that assesses flood risk at the individual property level today and into the future.

First Street’s Flood Factor tool contains a wide range of resources and information for both those familiar and unfamiliar with flood risk adaptation. Dive into these pages to learn more or share with your stakeholders.

Adaptation Types : This page details 40 different types of flood risk reduction methods, promoting understanding with clear text and photos.
Finding Flood Solutions : This page details how individuals can adapt their homes and communities to mitigate flood risk, including helpful infographics, statistics, and tips for property owners and communities.

Call to Action!

Help Expand FloodFactor’s Adaptation Database
First Street Foundation’s Adaptation Team continues to collect information on the flood adaptation infrastructure that exists across the country to make sure their Flood Model is as accurate as possible. While the database contains 23,000 features today, the team knows there are many more out there and more being developed all the time. Your knowledge and input is incredibly valuable! Submit a flood adaptation project for inclusion in the database using this form . The team also hopes to scale up their efforts by launching a multi-stakeholder data trust. Learn more by emailing DataTrust@firststreet.org .

Distribution of flood adaptation features across the U.S. , First National Flood Risk Assessment: Defining America’s Growing Risk , by First Street Foundation.

A restored marsh, pond and willow habitat – John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway, Wyoming. NPS Photo . An example of an adaptation type included in First Street’s database.

Source: The First National Flood Risk Assessment Defining America’s Growing Risk , by First Street Foundation.

Mentorship Spotlight: Community Centric Climate Resilience

Tue, 28 Jul 2020 10:00:00 GMT

Mentee Isaac A. Gendle r is a Climate Adaptation and Housing Policy Researcher as well as a White Paper Writer for Abundant Housing LA. He is currently working on a research paper analyzing the effects of the Bay Area housing crisis on regional wildfire vulnerability. In his spare time, Isaac likes to write on his daily science blog and learn new languages.

Mentor Jamesine Rogers Gibson is a policy expert and research analyst with more than 15 years of experience advancing clean air, climate resilient, and low carbon policies and strategies that maximize health, community, and economic benefits. She is an independent consultant who is skilled in strategically connecting people, ideas, and data to create a future where everyone can thrive. Most recently, Rogers Gibson was Senior Climate Analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Prior to that, she worked on the Risky Business Project – a national economic risk assessment of climate-related impacts – and at all levels of government, including then-Senator John Kerry, USEPA, California Air Resources Board, and SFDPH.

Given that both Isaac and Jamesine are based in CA, much of their mentoring relationship has been focused on what they perceive to be key challenges facing adaptation in California and what that means for starting a career in the field. One of these key challenges is the COVID-19 emergency. The pair discussed how the pandemic is having harsh impacts on public budgets as municipalities are forced to make tough decisions and spend less on climate adaptation work. In light of the pandemic, Isaac and Jamesine focused on the need to think about climate work holistically. The pair explored the importance of mainstreaming climate change work into the current municipal process. For example, housing policy is climate policy- the two are undoubtedly connected.

Community engagement was also a topic the pair focused on. They discussed how bottom-up, community-centric climate resilience approaches – as opposed to top-down engineering approaches like sea walls – may often work better and confer many benefits to the community beyond protection from sea-level rise.Through these conversations, Isaac became more informed about systemic racism and climate equity. He became inspired to amplify black and indigenous voices and to continuously be mindful of how he interacts with communities different than his own to ensure his actions are equitable and just.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Mentorship Spotlight: Collaborating on Coastal Ecosystem Management

Tue, 14 Jul 2020 10:30:00 GMT

Mentee Joanna Parkman is a Master of Environmental Management student at Duke University, where she studies coastal resilience and nature-based solutions to sea level rise. She’s also pursuing a Natural Hazards Resilience Certificate at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Department of City and Regional Planning. This summer, Joanna is working as a Coastal Resilience Fellow with the Southern Environmental Law Center’s Charleston Office. She’s recently begun work on her master’s project, assisting in the development of an Unoccupied Aircraft System (UAS) policy for the North Carolina Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Throughout their conversations in the ASAP Mentorship Program, Joanna and Tiffany have discussed the challenges and opportunities inherent in coastal ecosystem management. As part of a Duke Bass Connections project in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund, Joanna has studied the social benefits provided by coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds, while Tiffany’s research has centered on the impacts of sea level rise on Everglades wetland ecosystem dynamics and restoration. Most recently, both Joanna and Tiffany have been involved in the public comment process in response to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ proposed seawall projects in Charleston and Miami, respectively.

Both Joanna and Tiffany have worked internationally on environmental projects. Joanna previously worked at the Center for Sustainable Development Studies in Atenas, Costa Rica; Tiffany was a visiting researcher at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies in Hayama, Japan while she served as a wetland expert and program officer for the IPCC Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Technical Support Unit.

Joanna has found Tiffany’s insight on urban coastal environments and experience with interdisciplinary, applied research incredibly valuable as she navigates her final year of graduate school. Tiffany has offered localized knowledge of resilience and adaptation approaches in Miami, one of the cities where Joanna will seek employment in community-based coastal planning and equitable green infrastructure development for flood mitigation. She’s inspired by Tiffany’s work throughout Southeast Florida to increase awareness of and promote science-based solutions to climate change.

Thank you to both for sharing what they have learned!

Mentor Dr. Tiffany Troxler is an environmental scientist and Director of Science of the Sea Level Solutions Center in the Institute of Environment at Florida International University. Dr. Troxler’s work cuts across science, policy and management of natural and urban environments. In the field, she and her students examine the effects of saltwater inundation on Everglades coastal wetlands, monitor how Everglades ecosystems respond to restoration efforts, and advance interdisciplinary nature-based solutions in urban environments. Dr. Troxler previously served as co-editor and contributing author on two Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that guide national greenhouse gas inventories, in addition to co-authoring a National Academies report on Negative Emissions Technologies.

Mentorship Spotlight: Adaptation Through an Environmental Justice Lens

Wed, 01 Jul 2020 17:34:00 GMT

Mentee Caroline Resor is a Strategy Associate for the American Flood Coalition in Washington, DC. Prior to AFC, Caroline worked at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center on a machine learning flood model for Ellicott City. Previously, she was a Senior Analyst with sustainable infrastructure investor Hannon Armstrong. She worked with wind and solar energy companies to manage risk on project finance investments. In 2017, Caroline graduated with a degree in Environmental Studies from Dartmouth College, where she held various leadership positions in the Dartmouth Outing Club . Caroline led backpacking trips everywhere from Texas to Utah to Arizona. Participating in one college tradition called “The Fifty,” she and three friends walked 54 miles of the New Hampshire Appalachian Trail without resting.

Caroline and Sumi have been exploring how to incorporate environmental justice considerations into projects with partners that aren’t used to using a justice lens in their work. The pair discussed how important it is to explicitly assess vulnerable populations’ exposure to natural hazards, since often exposure isn’t shared equally in a community. Specifically, they have been looking at public transportation. Throughout the mentorship program, they have brainstormed how to frame the benefits of knowing risks to transit and transit users to various audiences, discussing implications for small businesses, essential services, and other municipal vitals. Sumi has a wealth of information to share here as her Masters thesis focused on public transit users’ exposure to nuisance flooding in Charleston, SC.

Both Sumi and Caroline have enjoyed reflecting on their positive interactions in the mentorship program and ASAP in general, and appreciate that the adaptation field is very supportive and generous. They are grateful for how this generosity helps everyone build capacity as the supportive ASAP environment gives them the confidence to ask people about their work and be honest about topics we all want to learn more about.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Mentor Sumi Selvaraj is the Environmental Justice Manager at the California Coastal Commission, where she works on implementation of the Commission’s environmental justice policy and racial equity initiatives. Her path to environmental justice and coastal management has involved internships with The Nature Conservancy and AmeriCorps as well as graduate research with the Carolinas Integrated Sciences & Assessment. She received her Masters in Geography from the University of South Carolina in 2016, where she studied climate change adaptation, social vulnerability and environmental justice. Sumi grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and graduated from Emory University with majors in Biology and Cultural Anthropology in 2013. Sumi lived on Cape Cod for three seasons as an AmeriCorps Disaster Initiative Service Member!

Mentorship Spotlight: Vision-Building for Climate and Health

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 10:00:00 GMT

Mentee Kyle Sullivan is a Climate Adaptation Fellow at ASAP and a public health advocate living in Southeast Michigan. Kyle built their MPH in environmental health promotion and policy on work integrating climate information and social equity principles into public health assessments and interventions. They focused on climate hazards in the Great Lakes region, including extreme heat response planning, stormwater management and enteric disease, and urban flooding. Kyle works for futures with public health workforces and infrastructures made robust through integration with just climate adaptation practices and transformative local leadership.

Periodically, Kyle and Max’s conversations will circle around to underscore the importance of internal, personal work in professional development. For example, they prioritize vulnerability in their mentoring relationship, believing strongly that the ability to recognize, name, and communicate a struggle or problem is essential to seeking guidance and resolution. They’ve also discussed how creative visioning and problem-solving can become constrained without practice.

Kyle and Max have connected over their people-centric approaches to work and adaptation that prioritize relationship- and community-building. They both recommend Donella H. Meadows’ essay “Envisioning a Sustainable World.”

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Mentor Max Neale lives in Anchorage, Alaska and supports remote Alaska Native villages with their efforts to address erosion, flooding, and permafrost thaw impacts to community infrastructure. He is fortunate to learn from communities everyday, be part of a dynamic team, and one of many statewide partners making progress to address an extremely challenging and complex problem.

With Max’s mentorship, Kyle is exploring career paths that center the public health perspective and are positioned well to build bridges with the adaptation field. Kyle has observed that, “the fields of climate adaptation and climate and health are relatively young, and there seem to be few well-trodden career pathways,” and, “I see a lot of potential, but also uncertainty.” Max has offered perspective and resources that have helped Kyle enrich their career plan, imagine a future of abundance, and take advantage of uncertainty by leaving space for emerging opportunities.

Adaptation Co-Creation Series

Mon, 22 Jun 2020 14:52:00 GMT

The space where innovation and climate resilience meet

Beginning in June 2020 ASAP will host a year long webinar program highlighting how partnerships lead to innovative adaptation action across the United States. The ASAP Board of Directors is spearheading this new initiative, with leadership from Jennifer Jurado (Broward County), Jessica Grannis (Audubon), and Emily Wasley (WSP).

Each session of the Adaptation Co-Creation Series will showcase on-the-ground adaptation practice across a variety of sectors and regions. Through this program we are putting the spotlight on the role of private sector service providers and the valuable partnerships they form with municipalities, states, tribes, and other entities to advance the adaptation field and promote innovation and excellence in practice.

Opportunities to Co-Design, Present & Sponsor ASAP’s Adaptation Co-Creation Series

Adaptation leaders from within and beyond current ASAP membership are invited to contribute in this new program! Participating in the Series can take many forms:

Joining as an active participant to learn from members and fellow adaptation leaders;
Presenting a project that highlights the value of partnerships in advancing adaptation innovations;
Sponsoring & co-designing a session in the series;
Sponsoring & co-designing multiple sessions;

To get involved email Beth Gibbons directly at bgibbons@adaptpros.org or complete this interest form: ASAP Co-Creation Series Interest Form

Join Session 1 on June 30 to Learn more!

Webinar 1: Reducing the risk of coastal flooding through redesigned storm standards, updated codes, and new infrastructure design.

June 30, 2020 2:00pm – 3:30pm EDT

Join ASAP and The American Society of Civil Engineers to hear how two coastal communities have leveraged sustained partnerships to understand their local flooding risk, pass forward looking building and zoning codes, and prioritize nature-based solutions to address those risks.

Our Speakers:

Jennifer Jurado , Chief Resilience Officer and Director of the Environmental Planning and Community Resilience Division from Broward County, Fl , will share how years of partnership and collaboration has led to recently passed standards and codes that address real risks and have wide support across key economic sectors .

Brian Batten , Senior Scientist with Dewberry , & C.J. Bodnar , Professional Engineer with the City of Virginia Beach will discuss how the strong partnership between Dewberry and the City has led to Virginia Beach’s Sea Level Wise program and proposed stormwater and drainage standards that are now under review.

Beth Gibbons from ASAP & Ruwanka Purasinghe from ASCE will join a panel discussion highlighting how lessons from these two communities should and can be transferred to communities across the country and the role ASAP & ASCE can play in that knowledge transfer.

Upcoming Webinars

August 2020

Webinar 2 – Theme: Making the Economic Case for Adaptation Today

October 2020

Webinar 23- Advancing Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion through Professional Practice

December, February, April

Webinars 3 – 6 – Theme: Design the series with ASAP!

Sponsorship Benefits:

Sponsors will be prominently featured on all advertising promoting the event, will be included in a thank you during the event, and will be provided time to talk about their adaptation work and interest in these topics. In co-designing a session, you will work with ASAP Executive Director and Board members to refine the scope for the webinar, identify webinar speakers and topics, and craft framing remarks and questions.

Mentorship Spotlight: Building Relationships is Key

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 15:52:00 GMT

Mentee Desmond Kirwan is a graduate student at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability with a concentration in Behavior, Education, and Communication. He has a longstanding passion for conservation work and human relationships with the natural world. His current research aims to enhance civic resilience to climate change in underserved communities through development of a resilience hub: a year-round facility that supports the needs of a community with the goal of reducing susceptibility to future climate impacts. After graduating, Desmond hopes to continue resilience work and focus on implementation of behavioral interventions to promote sustainability.

In their mentorship conversations, Whitney and Desmond discuss the details of working with, engaging, and promoting public participation for a variety of resilience and adaptation projects. Sharing some of his key takeaways, Desmond observes, “Networking is not exclusive to working with other professionals, but extending to the communities, regions, or states that will need the most help adapting to a new climate regime.” They have also explored the unique capacity of adaptation professionals to fill gaps between sectors and the value of engaging organizations that operate tangentially to climate adaptation. Desmond adds, “this field is all about building relationships.”

Scaling down their conversation, Whitney and Desmond also talk over the qualities that define an adaptation professional. Desmond believes “this career path requires the individual to be adaptive as well. Often, projects will need to take new paths abruptly as new information unfolds or if things are not fitting quite as they should. Getting from Point A to Point B requires many steps along the way, while regularly dealing with unforeseen circumstances that require attention.”

While getting to know each other, Whitney was interested to learn that Desmond is a first-generation college student from an Irish immigrant family. Likewise, Desmond appreciates Whitney’s knitting prowess, learning that she completed a full cardigan in less than a month.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Mentor Whitney Gray has been the Administrator of the Florida Resilient Coastlines Program in the Department of Environmental Protection since December 2017. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees studying zoology and systems ecology at the University of Florida (“Go Gators!”). She first worked on climate change vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning with the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council. From 2012 to 2015, Whitney served as Sea Level Rise Coordinator for both the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Florida Sea Grant, providing expertise on the effects of sea level rise on coastal ecosystems. Whitney is proud of her deep roots along Florida’s Gulf Coast.

ASAP to award three place-based microgrants. Applications due July 27.

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 13:20:00 GMT

INTRODUCTION

The American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) connects and supports climate change adaptation and climate resilience professionals to advance innovation and excellence in the field. We believe that climate change is a real and serious danger to all sectors and systems; that adaptation and resilience build stronger, more prepared communities, ecosystems, and economies; and that equity and environmental justice should be major considerations in all work that adaptation professionals do. ASAP members are building essential climate resilience for communities, ecosystems, and economies across North America. The ASAP network keeps them connected, sharing, learning, and adapting.

The purpose of the ASAP Hubs Microgrants Program is to support members’ collaborative, place-based climate change adaptation projects and stimulate grassroots involvement in the ASAP network. The ASAP Local & Regional Hubs Program will award three microgrants of up to $3,000 each for work that advances one or more of the following objectives: peer connection, local capacity building, building local knowledge bases, climate change adaptation field definition, and advancing the dialogue on climate change adaptation and climate resilience.

The ASAP Local & Regional Hubs Program is part of the ASAP Connects Program Area. The ASAP Connects Program Area forms the core of the ASAP Network, providing opportunities for professional education and collaboration through peer learning groups, advisory groups, in-person events, and one-on-one connections.

Click here to submit your interest in joining the Microgrant Selection Committee .

If you have questions about the microgrant opportunity, please email Breana Nehls at bnehls@adaptpros.org .

APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY AND REQUIREMENTS

Eligible Applicants :

Applicants must apply as a group of at least six people. At least 4 of those group members should live, work, or have a strong professional or personal connection to the location in which the project takes place.
All group members must be ASAP members in good standing (i.e. – have an active, paid ASAP membership.)
Group members need not have been members of ASAP for a specific length of time, and may join ASAP for the purpose of applying for this grant competition.
Current ASAP Members can log onto their Member Portal to check their membership status. New members can join here .
Microgrant Selection Committee (SC) members and ASAP staff and Board members are not eligible to submit microgrant applications. These individuals may be listed as a group member on an application submitted by someone else.

Project Role Commitments:

At least three group members must commit to explicit project roles.
At least one group member must commit to serving as a liaison to the central ASAP Network. This role will include participating in peer learning and exchange across projects up to 1 hour/month for the duration of the project plus three months following project completion.

ELIGIBLE LOCATIONS AND PROJECTS

Eligible Locations : Microgrants will be awarded to place-based climate change adaptation and climate resilience collaborative projects in locations where there are at least 10 ASAP members within 90 miles of one another. This density threshold is meant to ensure conditions for a project that can successfully stimulate grassroots involvement in the ASAP network. Individuals need not have been members of ASAP for a specific length of time and may join ASAP for the purpose of helping a location reach the threshold for inclusion in this grant competition. Below is a partial list of currently eligible locations . If you are interested in submitting an application for a project in a place that’s not on this list, please email Breana Nehls at bnehls@adaptpros.org to confirm that location’s eligibility or obtain information on how many additional people would need to become ASAP members in order for that place to become eligible.

Partial list of eligible locations :

San Francisco Bay Area
Southern California
Colorado Greater Metro Area
Southeast Michigan
Washington D.C. Metro Area
Metro Boston
New York City Metro Area
South Florida
Western North Carolina (Asheville)
Southern Arizona

Objectives and Eligible Projects :

The ASAP Hubs Microgrants Program will award grants for work which advances one or more of the following objectives:

Peer Connection: Relationship building to support personal resilience, learning, collaboration and professional development among climate change adaptation and climate resilience professionals.
- Example: a hiking club for adaptation professionals to connect outside of work and explore local trails together.
Local Capacity Building: to help place-based communities improve and incorporate climate change adaptation and climate resilience work; to support strategic partnerships to support growth and fuel innovation.
- Example: a series of roundtable discussions amongst disparate organizations who are working on advocating for better local adaptation and resilience policies.
Building Local Knowledge Bases: to support better climate change adaptation and climate resilience work in place, as well as peer learning among climate change adaptation and climate resilience professionals across contexts.
- Example: develop or augment a database of local adaptation and resilience solutions.
Climate Change Adaptation Field Definition: to clarify what qualifies as climate change adaptation and climate resilience work by learning from local lived experience of adaptation professionals; to implement common standards for the field by taking them to scale locally.
- Example: a series of events where people from different sectors share about adaptation and resilience practice in their own contexts.
Advancing the dialogue on climate change adaptation and climate resilience: to learn from how people in different places talk about adaptation and resilience work to support a common language for adaptation and resilience practitioners, workers, and applied researchers.
- Example: a series of joint events with organization(s) that are not explicitly adaptation or resilience-focused.

Strong projects will demonstrate knowledge and understanding of fundamental ASAP Network resources, including: Code of Conduct and Professional Ethics , Living Guide to the Principles of Climate Change Adaptation , Knowledge and Competencies Framework , and Justice, Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity Statement .

Projects that are not collaborative in nature, such as individual research projects and projects that promote a single business or institution’s research, products, or programs, are not eligible for this grant.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Applicants should complete and submit a microgrant application by July 27th. The application requests information about the project location, purpose, duration, activities, and expected outcomes; existing capacity on which the project builds; justice, inclusion, equity, and diversity; project group member commitments; and project budget. The selection committee will consider only clear and complete applications which adhere to the eligibility requirements described above.

REVIEW PROCESS AND EVALUATION CRITERIA

A committee of approximately nine ASAP members will select the three projects awarded funding. We are currently recruiting selection committee members: please indicate your interest here ! ASAP staff will finalize the committee with nine members who collectively represent a diversity of regions, sectors, length of time in the adaptation field, and personal identities.

The review and selection process will include the following steps:

ASAP staff screen applications to determine whether they meet eligibility criteria.
Selection Committee members score each application on each of the following criteria using a 1-5 scale.
- Relevance to Program Objectives: To what extent do the project’s expected outcomes align with one or more of the ASAP Hubs Microgrant Program Objectives?
- Need for a cross-sector, collaborative project: To what extent do the purpose and activities described require the insight and energy of a group of people across multiple sectors collaborating on a short term project (as opposed to one-on-one interactions or an activity carried out by an individual)?
- Alignment with demonstrated regional needs or opportunities: How well does the application describe, and the project address, a need or opportunity specific to the place in which the project will occur?
- Building on existing capacity: To what extent will existing capacity in the locality/region be able to augment ASAP support to ensure successful initiation of the project? To what extent might current, or potential future, energy in the locality/region carry the results forward once the project formally ends?
- Justice, Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity: To what extent does the application address justice, equity, inclusion, and diversity? This can be achieved through a project which is designed to achieve more just and equitable outcomes for all community members and include a diverse range of participants or stakeholders. Or, it can be achieved by thoughtfully explaining the challenges of integrating justice, inclusion, equity, or diversity into the project.
- Feasibility: How feasible is the project in terms of time, budget, and available resources?
Selection Committee members participate in a consensus-based discussion, in which all criteria are considered equally, to choose which three projects will receive microgrants.

Microgrant Selection Committee members are not eligible to submit microgrant applications. These individuals may, however, be listed as members of a project group on an application submitted by someone else.

Click here to apply for a microgrant .

Click here to view the discussion from our live Q&A session on July 9. You can also view our Application Guidance video here.

ASAP Solidarity Statement

Tue, 09 Jun 2020 20:41:00 GMT

ASAP stands in solidarity with the Black Community and all Communities of Color in the fight against police brutality, racism, and injustice in all forms. Standing in solidarity, as a predominately white organization, means that we make space for Leaders of Color to dictate the actions needed at this time, that we respect the right of people to rise up against systemic oppression in all its forms, and that we strive to align our vision for more climate resilient and equitable communities with the rightful demands of the people who are on the front lines of this fight. We honor and seek to learn from the knowledge and expertise of Black people, Indigenous people and People of Color as we work to achieve transformative change.

We expect all ASAP Members to pursue their professional practice in a manner that is mindful of the power they hold to affect decisions and lead action, as outlined in ASAP Principles of Practice . Further we expect all ASAP Members to join in the commitments stated in the ASAP Justice Equity Diversity & Inclusion Statement , led by ASAP’s JEDI Committee, and passed on April 20, 2020.

Finally, as stated in the JEDI Statement, “…We will not allow the actions of the past to dictate our future and we commit to leveraging our network and resources to promote justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in the climate adaptation field and beyond.”

In Solidarity,

ASAP Justice Equity Diversity & Inclusion Committee Leadership Team: Shameika Hanson, Vanessa Lueck, Julia Kim, Galen Treuer

Missy Stults, ASAP President

Beth Gibbons, ASAP Executive Director

Rachel Jacobson, ASAP Deputy Director

Marcela Reyes Ayala, ASAP Communications Manager

Mentorship Spotlight: Entering Adaptation with Confidence

Tue, 02 Jun 2020 14:00:00 GMT

Mentee Lucienne Cross works in climate adaptation, stakeholder engagement, and disaster risk reduction. She currently works for Miyamoto International, an international disaster management consulting firm. Previously, Lucienne worked on adaptation and conservation throughout the Caribbean with a focus on community- and nature-based solutions to the impacts of climate change.

Mentor Beth Stys is an Associate Research Scientist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. She has worked for the FWC for over 28 years, focusing on spatial analyses for landscape level and statewide conservation planning. She has been involved with FWC’s climate change work since 2008 and currently serves as the Climate Change Team lead. She also leads an FWC agency-wide landscape conservation initiative. Beth is an instructor for several U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service climate change courses. She received a B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences from Texas A&M University and an M.S. degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Ecology from Mississippi State University.

Through their mentorship conversations, Beth has been helping Lucienne structure her approach and timeline for returning to school for a Masters in Environmental Management. Lucienne details that, “Beth has provided advice about the field and what kind of tools and skills are most useful,” and, “it has given me the opportunity to talk through some different options.” Beth is also sharing her expertise in shoreline conservation and vulnerability assessment tools with Lucienne, which Lucienne has applied to one of her current projects for coastal resilience.

Beth’s perspective has given Lucienne valuable assurance as she learns to navigate new areas of the adaptation field and apply to graduate programs. Coming from a public health and engagement background, Lucienne appreciates Beth’s help with particular technical aspects of adaptation work. Lucienne underscores, “it has been immensely helpful to talk to my mentor about the language, terms, and tools used in her field.” With better understanding of the field, Lucienne is taking more confident steps toward a new graduate degree and at work.

While getting to know each other, Beth and Lucienne connected over their love for the rich biodiversity and environments of the Galapagos Islands.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Serving at the Nexus of State and Local Climate Planning

Wed, 27 May 2020 16:45:00 GMT

Facilitation Team for Matheny Tract community outreach event that took place on Martin Luther King day. From left to right: Arlin Benavides (CivicSpark Opportunity Access Fellow), Blanca Escobedo (Policy Advocate, Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability), Rebecca Berg (CivicSpark Resiliency Fellow), Miles Gordon (CivicSpark Climate Fellow)
photo credit: Ricardo Torres

The California Adaptation Planning Guide, a state-produced resource for local governments and regional planning agencies who want to undertake climate adaptation planning in their respective jurisdictions, has been in the midst of a two-year update process since 2018 and is set to be transmitted to the general public in early summer 2020, with plans to convert it to an interactive web application on California’s Adaptation Clearinghouse by the end of October 2020. We have continued this important work in the midst of the current COVID-19 crisis because it is crucial that we continue to work to respond to the climate crisis and build community resilience to climate change impacts.

As part of this project, two jurisdictions (Butte and Tulare counties) were chosen to become “pilot communities” for the new resources and guidance that the Adaptation Planning Guide provides. In the course of my service year with CivicSpark, in addition to assisting in producing the APG, I have undertaken direct technical assistance projects with each of them in order to bolster local-level climate planning efforts. Respectively, I have assisted in the update process for Butte County’s Health & Safety Element to incorporate wildfire risk (in collaboration with CivicSpark Fellow Lauren Sugay), and helped to formulate a community-level climate adaptation plan for Matheny Tract, an unincorporated census tract in Tulare County (in collaboration with CivicSpark Fellow Arlin Benavides).

It has been an invaluable learning experience serving at the nexus of state and local level climate planning, as I have been in a unique position to transmit lessons learned at the state level into local level planning, and lessons learned in these local planning efforts into state policy guidance. As I have spent this year attempting to answer the ever-prescient question of what local governments need to effectively plan for climate change, I have learned several key lessons from these efforts that are relevant to anyone who is participating in a local-level climate change planning process (including many of you ASAP readers).

Crisis and disaster can be invaluable tools for engagement and discussion

The 2018 Camp Fire, though extremely tragic as well as preventable, provided a locus for the community to come together and discuss the future of their community in light of increased wildfire risk and climate change, which has fueled the update process for Butte County’s Health & Safety Element. What has taken place this year has been a highly collaborative process between the Butte County Department of Development Services, the Butte County Fire Safe Council, the Camp Fire Long Term Recovery Group, and other community-based organizations that has resulted in lasting partnerships that will extend far beyond this current planning effort. Butte County’s Health & Safety Element Update has been folded into a full General Plan Update, set to be completed in the next couple of years.

The community you serve can and should be the guide for your planning efforts

Our process for formulating a community-level climate adaptation plan for Matheny Tract has undergone many changes as we have gone along, in large part to feedback from our community. For example, we originally attempted to engage the community in our vulnerability assessment process by asking them what community assets they valued. This was not an effective approach, as many in the community did not believe that they had any such assets, owing to the history of institutional divestment and neglect they have faced. When we instead asked them the question of what it was they wanted to protect, change, or stay the same (in those words), we had a meaningful discussion about what the community values, and what they wanted to invest in and improve upon going into the future. The Matheny Tract Climate Adaptation Plan is set to be completed by October 2020.

Climate adaptation is often not a matter of will but of capacity to act

In both of these communities there has been a strong desire to adapt to climate change as its effects (particularly drought, extreme heat, and increased wildfire) have worsened in these communities. However, these communities have small planning departments, which has historically constrained ability to plan for long-range impacts and hazards. These two efforts that we have undertaken in these respective communities have shown the power of simply adding capacity to act in these communities, as our efforts have resulted in robust planning processes with lasting results for these communities. In short, our efforts have shown how targeted support can make all the difference, and the importance and effectiveness of getting information, best practices, and on-the-ground support to those who need it the most.

The completed Adaptation Planning Guide 2.0, when transmitted to the public, will be available at www.caloes.ca.gov/climate . For those who simply cannot wait, the second public review draft is currently available for your perusal.

These and other lessons learned will be expanded on in a complimentary APG User Guide that will highlight the successes and lessons learned from these two communities, set for completion in July 2020. It will also be made available at www.caloes.ca.gov/climate .

The Adaptation Clearinghouse will serve as the home for the Adaptation Planning Guide when it is converted into an interactive web application by the end of October 2020. Additionally, it contains a plethora of other case studies and resources for successful climate adaptation in the state of California, available at www.resilientca.org

Author Biography: Miles Gordon is a CivicSpark Climate Fellow serving with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. He has 3+ years experience in the climate change adaptation field, with continuing interests in community-level climate change planning, environmental justice, and whole community resilience. He has been a dedicated and active ASAP member since February 2017, and looks forward to continuing his career in this field after his Fellowship term ends in July 2020. You may reach him at mgordon@civicspark.lgc.org if you have any questions or otherwise want to get in touch.

By: ASAP Member Miles Gordon

Mentorship Spotlight: Creativity in Research and Planning

Wed, 27 May 2020 13:16:00 GMT

Mentee Katy Barlow is the Restoration Manager for The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) Central Appalachians Program. The program’s mission is to protect and manage the climate-resilient lands of the Central Appalachian mountains with nature-based solutions. In her position, Katy works with forest science researchers and restoration practitioners to apply science outcomes at scale through demonstration of on-the-ground restoration, strategic communications, and state and regional planning and programs.

She leads a regional team of conservation staff to focus on forest climate adaptation strategies. Prior to working with TNC, Katy completed her PhD in ecology at the Pennsylvania State University (2018). Her dissertation research furthered insights in plant community dynamics post-restoration of highly disturbed forests in Appalachia.

Mentor David Reidmiller is the Acting Director of the USGS Northeast and Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Centers. Prior to his current position, Dave served as the Director of the Fourth National Climate Assessment while on detail to the U.S. Global Change Research Program at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (2016-2019).

As the Chief Climate Scientist and Lead Climate Technology Negotiator at the U.S. Department of State (2011-2016), he coordinated the U.S. engagement in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and led U.S. negotiations related to science and technology in the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change. Dave has a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington.

In her mentorship with Dave, Katy is learning how to better navigate climate data and information systems by developing her own systematic approach. Katy explains, “As an emerging professional in the climate adaptation field it can be hard to make sense of the amount of information about climate change; which organizations are important to follow, what type of new data and research to keep track of, as well as being able to connect the dots between science and implications for management.” Dave has shared resources and strategies for narrowing research parameters which helps Katy bring more precision to her climate risk management planning work at TNC.

Through developing her research process, Katy has observed that “when seeking to provide guidance on climate-informed management, there won’t always be direct insights from science regarding the particular system or system component.” To work around this, Katy and Dave have explored the possibilities that can emerge by applying knowledge of well-studied systems to analogs in less-studied systems. These conversations have challenged Katy to develop non-linear approaches and a sense of “informed creativity” that she suspects will be essential for problem-solving in an uncertain climate reality.

Katy and Dave have connected over the sense of exploration they see in each other’s experience. Katy appreciates the role and room that David has made for serendipity in his career, and Dave admires Katy’s broad range of terrestrial ecosystem expertise which includes Egypt, Florida, Thailand, and Central Appalachia!

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

ASAP Members Collaborate to Launch Policy Campaign

Tue, 19 May 2020 13:45:00 GMT

By: Miles Gordon, ASAP Member

Over the past two weeks, I have been working as part of a group of ASAP members to plan and execute an extensive messaging campaign to urge our federal representatives to include climate adaptation and resilience investments in upcoming federal coronavirus relief and infrastructure bills. With a new round of coronavirus relief on the way, and federal economic stimulus coming soon, our collective response to the COVID-19 crisis must invest in long-term community resilience for a future that will include more harmful climate changes.

It is thisundeniable fact that motivated me to get involved in this campaign as an ASAPmember and volunteer, because climate change remains one of the most pressingcommunity resilience issues of our time. It has been a greatly empoweringexperience to help push this campaign forward, and to be a part of thiscollaborative effort alongside some of our most seasoned ASAP members andadaptation practitioners (see full list of volunteers here ). The amount of work that we have beenable to accomplish already since this campaign launched is incredible, and Icannot wait to witness the impact that it will have in the weeks and months tocome.

Thanks to an inspiring collaborative effort by several ASAP members, led by Joel Smith, we have a messaging toolkit that provides top public policy messages as well as sample social media posts, a phone call script, and an email template to enable as many people as possible to contact their representatives on this issue. We have also been gathering intelligence regarding coronavirus relief and infrastructure bills to refine our messages, with insight from ASAP members who work with folks on the Hill, such as Anna McGinn of the Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Our toolkit is constantly being updated to reflect information as it comes in.

To encourage as many people as possible to utilize this toolkit to contact their representatives and speak with a unified voice on this issue, I organized and executed an extensive social media campaign alongside ASAP communications staff. Over 100 people visited the Toolkit just via the ASAP campaign launch email and many more navigated there via extensive social media posting. There are often several people viewing the toolkit at any given time, a testament to the strength and commitment of our network to making sure our elected representatives hear these messages and take action.

Of course, no single organization can make the impact that many speaking with a united voice can: thanks to the leadership of John Phillips, we are also contacting other organizations to amplify this campaign and add their voices to this effort. Organizations are invited to sign onto our toolkit, amplify the campaign on social media, and urge their own members and networks to contact their representatives on this issue of shared concern.

I hope you’ll take take action with us by:

Contacting your representatives using our Message Toolkit at: https://bit.ly/3dBMoFp
Amplifying our social media outreach by tweeting and posting from your own social media accounts.
Submit your feedback on the toolkit and encourage other organizations to connect with this effort, both of which can be done using this form .

If you have any questions regarding the campaign, or would like to take a more active role in supporting this effort, please contact Gabriel Henderson at campaigns@adaptpros.org.

We hope that you will join us as we raise our voices in support of a climate-smart recovery during these next two weeks and into the future. COVID-19 and the climate crisis are related, and our responses to each must promote solutions that enhance well-being and resilience for all, bringing justice to communities most affected — poor communities and communities of color. Coronavirus relief and economic stimulus that invests in a climate ready and climate-smart future will allow us to build lasting resilience for the next several decades and beyond.

Adapting to a Changing Gulf Region: Join the Online Course

Tue, 19 May 2020 12:54:00 GMT

By: Lily Swanbrow Becker

These days, we are all trying our best to “stay connected.” As we collectively wade through the murky waters of isolation, many of us are turning to our screens in search of connection touch points and meaningful ways to engage.

While there is certainly no shortage of virtualopportunities to connect both personally and as fellow adaptationprofessionals, there is one I am particularly excited for this summer: a newonline course, Adapting to a Changing Gulf Region (ACGR) . This course is tailored to natural resourcemanagers with interests in the United States Gulf Coast Region, who want togrow their knowledge of foundational climate change adaptation concepts illustratedthrough regional case studies. Thecourse will run from June through October 2020, is free of charge, and is acollaboration between FloridaFish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) , the Gulfof Mexico Alliance (GOMA) , and ASAP . Hosted by FWC, ACGR features natural resourcefocused content aligned to the foundational concepts and core competencies of ASAP’s draft Knowledge and Competencies Framework forClimate Change Adaptation and Resilience Professionals (K&C Framework) .

For me, the Gulf Coast – vibrant, soulful, expansive, can’t really be contained digitally. Raised in the north, I fled south as soon as I could and by way of Port Aransas, Texas to Key West, Florida and all the places in between, I’ve spent my adult life living in, working along, and being charmed by the U.S Gulf Coast. Sadly, a disastrous mix of hurricanes, rising seas and sinking land, and human exploitation now amplified by a changing climate, puts the region on the front lines of climate change. When the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated shifting a planned traveling, in-person component of this course to a fully virtual model, I was at first disappointed to lose that tangible connection to swamp, sand, and surf. Yet in building the content for course and weaving together the concepts, people, and places of the region, it became clear to me that virtual or not, points of connection in this course abound.

First, the people. Any endeavor in learning is only as good as the people involved and withcapacity for 100 participants from across the region, ACGR will convene a richgroup of conservation practitioners to learn from each other as they learn fromcourse speakers and resources. Courseregistrations are ongoing and will be accepted through June 1 ^st . On the project team, we are working hard toensure a diverse mix of participants spanning the geographies, areas ofexpertise, stages of career, and perspectives that represent this manifoldregion. To make ACGR as interactive aspossible, we are customizing a robust virtual platform to allow participants toengage with ease throughout the course. We hope that participants in this course not only learn from each otherbut begin to get to know each other as well. The collaborative final project, a compendium of participantprofessional work that integrates concepts covered in ACGR, is intended as aresource to spark ongoing connection, and perhaps even offer kindling toward aregional network of natural resource-focused adaptation professionals that wouldbuild capacity and provide support far beyond the 18 weeks of formal courseinstruction.

In ACGR, the content is built around and anchored inconnection as well. As any adaptationprofessional can attest, connecting broad, foundational concepts to crisp andclear examples or case studies can be a challenge. We seek to do this in ACGR with theinvaluable help and guidance of ASAP’s K&C Framework. To develop course content, we’ve anchoredeach of nine session topics to a Foundational Knowledge Concept and alignedsupporting resources to Core Competencies and Glossary Terms identified in theK&C Framework. In many cases, thisintegration was seamless, such as linking a planned session on “CommunicatingAdaptation Solutions” to the “Communication” Foundational Knowledge Concept,and it was affirming to see the clear link between a broad framework for alladaptation professionals and a regionally-focused curriculum cultivated fornatural resource managers. At othertimes, we had to work a bit harder to integrate Foundational Knowledge Conceptslike “Mitigation,” or associated Core Competencies like “Building PsychologicalStrength to Proactively Confront Change” that are not obvious fits within atypical adaptation for natural resources curriculum. But stretching our assumptions to linkapparently disparate concepts and reaching for the opaquer connections is whatI hope will make this course stand out and deliver value to those whoengage. Weaving a complex web ofconnections – connecting ideas, methods, science, people, and places, isinherent in so much of what we do as adaptation professionals. In weaving these connections to build a newcourse, it’s been a boon to apply the K&C Framework as a guidepost.

Finally, I would be remiss not mention the personal connection this course represents for me. As a former full-time employee of both ASAP and FWC, two organizations for which I have incredible respect, it is an honor and great fun to be coordinating this collaborative endeavor. Please reach out directly with any questions and remember that registration closes on June 1.

ASAP’s Response to COVID-19: Adaptive Management

Wed, 15 Apr 2020 16:04:00 GMT

Written by Beth Gibbons, ASAP’s Executive Director

In early 2019 a sign appeared on the wall of ASAP’s modest office building. It reads, “We Will Figure It Out”. When it appeared we laughed at how appropriate it felt, given how many times a day our team sat down to think through a new challenge, be it managing a meeting software or overcoming the political and financial uncertainty that underlie all adaptation work.

Of course, these days that message feels even more prescient. As all of us are “figuring it out” in the age of Coronavirus, I thought it would be helpful to share some of how ASAP is changing its administrative and management approaches to address the added uncertainty, stress, and risks posed during this time.

Openness and transparency are traits that ASAP works to uphold in the workplace under all conditions. Today this means creating time and space for staff to share how they are coping with COVID19 in their lives. To support our team we worked with our PEO company to add a new timesheet code and have messaged to staff that taking time off for managing all aspects of their life, including emotional and mental well-being is welcome.

Even though ASAP is a distributed team we spend plenty of time together with adaptation colleagues at meetings and conferences, especially in years that include Regional Adaptation Fora. In order to mitigate the uncertainty in staff’s schedules and our budget, we made the decision to postpone all travel through September 2020, the end of our Fiscal Year.

Even as we manage changes in our day to day operations (including updating our Zoom meeting policies and enjoying art shows from staffs’ children) we are continually reflecting on how ASAP’s strategic priorities and activities need to be modified or adjusted. During Monthly Strategy Meetings the whole ASAP staff is being asked to consider if priorities need consideration or readjustment . We are working to embrace a willingness to say ‘no’. This is a departure from our normal culture and one that is meant to recognize that we are working through changing and difficult times and some things may just not be able to be done as we previously envisioned.

Throughout this time we are keeping our first and highest priority to the ASAP Network, facilitating the support and connections that advance and improve all our climate adaptation work. We hosted a COVID19 Member Meeting on April 3 and will host a follow-up on April 17. Through our Strategic Planning discussions we developed a management strategy to include allocating staff support to a new COVID19 Member Group, if the need arises. And we have launched a new webpage to host information, resources, and connections on this topic .

As adaptation professionals we are no strangers to working through uncertain times. We are calling on those core competencies of flexibility, systems thinking, communication, and pursuit of transformative change to direct our actions. As we work we will continually adjust and reorient so that the resources and power of the ASAP Network remain tools for advancing more just, equitable, and inclusive climate resilience actions and resilient communities. We may not know yet exactly what that looks like, but I know without a doubt, working together, “We Will Figure it Out”.

Resilient DC: A Strategy to Thrive in the Face of Change

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 16:04:00 GMT

DC is boldly moving their resilience strategy forward. After two years of iterative engagement with residents, the capital city’s unique approach includes one of our favorite topics: individual resilience! Check out the Resilient DC report for the nitty gritty on resilience in the nation’s capital city.

Fayette and Kanawha Counties Improve CRS Ratings

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 15:55:00 GMT

West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) recently recognized the counties of Fayette and Kanawha in their efforts towards fostering more disaster-resistant communities. These efforts led to the counties’ Community Rating System (CRS) classes to improve, which resulted in flood insurance premium reductions through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) .

Greater Miami Resilient305 Strategy Released

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 15:47:00 GMT

This past month in Southeast Florida, Miami-Dade County, an ASAP organizational member , alongside the City of Miami and the City of Miami Beach released their Resilient305 Strateg . The Resilient305 Strategy will act as a guide for the Greater Miami area and the Beaches’ climate resilience challenges, touching on topics from rising sea levels to public health and affordable housing. This multilateral plan was created over the course of three years by the County and two cities, and brought together the public and private sectors, to address the shocks and stresses of the region. The Resilient305 Strategy includes 59 actions and offers 28 cases studies. A sample of actions, some of which are already underway, include a task force for preserving and protecting Biscayne Bay, designing a more efficient bus route, and reorganizing governmental budgets around financing a resilient future. Read the complete strategy here .

Photo credit: Miami-Dade County Office of Resilience

Actionable Science Case Study: Modeling Forest Thinning Effects on Water Yield for the Four Forest Restoration Initiative

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 15:43:00 GMT

Severe drought and wildfires in the Southwest are causing tree die-offs. The Nature Conservancy , through the USFS Four Forest Restoration Initiative , is testing and evaluating new approaches to forest management in the ponderosa pine forests and watersheds around Phoenix. This project, which has demonstrated short term benefits for river flow to the Salt-Verde watershed is just one of many case studies available from the Collaborative Conservation and Adaptation Strategy Toolbox (CCAST). Learn more about adaptation action across the Western US and Northern Mexico through this online management toolbox.

Restorative Green Infrastructure in the South

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 15:41:00 GMT

Trees are the cornerstone of Savannah, GA’s green infrastructure system. With increases in population and overall city growth, the number of trees and tree canopy cover has

drastically decreased. In an effort to restore Savannah’s green canopy, renew several marginalized communities, and reduce stormwater runoff and flooding events, Savannah’s Office of Sustainability and their partners launched a new initiative to create a job training and landscape certification for low-income job-seekers and paired it with the creation of new urban tree nurseries for the city. This initiative is supported by the Southeastern Sustainable Communities Fund , a partnership between The Kendeda Fund and the Southeast Sustainability Directors Network . Learn more about this work and other projects here.

Photo credit: Nick Deffley, Director of Sustainability for the City of Savannah

Mescalero Apache Tribe Adapts to a Warmer and Drier Climate

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 15:37:00 GMT

Home to the Mescalero Apache Tribe, the Sacramento Mountains in southern New Mexico are experiencing a warmer, drier climate and an increase in extreme weather events. In the face of a changing climate, the Tribe is building capacity—and climate resilience—through forestry management, habitat protection, and an innovative approach to healthy eating. Read this case study in the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit and experience how the Climate Explorer tool can serve your community.

Sea Level Rise, A Consideration for New Land Development

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 15:35:00 GMT

Earlier this year, a Judge in Virginia Beach, VA confirmed the City Council could use research on sea level rise to make decisions on zoning and new construction, even if it was not previously built into City codes and regulations. This ruling was the result of a developer suing the City for denying a zoning amendment who wanted to build in a flood-prone area.

ASAP Members, Deanna Moran and Elena Mihaly , discuss the importance of this case on the America Adapts Podcast (Time: 1:03:33).

Innovation in climate resilience through large-scale green stormwater infrastructure and public-private partnership

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 15:33:00 GMT

New funding approaches to building climate resilience through green stormwater infrastructure are emerging. In 2019, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District planned a public-private partnership (P3), known as Community Based Green Infrastructure (CBGI). The RFP sought a single partner to create a capture capacity of a minimum of 20 million gallons. Along with reducing capture costs, the RFP also required the partner to engage “ at least 25% small and veteran-, women-, and minority-owned businesses ”. These types of partnerships are increasingly becoming an innovative funding option for municipalities to meet their stormwater needs while reducing the cost of delivery. Read the full story here.

Walnut Way Conservation Corp: Blue Skies Landscaping

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 17:36:00 GMT

In Lindsay Heights, an African American neighborhood in Milwaukee, WI. Walnut Way Conservation Corp. is building community resilience through their program, Blue Skies Landscaping. Specializing in green infrastructure projects, Blue Skies focuses on beautifying vacant lots, residential, and commercial properties while reducing storm water pollution. Walnut Way employs community members, leading to economic opportunity in Lindsay Heights. Notable projects include work at Alice’s Garden, an urban farm, where they installed a cistern and solar panels, as well as bioswale and solar panel projects at Fondy Market. Walnut Way was awarded a Milwaukee Award for Neighborhood Development Innovation for Blues Skies’ work in 2019. Walnut Way is a Partnership for Resilient Communities partner, a program of the Institute for Sustainable Communities. “Walnut Way is an example of how climate resilience and the [sustainability] movement are creating a critical path that leads to improved social cohesion and green jobs in communities that historically have been excluded socially and economically. We are committed to sustaining the transformation of resilient communities and building the capacity of residents to respond to the market demands for a highly skilled green workforce and sustainable environmental practices.” Antonio Butts, Executive Director Photo: Blue Skies Landscaping team at the Sherman Phoenix. Photo courtesy of Walnut Way.

New ASAP Communications: Targeted, Engaging Content for the Adaptation Field

Thu, 27 Feb 2020 14:03:00 GMT

Our team at ASAP has been working hard to make member publications and the ASAP newsletter more impactful for the adaptation field by curating and disseminating content in a way that is more accessible to readers.

In 2013, ASAP began producing a bi-weekly newsletter, a cornerstone of our work. The original newsletter shared everything from member stories to job postings. This past year, we took a look at how members were engaging with this material and found something exciting- there was too much content for one email! The adaptation field has grown considerably over the past few years, and ASAP recognized the need to share this information in a more concise and digestible way.

Our team divided up content from the previous newsletter into three main publications:

Adaptation Voices: previously called the “ASAP Member News”, this newsletter is a monthly publication with in-depth, timely stories, resources, and member announcements.

Jobs and Opportunities: a weekly publication about jobs, opportunities, and events in the climate adaptation field.

ASAP Network News: a bi-monthly publication highlighting opportunities for knowledge sharing and professional development within ASAP’s network.

The Jobs & Opportunities and ASAP Network News publications are member-only benefits and often include exclusive discount codes and opportunities to collaborate on projects.

In addition to a revised newsletter, ASAP recently launched a new website and member portal! This revamp was based on member feedback to make the site more user-friendly and to make resources more accessible.

The new website features:

An improved Member Portal where you can update your profile, find other members, and manage your membership dues.
A new Public Member Directory that shows the geographic diversity of the ASAP membership and a snapshot of members across North America.
The ASAP Resource Library , an online home for ASAP Members to share resources, products and projects that they develop through ASAP Member Led Interest Groups, Advisory Committees, and Regional Hubs.

We are always eager to hear from our membership and happy to share perspectives and best practices with others. If you are interested in submitting a story to share on our blog or in an emailed publication, a job posting or opportunity, please contact the ASAP Team at info@adaptpros.org .

We’d like to invite members to share their thoughts and suggestions about the new website or publication format and schedule. Please email Emily Hlavka Freed, ASAP’s Communication Specialist, at ehlavka@adaptpros.org with your feedback.

Sign up to receive the Adaptation Voices newsletter

How Economics Can Reframe Adaptation Work

Thu, 30 Jan 2020 20:01:00 GMT

A Conversation with Headwaters Economics

In the recent report, Using Economics to Support Climate Adaptation , Headwaters Economics discusses how to make a case for climate adaptation planning through economic methods. As an independent, nonprofit research group Headwaters Economics provides research to help people and organizations develop solutions to some of the most urgent and important issues that communities face. This week, we caught up with ASAP Member Megan Lawson to discuss the report and applications to adaptation professionals’ work.

ASAP: We often talk about adaptation work being multidisciplinary. Do you think using an economic analysis framework for this work will bring new collaborators or disciplines into a community’s adaptation work?

Megan: Yes, economists can and should be playing a bigger role in supporting community adaptation efforts. And by engaging economists in this work, we can appeal to broader set of local stakeholders. Making the economic case for adaptation can open doors for local collaboration with influential groups like elected officials, department heads, and business leaders. For example, this report highlights the successful application of economic arguments in some relatively conservative communities, such as the small community of Warren, Minnesota, where economics was used to demonstrate cost savings from adaptation efforts.

ASAP: How “off the shelf” are the tools recommended in the report? Do you expect that communities will be able to jump right into these recommendations or need to build up new internal capacities?

Megan: Some of the recommended strategies can be pursued immediately with the help of city engineers, GIS staff, or university and nonprofit partners who can provide data or required expertise.

Two of the strategies we discuss need little additional training: departmental budget and strategic analysis, and understanding economic context. The first requires working with departmental leadership to understand budgeting and strategic planning processes, then thinking creatively to see how adaptation projects can help department leadership meet their goals on their timeline. The second strategy—providing economic context—involves understanding a community’s economic strengths including trends in population, employment, education, and types of industries that support the economy. These data are publicly available from several sites, including the Economic Profile System on our website.

Another accessible strategy —equity analysis—evaluates how programs will affect underserved individuals and neighborhoods. Headwaters Economics, PolicyLink, and other nonprofits and federal agencies have found creative new ways to share data on potentially vulnerable populations. Neighborhoods at Risk is a free tool created by Headwaters Economics that will be available to every community in the country this summer.

ASAP: Cost benefit analysis that includes calculating avoided losses have, historically, been difficult to develop. What have you seen change in recent years to make this approach more possible?

Megan: It is true that a cost-benefit analysis can be complex, time-consuming, and expensive. However, an original, in-depth cost-benefit analysis for your community’s project may not be necessary. Examples of similar projects in similar communities can be almost as compelling as an original analysis, and as more analyses have been developed for a range of communities and projects, it is easier to find relevant examples. Our report highlights interesting examples of cost benefit studies from Buffalo, New York; Miami-Dade County, Florida; and San Antonio, Texas.

ASAP: What one or two lessons that you learned from this work really stand out for you on how communities can accelerate their adaptation work through using economic analysis?

Megan: The number one lesson is the importance of strategic communication. In our interviews, the people who were incorporating economics effectively were doing so with a keen awareness of their audience—those who needed to support or advance a program—and developed information that would be useful for that audience. Clearly communicated and relevant information were more important than complicated analyses that were difficult to explain.

ASAP: What was most surprising to you as you conducted this research?

Megan: The biggest surprise was how consistently communication and recognizing people’s immediate needs and interests came up during interviews. For example, Dayton, Ohio, needed to reinforce levees to prevent contamination of drinking water sources—an expensive project that might not provide tangible benefits until far in the future. The city needed to persuade ratepayers. City staff wisely focused on two kinds of economic benefits: avoided costs of water treatment that result from building protective infrastructure, and avoided health costs that result from keeping contaminated flood water out of wells. While infrastructure alone may not generate interest and support, health and clean water certainly do. Time and again, we see that strategic use of economics has the power to persuade.

The recommendations from Headwaters Economics are especially timely as a potential antidote to ICMA’s recently released D isaster Resilience & Recovery Survey . The survey results found that of 901 responding municipalities only 31% current have resilience or sustainability plan. This is despite the fact that nearly 55% of respondents “ experienced experienced a disaster in the last five years that resulted in a federally declared disaster” ? Maybe if we can begin to deployment the kind of economic assessments that Headwaters Economics suggest we can increase the resilience plans and decrease the disasters.

What can I do? Personal and household behaviors that can support adaptation

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 16:27:00 GMT

Though it’s finally starting to cool down, this summer was the hottest on record in the Northern Hemisphere. In both July and August , large parts of the United States experienced heat waves that brought temperatures near and above 100 degrees F for days on end. If you live in these areas, you may have gotten notices like this one from DTE Energy in Michigan that recommended several actions including drinking more water and checking in on neighbors, particularly those with disabilities or who are elderly. You also may have gotten notifications that you should try to limit your air conditioner use to reduce strain on your local electrical grid.

As many of us know, heat waves are becoming more frequent and intense in the U.S. and represent one of the many ways that climate change will impact us in the coming years. Thus, what we do in our day-to-day lives — our personal and household behaviors — will play an important role because ultimately, we are our own first responders when these impacts hit home. As this recent heat wave also shows, we can’t just look out for ourselves but must also look out for each other.

When most of us think of the term “behavior” in the context of environmental problems, we usually think of simple actions like recycling and turning off lights — actions that we know are not enough. When it comes to adapting to climate change, there is much more that people can, and must, do. Personal and household adaptation behaviors generally fall into three main categories: protecting oneself and one’s family, managing mental health impacts, and engaging with others.

Protecting oneself and one’s family: Climate change threatens physical health and property. Protection actions include short-term emergency responses such as wearing light clothing during heat waves or keeping household emergency kits, medium-term changes like installing home flood protections, and long-term actions like migrating to a new place.
Managing mental health impacts: Climate change-related disasters and chronic changes can result in stress, anxiety, grief, and even PTSD . Personal adaptation behaviors therefore include taking positive steps to cope with these mental health impacts, such as joining support groups and other stress reduction activities. They also include learning behaviors such as learning about climate change impacts and what one can do.
Engaging with others: Personal behavior isn’t just acting for oneself; it also includes acting with and for others. These behaviors can include civic engagement such as policy support or advocacy, volunteering or joining community-based projects, as well as long-term lifestyle changes such as reducing overall consumption (which also has mitigation benefits).

Adaptation professionals can take additional steps to provide resources for personal adaptation. This includes not only providing places for people to go during climate impact events (e.g. cooling centers and resilience hubs ) and informing people about these resources, but also can include ongoing engagement activities such as citizen science programs to map heat impact inequities and training residents to become climate action advocates for their communities . Many more actions are possible and will need support. Climate change adaptation is an ongoing process, and one that both adaptation professionals and the general public will be dealing with for decades to come. The good news, however, is that there is a lot that we can do.

Additional resources:

Clayton, S., Manning, C., Krygsman, K., & Speiser, M. (2017). Mental Health and Our Changing Climate: Impacts, Implications, and Guidance. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association and ecoAmerica. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2017/03/mental-health-climate.pdf
Spanger-Siegfried, E. & Dahl, K. (2019, July 19). This Weekend’s Heatwave Is the Future of Extreme Heat: 3 Things You Should Know and Do. Union of Concerned Scientists Blog. Retrieved from https://blog.ucsusa.org/erika-spanger-siegfried/this-weekends-heatwave-is-the-future-of-extreme-heat-3-things-you-should-know-and-do

Mentorship Spotlight: The Power of Long-Term Planning

Wed, 18 Sep 2019 16:31:00 GMT

Mentee Nathan Stinnette is a sustainability consultant and project manager with Reynolds, Smith & Hills Inc., based in Jacksonville, Florida. Within the RS&H environmental and sustainability group, he consults on projects related to sustainability planning, climate change and adaptation, resource efficiencies, waste minimization, environmental management systems, NEPA, and environmental compliance. Nathan joined ASAP and the mentorship program to develop adaptation planning skills that will help him better serve clients.

Mentor Lara Whitely Binder is the Climate Preparedness Specialist for King County, Washington and an expert in helping communities prepare for the impacts of climate change. Prior to joining King County, Lara served as a climate adaptation specialist and Senior Strategist at the University of Washington’s Climate Impacts Group (CIG). As a pioneer in the field of adaptation, Lara has contributed several publications to adaptation planning, most recently: The Winds of Change? Exploring Climate Change-driven Migration and Related Impacts in the Pacific Northwest: Symposium Summary (2016)

Lara and Nathan met in person at the 2019 National Adaptation Forum

Nathan and Lara have been exploring one of the fundamental underpinnings of effective climate change adaptation: appropriate timeframes to look at when considering climate change vulnerabilities. As Nathan shared, “I learned that it’s important to look out to a longer timeframe (say, 2100) when considering impacts even if this is far beyond the normal planning horizon for an organization. This is because long range impacts will be more severe, so having an awareness of them will help prevent the organization from getting locked into short-term solutions which will eventually fail if they are not flexible enough”

Thanks to both of you for sharing what you’ve learned!

Mentorship Spotlight: Urbanized Coastal Adaptation

Mon, 16 Sep 2019 16:34:00 GMT

Mentee Melanie Lander is an environmental planner with a specialization in coastal resiliency. She has worked for the Hawaii Coastal Zone Management Program since 2017 and is based in Honolulu, HI. Melanie is currently responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Ocean Resources Management Plan (ORMP) for the State of Hawaii. Her role focuses on coordination between governmental agencies at the federal, state, and county levels whos e activities both on land and in the sea impact the overall health of our coastal resources.

Mentor Tiffany Troxler co-leads the Sea Level Solutions Center at Florida International University (FIU), focusing on advancing knowledge, decision making and actions toward mitigating the causes and adapting to the effects of sea-level rise. She conducts research in coastal and wetland ecosystem ecology, as applied to both natural and urban systems. With her students and colleagues, she studies topics like the effects of sea-level rise on Everglades coastal wetlands, adaptive management actions to restore the Everglades and nature-based approaches to climate mitigation and adaptation. She’s published numerous peer-reviewed articles, participated as co-editor and contributing author on two Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change methodological reports that guide national greenhouse gas inventories on land use and land-use change and co-edited the recent “Blue Carbon Primer: The state of coastal wetland carbon science, policy and practice”.

Melanie and Tiffany both live in vulnerable, highly urbanized coastal areas (Honolulu, HI and Southeast Florida, respectively) that are subject to the impacts of sea level rise. Priority considerations in both areas include saltwater intrusion into the aquifer, nuisance king tide flooding, coastal erosion, and increasing episodic coastal hazards such as hurricanes. The shared characteristics of the places that Tiffany and Melanie live have enabled substantive conversations about best practices and solutions to the unique challenges that arise in urbanized coastal areas. Tiffany and Melanie have explored the importance of establishing connections between academia and government entities to promote the application of research and best management practices in real-time. They have also begun discussing nation-wide policies, such as the National Flood Insurance Program Community Rating System, that can be leveraged to incentivize climate adaptation, and increasing interest in citizen science programs.

Melanie shared some key professional insights she has picked up from her mentorship relationship with Tiffany: “My conversations with Tiffany have underscored the importance of understanding both the science behind ecosystem change and practical application to policy as critical to recommending implementable strategies. I think encouraging subject-matter experts to be available for ‘translation’ of their knowledge and urgency to decision-makers is critical, and Tiffany has been working to make herself available in many different forums as an authority on the impacts of SLR in her region. Tiffany works to proactively promote the issues she’s passionate about, and I’ve learned from her not to wait for someone to tap you for new responsibilities. You can learn about new topic areas and get involved on your own!”

Living in coastal areas, Melanie and Tiffany both enjoy spending time kayaking. Melanie especially appreciates the Hawaiian expression of the interrelationship between ocean and land – mauka to makai.

Thank you both for sharing!

Mentorship Spotlight: Pushing the Limits

Tue, 03 Sep 2019 22:34:00 GMT

Mentorship Spotlight: Pushing the Limits

Juanita and Melissa have used the Mentorship Program as an opportunity to learn from each other, and have specifically explored their mutual experience working on urban heat risks. Coming from a policy perspective, Melissa has shared about how NOAA’s heat island mapping has aided her work to make DC a climate resilience leader, and the challenges of finding grants to support urban heat interventions and programs. Drawing from her public health experience, Juanita has provided Melissa with research papers to help justify active cross-agency collaboration in responding to heat. Their conversations have helped Juanita navigate next steps for NRDC’s broader federal adaptation advocacy, and Melissa has leveraged Juanita’s research papers to convene multiple workshops aimed at developing a comprehensive heat strategy.

They have also discussed how to succeed in entrepreneurial environments, including the value of taking risks and trying new ideas in adaptation when there are no clear answers or established pathways. While Melissa and Juanita have been lucky to work in environments where leadership has supported their efforts to push the limits, they recognize the importance of doing so strategically: knowing when to push ideas forward, building partnerships to support new ideas and increase capacity, and getting people more comfortable with uncertainty.

Juanita and Melissa are both familiar with much of North America, though in different ways. Juanita has lived in more than twenty-two different towns, villages, cities, and research stations in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, California, North Dakota, Ohio, Tennessee, Louisiana, Virginia, and, very briefly, Antarctica. Meanwhile, Melissa has biked all 50 states… if you count every street named after a state in Washington, DC.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Mentee Juanita Constible works for the Climate and Clean Energy Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), focusing on climate change and health. Her experience prior to joining NRDC includes authoring a book about climate change for high school classrooms, overseeing the Science and Solutions Department at the Climate Reality Project, and serving as an adviser to the Climate Action Campaign. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in biology from the University of Victoria in Canada, and a climate change and health certificate from the Yale School of Public Health.

Mentor Melissa Deas is a Climate Program Analyst with the Department of Energy & Environment’s (DOEE) Urban Sustainability Administration, overseeing the implementation of Washington, DC’s climate adaptation plan, Climate Ready DC . She works collaboratively with other government agencies, residents, businesses, and institutions to promote forward-looking policies. Before working for DOEE, Melissa managed the Georgetown Climate Center’s adaptation & equity projects. She has also worked on climate adaptation for the California Energy Commission and the Union of Concerned Scientists. She received a B.A. in Sociology from Harvard University and a Master’s in City Planning from MIT.

Piloting Adaptation & Resilience Programs in the Great Lakes Region

Thu, 15 Aug 2019 22:36:00 GMT

The Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments (GLISA), a NOAA RISA Team , will support ASAP with two newly funded initiatives for two years.

Piloting Adaptation & Resilience Programs in the Great Lakes Region

Private sector service providers are entering the adaptation and resilience field at an increased rate. Through integration into the boundary chain model, private sector businesses have the opportunity to play a critical role in scaling equitable, ethical and actionable adaptation strategies. Starting in November 2019, ASAP will work with Adaptation International to assess the current practices and needs of for-profit climate service providers.

Following the initial assessment interested service providers will be invited to a one day workshop with regional climate experts to gain access to high-quality, vetted climate data, regionally applicable downscaled climate models, and vulnerability assessment tools and adaptation strategies. As a result of this project, service providers will build relationships with GLISA and its partners, learn how to use GLISA resources , and gain proficiency at replicating GLISA’s processes for developing climate impact scenarios for current or future clients across a range of sectors and sub-regions within the Great Lakes Region. The first round of assessments and workshops will take place in the Great Lakes region (eight states and two provinces from Minnesota to New York). ASAP is actively seeking partners and resources to expand this pilot to additional regions in coordination with the 2020 Regional Adaptation Fora, contact Beth Gibbons for more information.

Launching in Spring 2020, GLISA will also support ASAP and partners, The City of Ann Arbor , National League of Cities , and Florida State University , to conduct a cross-disciplinary applied research project that will generate two replicable methodologies for anticipating economic and population shifts under changing climate conditions in the Great Lakes region.

Designed to provide decision-makers better information on what to expect from industries and people moving into the region, this project also anticipates to catalyze additional investment and research into the topic of in-migration and regional preparedness and introduce a new narrative around climate change that focuses on potential benefits and opportunities, rather than negative impacts and risk. Between now and April 2020, ASAP is seeking partners interested in collaborating on this project and will be working with the Climate Migration Member Led Interest group to ensure the project design and outcomes support members’ interests and needs, to learn more about this opportunity contact Beth Gibbons .

ASAP Regional Hubs Get a Boost

Thu, 15 Aug 2019 22:36:00 GMT

The Summit Foundation will support ASAP, in partnership with Network Impact , in regional hub strategy development and deployment. We are excited for this opportunity to critically review and expand ways to strengthen capacity for climate adaptation through the development of interconnected, local professional networks or hubs.

ASAP Regional Hubs Get a Boost

Hubs are place-based groups that host networking events, foster peer learning and sustain local adaptation conversation and action. We know from our member surveys that opportunities to connect in person with fellow adaptation professionals locally is a high priority for members, and we are excited to have dedicated resources and expertise to implement sound, sustainable mechanisms to connect and support our members in this way.

Through this grant ASAP members will have an opportunity to:

- Participate in the co-creation of a 3-year strategy for sustained support of regional hubs across the country;
- Access resources for local and regional networking; and
- Strengthen ASAP’s role as a connector of local and regional adaptation networks.

“For the past few years, we have supported local and regional activity on an ad hoc basis. With this grant, we have an opportunity to deliver strategic resources including staff time and funding to support the on-the-ground networking and collaboration between ASAP members. Through this project, we can meaningfully support existing hubs and jump-start hubs in new regions.”

Beth Gibbons, ASAP’s Executive Director

This project will take place between August 2019-March 2020 and will support the advancement of current Hubs as well as the formation of new ones. Learn more about ASAP’s current hub work in Metro Boston, New England, San Francisco, and the D.C. region here .

Mentorship Spotlight: The Value of Social Strategies

Fri, 02 Aug 2019 16:43:00 GMT

Lindsay and Kif have discussed a range of topics, including problem solving in climate change adaptation, networking tips, and career planning. “It has been great to learn about the diversity of experience Kif has had in both his academic and professional career,” said Lindsay. “Though we share similar interests in adaptation through hard measures, like architecture and green buildings, it has been heartening to learn that some of the most effective and impactful projects he has done have been through soft measures, like communication and stakeholder engagement strategies. The best science in the world can only bring you so far – it’s the next steps engaging with people that will actually bring about effective adaptation.”

Lindsay and Kif share a soft-spot for Asheville, NC, and both have attended the Collider’s Climate City Expo there.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Mentee Lindsay Ross is a Senior Analyst on the client services team at Four Twenty Seven, where she helps clients, including multilateral development banks, real estate investment trusts, asset managers, and asset owners, understand the economic and financial impacts of physical climate change. Previously she worked for the U.S. International Trade Commission, assisting with macroeconomic research on the impacts of international trade on the U.S. economy. Lindsay studied at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, focusing on energy, resources, and the environment, as well as international finance and economics.

Mentor Kif Scheuer is the Climate Change Program Director at the Local Government Commission, where he supports local government climate change initiatives through problem solving, technical assistance, and networking. With a solutions-oriented lens on sustainability, Kif engages diverse audiences in real-world climate protection efforts through innovative, market-focused research and analysis, creative program design, effective project implementation, and compelling public advocacy and education.

Mentorship Spotlight: Community-Driven Adaptation

Fri, 26 Jul 2019 16:46:00 GMT

Mentee Sierra Gladfelter recently began working as a Project Manager at the University of Virginia’s Institute for Engagement & Negotiation (IEN), coordinating the Resilience Adaptation Feasibility Tool, a one-year community-driven resilience planning process for seven localities on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Prior to this, as the recipient of a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and a Fulbright-Nehru Student Research Fellowship, Sierra spent five years doing applied research on climate change impacts on vulnerable communities in Nepal, Zambia, and India. She specifically examined the extent to which development interventions are able to assist these communities in coping with climate-exacerbated floods and droughts. Sierra holds a Master’s Degree in Geography and a Certificate in Development Studies from the University of Colorado Boulder, and lives in Charlottesville, VA.

Sierra and Sebastian have discussed the challenges and rewards of working through participatory, community-driven processes to advance communities’ adaptation and resilience goals. At IEN, Sierra has experienced first-hand the challenges of coordinating such initiatives with limited capacity and financial resources, while trying to meet the needs of frontline communities and implement sustainable programs. “How can we better facilitate and support, rather than lead or direct, just climate adaptation?” she has reflected in approaching these challenges. Sebastian has reinforced this notion, stressing the importance of empowering communities to lead initiatives to build adaptive capacity based on their needs. “This is really hard to do, and requires multi-year engagements and community champions and leaders to make it happen,” he said.

As she navigates her transition from academic research in an international context to working in the U.S., Sierra has found Sebastian’s support through the ASAP Mentorship Program to be invaluable. Having experienced a similar shift from international development to his work in Philadelphia several years ago, Sebastian has been able to offer Sierra advice and perspective on that transition and building a professional network in a new city. Sierra is hopeful that her experience working for IEN, along with the broader network she has been building with Sebastian’s support, will allow her to continue to do long-term, meaningful work in the field of community-based climate adaptation.

Through their conversations, Sierra and Sebastian have discovered many similarities in their professional and personal paths, including starting their careers in international development, doing adaptation work in South Asia, transitioning to the U.S. and building new networks, and sharing a passion for community-driven environmental work.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Mentor Sebastian Malter is a Climate Resiliency Expert based in Philadelphia, PA, focusing on water resources. For the past few years he worked in the Philadelphia Water Department, identifying climate risks to the city’s water systems and enhancing the Department’s capacity to use climate and sea level rise projections in its planning processes. He recently transitioned into the private sector, where he is supporting municipalities and utilities across the U.S. as part of CDM Smith’s Climate Team. Before moving to the U.S. four years ago, Sebastian worked for the German Development Agency (GIZ), supporting the water resource and climate resiliency efforts of local government agencies and utilities in South America and Southeast Asia.

The Future of Climate Migration: Evolving Cultural Norms Through Relationship-Building

Thu, 18 Jul 2019 16:50:00 GMT

This past weekend, neither widespread ICE raids nor one-time hurricane (now tropical storm) Barry wreaked the level of havoc newscasters predicted they would. However, these specific threats still exist, as do the conditions that have enabled them, displaying the complex, interconnected experiences of human migration and environmental change.

Last week, I commented on this white paper outlining research priorities on human migration and environmental change as part of a scoping process for collaborative research through the Belmont Forum. While the draft recommendations do a good job of building on recognized assumptions and facts about this topic, they do not explicitly address one of the root causes of poor migration outcomes: cultural norms . There are two glaring places we see this: culture norms dictating migrants’ resettlement location choices and cultural norms dictating communities’ willingness to receive and assimilate migrants.

A couple of years ago, I asked Siri to call “mom”. He (yes, my Siri is an Australian man — is this not the archetype for the ideal personal assistant?), replied: “‘Home’ or ‘Mom’?” “I guess home is where your mom is” I quipped on social media. Kinship, along with cultural affinity and geographic proximity, have a heavy hand in shaping in-country migration patterns, which also means that people may migrate to places with similar climate risks. Case in point: an estimated 40,000 Hurricane Katrina survivors were living in Houston at the time of Hurricane Harvey. With four and a half months of hurricane season left, the threat of displacement is real for those in storm-prone areas. How can we satisfy the need for cultural familiarity in a relocation destination while incentivizing people to resettle in places with less climate risk?

One answer to both of these questions: get to know our neighbors (or our potential neighbors). Creating shared culture among people from different places within the U.S. could contribute to encouraging better destination choices for in-country migrants, and it’s ever-easier thanks to virtual social networks. In one Facebook group I’m in, members frequently post asking for recommendations of new places to live based on specific characteristics. Transplants share their stories of being pleasantly surprised by the culture and amenities of an adopted hometown and posters gain new perspectives on places they would never have imagined moving to prior to that virtual conversation.

Changing the toxic cultural norms underpinning our immigration system begins with building relationships too. While it’s easy to be outraged by kids in cages, for those of us who have been privileged to have limited-to-no contact with the immigration system it’s just as easy to be emotionally removed from many of its other travesties. Combine that with internalized racism and classism and even the best intentioned among us are not motivated to take transformative action. But it’s a lot harder to be emotionally removed from our friend or our neighbor or our friend’s friend, regardless of their skin color or economic status, than it is a faceless migrant from another country. And it’s a lot easier to know what changes to the system will actually matter to people once we get to know them one-on-one.

Next week I’ll move to from sea level rise-plagued Boston to the relatively climate safe Syracuse, NY. I’ve been racking up my “lasts” here — last visit to the Museum of Science with my daughter (by the way, check out their cool urban heat mapping project ), last meeting of the Cambridge Climate Protection Action Committee… you catch my drift. My family also made our last visit to our neighbors who are resisting separation and deportation by seeking Sanctuary in a church near our house . Standing with this family has proven to me time and again that the relationships we build with immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers not only is the power we need to address people’s needs in this moment, but also the power with which we will change the hearts and minds — that is, the people — who currently control our broken immigration system. As we manage the fallout of our climate crisis, what could be more important?

I don’t need to tell the readers of this blog that climate migration is only increasing as impacts become more severe. But as adaptation professionals we tend to turn to the technical, whereas the implications of both in-country and international migration are simple: people need new homes. And while not every climate-safe town can be “where your mom is”, it’s not that hard to start making more places feel like they are: all it takes is reaching out to a would-be friend.

Submit your ideas for the Belmont Forum scoping process on Human Migration and Environmental Change by August 14 . Connect with those in the ASAP community who are addressing climate migration, by joining the Climate Migration and Managed Retreat Member-Led Interest Group — Contact Patrick Marchman for more information.

The cultural norms of xenophobia, racism, and classism that are institutionalized in the U.S. immigration system are a root cause of poor outcomes for migrants seeking to make the U.S. their new, more climate-secure home. While international migration is less prevalent than in-country migration, many communities in the U.S. are better positioned climatically, demographically, or economically to receive people than communities in those migrants’ home countries. And yet the barriers to entry to the U.S. remain far too high. How can we create a society, and an immigration system, that is more welcoming to migrants seeking a more climate-safe future?

Regional Resilience Toolkit: 5 Steps to Build Large Scale Resilience to Natural Disasters

Mon, 15 Jul 2019 15:29:00 GMT

Developed by EPA and FEMA in partnership with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and Association of Bay Area Governments in California, this toolkit provides a stepwise process for individual communities or coalitions of communities across a region to engage in partnership-building, planning, and other activities to build regional resilience. The goal of the toolkit is to facilitate the integration of various local planning processes, including hazard mitigation, climate adaptation, sustainability, and equity, into one overarching action plan for resilience that can result in improved implementation, funding, and measurement efforts for multiple hazards.

Killer Heat in the United States

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 15:44:00 GMT

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has evaluated how climate change will contribute to increasing incidence of dangerous high heat days across the U. S. This includes an analysis of the growing number of high heat days across various regions of the country, described under three climate change scenarios. The report also details the public health consequences of extreme heat and the populations that are particularly vulnerable to these threats. Policy recommendations are offered with adaptation measures that can be implemented at all levels of government to address rising temperatures.

Playbook 1.0: How Cities Are Paying for Climate Resilience

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 15:42:00 GMT

From the Innovation Network for Communities, this report discusses eight strategies city governments have used to finance climate resilience projects. These strategies were found common to eight different U.S. cities blazing the trail to fund large-scale climate resilience, especially addressing sea level rise and flooding. Other cities can use this information to adopt and build off of these strategies as they seek to fund their own adaptation projects.

Miami, Florida Resilient 305 Strategy

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 15:36:00 GMT

This climate resilience plan was created collaboratively by Greater Miami and the Beaches (GM&B) – a unique partnership between Miami-Dade County, the City of Miami, and the City of Miami Beach. The unified adaptation strategy integrates climate change planning and preparedness for the low-lying coastal communities in southeast Florida (which share area code 305). The Resilient305 Strategy offers 59 action items that will help municipalities to better prepare for and respond to increasing occurrences of hurricanes, sunny day flooding, and sea level rise, as well as social and economic inequities.

The post Miami, Florida Resilient 305 Strategy appeared first on Adaptation Professionals .

State of Montana Executive Order 8-2019: Creating the Montana Climate Solutions Council and Joining the State of Montana to the U.S. Climate Alliance

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 15:33:00 GMT

On July 1, 2019, Montana Governor Steve Bullock signed Executive Order 8-2019, establishing the Montana Climate Solutions Council and committing the state to the U. S. Climate Alliance. The Executive Order directs the Council to work with state agencies to incorporate climate adaptation and resilience strategies into state plans and operations, and to put forth recommendations for reducing the Montana’s contributions to greenhouse gas emissions. Notably, the EO requires that future state planning efforts include adaptation strategies and considerations for better preparing the state for climate-related risks and disasters, and that, where necessary, agencies prepare a Supplemental Climate Plan on adaptation and resilience for current and future state plans.

Mentorship Spotlight: Building Resilience Locally

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 15:32:00 GMT

Mentee Libby Szuflita is a Master’s student in City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, specializing in transportation planning with a Natural Hazards Resilience Certificate. Her research focus is on growth projections in long-range transportation planning, particularly how large transportation infrastructure projects impact land use decisions and how resilience can be prioritized in these decisions. Prior to graduate school, she worked for a sustainable transportation advocacy non-profit in New York City. She has a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Sociology from Bowdoin College.

bring lessons of adaptation to any future role I have, whether it has ‘resilience’ in the title or not.” Libby has appreciated learning about adaptation career opportunities across the US, as Michael has worked in Washington, D.C., New York, Seattle, and Sarasota.

Michael and Libby have also taken a closer look at the process behind EPA grant funding for resilience work. Specifically, they have discussed how block grants have unique potential to be utilized for environmental programs that incorporate climate change adaptation. Tribal governments have been notably innovative in leveraging EPA grants for adaptation. In their next meeting, Michael and Libby will investigate how the word “adaptation” is applied in varying contexts, and how to take action in the name of adaptation in the most productive way.

Michael has enjoyed learning about Libby’s interests in transportation and adaptation, and how these interests were fostered through her coursework and education. “Hearing how climate adaptation is being covered in undergrad and graduate programs gives hope for the continued mainstreaming of adaptation as a defined field of research within multiple disciplines,” he said.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Through her mentorship with Michael, Libby has learned about the important role that local government plays in building resilience on the ground. “Michael has shared how local transportation and public works departments oftentimes have the most direct experience managing the consequences of poor planning for hazards, and play an important role in advocating for adaptation,” she said. “I can

Mentor Michael Dexter is a climate risk and resilience expert and Certified Floodplain Manager. He works as the Finance and Grants Manager for the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, where he supports local, state, and federal efforts to protect and restore the water quality and ecological integrity for one of the 28 estuaries of national significance. Previously, he worked in the EPA Administrators Office, coordinating climate adaptation planning and environmental financing efforts that support federal, state, tribal, and local efforts to adapt to climate change. He has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Columbia University and currently resides in Sarasota, Florida.

An Act to Promote Clean Energy Jobs and to Establish the Maine Climate Council

Wed, 26 Jun 2019 15:46:00 GMT

In June 2019, Maine Governor Janet Mills signed into law “An Act to Promote Clean Energy Jobs and to Establish the Maine Climate Council. ” The act states that the impacts of climate change have created an “emergency within the meaning of the Constitution of Maine” and find that the law is “immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety. ” To address the state’s climate emergency, the act includes multiple provisions related to climate adaptation and resilience.

An Equitable Water Future: Louisville, Kentucky

Wed, 26 Jun 2019 15:45:00 GMT

An Equitable Water Future: Louisville focuses on building equity in the infrastructure workforce, primarily the water sector, in Louisville, Kentucky. Local factors that influence water equity are described, including concentrated vulnerable communities that are disproportionality experiencing aging infrastructure, flooding and climate impacts, and barriers to participating in the local infrastructure workforce. The report outlines recommendations to address these issues that Louisville and other municipalities can take to advance sustainable and equitable utility management.

Norfolk Special Service District Policy for Flood Protection

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 15:47:00 GMT

In June 2019, the Norfolk City Council adopted a policy authorizing the creation of Special Service Districts (SSD) to support implementation of local flood risk reduction and water quality improvement projects in the City of Norfolk, Virginia. SSDs enable a group of residents to agree to pay a tax to finance additional services in a particular neighborhood. The Norfolk policy allows SSD funding to be used to pay for flood mitigation, dredging, water quality improvements, and coastal protection projects.

Review Announcement: Knowledge and Competencies Framework for Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Professionals

Mon, 03 Jun 2019 15:49:00 GMT

The ASAP Member Advisory Group on Professional Education is pleased to request your feedback on a Draft Knowledge and Competencies Framework for Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Professionals . Please review the framework carefully and navigate to this form to submit your feedback. Deadline to submit feedback is June 30 at 11:59PM Pacific Time.

Please email Rachel Jacobson with any questions or problems.

Framework Purpose and Applications: The purpose of this framework is to articulate a standard set of foundational knowledge concepts and core competencies that are relevant, and necessary, for all climate change adaptation professionals. The intended users for this framework are climate change adaptation and resilience education providers, climate change adaptation and resilience professionals and students, and other professionals whose role requires they address climate challenges. This framework provides a complete view of the knowledge and competencies needed to ensure that existing professionals, students, and learners of all types are prepared to effectively address climate change adaptation and resilience in the context of their work. In the near term, ASAP intends to use this framework to chart pathways through existing professional education resources so that climate adaptation and resilience professionals seeking to gain knowledge or competencies can easily identify relevant resources. In the longer term, ideally within the next 1-3 years, ASAP intends to use this framework, in conjunction with the ASAP Code of Ethics and the ASAP Living Guide to the Principles of Climate Change Adaptation, as the foundation for offering accreditation to climate change adaptation and resilience education courses and programs.

Framework Design Features: This framework is meant to be customizable to any field, discipline, or professional role that intersects with climate change adaptation and resilience, at any career phase. Supplementary content features a glossary of terms and will eventually include graphics to illustrate connections between the concepts.

Framework Development Process: This framework was produced through review and synthesis of many training and certificate program concepts, higher education syllabi, and on-demand professional education course outlines for climate change adaptation and resilience and related fields. The source material synthesis was followed by intensive discussion, iteration, and further development by a dedicated subgroup of Member Advisory Group participants:

Josh Foster , ASAP Board of Directors
Ned Gardiner, NOAA Climate Program Office
Rachel Jacobson , ASAP Staff Liaison
Derek Kauneckis , Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, Ohio University
Chris Swanston , USFS Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science

The framework also benefited from review by the rest of the Member Advisory Group participants:

Vidya Balasubramanyam , Illinois Coastal Management Program
Jennifer Boehme , International Joint Commission
Nancy Cofer-Shabica, NOAA Office for Coastal Management
Joseph DeAngelis , American Planning Association
Michael Dexter
Kevin Doyle , Green Economy
Molly Johnson , EcoAdapt
Ryan Johnson , ASU School of Sustainability
Julia Kim , Local Government Commission
Benjamin Newton , Central Community College
Frank Niepold, NOAA Climate Program Office
Cara Pike , Climate Access
Jacob Pollack , Strategic Energy Innovations
David Robertson, Virginia Tech
Edward Saltzberg, Security and Sustainability Forum

Clean Air Centers in Seattle, Washington

Sat, 01 Jun 2019 15:52:00 GMT

The City of Seattle, Washington is establishing five new facilities that will provide clean air for its most at-risk residents during hazardous conditions brought on by wildfires. As the climate warms, Seattle is experiencing a major uptick in the number of wildfires, and consequently more days with unhealthy air quality from particulate matter. This issue is especially significant for Seattle, as the majority of the city’s residents do not have air conditioning, and mostly open windows to circulate air from outside to cool homes.

Climate Adaptation Investment and the Community Reinvestment Act

Sat, 01 Jun 2019 15:51:00 GMT

This report was conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and Harvard University to explore the connection between climate adaptation and resilience and the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), which encourages banks to invest in and address the credit needs of low- and moderate-income areas and underserved rural areas. The CRA was enacted in 1977 and, according to the Federal Reserve, “requires the Federal Reserve and other federal banking regulators to encourage financial institutions to help meet the credit needs of the communities in which they do business, including low- and moderate-income (LMI) neighborhoods.

2018 State of U.S. High Tide Flooding with a 2019 Outlook

Sat, 01 Jun 2019 15:50:00 GMT

NOAA’s fifth annual update of the State of Coastal High Tide Flooding (HTF) provides HTF projections to inform adaptation and decision-making for the following year, and over the longer term. High tide flooding (aka ‘sunny day’ or ‘nuisance’ flooding) occurs when water levels measured at NOAA tide gauges exceed heights based on the minor-flood thresholds set by NOAA’s National Weather Service. This report updates high tide flood frequencies during 2018 (based on the meteorological year: May 2018-April 2019) at 98 NOAA tide gauge locations, and provides a statistical outlook for 2019 (May 2019 – April 2020).

Ola Oahu Resilience Strategy

Fri, 31 May 2019 15:58:00 GMT

The O‘ahu Resilience Strategy, developed by the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii is focused on adapting to shocks and stresses on the island – primarily increased cost of living and climate change impacts in Honolulu. The Strategy offers 44 Actions across four focal areas or Resilience “Pillars” of Long-term Affordability (local economy), Disaster Preparedness, Climate Security, and Community Cohesion for the island and communities of O’ahu. The Strategy is critical for planning on O’ahu’s social, economic and environmental sustainability as, according to the report, “45% of O‘ahu residents live in a household where someone is contemplating leaving, and 78% of residents believe that climate change is going to impact them personally.

Mentorship Spotlight: Starting a Career in Adaptation

Fri, 31 May 2019 15:57:00 GMT

Mentee Kimberly Duong is a Ph.D. candidate in Civil Engineering (water resources) at UC Irvine, working on urban drought management in southern California in collaboration with the Irvine Ranch Water District. She has a B.S. from UCLA in Atmospheric Sciences (meteorology). In past years, she has been involved with the Solar Decathlon, Carbon Neutrality Initiative, and the UCI Climate Action Training Program. She is also a co-founder and executive board member of Climatepedia, a climate communications nonprofit. In 2018, she was a Mirzayan science policy fellow at the National Academies in Washington DC, as well as a Subject Matter Expert for the Resilience Dialogues. From April 2018 to April 2019 she served as part of Voices for Science, a science advocacy program hosted by the American Geophysical Union. She will graduate with her Ph.D. in September 2019 and is seeking employment in water management/climate change policy.

In preparation for her upcoming graduation, Kimberly has been exploring with Andrew the different types of employment opportunities for someone with a Ph.D. in civil engineering, and the pros and cons of these opportunities. Through this process she has discovered the importance of having a clear idea of her desired working conditions to better assess the next steps for her career.

“I’ve learned that jobs in adaptation span all types of sectors (government, academic, nonprofit, industry),” said Kimberly. “I’ve learned to think about potential jobs not just in terms of the day-to-day activities, but their relative positioning in my career timeline. A one year fellowship is much easier to accept when I’m a new graduate vs. 10 or 20 years from now when I may be much more rooted to a city, possibly with a deep network that I may not want to leave for a year.”

Kimberly and Andrew share California origins, and both have a passion for advancing science-based environmental policy.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Board of Directors of the Union of Concerned Scientists, and a scientific advisor to the Alliance for Climate Education and Interfaith Power & Light.

Mentor Dr. Andrew Gunther received his Ph.D. in Energy and Resources from the University of California at Berkeley in 1987, and has worked at the intersection of environmental science and policy since 1979. He has published research in the field of ecotoxicology, and has extensive experience in applying science to the development of air, water, and endangered species policy. He served as Assistant Chief Scientist for the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Restoration Program and was the first manager of the State of California’s program that monitors for toxic substances in the San Francisco Estuary ecosystem. For the past several years he has been working with a broad array of organizations to help prepare the Bay Area for a changing climate. In 2018, he was the recipient of ASAP’s Regional Adaptation Leadership Award. He is a member of the

Mentorship Spotlight: Turning Momentum into Action

Fri, 31 May 2019 15:54:00 GMT

Mentee Amy Henry is a planner for Kimley-Horn, where she has worked for about four years, and has a multidisciplinary background, including consulting experience in environmental science and a Bachelor of Arts in English. She specializes in crafting narratives and telling the story, through maps, text, and graphics, to present complex technical ideas to non-technical audiences. As a Certified Floodplain Manager and soon-to-be AICP professional, she is particularly interested in the intersection of community planning and resilience to climate impacts such as flooding, extreme storm events, and acute and chronic stressors to infrastructure and vulnerable populations.

nd across industries. For example, regional water management districts and the metropolitan council are beginning to help local governments model their exposure to changing rainfall patterns. To support the growing political will to act on climate change and adaptation, Amy and Galen are exploring how to help guide tangible actions.

Working on projects together and independently, Amy and Galen have found it helpful to regularly check in with each other. Through her conversations with Galen, Amy has gained a greater understanding of the multidisciplinary nature of the adaptation field. “It’s been encouraging to see adaptation through many different lenses and approaches,” she said. “Galen has taught me to step out into my community and engage with all groups facing this issue and to learn as much as I can from their experiences.”

Amy and Galen share a love for the outdoors, especially Lake Superior. While they are now working in Minnesota, they have also both previously lived in Florida, coincidently at the same.

Thanks to both for sharing what they’ve learned!

Both Amy and Galen have recently begun working in the Midwest, specifically looking at resilience and adaptation in Minnesota – the concerns, what studies are underway and how they are being funded, and who is leading these efforts. Through their work they’ve observed a momentum to address climate change at all levels of government

Mentor Dr. Galen Treuer is a behavioral scientist who works with communities, local governments, and resource managers to integrate science into their water and climate adaptation projects, with a focus on equity and collaboration. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Miami in Environmental Science and Policy with a focus on risk management. As a post-doctoral fellow he has worked with water utility companies in Connecticut to build resilience to extreme weather events and with communities along Lake Erie struggling to respond to harmful algal blooms.

Maine Act to Help Municipalities Prepare for Sea Level Rise (LD 563)

Wed, 29 May 2019 15:59:00 GMT

Maine Governor Janet Mills signed into law LD 563, “An Act to Help Municipalities Prepare for Sea Level Rise” in May 2019. The law amends the State’s growth management and local land-use planning requirements (at Title 30-A, Chapter 187 of the Maine Code) to address the effects of sea-level rise. It allows coastal municipalities and “multimunicipal” regions including coastal municipalities to consider sea level rise projections and potential effects on buildings, transportation infrastructure, sewage treatment facilities, and other municipal or private facilities.

Anchorage, Alaska Climate Action Plan

Tue, 21 May 2019 16:00:00 GMT

Anchorage, Alaska’s Climate Action Plan offers both climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies that support a vision for resilience and 80% less greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Climate adaptation planning is focused on emergency preparedness, watershed, urban forest and public health measures. Social equity and inclusion of indigenous communities impacts and needs are also prioritized, with Alaskan Native values incorporated throughout the plan.

Southeast Sustainable Communities Fund

Mon, 20 May 2019 16:07:00 GMT

The Southeast Sustainable Communities Fund (SSCF) supports local communities in the southeastern United States to advance climate adaptation and social equity in local government policy, plans or programs. Grants have been awarded to City and County governments and local partnerships to create socially equitable sustainable energy and/or water initiatives. The fund invested $1. 5 million in 2017 for six projects, and has allocated nearly $1. 8 million in 2018 in support of six more sustainability projects in the Southeast that are addressing climate change impacts, to be implemented across 2019 – 2020.

Maycroft Apartments “Resiliency Room” in Affordable Housing Complex in Washington, DC

Fri, 17 May 2019 16:13:00 GMT

A non-profit affordable housing developer, Jubilee Housing, is working to incorporate a “resiliency room” and increase affordable housing by renovating the historic Maycroft Apartments in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, D. C. – an area of the District that has been experiencing rapid gentrification. The project will provide affordable housing and will renovate the complex’s basement into a resiliency room to provide both emergency and everyday services for residents.

Mentorship Spotlight: The Frontlines of Resilience Storytelling

Fri, 17 May 2019 15:42:00 GMT

Alex Basaraba works at the interstice of environmental conservation, climate change, and human well-being using visual story-telling, research, and planning. Currently, he works as a climate resilience specialist with Adaptation International, a consulting firm focused on helping communities and organizations prepare for the impacts of climate change. Adaptation International specializes in bridging the gap between climate science and community action and invests in developing tools and strategies necessary to support climate change preparedness. In addition to pursuing his own climate and environmentally-focused storytelling projects , Alex works in Nepal as an educator with National Geographic Expeditions. He holds a Master’s in the Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and a Bachelor’s in Biology, both from Colorado State University.

“Insights I have gained about resilience and adaptation through our interactions include the importance of investing in process,” Alex shared, “This includes ensuring diversity across silos in work teams, doing work by invite only, empowering people through communication and knowledge, and approaching this work through humility. By taking the approach of ‘I am a student and an expert’, we can best position ourselves to continue to learn from an individual or organization’s culture, goals, beliefs, and values, while helping provide technical capacity, insight, and training from our own area expertise. Our discussions have helped me reflect on my own approach to process and to think about ways in which I can continue to improve in setting up my projects for the best possible success.”

A fun fact that Alex learned about Sherry is that she speaks Arabic and English, and can also get by in Spanish and French. This really aids in her ability to do work in numerous parts of the world and showcases how her preparation in a skill-set helped set her up to fill a specific niche in adaptation and energy-focused work.

A fun fact that Sherry learned about Alex is his interest in communication, especially through photographs. Alex “brings a unique combination of technical background with the ability to communicate complex topics to stakeholders,” said Sherry.

Thanks to both for sharing what you’ve learned!

Sherry Stout is an engineer in the Integrated Applications Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Much of Sherry’s work at NREL focuses on energy development with American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages, including energy and resilience planning, resource assessment, microgrid assessment, and energy development for economic development. Sherry also works on international programs where she focuses on grid integration of distributed renewable energy, energy and water nexus issues, energy system resilience, and interconnection processes. Sherry also works on resilience issues, including microgrids for energy system resilience and development of resilience frameworks and best practices.

Some topics Alex and Sherry have been exploring are the responsibilities and challenges of doing climate change resilience work internationally. Alex shared what he’s learned about the process Sherry uses to find success in this work: the importance of doing work by invitation only, investing time to develop meaningful relationships, acknowledging and working within the complex history and cultural norms of a place, and the importance of being able to translate technical information into a broader understanding that informs actionable next-steps. They discussed Sherry’s experiences working in parts of central and southeast Asia, as well as her technical training and approach to communication that she uses to be successful. They also explored the challenges and the rewards of working on the front-lines of climate resilience abroad, and what it takes to be successful.

The Sanctuary of Nature

Thu, 09 May 2019 16:18:00 GMT

Contributed by Lily Swanbrow Becker, ASAP Network Manager

Last September, brought face-to-face with the ephemeral beauty of a ghost orchid while waist-deep in the cold, inky waters of a swamp inside Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge , I experienced deep connection to nature. But even as a natural resource-focused adaptation professional and proud Floridian, the state known for its prehistoric reptiles and wild places, those moments are few and far between. This week in the UN biodiversity report , we read that humans have significantly altered three quarters of the landscape and 66 percent of the seascape, threatening 1,000,000 species with extinction in the coming decades. The report is sobering in its scale, scope and certainty, but sadly its conclusions are not unexpected . The collective understanding that humans have altered Earth’s natural systems in profound ways began to sink in well before the concept of the Anthropocene was introduced almost 20 years ago. We knew it then and we see it now, every time we step outside.

For adaptation professionals, the deepest significance of the report may not be its comprehensiveness on the state of biodiversity on Earth, but rather that it nails down “ how closely human well-being is intertwined with the fate of other species . ” This is a fact that scientists have struggled to meaningfully communicate to the broader adaptation field over the past decade. The UN biodiversity report represents a strong step in this direction, following a trend of increased efforts to translate and quantify the value of ecosystem services in more human-

centric terms.

These ecosystem services comprise some of the best adaptation strategies we can bring to bear on climate change. Coral reefs provide the United States with $1.8 billion in annual flood protection benefits . Mangroves sequester carbon, thrive in brackish waters and provide suburb shoreline stabilization as sea levels rise. As adaptation professionals always striving for innovation, we have to be humbled by the solutions nature offers up. Reflecting on 18 ways nature helps humans (including food, medicine, energy generation, inspiration etc) as plainly laid out in the report may have been the tipping point we needed to finally and truly get it : humans and nature are inextricably connected.

Of course at ASAP, we already get it. As with nature, the strength of our network is deeply rooted in connection. Still, as we struggle together towards adapting to a future threatened by climate change, it is easy to feel we must prioritize threats based on urgency. While making difficult choices about where to direct our limited capacity is

necessary at times, we must not forget our charge to be systems thinkers and strive to increase connections, as elaborated on in the Living Guide . In this case, it is not a matter of choosing whether to prioritize human health over ecological health but of reaching the understanding that the choice has never really existed in the first place – we are one system.

News of the biodiversity report greeted me on Monday morning, just as I was beginning my first full week as Network Manager at ASAP. The grim and frightening warnings aside, I’ve found a thread of hope this week in some of what the report offers and in my choice to embark on this new role. For example, I am grateful for the emphasis the report places on the need to learn from “the knowledge, innovations and practices, institutions and values of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities,” acknowledging that global trends of ecosystem decline are generally less severe or absent on lands managed by Indigenous Peoples. The report concludes that “transformative change” is needed to slow or reverse the trajectory biodiversity is on. Seeking to learn from Indigenous Peoples, as Jem Bendell describes with the concept of “ radical hope ,” may be one way to strive for this transformative change.

The report also ranks the driving forces of human influence on nature in descending order as land use change, direct exploitation of species, climate change, pollution and invasive species. This type of comparison is a highly relevant policy tool and a conversation I engaged in often during my time working on adaptation for fish and wildlife for Florida state government. Asking for example, is increased sea level rise or the projection of 15 million new residents by 2070 a more urgent threat to state conservation lands? But I would argue that this type of question cannot really be answered.

We must explore ways of finding connection wherever possible, acknowledging, for example, that land use change and climate change will interact in compounding ways on a future landscape . Working in a realm where climate change interacts with and magnifies other threats in a complex web touching all facets of society is one of the greatest challenges adaptation professionals must rise to. But it is a challenge I see us stepping up to meet with increased vigor and a challenge ASAP is perfectly positioned to support. While my personal motivation for a career in climate adaptation is deep reverence for nature, I am thrilled to have the honor of supporting a network built from the strength of its connections across the broad span of the adaptation field. I look forward to continuing to weave these connections with all of you.

Based in Tallahassee, Florida, Lily Swanbrow Becker joins the ASAP team as our new Network Manager. Lily will facilitate member connectivity and value creation across the ASAP network through support of peer-learning opportunities including the ASAP Member-Led Interest Groups, Regional Hubs and more. Lily brings many years of experience in climate adaptation, natural resources conservation, facilitation and professional development. You can contact Lily at lswanbrowbecker@adaptpros.org .

Mentorship Spotlight: Adaptation Knowledge Networks

Thu, 02 May 2019 16:21:00 GMT

Both Alex and Richard are interested in exploring how they can help leverage available climate science to accelerate mitigation and adaptation to climate change at local scales. The challenge is often expressed in terms of “downscaling” physical climate data but doesn’t always consider the contributions that user communities can make regarding localized information that is at least as important as physical climate information in determining what works. They have each explored this from different angles — Alex from the perspective of a private firm working to support local government agencies, and Richard from the

perspective of assessments of knowledge for application. They have discovered a common perspective on both the opportunities and challenges: opportunities for using new data sources and methods to understand connections between physical and social systems and challenges in helping organizations change to adapt to either opportunities or challenges. Critical questions to ask in order to make meaningful progress on a complex issue like climate adaptation include:

Where is the knowledge located in a network?
How has it come to be there?
How is the knowledge used?

Alex and Richard shared that there is also the “challenge of integrating information about the future, as it doesn’t come from an understanding of the past. It’s not that the past has no relevance, just that with climate change, people can’t assume the future is what it has been! This is tricky for people. How do you mainstream this sort of information into everyday practices like budgeting, emergency preparedness, and providing services?”

Something interesting that Alex learned about Richard is that he chaired the Sustained National Climate Assessment, which was designed to make scientific information more helpful to stakeholders. When this group was

terminated by the current Presidential administration, Richard and others began setting up an independent organization to continue this work (which is now near completion).

Richard enjoyed learning about the arc of Alex’s career journey, as Alex is part of a small private sector firm that works to incorporate technology and data solutions into city services. While Alex’s firm doesn’t yet have a large adaptation practice, he is trying to help it develop one. Additionally, Richard was pleasantly surprised that Alex “did his graduate work just “down the road” from where my daughter is in graduate school (both in Ohio!).” As they say, it’s a small world!

Thanks to both for participating in the ASAP Mentorship Program .

Alexander Hurley is Jr. Vice President of Operations for smart-cities startup firm Venture Smarter, Inc. and leads the company’s energy and resilience practice. He is dedicated to supporting governments, businesses, and universities that are researching, building, funding, and deploying smart and sustainable solutions to make better places to live, work, play, and visit. Alex completed a Master of Science in Environmental Studies degree through Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs in May of 2018. In this degree program, he studied the nature of large organizational partnership networks focused on developing localized climate change policies and programs.Dr. Richard Moss is visiting fellow at the American Meteorological Society and a senior scientist at the Joint Global Change Research Institute (currently on leave). He is part of a team that recently completed a report on the sustained national climate assessment. His research focuses on global change impacts and adaptation; uncertainty characterization; and scenarios. He served as director of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (spanning the Clinton and G.W. Bush Administrations) and head of technical support for Working Group II of IPCC. He received his Ph.D. from Princeton University in public and international affairs.

Strong, Prosperous, And Resilient Communities Challenge – SPARCC

Wed, 01 May 2019 16:23:00 GMT

The Strong, Prosperous, And Resilient Communities Challenge (SPARCC) is an initiative of Enterprise Community Partners, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, the Low Income Investment Fund, and the Natural Resources Defense Council that supports equitable and resilient regional development policies and investments. SPARCC supports innovative, local efforts in six major cities throughout the country (Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Memphis, and the San Francisco Bay Area) to help change the way metropolitan regions grow, invest, build, and prepare for climate change.

A Guide to Climate-Smart Meadow Restoration in the Sierra Nevada and Southern Cascades

Wed, 01 May 2019 16:22:00 GMT

This handbook was designed to support climate-smart meadow restoration projects in the mountain meadows of northern California. The report offers guidance on incorporating climate change impacts into a meadow vulnerability assessment, and adaptive measures into restoration planning and design. The report describes how to conduct a vulnerability assessment, and how to apply Point Blue’s climate-smart restoration principles to address those vulnerabilities with adaptation measures. The guide describes desired meadow restoration outcomes, climate projections for the Sierra Nevada region, and includes a summary of a climate vulnerability assessment for four riparian meadow restoration projects in the northern Sierra and southern Cascades.

NAACP’s Our Communities, Out Power: Advancing Resistance and Resilience in Climate Change Adaptation – Action Toolkit

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 16:27:00 GMT

From the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), this comprehensive Toolkit provides a series of modules to help NAACP chapters and other advocates mediate climate adaptation planning processes and ensure that adaptation plans and policies meet local needs, with a focus on frontline communities, environmental and climate justice, and equity. The Toolkit provides guidance to help community groups and advocates develop an Environmental and Climate Justice (ECJ) Committee to inform adaptation planning and policy through 19 different Modules.

Resilient DC – A Strategy to Thrive in the Face of Change

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 16:26:00 GMT

In April 2019, Washington D. C. released its Resilient DC Plan as part of its participation in the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) initiative. The Resilient DC plan presents strategies to help the District address three-main drivers of change: economic and population growth, climate change, and technological transformations. It is designed to help the District manage threats from extreme natural and manmade disasters (including extreme heat, flooding, infrastructure failure, and terrorist or cyber attacks) and reduce chronic stressors that challenge the city on an everyday basis (including lack of affordable housing, economic inequality, educational opportunity gaps, and aging infrastructure).

Managing Risks to Conservation Investments Through Climate Adaptation

Thu, 25 Apr 2019 16:28:00 GMT

The Wildlife Conservation Society partnered with the Climate Resilience Fund to offer this guidance for investors funding conservation projects – such as private foundations, public agencies and local governments – on how to consider climate change risks inherent in their investments. Climate change is causing dramatic and unpredictable effects on ecosystems and natural resources – creating uncertainties for conservation funding decision making and the future outcome of investments. This guidance for conservation investors supports intentionality in anticipating and assessing climate change risks, which in turn safeguards these investments to advance conservation goals.

Sustainable DC 2.0

Tue, 23 Apr 2019 16:29:00 GMT

The District of Columbia (Washington, D. C. ) released its Sustainable DC 2. 0 plan on April 23, 2019, updating its 2013 plan. The 2. 0 plan reports on the District’s progress in meeting its sustainability goals: reporting that 27% of the 2013 plan’s actions have been completed and 71% are in progress. New sustainability actions are presented under 13 focal topics including: Governance, Equity, Built Environment, Climate, Economy, Education, Energy, Food, Health, Nature, Transportation, Waste, and Water.

Welcome our new ASAP Board of Directors!

Wed, 17 Apr 2019 14:06:00 GMT

The American Society of Adaptation Professional is thrilled to announce the appointment of two new directors to our Board of Directors. These two new directors, Emily Wasley and Julia Kim, will join seven seated Board Members for an initial three year term of 2019 through 2022. Emily and Julia join the ASAP Board at an exciting time for our organization. As we continue to seek out new and meaningful ways to fulfill our mission of supporting and connecting climate adaptation professionals to advance excellence and innovation in the field of adaptation. We welcome these highly respected and dynamic adaptation thought leaders and look forward to continuing to learn with them and from them in the years to come.

Julia Kim leads the Climate Change Team at the Local Government Commission, a California-based non-profit working to advance transformative policies and build livable communities. Julia partners with public agencies and community leaders r on place-based resilience initiatives while supporting the advancement of the adaptation field at-large. Her current portfolio includes some of California’s most prominent adaptation programs, including the Alliance of Regional Collaboratives for Climate Adaptation (ARCCA) and the biennial California Adaptation Forum.In addition to her service with ASAP, Julia serves on several advisory committees including UCLA’s Climate Change Heat Impacts Community Advisory Committee and the 2019 California Climate Action Planning Conference Steering Committee, and has previously served as a board member with EarthTeam and the Women’s Environmental Network.

Emily Wasley has over 15 years of experience as a climate adaptation and resilience expert and is currently the Direct of Cadmus’ Corporate Sustainability and Climate Resilience practice. She manages an interdisciplinary team with the technical, policy, and strategic planning expertise to help clients reduce their carbon footprint, understand risks and vulnerabilities, and identify the most appropriate solutions and opportunities to prepare for, adapt to, and thrive in a changing climate.. Joining the ASAP Board of Directors continues a long history of service to ASAP, where she currently serves as the co-chair of the Personal Resilience Member Led Group and previously served as the co-chair of the Projects & Evaluation Affinity Group, and additional volunteer roles with the American Security Project (ASP), Science to Action Committee (S2AC), and both the California and the National Adaptation Forum Program Committees.

Emily and Julia join an esteemed Board of climate adaptation leaders including, Josh Foster, Jessica Grannis, Jennifer Jurado, Eric Mielbrecht, John Nordgren, Jacqueline Patterson, and Missy Stults. In April 2019 the ASAP Board of Directors elected new Executive Committee members including: Missy Stults, ASAP President, John Nordgren, ASAP Treasurer, and Josh Foster, ASAP Secretary.

The American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) connects and supports climate adaptation
and resilience professionals to advance excellence and innovation in their communities and across the climate change community. Through ASAP’s website, virtual member groups, webinars and
regional hubs climate change leaders interact, share what’s working, collaborate with colleagues, and
build equitable, ethical and effective climate solutions for communities across North America.

BIA Tribal Resilience Program

Wed, 10 Apr 2019 14:07:00 GMT

The Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) launched the Tribal Climate Resilience Partnership and Technical Assistance Program in 2014 to help tribes prepare for climate change.Direct funding supports federally-recognized Tribes and Alaska Native communities in climate resilience planning through competitive awards for climate training, adaptation planning, vulnerability assessments, supplemental monitoring, capacity building, and ocean and coastal management planning. On April 10, 2019 the BIA announced new funding availability and grant proposal requirements for 2019. Proposals are due by June 10, 2019.

Regional Collaboratives for Climate Change – A State of the Art

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 14:12:00 GMT

Developed by the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) in 2019, this report summarizes the findings of a survey of 15 Regional Climate Collaboratives (RCCs) that are supporting climate change action at the regional scale in the United States. RCCs are networks that coordinate adaptation (and sometimes mitigation) work across jurisdictional boundaries in municipal regions of the U. S. and often include local and state government representatives as well as nonprofit, academic, and private partners.

OneNYC 2050

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 14:11:00 GMT

OneNYC 2050 is the long-term strategic plan for the City of New York, New York – which is based on values of equity, growth, sustainability, resiliency, and diversity and inclusion. Building on prior long-term plans, OneNYC 2050 seeks to raise the bar set by its predecessors, PlaNYC (2007, 2011) and OneNYC (2015), by seeking to strengthen the democratic foundations of the city as it addresses climate change, equity issues, resilient infrastructure, and an inclusive economy – and become carbon neutral by year 2050.

The Value of Resilience for Distributed Energy Resources: An Overview of Current Analytical Practices

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 14:10:00 GMT

This analysis from the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) evaluates existing practices of calculating the value of resilience in Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) installed within an energy distribution system. The report examines how the value of resilience was calculated and was applied in both regulatory decision-making and non-regulatory cost-benefit analyses, and provides state regulators with guidance for taking resilience into account when evaluating investments in DERs in the face of high-impact, low-probability extreme weather events.

Ready For Tomorrow: Seven Strategies For Climate-Resilient Infrastructure

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 14:09:00 GMT

Ready for Tomorrow discusses the necessity and strategies to build resilient critical infrastructure, in preparation for future climate impacts. Recommendations for decision makers are provided to help design, fund, and build resilience into policy and public investments in Infrastructure. The post Ready For Tomorrow: Seven Strategies For Climate-Resilient Infrastructure appeared first on Adaptation Professionals.

San Francisco Bay Shoreline Adaptation Atlas

Sat, 30 Mar 2019 16:24:00 GMT

From the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) and the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR), the San Francisco Bay Shoreline Adaptation Atlas offers nature-based coastal climate resilience strategies for the San Francisco Bay Area region of California. The Atlas presents a new view of the Bay area in a map divided into areas with common physical characteristics for which specific adaptation strategies can be developed to prepare for sea level rise. The report is intended to inform the regulatory community, regional governments, landscape designers, planners, developers, engineers, and other members of local communities in coordinating and planning for regional resilience – including flood control, transportation, parks, land use, and ecosystem restoration.

The 2019 CLC Dispatch

Fri, 29 Mar 2019 14:14:00 GMT

Reflections on Climate Leadership in 2019

By Beth Gibbons

Next month, the North American adaptation community will meet in the Midwest US. Comprised of vanguards and newcomers, we will converge in Madison to share strategies, lessons learned, successes, failures, friendships, beer and cheese – it is Wisconsin, after all!

This past week, a different climate community convened on the seawall of the Inner Harbor of Baltimore at the Climate Leadership Conference. Convened by C2ES and The Climate Registry, it is the descendent of an event once hosted by the EPA by the same name. However, unlike past years, resilience and climate adaptation were on the agenda–both literally and figuratively–for the conference attendees.

At ASAP, we have seen a marked increase in the private sector engagement in the climate resilience and adaptation conversation. We are observing shifts in the climate resilience marketplace (both demand for and support of services) and in the shifting demographics of the ASAP Membership.

Attending events like the Climate Leadership Conference and our stalwart National Adaptation Forum, we can translate lessons between events and achieve more robust discussions with our members. In that spirit, here are the top 5 observations from the ASAP Booth at the Climate Leadership Conference 2019:

Companies want climate resilience (and sustainability) integrated throughout their entire operations. Kevin Rabinovitch, VP for Global Sustainability at Mars Inc., noted that it’s not enough for climate resilience to the job of his 20 person team. Rather he wants to see principles of resilience (and sustainability) integrated throughout Mars Incorporated’s 113,000 employees.
Mitigation vs. Adaptation is still being talked about. While there was robust discussion on the role of corporations advocating for climate action, there was also an expressed concern that ‘if we can only advance one policy goal – it has to be mitigation’ .
The lack of US federal leadership is felt across the world. When asked about whether the US is losing its reputation as a leader, Cathy Woollums of Berkshire Hathaway Energy quipped, “Sometimes, when you want to be leader, you have to lead.”
New legal challenges are coming fast and furious.
TCFD – the Bloomberg driven, international framework for corporate risk disclosure is creating a pathway into this work. However, the path through climate financial disclosure remains fertile ground for innovation and exploration.

I also noticed a few things were missing from this conference:

The financial markets were missing. I don’t think there were any speakers from S&P, Moody’s or Fitch – the three domestic rating agencies. Despite support from Bloomberg, their team kept a low profile throughout the event.
The conversations were sorely missing the federal perspective. At a conference once hosted by Environmental Protection Agency and hosted less than 40 miles from the D.C. border, the lack of federal agency staff was striking.
The crowd was – well – not young. While Greta Thunberg and the youth movement is dominating the global climate conversation, this conference was still about top down leadership from well-seasoned professionals.
The attendees, and especially the speakers, were conspicuously white. This was definitely a crowd where the word equity was more likely to be in a sentence with ‘balance sheet’ and ‘profit’ than ‘justice’ and ‘race’.

I do not point out these missing groups to criticize or diminish the value of the conversations and interactions that were taking place. However, throughout the adaptation and resilience field, we have learned that when we change who is the room, we change the conversation. When we change the conversation, we change the actions. We also know that diversity equals profitability, and that is an equity outcome we all like to achieve.

The public sector was never going to solve this challenge on its own. There was an appetite for action and a different kind of know-how on display in Baltimore last week. Now, more than ever, I am grateful for ASAP being an inclusive community that can bridge these events, connect conversations, and drive the innovation and excellence that we need across this critical and diverse field of practice.

Massachusetts Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Grant Program

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 14:15:00 GMT

Massachusetts’ Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant program (MVP) provides support for cities and towns across the state to begin the process of planning and implementing climate change resiliency projects. The state awards communities with funding to complete vulnerability assessments and develop resiliency plans.

Minnesota State Hazard Mitigation Plan 2019 – Including Recommended Actions for Climate Change Adaptation

Mon, 18 Mar 2019 14:16:00 GMT

Minnesota’s 2019 State All-Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) includes recommended actions for climate adaptation for the first time in the state’s hazard mitigation planning process. Developed in collaboration with the Interagency Climate Adaptation Team (ICAT), the HMP includes priority adaptation needs for state government from the ICAT 2017 Report – Adapting to Climate Change in Minnesota. The HMP provides assessments of hazard risk, reviews current state and local hazard mitigation and climate adaptation capacity and programs, and includes climate adaptation strategies for Minnesota’s state agencies and programs.

Lower Manhattan, New York Climate Resilience Study

Fri, 15 Mar 2019 14:17:00 GMT

Building on the recovery and climate planning efforts in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, New York State and City funded the Lower Manhattan Climate Resilience Study to identify adaptation and resilience strategies for Lower Manhattan – which is a critical economic, cultural, and civic hub for New York City and the region. Led by the Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency and the New York City Economic Development Corporation, this study included a climate risk analysis of the area and identified approximately $500 million worth of short- and long-term investments in coastal resilience projects.

Texas 2019 Coastal Resiliency Master Plan

Thu, 14 Mar 2019 14:18:00 GMT

The Texas General Land Office (GLO) updated Coastal Resiliency Master Plan provides a framework for the protection and adaptation of coastal infrastructure and natural resources across the most vulnerable regions of the Texas Gulf coast. The Resiliency Plan adopts the most current storm surge and sea level rise models to determine the implication of projected climate impacts, coastal hazards, and prioritization of these projects. The priority issues of concern identified for resilience planning on the Texas coast focus on degraded or lost habitat, beach and dune erosion, storm surge, coastal flooding, impacts on water quality and quantity, loss of marine and coastal resources, and shoreline debris.

California Coastal Commission Environmental Justice Policy

Fri, 08 Mar 2019 14:19:00 GMT

Established in 1972, the California Coastal Commission has a mandate “to protect and enhance California’s coast and ocean for current and future generations” by regulating development with local government. In 2016, AB 2616 was enacted to amend the state’s Coastal Act, giving the Commission authority to specifically consider environmental justice when making coastal permit decisions. While providing the public and the Commission with guidance on how the agency will implement its authority under AB 2616 – the 2019 environmental justice policy is intended to integrate the principles of environmental justice, equality, and social equity into all aspects of the Commission’s program and operations.

Volunteer for our Daily Digest Volunteer Reporting Team!

Tue, 05 Mar 2019 14:22:00 GMT

Volunteer for our Daily Digest Volunteer Reporting Team!

We are looking to recruit volunteers who can help document the sessions they participate in and coordinate with us by sending your notes and photographs in time to make it into the Daily Digest. A special thank you to all who can volunteer as reporters and contribute to the Daily Digests! This daily news edition is made possible by the dedication and commitment of your hard work. Please contact Dawn Nelson at dnelson@adaptpros.org to learn more!

Visit our ASAP-at-NAF webpage and bookmark your browser for the upcoming NAF Daily Digests!

Adaptation Capability Advancement Toolkit (ADAPT-CA)

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 14:25:00 GMT

The Adaptation Capability Advancement (Adapt-CA) Toolkit was developed to support local government climate change adaptation initiatives through an agency self-assessment process on institutional capacity. Adapt-CA helps to identify opportunities to build capacity for adaptation integration into local government agency’s operations, leadership, technical capacity and engagement. The tool was designed for California communities, but is relevant and can be useful to local governments throughout country.

Climate Risk and Real Estate Investment Decision-Making

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 14:24:00 GMT

The Urban Land Institute (and Heitman – a global real estate investment firm) have investigated how climate change impacts are affecting real estate assets and investments in the market today and the future due to increased exposure. The report describes the risks posed by climate change on real estate, how real estate investors are factoring climate risk into their investment decision-making, and offers best practices for managing and mitigating these risks.

Achilles’ Heel

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 14:23:00 GMT

Achilles’ Heel

By Dawn Nelson , ASAP Communications Coordinator

An emergency declaration for a border wall as a measure for national security is not an incongruity lost on many Americans. It becomes troubling to learn that some of the money being diverted to fund a border wall will come from construction funding to strengthen the resilience of US military bases–thereby diminishing capacity for national security.

The Trump administration aims to grab $3.6 billion from Defense Department Military construction funds . Concerns abound across the political spectrum that this will negatively impact previously prioritized projects, such as military family housing, schools, and service animal treatment facilities and other critical upgrades and base improvements . This has direct bearing on adaptation and resilience capacity for numerous military construction projects.

For example, military bases on the South Carolina coast are at risk for annual flooding events to nearly double in the coming decades . In Florida, the Tyndall Air Force base has already sustained severe damage from last year’s hurricanes, and future funding remains uncertain. The House Appropriations Committee identified nearly $311 million at risk of diversion in Hawaii, including $45 million for improvements at Pearl Harbor and another $123 million for Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam .

The irony that diverting funds from military construction projects to pay for a security measure that actually undermines security is stark. As Rep. Kendra Horn, Member of the House Armed Service Committee simply states, “Pulling from our military housing does not make us safer. In fact, it makes us more vulnerable.”

Nevertheless, we find it heartening that this may afford an opportunity to reach across the political aisle and forge some unlikely allies. Consider this your call to action to reach out to elected officials today.

—

This article first appeared in the March 1, 2019 ASAP Member News . Join ASAP and subscribe today!

Atlanta, Georgia Environmental Impact Bond for Green Infrastructure

Thu, 21 Feb 2019 17:04:00 GMT

The City of Atlanta, Georgia Department of Watershed Management is issuing an environmental impact bond (EIB), which will finance green infrastructure to address water quality, reduce flooding and improve stormwater management in Atlanta’s Proctor Creek Watershed neighborhoods. The $14 million EIB – the first to be offered on public markets – was the result of a partnership between the City of Atlanta, Quantified Ventures, the Rockefeller Foundation, and broker-dealer Neighborly. Supporting the expansion of EIBs into public markets, the Rockefeller Foundation will cover the costs of structuring a public bond with a grant to Atlanta – chosen from applicants of its 100 Resilient Cities network.

Resilient Chicago: A Plan for Inclusive Growth and a Connected City

Thu, 14 Feb 2019 17:06:00 GMT

The City of Chicago, Illinois has joined the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) program and developed an urban Resilience Strategy. Resilient Chicago outlines 50 actions within three primary “Resilience Pillars” of Strong Neighborhoods, Robust Infrastructure, and Prepared Communities. The report also provides a number of case studies on Chicago’s existing resilient programs and initiatives, and details specific Calls to Action that residents can take to help build the city’s resilience.

Health Equity Report for the District of Columbia 2018

Fri, 08 Feb 2019 17:07:00 GMT

The Health Equity Report for the District of Columbia 2018 from DC Health takes a comprehensive look at social and structural determinants of health in Washington D.C. and presents the extent of health disparities aligning with differences in income, race, and geography. The report recognizes that climate change poses long-term risks to human health, disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable, and that climate adaptation is critical to reduce negative impacts on all people.

Mexico Beach, Florida – Floodplain Ordinance 712

Tue, 05 Feb 2019 17:09:00 GMT

Mexico Beach is on the Gulf of Mexico in Bay County, Florida and faces climate enhanced hurricanes, coastal storm surge, sea level rise and flooding impacts. In October 2018, Hurricane Michael, a Category 4 storm, made landfall in Mexico Beach demolishing 70% of the town’s homes. The coastal community has amended the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood zones maps to reflect storm surge flood levels and high risk floodplain areas as implicated by Hurricane Michael flooding. An ordinance has been adopted in which new construction in Mexico Beach must be elevated at least a foot and a half higher than FEMA’s base-level flood predictions in both the region’s 100-year and 500-year floodplains.

California Heat Assessment Tool (CHAT)

Fri, 01 Feb 2019 17:37:00 GMT

The California Heat Assessment Tool (CHAT) was developed to help state and local public health officials understand how heat vulnerability will change with increasing temperatures due to climate change. The tool helps users identify heat vulnerable areas based upon changes in high heat days under different climate scenarios and social, health and environmental vulnerability factors. The study defines “Heat Health Events” (HHEs) as heat events that cause negative public health impacts – and the study found that vulnerable groups may be more sensitive to high-heat days by as much as 6 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit as compared to the general population.

C2ES Maximizing Benefits: Strategies for Community Resilience

Fri, 01 Feb 2019 17:35:00 GMT

Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) developed this set of briefs on resilience strategies for extreme climate events, primarily to support local government officials in adaptation planning. Key climate resilience strategies are discussed including the co-benefits they provide, and quantitative assessments of the costs and benefits of each strategy. Each brief includes a case study of a model city that has successfully employed a number of climate resilience strategies. The five briefs of the compendium focus on:

Extreme heat and heatwaves
Flash flooding
Drought
Wildfire
Power outages

All of the Resilience Strategies are treated comprehensively with Cost and Benefit evaluations, as well as recommendations for raising awareness and preparing for the climate event.

Minneapolis 2040 – Minneapolis, Minnesota Comprehensive Plan

Fri, 01 Feb 2019 17:10:00 GMT

Minneapolis 2040 is the City of Minneapolis, Minnesota’s Comprehensive Plan – that will guide policy and decision making in the city in terms of the built, natural and economic environment for the next ten years. The document includes 14 Goals adopted by the City Council in 2017 that articulate the plan’s intent. One of the plan’s primary goals is for the city to become climate resilient by 2040, which includes a number of adaptation policies and actions for near-term implementation. The Comprehensive Plan includes 100 Policies, each of which supports one or more of the primary goals.

NYSERDA Climate Change Adaptation Research Plan

Thu, 31 Jan 2019 17:39:00 GMT

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Environmental Research Program includes a focal Research Area of Climate Change Adaptation. This document focuses on the climate change adaptation component of the program’s comprehensive research plan. NYSERDA’s adaptation research aims to provide “a scientific foundation for formulating effective, equitable, energy-related environmental policies and resource management practices that can guide strategies to prepare for a changing climate.

Coastal Risk Consulting

Thu, 31 Jan 2019 17:38:00 GMT

COASTAL RISK CONSULTING ASSISTS MAJOR INVESTOR WITH DUE DILIGENCE FOR PURCHASE AND PROTECTION OF WATERFRONT PROPERTY.

Contributed by Hilary Stevens, Coastal Risk Consulting

In late 2018, a major investment group was considering the purchase of a waterfront hotel property in Miami Beach, Florida. As part of the due diligence on such a large purchase, the firm brought in Coastal Risk to assess the flood risks of the property and model how climate change and sea level rise will impact the property and the areas around it over the coming decades.

South Florida, with its low-lying terrain and porous bedrock, is extremely vulnerable to sea level rise. The City of Miami Beach is already experiencing “sunny day flooding” regularly. The City is taking steps to invest in resilience by raising roads, installing pumps to facilitate drainage, and enhancing green infrastructure. Also, Miami Beach has one of the oldest beach nourishment programs in the country, managed by the Army Corps of Engineers since the 1960s.

The investor was interested in the lucrative Miami Beach market, but also concerned about the long-term risks of flooding, coastal erosion and sea level rise on the investment. Before pursuing the purchase, the investor wanted to better understand the flood risks to the property itself, the beachfront behind it, and the access routes that their suppliers and guests would use. Coastal Risk provided modeling and risk analysis showing property-specific, flood risks and identified areas that would require hardening to maintain operations and prevent damage. The work for this client even included calculations of damage/loss to building structure, contents and business interruptions, if no flood defense measures were taken. These insights enabled the investor to make an informed decision whether to move forward with the purchase.

Coastal Risk Consulting, an international, flood, natural hazard and climate-impact risk assessment technology company, is offering ASAP Members a discount on reports ordered through its website (www.floodscores.com). ASAP Members may order reports at 10% off the regular price, whether for residential or commercial properties. Coastal Risk reports show the location, frequency and depth of heavy rainfall, riverine, storm surge, and tidal flooding. Additional information on climate impacts such as Sea Level Rise and Extreme Heat are also available. The Discount Code for ASAP Members is ASAP10.

For further information about Coastal Risk’s products and services, contact ASAP Member, Hilary Stevens, CFM, at hilarystevens@coastalriskconsulting.com .

City of Somerville, Massachusetts Climate Forward Plan

Sun, 20 Jan 2019 17:40:00 GMT

Somerville, Massachusetts’ climate change plan includes policies, programs, and strategies for climate change adaptation, mitigation, and social equity. 13 primary strategies or Action Areas were developed to make Somerville climate neutral by 2050, and more climate resilient in the near-and long-term.

Welcome Aboard the 2019 Mentorship Program Co-Chairs!

Fri, 11 Jan 2019 17:42:00 GMT

Welcome Aboard the 2019 Mentorship Program Co-Chairs!

As new Program Co-Chairs, Monica Gregory and Katharine (KC) Stover worked with Rachel Jacobson at ASAP to set up the 2019 cohort for ASAP’s Mentorship Program. The new co-chairs both value increasing diversity in the adaptation field and hope to assist in expanding opportunities to underserved communities through this program.

KC Stover recently graduated from Scripps Institution of Oceanography with her master’s degree in climate science and policy. Her research focused on developing kelp as a potential blue carbon sink. Previously, she worked at Defenders of Wildlife on federal lands conservation and ran DC EcoWomen, an organization focused on capacity-building for women in the environmental field in the DC area. Prior to that, KC worked at an urban agriculture startup and the New England Aquarium on marine conservation projects. KC has an MBA focused in entrepreneurship and a B.A. in International Relations. Originally from the greater Boston area, KC now resides in Orange County, California.

Monica Gregory joined the Miami-Dade County Office of Resilience in June 2018. Her work focuses on vulnerability assessments, research and project coordination, and sea level rise initiatives in communities across Miami-Dade. Previously, she worked in the climate change and resilience sector for North Carolina’s Division of Coastal Management, for the National Park Service in South Carolina, and for a nonprofit in the Dominican Republic. Monica is originally from Indianapolis and received her MPA in environmental policy and natural resource management from Indiana University-Bloomington.

KC was interested in supporting ASAP as Co-Chair of the Mentorship Program because she feels strongly that mentorship is a great way to build lasting relationships across an emerging field. KC believes the impact of capacity building and mentor relationships are crucial in career development for professionals at all career levels. Monica was motivated to become Program Co-Chair to support mentorship within her community of practice. As a former AmeriCorps member who later managed an AmeriCorps program for young professionals, Monica recognizes the importance of great mentorship in creating professional and personal connections.

Monica and KC followed different career paths to work in the adaptation field, similar to other people’s experience across the field. And like many professionals in the adaptation field, their geographic experience is varied – between the two of them, they have lived on the East coast, in the Midwest, on the West coast, and in the Southeast! “We look forward to learning more about our members career paths and where they want to go next,” KC noted.

Given such diverse yet complementary skills and geography, we are grateful they have chosen to serve as our 2019 Mentorship Program Co-Chairs. Welcome aboard!

CA EO N-05-19 CAL FIRE to provide recommendations on wildfire prevention and mitigation, including at-risk populations

Tue, 08 Jan 2019 17:43:00 GMT

From California Governor Gavin Newsom, this Executive Order directs CAL FIRE and other state agencies to recommend administrative, regulatory, and policy changes to prevent and mitigate wildfires. To support the California communities most vulnerable to wildfire impacts, the California Department of Fire and Forest Protection (CAL FIRE) will also recommend a methodology to assess what communities are at greater risk from wildfire that includes socioeconomic factors. The order states that California’s “present emergency condition” with wildfire is due to a history of fire exclusion, forests managed to be overcrowded, climate change and drought.

Higher Standards: Opportunities for Enhancing Flood Resilience in the Eastern Shore of Maryland

Tue, 01 Jan 2019 17:58:00 GMT

Georgetown Climate Center (GCC) prepared this report to help the Eastern Shore Climate Adaptation Partnership (ESCAP) identify strategies for adapting to increasing sea-level rise and flood risk in the Eastern Shore region of Maryland. This publication is a part of a series of reports assessing the sea-level rise vulnerability of communities in Maryland’s Eastern Shore, as well as potential adaptation responses. ESCAP worked with the Eastern Shore Regional GIS cooperative to assess sea-level rise vulnerabilities in the six counties and two municipalities that participate in ESCAP.

Munich RE NatCatSERVICE Tool

Tue, 01 Jan 2019 17:57:00 GMT

Munich RE’s NatCatSERVICE online tool provides interactive access to one of the world’s most comprehensive databases for analyzing natural catastrophe losses. This archive provides direct access to updated information on insured, economic, and human losses from over 40,000 natural disasters dating back to 1980. Information obtained from this tool can be used in risk assessments for financial and climate change planning and preparedness.

Mainstreaming Sea Level Rise Preparedness in Local Planning and Policy on Maryland's Eastern Shore

Tue, 01 Jan 2019 17:56:00 GMT

The Eastern Shore Land Conservancy partnered with the Georgetown Climate Center (GCC), the Eastern Shore Regional GIS Cooperative, and the University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center for this analysis on sea level rise preparedness in Maryland’s Eastern Shore region. GCC offers a discussion of strategies related to floodplain, zoning and regulatory standards to support sea level rise and coastal flooding resilience policies and decision making.

Rigorously Valuing the Role of U.S. Coral Reefs in Coastal Hazard Risk Reduction

Tue, 01 Jan 2019 17:48:00 GMT

This report issued by the U. S. Geological Survey and the U. S. Department of the Interior quantifies the value of U. S. coral reefs in protecting people and infrastructure from coastal hazards that will be exacerbated by climate change and sea-level rise including extreme weather events, flooding, and erosion. The report is intended to inform stakeholders and decision-makers of the value of coral reefs in reducing risk from coastal hazards, and to provide quantitative data that can be used to consider the role coral reefs should play in adaptation and risk mitigation planning.

Maryland Resiliency Hub Grant Program

Tue, 01 Jan 2019 17:46:00 GMT

The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) has created a $5 million Resiliency Hub Grant Program (for FY 2019) to provide funding for the construction of community resiliency hubs with solar power and battery storage. The program provides funding to microgrid developers to offset some of the costs to build a resiliency hub in high-density, low- and moderate-income neighborhoods in Maryland. The program defines “resiliency hubs” as community facilities “designed to provide emergency heating and cooling capability; refrigeration of temperature sensitive medications and milk from nursing mothers; plug power for charging of cell phone and computer batteries; as well as emergency lighting.

Maine Prepares for Climate Change: 2019 Update

Tue, 01 Jan 2019 17:44:00 GMT

The 2019 update report from the Maine Interagency Climate Adaptation Work Group (MICA), a collaboration of eight state agencies, provides an inventory and status update of climate adaptation and mitigation activities by the state and is the second update to the original 2014 Maine Prepares for Climate Change report. This report was developed for the leadership of the departments, agencies, and offices participating in MICA, aiming to increase awareness of adaptation actions taken by the state, improve communication between agencies, and provide recommendations on future work.

2018 Carolinas Regional Adaptation Leadership Awards

Wed, 31 Oct 2018 16:48:00 GMT

Regional Adaptation Leadership Awards

Congratulations to our 2018 Carolinas Regional Adaptation Leadership Award honorees Holly White, John Fear, and Steven Frank! Thank you for your contributions and leadership in the field of climate adaptation.

Twitter: @Townofn agshead
Web: https://www.nagsheadnc.gov/

Holly White is a dedicated climate adaptation leader in her community as well as for all of North Carolina. Her tenacity in action, vision, creativity, and sheer determination to engage with others and promote adaptation strategies and planning underscores her efficacy in putting dedication into practice. Through her strength and talent for engaging a diverse set of stakeholders, she has established the Town of Nags Head as a model for other communities to emulate in their adaptation efforts. Holly crafted a vision for a resilient Nags Head by learning about adaptation and engaging the public, both those supportive and skeptical of the need for sea level rise planning. To approach adaptation planning, Holly assembled a team across town departments that included planning, engineering, public works, and septic health. Her leadership has fostered integrated, interdisciplinary resilience. Grounding in shared values, her work has strengthened support and capacity for sea level rise planning.

Holly is ensuring that adaptation addresses complex hazards, centering the interactions between sea level rise, rainfall, and water use in driving groundwater table height and consequent flooding. The mainstreaming approach to adaptation Holly recommended will ensure that complex hazards are included across all implemented plans. Holly is

now sharing lessons learned from Nags Head throughout northeastern North Carolina, initiating efforts to reach across the border with Virginia as well as rural northeastern NC counties. Through her dedication to public service, she is fulfilling her vision of a resilient rural North Carolina. We are very grateful for her service in the field, and honored to name her the Carolinas RALA Winner. Congratulations, Holly!

Twitter: @SeaGrantNC and @NC_WRRI
Web: https://ncseagrant.ncsu.edu

John Fear’s vision is a key asset for North Carolina Sea Grant and the Water Resources

Research Institute. John’s leadership as Deputy Director has shaped each program to meet crucial needs in the state. As part of National Sea Grant visioning efforts, John has helped set the stage for discussion on climate change and adaptation, integrating climate change into strategic plans and daily operations. John chairs the North Carolina Sentinel Site Cooperative, which focuses on climate change impacts along the state’s central coast. Utilizing local ecological knowledge, residents provide valuable historical context in research projects, participate in current citizen science efforts and offer input during planning sessions. A creative expression of this engagement is the innovative RISING project, which uses fine art photography and oral histories to stimulate discussions of environmental changes that include community members and scientists.

The North Carolina Community Collaborative Research Grant Program exemplifies John’s ability to identify needs, work with colleagues to develop solutions, and leverage partnerships to accomplish goals. John recognizes there is a significant training component needed to underpin adaptation practice and planning efforts. John is a mentor and facilitator for graduate studies, leading North Carolina Sea Grant, Water Resources Research Institute and Sentinel Sites programs to provide strong research experiences for students. John also coordinates recruitment and review of applications for national fellowships in marine policy, coastal management and fisheries management. Combined, these state and national fellowships offer graduate students critical opportunities to approach challenges such as climate change — and development of related adaptations — from real-world perspectives that demand interdisciplinary approaches. We are pleased to recognize John for his ability to build capacity and foster collaboration. Congratulations, John!

Twitter: @OrnaPests and @EcoIPM
Web: www.ecoipm.org

Steven Frank is an internationally recognized Entomologist known for his work to understand how urban heat islands affect tree health and pest populations, and whether the effects of urban warming can predict the effects of global warming and climate change. As trees are critical to mitigate urban heat islands, remove air pollutants, and benefit human health, Steven’s mission is to understand why urban tree health declines and develop ways to sustain urban trees and ecosystem services. A hands-on climate adaptation leader training arborists, municipal foresters, landscape architects, government regulators and others, he envisions an adaptive urban environment that supports health and conservation.

Steven leads by example on innovative public communication and integrating adaptation into his work. He is a founding member of the Southern Nursery Integrated Pest Management working group, a regional consortium of horticulturists, plant pathologists, and entomologists. In response to a member survey identifying ambrosia beetles as the most economically costly nursery pests, Steven developed a system to alert growers by Twitter when beetles are active, and created a targeted insecticide spray technique and tool to reduce insecticide use. These practices, along with his protocols for managing water stress, have transformed how growers manage ambrosia beetles throughout the US.

Steven’s passion for his work creates enthusiasm among his stakeholders about tree care and research based adaptation to climate change. He has built trust with stakeholders, municipal leaders and the general public because of his innate curiosity and willingness to listen to others, learn from them, and develop tools and techniques to help solve their problems. We are pleased to recognize Steven for his innovative integration of adaptation into his field. Congratulations, Steven

We’d like to thank everyone who has helped to make this a successful effort to recognize the adaptation champions in the field. Congratulations to everyone, and thank you for all that you do in the field of adaptation!

Holly White, Winner
Principal Planner, Town of Nags Head
Elizabeth City, NC

John Fear, Honorable Mention for Building Capacity and Fostering Connectivity
Deputy Director, North Carolina Sea Grant and N.C. Water Resources Research Institute
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

Steven Frank, Honorable Mention for Adaptation Integration
Associate Professor of Entomology, North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC

2018 Great Lakes Regional Adaptation Leadership Awards

Mon, 01 Oct 2018 17:08:00 GMT

Regional Adaptation Leadership Awards

Congratulations to 2018 Great Lakes Regional Adaptation Leadership Award honorees Chris Swanston, Matthew Gray, Jessica Hellmann and Heather Stirratt! Thank you for your contributions and leadership in the field of climate adaptation.

Winner

Chris Swanston

Director, Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science and the USDA Northern Forests Climate Hub

Houghton, MI

Twitter: @USDAClimateHubs

Chris Swanston is a leader among Great Lakes adaptation professionals, directing both the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS) and USDA Northern Forests Climate Hub. Through his leadership, he has transformed the way many people approach climate adaptation in land management and forestry. His vision is clear: there is a need in the field to bridge the gap between science and action communities. Chris created the Climate Change Response Framework (CCRF) as an integrated approach for responding to climate change through partnerships, vulnerability assessments, adaptation resources, and real-world demonstrations.

As a strong communicator, he has built his team of one to a team of twenty. Vibrant with expertise in climate impacts modeling, ecosystem adaptation, and forest carbon management, the efficacy of the NIACS team has culminated into a high-performing, collaborative, and trusted organization dedicated to serving the needs of land owners and managers across the region. Thousands of natural resource professionals have learned about climate change adaptation through CCRF presentations, trainings, field tours, and more than 250 real-world demonstration projects that use the Adaptation Workbook. Prioritizing respect for local knowledge and individual landowners’ perspectives on managing risks, NIACS team members are coaches for smart adaptation decision-making. Chris’s ideas are central to the adaptation work done at NIACS, and these ideas have ensured success for many. We are honored to honor Chris Swanston as the Winner of the Great Lakes Regional Adaptation Leadership Award. Congratulations, Chris!

Special Recognition

Matthew Gray

Chief of Sustainability, City of Cleveland

Cleveland, OH

Twitter: @sustainableCLE

Since returning from a Fulbright in Mauritius and joining the staff of the City of Cleveland Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, Matthew Gray has been working to both reduce greenhouse gases and increase resilience of the City of Cleveland. As a positive role model for other cities in the region, Matt has led efforts through the Urban Sustainability Directors’ Network to create a template for climate change vulnerability assessments to help other cities move forward on climate adaptation. Matt has revamped the Cleveland Carbon Fund to include adaptation work, and co-leads an effort to develop a regional network of cities working on climate adaptation to streamline adaptation efforts.

Matt has worked tirelessly to promote equitable adaptation in Cleveland’s Climate Action Plan and has reached out to numerous city departments to encourage climate change mitigation and adaptation in internal planning efforts. As a city liaison forging strong relatio

nships among organizations in Cleveland to support and carry the work forward, he organizes learning events with partners and an annual Sustainability Summit that brings together leaders from across the city to discuss priorities. We are happy to recognize this work that is so beneficial not only to the people of Cleveland, but to the entire region. Congratulations, Matt!

Special Recognition

Jessica Hellmann

Director, University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment (IonE)

Minneapolis, MN

Twitter: @JessicaHellmann

Jessica Hellmann is an Ecologist studying the effects of climate and other global changes on ecosystems and the people who depend on them. She is dedicated to finding solutions to environmental threats that improve human livelihoods and ecosystem health. A civic leader dedicated to integrating climate adaptation into other fields, she regularly advises organizations such as the Great Plains Institute, Climate Generation and other nonprofits about often-overlooked strategies for adapting to climate change. Jessica envisions a network of change agents for climate adaptation with broad reach within and outside academia. Through her leadership of IonE and the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative, she asserts that powerful networks informed by research and education are what is needed to create a hopeful, climate adaptive future. Jessica has taken the Urban Adaptation Assessment to the next level of impact and effectiveness by expanding it to 240 cities in the U.S., integrating a novel approach to measuring social equity.

Additionally, Jessica has led research showing changing climate conditions can influence both species distribution and the rate of evolution by examining modern day and museum butterfly species. Emphasizing her ability to learn and teach on the fly as a skilled science communicator, Jessica is routinely called upon by leading media outlets around the world such as CNN, NPR, Fox News, The Telegraph and the Chicago Tribune to provide expert input on topics related to adaptation and ways to minimize adverse impacts to people and nature. We are very grateful for her contributions to the field of adaptation and her presence in the Great Lakes region. Congratulations, Jessica!

Tune in to hear Director Jessica Hellmann present her vision for the future of the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota.

Special Recognition

Heather Stirratt

Great Lakes Lead for NOAA’s National Ocean Service at NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management

Twin Cities, MN

Twitter: @noaaocean

Heather Stirratt’s work on climate change adaptation motivates communities across the Great Lakes Region. From her NOAA National Ocean Service office in Twin Cities, MN, she has worked with researchers, municipalities, and students to ensure communities receive the support that they need to advance climate-informed decisions at multiple scales. Heather sees the need for broad capacity building. She has acted on this vision through the development of the Great Lakes Climate Training toolkit and of city and neighborhood specific resources in collaboration with the Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Cities Initiative. Heather has a demonstrable ability to think holistically about climate change and its related impacts. She is remarkably capable at bringing together the branches of federal government to serve the needs of the whole region.

A natural engagement specialist, Heather brings people together for a common cause, routinely communicates complex challenges, and truly meets people where they are. Her ability to build and work within teams from across a range of federal agencies — as well as coordinate numerous regional NOAA activities — highlight her power of persuasion and tenacity. When she brings together this potent combination it leads to successfully implemented projects, groundbreaking reports, and successful, engaging events. Her ability to summon resources makes her a terrific ally on a project and one of the most effective adaptation professionals in the Great Lakes region. We are very happy to award her with this Special Recognition for her contributions to the field of adaptation. Congratulations, Heather!

2018 California Regional Adaptation Leadership Awards

Fri, 31 Aug 2018 16:58:00 GMT

Congratulations to 2018 California Regional Adaptation Leadership Award honorees Tiffany Wise-West, Andrew Gunther, and Nicola Hedge! Thank you for your contributions and leadership in the field of climate adaptation.

Tiffany Wise-West: Co-Winner

Sustainability & Climate Action Manager, City of Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, CA

Tiffany Wise-West is showing visionary leadership in Central Coast, building on a vast amount of location-specific work in the City of Santa Cruz and working as a communicator, educator and convenor focusing on frontline communities. Her cross-sectoral approach and work with different communities to achieve inclusive, resilience strategies has made her work notable throughout the region.

Harnessing substantive coordination and science for the Central Coast, Tiffany has held many different roles related to climate work in the Santa Cruz community. Starting as an engineer, she’s worked with many local governments as a science communicator. Her interdisciplinary approach, willingness to take on challenges, and clear focus on social vulnerability and cross-sector, comprehensive planning has earned this action-oriented changemaker the 2018 Adaptation Leadership Award. Congratulations, Tiffany!

Andrew (A ndy) Gunther: Co-Winner

Executive Coo rdinator, Bay Area Ecosystems Climate Change Consortium

Oakland, CA

Andrew ( Andy) Gunther has spent 18 years building scientific consensus around ecosystem management in the San Francisco Bay Area. Dr. Gunther pioneered developing easy-to-understand indicators and actionable science that led to the creation of the first State of the Bay Report, an instrument still used today to help assess the health of San Francisco Bay.

As the Executive Coordinator of the Bay Area Ecosystems Climate Change Consortium since 2011, he has engaged more than 200 regional scientists, agencies, and non-profits to produce a set of visionary management recommendations for Bay Area shorelines to restore and maintain these vital ecosystems in the face of climate change, including their role in building resilience to sea level rise. His work has proven pivotal and foundational for climate adaptation in the Bay Area, and we are pleased to present him with the 2018 Adaptation Leadership Award. Congratulations, Andy!

Nicola Hedge: Special Recognition

Director, Envir onmental Initiatives, The San Diego Foundation

San Dieg o, CA

The RALA selection committee is also thrilled to give special recognition to Nicola Hedge’s talent for communication and collaboration across the spectrum . She has worked actively with government, nonprofit, academic, business, and philanthropic leaders to move the needle on a shared understanding of what is at stake and to catalyze more regional adaptation across sectors.

Nicola served as first Vice Chair of the statewide Alliance of Regional Collaboratives for Climate Adaptation, a network to help regions better collaborate, implement best practices, and advocate for regional approaches to address climate change resilience. As a philanthropic leader in the community, she worked with The San Diego Foundation to develop their Climate Initiative, including the Regional Focus 2050 study, the first comprehensive regional assessment in California to understand the impacts of a changing climate. Through her outreach and leadership, Foundation-published studies have informed city climate action plans in San Diego County, as well as the County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan, Regional Sea Level Rise Assessment, SANDAG’s Regional Climate Action Strategy and many others. Congratulations, Nicola!

ASAP Announces 2018 New England Regional Adaptation Leadership Awards

Mon, 07 May 2018 16:30:00 GMT

The ASAP Regional Adaptation Leadership Award recognizes that deliberate and proactive adaptation, preparedness, and resilience-building is a change process, a deviation from business as usual, and a courageous act of doing something new and different. The award recognizes and celebrates that at the heart of adaptation innovation and action are individuals who make this change happen — sometimes with very few resources. Earlier this month at the Local Solutions: Eastern Climate Preparedness Conference in Manchester, NH, ASAP presented the RALA to three adaptation leaders from the New England region.

Winner: Sherry Godlewski

Sherry Godlewski embodies the very essence of the Regional Adaptation Leadership Award: She has dedicated 17 years to working for the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services’ water, air, waste, and environmental health programs. Sherry is recognized by her colleagues for understanding how to work with people — and how to get things done! She brings stakeholders together, builds communities of understanding, and has launched multiple adaptation networks. Her ability to design, implement, evaluate and improve programs is a testament to her passion of her work, willingness to learn, and dedication to improvement.

A trained environmental communicator and former college instructor, Sherry is committed to providing science-based education and technical assistance to support New Hampshire state agencies and communities’ resilience efforts. To achieve this vision, Sherry has worked to build collaborative networks across the state, including the NH Coastal Adaptation Workgroup (NHCAW), Upper Valley Adaptation Workgroup (UVAW), and State Agency Environmental Resilience Group (SERG). Serving as the current Co-Chair to each of these groups, Sherry has helped guide organizational missions and visions, design and deliver educational material, conceptualize and implement project proposals, and inform and coordinate adaptation activities across the state.

Runner-up: Mia Goldwasser Mansfield

As the Program Manager for Climate Ready Boston, Mia led the development of Boston’s first climate resilience plan. The plan developed the city’s first consensus-driven climate projections and vulnerability assessment, and outlines a set of actionable resilience initiatives for the city to pursue. Mia’s vision is to proactively prepare Boston for climate change in a way that improves lives for all the city’s residents, particularly those most vulnerable to climate change. Her vision for the work has helped to ensure that the process included robust community engagement, as well as strong overlap with the 100 Resilient Cities process for building an equitable and resilient city.

Runner-up: Grover Fugate

Grover Fugate, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council, has become synonymous with the concept of “coastal community resiliency.” His vision, even before Superstorm Sandy significantly changed or damaged major portions of the state’s southern coastline, has for nearly two decades focused quite closely on the need to start preparing the state’s 21 coastal communities for the impacts of sea level rise and strong storms to come. With the University of Rhode Island, the Coastal Resources Management Council prepared the Rhode Island Shoreline Change Special Area Management Plan (Beach SAMP), the state’s first comprehensive set of
adaptation and resiliency recommendations designed to support state and municipal efforts to meet the bchallenges of climate change.