New Canaan Library’s Post

Good news for the #GreatLakes! Hot off the virtual presses, we read 2,155 pages of Great Lakes #ClimatePlans so you didn't have to. What became clear is that #collaboration, #workforcedevelopment, #publicengagement, and stacking financial resources are all key to #ClimateAction. Just in time for Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy #MIHealthyClimateConf, a team University of Michigan- School for Environment and Sustainability and University of Michigan - Erb Institute looked at the #GreatLakes #ClimatePlans submitted to US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and prepared a report: Life is Better By the Lakes 🌊 : How the Great Lakes Region is Responding to EPA Calls for #Leadership in #ClimateAction https://lnkd.in/gv5HyUEM Jonathan Overpeck Charlene Zietsma Melissa Zaksek Victoria Jenkins Mahima Obhrai Jaya Uppal Jamie Scripps Cory Connolly Kara Cook Phil Roos Dan Scripps Regina Strong, MS, APR Julia Field Jordan Power Jonathan Smith Rachael Eubanks Quentin Messer, Jr. CEcD Kerry C. Duggan Kerry Ebersole Singh Debra Shore

The Detroit-Warren-Dearborn Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) has been allocated $1 million to formulate a strategy aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating harmful air pollution. SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS (SEMCOG) is serving as the lead agency for Southeast Michigan's Climate Action Plan and will oversee the allocation of funds. SEMCOG operates as the regional planning organization for the seven counties constituting the Southeast Michigan region: Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties. Their focus centers on planning for issues and opportunities that transcend geographic or community boundaries, spanning transportation, environmental conservation, and economic development. We had the opportunity to interview Vettraino Kevin, SEMCOG’s planning director, who shed light on the intricacies of this plan, its implementation process, and what it means for businesses, residents, and communities across Southeast Michigan. 🔗Read more: https://bit.ly/3tRrkbg #sbndetroit #sustainablebusinessnetwork #sustainablebusinessnetworkdetroit #sustainablebusiness #environmentaljustice #climateaction #sustainabledetroit #sustainablebusiness #climateaction #greeninitiatives #sustainability #environmentalquality #SEMCOG #SoutheastMichigan #CPRG #climatepollutionreductiongrants #airquality #communitydevelopment

If you read one article today then read this brilliant, extraordinary and deeply moving narrative from Alissa Johannsen-Rubin Baghdad Bureau chief for The New York Times. #climatechange #climateaction #sustainability

Happy World Environment Day! 5th June every year is World Environment Day. This year's theme is "Be Part of the Plan," focusing on land restoration, stopping desertification, & building drought resilience. Robust policies & legislation, financing, governance and compliance, coordination, and locally led actions are critical. #ClimateAction #MrGreen

We often think of California as a rich state, but it's also a place with persistent and deeply rooted inequities. And as a semi-arid region, #water has made #California rich, while a lack of water has made many Californians poor. Salmon, agriculture, energy, cities. Those are the issues of #equity and #climatejustice for California's resilience. And all of those variables are under stress from #climatechange. Can we #adapt for equity? Can we have #resilience without a #justtransition, or a just transition without resilience? I've been incredibly lucky to engage as a member the steering committee with a large multidisciplinary team called #COEQWAL, which is a two-year state-funded program focused on how to envision and operationalize #climate #equity around #water in the US state of #California. As a partnership that includes researchers from social and natural sciences and is actively engaging with communities, tribes and #indigenouspeoples, and both vested and divested interests, COEQWAL is striving to prepare the San Joaquin and Sacramento basins for the big changes to come. We want to treat equity as a non stationary variable, like the water that is itself influencing equity. This article is a good representation of the goals, hopes, and needs for the region. As a US citizen, I am inspired that this work is happening in my country -- because this approach needs to be replicated in many places. Hardeep Anand, P.E. Ted Grantham Annalise Blum, PhD Mike Brown Joseph Younkle Meike van Ginneken Henk Ovink Andrew Roby BEM Dieter Rothenberger Giz Ian James Dave Wegner John Kucharski Emily Wasley, CC-P, CMAP Circle of Blue Amanda Bielawski, PhD, MBA Peter Yolles Carla G. Guthrie, Ph.D. Paul Fleming Rebecca Power Amy Saltzman Janet Byron Wietske Medema Eric Danner Romain Maendly, PE Andrew Schwarz Felicia Marcus Peter Gleick Paul Traina Jennifer Wegbreit Kala Vairavamoorthy Upmanu Lall

Who's going to the Ohio Stormwater Conference? Super excited to catch up with colleagues, learn - and present on a favorite topic of mine this Thursday. The presentation covers: 🌳The challenge for communities - including heat island effect, more frequent and intense storms, more flood damage, increased stormwater runoff. 🌳Climate resilience through the lens of environmental economics and nature-based solutions - what's changed in the past 10-15 years, and what we got wrong in the conservation community. 🌳Why a new model is needed looking forward - founded on authentic community engagement. 🌳7 practical tips for your team to start applying these lessons today. DM me if you are attending. Would love to meet up. Sustainable Economies Consulting, LLC

Leader's blog - 19 July 2023 "Our July Council meeting takes place on Thursday, with a big agenda, including nature, leisure, equalities and a proposal to create a brand-new Parish Council for Great Oldbury. This new parish will mean changes to the boundaries of the neighbouring parishes of Eastington, Stonehouse and Standish, and aims to better reflect the identity of the area, which has seen significant development, and the interests of the local community. On the nature theme, we’ll be discussing a motion which originated with the Climate Leadership Gloucestershire group, which brings together all the local councils, NHS, Police, Local Nature Partnership and Local Enterprise Partnership. This county-level climate group, works on different themes, including biodiversity, and as part of our climate and nature commitment we’ll be looking to agree further actions to include support for the ‘Wilder Frome’ project, taking part in the Pesticide Free Towns initiative, and continuing partnership work to reduce litter and other waste. Recognising that many of the key challenges for nature require a national level response, we’ll also be calling on the Government to provide targets and a plan to deliver on its commitment to restore 30% of land for nature by 2030, and writing to the local water companies to ask what measures they are taking to reduce sewage discharges and pollution incidents. Back in April we launched an online prospectus, ‘Stroud District: The Natural Place’, to highlight opportunities for investment and business across the district. The prospectus showcases key sectors for the local economy, and features some of the great businesses and projects already based here. If you’d like to get involved, please contact the team at Stroud District: The Natural Place. Finally, please look out for a ‘household canvass’ form in the post or your email inbox, and respond if required. It’s an important annual check of residents who are registered to vote, to update the electoral register." Cllr Catherine Braun Leader, Stroud District Council https://lnkd.in/e2UhBfkJ

"This is not an environmental issue at all anymore. It's people, it's finance, it's social equity, it's public health, it's all those things, and that narrative needs to shine." Christine Tu, Director of the Office of Climate Change and Energy Management at Peel, connected with The Pointer to discuss her experiences in the climate change space and what inspires and informs her work in our community. Read the story at the following link: https://lnkd.in/gMwzXgpY

#locallyledclimateaction There's immense need for the local governments to establish infrastructure and frameworks to sponsor climate action innovation. #sustainability #climateaction

Southeast Michigan is home to five major rivers – the Clinton, Detroit, Huron, Rouge, and Raisin – that flow through diverse landscapes and support half of the state's population within their watersheds. The watersheds received a "C" grade in a report by the University of Maryland's Center for Environmental Science, indicating potential moderate to poor conditions across social, economic, and environmental factors. Issues such as PFAS contamination, climate change-induced flooding, and outdated infrastructure pose new risks and disproportionately affect marginalized communities. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3QtbSe1 BridgeDetroit Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy #sbndetroit #sustainablebusinessnetwork #sustainablebusinessnetworkdetroit #sustainablebusiness #environmentaljustice #climateaction #fordhouse #pureaward #sustainability #southeastmichigan #rivers #watersheds #environment #sustainability #urbandevelopment #recreation #economy #pollution #flooding #PFAS #climatechange #infrastructure #community