Preparing for Climate Change on the East Coast
John Bolduc, City of Cambridge Environmental Planner, Rhett Lamb, City of Keene Planning Director, Erin Coutts, UEP M.A. Student
Over three hundred planning professionals, scientists, business owners, and non-profit representatives gathered in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor April 4-6, 2016, for the Local Solutions: Eastern Regional Climate Preparedness Conference. The conference, organized by Antioch University’s Center for Climate Preparedness & Community Resilience in partnership with the EPA, was designed to build capacity for local decision makers.
Thanks to a generous travel grant from UEP, current student Erin Coutts attended keynote speeches from the Mayor of Baltimore and the Acting Deputy Administrator of the EPA, a workshop on monitoring adaptation progress, and a variety of sessions. She reports that one of the most valuable sessions was “Incorporating Adaptation into Day-to-Day Planning,” which featured a talk by UEP alumnus Rhett Lamb. The session addressed strategies for funding climate adaptation efforts, and how best to cover budget gaps. The information gathered from the conference will contribute directly to her UEP thesis.
Also in attendance was UEP alumnus John Bolduc, Environmental Planner for the City of Cambridge.