The Resilience Roundup highlights announcements and events along with links to the previous month's state, regional, and national resilience news.
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Groton Climate Forum
May 9, 7:00 p.m.
Groton Resiliency & Sustainability Task Force and CIRCA will be hosting a Groton Climate Forum held at the Thrive 55+ Active Living Center. This program will include a showing of the Connecticut Public's production of "Climate Change Along Connecticut’s Coast" as well as a Panel Discussion with Q & A on climate change impacts in Groton, how to mitigate them and adapt to a rapidly changing world. Please join us!
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Resilient Connecticut Innovative Design Workshop
May 15, 9:30 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Through the Resilient Connecticut project, CIRCA is partnering with municipalities, COGs, state agencies, technical planning teams, and community stakeholders to develop innovative solutions to local and regional climate challenges.
The purpose of this workshop will be to collaborate and develop innovative design ideas to resilience typologies that are common across Connecticut.
We will collaborate in-person on different types of adaptation approaches and strategies and how to choose and apply these strategies locally. We will also review case studies from the Resilient Connecticut pilot region (Fairfield & New Haven Counties). Click HERE to register and for more information.
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Sustainable CT: Planning for Extreme Heat - How to Use CIRCA's Climate Change Vulnerability Index
May 24th, 1 p.m.
The Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA) developed the Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI) to represent a community’s vulnerabilities to two of the most pressing climate change-driven threats in Connecticut – flooding and extreme heat events. The CCVI aggregates three categories (exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity) to calculate relative vulnerabilities across Connecticut. This webinar will focus on the extreme heat CCVI mapping tool and describe potential uses of the tool for local and regional planning, selection of climate adaptation and resilience projects that address extreme heat, and how zoning regulations provide a change to land use policy for heat adaptation. Click HERE for registration and to learn more.
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Municipal Energy Resilience Webinar Series
Join CIRCA in June for a two-part webinar series on Municipal Energy Resilience. How can towns take positive steps to increase energy resilience locally? Learn how the Inflation Reduction Act and state programs have incentives for communities to assist in funding renewable energy projects, and what criteria municipalities should consider when developing municipal projects.
Day 1: Introduction to Municipal Energy Resilience Panel
June 7, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
On day one, our panel of experts will talk about assessing municipal energy resilience, programs available at the federal and state level for energy infrastructure, and steps towns can take. Register HERE.
Day 2: Municipal Energy Resilience: Case Study, Round Table Discussion and Q & A
June 14, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Day two will involve municipal case studies and be an opportunity for discussion and questions. Register HERE.
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EPA: The Healthy Communities Grant Program
Application Deadline: May 26, 2023
The Healthy Communities Grant Program was launched in 2003 and supports EPA’s mission by integrating many EPA New England programs including Air Quality Outreach, Asthma and Indoor Air, Children’s Environmental Health, Clean, Green and Healthy Schools Initiative, Energy Efficiency Program, Environmental Justice Program, Pollution Prevention, Sustainable Materials Management, Toxics and Pesticides, and Water Infrastructure (Stormwater, Wastewater, and Drinking Water). The goal of the program is to combine available resources and best identify competitive projects that will achieve measurable environmental and public health results in communities across New England. Eligible applicants are invited to apply to EPA New England for funding consideration under this competitive grant program. The Healthy Communities Grant Program anticipates awarding approximately 15 cooperative agreements from these project applications in 2023.
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Sea Grant: Long Island Sound Resilience Grant Writing Assistance Program
With funding from US EPA through the Long Island Sound Study (LISS), New York Sea Grant and Connecticut Sea Grant announced a funding opportunity open to municipalities and community organizations. This new program funds grant preparation and writing support to develop a grant application for sustainable and resilience projects that impact a community(ies) within or partially within the Long Island Sound Coastal boundary.
Funding is to be awarded in a range of $5,000- $9,950 per application directly to the applicant’s selected grant writing support contractor on a cost reimbursable basis. Match will not be required. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until all available funding is allocated, which may be no later than September 30th, 2023. A Connecticut Applicant Informational Webinar was held on December 13th - click HERE for a recording.
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National Adaptation Forum Series: Responding to Climate-Amplified Extreme Weather Events
Extreme weather events can have devastating impacts on human communities, infrastructure, and ecosystems. Yet, these impacts will only worsen as extreme weather event frequency, severity, and duration are made worse by climate change and recovery times are shortened, limiting the ability of already resource-limited communities to prepare for the next event. Therefore, it is critical that extreme weather event preparedness and response are integrated into our climate adaptation strategies. This four-part virtual series, hosted by the National Adaptation Forum, will feature presentations focused on innovative approaches for minimizing the impacts of extreme storms. The ultimate goal of this series is to better prepare communities for climate-amplified extreme weather by showcasing approaches, plans, and community-engagement strategies that are being used across the country.
Session One: April 5
Session Two: April 19
Session Three: May 3
Session Four: May 17
All sessions will be held from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
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CTData Conference 2023: Bridge The Data Gap
May 4, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Location: Sheraton Hartford South in Rocky Hill.
CTData invites you to their annual IN PERSON 2023 CTData conference! For this year's theme, Bridge The Data Gaps, sessions will focus on exploring data gaps that may be hindering your own work, as well as those that are keeping us as a state from creating a place where everyone can thrive. Keynote speaker, Natalie Evans Harris, Executive Director of the Black Wealth Data Center, will discuss how we can seek to empower decision-makers with reliable data and to raise the national standard for data collection and accessibility, including an exploration of their comprehensive repository for Black wealth data.
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U.S Army Corps of Engineers: Flood Awareness Workshops
A series of Flood Awareness Workshops is being sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in cooperation with the Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, National Weather Service, and the United States Geological Survey. These workshops are intended for local Emergency Management Directors, Chief Elected Officials, Local Planning and Zoning Officials, Town Engineers and organizations that work with underserved populations.
The workshop for DEMHS Region 1 municipalities and stakeholders will be held on Thursday May 4th at the Fairfield County Regional Fire School - 205 Richard White Way, Fairfield. Click HERE for registration and to learn more.
The workshop for DEMHS Region 2 municipalities and stakeholders will be held on Tuesday May 23rd at United Illuminating 100 Marsh Hill Rd., Orange, CT. Click HERE for registration and to learn more.
The workshop for DEMHS Region 3 municipalities and stakeholders will be held on Tuesday, June 6th at the Holy Family Monastery and Conference Center located at 33 Tunxis Road, in West Hartford, CT. Click HERE for registration and to learn more.
The workshop for DEMHS Region 4 municipalities and stakeholders will be held on Tuesday June 13th at the Eastern CT Fire School in Windham located at 1 Fire School Rd, Willimantic, CT. Click HERE for registration and to learn more.
The workshop for DEMHS Region 5 municipalities and stakeholders will be held on Wednesday June 21st at the Kent School, Dickinson Auditorium - 1 Macedonia Road, Kent, CT 06757. Click HERE for registration and to learn more.
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Sustainable CT Coffee Hour: Winning Federal Grants - We Can Provide Support; Tell Us What Additional Support You Need
May 19 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Federal IRA and IIJA grant opportunities can feel complicated and overwhelming. How can you figure out which grants can help your town and where to get the help you really need to access these funds? Join Sustainable CT for coffee (virtually) to learn about the many no-cost support tools available from Sustainable CT and partners. More importantly, tell them what you (Connecticut towns) need to be able to successfully win grant money from this unprecedented investment in municipal infrastructure, climate solutions, clean energy and more.
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SCRCOG: Facilitating Effective Community Conversations Workshop
May 23, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.
This hands-on training will offer easy-to-use techniques and strategies for planning and leading community conversations that keep our member municipalities’ residents informed and involved in the decisions that affect their lives. Learn simple and effective ways to create a safe and supportive environment where everyone’s voice is heard and honored, even when talking about challenging and controversial issues. This workshop is open to all — including people and municipalities who have started hosting community conversations and want to learn from each other’s experience, and those who are looking for a place to start.
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CT DEEP: Connecticut Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (“DEEP”) published its latest Greenhouse Gas Emissions (“GHG”) Inventory, the most comprehensive accounting of the state’s air pollution that contributes to climate change. While the state is making progress, there is work to be done to meet pollution reduction goals set by the legislature. The legislature established those goals to improve the health of Connecticut residents, create opportunities for Connecticut businesses, and reduce energy costs for all Connecticut residents.
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State and Regional News Clips |
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Danbury Hosting Workshop to Address Climate-Related Issues of Downtown Flooding, Extreme Urban Heat
Newstimes - April 1, 2023
As downtown flooding from storms grows, the city of Danbury is looking at ways of dealing in the coming years with that growing problem as well as the impact of extreme heat on unprepared residents. The city will host a public workshop on the climate-related issues from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, April 3, in the cafeteria of Rogers Park Middle School. The meeting, called the Resilient Danbury East Ditch Flooding and Extreme Heat Study Workshop, will be held in partnership with the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation
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University of Connecticut Selected as a Technical Assistance Center to Help Communities Across New England Access Historic Investments to Advance Environmental Justice
EPA - April 17, 2023
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the University of Connecticut (UCONN) has been selected to serve as an "Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center" (EJ TCTAC) that will receive at least $10 million to help communities across the New England region and elsewhere access funds from President Biden's Investing in America agenda. This includes historic investments to advance environmental justice.
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Connecticut Met One of Its Emissions-Reductions Targets in 2020. Then Drivers Returned to the Road.
CT Insider - April 23, 2023
After reaching an historic low during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Connecticut’s greenhouse gas emissions inched upwards in 2021 as drivers and their gas-guzzling vehicles returned to the roads, according to a new report by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. While Connecticut in 2020 reached a goal set by lawmakers of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent compared to levels set three decades prior, the state remained well behind the pace of reductions needed to meet its future targets, which experts say are necessary to stave off the worst impacts of climate change.
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The US Leads the World in Weather Catastrophes. Here’s Why
AP News - April 2, 2023
The United States is Earth’s punching bag for nasty weather. Blame geography for the U.S. getting hit by stronger, costlier, more varied and frequent extreme weather than anywhere on the planet, several experts said. Two oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, the Rocky Mountains, jutting peninsulas like Florida, clashing storm fronts and the jet stream combine to naturally brew the nastiest of weather. That’s only part of it. Nature dealt the United States a bad hand, but people have made it much worse by what, where and how we build, several experts told The Associated Press.
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The Big Reason Why the U.S. Is Seeking the Toughest-Ever Rules for Vehicle Emissions
NPR - April 12, 2023
The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing its most ambitious new regulations yet for cutting pollution from vehicles. The overarching goal is not just cleaner cars, but the transformation of the auto industry: The EPA would essentially impose regulatory penalties on companies that do not move quickly enough toward electric cars. The new standards are so strict that, according to the EPA's estimates, up to 67% of new vehicles sold in 2032 may have to be electric in order for carmakers to be in compliance.
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Climate-Displaced Americans Face Discrimination
Axios - April 15, 2023
About one in three Americans reported in a recent Gallup poll that they have personally experienced an extreme weather event within the last two years. Climate change is fueling more severe and common storms, floods and wildfires nationwide — and experts say disaster relief systems aren't built to withstand the resulting mass displacement. More people are left at the mercy of an inequitable public safety net.
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NASA Project Shows Hidden Factors Shape Minor Coastal Floods
NASA Sea Level Change - April 25, 2023
Minor flooding events are becoming more commonplace along U.S. coastlines, and recent estimates show they will be even more frequent in coming decades as sea levels continue to rise. Now a NASA science team is seeking deeper understanding of the coastal effects of sea level change, measuring to greater precision the factors that contribute to these flooding events. They can add up to changes in seasonal flood patterns and present significant challenges for local and regional planners.
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The Resilience Roundup highlights CIRCA's presence in the news, provides links to recent local/state/national news articles related to resilience and adaptation, and announces upcoming events and seminars.
The Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation's (CIRCA) mission is to increase the resilience and sustainability of vulnerable communities along Connecticut's coast and inland waterways to the growing impacts of climate change and extreme weather on the natural, built, and human environment. The institute is located at the University of Connecticut's Avery Point campus and includes faculty from across the university. CIRCA is a partnership between UConn and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP).
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State and Regional News Clips |
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