Exploring Living Labs at Rutgers
At the Rutgers Climate Action Retreat in July, members of the 10 Climate Action Groups came together to explore ways to identify and expand living labs for climate action.
Some examples of living labs are easy to recognize. At the Rutgers Marine Field Station in Tuckerton, NJ, we met with researchers working to track and predict climate change through observations of marine organisms. They are also working to adapt the field station building to rising sea levels. Lessons learned out in the estuary could inform coastal adaptation elsewhere in NJ.
As we work to transform Rutgers into a living lab for climate action, we hope to expand the concept to include less tangible examples such as strategic planning and funding structures.
Most importantly, living labs for climate action of all types should be built on a foundation of actionable scholarship, guided by an ethic of service and justice. They should include continuous evaluation informed by rigorous, transparent data collection and robust stakeholder engagement and empowerment.
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