HELLO! THIS EXPEDITION IS ALL DAY AT STARTS AT IMPACT HUB SEATTLE AT 8am.
Climate change is the largest challenge of our time, the shifting sands upon which all of our economic, political, and social decisions are playing out. And with most of humanity living in and moving to cities--making urbanization now the main driver of climate change--consequences of global warming will be most visible and visceral here. In particular, in Seattle and other urban areas it will become starkly apparent that people in communities most affected by the impacts of climate change--from extreme heat and rising sea levels, to changes in food and water availability--will be people of already at risk, due to economic and environmental inequities. Fortunately, cities also offer an unparalleled opportunity to address these issues: they are the hubs of creativity and productivity that we need to propel us toward solutions and resilience in the face of climate change. Seattle offers a glimpse of some truly innovative steps toward addressing social, economic, and environmental factors that will underpin climate resilience. This learning expedition is hosted by Urban@UW and the Climate Impacts Group, at University of Washington.
Guiding question:
How do we develop solutions and adaptations that help all city-dwellers—including people in historically marginalized communities—to thrive amidst the impacts of a changing climate?SESSION OVERVIEW:
We’ll spend the morning in South Seattle along the Duwamish River, examining climate impacts from environmental and social perspectives. Heading to Vulcan, we will discuss how climate action can incorporate equity in a variety of contexts. In the afternoon we’ll explore some examples of this in the city, after which we’ll have a chance to collectively harvest the day’s insights about inclusivity and innovation in climate change adaptation
DETAILED AGENDA:
8:00: Meet at Impact Hub Seattle
8:15: Drive to Duwamish Longhouse
9:00: Introduction to space - Longhouse representative
9:10: Setting the tone - Jen Davison, Urban@UW and Derek Hoshiko, Climate Solutions
9:30: Climate science, impacts in cities, and potential adaptations - Amy Snover, Climate Impacts Group
10:00: Climate change and environmental justice - Sudha Nandagopal, City of Seattle
10:30: Drive to Riverside Drive/SPU site
10:45: Discussion: stormwater, climate justice, and the South Park community - James Rufo-Hill, Seattle Public Utilities, and Rebecca Saldaña, Puget Sound Sage
11:30: Drive to Vulcan headquarters
12:00pm: Lunch/discussion; view video “Our Story: Climate Justice, Environmental Justice”
1:00: How do we begin to address climate mitigation and adaptation with an equity lens?
Spencer Reeder,Vulcan Philanthropy
Kevin Taylor, World Wildlife Fund
Jessica Finn Coven, City of Seattle
Laura Stewart, EPA region 10
2:00: Walk to Plymouth Housing’s St Charles Place
2:15: Intro to Affordable Housing: Barriers - Steve Gelb, Emerald Cities Seattle
2:30: Walking Tour of St. Charles Place
2:50: Overcoming the Barriers to Efficiency in Affordable Housing - Steve Gelb
3:00: Renewables for Low Income Communities - Linda Irvine, NorthwestSEED
3:15: Fresh Bucks and Access to Healthy Food for Low Income Communities - Tammy Nguyen, Got Green
3:30: Discussion and Questions
3:45: Program ends and walk to Impact Hub
4:00: Discussion/harvesting insights - Jen Davison and Derek Hoshiko
5:30: Closing ceremony
