Track 1: Advancing Equitable Adaptation

This track will focus on how to build momentum for equitable adaptation in ways that drive systemic change and deliver tangible benefits to historically under-served, under-represented, and under-invested communities.

Key challenge questions may include: How have communities worked to spearhead neighborhood-level climate resilience initiatives? How should decision-makers invest in and support California’s Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities to build climate resilience in ways that address historic and ongoing inequities? How can we ensure a just and resilient transition? What organizational changes would best support equitable community resilience?

Track Intro Webinar

Mon, July 12 • 1:00-2:30pm

Track Workshop #1

Tues, July 27 • 10:00am-12:00pm

Track Workshop #2

Mon, Aug 16 • 10:00am-12:00pm

Track Workshop #3

Mon, Sept 27 • 10:00am-12:00pm

Track Outcomes Webinar

Mon, Oct 18 • 2:00-3:30pm

Harnessing Disruption & Change: Welcome to Advancing Equitable Adaptation

Monday, July 12 • 1:00-2:30pm

In less than 2 years, our nation has experienced a generational racial reckoning, a once-in-a-century public health crisis, all while the climate crisis churns on affecting frontline communities first and worst. We have all had to adapt and pivot, while also coming to terms with the injustices that have always been with us. This introductory session to Advancing Equitable Adaptation will have thought leaders share their reflections on this moment and how we can harness our collective shock and momentum, to power our ongoing adaptation to the “new normal”. This includes lessons learned in the past year from COVID and the racial justice uprisings, how we can apply this to our climate movement, and what is possible in embracing uncertainty and change.

Speakers

Brooke Anderson | Community Organizer, Movement Generation

Peter Nelson | Professor, UC Berkeley Environmental Science, Policy, Management

Presentation

Dismantling White Supremacy

Tuesday, July 27 • 10:00am-12:00pm

The first workshop for Track 1: Advancing Equitable Adaptation will focus on white supremacy in the workplace: how it shows up, how it affects adaptation efforts, and how to begin dismantling racism from the inside out. This workshop intends to center the work of this track in our present reality – the hard truths we must face head-on in order to deeply integrate equity into our adaptation work. This highly interactive workshop will include a set of breakout discussions, time for reflection, and brief presentations. As the first workshop, we will also discuss group norms and overall challenges related to advancing equitable adaptation to inform future workshops. We hope you can join us for this important conversation!

Actualizing Racial Equity in Climate Adaptatiom

Monday, August 16 • 10:00am-12:00pm

The first workshop explored how white supremacy shows up in the workplace and in adaptation work – and strategies for dismantling white supremacy to create a more equitable and inclusive culture. This workshop dove deeper into how adaptation practitioners can intentionally integrate equity principles and practices into climate adaptation processes to actualize racial equity goals. Participants will hear case studies and engage in breakout discussions to share their own ideas, strategies, resources, and lessons learned.

Moving Slow + Fast: Resilience Strategies and Processes with Purpose

Monday, September 27 • 10:00am-12:00pm

Balancing the need to move quickly to meet the demands of a changing climate with intentional, equitable processes can seem like an impossible task. In this session, participants will hear from three leaders about how they have structured processes for developing innovative resilience strategies to meet these twin goals for equity and expediency. The session will lift up concrete, emerging strategies for addressing climate adaptation, ideas for designing engagement activities for both in-person and virtual participation, and insight into simultaneously maintaining both trust and momentum in broader resilience work.

Agenda

Notes

Jamboard

Track 1: Advancing Equitable Adaptation Outcomes Webinar

Monday, October 18 • 2:00-3:30pm

Thanks to the dedication of long-time environmental justice leaders and communities, calls for equitable and inclusive adaptation planning, decision-making, and implementation now reverberate throughout the adaptation community. Their calls are clear: Honor our inherent resilience and lived experiences. Authentically involve frontline communities in decision-making. Work in partnership with communities to dismantle unjust systems. This webinar will highlight key takeaways from the track’s workshop series and case studies featuring equitable adaptation practices that drive systemic change and deliver tangible benefits to historically under-served, under-represented, and under-invested communities.

Presentation

Track 1 Facilitators

Hoi-Fei Mok

Sustainability Manager | City of San Leandro

Dr. Hoi-Fei Mok (they/them) is the sustainability manager at City of San Leandro, leading the City’s implementation of the Climate Action Plan and other sustainability programs. With a strong interdisciplinary background in environmental science, climate policy, and social justice, Fei aims to build out equitable community-driven strategies for local resilience and agency to climate change in their hometown of San Leandro. Fei currently serves on the California Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) Climate Network, the national NAACP Centering Equity in Building Energy Sector Initiative, the National Adaptation Forum equity advisory committee, and the Bay Area Climate Adaptation Network (BayCAN) equity working group. Fei’s other work includes climate and food justice research; substantial ecological field research in Costa Rica, Tibet, and Australia; and community organizing and art with anti-racist queer trans people of color organizations in Australia and the Bay Area. Fei completed their Ph.D. in Agriculture and Food Systems at the University of Melbourne and a B.A. in Biochemistry from Wellesley College with summa cum laude honors.

Monica Palmeira

Senior Analyst | California Public Utilities Commission

Monica Palmeira was born and raised in Eastern North Carolina as a first-generation American with parents originally from Portugal. Her professional background includes ethnographic research, affordable housing advocacy, climate policy, and community engagement. In her current role as an Analyst at the California Public Utilities Commission, she focuses on implementing the Commission’s Environmental and Social Justice Action Plan across energy, telecommunications, water, wildfire, rail, and safety and enforcement divisions. Monica has also served as Community Assistance Program Manager for the Strategic Growth Council at the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, where she spearheaded various outreach and technical assistance programs to support communities in accessing climate-related funding programs. Additional roles have included Policy & Programs Specialist at California Coalition for Rural Housing and as managing director at the Marian Cheek Jackson Center, a dynamic public history and community organizing center in Chapel Hill, NC. She received a B.A. in International Studies and Public Policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Southern California.

Nick Tipon

Member Graton Rancheria | Point Blue Board of Directors

Nick Tipon is a retired high school teacher and is a current Board member of Point Blue Conservation Science and Fibershed. He is an enrolled member and elder of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. He lectures on a variety of topics related to changes to Native American cultural resources, archaeology, curation of artifacts and the treatment of Native American cultural resources. Among his current interests is investigating the effects of the colonialism and the “contact period” between his ancestors, the Russians, English and Spanish and he is studying the impacts of climate change on sacred Tribal resources and lands from a cultural perspective.

Register for The Grand Adaptation Challenge!

Join climate leaders from across the state for an engaging and newly imagined California Adaptation Forum, taking place virtually June-October 2021. This year, we’re combining keynotes, informative webinars, and interactive workshops to address key climate challenges faced by California’s communities and adaptation practitioners. We hope you can join us!