Convening and Cultivating Climate Resilient Communities

Written by: Rachel Kent 21', Dartmouth Sustainability Office Coordinator

This fall, Dartmouth had the privilege of hosting the sixth biennial Northeast ‘Local Solutions Conference: Bouncing Forward to Create Resilient Communities’ in partnership with Antioch College and NOAA. For two days, campus was humming with conversations among 175 practitioners, researchers, and advocates—folks whose everyday work is creating on-the-ground impact to make their homes more resilient in the face of a changing climate.

The gathering centered around four interdisciplinary tracks: affordable and resilient housing, community health, energy, and flood resilience. Presenters highlighted innovative, actionable steps toward mitigation and adaptation to take in each area—as well as the importance of building personal and organizational resilience to collectively weather the challenges ahead of us. Keynote speakers included NYU Professor of Sociology Eric Klinenberg, whose presentation highlighted the critical nature of social infrastructure for weathering climate disruptions, and City of Asheville Planner Clay Mitchell, who guided the city’s recovery post-Helene.

The conference was an excellent example of what is possible via the Climate Collaborative, which aims to strengthen climate scholarship and action across campus by forming the connective tissue between existing efforts. Partners from across Dartmouth’s schools, centers, and divisions joined forces to make the event possible. The Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society graciously hosted the conference, as well as joining the Sustainability Office and Earth Sciences Department to provide key event support. Faculty from schools including Arts and Sciences and Geisel spoke on panels and facilitated workshops, and the diligent work of Dartmouth’s Campus Services teams was highlighted on sustainability tours that showcased progress towards a decarbonized, climate-resilient campus.

As affirmed by keynote speaker Eric Klinenberg, the strength of our communities in the face of a changing climate can be best measured by our social connection. In this time of increasing uncertainty and disinvestment in climate solutions at the federal level, gatherings like the Local Solutions Conference serve to strengthen those vital community ties as well bolster much needed action on the ground.

Conference participants shared meals and ideas.

Conversations at a session on Energy Resilience led by Dartmouth’s Energy Justice Clinic.