climate

Advancing Environmental & Climate Justice in CT

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Romina Flores Diaz, a political science student at UConn Hartford, and Mayra Rodríguez González, our urban and community forestry assistant extension educator, advanced UConn CAHNR’s strategic vision through their collaborative research on Resilient Cities, Racism, and Equity. At the Undergraduate Research Conference in Storrs, Romina presented an evidence-based approach to achieve environmental and climate justice in communities.

Achieving environmental and climate justice requires innovative strategies. What is the best approach?

  • Amplifying Community Voices
  • Promoting Inclusive Programming
  • Building Intergenerational Capacity
  • Centering Marginalized Identities
  • Promoting Equity In Management

Learn more about projects and efforts at s.uconn.edu/urban

Woman smiling with a research poster in the background
Romina Flores Diaz, Department of Political Science, University of Connecticut Hartford

UConn CAHNR is committed to improving quality of life and creating a sustainable future. Through scientific discovery, innovation, education, and community engagement the College has been working to achieve the set strategic initiatives: 

  • Ensuring a Vibrant and Sustainable Agricultural Industry and Food Supply
  • Enhancing Health and Well-Being Locally, Nationally, and Globally
  • Promoting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice
  • Advancing Adaptation and Resilience in a Changing Climate
  • Fostering Sustainable Landscapes at the Urban-Rural Interface

Read more at: https://cahnr.uconn.edu/strategic-vision/

Climate Smart Agriculture

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Interested in making your farm more resilient? Concerned about climate change? Join us at the Litchfield County Extension Center on February 9 to learn about ways to enable your operation to be sustainable. Dinner provided! For more information and to register, visit: https://nwcd.org/events/

For special accommodations, please contact info@nwcd.org

Online Environmental Courses Available

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wetlands with blue sky and cloudsThe Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) is the new home to a suite of online certificate trainings. The CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) offers online certificate courses for new and existing land use officials charged with protecting our environment. DEEP asked CLEAR to host them to expand reach and access. DEEP issues a Certificate of Achievement upon successful course completion. The courses are not limited to municipal officials. DEEP encourages participation by anyone interested in learning about land use in Connecticut—all courses are free. Online training modules from CLEAR’s Land Use Academy and Adapt CT, as well as links to training schedules for the New Farms and Farmers and the Geospatial Training programs are also available.

DEEP Certificate Trainings

  • Aquifer Protection Program Technical Training
  • Municipal Inland Wetlands Agency Comprehensive Training Program
  • Hazardous Waste Management Training
  • The 21st Century Resilient Business: How Managing Chemicals Can Help You Weather the Storm (in development)

We offer several online courses, in conjunction with the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP), for new and existing land use officials charged with protecting our environment. DEEP issues a Certificate of Achievement upon successful course completion. The courses are not limited to municipal officials; DEEP encourages participation by anyone interested in learning about land use in Connecticut—all courses are free.

Register at https://s.uconn.edu/course

Fenwick Living Shoreline

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Connecticut shoreline and living shoreline
Photo: Juliana Barrett

The Hepburn Preserve is a 4-acre beach, dune and brackish tidal wetland habitat owned by the Lynde Point Land Trust, located in the Borough of Fenwick in Old Saybrook. Storm events have caused serious erosion of the area when strong winds and waves hit the shoreline, compounded by shoreline changes due to nearby seawalls and groins. Several major coastal storms overtopped or breached the dunes including Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 and Superstorm Sandy in 2012. A permanent breach, compounded by sea level rise, would cause long term changes to this marsh system. 

As a solution, an innovative hybrid living shoreline was proposed, designed and implemented at the site to decrease erosion of the beach/dune habitat, create marsh habitat along the shoreline, and aid in the protection of the dune system. Living shorelines are a green infrastructure technique to aid in shoreline stabilization using native marsh vegetation. Sometimes low sills (such as rock or oyster reefs) are incorporated into living shoreline designs, hence the term, “hybrid” living shoreline. The purpose of a sill is to break and slow wave energy. Sills are placed parallel to the shoreline with the length and height dependent on site requirements. When multiple sills are used, large enough spaces between sills is required to allow for movement of marine organisms. 

This project supports the “It Takes a Village” theme. The land trust, Borough of Fenwick officials and local residents had started to meet years before this living shoreline was implemented to educate each other and to research and discuss various options. They spoke with many different groups, including Connecticut Sea Grant/UConn Extension, on how they might best proceed and what their options for a living shoreline might be. Many partners were brought together with the Connecticut River Conservancy taking the lead on a Long Island Sound Study Futures Fund grant that funded part of the implementation. Visit climate.uconn.edu for more information.

Article by Juliana Barrett

New Sea Grant Staff to Work on Climate Initiatives

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three people standing in front of a jeep

If experience really is the best teacher, Deborah Abibou and Alicia Tyson have been to some of the prime places to learn about community resilience work.

Those include locations facing some of the biggest challenges from sea level rise, intensifying storms and other climate change effects: Puerto Rico, Louisiana, Peru and Costa Rica. Now, they’re ready to apply the knowledge they’ve gained toward helping Connecticut’s coastal communities with those same challenges. It’s a task they’re taking on with enthusiasm.

“I’m excited to get to work,” said Tyson.

“I’m really looking forward to diving in,” said Abibou.

The two joined the Connecticut Sea Grant staff on Nov. 19, filling new positions as sustainable and resilient community extension educators. Abibou will be based out of the New Haven County Extension Center in North Haven to focus mainly on coastal communities in the western half of the state. Tyson will work out of the UConn Avery Point campus in Groton to focus on the eastern half. Read more…

UConn Environment Corps

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Connecting Students to Communities

group of people in orange vests and masks looking at landscapeRiverfront climate resilience. Low impact development practices to reduce stormwater runoff. Brownfields redevelopment grant proposals. Forest resilience planning. The impact of sea level rise on marinas. What do all these things have in common? They are all the focus of projects conducted for Connecticut communities by undergraduates enrolled in the Environment Corps, a new educational model gaining momentum at UConn.

in this ambitious project that combines undergraduate classroom instruction, service learning, and Extension outreach to the benefit of both the students and the communities of Connecticut. The UConn Environment Corps (“E-Corps”), funded by a five-year grant from the National Science Foundation, is designed to get students real world experience in tackling some of today’s most thorny environmental problems as they conduct projects in partnership with town and cities across the state. The project involves an impressive coalition within UConn that includes four schools/colleges, five academic departments, four University centers, and the Provost’s Office.

E-Corps is an outgrowth of the success of the Climate Corps, a three-year pilot project that began in 2016 and is focused on the local impacts of, and responses to, climate change. The Climate Corps is taught by a team of two Extension educators, Juliana Barrett from the Connecticut Sea Grant College Program and Bruce Hyde from the UConn Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR). With the Climate Corps, Juliana, Bruce and the extended project team pioneered the E-Corps approach, that combines a semester of interactive classroom work with a second semester of independent study where student teams work on projects designed to assist Connecticut communities.

The Climate Corps was joined by the Brownfield Corps in 2018, developed and taught by Maria Chrysochoou and Nefeli Bompoti of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE). The Brownfields Corps is a key part of the new Connecticut Brownfields Initiative, also led by CEE. Then, with the spring semester of 2020 came the debut of the Stormwater Corps, taught by Extension educators Mike Dietz, Dave Dickson and Chet Arnold from CLEAR. The success of all three courses depends heavily on the relationships built between these faculty members and the communities of Connecticut, enabling the development of student projects that bring real value to the towns and cities partnering with UConn.

The NSF grant has resulted in the expansion of the original team to include other players at UConn. Experts from the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) now assist the course instructors on teaching techniques, and researchers from the Neag School of Education are conducting studies on the impact of the E-Corps model on students, faculty, communities, and the University itself. With 244 students and 53 community projects to date, there is already evidence that the project is having impact. In the case of students, the impact may be broader than the team originally conceived. E-Corps was originally designed to target students majoring in Environmental Sciences, Environmental Studies, and Environmental Engineering, but has already attracted students from 15 other majors, including both STEM (e.g., Biological Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering) and non-STEM (e.g., Economics, English, Political Science, Urban and Community Studies) fields.

One goal of the overall project is to extend the reach of the E-Corps model by making it adaptable to other disciplines at UConn, and eventually to peers at other universities. Much of this will depend upon the team’s ability to fashion a faculty and student support system at UConn that can ensure the sustainability of the model beyond the end of the grant. So, stay tuned!

Article by Chet Arnold

Highlights of Extension Report

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Committed to a Sustainable Future

Highlights of Extension report cover with blue bars and photos of agriculture, health, and sustainabilityConnecticut has faced challenges related to sustainable landscapes, food and agriculture, health, and the climate for generations. As problems are solved, new issues arise. Our educators faced the unprecedented challenges of 2020 and pivoted programs to offer life transfor­mative education despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Programming moved to virtual environ­ments through online certificate programs, virtual field days, WebEx meetings, and YouTube videos. Our educators created and released 318 new videos on YouTube. These videos reached 305,200 people and had 39,501 viewers that watched 1,200 hours of Extension instruction.

One of every nine Connecticut residents struggled with food insecurity before COVID-19. For many individuals and families, challenges surrounding food inse­curity increased when the pandemic arrived and continued throughout 2020. The stress associated with food insecurity challenges one of the most basic human needs and deepens income and health disparities.

UConn Extension programs addressed the food insecurity challenges that our community members are facing due to COVID-19. Educators coordinated dairy foods donations to help address food inse­curity challenges—facilitating the donation of over 160,000 pounds of dairy products statewide.

Extension works collaboratively with our partners and stakeholders to find solutions that improve our communities. We serve thousands of people every year. Our work is in every town and city of the state and the broader impacts make Connecticut a better place to live for all of us.

The human, environmental, and agricul­tural issues that we face change. The needs of our residents’ change. Our commitment to providing life transformative education remains steadfast.

Read the report at s.uconn.edu/extensionhighlights.

What is Extension – New Video Released

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UConn Extension connects thousands of people across Connecticut and beyond each year, with the research and resources of the University of Connecticut’s College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources. We are comprised of more than 100 educators and a vast network of volunteers. UConn Extension works collaboratively to build more resilient communities through educational initiatives aimed to cultivate a sustainable future and develop tomorrow’s leaders. The work of UConn Extension connects communities and individuals to help make Connecticut a better place to live, and a better place for future generations.

UConn Extension: Committed to a Sustainable Future 

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fall newsletter collage of three pictures and story titles

Connecticut has faced challenges related to sustainable landscapes, food and agriculture, health, and the climate for generations. As problems are solved, new issues arise. UConn Extension educators work in all 169 cities and towns of Connecticut to help solve the problems that our residents, communities, and state face. Connecting people with agriculture, the natural environment, and healthy lifestyles are critical components to a sustainable future. Extension works collaboratively with our partners and stakeholders to find solutions that improve our communities for the next generation.

Read the fall newsletter.

Connecting Towns and UConn Students

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LID tour on UConn Campus
Climate Corps students tour low impact development on the UConn Storrs campus. Photo: Chet Arnold

UConn received a $2.25 million grant from the National Science Foundation to expand and study a new public engagement program that combines teaching, service learning, and Extension outreach. The program is called the Environment Corps and focuses on using STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) skills to address important environmental issues like climate adaptation, brownfields remediation, and stormwater management at the municipal level.

Environment Corps combines the familiar elements of classroom instruction, service learning and UConn Extension’s work with communities in a unique way that allows students to develop STEM skills and get “real world” experience as preparation for the work force, while communities receive help in responding to environmental mandates that they often lack the resources to address on their own.

The Environment Corps project is built on an extensive partnership at UConn. It includes faculty from four schools and colleges in five departments: Natural Resources and the Environment, Extension, Geography, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Educational Curriculum and Instruction. In addition, the project involves four university centers, all three environmental major programs, and the Office of the Provost. Learn more about the Environment Corps at clear.uconn.edu.

Article by Chet Arnold