ECHO, Leahy Center Environmental Summit to focus on “Climate Change Resilient, Floodwater Smart” stewardship
The Leahy Center Environmental Summit will once again tackle the toughest of water quality issues as it brings the heaviest of hitters to ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain. On March 20 and 21, more than 150 regional environmental leaders will join forces to discuss resiliency and develop solutions to protect waterways, focusing on this year's theme of "Climate Change Resilient, Floodwater Smart."
Senator Patrick Leahy will introduce keynote speaker, United States Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, at 2 p.m. on Friday March 20. President Barack Obama describes Secretary Jewell as “an expert on the energy and climate issues that are going to shape our future.” Members of the media are invited to listen, and time for media inquiries will be designated after the talk.
More than 150 regional environmental leaders will join forces to talk about resiliency and to develop innovative solutions to preserve and protect waterways.
The summit, the theme of which is “Climate Change Resilient, Floodwater Smart,” is the second of its kind, following an inaugural event in 2013.
Goals will include:
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Building community engagement that creates social resiliency to natural disasters
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Understanding the links between climate change, a healthy water system, and managing future stormwater events
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Inspiring new behaviors - both individually and collectively - that will result in stormwater smart citizenry across Vermont and the Lake Champlain watershed
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Strengthening and creating cross-sector collaborations that will generate ongoing innovation and planning, resulting in a greater structural resilience to flooding issues.
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Leveraging the strengths of our experiences, future planning, and passion into a model for other communities.
Groups will participate in facilitated dialogue and discussion to identify and lift up existing best practices for stormwater planning and response, and then collectively envision growth initiatives, specific to defined geographic regions.
Projects developed during the summit will go with the teams back home for further refinement, engagement, and implementation.
Teams attending the event will represent Franklin County, the Mad River, Northfield, Barre, the South Lake, the White River, the Winooski River (from Richmond to Waterbury), Lewis Creek, South Windsor County, and a Statewide Community Resilience Organization group. Select attendees will represent the state, nation, and beyond.
Broad ideas and innovations will be reported by the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain and its partners.
United States