Sustainability and the Environment
While the word “sustainability” has a different meaning depending on who you ask, the emphasis here is on what is misleadingly called “environmental sustainability” which tries to answer the long-winded question: "how can the human species, as a whole, enact lifeways, attitudes, education practice, and decision and policy making that will allow it to be compatible with, and share resources across the globe in a way that is regenerative rather than destructive, reduces the suffering and deterioration of ecological and social systems instead of exacerbating it, and values socio-technical and educational interactions that contextualize our species as integrated into nature rather than separate from it? Projects I have led related to sustainability, resilience and climate change can be found here.
Connected Worlds
A large-scale immersive public experience and research platform on sustainability science and systems thinking in the restored Great Hall at the New York Hall of Science. Click here to go to a more detailed description, links and studies of how the project was conceived, supported, developed and researched, along with the kinds of data, research and lessons learned.
Empowering Environmental Resilience Through Community Design
This program brought youth from Corona, Queens together with researchers, educators from the New York Hall of Science to explore how to build more resilient communities through a co-design process. During this process students were able to create actionable plans for addressing neighborhood problems, articulate complex ideas relating to resilience and sustainability, and demonstrate their new knowledge. The outcome was prototypes for public experiences that would empower community members to identify vulnerabilities and ways to address them. A curriculum guide based on the project is available here. It provides an overview of the program and includes sample activities, lessons learned, and reflections from facilitators and participants. This project was made possible through support from the JPB Foundation.
Massachusetts Coastal Community Network
A program sponsored by the Woods Hole Institute to bring together those who live, work, do research,​do business​, govern, recreate, relax, teach and learn in the coastal areas of Massachusetts in order to improve understanding of the threats facing our communities due to climate change, and seek solutions to adapt to these challenges. Our network is diverse and inclusive, reflecting the people who first occupied these areas, as well as more recent newcomers. View the Massachusetts Coastal Community Network project.
Salonga Wetlands Advocacy Network
A non-profit organization to advocate for and actively work to improve the quality and stability of the Fresh Pond watershed in the Village of Northport, New York. Serving as trustee and active member of the organization to strategize about major initiatives to improve the water quality, wildlife and quality of life for the community. Focus on building community understanding, support, and fundraising to reconstruct the dam, tailwater pool and flow into Long Island Sound to allow migratory river herring to return to the pond to spawn.
Hudson River Park Trust
This 400 Acre estuarine sanctuary provides critical habitat to over 85 species of fish, including seahorses, eels and striped bass, and is a vital migration corridor for birds and other wildlife. The mixing of fresh and salt water creates a dynamic, nutrient-rich ecosystem with high biodiversity.
Work with the Hudson River Park Trust and New York Department of Environmental Conservation is enlightening the citizens of New York City about the importance of the Hudson River Estuary to the region and bringing together outreach efforts of many of the regional conservation and marine science research organizations to connect with New York City residents. Projects include the development and support for the annual SUBMERGE Marine Science Festival, which includes wildlife demonstrations, performances, experiments, talks, fishing and food to help residents understand New York City’s relationship to the sea. This initiative also provided support for the development of the Hudson River Estuarium on Pier 26: in collaboration with Clarkson University, the Hudson River Park Trust and the Hudson River Sloop-Clearwater. It resulted in a comprehensive design and operational plan for the City’s only science center devoted to estuary science to improve the understanding of the estuarine habitats of New York City, their importance and influence on living systems. The construction site is located adjacent to Pier 26 in the Tribeca neighborhood.
​​Puntacana Ecological Foundation
I authored the paper “Puntacana Ecological Foundation and the Scaling of Sustainable Tourism Development” which became part of a fundraising effort for the Puntacana Ecological Foundation to study bioremediation for the village of Verón. View the Puntacana Ecological Foundation project.
