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$500 grant: From classrooms to communities
The Climate Initiative is offering $500 to the first 10 land trusts interested in holding community climate change conversations.
They believe youth can — and do — lead, and have developed and tested the curriculum. Check out the videos, articles, and resources — and email Leia if you’d like to learn more or host a program. This could be a great way to partner with area schools, teachers, and your community.
You can find out the details on the website and email Leia Lowery.
California conservation to address climate change
[In 2021] the Trust for Public Land and JPMorgan Chase announced a $500,000 collaboration to launch The Trust for Public Land’s new California Climate Conservation program, and protect natural and working lands, mitigating climate impacts for people in the Central Coast and Los Angeles County. The program will incorporate California’s climate action strategy and help achieve greater community resilience through nature-based solutions and by engaging with local communities…
Sequestering carbon while making breakfast sweeter
Vermont’s private forests play a key role in mitigating climate change — they store four times as much carbon as the state’s vehicles release each year. Selling forest carbon credits to companies and individuals working to reduce their carbon footprints provides a new source of income for individual landowners like Jessica Boone and Everett McGinley in Vermont’s Cold Hollows region, which helps them protect their forests. Unfortunately, carbon markets can be too costly for most owners of small forest parcels to join.
That’s why the Vermont Land Trust formed Vermont Forest Carbon LLC and teamed up with The Nature Conservancy, the Caron Dynamics Lab at the University of Vermont, and Cold Hollow to Canada, a local land stewardship and conservation organization, helping landowners overcome the cost barrier by working together as a single carbon project.
This is the first large-scale aggregated forest carbon project in the country, with fifteen neighbors teaming up to sell carbon credits from their land…
Solar that supports farmers, soils, water
While states and communities around the U.S. are ramping up renewable energy commitments and incentivizing solar development, many farms are struggling. There is also growing concern that solar development could displace active agricultural use on productive farmland, with impacts to farm renters, local economies, and regional food systems. Without an integrated approach, achieving clean energy goals may come at the loss of some of our most fertile and economically viable farmland to solar development.
American Farmland Trust seeks a more collaborative and sustainable path forward towards a clean energy transition that supports healthy soils, wholesome food, and vibrant farms…
Climate Change Pilot Project
South Kingstown Land Trust was invited by the University of Rhode Island’s Coastal Resource Center (CRC) to participate in a pilot project to investigate how climate change could impact land trusts — whether impacts to our land holdings themselves or to our priorities for preservation.
For Rhode Island, the likely effects of climate change will include sea-level rise and increases in air and water temperature, precipitation, and storminess. The study was funded by the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council…
Eastern Oregon Climate Change Coalition
The Blue Mountain Land Trust provides a landing page to elevate a coalition working to slow down, and adapt to, climate change:
“Eastern Oregon Climate Change Coalition (EOC3) strives to facilitate education, collaboration, and adaptation to our changing climate. Their monthly presentations use scientific, research-based information to seek a sustainable future for communities, individuals, businesses, and families…”
Climate Tip of the Week
If your land trust is wondering how to post on social media, check out the Northshore Land Alliance. They provide a range of ideas from natural climate solutions to energy conservation. Here’s an example:
Climate tip of the week:
Invest in energy-efficient appliances for a greener home, environment — and pocket. 
Since Energy Star products were first implemented nationally in 1987, efficiency standards for dozens of appliances have kept 2.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide out of the air — roughly the same amount as the annual carbon pollution output of nearly 440 million cars. Most ES-certified products use 20 to 30 percent less energy than comparable products, without any loss in performance. The efficiency of many appliances has actually skyrocketed. For example, modern clothes washers use 68% less energy than those manufactured in 1990.
Buying energy-efficient products is the lowest-cost way to reduce emissions, lower your electric and gas bills, and decrease water use. The next time you replace any electricity- or gas-consuming appliance in your home, look for the star. Plus, it will send the message to manufacturers that energy efficiency is an important quality in all products.
Local action, national purpose
The 11th annual American Climate Leadership Summit 2022 (ACLS 2022) brings together world-class speakers and diverse national and local leaders for four days of sharing and collaboration. It is the only national convening exclusively dedicated to building broad public support and political resolve for climate action. ACLS 2022 welcomes climate leaders of all levels — particularly those who are new and active at the local level.
Join thousands of leaders like you who seek new connections and practical and immediately actionable guidance for engaging everyone, every day for just and equitable climate solutions. A special thanks to the Land Trust Alliance for helping to spread the word. If you are a member of the Alliance, this conference is free (use the code ACLS22LTA).
Learning from a climate series
Rising to the Challenge has unpacked important findings, going well beyond the “basics.” Our report and six-part series have revealed the unique ways in which our streams, wildlife, and communities are impacted by a warming climate and extreme weather.
You can review the past workshop series and suggested actions, too.
The Nature Conservancy tool helps identify ideal solar farm sites in Georgia
They compared that information to maps of critical habitat, protected lands, and prime farmland. And they put their results into a free online tool.
It allows developers, natural resource agencies, and others to identify low-impact locations for new solar farms. And Gutierrez says the tool finds plenty of them…