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Pitched Roof Solar
Mendocino Land Trust

Moving forward, going solar

Check out this post from a while back; it's as relevant as ever. Partnerships or local collaborations can be a great way to inspire folks to take action. Can you think of partnerships like this in your community?

If this is the year you finally want to go solar, give Mendocino Solar Service a call. Not only will they be happy to answer all of your questions and set up a free on site consultation, but if you mention the Mendocino Land Trust, Mendocino Solar will make a $500 donation to MLT upon the completed installation of your 3 kW or larger solar photovoltaic system! What could be better?…

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Mendocino Smiles
Mendocino Land Trust

Climate change and care

Your local land trust can help talk about climate change by showing solutions and connecting around issues that people care about. People are looking to land trusts to make it clear that we have to act now—and how to do that creatively and thoughtfully.

Rising sea-level? Weird weather patterns of droughts and flooding? Violent storms? Is it true that large portions of the Antarctic ice shelves are collapsing into the ocean? Are glaciers really melting at an unprecedented rate? Even if true, there’s little we can do about such global phenomena, right?

These changes, associated with the heating of the earth’s atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels, are really happening. Climate change is real. And the Mendocino Land Trust takes exception to the idea that little can be done in the face of climate change…

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Yellow Warbler
Shutterstock

Free 3-week series for land trusts to address climate change

Even if you aren't located in Wisconsin, this free 3-week series on climate change could be a good opportunity to consider natural climate solutions to climate change.

Addressing climate change is a high priority among Wisconsin land trusts. In this three-week series, explore roles your land trust can play in slowing climate change and adapting to changes that we are already seeing on the landscape.

Sessions topics: 
Framing the challenges and opportunities; leveraging tools for climate resilience strategies; developing carbon markets

In order to maximize your learning experience, they recommend you sign up and participate in all three sessions. Get the most out of the learning cohort, including resources for learning between sessions.

Session information:
Cost: FREE
Dates: Thursdays February 18, February 25, and March 4, 2021
Time: 1:30–3:00 p.m. CST

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Lowell Parks And Conservation Trust
Lowell Land Trust

Climate change forum, October 1st

Land trusts are recognizing that their pledge to conserve land and water necessitates helping the public understand the serious impacts and threats of climate change to their local landscapes. The key, as with all climate communication designed to initiate action, is to face reality and provide hope and solutions.

This small and innovative land trust raising awareness about a climate change forum, hosted by Lowell City of Learning and UMass Lowell Climate Change Initiative. The presentation will be led by UMass Lowell faculty. The timing is on pointe as climate change is increasingly on people’s minds. This short, one-hour, virtual event will cover a number of topics including:

  • How are the western US wildfires related to climate change?
  • How will acting on climate change affect the economy?
  • What if we do nothing?
  • What are some of the solutions to climate change that are already here?
  • Are there any solutions that we haven’t heard about yet?
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Owl
Pixabay

Climate Change Initiative

Natural climate solutions can currently play an important role in slowing down climate change. Helping your community know they are part of the solution could help people view land conservation in their backyards with new urgency.

The Northwest Arkansas Land Trust has been working on meeting people where they are and finding common ground around natural climate solutions and climate conversations.

Their website explains these three areas of focus as well as the projected impacts of climate change.

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Solar And Ag
Hyperion Systems, LLC

Farmland and Compatible Solar Webinar Series

You and your land trust don't have to host all the programs nor be an expert in climate change to make a difference. Instead, you can share information to help inspire those around you. American Farmland Trust has a number of very interesting webinar discussions for you to share.

Farmland is a critical resource in our country, particularly in areas that are heavily forested or developed. American Farmland Trust recently released the Farms Under Threat report, documenting those challenges.

Yet climate change is the most significant threat to conservation we have ever faced. Rather than remove forests, many are locating solar fields on agricultural lands. Can it be done well? Yes.

Find out how in this webinar series focusing on smart solar siting, balancing solar siting with conservation, growing the solar market, and turning state and local priorities into sound policy. While this is focused on New England, there will be many transferable concepts for wherever you are located.

Webinars are free and running on September 23, September 30, October 7, and October 15. 

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Drone Above Road And Evergreens
Geran de Klerk on Unsplash

It’s time for businesses to aim higher. Here’s one way to do it—natural climate solutions

This is the sort of article you can share with community members, businesses, and your local land trust. Granted, with Covid-19, businesses are often facing lower cash-flow. But that's not to say you can't start planting the seeds of what could be possible once we get through the worst of this pandemic.

Corporations are (rightly) first focused on reducing their emissions. That’s absolutely where they need to start, and it should be their highest climate-related priority. Thanks to pressure by activists, customers, shareholders and employees, companies are now taking action. They’re not waiting for government regulations mandating them to do so. They’re doing what they can to reduce their carbon emissions by using less energy and switching to renewables.

And when they can’t reduce further, they are now also committing to purchase large volumes of offsets to reach carbon neutrality. Some companies go even further and aim to reach net negative.

This is where NCS enters the picture…

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Big Solar Panel
Maine Audubon

Climate change and community impact

Is your land trust, or local community, looking for ways to connect and inspire change around climate change? You might be able to replicate what Maine Audubon has been doing.

Climate communication 101 involves meeting people where they are, connecting with that they see, and finding ways for people to participate in the climate solution in a manner that also adds value to their lives.

Maine Audubon has done just that with its Climate Spotlight series. Audubon’s research has documented that if left unchecked climate change will cause the loss of millions of birds. They’re playing a leadership role and helping to frame the issue:

“Climate change is the biggest environmental issue facing Maine, and we’re not backing down. Maine Audubon’s new Climate Spotlight series is aimed at giving consumers and advocates the information they need to take action and understand how climate change impacts Maine. Topics in this free online discussion series include: getting involved in rooftop and community solar; natural climate solutions; transportation; and home energy efficiency.”

Check it out, and see if this is something you could create in your community.

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Eastern Shore Climate Adaptation Partnership

Grant for climate resilience outreach, education

This initiative also protects open spaces for public enjoyment in the form of parks, trails, and hunting lands. The threats of climate change compound the need for coordinated land protection effort to ensure a vibrant Delmarva Peninsula for years to come.

Eastern Shore Land Conservancy: This project, entitled “Rise and Thrive: Building Understanding and Support for Climate Action on Maryland’s Eastern Shore,” is the second grant awarded to ESLC’s coastal resilience program by the Rauch Foundation in as many years.

The purpose of this project is to directly engage public and private audiences in order to build regional public support for climate adaptation solutions. The Eastern Shore of Maryland is the country’s third most vulnerable region to sea level rise, behind south Florida and Louisiana. Because of the threats of increased flooding, the loss of properties, and widespread ecological impacts, ESLC is working with communities to take action on these threats today…

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Black And White Farmers
Dorie Hagler

Opinion: Climate change is a local issue

One of the critical aspects of climate change work is to talk about it, ground it in the local reality of what people are experiencing, and then show how they can be part of the solution. Here's an example of an opinion piece in the press:

“It seems clear that many residents of Taos understand and are experiencing signs of different climate evolving here and wish our government to acknowledge that we need to alter our planning for this future. Fortunately for Taos, we have had in place for many years a mechanism for landowners to preserve this kind of land—Taos Land Trust.

But the town and county need to acknowledge and put into place official protections for arable land. And, of course, aside from forever destroying arable, acequia-watered land, an entity like Family Dollar only chips away at the unique beauty of the authentic New Mexican village like El Prado…”

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