Today marks the 49th Earth Day, an international celebration of our planet, as well as a day of action to protect it. Both in Greater Boston and across the world, communities are coming together around some of the biggest issues facing the planet, from climate change and rising sea levels to wildlife conservation and sustainable design.
At HUBweek, experts have convened to discuss the future of these and other topics, bringing together diverse perspectives to solve issues that will affect all of us. Check out the three panels below to learn more about what local thought leaders in real estate, academia, government, business, and more are doing to make Greater Boston a leader in fighting for our planet.
A Rising Tide
Preparing for the threat of rising sea levels caused by climate change is one of the most significant challenges that communities across the Boston area will face in our lifetimes. How can this region — which has long been defined by its proximity to major waterways — come together to face the impending obstacles that climate change will present?
Featuring: Katie Theoharides, Assistant Secretary of Climate Change, Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs; John Reilly, Senior Lecturer and Co-Director of the Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Climate Change, MIT; Mia Mansfield, Program Manager, Climate Ready Boston; Kishore Varanasi, Principal, Urban Design, CBT Architects; and Cecilia Nicolini, Chief International Officer, Opinno.
Designing for Climate Change
How can we ensure that our real estate and other infrastructure will withstand the threats posed by climate change? Boston real estate leaders are already applying forward-thinking technologies and strategies to ensure that the city's structures won't become obsolete in the face of rising tides, intense storms, and other weather events associated with global warming. Explore how Boston’s most innovative architects, developers, and thought leaders are approaching resilient design to plan for Boston’s future from a real estate perspective.
Featuring: Paul Kirshen, Professor, School for the Environment and Academic Director of the Sustainable Solutions Lab, UMass Boston; Nick Black, Managing Director, Boston Waterfront Initiative, Trustees of Reservations; Nicholas Iselin, General Manager, Development, Lendlease; and Amy Korte, Principal, Arrowstreet.
Disrupting Poaching Networks Before They Kill
Across the world, there is robust support and powerful momentum behind the conservation community's efforts to save elephants from an epidemic of poaching. But, traditional methods of catching poachers after they kill is not effectively saving wildlife. Spearheaded by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), the anti-poaching movement is transitioning toward new strategies that use progressive technology to disrupt poaching networks before they attack: In a unique collaboration among the Kenya Wildlife Service, Maasai warriors, intelligence experts, and community reporters, IFAW is gathering and analyzing vast amounts of data to predict poaching events and proactively allocate law enforcement resources at the right time and place to prevent them.
Featuring: Azzedine Downs, President and CEO, IFAW and Faye Cuevas, Senior Vice President, IFAW
