Climate Resiliency with Bianca Butts
“I recently had the opportunity to present at the US Water Alliance’s One Water Summit on a panel discussing water equity at the national conference held in Minneapolis. Representatives from Buffalo and Milwaukee were also on the panel, and it was the most popular session at the convening! I presented on the panel about water equity and climate resilience in Cleveland as well as describing the work we have done at Cleveland Neighborhood Progress. Additionally, I worked with partners to make an existing neighborhood space available as a cooling center during high heat events located in Central Kinsman. The purpose of the cooling center is to provide shelter for residents in air conditioning from high heat days. Something interesting that I have planned for August is a waste audit to see how our office manages waste, while examining other internal sustainability practices such as composting. Recently, I’ve been involved in a project to examine the demand for green infrastructure maintenance across Lake, Lorain, Cuyahoga, Medina, and Geauga counties. The hope is that the demand study will inform potential workforce development certifications related to green infrastructure maintenance ensuring the viability of current and future projects. Lastly, Detroit Shoreway recently put on a series of fun outdoor programming in partnership with Recess Cle that allows people to interact outside using recess activities while learning about climate resiliency and other resources for residents are shared. They incorporated food and games to add to the overall experience”.