Trainings & Events

Join Main Street America from April 12-14 as they go virtual for the 2021 Main Street Now Conference! With three days of immersive online content and networking opportunities, the conference will provide participants with the opportunity to reflect on how the events of the past year have changed our work and how we can rebuild stronger, more equitable Main Streets for the future. You’ll hear from national thought leaders, leading Main Street experts, and local practitioners on strategies for strengthening your organization, supporting your small businesses, telling your story, and so much more!

The comprehensive regional coastal resiliency infrastructure system that is necessary to prevent the existential inundation of the fifteen Boston Harbor municipalities that flood through Boston Harbor will cost billions of dollars regardless of whether it is a wholly land based system or a layered defense system consisting of a regional harbor-wide sea gate system to protect against storm surge and local municipal sea walls to protect against sea level rise.

In order to ensure the timely and cost-effective construction of a Boston Harbor regional coastal resiliency system that saves lives, protects property, and meets our social justice and environmental goals, state and local policy makers must consider all available finance options now and move expeditiously to have a regional “shovel worthy” plan that can optimize federal, state and local funding.

This EBC Climate Change webinar, co-hosted by the Environmental Business Council of New England, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority Advisory Board, and the Suffolk University Real Estate Center, will focus on funding options for a regional Boston Harbor coastal resiliency system that would protect the fifteen cities and towns that flood throughout Boston Harbor.

The webinar includes presentations on the current status of the trillion-dollar infrastructure funding proposals that are now being formulated by the Biden Administration and the United States Congress; existing FEMA, HUD, and other federal coastal infrastructure construction grant programs; the new US Army Corps of Engineers coastal infrastructure construction grant pilot program; current and proposed Massachusetts state coastal infrastructure construction grant programs; and innovative alternative funding options.

A robust discussion with the audience will conclude this webinar.
 

New sources of funding for climate resilience will be the focus of this Resilient Cities! webinar on Tuesday, April 13. A three-person panel will include Connecticut State Senator Christine Cohen who introduced climate adaptation legislation HB 6441. The panel will also include Brian Garcia, head of the Connecticut Green Bank, since this legislation would create an Environmental Infrastructure Fund within the Green Bank. James Finch, the finance director in the town of Branford will be the third panelist to describe the town's approach to creating a climate resilience reserve.
 

Join us for a discussion about how community engaged research partnerships can advance climate justice. Hear about the use of data-driven citizen science when addressing public health issues emerging from the climate crisis, such as extreme heat.

Speakers:

- Mayra Cruz, Climate Resilience Program Manager, Catalyst Miami

- Tiffany Troxler, Research Scientist and Associate Professor, Southeast Environmental Research Center and the Department of Biological Sciences at Florida International University

- Moderator: Nancy Smith, Program Manager for Community Engagement, Boston Public Health Commission
 

This talk will introduce the fundamental ideas on how adapting forests to changing climate conditions supports forest carbon sequestration and storage. Dr. Todd Ontl will outline principles of carbon stocks and cycling within forest ecosystems and the impacts of management actions through the lens of climate risk and vulnerability, and various approaches for enhancing the carbon sequestration capacity of coastal forests in the northeastern U.S. This presentation will provide examples of how forest managers are integrating goals of climate adaptation with targets for increasing the carbon mitigation capacity of their forests, and provide a look ahead to opportunities in the region to support landowners and land trusts interested in forest carbon management.
 

Join SolSmart and the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) to learn about how cities and counties across the country are accelerating residential solar adoption through the implementation of Solarize campaigns. RMI will discuss its work under the Renewables Accelerator which includes technical assistance to a cohort of communities. This work involves expanding solar access to communities of color as well as helping cities and counties make progress towards community wide clean energy goals.

SolSmart, a national designation program which evaluates local government programs and practices that impact solar markets will discuss how communities can take advantage of the no cost technical assistance it provides. SolSmart identifies high-prospect opportunities for improvement and recognizes communities for their efforts. The webinar will highlight successes from two communities, both SolSmart designated and also participating in the Renewables Accelerator cohort.

SolSmart credits in the Permitting & Inspection and Community Engagement categories are available for the selected cities and counties undertaking certain specified activities in the Renewables Accelerator cohort. Register for the webinar to learn more.
 

Accurate statistics about 2020 will rely on much more than the decennial census data collection. Developing reliable data will require an understanding of challenges resulting from the pandemic, combined with greater use of non-traditional sources like administrative records. The solutions to these problems will impact how data is gathered going forward for a variety of purposes: education, housing, economic development, public health, and more.

Register today for this series of town hall events and trainings. During this workshop series you will learn more about the quality of the data that state and local leaders rely on and how you can improve and supplement it.
 

This 90-minute webinar will explore and discuss the role of cities in spurring ZEV adoption and the role of provincial and national governments in supporting and enabling cities to do so.

C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group will provide an overview of the role of city governments in encouraging ZEV adoption through their Green and healthy streets initiative and zero emission area (ZEA) research.

The government of the City of Seattle will present on their new Transport Electrification Blueprint and their strategy to implement ZEAs.

The UK Government will share its work and perspective on how central governments can support local governments to increase ZEV uptake in their area.  

Finally, IKEA will provide a business perspective, shed light into the importance of government regulation, how this influences business choices, as well as the benefits from switching to EVs. 

The ZEV (zero emission vehicle) Community brings together all levels of governments through a series of webinars to share and learn about exciting ZEV initiatives taking place around the world. Members of the Under2 Coalition, the ZEV Alliance, C40 Cities and the U.S. Climate Alliance are all invited to join.
 

This EBC Climate Change webinar will explore how Massachusetts municipalities are using their delegated legislative and regulatory authorities to become more resilient to climate change. Municipal officials from across the Commonwealth will share transferrable examples of bylaws, ordinances, and regulations enacted and lessons learned from their implementation. Case studies will address a range of climate change impacts, including coastal and riverine flooding, stormwater, and extreme heat. They will also cover a range of tools, such as zoning overlays, design guidelines, wetlands regulations, and administrative and funding ordinances.

A robust panel discussion with the audience will conclude the webinar.
 

Come and join the University of Connecticut School of Law’s Center for Energy & Environmental Law for Energy Justice: Prioritizing Equity in the Greener Grid, a conference celebrating Earth Day and exploring through an equity lens. Speakers and Panelists will discuss topics ranging from fairness of our fuel choices, the critical choices made now for a just path to a greener future, and the equity and challenges for grid reliability, using the recent issues from Texas as a starting point. The day will end with a discussion focused on the future of Connecticut’s energy policy. This conference will be offered through an online platform. April 16, 2021 from 9am until 1pm (approximately).

More information on the Center for Energy and Environmental Law can be found here.
 

Dr. Michelle Bell, Professor of Environmental Health at Yale's School of the Environment, investigates how human health is affected by atmospheric systems, including health impacts of climate change and environmental justice. Much of her work is based in epidemiology, biostatistics, and environmental engineering. The research is designed to be policy-relevant and contribute to well-informed decision-making to better protect human health and benefit society. As part of Yale's Center on Climate Change and Health Seminar Series, join Dr. Bell for a discussion on wildfires, air pollution, and public health issues.
 

This is the April meeting of Connecticut's Equity in Data Community of Practice. It is open to anyone who works with data that is interested in this topic.

In March CTData hosted a session with the Urban Institute on their report, Principles for Advancing Equitable Data Practice. In April, CT's Equity in Data Community of Practice will be bringing examples from our own work so we can continue to learn how to apply these principles.

When you sign up for this session you will receive a recording so you can catch up with what you've missed. You can also access the report here.

About this group:

Connecticut's Equity in Data Community of Practice are a group of data users in Connecticut who are supporting one another as they work toward more equitable data practices. They focus on racial equity explicitly but not exclusively.

Learn more about the Equity in Data Community of Practice here.

Some of the topics will include:

- How can we make sure we don't make certain groups invisible through how we disaggregate our data?

- How can we learn to focus our attention on the strengths, rather than the deficits, of groups we are seeking to serve or support?

- How can we learn from the people who we hope will benefit from our products or services about what their data means to them?

- How can we help the institutions that we are part of to be trustworthy so that people will trust us with their information/data?

Please feel free to come to the session even if you've never been before. And if it is helpful, please share it!
 

Land use planners, property owners, and watershed managers need all the help that they can get to reduce the impacts of nitrogen (N) pollution on waterways, particularly in coastal areas. CLEAR, URI and EPA have developed an online tool, N-Sink, that provides some of this help. N-Sink identifies areas within a watershed that are likely to contribute N to coastal waters, and other areas that are likely to remove N from the system before it gets to the coast. The tool now covers all of the coastal watersheds of Connecticut and Rhode Island. This 30-minute webinar will describe the workings behind the tool, demonstrate the new N-Sink web app, and initiate a discussion on ways that the information might be used.
 

Many communities struggle to find a comfortable balance between the desires of the business community, the desires of residents, and the requirements of existing zoning regulations and regulatory processes. In this session, the presenters will offer suggestions for finding this balance by exploring topics including: the role of economic development in the local land-use regulatory process; what companies are really looking for in a community; ensuring your community is ready for a desired development project; why and how to say no to a development proposal; and how to strike the right balance between zoning enforcement (which sometimes means saying no to business) while simultaneously encouraging the right kind of projects for your community. Attendees will learn about the Best Practices in Land Use and Economic Development Program, created by the Connecticut Economic Development Association and the Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association, and how to utilize the program as a tool for balancing economic development and planning.

The Connecticut Department of Housing invites you to join the Resilient Bridgeport Team for a virtual Public Information Meeting on Wednesday, April 28. The meeting will include a design update presentation for the Rebuild by Design and Flood Risk Reduction Projects and a live question and answer session.
 

Litter on our streets. Plastics in our waterways. Carbon in our air. These are all forms of mounting mismanaged waste causing acute challenges for communities across America.

Now, imagine that incineration and landfilling waste is no longer an option? Over the coming decades, these are very real possibilities as communities face the sustainable concerns facing the planet. Zero waste offers a powerful, positive, and possible alternative.  

Across the United States, businesses, investors, elected officials, regulators, consumers, and communities are coming together to explore the idea around a waste-free world.  

The Keep America Beautiful webinar series, “Exploring the Transition to Zero-Waste Communities,” is a 2021 convening discussion designed to explore the vision around re-defining communities and how that can look in a waste-free world.

Following a brief overview of general forest climate adaptation strategies, this talk will present one experimental project begun in Scituate, Rhode Island, in 2015, when Christopher Riely helped manage 13,000 acres of forestland buffering the reservoirs for Rhode Island’s largest water utility. Site work included planting both native tree seedlings and non-native species projected to be adapted to future climate conditions, such as shortleaf pine and sweetgum. To assess deer impacts on one site, half the seedlings were planted inside a large exclosure fence. While foresters monitor early results, the project has provided significant educational value through engaging public audiences and a professional community of practice.

This two-part workshop occurs on May 13 and May 20 from 10am-12pm ET.

You may use and communicate data on a regular basis, but know that you still want to improve your skills in producing data and conducting analyses. During this day-long, hands-on workshop you learn about and practice asking and answering data questions, and using new tools to help save you time and improve the accuracy of your next data project.

During this hands-on workshop you will manipulate data and learn how to:

- Use questions to decide what kind of analysis to conduct.

- Identify the types of data you have, and what you can do with each.

- Clean your data

- Use Excel and Google Sheets to conduct basic analyses.

A note about the fee:

Workshops build skills, clear up confusion, and enhance professional development, but you didn’t need us to tell you that. Studies have found that by charging a small fee, it increases the likelihood that you will attend this workshop and reap the benefits of the training. For this reason, CTData charges a small fee to help you follow-through on your desire to improve your data skills - which is why you signed up. However, if you are truly unable to pay the fee, please contact Sarah (sarah@ctdata.org) to attend this training free of charge.
 

This is the May meeting of Connecticut's Equity and Ethics Community of Practice. It is open to anyone who works is data that is interested in this topic.

Join the Equity in Data Community of Practice as they delve more deeply into how we collect demographic data.

For the May session, participants will be discussing demographic data collection in preparation for the June session with Jasmine Laroche (Program Association, Evaluation and Learning at the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies) who will present and facilitate a discussion based on the report, More Than Numbers: A Guide Toward Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in Data Collection.

Demographic data collection (items about people's characteristics - their race and ethnicity, age, income, etc.) offers great promise. It allows us the chance to disaggregate data to learn whether different groups are benefiting more than others.

Yet it also offers the opportunity to harm and make groups more invisible than they already feel.

During this interactive discussion, participants will be talking about some of the successes and challenges we have experienced while using or collecting demographic data in our work.
 

Dr. Juliana Barrett, Principal Investigator for the grant that funded this speaker series, will describe the history of the Hoffman Preserve in Stonington, CT, and climate projections for 2050. Now underway, she presents a progress report on the careful selection of trees and shrubs that may withstand climate change in coastal N.E. Her work is guided by new ideas of assisted migration, or how to introduce tree species that can lead to more resilient forests. This project will involve the community in tree planting in a local forest, but more importantly, introduce people to new ideas about how to select and nurture the right tree for the right spot, and at the right time.

Cleaning up and redeveloping brownfields facilitates job growth, increases local tax bases, utilizes existing infrastructure, and improves the environment – a win, win, win, win! To advance understanding of state and federal brownfield programs and opportunities, the Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA), the Technical Assistance to Brownfield Communities (TAB) program at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), and our state and federal partners are organizing a regional summit. The two-day conference will include plenary and break-out sessions and an exhibit area. There will be ample time during the breaks to allow for networking and viewing the exhibits.