The Community Environmental Council (CEC) will host Climate Resilience Roundtable: Community Solutions to Protect Against Climate Change, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Friday, March 12. The free virtual roundtable is open to the public and will be presented in English with Spanish interpretation.

Those interested in attending must register for the roundtable in advance at http://cec.pub/cs. The event will be presented in two segments, both facilitated by Carl Palmer and Carrie Kappel of LegacyWorks Group.

» 10-11:30 a.m.: Community leaders will present a webinar to highlight themes, values and ideas generated from the year-long Climate Resilience Roundtable series and feature conversations with Nuin-Tara Key, the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research’s deputy director for climate resilience; and Juliette Finzi Hart, program manager for the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resilience Program.

» 1-2:30 p.m.: A guided discussion with breakout rooms will allow planners, practitioners and doers to explore opportunities for collaboration and partnership alignment around top project ideas. Space for the second portion is limited.

While all are welcome, the event is particularly intended for:

Resilience Roundtable series participants who want to see how their ideas and input connect to a larger vision of resilience and action moving forward.
Anyone interested in joining the conversation about what is needed to foster just and equitable climate resilience.
Climate and resilience planners and practitioners interested in engaging community members in visioning, decision-making, and collaboration.
Anyone working in health, community empowerment, social justice, basic needs, the environment, planning, disaster preparedness, the arts, education, or economic sectors who want to further incorporate resilience into their work.

The event will highlight solutions that can safeguard community members from the inevitable impacts of climate change and move people toward a community resilience vision. Discussion will focus on:

Values and guiding principles needed for equitable climate resilience.
Top ideas and initiatives identified in the roundtable series that could be leveraged and worked on collaboratively.
How to align local climate resilience efforts with planning, priorities, and funding opportunities at the regional, state, and federal level.

“Now that we have strong federal guidance and investment, it is even more critical that we take bold climate action together,” said Sigrid Wright, CEO of CEC.

“We know that most of the actual on-the-ground work will take place at the local and regional level, which is why CEC and our partners are leaning into this moment, turning to the rich resource pool that the Climate Resilience Roundtable series has developed as we move our region toward zero carbon over the next decade,” Wright said.

CEC hopes the roundtables have provided an opportunity to build climate leadership, paving the way for other organizations to continue with climate adaptation and resilience planning for a more cohesive, community-wide approach.

“What most resonated for many participants was the need for more access for people to participate in climate planning and government processes, and to eliminate barriers that prevent people from having their voices heard,” said Genevieve Flores-Haro, associate director of Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP).

“Our community members should be in decision-making positions, not just used for their knowledge or to check a box,” she said.

The roundtables are the first step toward inclusive planning practices that will bring change to the Central Coast, Flores-Haro said. A number of leaders will have attended all six parts of the series, helping to inform overarching strategies for developing climate resilience.

“The Climate Resilience Roundtable series has allowed CEC and partner organizations to bring together community members and leaders from all sectors into one room so that together, we can move toward greater climate resilience,” said Sharyn Main, CEC director of climate resilience.

“We hope this model will replicate across our region and that we will see more and more partnerships develop across industries and more conversations happening across the bridge of stakeholders,” she said.

The roundtable is the culminating event in the larger series organized by CEC that focuses on framing a community vision for climate resilience and adaptation for Santa Barbara County, with an eye toward building community consensus on regional solutions. Recordings and information shared at previous events are available on the CEC Climate Resilience Roundtable website cecsb.org/crr.

The Climate Resilience Roundtable steering committee includes nonprofits, community leaders, and government representatives: Mimi Audelo, Carpinteria program manager; Rachel Couch, California Coastal Conservancy; Aeron Arlin Genet, Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District; Flores-Haro (MICOP); Jennifer Hernandez, Iris Kelly and Main, all of CEC.

Also, Lucia Marquez, CAUSE; Monique Myers, California Sea Grant; Abe Powell, Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade; Teresa Romero, Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians; Michelle Sevilla, Office of Assemblymember Steve Bennett; Christopher Ragland, Healing Justice/BLM; Ashley Watkins, Santa Barbara County Sustainability Division; Sigrid Wright; Garrett Wong, Santa Barbara County Sustainability Division; and Lucas Zucker, Central Coast Alliance for a Sustainable Economy.

Funding for the roundtable series comes from the Santa Barbara Foundation, James S. Bower Foundation, Santa Barbara County Sustainability Division, California Coastal Conservancy, and Sea Forward Fund. In-kind support is provided by Legacy Works and Direct Relief.

For more about CEC’s Climate Resilience Roundtable work, visit cecsb.org/crror contact Main at smain@cecmail.org or 805-698-8740.