Mark Fisher

In our 2024 ParkScore® report, we examine the evidence that shows how high-quality parks foster social cohesion and recommend four key strategies communities and parks departments can deploy to create and encourage stronger social connections. Read more. https://lnkd.in/eYr3zPJc

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As #city after city reels under the worst water crisis, the urgency to address water shortage has never been more prominent. This calls for #sustainable actions, #innovation on multiple fronts, and bringing those directly impacted by the #watercrisis to the locus of the solution space. In this LiveMint article, our Co-founder and Director, Dharmendra chandurkar, discusses citizen-centric approaches leveraging behavioral insights as one of the lines of action towards sustainable solutions to ameliorate the #crisis. #behavioralinsights #waterconservation #citiesandclimatechange #urbanwater #behavioraleconomics #behavioralscience #humanbehavior #climatechange #climateaction #sustainability #sustainablelifestyles

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"In a world with worsening climate change, we must dream bigger to achieve sustainable rural water supply services," writes Jeremy Kohlitz, UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures, reflecting on workshops with SNV #Nepal and local governments in Dailekh and Sarlahi. Through the workshops, partners and participants explored new ways of thinking, planning and acting, engaging in low-cost, easily replicable, and participatory activities to lay foundations towards transformations for more climate-resilient rural water supply services. Learn more 👇 Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade | Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water | #SDG6 | #WASH

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Restoring the nation's waterways may be possible if we focus attention and effort on the watersheds of our small streams. To continue making progress on the goals of the Clean Water Act we need to review what we've accomplished, critically examine what has worked and what has not, and be strategic in our future investments. Full article available at: https://lnkd.in/e-Za6ed2

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Will you join Generation Restoration? 🌳 All over the world, ecosystems are under threat, with forests, drylands, farmlands and lakes all approaching critical tipping points. Recognizing this urgency, today’s #WorldEnvironmentDay of 2024 is dedicated to land restoration, halting desertification, and building drought resilience under the slogan “Our Land. Our Future.” 🌱 Corruption is frequently linked to deforestation, exacerbating these environmental threats. Transparency International published an analysis report of their collection of climate corruption cases. The global climate corruption case atlas, a first-of-its-kind tool, entails 15 corruption cases related to the forest sector, but also includes cases of environmental crime and pollution. 📖 Investigate the complex dynamics surrounding corruption, intersecting with environmental concerns. You can access the interactive map here:🗺 https://lnkd.in/eKHYggkZ #ClimateGovernance #CorruptionAtlas #ClimateAction #WorldEnvironmentDay #GenerationRestoration Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH

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Groundwater recharge is tricky to estimate, especially when climate is changing Does groundwater availability decrease at the same rate as rainwater declines? Will a 10% reduction in rainfall lead to a 10% reduction in groundwater recharge? It’s a critically important question for water managers but it’s very challenging to answer. https://lnkd.in/dH_bap2U

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Severe storms, flooding, sea level rise and climate change are all issues marinas deal with. Stormwater is often associated with these issues. For the last few years, a team from Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin Sea Grants, along with Clean Marina programs in those states, have been working together to ensure marinas on any coast understand what stormwater is and how it can be controlled. https://lnkd.in/gdmCgRH5 #MarinaDockAge #MDA #stormwater

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One of the critical steps in developing a biodiverse ecosystem is to provide habitat for invertebrates. If you have a healthy population of insects lots of microbial life, birds, and small mammals will find your spot welcoming. #greeninfrastructure #rewilding #ecosystems #urban

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How much do you know about Habitat’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter and how it helps build and expand existing housing markets around the world? ▶️ Click below to learn more at http://habitat.org/tcis ▶️ Follow Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter for updates

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By emulating native, supportive plant communities in their design process, landscape architects can purposefully create habitat essential for sustaining biodiversity and resiliency. As the foundation of healthy functioning ecosystems, native plant communities buffer the impacts of extreme weather events such as severe flooding and prolonged drought. Landscape architects can create stormwater management systems that harness the natural benefits of native plant communities, designing beautiful, functional landscapes that support both wildlife and people. A perfect example of creating biodiverse, resilient landscape is the work Hitchcock Design Group has done for the University of Illinois Chicago's Arthington Mall Plaza. The design incorporates permeable paving and rain gardens to collect, clean, and infiltrate street stormwater. The existing mature tree canopy was preserved while adding new walkways and pedestrian gathering areas, custom seating areas, updated site furnishings, irrigation, native shrubs, perennials, and rain garden plantings. The mall now serves as a nexus of biodiverse activity (including humans!). #wlam2024 #biodiversity #resilientlandscapes #sustainability 📷 University of Illinois Chicago

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🌡 New Report Alert: The National Energy Assistance Directors Association, a grantee of ClimateWorks Foundation’s Clean Cooling Collaborative, has released a critical new report highlighting the escalating costs of keeping cool this summer in the U.S. 🏠 Families living on low incomes bear the brunt: 1. $2B cut to Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program funding 2. 33 states have no summer shut-off protections 3. Nearly 20% of families living on very low-income lack AC 📊 For more details, read the full press release and report here: https://lnkd.in/djvpkiUP #CoolingForAll #SustainableCooling #CoolCities #ClimateAdaptation #ClimateMitigation #ClimateAction #ExtremeHeat #HeatWave

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𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗗𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 Baltimore in the USA and Stuttgart in Germany are 4,000 miles apart, yet they share similarities in size and represent their respective countries in unique ways. Cities globally recognize the significance of #GreenInfrastructure in addressing environmental issues and promoting #livinggreen for well-being and prosperity of their residents. In a 4-mile radius around my home in Baltimore, there are 8-10 Green Infrastructure projects that are consistently highlighted when positive news coverage is needed. Within a 4-mile radius of my family's residence in Stuttgart, I am unaware of all Green Infrastructure projects, having stopped counting when the number exceeded 500. I estimate there are now over 800 GI projects within this radius, encompassing approximately 10,000,000 square feet of #GreenRoofs, #SolarGardenRoofs, and Blue/Solar Green Roofs. Despite their significant presence, these Green Infrastructure projects in the vicinity rarely receive media coverage, as they are simply carried out through the application of #commonsense rather than seeking attention. American cities should aim to be more like German cities. Over the past 20 years, North America has been inundated with an overwhelming amount of white papers, blog posts, data sheets, lengthy articles, online experts, #guidelines, and minimalistic research in #academia. This excessive focus on talk rather than action raises the question of whether North America is hesitant to embrace nature, especially in terms of Green Infrastructure. For America it is time to move beyond endless discussions, minimize the slowing-down influence of industry lobbyists, and embrace practical solutions to address the challenges posed by #urbanization and #climatechange. Feel free to comment! #biodiversity #coolingcities #stormwater #solar, #urbandevelopmemt

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Nature based solutions or green infrastructure can be visually transformative as well as remarkably beneficial to reduce localized flooding, recharge local aquifers and promote urban biodiversity (and are proven to be most cost effective over time than traditional pipes and culverts)!

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"Our estimates of stormwater runoff in urban areas across the U.S. really point to the need to shift the paradigm and shift the perspective of how stormwater is being treated from something of a nuisance to something that's an asset and a resource for communities to achieve a variety of benefits," Bruk Berhanu, Ph.D., P.E., Pacific Institute Senior Researcher spoke with Travis Loop of waterloop. The piece highlights our new report, "Untapped Potential: An Assessment of Urban Stormwater Runoff Potential in the United States." Watch the segment: https://lnkd.in/g9EGqAV9 Learn more about the report's findings: https://lnkd.in/gtaeAarw #RethinkRunoff #UntappedPotential #PacificInstitute

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🌿 Minnesota leads the way in renewable energy! 🌿 #Minnesota lawmakers recently made a groundbreaking move to support #renewableenergy by allowing power lines along state highways. This innovative #policy will speed up the transition from #fossilfuels by simplifying the permitting process for high-voltage transmission lines. (#wisconsin already embraces siting along highways.) Key facts: - The U.S. needs more #transmissionlines for #cleanenergy. - Building them is challenging and slow. - Minnesota's new law enables transmission routes along highways, streamlining development.

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There are many ways to remediate soil. In today’s blog we explore five of these different methods. Click the link below to learn more! #highlandsenvironmental #environmentalsustainability #environment    https://lnkd.in/ecPSsQBn    

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