A Regional Cohort of Communities Developing Resilience Plans

Is your community one of several in a region considering developing its own climate resilience plan? Have you wondered how you might work together to tackle regional climate vulnerabilities while developing your own unique local plan?

Or perhaps you operate at the county or regional level and are looking for an approach to help several local jurisdictions develop their own plans while addressing common risks by collaborating on regional strategies.

If you are in either situation, Climate Ready Communities^® can help.

We begin with our Practical Guide to Building Climate Resilience, which can be used simultaneously by multiple communities within a region. By moving through the tasks and steps at the same time, communities can share common best practices and lessons. There is no charge to use this free, do-it-yourself guide.

Many communities want the option to consult with experts and utilize the tools provided in the Climate Ready Communities^® Support Package and/or our other services. Funding is required to access these services; if there is interest at the regional level, the Geos Institute can help an organization develop a funding proposal.

Cohort Options

We can offer a regional cohort* additional support options based on their unique needs. A cohort in the Climate Ready Communities^® program is defined as 5 or more communities that intend to develop unique resilience plans, co-exist within a geographic region, and are beginning the planning process at the same time.

Potential benefits a regional cohort may enjoy include:

Shared consulting sessions on a resilience-related topic if there is common interest in the topic from multiple members in the cohort. This allows multiple communities to attend the same consulting session, which helps them each reduce their expenditure on consulting hours.
A separate monthly forum focused on issues specific to the cohort available for an additional fee.
A regional climate primer whose cost is shared by cohort members. This approach is generally less costly than individual climate primers for each community. If the region is large enough, this primer may need to include subsections that apply to different communities within the region.
Special group training by webinar or in-person, such as engaging your community or workshop facilitation, available for an additional fee.

*The cohort concept is expected to apply primarily within a region, but we also welcome interest by other types of cohorts, such as tribes or other communities with common attributes (community size, rural, coastal, etc.)

More Information

To learn more about how to set up a regional cohort contact us at climate-ready@geosinstitute.org or call Geoff Weaver at 503-781-7888.

Testimonials

“The Climate Ready Communities^® program is off to a great start. I was one of the Beta reviewers for this program in March 2018, and was impressed by the breadth and detail of the information provided in the Practical Guide for Developing Climate Resilience. The Geos Institute’s 7-step framework for developing climate resilience provides a systems approach that a community can actually use and the Guide covers a range of useful topics from community engagement to developing a task force. The tutorials, templates and website will help a community like ours navigate the resilience building process.”

Dena Winslow, tribal planner and grant writer, Aroostook Band of MicMacs, Presque Isle, ME
"Climate Ready Communities^® has given the City of Warren the means and resources necessary to begin meaningful dialogues about climate change, mitigation, and adaptation in a way that leads to community-driven actions that can be implemented by way of local and county governments through actions organized by steering committees."

City of Warren, MN
"The Climate Ready Communities^® program has been extremely relevant and useful for Sierra CAMP as a regional collaborative. The comprehensive guide with its step-by-step organization helps us and our member communities break the climate resilience planning process into manageable steps and build our internal technical expertise. We’ve found the Annual Support service to be valuable for our Peer Group in demonstrating specific adaptation case studies, and we’ve had a chance to utilize the consulting hours to conceptualize and plan key regional initiatives like the regional vulnerability assessment."

Nikki Caravelli, Sierra CAMP Project Manager, Sierra Business Council
We find these tools to be effective and designed with a community user’s perspective in mind. We appreciate the step-by-step approach as well as the fact that the program is flexible, allowing us to make modifications as needed to fit our specific circumstances. We also appreciate the opportunity to consult with the experts at the Geos Institute as we go through the process."

Diana Maneta, Missoula County’s Energy Conservation and Sustainability Coordinator
“The Climate Ready Communities^® program has been an excellent tool for Corinth. It provides clear steps and expert guidance. The backing of the Geos Institute provides credibility and helps to build momentum for our resilience planning. Our participation in the Climate Ready Communities pilot has put us much further along in the climate resilience planning process than I believe we otherwise would be.”

Patrick Hubbard, Development Coordinator for the City of Corinth, TX

A Regional Cohort of Communities Developing Resilience Plans

Cohort Options

More Information

Initiative of

Contribute

Please give generously today.