The final workshop webinar in the Rockport series on Wednesday, March 29th 6:30-8:30pm (register here) will review Long Beach and Downtown Rockport adaptation and implementation solutions.

We will hear from Professor Charles Waldheim and Kira Clingen from Harvard University's Graduate School of Design who will outline adaptation solution examples and offer specific details about what these adaptation solutions might look like in Rockport. The webinar will also feature Carri Hulet, a collaboration expert who frequently works with diverse groups of people who are trying to build communities that can thrive, even as the climate changes.

The webinar will conclude with breakout sessions for Long Beach and Downtown Rockport so that participants can discuss adaptation and implementation and tackle specific questions.

The Harvard Graduate School of Design's Office for Urbanization is hosting two upcoming webinars in its Cape Ann Conversations: Changing Coastal Communities series.

On April 5th at 12:00pm (register here), Dr. Kerry Emanuel, Professor Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will focus on Modeling Hurricane Impacts. Professor Emanuel has made foundational contributions to the science of tropical cyclones, climate, and links between them, and has been a prominent voice in public debates on climate change, and what we should do about it.

Jesse M. Keenan, the Favrot II Associate Professor of Sustainable Real Estate within the faculty of the School of Architecture at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, will speak on May 10th at 12:00pm (register here). His topic will be Financing Climate Adaptation. Keenan’s teaching and research is centered on how people prepare for and respond to climate impacts in the built environment, including aspects of design, planning, management, policy, and finance.

Cape Ann Conversations is a program of the Harvard Graduate School of Design's Office for Urbanization as part of its ongoing multi-year climate adaptation research project for Cape Ann, undertaken in collaboration with the Cape Ann Climate Coalition, TownGreen, Water Alliance, the City of Gloucester, and the Town of Manchester-by-the-Sea.

It was another fun and educational TownGreen field trip to get a closer look at several areas in Downtown Rockport. Eric Hutchins from NOAA and a Rockport resident led the field trip. We started at Barletta Park, the site of the Dock Square pumping station, walked to T Wharf to look at the tidal staff Eric installed several years ago, and assessed infrastructure issues in the parking area. We then walked over to Middle Wharf to look at erosion and damage to the historic wharf. What's clear is that Downtown Rockport's buildings, wharfs, and infrastructure are vulnerable to sea level rise and storm surge and we need to talk about how the Downtown area and Bearskin Neck can adapt.

Wednesday, March 29 6:30-8:30pm
Rockport Workshop Webinar #3 Adaptation Solutions for Long Beach and Downtown Rockport

Wednesday, April 5th at 12:00pm
Dr. Kerry Emanuel, Professor Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Modeling Hurricane Impacts

Tuesday, April 11th 7:00 - 8:00pm
TownGreen Open Forum

Wednesday, May 10th at 12:00pm
Jesse M. Keenan, Associate Professor of Sustainable Real Estate at the School of Architecture at Tulane University, Financing Climate Adaptations

Wednesday, May 24 6:30-8:30pm (registration to come)
Good Harbor Beach Workshop Webinar #3: Adaptation Solutions for the Good Harbor Beach Ecosystem

Do you have a project that is related to climate change, conservation, or decarbonization? TownGreen's microgrants of $300 per quarter help to support local climate projects. For more information, contact Maureen Aylward at maureen@towngreen2025.org.