Boulder chosen for global pilot project on climate change

“The sum of the value is greater than the parts, and this is an example of that.”

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Climate CoLab announced on October 6th that Boulder will serve as a pilot location for a global contest focused on collaboration and connectivity around climate change. The contest will solicit ideas from around the world on how to build community engagement and social infrastructure around addressing climate change.

“We are thrilled that the prestigious MIT Climate CoLab is providing the City of Boulder a platform to gather direct input from anyone who has an interest in climate change,” said Greg Guibert, chief resilience officer for the City of Boulder. “We are looking for new, creative innovations to emerge, whether it is a mobile application, a web portal or a new format for bringing people together to address climate change.”

The contest seeks to answer two questions:

• How can we build community engagement and connectivity around climate change?
• What social infrastructure is needed to bring our climate community together?

Guibert says there is so much activity around climate change already happening in the city, but he says this is an opportunity to connect those organizations “The sum of the value is greater than the parts, and this is an example of that.” One group in Boulder that is already working on connecting climate change activists is C3B (climate culture collaborative – Boulder.) Emma Ruffin, a core member of the C3B says the group was formed when 45 community members came together who were struggling with the idea that we live in an area of abundance in climate action but there is lacking in connectivity.