MORPC Summit on Sustainability Recap

MORPC’s 2020 Summit on Sustainability was October 16 – 17. This year, the summit was entirely virtual and was in tandem with the Atlanta (Georgia) Regional Commission. The theme this year was “Resilient. Adaptable. Bold.” As usual, the summit started with PechaKucha presentations. PechaKucha is a storytelling format where a presenter shows 20 slides for 20 seconds each. The slides advance automatically, so the presenter must talk concisely and timely!

MORPC and The Center for Urban and Regional Analysis (CURA) at The Ohio State University shared their newly created interactive, online dashboard that provides current and accurate information on Central Ohio’s sustainability accomplishments. The dashboard can be accessed at rsd.morpic.org

The bulk of the two-day summit had multiple breakout sessions. A few of the sessions included: Trailmix! Making the Case for More, House Bill 6 Redux: An Uncertain Future for Ohio’s Energy Standards, Rivers Run Through Us: Reconnecting People to Waterways, Weathering the Storm for Home Weatherization, COVID-19’s Impacts on Waste and Recycling Trends and Signs of Resilience, City-Supported Agriculture. Community-Driven Planning, Resilient Watersheds, and the Pillars of Social Equity: Overcoming Racial Disparities to Build a more Sustainable Future. There were topics to appeal to just about everyone’s different interests!

One of the most enjoyable, and enlightening, presentations was the keynote speaker. Dr. Katherine Hayhoe is an accomplished atmospheric scientist who studies climate change and why it matters to us here and now. Her ability to explain concepts in everyday terms and her easy-going presentation style make her an excellent speaker. If you want to learn how to speak about climate change to those who may not agree, get some tips from Dr. Hayhoe’s TED Talk. You will walk away with some great ideas.