Rochester Democrat & Chronicle features Tidball locavore work

"Among seven states where resident hunting participation has grown, which New York is one, 68 percent said they were interested in hunting "as a local, natural, or green food source.'' More women (55 percent vs. 27 percent) say they hunt to feed their families."

See the full article here: Do It: Wild game, it's what's for dinner

Haiyan's Aftermath: 7 Key Steps to Recovery | LiveScience

Haiyan's Aftermath: 7 Key Steps to Recovery | LiveScience

Cornell-led project helps Joplin recover after tornado | Cornell Chronicle

Cornell-led project helps Joplin recover after tornado | Cornell Chronicle

Creation of the Landscapes of Resilience Joplin Butterfly Garden video

http://www.youtube.com/v/RQHUl4gI0ts?version=3&autohide=1&showinfo=1&autohide=1&autoplay=1&feature=share&attribution_tag=cRn30cW7UzaIVcR_sd2_PQ

Urgent Biophilia, Kairotic Time, and Sacred Space – Andrew Zolli

An interesting synthesis of my work on Urgent Biophilia and the work of my colleagues from writer Andrew Zolli, author of the book Resilience: Why Things Bounce Back.

 See Urgent Biophilia, Kairotic Time, and Sacred Space – Andrew Zolli

Governor Cuomo Announces New Academic Partnership Focused on Storm Resilience and Emergency Preparedness | Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

NY EDEN and Keith Tidball of the Department of Natural Resources will play a significant role in  this.

Governor Cuomo Announces New Academic Partnership Focused on Storm Resilience and Emergency Preparedness | Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

Growing Trees Together: After the Joplin Tornado

Here is a great piece by my friend and colleague Ric Mayer underscoring the importance of urban forestry after a disaster.

Growing Trees Togetherwww.isa-arbor.com/events/conference/proceedings/2013/MAYER_Sprouting a Community Recovery Forest.pdf

NY Extension Disaster Education presented at CCE Executive Leadership Conference

Ny eden elc 2013 sept from Keith Tidball

Outdoor Recreation, Restoration and Healing for Returning Combatants

Here is a piece written for the science blog Nature of Cities: Outdoor Recreation, Restoration and Healing for Returning Combatants

Green Spaces: A Path to Recovery and Resilience -- CARDI Research & Policy Brief Series

Access to green space and the act of creating green spaces is well understood to promote human health, especially in therapeutic contexts among individuals suffering traumatic events. Less well understood, though currently being studied, is the role of access to green space and the act of creating and caring for it in promoting neighborhood health and well being as related to social-ecological system resilience. An important implication of this work lies in specific instances of greening and the presence of greened spaces in promoting and enhancing recovery, and perhaps resilience, in social ecological systems disrupted or perturbed by violent conflict or other catastrophic disaster. Despite the well documented importance of "interaction with nature" in post-traumatic stress management, examples of community based natural resource management are often overlooked in the hazard and vulnerability context. 

Project aims to lure locavores to the wild side | Cornell Chronicle

Here is  a nice update on the "Leveraging the Locavore" project:

Project aims to lure locavores to the wild side | Cornell Chronicle

Greening in the Red Zone now available

At long last, the Greening in the Red Zone book is available for purchase.

Climate change and NY EDEN presented at Northeast Joint Summer Session Ithaca, NY

Tidball presented a talk outlining new developments and innovations within the NY Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) and program area, especially dealing with climate change and the agriculture & natural resources sectors. A news media piece reported on this and the meeting. See below for the presentation:

Climate change and NY EDEN presented at Northeast Joint Summer Session Ithaca, NY from Keith Tidball

Researcher to study, develop public ‘healing spaces’

Researcher to study, develop public ‘healing spaces’ | Cornell Chronicle

Positive resource dependency in urban systems: applying urgent biophilia and restorative topophilia-- Lecture at Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and short course....

Stockholm seminar 2013 final from Keith Tidball

Superstorm Sandy Animal & Agriculture Response: Lessons Learned for Improved Planning

Cornell University CCE NY EDEN recently participated in the national Superstorm Sandy Animal and Agriculture Response: Lessons Learned for Improved Planning webinar. You can find the finalized report online at: http:www.eden.lsu.edu/s-cap/virtualforum. The webinar is archived online and accessible at: http://www.eden.lsu.edu/s-cap/virtualforum If you have any questions, feel free to contact Andrea Higdon, andrea.higdon@uky.edu or Chelsey Pickens, chelsey.pickens@uky.edu.

Mechanisms of Resilience & Other ‘Re-Words’ in Urban Greening

A new blog post on The Nature of Cities blog... Mechanisms of Resilience and; Other ‘Re-Words’ in Urban Greening

Climate Change and the NY Extension Disaster Education Network

Climate Change and the NY Extension Disaster Education Network from Keith Tidball

Nature and Green Spaces: Sources, Sites, and Systems of Resilience ...

I recently presented Nature and Green Spaces: Sources, Sites, and Systems of Resilience ... at the Horticultural Society of New York's annual Healing Nature Forum: Planting the Seeds of Health and Sustainability (formerly The Horticultural Therapy Forum).  Have a look, and feel free to share!

Nature and Green Spaces: Sources, Sites, and Systems of Resilience and Other Re-words from Keith Tidball

Keynote address at the Horticulture Society of New York's Healing Nature Forum

The Horticultural Society of New York in partnership with NYU Langone Center’s Horticultural Therapy Department present:

Healing Nature Forum:
Planting the Seeds of Health and Sustainability

Formerly The Horticultural Therapy Forum

The connection to nature is essential to human health and well-being. Interacting with nature promotes physical, psychological, and community benefits. This year’s forum will focus on information that integrates programming, policy-making and fundraising with non-profits, social services, healthcare industry, and community groups. Therapeutic horticulture can improve the body, mind and spirit through passive or active involvement. Join us as we discuss the importance of horticulture as therapy.

Friday, March 29, 2013 9:00am—3:00pm LOCATION: Farkus Auditorium at NYU Langone Medical Center 550 1st Avenue New York, NY Admission: $25 Click here to register.  For more information emailprograms@thehort.org

Forum Agenda

9:00 – 9:45		Meet & Greet Breakfast
10:00 – 11:00		Introductions & Keynote Speaker Keynote Speaker: Keith G. Tidball, Ph.D., Senior Extension Associate, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University.
11:00 – 12:30		Panel Discussion: Starting Horticultural Programs in Human Service Organizations
12:30 – 1:00		Lunch
1:15 - 2:45		Panel Discussion: Funding Horticultural Programs in Human Services Organizations
2:45 – 3:00		Closing Remarks

URBIS- Urban Biosphere Initiative presented at Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future

Tidball and colleagues recently summarized the results of the funding they received from the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future (ACSF) at a topical lunch.  The focus was on recent work on urban sustainability and biodiversity conservation that was presented, discussed and launched at Rio +20 in June of 2012. The goal of this ACSF funded work has been to develop an inter-disciplinary research program focusing on sustainability, biodiversity, social-ecological systems resilience, and ecosystem services in cities. Recognizing that cities are now the dominant human habitat, the project has endeavored to address a gap left by other global sustainability initiatives, such as the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, which pay only minimal attention to urban ecosystems. This applied research and work at the science-to-policy interface has contributed significantly to the launch of the URBIS global urban biosphere policy initiative, which has been endorsed by several international agreements and was launched at the Rio +20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development. Click here for the full report.

CC NY EDEN mentioned in EZRA magazine

In the latest issue of EZRA magazine (page 9), NY CCE EDEN was mentioned:

“A recent example of CCE’s responsiveness: Within hours of Hurricane Sandy this fall, it made resources available to victims of the storm. Its New York Extension Disaster Education Network (NY EDEN), eden.cce.cornell.edu, provided farmers, businesses and communities affected by  the hurricane with education on hazardous materials, food safety, diseases and best-practice guides on dealing with long term power outages and agricultural strategies for recovery for growers. NY EDEN also placed extension educators on disaster management and recovery teams.”

VOL. V NO. 2, WINTER 2013, pg 9.

NY EDEN Connecting CCE Associations, Campus, and Communities

This morning the CCE NY Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) advisory committee presented a webinar dealing with the important topic of how NY EDEN can play a large role in connecting CCE Associations, Campus, and Communities.

To experience a recording of the webinar, please navigate here.

Cornell Chronicle: Veterans given access to green space

Cornell Chronicle: Veterans given access to green space

Testimony before NY Legislature re NY EDEN and Superstorm Sandy

Tidball presented testimony on the NY Extension Disaster Education Network before the New York Legislature Standing Committee on Environmental Conservation’s Hearing on Effects of Extreme Weather Events, in Babylon, Long Island, New York on January 30th, 2013.  The written testimony can be accessed here.

Extension Disaster Education Policy Recommendations Forwarded to Decision Makers at National Conference in Washington

At the National Council on Science and the Environment (NCSE) 2013 National Conference titled Disasters And Environment: Science, Preparedness, And Resilience, members of the national Extension Disaster Education Network gathered to discuss and submit recommendations to Congress, the White House, and other federal and state government entities on building community resilience through extension programs. Tidball represented NY EDEN and joined National EDEN Chair Rick Atterberry, National EDEN Homeland Security project leader Steve Cain, National EDEN web manager Pat Skinner, and National EDEN immediate past chair Virginia Morgan White at the symposium, along with many other participants. Recommendations will be released shortly and published by NCSE.

The Disasters and Environment Conference  addressed the increasing occurrence of environmental disasters and the science, technology, and decision-making needed to more effectively prepare, respond, and make our communities more resilient.  The conference engaged more than 1,200 leaders from emergency response, scientific, policy, conservation, and business communities, as well as federal and local government officials, who will work across traditional boundaries to develop strategies and launch new partnerships and initiatives.

Returning Warriors project mentioned in Wounded Warriors in Action newsletter

News from Wounded Warriors in Action Foundation, Inc.

Lecture at Tokyo City University

GRZ at International Peace Research Association meetings in Tsu City, Japan

Greening in the Red Zone: Community-based Ecological Restoration to Enhance Resilience and Transitions Toward Peace from Keith Tidball

Urban Sustainability: EJ, Stewardship and Greening in the Red Zone

A recap of the presentation given recently at CUNY Law.
Urban Sustainability: EJ, Stewardship and Greening in the Red Zone »

To see a video of the presentation, go here.

Tidball leads NY EDEN efforts to prepare for and respond to Hurricane Sandy

Cornell Cooperative Extension's NY Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN), led by Keith Tidball of Cornell Department of Natural Resources, was heavily involved in a blitz of preparedness and readiness disaster education in the days prior to Hurricane Sandy's landfall, and in disaster education dealing with response and recovery after the Hurricane damaged large portions of New York City and Long Island. As a part of these activities, Tidball and other members of the NY EDEN team and the CCE Disaster and All-hazards Response Team (DART) were called upon to provide research-based information to the news media. A sampling is presented below:

NBC News

USA Today

Huff Post

Cornell Chronicle

I100 Classic Rock 

WHCU AM

For more information about NY EDEN and Hurricane Sandy, see the NY EDEN Twitter feed or you can visit the NY EDEN Facebook page.

Landscapes of Resilience-- Detroit Mi & Joplin MO

Presented in Detroit, MI and Joplin, MO to the board and staff of the TKF Foundation on November 7th & 8th, 2012.

Landscapes of resilience project overview from Keith Tidball

Greening in the Red Zone presentation at CUNY

To see a video of this presentation, go here.

EcoSummit conference- Agent-based modelling analysis of greening as recovery and resilience after diaster

Greening in the Red Zone: Thoughts on disaster, resilience and community greening in the peopled landscape | The Nature of Cities

A blog post on the blog "the Nature of Cities".... Greening in the Red Zone: Thoughts on disaster, resilience and community greening in the peopled landscape | The Nature of Cities

Disabled veterans climb iconic Teton on 9/11 anniversary

Work from the Returning Warriors project is mentioned here:

 Disabled veterans climb iconic Teton on 9/11 anniversary | The Salt Lake Tribune

Research project looks to connect returned soldiers and nature

Watertown Daily Times | Research project looks to connect returned soldiers and nature

"Researcher Looks To Nature To Help Veterans"

http://www.wwnytv.com/news/local/Researcher-Looks-To-Nature-To-Help-Veterans-168821626.html

Military Matters: Vets Needed For Back To Nature Study | WWNY TV 7 News -- Ft. Drum & Military News

Please see the following link-- Military Matters: Vets Needed For Back To Nature Study | WWNY TV 7 - 

Rio +20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development

Tidball recently led a team of 4 researchers from Cornell, funded by the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, all of whom participated in a number of activities in Brazil related to the Rio +20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. Team members included Kathy Bunting-Howarth, Josh Cerra, Marianne Krasny, and Tidball.

They all participated in:


Urban Nature 2-day conference in Belo Horizonte
ICLEI World Congress  http://worldcongress2012.iclei.org/  (a parallel event)—Belo Horizonte
Rio+20—various meetings and presentations as below.
In addition, Keith Tidball is part of the core team from ICLEI, Cornell, Stockholm Resilience Centre, and City of Jerusalem that prepared the Urban Biosphere (URBIS) designation system, which was signed on to by about 50 cities at the ICLEI side events and endorsed by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Finally, Keith organized the entire Cornell delegation’s participation.

Below is a list of specific Cornell contributions.

KEITH TIDBALL—Two presentations and core team member, URBIS

Tidball, KG. History of the Urban Biosphere initiative. ICLEI Urban Nature Forum. Belo Horizonte, Brazil. 14 June 2012.

Tidball, KG. Greening in the Red Zone. Cities and Biodiversity Outlook Workshop. Rio+20 meetings. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 18 June 2012.

KATHY BUNTING-HOWARTH—participant in three RIO+20 events and panelist in third event

Panelist: U.S. Side Event at Rio +20

Putting Words to Action: Implementing the Rio +20 Fisheries Recommendations

Participant: Global Oceans Day at Rio +20 (sponsored by the Global Oceans Forum and IOC-UNESCO) (a parallel event)  –below from attached draft agenda

Participant: Advancing Sustainability through Communication and Collaboration, (an official UN side event hosted by the University of Colorado)

Participant. Oceans at Rio+20: Toward Implementation of the Rio Ocean Commitments  (an official UN side event hosted by International Coastal and Ocean Organization, Secretariat of the Global Oceans Forum)

JOSH CERRA—one presentation

Cerra, J. Urban biodiversity: The contribution of science. ICLEI World Congress. Belo Horizonte, Brazil. 15 June 2012.

MARIANNE KRASNY—three presentations

Krasny, ME. Environmental Education and Social-ecological Systems Theory. ICLEI Urban Nature Forum. Belo Horizonte, Brazil. 14 June 2012.

Krasny, ME. Resilience, Learning, and Environmental Education. ICLEI World Congress. Belo Horizonte, Brazil. 16 June 2012.

Krasny, ME. Urban landscapes as learning arenas for sustainable management of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Cities and Biodiversity Outlook Workshop. Rio+20 meetings. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 18 June 2012



Those activities included (1) the official launch of the URBIS Initiative at the ICLEI World Congress in Belo Horizonte, (2) the pre-launch of the Cities Biodiversity Outlook at the Global Town Hall in Rio De Janeiro, and (3) interviews of key players in the biodiversity and urban nature arenas such as Oliver Hillel, Kobe Brand, Dr. Braulio Dias, and professor Thomas Elmqvist.

Bringing biodiversity back into cities 

Urban nature, local governance 

Pre-launch Cities and Biodiversity Outlook 

Urbanisation, biodiversity and ecosystems 

The Urban Biosphere Initiative- post Rio+20

On 14th June, 2012, during the ICLEI Urban Nature Forum in the City of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, a multidisciplinary group of NGOs, research institutions, international organizations and local governments convened to unveil the Urban Biosphere (URBIS) Initiative – an open network fostering knowledge exchange and collaboration in the design and implementation of participatory, integrated, and sustainable urban development solutions. At a signing ceremony overseen by Dr. Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Professor Thomas Elmqvist of Stockholm Resilience Center, Cllr David Cadman, President of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, over 30 organizations joined the network thereby agreeing to, inter alia, contribute good-practice case studies to a global database and participate in learning exchanges known as URBIS Dialogues.

Figure 1. URBIS Initiative signing ceremony on 14 June 2012. The ceremony followed a series of presentations and interactive discussions exploring the history, current developments, practical applications, and future opportunities for Urban Biospheres. 

Firstly, Josh Cerra (Cornell University) facilitated a panel of renowned scientists including Thomas Elmqvist (Stockholm Resilience Center), Marianne Krasny (Cornell University) and Peleg Kremer (The New School) to unearth the science that should feed into policy. They drew from cutting edge research to outline academic advances and aspects of social-ecological systems theory including education and value profiles in urban landscapes. Thereafter, a panel of URBIS partners facilitated by Russell Galt (ICLEI) shed further light on the URBIS initiative. Keith Tidball (Cornell University) charted the history, milestones and development of URBIS before Yoel Siegel (City of Jerusalem) reported on the outcomes of the 1st international URBIS workshop recently hosted by the City of Jerusalem and outlined some good practices implemented in the city. Similarly, Katrin Hammarlund (Swedish Society for Nature Conservation), presented measures taken in the Stockholm Urban Biosphere to conserve and promote the benefits of green infrastructure.

The aforementioned signing ceremony which followed was graced by additional dignitaries including the Commissioner of Hyderabad, Babu M.T. Krishna, whose city will play host to the next CBD Conference of the Parties.

Kobie Brand (ICLEI) stated: “It is most encouraging that so many organizations appreciate the critical role of cities in the sustainability agenda and also recognize the tremendous utility of learning exchanges in spurring collaborative action. This constitutes a major milestone in our collective efforts to engender urban regions with greater social-ecological resilience in the context of global environmental change.”

 Figure 2. Dignitaries in the URBIS ceremony (from left to right): Kumar Emani, Executive Director, ICLEI South Asia office; Babu M.T. Krishna, Commissioner of Hyderabad; Gino van Begin, Deputy Secretary General, ICLEI; Thomas Elmqvist, Professor, Stockholm Resilience Center; David Cadman, President, ICLEI; Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary, CBD Secretariat; Kobie Brand, Global Biodiversity Coordinator, ICLEI; and Oliver Hillel, Programme Officer, CBD Secretariat. Image: R. Galt. 

Background

The concept of urban biosphere (URBIS) emerged amidst increasing awareness that cities are not discrete, self-contained entities, but rather are dynamic nodes of activity, absorbing vast quantities of natural resources, producing massive amounts of waste, interacting profoundly with their encompassing bioregions, and substantially altering both near and distant ecosystems. At the same time, modern cities offer unprecedented and often untapped opportunities for innovation, efficiency-gains, leadership and social organization. The imperative for action to harness such opportunities and render extractive cities more ecologically restorative spurred the birth of an international initiative to address the design and governance of urban regions and surrounding ecosystems. Today, the URBIS initiative comprises a global alliance of partners aspiring to reconcile urban development with the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable use of natural resources – a quest to engender cities with greater social-ecological resilience in the context of global environmental change. The initiative aligns with broader international efforts to implement the ecosystem approach and build inclusive green urban economies. In particular, the initiative seeks to contribute to the achievement of the CBD Aichi Targets, specifically Decision X/22 and the Plan of Action endorsed therein to promote engagement of local governments in the Convention.

The Cities Biodiversity Center of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability hosts the URBIS Secretariat, a role which is executed in close partnership with the Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC) as Scientific Coordinator and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) as a facilitator between local, sub-national and national governments. Partners include local and sub-national governments, ministries, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, research institutions and individuals. At the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP10), in Nagoya, Japan, 2010, a number of additional partners formalized their support for the URBIS initiative by way of a declaration. These partners include Cornell University, the United Nations University (UNU), the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation as well as a number of founding cities. More recently, The New School of New York has become an active URBIS partner and several cities including Jerusalem, Sao Paulo, Montreal and Stockholm, have taken a leading role in developing and promoting the initiative. For more information about the URBIS Initiative, see www.URBIS.org.

WWIAF Field & Stream "Heroes for a Day"

As part of his Federal Formula Funds study Returning Warriors : A Study of the Social-Ecological Benefits of Coming Home to Nature, Tidball recently participated in the Wounded Warriors in Action Foundation's habitat restoration activities at Camp Hackett in northern Wisconsin.  This activity was recognized by Field & Stream's Hero for a Day project and was filmed by the Field and Stream crew to be highlighted here.

Local news media also covered the event.  See the below links:

video  http://www.waow.com/story/17901697/wounded-warrior-in-action-foundation-helps-purple-heart-veterans-in-phillips

video  http://cdn.bimfs.com/WJFW/4b389204416439bed6a3bbf0b964121dea8ac195_fl9.mp4

http://www.wjfw.com/email_story.html?SKU=20120429154342

My photographs from the event can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wheniwax/sets/72157629561185630/

More photos from the Field & Stream staff, here:
http://www.wisconsinoutdoorfun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=U0&Dato=20120430&Kategori=WOF06&Lopenr=204300801&Ref=PH

URBIS in Jerusalem

Jerusalem, Israel recently hosted a 2 day workshop on URBIS - Urban Biospheres, a collaborative program among partners such the Cornell DNR Civic Ecology Lab, the Stockholm Resilience Center, ICLEI, UNESCO, and others.   Keith Tidball was among thirteen international experts in ecology, biodiversity management and community engagement, who convened with over 50 key local professionals to produce strategies for moving forward with an urban biosphere concept that transcends municipal boundaries and is based on cooperation in the region. Their work, using Jerusalem as a case study, is currently being summarized for presentation at the Rio+20 Summit in June. The following are reviews of the workshop and two pieces on the symbolically important swift (apus apus) including a short film documenting the Annual Welcome Ceremony for the Swifts at the Western Wall, which concluded the workshop events:

http://www.iucn.org/about/union/secretariat/offices/europe/?9465/Towards-sustainable-urban-planning-in-Jerusalem

http://www.arcworld.org/news.asp?pageID=535

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfZpyHdL5ns&feature=youtu.be

New publication-- Chapter in Citizen Science, Public Participation in Environmental Research

This book is out now-- Citizen Science, Public Participation in Environmental Research

See Chapter 16. A Role for Citizen Science in Disaster and Conflict Recovery and Resilience
by Keith G. Tidball and Marianne E. Krasny

Greening in the Red Zone Book Interview

Weatherproofing Your Landscape: Since You Asked...About Greening in the Red Zone: The new year isn't even a month old, and communities from the Pacific Northwest to the Deep South have already experienced severe—in some ca...

NCSE Environment & Security Conference

The Cornell University Civic Ecology Lab was a collaborating organization at the recently held NCSE 2012 conference on Environment & Security. Tidball presented Greening in the Red Zone, and also served as a panel member in a session on Environmental Literacy and Security.

Hobart and William Smith Colleges - Daily Updates

Hobart and William Smith Colleges - Daily Updates

2011 Global Environmental Action Conference Tokyo, Japan

I was invited to present at the GEA International Conference 2011 entitled Building Sustainable Societies through Reconstruction, Working with the International Community for Regenerating Japan," held in Tokyo, Japan on 14th and 15th of October, 2011. The Conference was opened with the attendance of H.I.H Crown Prince, Naruhito, GEA Chairman, Mr. Juro Saito and Mr.Yoshihiko Noda Prime Minister of Japan. Director-General of GEA, Ms. Wakako Hironaka presided over the Conference as its Chair.

Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito

Japan's Prime Minister Noda

Keith  Tidball of Cornell University
Civic  Ecology Lab and NY EDEN

The conference was organized by the Global Environmental Action (GEA) supported by the Government of Japan, namely, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and Ministry of the Environment. The Conference aimed to undertake a high-level policy dialogue in order to articulate concrete measures to realize sustainable societies not only in Japan, but also in the international community, capitalizing on Japan’s experience of the recent earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disasters.

Pictures from the meeting are here. My presentations in English and Japanese appear below:

Gea 2011 presentation

My presentation in Japanese is here:

Greening in the Red Zone GEA japanese translation

Extension Responds to Disaster

EDEN and related responses  Extension Responds to Disaster

Serious business: The evidence on heat waves

Some EDEN work appeared on the College of Human Ecology blog Evidence-Based Living...click on the picture.

Letter from Commissioner of NYS Ag & Mkts re EDEN

CCE Helps Soldiers and Families Navigate the Deployment Cycle

A recent CCE "Feature Story"... click on the photo.

New coordinator brings fresh ideas to disaster response in NYS, hopes to learn from Japan crisis

A recent piece in the CCE at 100 blog...

Urgent Biophilia- Presentation at Resilience 2011

This presentation is Chapter 4 of the forthcoming book Greening in the Red Zone: Disaster, Resilience, and Community Greening.

Urgent Biophilia - Resilience 2011

For the full chapter in PDF form, see Civic Ecology Lab Publications.

Tidball Named New EDEN Coordinator for New York State

New York Extension Disaster Education Network (NY EDEN) has a
New Coordinator

Conceptual Framework for Civic Ecology Education

My latest article "Urban Environmental Education From a Social-Ecological Perspective: Conceptual Framework for Civic Ecology Education" has been published in Cities and the Environment (CATE).

http://escholarship.bc.edu/cate/vol3/iss1/11/

"Oak Hatred" in Historic Sweden

On a recent trip to Sweden I was talking to a few of my colleagues about my interests in tree symbolism, while on a hike through a forested area in Stockholm featuring a few ancient oaks. My colleagues related to me the following: "a monarch decided in the 16th or 17th Century that oak were not to be cut since they should be used for warship building. This resulted in noblemen being ordered to protect oaks, whereas farmers stamped out and killed oak seedlings as fast as they could. If the farmers let the oaks grow up, they would loose usable land surface. So, on the whole, we lost oaks."

I found this accounting for the decline in oaks interesting both in terms of symbolic importance, and in terms of unintended consequences of management within Social-Ecological Systems.

I looked into this further and discovered a scholarly accounting of this phenomena by Per Eliasson, University of Lund, Sweden. He says, in a paper titled "The political history of the oaks in Sweden from the 16th to 20th century," that "The conflict in Sweden between the state power and the peasants over oak trees was one about many different values – culture, economy, politics and ecology. It was not only about ownership and timber, but also about the oaks role in damaging the crops and about the oak as a symbol of the crown." In another related paper titled "The Oak Tree, from Peasant Torment to a Unifying Concept of Landscape Management" by Jerker Moström of the National Heritage Board of Sweden, we learn of the Swedish historical expression “Tender oak trees and young noblemen should be hated,” an ironic peasant saying originating from the 18th century. According to Moström, the saying expresses the hatred within the peasant community towards the nobility and the oak trees at that time, caused by what they perceived as injustices in the contemporary Swedish forestry acts. He says that during the 17th century the oak became not only an important source of income for the nobility but also a physical symbol of the wealth and power of the aristocracy.

These papers and others can be found in the proceedings from a conference held in Linköpin, Sweden called The Oak – History, Ecology, Management and Planning, report 5617, May 2006. I found this interesting to contrast with the symbolism of the oak in the New World, especially the contemporary meanings I am exploring of the Live Oak in post-Katrina New Orleans and more broadly within the Gulf Coast region. These symbolic meanings of the oak and other trees in post-Katrina New Orleans are treated in depth in the forthcoming book Greening in the Red Zone in a chapter titled: Trees and Rebirth: Symbol, Ritual, and Resilience in Post-Katrina New Orleans.

Anthropology, Science and the Art of Media Sensationalization

Recently, a colleague known for "button-pushing" found ammunition to load his derision gun with, in the media hype surrounding the American Anthropological Association's (AAA) so -called controversy regarding science. Hundreds of anthropologists voiced their concern to the New York Times a few days later. The AAA has since posted a response to the public controversy over science in anthropology, in which they state: Some recent media coverage, including an article in the New York Times, has portrayed anthropology as divided between those who practice it as a science and those who do not, and has given the mistaken impression that the American Anthropological Association (AAA) Executive Board believes that science no longer has a place in anthropology. On the contrary, the Executive Board recognizes and endorses the crucial place of the scientific method in much anthropological research.

Stay tuned.

URBIS Gains Traction

The URBIS Partnerships initiative has gained some traction within the UN system and appears to be poised to become a major player in the Global Biodiversity discussion. A landmark agreement was signed at the COP 10 meetings in Nagoya, Japan by CBD Global Partnership of Cities and Biodiversity and other collaborators.

Click here for a journal article about URBIS.

Presentation at City Summit, COP 10- Nagoya, Japan

I recently was invited to contribute to the climate change discourse on an international stage, at the COP 10 (Convention on Biological Diversity) meetings in Nagoya, Japan. Here are some photographs and the presentation I gave as part of the Cities and Biodiversity Summit.

COP 10 cities & biodiversity summit

View more presentations from Keith Tidball.

World Expo Shanghai

I was fortunate to be a part of a number of events hosted by the Swedish Government and the Stockholm Resilience Center at the World Expo in Shanghai!

One event was the "Future cities, Future citizens" Open Seminar at Nordic Light House, Shanghai, China.

I was especially proud of the work of Rocking the Boat at the event.

For pictures of the amazing city of Shanghai, see here.

Greening in the Red Zone in AnthroNews

October Anthropology News In Focus commentaries on disaster relief and recovery are now posted on the American Anthropological Association's Current Featured News page, free to the public throughout the month. This month’s In Focus articles are by Susanna M Hoffman; Jane Henrici; Miriam S Chaiken; Roberto Barrios; Michele Ruth Gamburd and Dennis B McGilvray; Keith G Tidball; Susann Ullberg; Lakshmi Fjord; and Anthony Oliver-Smith. Full issue content is available via AnthroSource, including additional thematic articles from other sections by contributors Graham A Tobin, Linda M Whiteford, Eric C Jones and Arthur D Murphy; Laura Wagner; Jérôme Grimaud; Marisa O Ensor; Howard F Stein; and Adam Koons.

This month’s issue also features color photographs in the online version.

After the catastrophic January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, AN immediately began hearing anthropologists discuss how they might contribute to recovery efforts. This was no surprise, given anthropologists’ frequent engagement with human rights, public health and social justice issues. With many practicing and academic anthropologists deeply involved with short- and long-term disaster relief and recovery efforts throughout the world, this thematic series explores how anthropology can make a difference in such challenging circumstances.

NAAEE 2010

The North American Association of Environmental Education held its annual meeting in Buffalo, NY this year. I was fortunate to be asked to serve as one of two respondents to the keynote address, given by Stephen Kellert. The remarks I made can be found here.

Dr. Kellert and I enjoyed some down-time after our presentations and explored Niagara Falls from the ever-popular Maid of the Mists. It was great getting to know him better, and comparing notes on biophilia, Urgent Biophilia, and even how hunting and fishing might be explored as expressions of Biophilia... stay tuned for more on that.

A-bomb survivor trees

Citizen Science in Disaster and Conflict Resilience presented at ESA

Citizen science in disaster and conflict resilience esa 2010

View more presentations from Keith Tidball.

Ecology of Environmental Education Presented at ESA

Tidball joins the journal Ecology and Society editorial board.

http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/about/editors.php .

Emergence

Had to post this... emergence being so important to resilience...

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/episodes/2005/02/18

Trees please

Trees please

Citizen involvement in wetland restoration

See also a related report in the Cayuga Lake Watershed News here.

View more presentations from Keith Tidball.

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL GRANT AWARD

EINAUDI CENTER INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL GRANT AWARDS

Keith Tidball was among the 62 research travel grants for the 2010-2011 academic year awarded by the Einaudi Center. The recipients came from a variety of graduate fields across seven colleges. Most recipients (40%) are headed to Asia. A sizable number are traveling to Europe (25%), Africa (25%) and Latin America (10%) respectively.

Tidball's research proposal is titled "Greening and Greenspace as Conflict Amelioration in a South African Informal Settlement."

To view recipients of travel grants and explore the new interactive world map that provides an overview of their destinations, see http://www.einaudi.cornell.edu/funding/tg_recipients.asp.

URBIS Partnership Proposal presented at World Urban Forum, 22-26 March 2010, Brazil

A Conversation with Students in Stockholm

I was invited to speak with a group of about a 100 young people attending Global College, an upper secondary school that is located in the center of Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. Global College is a public school with approximately 400 students between the ages of 16-19, and 25 teachers. All public schooling in Sweden is free of charge and co-educational.

Thomas Elmqvist from the Stockholm Resilience Center spoke about global change and teh importance of resilient strategies for the urban environment. I spoke with the students about New York City's Million Trees campaign. The questions these students asked were insightful and plentiful. I was impressed. And I was proud of New York City.

Presentation at Stockholm Resilience Center

Memory and disaster resilience src mar 2010

View more presentations from Keith Tidball.

NYC Million Trees Symposium a success

Click here for the Cornell Chronicle news story about the event.

Presentation at NYC Million Trees Symposium

Krasny & tidball mtnyc 2010

View more presentations from Keith Tidball.