Recent extreme weather in Morris has prompted community concern about the town’s resiliency in the face of adverse weather now and in the future. In response, the Jefferson Center and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy brought community members together through facilitated education, thoughtful deliberation, and community-driven action to promote the needs, concerns, and values of Morris community members in addressing this issue.
In early May 2014, we worked with Morris Area High School students in exercises to raise awareness of extreme weather and climate issues in the community. Students also distributed energy surveys to their families and neighbors, which helped inform research by the Center for Earth, Energy, and Democracy.
In June 2014, we convened fifteen Morris residents in a civic engagement and community planning process to assess local impacts of extreme weather and climate patterns, identify community concerns and opportunities to address those concerns, and recommend actionable goals to address risks and build resiliency through community action. For an overview of this process, read the Morris Area Climate Dialogue Final Report and check out full coverage of the three-day event from the Rural Climate Network. If you’d like to dive even deeper, you can find the complete list of community concerns, opportunities, actions, and key climate/weather facts as identified by the 15 community participants. Community members framed their findings for their neighbors and friends by highlighting the importance of shared community action to address these issues:
Right now, we’re working with community members, civic leaders, politicians, businesses, educational institutions, and others to implement solutions recommended and supported by the Morris community. We’re excited to see local residents and groups already working to expand awareness of extreme weather and climate impacts and to implement the actions recommended by Dialogue participants. Participants are taking the lead, talking to neighbors and elected officials about concerns that came to the forefront in the Dialogue, but also about the community’s capacity to grow and flourish as it addresses these challenges. The broad support for both the Dialogue and the recommendations of fellow community members highlights the importance of creating opportunities where all Americans can work constructively on pressing community issues.
Morris community members are already being recognized for their hard work. Environmental Initiative, a statewide Minnesota organization leading collaborative solutions to a broad array of environmental issues, has recognized work in Morris as the winner in their annual award program in the Community Action category. Read the Environmental Initiative nomination for all the details.
This Rural Climate Dialogue project is the first step in an effort to galvanize rural citizens across Minnesota to assert leadership and build resiliency in the face of extreme weather conditions. It amplifies an informed voice of the people so that regional, state, and national policy-makers can take their needs into account when developing climate policy. Through this project we hope to build better public policy and stronger, civic-minded communities.
If you’d like to contribute to this work in other communities, consider making a gift today.
Read more about why we’re working to re-engage Americans in discussions of climate and extreme weather.
Be sure to check out our Morris Area Climate Dialogue partner, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy!
