"You need glue to bind a community together. But you also need WD-40 to reduce friction." — Hayagreeva "Huggy" Rao, Stanford Graduate School of Business.
I've spent a lot of time thinking about individual resilience and adaptation to the climate crisis. After all, that's something I have control over. But as communities across the globe grapple with record heat waves, many people are also thinking about how to make their towns and cities resilient in the face of the climate crisis. Megan Granato, the Groton, Connecticut, Town Sustainability and Resilience Manager, is one of those people.
In her role, she works to integrate preparedness and climate change projections into everything the southeastern Connecticut town does. I spoke with her recently about how she came to the role, what she's excited about, and how individuals can help their communities become more resilient, even if their town or city doesn't have a town resilience manager.
Tell us about your background and how you came to the role.
I have a background in biology and natural resource management. My first climate role, though, was as a restoration ecologist for a consulting firm in California. I was detailed to the development of the California Valley Solar Ranch, with 1400 acres of solar panels. I was doing natural resource management work, studying the plants and the habitats and helping to revegetate lands that needed seeding after the panels' poles were installed. I spent about two years on that project, and it was just a fascinating life experience in what those projects look like on the ground and all the work into how they're planned and built.
After that, I moved to Maryland and worked for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, focusing on restoring the Chesapeake Bay watershed. It was a great place to work, and then I had my son.
I had already been worried about climate change, and then I had this beautiful baby. I had a couple of days that were really dark just thinking about the future that he was going to inherit, and I found that what made me able to work through that was spending more and more of my time on climate-related issues.
My family really wanted to relocate to Connecticut, though, because this is where I'm from, so I was actively seeking a job in Connecticut when the Sustainability and Resilience Manager for the Town of Groton opportunity came up.
What are the things you're currently working on that are exciting you?
There are a couple of initiatives involving getting kids outside and connected to nature that I'm passionate about. Helping students connect to nature and having time outside be a meaningful part of their life will help build future stewards of the Earth, and it's so impactful on children's physical and mental health.
I'm also trying to integrate the youth voice into the town's action planning. I'm really excited about it because these students have a lifetime ahead of them of making decisions, so if they are informed and passionate, a lot of decisions they make through life are going to be more climate-conscious. Plus, they should get a stay on the climate work the town is doing. It's going to affect them more than it's going to affect the majority of the people in town.
What ways would you suggest people get involved in their town's climate resilience planning even if their town doesn't have someone in a position like yours?
There are a number of things that people can do. They can start by looking at the groups their town already has and at the agendas for those meetings. See if any climate issues show up on the agendas and then attend the meetings. Even if people are uncomfortable speaking up, being present is a sign of interest and commitment. If nothing else, as government employees, we want to know what the community wants and needs, and so any way that you can connect, even if it's not at a meeting but just reaching out or participating in polls and surveys, is helpful.
People can think about what their interests and hobbies are. So if you're an avid gardener, look at the local gardening groups in town and find out if there are any educational events you can participate in. You don't have to be an expert on climate change to have a voice.
Another great way to get involved is to see if your state has a statewide sustainable certification program. Connecticut, for instance, has Sustainable CT. On that website is a list of more than 300 action items that towns can do to get points toward certification. Even if your town isn't participating, you can look at that activity list and see if any ideas resonate with you. It includes everything from economic development to the arts to more classic climate issues like planning for solar and electric vehicles. There may be some things that you are particularly passionate about that you can go to your local elected officials with or start talking about with your own networks to form a group around and get movement on.
What things are giving you hope for the future right now?
I've been in this position for nearly a year. During that time, I have spent a lot of time trying to get to know the community and talking to people. It's been so exciting to find so many people who are passionate about climate, who are thinking about it, working on it, and integrating it into their daily lives. Finding that community brings me hope.
~ Bridget
P.S. Here are a few things that I've been up to:
Working: What's your favorite children's television series? Does it mention climate change? For a story, I'm looking for examples of programs communicating the climate crisis to young audiences and kids and caregivers who want to talk to about them. I'm also finishing up a story for U.S. News & World Reports on school playgrounds and heat.
Published: How Sustainable Food Production Is Changing for Martha Stewart and a follow-up to this 2021 piece on urban farms for The Deep Dish, the exclusive newsletter for Civil Eats members.
Reading: Lots of summer beach reads, sometimes even at the beach: Emma Straub's The Vacationers, The Beach at Summerly from Beatriz Williams and Michael Christie's Greenwood.
My kids watch more movies than shows, but the newer Disney movie Strange World seems like a metaphor for fossil fuels and really emphasizes the interconnection between all life on Earth. I’m not sure how much young kids would pick up on…parents may have to start a discussion, but older kids would certainly make the connection.