The Trustees at the Stone Living Lab Conference

The Trustees’ Coastal and Boston Waterfront Initiative teams joined The Stone Living Lab—an innovative and collaborative initiative for testing and scaling up nature-based approaches to climate adaptation, coastal resilience and ecological restoration—for its first ever conference entitled “Nature-Based Coastal Resilience in Urban Settings” April 26 – 28, 2023 at the UMass Boston Campus. The Trustees took part in the program and gave two presentations at the conference: Lessons Learned: Policy, Permitting & Funding Strategies and Resilient Coastal Design, Partnerships & Community Engagement. 

The Stone Living Lab is a collaboration between Boston Harbor Now, UMass Boston’s School for the Environment, the City of Boston, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the National Park Service, and the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Foundation, many of which are important partners of the Trustees Boston Waterfront Initiative and Piers Park IIII project. 

Engaging and informative sessions captivated conference-goers on Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, the organizers offered field trips, bringing attendees to various sites covered during the conference.  

On the first day of the conference, an opening keynote was given by Climate Chief of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Melissa Hoffer, followed by a Keynote Indigenous Knowledge Fireside Chat. The fireside chat was moderated by Rev. Mariama White-Hammond, Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space, for the City of Boston, and participants included Charles F. Sams III, Director of the National Park Service, and Elizabeth Solomon of the Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag. Each spoke to their experiences as indigenous peoples and how those experiences relate back to resiliency and nature-based solutions.  

Later in the day, conference-goers could choose one of several breakout tracks to follow, to hear shorter presentations tailored to fit specific topics. The Trustees’ Russ Hopping gave a presentation around coastal wetlands and nature-based solutions in partnership with a colleague, Heidi Ricci of Mass Audubon. They spoke to the work being done in the Great Marsh, as Russ described it “A shared vision where we all agreed [the partners] that we needed to do something big.” The two discussed with attendees the permitting hurdles that existed for an innovative project like the Great Marsh Restoration, and the need to work at “the speed of nature.” 

The following day began with a session entitled “Co-Lab-Oration: How Three Climate Labs in Boston and NYC Are Approaching Their Work.” Presenters included Joe Christo, Managing Director, Stone Living Lab; Sheetal Shah, Operations & Engagement Lead, Urban Ocean Lab; Lauren Wang, Director of Climate Programs, The Trust for Governors Island; and the session was moderated by Kimberly Lucas, Professor, Northeastern University School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs.  

The day ended with more breakout sessions, including a group of presentations on Resilient Coastal Design, Partnerships & Community Engagement. The Trustees’ Nick Black, Managing Director of the Boston Waterfront Initiative, spoke to the work that the Trustees has done in East Boston around the design and construction of Piers Park III. He spoke to the need to create a sense of belonging and place, while centering the local community throughout the project’s many processes and stages.  

The conference offered a chance for Trustees staff to see many local partners in person again, to learn best practices, and to share ideas and learn from other successful endeavors on and in Boston Harbor, and beyond.  

“The Trustees Boston Waterfront Initiative couldn’t be where it is today without the many critical partnerships we have formed in the community. This starts at the grassroots level, in East Boston, working with those who Piers Park III will serve, and continues with our non-profit and corporate partners who help us to bring the community’s vision to life. It was great to be among so many of those like-minded partners and community members at the Stone Living Lab conference,” shared Nick. “Learning together in these spaces is critical as we look to create a resilient Boston Harbor for all.”