Agnes Scott College Partners with Decatur for Climate Resilience Efforts
Students at Agnes Scott College, located in Decatur, Georgia, have been instrumental in a unique initiative to combat the impacts of climate change in their community. Since 2022, these students have placed 36 heat sensors throughout their college campus and the surrounding city — a critical step in a broader effort to analyze and mitigate the risks of extreme heat waves.
This initiative is part of the Climate Resilience Plan, a joint effort between Agnes Scott and the city of Decatur. It exemplifies how collaborative efforts between educational institutions and local governments can effectively address climate change, a critical issue for communities worldwide.
Kimberly Reeves, executive director of Agnes Scott’s center for sustainability, noted the importance of these partnerships: “You can only be as sustainable as the community where you are. Agnes Scott could have its own resilience plan, but we’re not insulated. We have these connections to Decatur, metro Atlanta, and our broader region. If we’re able to build capacity and learn from other people’s experiences and successes, that’s where the best practices come into play.”
Agnes Scott’s commitment to sustainability is long-standing. In 2007, the college set a goal to achieve carbon neutrality and has since reduced its carbon footprint by half, aiming for full neutrality by 2037. This commitment was strengthened in 2014 when Agnes Scott became one of the first institutions to endorse the resilience commitment from Second Nature, a nonprofit focused on climate action in higher education. This commitment encourages colleges to collaborate with local governments to understand and address climate vulnerabilities.
The Climate Resilience Plan Task Force, initiated in 2015, comprises representatives from Agnes Scott, the city, and community partners such as Columbia Theological Seminary and Georgia Interfaith Power & Light. The task force’s work includes assessing community vulnerabilities, mapping assets, and devising a plan to prepare for severe climate events while ensuring the community has adequate resources. It also aims to overcome limited funding for climate response in Georgia and to jointly seek new solutions and funding when necessary.
‘Collective Action’ Required
Cara Scharer, assistant city manager for Decatur’s public works department, emphasized the necessity of collaboration: “Climate resilience requires collective action. This isn’t something a city can do alone. The partnership has helped us build our capacity around data collection for grants and brainstorm about different projects or funding opportunities across both organizations.”
Since the partnership began in 2021, Agnes Scott and Decatur have secured five new grants and initiated or completed 75% of their outlined projects. Their efforts include installing extreme heat sensors and flood monitors, creating a digital twin of Decatur with the Atlanta Regional Commission, and producing a Decatur-specific energy efficiency guide. They have also hosted educational “science sprints” and re-established Community Emergency Response Team training.
Students play a vital role in these efforts, with at least 115 participating in internships or coursework related to the climate resilience plan. Reeves highlighted the value of this involvement: “Being able to bring our colleagues in from the city just makes the work real. It’s not only that we’re reading about [climate-related issues] and that it’s some problem that other communities are facing. Rather, the hands-on learning shows that it’s happening here and we’re part of the solution.”
Senior student Indie Lorick, who installed sensors and monitors as part of an internship, reflected on the experience: “It took me a while to catch on to just how big the project was. I’ve taken sustainability and biology classes, but this gave me the opportunity to look at those topics with a wider lens.”
The effectiveness of Agnes Scott’s plan has garnered attention. Recently, the college was one of six institutions honored with the Climate Luminary Honors program award from Second Nature for its leadership in climate solutions. Timothy Carter, president of Second Nature, praised the college’s approach: “The beautiful thing about Agnes Scott’s plan is that from the beginning they brought in their community partners to co-create the solutions. Too often, higher education thinks they know what’s best for the community. Instead, the resilience framework creates these durable solutions that don’t end when a workshop ends.”
Original Story at www.insidehighered.com