PRESERVATION

How do historic coastal communities prepare for the impacts of climate change? What can be done to protect historic buildings, landscapes, and neighborhoods from the increasing threat of sea level rise?

How can preservationists, engineers, city planners, legislators, insurers, and historic home owners work together to preserve the built environment and cultural heritage?

These questions were examined at Keeping History Above Water (April 10-13, 2016), an international conference on sea level rise and its impact on historic preservation organized by the Newport Restoration Foundation (NRF).

I managed communications with a dedicated team from NRF, as well as journalists, filmmakers, writers, photographers. social media strategists, and a million in between.

One of the inspiring drivers is the insistence of conference goers and organizers to side-step the debate and focus on who is doing what, now, to mitigate sea level rise. Preservation may well be a foundation of diplomacy when it comes to climate change and the diversity of voices required to jump start the momentum needed to fully face the issue. Globally.

Photography courtesy Caroline Goddard.