6.09: Outside Conversations with Brett Kencairn - On the promise of the fourth wave

Tuesday and Tim welcome Brett KenCairn, a leader in the development of a new field of urban nature-based solutions. Brett brings a fresh eye to what is happening around the world, climate and ecology as well as a deeply visionary and hopeful stance for the future. This conversation, much like Brett, is both strategic and soulful. Come on in.

About Brett KenCairn:

Brett serves as the City of Boulder’s Senior Policy Advisor for Climate Action and leads the City’s Natural Climate Solutions team. He is also the Director of the Center for Regenerative Solutions (CRS)—a national initiative to expand natural climate solutions nationally that is co-sponsored by the Urban Sustainability Directors Network.

As the City of Boulder’s Nature-based Solutions team lead, Brett’s primary responsibility is the ongoing evolution of the city’s natural infrastructure-based climate action efforts. Brett coordinates cross-department/multistakeholder efforts in enhancing urban landscapes to increase shade and cooling, water infiltration and storm water reduction, biodiversity enhancement, and biosocial network development. He is also leading soil regeneration and sequestration initiatives on natural and working lands.

As Director of CRS, Brett is a leader in the development of a new field of urban nature-based solutions. CRS launched the first national Urban Nature-based Solutions Accelerator training program for communities that has successful completed trainings in equity centered urban heat/urban forestry strategies and is currently developing a new series around storm water/green infrastructure as equity-centered climate action. CRS was also selected as one of 12 organizations nationally that are jointly managing over $270M in US Forest Service urban and community forestry fund regranting.

Prior to working for the city, Brett worked across the western US in community-based sustainable development, working in both rural, Native American and other communities in transition across the western US. He also is the founder or co-founder of four non-profits and two for-profits including the Rogue River Institute for Ecology and Economy, Veterans Green Jobs, and Community Energy Systems.

Resources:

Advice that Brett is carrying around in his back pocket: “The ability of communities to remain livable, in the future conditions of climate that we are going to be living into, requires that we have a much more robust urban living system that shelters us.”