Diplomacy Begins Here: Building an Inclusive Climate Movement
Left to Right: President & CEO of Environmental Grant Makers Association, Tamara Toles O’Laughlin; The Honorable, Denise Johnson; Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, Scott Weinhold; Director at the Office of International Visitors, Anne E. Grimes; VCWA CEO and President, Patricia Preston; CEO and President of Global Ties U.S, Katherine Brown Ph.D.
On August 21st and 22nd, the Vermont Council on World Affairs (VCWA), in partnership with Global Ties U.S. and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, hosted the 2023 Diplomacy Begins Here Summit, Building an Inclusive Climate Movement at Hula Lakeside. This two-day event explored how an inclusive and global approach to climate change can help address these disparities and create a more sustainable future for all. We welcomed expert speakers who shared their insights and provided practical solutions that can be implemented at the community level.
The Summit consisted of two days of programming:
Monday, August 21 - Open to the Public
Tuesday, August 22 - Closed to the Public
Areas of Focus:
Rural Climate Resilience
Renewable Energy and Urban Sustainability
Environmental Justice and the Impacts of Climate Change on Indigenous Populations
How Climate Change Is Fueling Migration
Public Health Implications of Climate Change
Creating Accessible Climate Solutions
Keynote speaker and President & CEO of Environmental Grant Makers Association, Tamara Toles O’Laughlin
Day 1 commenced with Burlington Mayor, Miro Weinberger addressing the crowd on how an inclusive and global approach to climate change can help create a more sustainable future.
Day 2 of the summit began with Vermont Council on World Affairs Leadership and U.S Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, discussing organizational management and and the importance of building diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility into IVLP programming.
Soon after, Keynote speaker Tamara Toles O’Laughlin, discussed the need to engage diverse populations and various stakeholders across governments, corporations, academia, nonprofit organizations, and grassroots activists in the climate movement.
After the keynote participants chose from breakout sessions on a range of topics from Renewable Energy and Urban Sustainability to Rural Climate Resilience, State Senator, Kesha Ram-Hinsdale discussed the impacts of climate change on the most vulnerable populations. The state of Vermont has made it a priority to work toward ensuring that environmental justice is a part of climate change policies and initiatives. State Senator Ram-Hinsdale introduced the Vermont bill, which will require the state government to acknowledge and address environmental harms, and to include people who are most burdened by those harms in decisions about projects and funding that could touch their lives.
Later, Mark Levine from the Vermont Department of Health discussed efforts taking place both at the state and national levels to tackle health promotion and disease prevention.
The day concluded with a general session comprised of local leaders sharing their experiences about the influence of international visitors on their work and their community.
A full summit agenda can be found here
