Jessica Mederson and Mónika Serrano sit down with Jane Gilbert, Miami-Dade County's Chief Heat Officer. Together, they dive into the growing threat of extreme heat for cities, its disproportionate impact on vulnerable communities, and how communities leaders can respond through thoughtful design and policy. Jane shares how her groundbreaking role has shaping heat mitigation strategies—from education strategies to tree canopy initiatives—and what is next.

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Jessica Mederson and Mónika Serrano speak with Julie Manning, Global Head of Climate and Carbon Strategy at La Salle Investments. This conversation explores if real estate investors are factoring climate risk into their decision-making, what resilience actions are taking place, the challenges of evaluating climate risk across portfolios while considering the unique characteristics of buildings and surrounding communities, and more.

Links:

ULI, LaSalle Physical Climate Risks and Underwriting Practices in Assets and Portfolios

ULI, LaSalle Provide Framework for Real Estate Industry to Assess Climate Risk

America Adapts: The Wild Wild West of Climate Modeling

Drought. Flooding. Wildfires. These are all risks our communities and built environment face and these risks are increasing as our planet warms. Beavers, nature's engineers and a keystone species, can help us fight all of these risks. Beavers are central to water management (reducing flooding and droughts and mitigating wildfires) because of how they handle water: they slow it, spread it, store it, and sink it.

Mónika and Jessica interview Ben Goldfarb, author of Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter. They discuss beavers' past, present, and future - their connection to European settlement of North America, present-day approaches to beaver activities, and how beavers can help protect our communities in the future.

Links and resources mentioned in the show:

Ben Goldfarb

Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter a book by Ben Goldfarb

Crossings | Ben Goldfarb | W. W. Norton & Company

Beaver Institute Management, Research and Education

Microsoft Word - ECONW Escalante Beaver Values Report 0211.doc