“Climate change is upon us. But what we do today can make a difference to the world we pass onto the next generation. We are committed to supporting the development of Living Labs around the world that can help protect the planet’s precious natural resources while building sustainability, resilience, and equity for all.”
— CATHLEEN D. STONE
The Stone Living Lab is an innovative and collaborative initiative for testing and scaling up nature-based approaches to climate adaptation, coastal resilience and ecological restoration in the high-energy environment of the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park. A “Living Lab” brings research out of the lab and into the real world by creating a user-centered, open, innovative ecosystem that engages scientists and the community in collaborative design and exploration.
The Stone Living Lab is a partnership of the Boston Harbor Now, UMass Boston School for the Environment, the City of Boston, the National Parks of Boston, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Foundation that engages scientists and the community in research, education, and the promotion of equity.
The Stone Center for Environmental Stewardship at UC Berkeley
The Stone Center for Environmental Stewardship at UC Berkeley is at the forefront of innovative, community-engaged research and action in environmental conservation. Our mission is to increase the pace, scale, equity, and durability of large-scale conservation by catalyzing new forms of university engagement with communities on the front lines of environmental change.
Their vision is to become the academic heart of a global network dedicated to breaking down barriers in large-scale conservation. They aim to overcome the challenges facing large-scale conservation efforts, charting a new course for academic engagement in addressing one of humanity's most pressing challenges. They envision a future in which a focus on traditional and local knowledge and alliances between communities, scientists, and policymakers produce durable and just conservation outcomes. The Center will engage with policymakers at the local, state and national level, advancing policies rooted in co-developed research.
The Center works primarily through community-engaged, action-oriented Living Labs that are located in specific landscapes and driven by coalitions of scientists and local partners The first Living Lab is the Beyond Yellowstone Living Lab and the second is planned for Northern California. Individually, the Living Labs bring interdisciplinary academic firepower to communities on the front lines of environmental change. Collectively, they will empower a new generation of scientists and professionals that expand the possibilities of locally-driven conservation action.
