GUEST ARTICLE: The COVID-19 pandemic makes this the perfect time to regenerate our cities, our farms and our planet With 100 million people about to fall into poverty due to pandemic, a 3-phase approach to urban economic recovery emerges A strategic, well-designed stimulus based on infrastructure renewal could also help make America more resilient British Columbia launches $120 million effort to grow jobs by restoring their 8000+ orphaned or dormant oil and gas wells Sea level rise of 4 feet by 2100: For coastal cities, climate restoration / adaptation / resilience efforts just became more urgent UNEP publishes post-COVID-19 recovery policy brief on restructuring global economy and trade system to make them more resilient Georgia Department of Natural Resources completes first phase of major oyster bed restoration project in Glynn County Coalfields Regeneration Trust introduces “Coalfields COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Fund” for former coal mining communities Policy brief on climate resilience, adaptation and risk reduction intends to help Europe become the first carbon-neutral continent The Ohio Lake Erie Commission has formally approved the 2020 Lake Erie Protection and Restoration Plan To revitalize COVID-19-damaged economies, 100 western U.S. mayors urge Congress to renew the Land and Water Conservation Fund As toxic, dangerous energy sources shut down, “Nuclear Closure Communities” join coal towns in getting revitalization help Pennsylvania governor publishes his three-phase post-COVID-19 economic revitalization plan: 1) Relief 2) Reopening 3) Recovery In Maryland, a Resilience Finance Authority bill for climate-adapted revitalization of the Annapolis City Dock wins bipartisan support $10 million will fund the restoration of streams and wetlands on former cranberry bog farmland in southeastern Massachusetts The long-struggling Sharswood-Blumberg neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania wins $30 million from HUD for revitalization Historic Dallas bank building—survivor of two fires—is beautifully renovated and boasts exterior by Cuban artist Jorge Pardo Settlement with company responsible for California’s 2015 Refugio Beach Oil Spill will provide $22 million for restoration Despite lockdown, the largest redevelopment project in city’s history advances towards revitalizing 150 acres of historic docks Private equity firm, Brookfield Asset Management, launches $5 billion retail revitalization program for U.S. and Canada IEDC adds new “Reopen Your Economy” resources to their “Restore Your Economy” COVID-19 response website for communities Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority wins $3.2 million for plan-related environmental renewal research projects EPA awards 155 grants totaling over $65.6 million to help revitalize communities and tribes by remediating & reusing brownfields Trinidad & Tobago government is encouraged to use a “restoration economy” strategy for post-pandemic economic recovery New Jersey expands Community Collaborative Initiative to help revitalize brownfield neighborhoods after winning $3 million State Farm’s continued 20-year support of LISC includes $4 million to help revitalize twelve U.S. cities over next two years New investment assessment tool is launched to help ensure that COVID-19 economic recovery efforts are more inclusive City council purchases bankrupt department store building to help revitalize the waterfront of this famed resort area Rhode Island renews its successful brightfields program to accelerate the repurposing of brownfields into solar farms Determined not to let 100,000 native saplings die during the pandemic, six Highland forest restoration volunteers go into self-isolation
