Studer Community Institute

Project Greenshores a finalist in national contest

April 13, 2015
/ Staff Reports
/ community-dashboard

Project Greenshores, the coastal restoration project along the downtown Pensacola waterfront, is a top ten finalist in Solution Search’s national contest, “Reducing our Risk: Innovation for Disaster Preparation.” The contest is an effort to identify and celebrate the ways Americans are working to reduce the risk of weather-related disasters on their communities. The online prize competition identifies the top 10 ways Americans are reducing the risk of weather-related disasters, and now Solution Search is holding a nationwide vote to pick the winner of a $25,000 prize. The goal is to build greater awareness and preparedness across the country. Supporters can vote for Project Greenshores daily at http://www.solutionsearch.org/entityform/121. “In many ways, Pensacola and Project Greenshores serve as a model for coastal shoreline restoration in an urban environment,” said Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward in a news release. “This project has clearly demonstrated that living shorelines have tremendous benefits not only in terms of our ecosystem, our economy, and our recreational activities, but also in mitigating the impact of tropical storms and hurricanes. Experts have found that areas with living shorelines experience less coastal erosion as a result of storm events.” “We are excited about the top ten solutions and their potential to improve preparedness to extreme weather events,” said Brett Jenks, CEO of Rare, the international nonprofit that manages Solution Search. “Human and economic costs are increasing, and not only are solutions needed, but so too is a new kind of conversation.” Storms, floods, droughts and other weather impacts threaten human safety and the nation’s financial underpinnings. Between 1980 and 2012, the U.S. experienced 144 weather/climate disasters in which the cost of each event reached or exceeded $1 billion, and the total cost of those 144 storms exceeded $1 trillion. In 2012, weather-related disasters killed over 500 people and caused nearly $40 billion in damage. A Solution Search combines the dynamism of a talent competition, the focus of a mission-driven aspiration, and the transparency of an online platform that lets all participants and the general public review entries along the way. Based on a careful study of innovation and competition theory, Solution Search not only fosters identification and replication of proven methods, but by accelerating discourse and networking, it helps advance the entire sector. Judges include former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, The Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore, former NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, and the leaders of MunichRe America, TransRe, Tampa Bay Rays, Evangelical Environmental Network, and Robertson Foundation. Past contests have been highly successful. The inaugural Solution Search in 2011, “Turning the Tide for Coastal Fisheries,” a partnership between Rare and National Geographic, received entries from 48 countries. The Solution Search contest, “Reducing our Risk: Innovation for Disaster Preparation” partners include Rare, TransRe, MunichRe, The Nature Conservancy, Evangelical Environmental Network and Save the Children.

Back to Blogs

Project Greenshores a finalist in national contest

Recent Posts