Below is summary of monthly Learning Circles and what is coming up next month. Exchange members are welcome to drop in on any Learning Circle. The Community Calendar is the best place to find Zoom links and dates. Use your member login to access the calendar and meeting links. If you’d like to be added to a specific Learning Circle email roster and calendar for regular updates, contact Veronica (veronica@giexchange.org).
For December three circles will meet (Funding, Equity and Maximizing Performance) while other circles will take a break. If your usual circle is on break, please drop in on another circles! Members are also encouraged to attend one or both of the two SPPC meetings in December to participate in the leadership and development of the Exchange. The Community Calendar has Zoom links and dates.
Asset Management: In November, Toronto presented an update on their Greenforce TO equity-based workforce development crew. The presentation included the evolution of the program since it’s 2021 pilot year, achievements & challenges. This circle will take a break in December.
Book Group: This month we finished Charleston: Race, Water, and the Coming Storm by Susan Crawford (2023). This circle will take a break in December. In January, we will start Nature-Based Solutions for Cities (2023), which is an open access edited collection. We will discuss Chapters 1 – 3 (30 pages) in January and also scan through the other chapters (16 total chapters) to see if we’d like to continue reading more of this new book. From the book’s homepage: “Nature-based solutions (NBS) are increasingly being adopted to address climate change, health, and urban sustainability, yet ensuring they are effective and inclusive remains a challenge. Addressing these challenges through chapters by leading experts in both global south and north contexts, this forward-looking book advances the science of NBS in cities and discusses the frontiers for next-generation urban NBS.”
Innovations in Design: In November, Philadelphia discussed infiltration in sewer and combined systems. This circle will take a break in December.
Innovations in Funding & Financing: In November, Pittsburgh and the Exchange shared their presentation from the 3 Rivers Wet Weather Sewer Conference on the State of Public Sector Green Stormwater Infrastructure from the perspective of the survey results and also from the Pittsburgh perspective featuring projects, funding, and levers. In December, there will have a presentation of Rainplan with their Incentive Program Administrator.
Leadership: In November we discussed managing conflict along with two article: “What Is Psychological Safety at Work? How Leaders Can Build Psychologically Safe Workplaces” and “Leading a Multicultural Team.” This circle will take a break in December.
New Member: In November a few experienced members of the Exchange dropped in to share their experience in GSI and how to make the most of being a member of the Exchange. Potential water utility members from the south east joined the call too. This circle meets every other month and will not meet in December.
Maximizing GSI Performance: In November, the “International Stormwater BMP Database” joined us to talk about their database and other tools and resources. In December, there will be a presentation from Philadelphia about their web-based apps (SHINY) used for GSI monitoring.
Placing Equity at the Center: In November, we did a round robin on equity issues that are coming up recently, which included hiring practices, up/downstream funding differences, and the US federal Justice 40 initiative. In December, there will be a presentation from Washington, DC about their resilience matrix.
Planning & Resilience: In November, St. Louis, New Orleans, and Charlotte presented on their organizational structures at different levels and scales (e.g., context, demographics, geographies, small and large institutional frameworks), which will be connected to how GSI is planned and implemented. This circle will take a break in December.
