Institute for Transformational and Ecosystem-based Climate Adaptation (ITECA)

About ITECA

The University at Albany Institute for Transformational and Ecosystem-based Climate Adaptation (ITECA) is dedicated to leading transformational climate change adaptation by fostering climate justice and equity, advancing nature-based and behavior-based solutions, and preparing the next generation of climate change leaders.

Our mission encompasses thought leadership, community engagement, student service learning, climate adaptation project implementation and applied research with a focus on developing innovative models, tools and best practices for transformational community-based climate adaptation.

ITECA is affiliated with UAlbany’s MS in Biodiversity, Conservation, and Policy program and Department of Geography and Planning.

As an organized research unit within the College of Arts and Sciences, this sponsored-program institute reports directly to the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

The Challenge of Climate Change & How ITECA is Generating Solutions

Climate change poses significant challenges, including rising temperatures, extreme weather events and disproportionate impacts on vulnerable communities.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report warns of a potential 2-degree Celsius increase by the 2070s, necessitating urgent adaptation efforts alongside emission reductions.

Disadvantaged communities are the most vulnerable to these significant impacts, often lacking the resources to respond and adapt effectively.

ITECA addresses these challenges through scalable, regenerative solutions, based in our four core pillars:

Innovative thought leadership and applied research for transformational climate change adaptation
Advancing climate justice and equity through community engagement and developing resilient local bioeconomies
Developing nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) models and tools
Preparing the next generation of climate leaders and supporting academic growth

Contact ITECA

AS B08

1400 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12222
United States

[email protected]

Phone

518-442-4682

Office Hours

8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday

Current Projects

Urban Café Day Initiative

This program focuses on developing the adaptive capacity and resilience of disadvantaged urban communities by engaging community members, local community leaders and community youth in planning, problem solving and skill-building.

Another focus is strengthening the urban climate forestry workforce by training students and other youth in climate forestry, tree planting, technology skills, and cooperative business skills through ITECA’s Hudson-Mohawk Climate Corps (HMCC).

HMCC will enhance climate resilience in Albany’s disadvantaged communities by:

Planting trees along urban streets over five years to mitigate climate impacts, especially extreme heat and flooding
Using Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote sensing to map climate impacts, assess the urban forest and analyze climate vulnerabilities

Developing strategies and tools to measure impact and adaptively manage projects will also be a key component to this initiative.

Funding for this project is provided by the Inflation Reduction Act and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Program.

Three individuals smile and nod as they speak to a fourth individual at a tabling event.

Bioeconomy Development

ITECA will work to establish local native tree and plant nurseries using cooperative business models. This includes working with the community to create local business opportunities, such as:

Growing biologically diverse native tree stocks from seeds
Producing biochar from downed urban street trees
Generating compost for urban soil amendment

Educational Games

ITECA will use EarthQuest — a table-top, role-playing ecogame created by ITECA Director Ríobart Breen — to disseminate climate change knowledge and environmental sustainability best practices, while reducing climate anxiety among students and other youth leaders.

EarthQuest engages players in exploring future climate scenarios and simulations that teach sustainability, ecosystem-based adaptation and agroecology best practices that can be used in local communities.

The game is designed to increase knowledge, develop leadership skills, shift behaviors and foster a sense of responsibility and hope towards climate action and sustainability. EarthQuest is also wildly fun to play!

Ecoregional Think Tank

ITECA has assembled an intergenerational, ecoregional think tank of faculty and alumni to provide thought leadership and applied policy research briefs to guide local government and communities.

Our Impact

Our initiatives create tangible benefits:

Environmental Benefits: Enhancing urban forests, watersheds, and coastal ecosystems through an ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) approach, which leverages natural processes to build resilience and provide essential ecosystem services. Future planned projects include wetlands restoration, soil lab creation, soil testing and amendment protocols, coastal restoration, and creek daylighting.
Economic Benefits: Creating local jobs and supporting small business innovation, particularly through local green bioeconomy development in disadvantaged communities.
Social Benefits: Promoting climate justice and equity, increasing social adaptive capacity, and improving quality of life of communities through climate problem-solving, resilience action and increased access to nature.

Real Collaboration

ITECA collaborates with various partners to amplify our impact:

Community Partnerships: Working with local community-based organizations to plan and implement projects, and to provide technical support.
Local, State & Federal Agencies: Collaborating with local, state and federal agencies — such as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Program, and the City of Albany Department of General Services’ Forestry Division — to align our initiatives with broader climate adaptation policy goals and secure additional resources for local communities.
Academic Partnerships: Engaging with UAlbany departments and faculty to develop new courses and research opportunities, and to promote interdisciplinary solutions.
Local to Global Networks: Forming local, regional, national and global climate adaptation networks to share best practices and foster innovation.

 Interested in collaborating with ITECA? Email us at [email protected].

Hudson-Mohawk Climate Corps

The Hudson-Mohawk Climate Corps (HMCC) is an undergraduate career, employment and training initiative at UAlbany.

The initiative is led by ITECA in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Program, the Radix Ecological Sustainability Center and the City of Albany Department of General Services’ Forestry Division.

ITECA is dedicated to leading transformational climate change adaptation by fostering climate justice and equity, advancing nature-based and behavior-based solutions, and preparing the next generation of climate change leaders.

Two UAlbany students kneel in a garden bed while weeding.

Become a HMCC Corpsmember

We are now recruiting HMCC corpsmembers!

These positions are seasonal, temporary employment — including part-time work in the fall and spring, and full-time work in the summer — for UAlbany students.

To apply, please request an application or submit a resume to [email protected].

HMCC Corpsmember Position Description

Position Title: HMCC Corpsmember

Position Type: Seasonal, Temporary (full-time summers, part-time fall and spring)

Position Description:

Members of the Hudson-Mohawk Climate Corps (HMCC) work as a team under the leadership of a crew supervisor, implementing a wide variety of hands-on public service projects that advance environmental conservation and ecosystem-based climate adaptation goals in the greater Capital Region of New York.

Corpsmembers also participate in training and career development activities, including outdoor environmental conservation and urban climate forestry skills, high tech monitoring and assessment skills, environmental and climate change education, and agroforestry entrepreneurship education.

Environmental conservation work is primarily outdoors, involves strenuous physical labor in all weather conditions, and may involve working in semi-remote locations.

Most work focuses on urban climate forestry to address climate adaptation and resilience of Albany’s disadvantaged communities and ecosystems, including impacts from extreme heat and the urban heat island effect.

Corpsmembers will engage in planting and maintaining trees, assessing and amending urban soils, Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping of urban tree sites, assisting with native tree nursery operations, and monitoring and assessing urban forest health.

Work may include participating in community meetings and leading teams of volunteer youth and adults.

Benefits:

Corpsmembers are paid on an hourly basis, at a rate of $15 per hour.

Corpsmembers will gain marketable job experience and receive (paid) hands-on skills training and classroom-based learning that can lead to future careers in climate adaptation, urban and climate forestry, environmental conservation, and agroforestry entrepreneurship.

Academic credit for participation may be available.

Qualifications:

Must be age 18 or older
Must be a full-time undergraduate student at UAlbany in any major
Must have an interest in the environment, climate action and making a difference in the community
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and effective communication with team members, supervisors, partner agency staff, and the general public
Ability to perform a wide variety of outdoor heavy manual labor tasks for extended periods of time, and often under adverse weather conditions
Ability to effectively lift, handle and carry various objects weighing up to 50 pounds or more
Ability to adapt to surrounding work environment and conditions that can change frequently, including working in all weather conditions, and outdoor climates and environments
Ability to maintain optimal physical health while employed

Residents local to the Albany area are highly encouraged to apply (preference for residents of Albany’s disadvantaged communities or other disadvantaged communities).

Work experience in environmental conservation is not required.