Historically, New Bedford is most famously known for its rich history of whaling. New Bedford was one of the wealthiest cities in the world in the 1800’s due to its reputation as having the greatest whaling port in the world. Even today, the New Bedford’s port is recognized as being the  highest grossing commercial fishing port in America. Through decades of being known as the best, New Bedford continues to strive beyond that with their New Bedford Resilient program. 

Port of New Bedford ranks No. 1 for 18th consecutive year
Within the NB Resilient program, there are numerous different aspects they focus on. For my webcase project, I am most interested in their natural resources area of work. Within this section, it entails the preservation and utilization of natural resources. This section includes goals such as:

1) reduce air, water, soil, noise, and light pollution

2) take an integrated water resource management approach that considers the needs of the natural water ecosystem, human water use, and potential drought and flooding

3) add more tree canopy coverage equitably across the city and

4) protect wildlife and their habitat by using native or sustainable species in landscaping throughout the city

All of these goals are extremely important in regards to tackling climate change. One of the biggest issue we face when it comes to the climate crisis is the overconsumption of natural resources. As of today, the climate crises will impact the wildlife, open spaces, air and water if nothing is done. For example, the climate crisis can…

      • Strain habitats and risking of extinction
      • Force animals and plants to migrate to new places
      • Threaten water quantity and quality 
      • Worsen air pollution

Of course, these issues are created by people through the use of fossil fuels, overconsumption, etc. In order to address this criss, we must come together and fight it together. The NB Resilient program does just that. The program relies one volunteers and people of the community to help with their initiatives. Through the help of volunteers, the NB Resilient program has been able to achieve multiple things including: exclusive planting of native species and control of invasive ones, improved the quality of the riverfront, 99% trash removal from water entering the Sassaquin pond, and there have been more than 2900 new trees planted since 2014.

Regarding community resiliency, the four conditions of just sustainabilities is crucial These four conditions include…

  1. Improving quality of life and well being
  2. Meeting the needs of both present and future generations
  3. Achieving justice and equity in recognition of differing histories, values, goals, procedures, outcomes
  4. Living within ecosystem limits

For each of the themes included in my webcase project, the four conditions of just suitabilities are extremely relevant. The implications of these conditions will be further explained in each theme.

a self-made diagram for the outline of my webcase

 

To explore other areas of work and look at other projects being introduced, you can check out the NB Resilient Plan website: https://nbresilient.com/action-plan