Memorial Services Planning Corporation

With the knowledge and lessons learned from coastal Louisiana as a foundation, the Resilience Lab will undertake research, outreach, capacity building, the development of best practices and knowledge exchanges focused on developing solutions to challenges confronting river and coastal communities.“Our work will be focused on how to best prepare communities for a rapidly changing environment and share this vast expertise in resilience we have developed over the years,” said Jeff Hebert, the Water Institute’s vice president for adaptation and resilience. “The Resilience Lab will focus on community-based approaches and innovative tools that create a bridge between science and the communities most at risk.”“The need to create communities that are able to recover, renew and re-imagine themselves in the wake of natural disasters and other environmental disruptions is more vital today than ever,” said Tulane University President Mike Fitts.Officials said the investment builds on work already underway by the Water Institute and Tulane and compliments investments in resilience and water management made by the Greater New Orleans Foundation, partnered with the significant investments in the Water Institute made by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation.The Resilience Lab also will connect to other centers around the world. The institute announced a partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation’s planned Resilience Accelerator initiative, together with Columbia University’s Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes. The partnership further links Louisiana and New York, which have been sharing solutions and lessons learned in the aftermaths of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and Superstorm Sandy.MarketReady events set for producersThe LSU AgCenter will conduct MarketReady producer training workshops around the state for Louisiana farmers and fishers during spring and summer.Area workshops are April 18 in Baton Rouge; June 12 in Alexandria; June 13 in Lafayette; June 20 in Lake Charles; June 21 in Hammond; and July 10 in New Orleans. The workshops will begin with check-in... (The Advocate)