Please bookmark this “landing page” as we will post updates, agendas, zoom links, travel memos, and other information here, with the most recent information at the top and a running record of all past meetings, notices, recordings, resources, faculty bios, assignments, etc, down below for your reference.  

Click here for the Roster of all participants.

Click here for the Bio Book of all participants.

View all participant videos here.

RESCHEDULED: In-Person Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark — September 9-12, 2024

Upcoming Zoom Meetings

March 6, 2024 at 1:30p ET/ 8:30p IT – Zoom Link

June 3, 2024 at 1:30p ET/ 8:30p IT – Zoom Link

August 20, 2024 at 1:30p ET/ 8:30p IT – Zoom Link

Wexner Summit on Climate Change Core Team

Angie Atkins, Director, Wexner Heritage Alumni and Summits 

Rabbi Jay Henry Moses, Vice President 

Keren Zefania, Director, Wexner Israel Fellowship 

Kaitlin Kaiser, Program Coordinator

Sharon Zini, Program Coordinator

Please contact Angie or Kaitlin with questions. 

March 6, 2024 Check-in and Learn

Zoom Link

Welcome/Check-in

Keren Zefania, Director, Wexner Israel Fellowship

Rebuilding the South through an Environmental Lens (Darom Yarok) 

Guest Speaker and Alum Amir Zalzberg, WSL 23

PowerPoint Slides Here

Amir Zalzberg WSL23 is the Head of the Southern District at the Ministry of Environmental Protection. He is responsible for implementing the ministry’s policy in an area that covers more than 60% of Israel’s territory. Previous position as head of the Transportation Department at the Ministry of Environmental Protection. He has 10 years of experience as a lecturer at the Hadassah Academic College and at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Amir holds a M.Sc. and a B.Sc., at the Faculty of Sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Amir lives in Tzur Hadassah with his wife and four children.

Conversation on Finding Hope 

Break Outs and All Together 

(Come prepared to) Share in a minute or two something you are hopeful about from the last 3 –4 months (or that’s expected in the near future) that is happening in the world re: Climate Change (there has been some good climate news lately)

Copenhagen and Next Steps 

Angie Atkins, Director, Wexner Heritage Alumni and Climate Summit

Please Download Sched!

Search for “Sched” in your phone’s app store.

When using the mobile app, search ” Wexner Summit on Climate Change 2024” and enter the password.

When using a computer or web browser, use the following credentials.

URL: https://wexsummitclimatechange23.sched.com/

Password: WexSummit2024

Please take the time to make sure your profile is set to public. This will allow your fellow participants to engage with your profile and see your schedule for the Summit.

ARCHIVE- 2023 Summit Materials for Copenhagen

In-Person Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark October 16-Oct 19, 2023

CLICK HERE FOR TRAVEL MEMO

Click here for the Bio Book of all participants going to Copenhagen.

ADVANCE ASSIGNMENTS

1. DOWNLOAD SCHED (DUE SEPTEMBER 20)

Add your headshot/ update your bio if needed, peruse your schedule, and especially the other participants. Mark your profile public so others can see who is in their session.

Link to Sched: Wexner Summit on Climate Change 2023: Schedule

Password: WexCOP23summit

2. GIVE AND GET NETWORKING ASSIGNMENT (DUE OCTOBER 10, BUT DON’T WAIT!)

Please review the bios and reach out to at least 2 people who you don’t know well and either have a conversation with them before Copenhagen and/or set a breakfast date with them for during the Summit. One person should be someone whose work you feel you can contribute to (give) and one person should be someone you want to gain insight from (get). We encourage you to also make sure at least one person you speak to is of a different nationality. As you make your appointments, please update this form:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vnNKlQuF9QZcpRYn8ABjRpUOAThoY967gAwiIMYcC9k/edit?usp=sharing

3. READING ASSIGNMENTS (DUE OCTOBER 16)

Video #1 + Related Article (8 minute watch): This video and article discuss how Copenhagen has implemented an integrated approach to climate change adaptation, urban development, and urban water management, showcasing innovative projects that have made the city more resilient and environmentally friendly following significant flooding in 2011. Read the related article here.

Video #2 (3 minute watch): This video discusses the strides Denmark has made toward a green economy since 1973, aiming for fossil fuel independence by 2050 through innovations like wind turbines, contributing to economic growth and global job opportunities.

Video #3 (4 minute watch): The story of Denmark’s green transition.

Article #1 (10-15 minute read): This article discusses the development of innovative renewable energy technologies in Denmark, including floating wind turbines and hydrogen production, with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and maintaining the country’s leadership in sustainable energy solutions.

Article #2 (15-20 minute read): This page provides historical information about the Holocaust in Denmark, highlighting the relatively benign approach of the German occupation regime, the rescue efforts to save Danish Jews, and the actions taken by Danish citizens and authorities during World War II.

4. PRESENTATION PREPARATIONS

Some of you have been asked to present or facilitate during sessions in Copenhagen. Please check in with the core team as you plan.

5. CARBON OFFSETS

a. Calculate your carbon footprint for this trip using this calculator.

b. Please offset your carbon footprint. Angie has done some research and recommends https://reseed.farm but there are many others, which we have been tracking with your help here.

Climate Summit Check-In and Learn, June 14, 2023

Climate Summit Check-In and Learn, March 14, 2023

Zoom Recording: Doughnut Economics

Slides Attached Here

Zoom Recording: Copenhagen Announcement

Agenda, March 14, 2023. 1:00pm-2:15pm ET, 7:00pm-8:15pm IT

1. Doughnut Economics with guest speakers Zohar Ianovici*  and Merav Cohen**

PREWORK REQUIRED: TEDTalk: A healthy economy should be designed to thrive, not grow

Optional Additional Resources:

2. Break Out Group Conversations

YOU HAVE BEEN PRE-ASSIGNED 2 DIFFERENT CHAVRUTOT. THIS CALL IS MANDATORY BUT IF YOU NEED TO MISS, PLEASE LET US KNOW BY MARCH 5, AS THE MATCHES HAVE BEEN MADE VERY CAREFULLY.

3. Update: Our In-Person Meeting in Copenhagen, October, 2023

_____________________________________________________

*Zohar Ianovici is a development economist working at The World Bank and focusing on East European countries. After receiving his MA from the London School of Economics, Zohar worked in Vietnam assessing donor-funded large scale development projects in the East Asia region and researching the integration of the region to Global Value Chains. After several years working at the World Bank office in Romania, Zohar relocated to Amsterdam, where he learned about the Doughnut Economics model. Recognizing the potential of the model to advance prosperity and address environmental degradation largely caused by the current economic and political system, Zohar co-founded the ‘Israel Doughnut Economics community’.

**Merav Cohen is a PhD candidate researching social-ecology at the Technion – Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, and co-founder of the ‘Israel Doughnut Economics Community’. Previously an attorney (focusing on energy and infrastructure), Merav worked in Beijing promoting an EU-China project on environmental governance, and more recently in New York, managing a national-scale sustainability program at Hazon. Merav holds a Masters Degree in Environmental Sciences and Policy (MPA) from Columbia University in New York, and a bachelor’s degree in law (LLB) from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Israeli Only Orientation Call for our In-Person Meetings, 2022

November 22, 2022, 8 PM – 8:30PM IT Israeli Only Orientation Call for our In-Person Meetings
Zoom link:  https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86476546147

North American Orientation Call for Austin, TX Meeting, November 1, 2022

How Corporations Have Responded to Calls for Better Sustainability Practices, with Historian and Author Dr. Bart Elmore, 2022

The recording from the conversation can be found here.

Bartow Elmore Climate PowerPoint Slides

A CONVERSATION WITH MK ALON TAL: JUNE 21, 2022

The recording from the conversation can be found here.

The chat from the conversation can be found here.

ORIENTATION: MAY 24, 2022

The recording from the orientation can be found here.

The NEEDS and DEEDS chat can be found here.

BACKGROUND ON SUMMIT

Wexner Summits: The Network In Action is a platform for Alumni of all Wexner leadership initiatives to connect, learn and collaborate across our network. Through Summits, Wexner Alumni are exercising leadership by strategizing and stacking hands to take action that moves the needle on the key challenges facing the North American Jewish Community and the State of Israel. As with all Wexner Summits, regardless of topic, an additional purpose is to connect Wexner Alumni to other extraordinary leaders across the Jewish world and Israel, drawing wisdom, insight and new collaborative possibilities from our network.  

The Wexner Summit on Climate Change will convene alumni to advance their work on mitigation, adaptation and preparedness — individually, professionally, philanthropically, communally, and systemically, with an emphasis on larger systems.  Additionally, the Summit will welcome new collaborations amongst participants.  

What is expected of Climate Change Summit participants? 

  • Attend all Summit events in their entirety, whether virtual or in person. These include: 
  • Part A, Virtual, June – December 2022 
    • May 24, 2022, 12 pm – 1 pm ET/19:00-20:00 IT – Welcome to the Summit
    • June 2, 2022, 12 pm – 1:15 pm ET/19:00 – 20:15 IT  – Conversation with MK Alon Tal
    • September 13, 2022, 1 pm – 2 pm ET/ 20:00 – 21:00 IT
    • November 1, 2022, 12 pm – 1 pm ET/19:00 – 20:00 IT – Orientation Call for our In-Person Meeting
  • Part B, In-person Meeting 
    • North Americans, December 4-6, 2022  
    • Israelis, December 7-8, 2022 
  • Part C, Virtual/possibly Hybrid, January – October 2023 
    • Occasional Calls and other participant-led activities TBD 
  • Part D, October 15-17, 2023 (In-person, possibly international, location TBD) 
  • Complete any reading or other assignments through October 2023 
  • Be strategic and efficacious in your efforts to combat climate change, stepping up your work, either through additional or new projects/collaborations or helping the work of fellow Summit participants to affect adaptive and systemic change.  
  • Be supportive of other summit participants in their work.
  • Share progress on climate change projects advanced during the Summit.

 What are the objectives of the Summit on Climate Change? 

  • To inspire and affect action in the main areas of activity to fight climate change:  
    • Adaptation  
    • Economic leverage  
    • Mitigation and sustainable living  
    • Political advocacy/policy  
    • Preparedness  
  • To leverage the influence of Wexner alumni to lead their communities and circles of influence to address climate change with more urgency and impact.  
  • To contribute to efforts to make the Jewish community in North America a leading voice in the American climate change movement, and to make Israel a leading voice and model for the world.