Boston has been chosen as one of ten cities worldwide to participate in the Global Climathon 2015, an intercontinental hackathon event to find innovative, city-level solutions to climate change problems.

Set to take place simultaneously in major cities across the world, the Global Climathon will challenge students and citizens from diverse locations to take direct climate action within their own municipalities. As one of two cities (along with Washington, D.C.) chosen to represent North America in this global initiative, the Boston Climathon — Hacking Resiliency will leverage the wealth of creativity and innovation that greater Boston has to offer, while enhancing climate literacy, skills, and urgency within our own communities.

On June 18th, 2015, Tufts Institute of the Environment will lead the New England regional marathon to develop solutions for climate change resiliency related to sea level rise in the greater Boston area. Local water, climate, and sustainability officials, experts, and developers will help frame the challenges we face, and inspire potential solutions for participants to explore. This is an excellent opportunity for students and citizens of all skill levels to develop or add to their knowledge in the areas of climate change resiliency and adaptation, environmental justice, app development, mapping, GIS, and data management tools. Workshops will be offered on use of innovative technologies such as remote sensing, forecast and early warning systems, next generation disaster reporting tools, and more.

Up to five top teams will be selected to move forward into the next phase of the competition, during which each group will be provided with expert guidance from local officials and incubator support to complete their ideas. In addition to the experience, mentorship, and entrepreneurial learning opportunities provided by this extended five-month development period, one winning team will be chosen to present their results at the UN’s COP21 conference in Paris in December.

We are seeking participants with the following skill sets:

• Data management
• Data visualization
• Mapping
• App development
• Problem-solving
• Municipal development
• Social entrepreneurship
• Business development
• Climate change resiliency and adaptation
• Entrepreneurship and business development
• Planning and emergency preparedness
• Climate change resiliency and adaptation
• Policy solutions

Register online

Help us spread the word! The #Climathon is open to both students and non-students of all disciplines and skill levels (you do not need technical skills to participate!)

For questions or more information, please contact Theresa Silver.