Program areas at Climate Democracy Initiative
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMING. CDI developed relationships internationally, and along with its partner Arizona State University, sponsored the Athens Democracy Forum, which features top thought leaders and elected representatives from around the world, that is held annually in the fall by the Democracy and Culture Foundation in association with the New York Times. CDI hosted its own delegation at the forum that included academic, scientific, and media leaders based in the U.S. Future plans for this programming are exploring a center on democracy and a media hub, working with ASU.
RURAL PROGRAMMING: CDI is working to help bridge the urban/rural divide to de-politicize the crisis of climate and democracy. CDI built relationships, and partnered with Colorado State University and University of Colorado - Denver to submit a request for a planning grant, which the Partnership was awarded. With this grant, CDI built out the ECLIPSE (Environmental Civics in Leadership: Project for Student Engagement) program. Through teacher training, student-led communityh projects, and partnerships with local non-profits and industry chanpions, the ECLIPSE program is cultivating civivally engaged leaders who can drive sustainable development in their communities.
SPUR GATHERING. In September 2023 CDI convened 150 of Colorados top academic, political, and activist leaders to learn about each others work, and both discuss and share strategies to develop solutions to the mounting climate catastrophe and correlated assault on democracy. Called Colorado in a Hotter Time, the gathering featured 50 presenters over the course of two days.