(ENVS Lunch & Learn) MIT’s Climate CoLab: using collective intelligence to address climate change

Wikipedia, Linux, reCAPTCHA, FoldIt, social media — these are just a few examples of how online platforms allow large numbers of people to connect and collaborate in ways that were never possible before, producing unprecedented results in global knowledge exchange, problem-solving and mobilization. Inspired by this, the researchers at the MIT Center for Collective Intelligence wanted to know: how could the internet be leveraged to allow people to problem-solve at a massive — even global — scale? Could we harness the world’s collective intelligence to solve our most complicated issues? To test this, they launched the Climate CoLab, an online platform where a growing community of 30,000 people work together to develop solutions to challenges related to arguably humanity’s most pressing and complex problem: climate change.

Laur Fisher supports MIT’s Climate CoLab project’s 20 contests, 12,000+ members, 170+ volunteers, partnership network, and annual conference. She is also an elected civil society representative (alternate) for the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) – North America, and run a project called The Civic Series (www.thecivicseries.com) where we arrange informal public presentations and conversation about major world and domestic issues. She has worked with public, private and non-government organizations in Sweden, New Zealand, Canada and the US and has experience in a wide range of fields, including carbon management and reporting, organizational recycling and waste management, renewable energy, green buildings and education. She also has training in group facilitation and has collaborated with The Natural Step and Sustainable Sweden eco-municipality tours. In Toronto, she managed and expanded regional professional education programs for the Canada Green Building Council. She holds a self-designed Bachelor’s degree from Tufts University which she titled, “Engaging Sustainability as an Innovative Process”.

Every week during the academic year, the ENVS Lunch & Learn lecture series features speakers from government, industry, academia and non-profit organizations to give presentations on environmental topics. This is a great opportunity to broaden your knowledge beyond the curriculum, meet other faculty and students and network with the speakers.

Students, faculty, staff, and visitors are welcome to attend.

Food is generously sponsored by the Tufts Institute of the Environment.

You can’t make it to the talk? No problem!

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