Our adaptation efforts go hand in hand with our mitigation work.

An easy way to remember it is: 
Mitigation avoids the unmanageable, and adaptation manages the unavoidable.

Below is an overview of our various efforts; please visit the associated links and pages to learn more. 

Summer Smart

Summer Smart is a collaborative initiative to help our community "weather the weather". Amid increasing summer wildfire smoke and extreme heat, we can be more physically and mentally healthy and resilient, helping those most at risk as we go. Through Summer Smart, we...

• Help our community stay informed on current air quality levels and track active fires 
• Create clean indoor air at home, through HEPA portable air cleaners and DIY fan + filter options 
• Host a centralized clearing house of information at montanawildfiresmoke.org
• Provide advice and public infrastructure (like shade shelters) to stay cool during increasingly hot summers 

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Health and Climate

In both our Summer Smart and Climate Ready Missoula initiatives, the human health impacts associated with climate change are integral components. In addition to this work, over the past several years we've: 

• Centralized information on the health impacts of wildfire smoke 
• Created materials to stay healthy when it's smoky and/or hot
• Begun conversations about addressing the mental health impacts of climate change 
• Worked with the Invest Health team to advocate for land use planning that promotes healthier communities
• Hosted a Health and Climate Summit 
• Co-hosted a Climate, Health, and Humanities Series

Resiliency Planning

Since the summer of 2018, Climate Smart Missoula, Missoula County, and the City of Missoula have been jointly leading Climate Ready Missoula: Building Resiliency in Missoula County.  The plan includes 77 strategies to build resiliency in Missoula County given climate change, and it was adopted by both the City and County in May of 2020. As implementation begins, Climate Smart Missoula has continued to co-lead the process by: 

• Serving on the Climate Ready Missoula leadership team 
• Steering the Implementation Team, a 17-person advisory committee tasked with guiding implementation of the plan 
• Led the Wildfire Smoke, Heat, and Health working group 
• Co-led the Buildings, Land Use, and Transportation working group 

Visit climatereadymissoula.org for more information on the specifics of the plan. 

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Arts and Humanities

We also seek to deepen the connection between climate, art, and humanities in our community to foster a robust conversation about climate change. There's no EARTH without ART, right? 

• Virtual Earth Day Art Show in April 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown
• 2016 Open Air Art Show reusing hollow-core doors from Home Resource

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additional ADAPTATION resources