The summit’s centerpiece was an innovative negotiation role-play that demonstrated the key challenges and policy options coastal communities face. To view television coverage of the event, visit: http://wjz.com/local/sea.level.2.995688.html.

Use the Role Play in Your Community

How will your coastal community adapt to rising seas, increased storm surge and diminishing fresh-water resources? This half-day role play helps begin that discussion at a local level. It’s fun, engaging and quickly introduces people to the challenges coastal communities face and main options for addressing them. Local government authorities, planning departments, chambers of commerce, civic groups and residents associations all could host this game in their communities. Materials are available free of charge on this website by clicking here.

Where Can I Get More Information?

For more information about the role-play exercise and the Coast-Smart Initiative, please send an email to info@coastsmart.org or call the Chesapeake & Coastal Program at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources at (410) 260-8743 or David Plumb at the Consensus Building Institute at (617) 844-1128.

Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources, Consensus Building Institute and the MIT-USGS Science Impact Collaborative jointly created the Coast-Smart Summit and role play exercise, with funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).