Hartford Foundation President Jay Williams to Serve on Panel on “Climate Game Changers”

What will it take to tackle climate change in a meaningful way?  What actions can people take so they can make a real difference? Hartford Foundation for Public Giving President Jay Williams along with two environmental advocates and experts will tackle these issues at the Nature Conservancy in Connecticut’s Nature Talks “Climate Game Changers” symposium on Friday, September 28 at 10 a.m. at Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies’ Kroon Hall, 195 Prospect Street, New Haven.

Nature Talks will feature a keynote presentation from Bill McKibben, a leading environmental speaker and founder of 350.org and a panel discussion moderated by Connecticut Public Radio’s John Dankosky, executive editor of the New England News Collaborative. To register for the event, log onto https://support.nature.org/site/Ticketing

Panelists Include:

• Lynn Stoddard, executive director, Sustainable CT; member, Governor’s Council on Climate Change.
• Jay Williams, president, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving;
• Dr. Gary Yohe, member, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2007 Nobel Prize-winning team; Wesleyan University Huffington Foundation professor of economics and environmental studies.

“The Hartford Foundation and its donors recognize that protecting and preserving our environment is something where we all must do our part,” said Williams. “As we continue to see the devastating effects of wildfires, droughts, and catastrophic storms, we know that climate change is indeed real and is something we cannot ignore.”

With over 1,000 established donor-advised funds, the Hartford Foundation’s donors share a passion for conservation and preserving the environment – especially on a local level.

Some recent examples of Hartford Foundation donor-advised support include:

• A challenge grant to Connecticut Fund for the Environment to purchase a patrol boat for the Connecticut shoreline and rivers.
• Ongoing collaborative grants with UConn for biodiversity education and studies.
• Support to the Connecticut Forest and Park Association.
• A collaboration with the Trust for Public Land to preserve a 95-acre parcel of land in Windsor  
• Numerous grants to area land trusts to preserve and protect open space.

The Hartford Foundation has also responded to the increase in natural disasters including last year’s hurricanes in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands with the creation of the Respond-Rebuild-Renew Fund. This fund supports the immediate and longer-term recovery, rebuilding, and renewal efforts that face residents in Greater Hartford communities affected by unforeseen crises. The Fund will be used to address recovery, rebuilding, and renewal efforts once emergency needs are met.

“We know that poor air quality is taking a toll on people’s health especially our young people and seniors,” Williams said. “As a community foundation we must continue to work with our donors, our nonprofits, our philanthropic partners, and policymakers to reduce threats to our environment and preserve our natural resources for future generations.”

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding communities. Made possible by the gifts of generous individuals, families and organizations, the Foundation has awarded grants of more than $720 million since its founding in 1925. For more information about the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.