The Initiative is a multi-year Smithsonian-wide effort based at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) that connects our science, art, history, and culture with key partners across the globe.
The Initiative supports community-based solutions to the climate crisis, biodiversity loss and social justice issues.
Berta Opua, member of an indigenous community in Panama.
What is resilience?
Resilience is the ability of people and nature to respond and adapt to external stressors. Our ability to cope with the effects of the climate crisis is essential to our survival and prosperity. But how do we achieve resilience effectively?
Community-based
solutions
The Adrienne Arsht Community-Based Resilience Solutions Initiative is a Smithsonian-wide effort with leadership based at STRI, which connects the multidisciplinary art and science done at the Smithsonian with key partners across the globe, by focusing on the cross-cutting theme: adaptation as a pathway to resilience for people and nature.
This Initiative was established in 2022, to support the Smithsonian’s Life on a Sustainable Planet. We will leverage this gift with the vision to build the Center for Resilience and Sustainability, which will lead cross-disciplinary and innovative efforts in support of community-based solutions to pressing social and environmental challenges.
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, located in the Isthmus of Panama, is uniquely positioned as a natural laboratory to study biodiversity in the tropics, and thus an ideal place to observe and understand how nature and people adapt to the increasing effects of climate change.
Life on a Sustainable Planet envisions a future where humanity lives in balance with the natural world; through collaboration with global partners, we work to advance our collective understanding of how nature and human communities interact in pursuit of nature-based solutions for a more resilient Earth for all.
Theme and Activities
Adaptation as a pathway to resilience for people and nature
Fellowships
Supporting postdoctoral researchers to bridge the Smithsonian-wide resilience work.
Convenings
Building a platform for global engagement around resilience.
Education
Developing bilingual education resources for the next generation of global resilience leaders.
Leadership and science capacity
Hiring staff with a deep understanding of community-based solutions.
Resilience tour
Connecting the lived resilience experiences of young adults with art, history, science, and communities.
Who we are
We are a growing team of allies, leaders and partners working toward resilience solutions.
Our Founding Partner
Business leader and impact philanthropist Adrienne Arsht funded the Adrienne Arsht Community-Based Resilience Solutions Initiative, a multi-year program to research resilience and educate the public about the role resilience plays in shaping the world around us.
Adrienne Arsht is a longtime supporter of arts and civic institutions in Miami, New York and Washington, D.C. She is founding chair of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts Foundation in Miami, Florida, Honorary Trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Trustee of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Trustee Emerita of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Executive Vice Chair of the Atlantic Council, as well as Chairman Emerita of TotalBank in Florida.
News & Events
Read the latest stories on the
Resilience and Sustainability Initiative
Featured articles
News
Welcome to our New Resilience Initiative Program Coordinator
Dayana Agudo joins the Adrienne Arsht Community-Based Resilience Solutions Initiative, with over 15 years of…
Research
Drink Coffee, Eat Chocolate, Save Birds!
The Smithsonian Bird Friendly coffee and cocoa certification program just opened its new Latin American office at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, STRI, in Panama,……
Research
A tropical perspective on marine conservation
Multidisciplinary researchers from the global tropics published a new paper suggesting that the key to ocean conservation may lie with the tropical majority. To achieve……
Featured video
What is bird-friendly coffee?
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