2025 Rising Together: The Bay Adapt Summit

Welcome to Rising Together: The Bay Adapt Summit, a unique climate change adaptation conference, presented by BCDC, in partnership with the Exploratorium and Greenbelt Alliance.

For the second consecutive year, this dynamic and immersive gathering brings together climate practitioners, scientists, advocates, and community members to celebrate regional progress on sea level rise adaptation and highlight the latest on-the-ground actions taking place across our neighborhoods. From unique field trips at iconic shoreline locations to engaging sessions and panels, the Bay Adapt Summit combines cutting-edge knowledge with the latest stories about what’s happening on the ground.

As part of the Summit, the Bay Adapt Awards recognize individuals who are leading the way with exemplary contributions and innovations addressing the critical challenges of sea level rise. These awards aim not only to celebrate outstanding contributions but also to inspire broader community action in response to the most pressing challenges of our time.

First, we will kick off the summit with three different field trip options, with limited availability, on Sunday (September 14 ) and Monday (September 15) mornings! Check out more details on the agenda* and make sure you add a field trip to your ticket when you sign up (while tickets last)!

On Monday, we will gather at the iconic Exploratorium for a day of inspiration, learning, and collaboration. In the morning, you can choose between two optional, simultaneous activities at 10 a.m.: the Solutions Room Speed Dating or Mycelium Youth's Gaming for Shoreline Justice Workshop.

*Program and schedule are subject to change at any given time without prior notice.

Follow these steps to secure your FREE tickets to the Bay Adapt Summit:

Step 1. Click on "Reserve Spot" and select one Afternoon Summit ticket. Bay Adapt Summit tickets INCLUDE the Reception entrance at 5:30 p.m. Please consider: you will have to include your contact information, including name, email, affiliation, pronouns, and job title.

STEP 2. OPTIONAL: If you'd like to attend a field trip, select only ONE available field trip ticket for each attendee. Available while tickets last. If sold out, interested participants can join a waitlist.

STEP 3: OPTIONAL: There are two simultaneous activities on Monday, September 15, at 10 a.m, at the Exploratorium. To join, select the ticket to join either the Mycelium Youth Gaming for Shoreline Justice Workshop or the Solutions Room Speed Dating (limited capacity).

Reach out to us if you have any questions or need accommodations.

In case you signed up for an optional activity but are no longer able to attend, please cancel your ticket or email Victorina Arvelo at [email protected] so we can offer your spot to someone on the waitlist.

If a field trip or activity is full and you’d like to join the waitlist, email Victorina at the same address.

Info: (Fisher Bay Observatory) The Solutions Room is an optional interactive session where cities and community-based organizations can present real-world challenges they’re facing—from technical hurdles to community engagement roadblocks—and receive rapid-fire insights and tailored advice from a panel of expert practitioners. Whether you're looking for funding strategies, nature-based design input, or inclusive planning tools, this is your chance to get unstuck and move toward solutions. Advance registration is required; if you sign up, event organizers will reach out to you in advance to learn about the challenge you would like to bring to the session and ensure that the right experts will be there.

Info: (Exploratorium Classroom 1)
Discover how storytelling and role-playing games can become powerful tools for climate education and community empowerment. In this interactive session, Mycelium Youth Network will share their groundbreaking Gaming for Justice workshop, where participants can engage in custom Dungeons & Dragons–style adventures rooted in real-world environmental justice issues. Learn how this innovative program blends STEAM learning, cultural storytelling, and collective problem-solving to build climate resilience and inspire the next generation of changemakers.

Info: (Fisher Bay Observatory) Across the region, communities are rising to the challenge of sea level rise with bold, creative, and community-centered solutions. This session shines a light on the climate adaptation successes happening throughout the Bay Area—from shoreline restoration and flood protection projects to community-led planning efforts and innovative policy wins. Join us to celebrate the progress we've made, hear inspiring stories from local leaders, and recognize the partnerships and perseverance that make these accomplishments possible.

Info: (Fisher Bay Observatory)

Info: Choose among five simultaneous sessions happening around the Exploratorium: 1. Financing Resilience Districts: Models for Scalable, Community-Centered Adaptation; 2. Engineering with Nature: Implementing Nature-Based Solutions in Dense Urban Areas, 3. Community Engagement: Building Community Capacity for Meaningful Engagement in Adaptation Planning,
4. Cutting the Green Tape: Streamlining Permitting for Adaptation Projects, 5. Tides of Understanding: Advancing Public Education on Sea Level Rise.

Info: (Fisher Bay Observatory) Do you have a project you want to get off the ground? Do you want to start a campaign or find like-minded people who can help your project come to fruition? Building on the inspiring breakout sessions, this convening will help us think about the future.

Info: The Bay Adapt Awards acknowledge individuals who are making exemplary contributions and innovations, addressing the critical challenges posed by rising sea levels. This recognition is designed not only to celebrate excellence but also to inspire communities to take action against one of the most pressing challenges of our time. We'll raise a toast to leaders who are helping the Bay Area communities adapt, mitigate, and prepare for rising sea levels.

Info: Explore how sea level rise, flooding, and stormwater shape Suisun City on this interactive waterfront walking tour led by Sustainable Solano. As we walk together along the shoreline, we’ll discuss the climate challenges facing this unique waterfront community and explore a range of adaptation strategies that could help protect both people and the environment. Participants will learn how the slough interacts with the built landscape, contributing to both ecological richness and flood risk, and discover how nature-based solutions can play a vital role in building long-term resilience.

Info: Join us for a powerful walking tour through the Canal neighborhood in San Rafael, co-led by community leaders and the Canal Alliance team. We’ll begin at the Canal Alliance headquarters, where you’ll have the chance to understand and visualize the area’s vulnerabilities and opportunities. From there, we’ll walk to key locations to witness the threats to homes, businesses, evacuation routes, and other critical infrastructure, and visit a waterfront site the City is working to transform into a public park and possible pedestrian bridge over the creek. This experience offers not only a look at the challenges facing the community but a window into Canal Alliance’s model of meaningful community engagement and capacity building in action.

Info: This tour is split into two parts: in the first half, Cal Poly Assistant Professor of Architecture Gabriel Kaprielian will lead us to step into the past and see into the future with an augmented reality walking tour of San Francisco’s evolving waterfront. "Postcards from the Future, San Francisco 2125" is a guided augmented reality tour along the historic downtown shoreline. It invites the public to explore the past, present, and potential future transformations of the city’s shoreline by visualizing place-based changes at six designated locations. In the second half, Port of San Francisco Senior Planner Luiz Barata will lead a walk around the Ferry Building and discuss the history of the Embarcadero Seawall and how the Port of San Francisco’s Waterfront Resilience Program is planning for a safer and more resilient waterfront. We’ll explore the shoreline together, spark conversation, and imagine the future of San Francisco through a new lens.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Exploratorium, Green Street, San Francisco, United States