On Wednesday, September 7, HARC celebrated its 40th anniversary. Hosted in a virtual format, the program attracted some of HARC’s most noted supporters, key partners, and many former employees.
The program began with a retrospective video of HARC’s early days, celebrating the vision of HARC’s founder, George P. Mitchell, and his wife, Cynthia, and their desire to address the need for sustainable solutions that would allow both people and nature to thrive.
Following the video, HARC’s President and CEO, John Hall, provided an overview of HARC’s vision for the next 40 years, including an increased focus on equity and creating innovative solutions to help underserved communities. He also announced the renaming of two conference rooms on the HARC campus in honor of George and Cynthia Mitchell, and the dedication of a memorial bench to Anne Sherman, a long-time employee of HARC, who made a significant contribution towards the construction of HARC’s new home, the Living Lab, where our research program continues today.
The highlight of the evening was a keynote presentation by Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, a world-renowned atmospheric scientist whose research focuses on understanding what climate change means for people and the places in which they live. Dr. Hayhoe discussed how every person can have a positive impact on climate change. She emphasized how even the smallest actions can have a significant impact, because all of those small actions work together to create hope, and that hope leads to change.
Attendees also heard from HARC’s Chairman of the Board, Mr. Todd Mitchell, who applauded the work that HARC has accomplished during the last four decades, and shared his hopes for the organization as we plan for the next 40 years. There is still more to accomplish and HARC is uniquely positioned to develop the right solutions to help communities and governments address a changing climate and its related impacts.
To view the full program, please click here. For questions about the 40th Anniversary program, or HARC’s program of research, please email [email protected].
