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Ten Years. One Goal. Building a Resilient Virginia.

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Ten Years. One Goal. Building a Resilient Virginia.

Home » Publications and Media » Resilient Virginia News » Ten Years. One Goal. Building a Resilient Virginia.
Graphic of sun, mountain, and water with text Celebrate 10 years with us! Ten years. One goal. Building a Resilient Virginia.

2024 marks Resilient Virginia's 10 year anniversary!

For ten years we have been:

ConnectingEducatingPreparing, and Engaging people in Virginia to move resilience initiatives forward by hosting conferences and academies, publishing reports and case studies, compiling valuable resources, mentoring college students, hosting listening sessions, partnering with community leaders, and working on-the-ground alongside our neighbors. Continue reading to see a few of the highlights from the past decade.

The First Decade

2014: Virginia Sustainable Buildings Network recognized the need to accelerate climate resiliency planning across the Commonwealth and re-imagined the organization to create Resilient Virginia to reflect this change in focus.

Virginia Can't Wait!

2015: Resilient Virginia held our kick-off meeting featuring Secretary of Public Safety Brian Moran. We also developed a Resiliency Checklist in partnership with Virginia Municipal League/Virginia Association of County’s GoGreen Virginia initiative.

2016: We held our first conference: Activating Communities and Businesses for a More Resilient Future in Richmond. The statewide conference brought together for the first time federal officials addressing climate impact with state emergency management teams, local government representatives, and related organizations.

2016 Resilient Virginia Conference

2017: We held our second conference: Connecting Communities, Business, and Educators for Resiliency Solutions with support from the Secretary of Public Safety and VDEM. The conference focused on resilience planning rationales, tools, and resources.

2017 Resilient Virginia Conference

2018: A visioning/listening session took place that set us on the course of addressing the rural/urban interdependence in climate mitigation and adaptation. This year, we also held the Rural Resiliency Forum.

2018 Resilient Virginia Rural Resiliency

2019: We held our third conference: Connecting Rural and Urban Communities for a Resilient Future in collaboration with University of Virginia in Charlottesville. The conference highlighted progress and explored the interdependent roles of rural and urban regions.

2020: We launched the Resiliency Academy as a virtual series due to COVID. The on-going series features government, business, and organization experts in resilience planning, technology, and funding. The first four sessions were held in 2020 and gave an introduction to four resiliency planning guides.

Resilient Virginia's Resiliency Academy

2021: Our Spring Resiliency Academy sessions focused on Financing Resiliency Initiatives. In the summer, we held our fourth conference: From Recovery to Resilience as a virtual event with worldwide attendance. At the conference, we partnered with Leaders in Energy to co-host the Green Jobs Forum and Career Fair. Listening sessions were held in the fall with government, business, academic, and nonprofit organization attendance.

Resilient Virginia's 2021 Conference

2022: We were awarded the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Justice grant that started the Lynchburg Rising project. Our Spring and Fall Resiliency Academy sessions focused on the components of a resilient community. The Albemarle County Risk Assessment was published, funded by Piedmont Environmental Council and developed by Resilient Virginia and Sobis.

2023: We held our fifth conference: Economic Opportunities for Community Resilience as a hybrid event, with in-person attendance at the University of Virginia. The conference focused on the current wide ranges of federal and state program and funding opportunities. Listening Sessions were held in the fall with government, business, academic, and nonprofit organization attendance. We also launched the Resilient Virginia Collaborative Alliance (RVCA) for Central and Southwest Virginia with funding from the Institute for Sustainable Communities.

Register Now for the 2023 Resilient Virginia Conference

A Look at What We're Working on in 2024

Virginia Energy Resilience Study (VERS): This two-year project with Virginia Energy launched in February 2024 to support energy resilience in underserved communities.

We are planning for a second EPA EJ grant to continue work in Lynchburg.

The RVCA‘s Core Steering Committee is identifying resilience priorities for Central and Southwest Virginia and workgroups will start this Spring.

Virginia Commonwealth University’s Environmental Justice Data Project continues to work with underserved communities in Emporia, Charles City County, and Richmond to identify climate hazard solutions.

The 2024 Resiliency Academy series starts this Spring with support from  MARISA. The series will provide training in hazard mitigation planning that addresses climate impact.

Planning for the 2025 Resilient Virginia conference will start later this year.

10 Year Anniversary Graphic (1000 x 250 px) (3)

We are working hard to make the next 10 years even more successful and impactful than the last. If you value the work we do, please consider making a tax-deductible donation, that directly supports our programs.

Your support will help us continue to provide Virginia communities with the assistance they need to become more resilient, healthy, and safe places to live, work, and prosper. Thank you!

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The Resilience Calendar

  • Spotlight On Local Resilience in Action
    Date: October 29, 2025
    Location: Virtual

    This session will highlight local resilience initiatives in Harrisonburg — Eateries Acting Towards Sustainability (EATS) and Harrisonburg Conservation Assistance Program (HCAP) — as well as the regional collaborative resilience initiative between Charlottesville and Albemarle County — Resilient…

  • October State Climate Policy Network National Call
    Date: October 29, 2025
    Location: Virtual

    Join Climate XChange for their monthly State Climate Policy Network (SCPN) national call. This one-hour, once-a-month call is the perfect opportunity to learn about and discuss recent state-level climate policy progress across the country.…

  • Best practices, barriers, and necessary conditions for climate adaptation in U.S. fisheries management: Insights from scientists and managers
    Date: October 30, 2025
    Location: Webinar
  • RVCA Agriculture Working Group
    Date: October 30, 2025
    Location: Virtual

    Resilient Virginia Collaborative Alliance Agriculture Working Group monthly meeting. Anyone is welcome to join the conversation!

    RVCA Agriculture Working Group
    Thursday, October 23 · 11:00am – 12:00pm
    Time zone: America/New_York

Latest News & Resources

Resilient Virginia News: Fall 2025

The Power of Partnership … Spotlight On Webinar Series … Resilience Certificate Survey … Interactive StoryMaps Advance Climate Equity … RVCA Updates … Tackling Emerging Contaminants Water Technical Assistance … Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap Initiative … Firewise Virginia Community Hazard Mitigation Grant Program … more.

Read More »

Where Data Meets Story: Mapping Equity in Virginia

VCU RISE has launched interactive StoryMaps to highlight environmental justice issues in Charles City County, Emporia, and Richmond. Learn how these equity-focused tools blend local data, maps, and community stories to support planning, resource access, and climate resilience.

Read More »

The Power of Partnership: What It Means to Be a State Affiliate of ASBN

Resilient Virginia has joined the American Sustainable Business Network (ASBN) as a proud state affiliate—connecting our local work to a powerful national movement for a just, equitable, and sustainable economy. This partnership gives us—and our members—greater access to resources, national campaigns, funding opportunities, and a stronger policy voice. Learn how this affiliation is helping us scale impact and drive sustainable change across Virginia.

Read More »

Fall 2025 with Resilient Virginia: Engaging Leaders, Empowering Action

This fall, Resilient Virginia is rolling out a lineup of virtual and in-person events aimed at bringing people together and sharing real-world tools for building stronger, more resilient communities across the state. From webinars and workshops to networking meetups, there’s something for everyone—whether you’re focused on agriculture, energy, infrastructure, the economy, or community development, or just getting started on your resilience journey.

Read More »

Upcoming Resilience Talks

Couldn’t attend every session at the recent Resilient Virginia Conference — or weren’t able to attend at all? You’re not alone—and we’ve got you covered.

Resilient Virginia is planning a series of post-conference sessions that will revisit the most in-demand topics from the conference—and the first three are happening soon!

Read More »