On September 9, 2025, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts hosted its inaugural Sustainability Day at the State House in Boston. Bio4Climate was proud to participate in this groundbreaking event that brought together more than 350 participants including legislators, senators, representatives, advocacy groups, municipalities, state agencies, and members of the public to share ideas and showcase solutions for a more sustainable future.
Though our programming reaches a global audience, we remain rooted in our local community in Cambridge, MA, where our founders lived and where much of our work continues to grow.Coming on the heels of the Governor’s announcement of bold new Massachusetts Biodiversity Goals, Sustainability Day was the perfect opportunity to lift up Bio4Climate’s message that biodiversity is climate infrastructure.
We continue to expand our presence locally as part of our commitment to build agency and community through hands-on restoration, education, and engagement. We are especially thankful to our partners at Elders Climate Action, who invited us to join them at this important event.
Massachusetts Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer during the Keynote Address
From Policy to Practice at the State House
The Great Hall was filled with nearly 40 exhibitors highlighting innovations in zero-waste living, recycling, regenerative design, and community-based climate action. From refill stores cutting down on plastic to redesigned recycling systems and “Save the Bees” advocacy booths, the diversity of solutions on display underscored both the creativity and urgency of climate action at every scale.
Bio4Climate Team – Sue Butler, John Minkle, Jim Laurie
The day’s agenda included a panel on municipal climate leadership and a keynote address by Massachusetts Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer, who reminded the audience that “we don’t really get anything done unless we have healthy ecosystems and a stable climate.” Chair Rep. Tram Nguyen and Vice Chair Michelle Ciccolo of the House Committee on Climate Action & Sustainability also spoke powerfully about the need for legislative leadership and political will, reminding participants that collaboration between policymakers and communities is essential to meeting the challenges ahead.
Bio4Climate Team with Volunteers and Citizens- Sue Butler, Jonas Davulis, Paul Barringer, Jim Laurie
Bio4Climate’s Presence
Bio4Climate was proud to represent our mission of putting biodiversity and ecosystem restoration at the heart of climate action. Our table invited legislators, advocates, and residents to learn more about how forests, soils, and water cycles are climate infrastructure regulating temperature, creating rainfall, buffering floods, and sustaining resilience.
Bio4Climate Team with Volunteers and Citizens- Sue Butler, Poulomi, Paul Barringer, Jim Laurie
A heartfelt thank you goes to Sue Butler, Jim Laurie, John Minkle, Paul Barringer, Helen Snively, Patricia and Jonas Davulis for representing Bio4Climate with such dedication especially Sue, Jim, and John for their tireless work. We are also grateful to Nonie Valentine, whose cookies brought warmth and hospitality to our table.
Sustainability Day at a Glance
Why Biodiversity Matters
Our presence at Sustainability Day reinforced a central truth of our work: biodiversity is invaluable for its own existence, and it also provides measurable ecological services that reduce the costs of resilience. From cooling cities through forest transpiration, to purifying water, to supporting food webs and pollinators, healthy ecosystems do what no technology can replicate.
Massachusetts has recently launched a nation-leading biodiversity plan that sets ambitious targets: protecting 30% of the state’s lands and waters by 2030 (and 40% by 2050), restoring 75% of priority habitats to good health by 2050, and ensuring that ecosystems—from forests to salt marshes—continue to deliver critical services like flood protection, water purification, and carbon storage. These goals, outlined in the Commonwealth’s Biodiversity Goals Report, affirm what Bio4Climate has long championed: biodiversity is climate infrastructure. Our work planting Miyawaki forests, restoring ecosystems, and engaging communities directly supports these state objectives, demonstrating how local action can scale into the broader vision. Sustainability Day highlighted many of the same themes, and we see our role as both amplifying and implementing the Commonwealth’s biodiversity commitments through hands-on projects and public education.
Center Goods – A community-based sustainable goods and refill store offering practical, zero-waste alternatives for everyday living
When we lose biodiversity, we lose both the irreplaceable richness of life and the natural systems that stabilize our climate and communities. That is why Bio4Climate continues to plant urban Miyawaki forests, run educational programs, and advocate for policies that prioritize ecosystem restoration.
Bootstrap Compost- Local composting service dedicated to turning food scraps into nutrient-rich compost
Looking Ahead
Sustainability Day showed us what is possible when government, nonprofits, businesses, and citizens come together with urgency and creativity. For Bio4Climate, it was an opportunity not just to share our work, but to stand alongside others advancing the same vision: a livable, resilient, biodiverse future for Massachusetts and beyond.
We look forward to continuing these collaborations and to expanding the reach of our programs from restoring urban ecosystems to deepening public education because only by working with nature can we meet the challenges of the climate crisis.
Poulomi Chakravarty, PhD., is an environmental scientist, educator, and science communicator Her work focuses on climate literacy, environmental education, and integrating natural world and Indigenous Knowledge systems utilizing AI for climate resilience. As a facilitator of climate action programs, she designs curricula and leads community-based initiatives that empower diverse learners to engage with climate science and sustainability. Serving as a Volunteer Climate and Biodiversity Research Advisor with Biodiversity for a Livable Climate since spring 2025. Poulomi’s work reflects Bio4Climate’s mission of advancing ecosystem restoration and nature-based climate solutions, with a focus on engaging diverse communities and amplifying the connections between biodiversity, soil, water, and climate resilience.
Climate change is usually framed as a problem of greenhouse gases and rising global temperatures. Yet the real heartbeat of climate stability lies closer to the ground, in forests, wetlands, grasslands, and even the work of animals. These ecosystems continuously interact with the air above them, shaping weather, rainfall, and temperature patterns.
This is the realm of micrometeorology, the science of small-scale processes at the land–atmosphere boundary. Micrometeorology studies the fluxes of heat, water, and gases between soils, vegetation, and the air. Though small in scale, these processes, when multiplied across landscapes, become the regulators of regional and global climate (Chakravarty, 2025).
Biodiversity, the richness of life in genes, species, and ecosystems is the machinery that drives these exchanges. Healthy, diverse ecosystems stabilize fluxes and buffer against extremes. When biodiversity collapses, this living infrastructure unravels, leaving both people and wildlife more vulnerable.
Micrometeorology: The Climate Engine Below Our Feet
Micrometeorology connects ecology with atmospheric science. Classical works such as Oke (1987), Stull (1988), and Garratt (1992) describe the atmospheric boundary layer—the lowest part of the atmosphere directly influenced by the land surface. Within this zone, processes like evaporation, transpiration, and canopy shading shape daily weather.
Key terms include:
Albedo, Solar Absorption, and Rainfall
Albedo and solar absorption
Reduced albedo: Most plants are darker than bare soil or snow, so they reflect less sunlight. A lower albedo means more solar energy is absorbed by the land surface rather than bouncing back into space.
Seasonal changes: The effect of vegetation on albedo shifts with seasons and regions. For example, in boreal zones, dark conifer forests absorb far more solar energy than surrounding snow in winter, leading to localized warming. In summer, however, the difference in albedo between forest and landscape is smaller.
Evaporation and rainfall
Enhanced evaporation: The extra solar energy absorbed by vegetation drives evapotranspiration—the process where water evaporates from soil and transpires from leaves. This cools the land and adds moisture to the atmosphere.
Influenced rainfall: The water vapor released by vegetation can contribute to cloud formation and rainfall. Research dating back to Sellers (1992) and others shows that increases in vegetation often boost regional evapotranspiration, which in turn affects local and regional precipitation cycles.
Evapotranspiration: The combined release of water vapor from soil and plants, which cools surfaces and fuels cloud formation.
Latent heat flux: The transfer of heat through evaporation, critical for cooling.
Sensible heat flux: The direct warming of air from land. Landscapes stripped of vegetation show higher sensible fluxes, becoming hotter.
Biotic pump effect: Large forests recycle vapor, drawing moist air from oceans to create rainfall inland (Makarieva & Gorshkov’s 2007 ; Sellers, 1992).
Recent insights also emphasize thermodynamic limits: as Kleidon (2020) shows, photosynthesis and ecosystem productivity are constrained by the balance of energy, water, and entropy in the Earth system. In short: vegetation is not passive—it actively regulates atmospheric dynamics.
Forests and Vegetation: The Rainmakers
Forests are more than carbon stores, they are the rainmakers. Through evapotranspiration, forests pump vapor into the air, cooling the surface and forming clouds. In places like the Amazon, forests generate their own rainfall through the biotic pump effect.
Diverse forests are especially resilient. Multiple tree species provide different root depths, canopy layers, and seasonal cycles, ensuring steady fluxes across the year. A monoculture plantation, by contrast, cannot replicate the same micrometeorological stability (Monteith & Unsworth, 2013).
Forests also moderate albedo and daily temperature swings. Without them, landscapes are prone to hotter days, colder nights, and disrupted rainfall.
Wetlands, Peatlands, and Grasslands: Nature’s Cooling Systems
Wetlands and peatlands are climate regulators par excellence. They store immense amounts of carbon in saturated soils, and their latent heat flux cools surrounding air masses. As Shuttleworth (2012) details, wetlands act as “water batteries,” storing and releasing moisture that stabilizes hydrological cycles.
Grasslands, with their deep-rooted plants, recycle soil moisture even during droughts. Their biodiversity grasses, forbs, and grazing animals ensures resilience against extremes. When overgrazing or land conversion strips this diversity, soil dries, latent flux vanishes, and drought cycles worsen.
Oceans and Reefs: Blue Biodiversity as Climate Infrastructure
Marine ecosystems also shape climate. Coral reefs, kelp forests, and seagrass meadows are blue carbon ecosystems, absorbing CO₂ and storing it in sediments. They regulate ocean heat fluxes, redistribute solar energy via currents, and protect coastlines from storm surges.
The biodiversity of marine life ensures resilience: reefs with diverse fish recover faster from bleaching, because grazers keep algae in check, enabling coral regrowth.
Animals and Trophic Effects: The Hidden Engineers
Animals act as climate regulators through trophic cascades—chains of ecological effects triggered by their presence or absence.
Elephants disperse seeds and open forest gaps, influencing canopy structure, light penetration, and water fluxes.
Large herbivores like bison maintain grasslands, preventing shrub encroachment and sustaining soil–atmosphere exchanges.
Birds and fish transport nutrients, linking ecosystems across boundaries.
And one keystone engineer deserves special attention: the beaver.
Beavers: Restoring Hydrological Balance
Beavers are ecosystem engineers whose dams transform streams into wetlands. Their impacts on micrometeorology are profound:
Water storage: Beaver ponds retain water during wet seasons, releasing it gradually during dry periods, stabilizing streamflow.
Cooling effects: By increasing water surfaces and soil saturation, beaver wetlands raise latent heat flux, cooling local climates during heatwaves.
Carbon sinks: Wetlands created by beavers trap organic matter, acting as long-term carbon stores.
Biodiversity boosts: Beaver ponds create habitats for amphibians, fish, birds, and insects, strengthening resilience.
Without beavers, many landscapes are drier, hotter, and more vulnerable. Their return across North America and Europe has restored micrometeorological balance in watersheds. Chakravarty & Kumar (2020) show similar principles in how floral diversity can augment microclimates in polluted landscapes—species diversity restores not just soils but small-scale climate conditions.
Evidence of Breakdown
Beyond Climate as a Driver Caro et al. (2022) warn against the misconception that climate change is the principal driver of biodiversity loss. In reality, habitat destruction, land use, and exploitation are primary culprits.
Technology Alone is Insufficient Ketcham (2022) cautions that renewable energy alone cannot “save the planet” if biodiversity collapse continues. Micrometeorological regulation requires living ecosystems, not just carbon accounting.
Heat and Extinction The Guardian (2025) documents extreme examples: monkeys falling dead from trees, barnacles baking on rocks. These are signals of ecosystems losing their buffering capacity. Without canopy shade, wetland cooling, or reef protection, animals are left exposed to lethal extremes.
Why This Matters
The loss of biodiversity is not only an ecological crisis but a climate one. Ecosystems provide the climate-regulating infrastructure of the Earth.
Without forests, evapotranspiration declines, rainfall falters, and landscapes dry.
Without wetlands, latent heat flux disappears, making floods and droughts more severe.
Without reefs, coastal protections fail.
Without beavers and keystone species, water cycles collapse and microclimates destabilize.
Biodiversity drives the micrometeorological machinery of climate. Its loss means the breakdown of fluxes that stabilize weather, rainfall, and temperature.
Conclusion
Micrometeorology reveals that climate is not just about global averages or carbon molecules. It is about the constant, small-scale exchanges of energy, water, and gases between ecosystems and the air. These fluxes are governed by the sun,land, atmosphere and also the diverse flora and fauna inhabiting our planet. To stabilize the climate, we must restore the living systems that sustain it.
Glossary of Key Terms
Albedo The fraction of sunlight reflected by a surface. Light surfaces like snow have a high albedo (reflecting more sunlight), while dark forests have a low albedo (absorbing more heat).
Evapotranspiration The combined process of water evaporating from soil and transpiring from plant leaves. This cools land surfaces and adds moisture to the atmosphere, helping clouds and rainfall form.
Latent Heat Flux The transfer of heat from the land into the atmosphere via evaporation. Think of it as “hidden heat” carried away by water vapor, which cools landscapes.
Sensible Heat Flux The direct transfer of heat from the land to the air. Landscapes without vegetation (like bare soil or pavement) have higher sensible heat flux and feel hotter.
Micrometeorology The study of small-scale weather and climate processes at the land–atmosphere boundary, such as exchanges of heat, water, and gases between ecosystems and the air above them.
Trophic Cascade A chain reaction in ecosystems triggered by the removal or return of a species (often predators or keystone animals). These shifts can reshape vegetation, soils, and even local climate.
Grasses Narrow-leaved plants in the Poaceae family (e.g., wheat, rice, prairie grasses). They dominate grassland ecosystems and stabilize soils.
Forbs Broad-leaved herbaceous plants that are not grasses, sedges, or rushes. Examples: clover, milkweed, sunflowers. They support pollinators and wildlife with flowers, seeds, and nectar.
Biotic Pump Effect The idea that forests recycle water vapor and create pressure differences that pull moist air from the ocean inland, effectively “making their own rain.”
Keystone Species Species whose presence or activities have a disproportionately large effect on their ecosystems. Examples include beavers, elephants, and wolves.
References
Caro, T., Rowe, Z., Berger, J., Wholey, P., & Dobson, A. (2022). An inconvenient misconception: Climate change is not the principal driver of biodiversity loss. Conservation Letters, 15(3), e12868. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12868
Chakravarty, P., & Kumar, M. (2020). Floral species in pollution remediation and augmentation of micrometeorological conditions and microclimate: An integrated approach. In A. Pandey et al. (Eds.), Phytomanagement of polluted sites (pp. 203–219). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-813912-7.00006-5
Kleidon, A. (2020). What limits photosynthesis? Identifying the thermodynamic constraints of the biosphere within the Earth system. Biogeosciences, 17(17), 3907–3925. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3907-2020
Makarieva, A. M., & Gorshkov, V. G. (2007).Biotic pump of atmospheric moisture as driver of the hydrological cycle on land.Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 11, 1013–1033. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-11-1013-2007
Sellers, P. J. (1992). Biophysical models of land surface processes. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 97(D17), 2757–2772. https://doi.org/10.1029/91JD02484
Poulomi Chakravarty, PhD., is an environmental scientist, educator, and science communicator Her work focuses on climate literacy, environmental education, and integrating natural world and Indigenous Knowledge systems utilizing AI for climate resilience. As a facilitator of climate action programs, she designs curricula and leads community-based initiatives that empower diverse learners to engage with climate science and sustainability. Serving as a Volunteer Climate and Biodiversity Research Advisor with Biodiversity for a Livable Climate since spring 2025. Poulomi’s work reflects Bio4Climate’s mission of advancing ecosystem restoration and nature-based climate solutions, with a focus on engaging diverse communities and amplifying the connections between biodiversity, soil, water, and climate resilience.
On Wednesday, August 27, Bio4Climate welcomed the Cambridge community to the Cambridge Public Library, Massachusetts, for a special screening of Water Is Loveover20 participants filled the room, creating a warm and engaged atmosphere of film, food, and thoughtful conversation.
Stories of Water, Stories of Hope
Water is Love: Ripples of Regenerationis an award-winning feature documentary paired with a companion animated short that invites us to see water not just as a resource, but as the living foundation of climate stability. Directed and produced by Ludwig Schramm, Rosa Pannitschka, Martin Winiecki, Isabel Rosa Zabou, and Emily Coralyne Bishop, the film blends storytelling, science, and activism to highlight communities in India, Kenya, and Portugal who are restoring water cycles through regenerative design.
The narrative is carried by the voices of global “water protectors” who embody diverse wisdom traditions and on-the-ground action. Among them is Rajendra Singh, often called the “Water Man of India,” whose johad rainwater harvesting projects have revived rivers across India; Tokata Iron Eyes, a young Indigenous leader and climate activist; Ati Quigua, an Indigenous leader from Colombia advocating for ecological and cultural sovereignty; Philip Munyasia, founder of OTEPIC in Kenya, demonstrating grassroots water and food sovereignty; and author Charles Eisenstein, who situates water within a broader call for cultural and ecological renewal.
The companion animation, How Water Makes Climate, dramatizes the beauty and fragility of water cycles while offering educational resources for schools and communities. Together, the film and animation act as a love letter to future generations, showing how decentralized, community-led water stewardship can heal ecosystems, cool landscapes, and ignite hope in the face of climate breakdown.
The documentary follows a group of young people facing climate challenges and traveling across the globe to uncover solutions rooted in water. With case studies from India, Kenya, and Portugal, Water Is Love showcases how communities are restoring their landscapes through decentralized water management methods—from building small-scale water retention systems to reviving traditional knowledge of water cycles.
The film weaves together ecology, culture, and resilience, reminding us that water is more than a resource—it is a living connector of people, land, and climate. As the project’s website notes, the message is universal: restoring water cycles restores hope, health, and stability to both ecosystems and societies.
Building Community in Cambridge
Our gathering reflected this lesson in real time. Thanks to Sue Butler’s warm introduction (and her homemade cake!), John Minkle’s thoughtful tech support, Helen Snively and Nonie Valentine’s guiding questions, and the support of Jim Laurie, Beck Mordini, Brendan Kelly, and Louise Mitchell, the evening felt both intimate and inspiring. The seating arrangement encouraged participants to connect across the circle, and the shared food made conversations flow as easily as water.
One memorable moment came when a young attendee asked: “What can we do?” Her question sparked a lively exchange, including Sue’s creative suggestion of starting with even a single square foot of soil for native planting. The idea—that small, local acts ripple outward into larger change—captured the spirit of the evening.
Overflow of Inspiration
As with water itself, the impact of Water Is Love overflowed the boundaries of the film. Participants left with more than just knowledge; they left with practical ideas and a sense of belonging to a community that values restoration.
This event showed how a film screening can become more than an event—it can be the seed of a movement, where food, friendship, and shared purpose fuel deeper engagement.
Call to Action
Inspired by Water Is Love? You can be part of this growing movement.
Join us for future Bio4Climate movie nights as we continue exploring films that connect biodiversity, ecosystems, and climate.
Take action locally—from planting native pollinator gardens to supporting decentralized water management efforts.
Together, we can restore water cycles and build a livable climate.
Poulomi Chakravarty, PhD., is an environmental scientist, educator, and science communicator Her work focuses on climate literacy, environmental education, and integrating natural world and Indigenous Knowledge systems utilizing AI for climate resilience. As a facilitator of climate action programs, she designs curricula and leads community-based initiatives that empower diverse learners to engage with climate science and sustainability. Serving as a Volunteer Climate and Biodiversity Research Advisor with Biodiversity for a Livable Climate since spring 2025. Poulomi’s work reflects Bio4Climate’s mission of advancing ecosystem restoration and nature-based climate solutions, with a focus on engaging diverse communities and amplifying the connections between biodiversity, soil, water, and climate resilience.
