Early September’s Indian summer makes us in the Northern hemisphere forget that there ever was such as thing as winter. And yet as we well know, fall is just around the corner.  The French have a wonderful term for this time: La Rentrée. (literally, the reentry). In fact, for many of us, this back-to-school time feels more like a new year than January 1. With it comes not only cooler temperatures but also many exciting events and activities to which we want to invite you.

First, I want to take this opportunity to check in with you. We want to hear what you consider the most pressing issues right now and how the POCACITO Network might be able to address these. I am not promising magic, but if we don't know exactly what you – our community – want, then our actions might not have much of an impact. So please share your thoughts and ideas. And yes, there are rewards. For each submission, we will email you a POCACITO Summer Camp t-shirt. How can you resist?

Second, I wanted to highlight a few opportunities for you connect and engage with POCACITO in the coming weeks and months:

For the very first time, we will host an online Youth Forum for high school and university students as a precursor to our annual Forum in DC. The Youth Forum on October 21 will offer 3 university students a chance to present their research and then lead breakout groups for high school students. The Youth Forum will showcase work on environmental data collection and presenting environmental information in novel ways. Apply here by September 30 to present or participate.

The 2026 Transatlantic Forum for Climate and Environmental Justice with a focus on environmental data and information will take place at the University of the District of Columbia in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, October 28. RSVP here for the free in-person event.

This year's forum wants to explore

• the role of nongovernmental organizations in collecting and sharing environmental data - especially when governments abandon such activities
• how collecting environmental data can better respect and include vulnerable populations, discussing trust, transparency and data security
• whether new technologies such as wider availability of satellite data, drone usage or artificial intelligence can offer pathways to collect more information faster and at lower cost - but also looking at risks and challenges

We hope to see many of you at this year's Forum in DC.

Third, we have launched POCACITO Perspectives - your opportunity to publish on our blog. Each month, we will feature one guest post. This month's post is "Holes in the Forest: Shrimp Ponds and the People sustaining Ecuador’s Mangrove Coast" by Ecuador-based Wendy Chávez-Páez.

If you are interested in getting your perspective published, please reach out to info@pocacito.org.

Fourth, there are some opportunities from POCACITO Network partners that you might want to know about:

• Community Health Aligning Revitalization Resilience & Sustainability (CHARRS) – led by Gwen Smith – is celebrating its fifth anniversary on September 12 in Atlanta. You can buy tickets here.
• Cradle to Cradle is hosting their annual conference - the world's first and largest platform for a circular economy - in Berlin on September 17 and 18: https://c2c-congress.org/
  POCACITO is now a network partner of the conference, a direct result of Nora Griefahn and Tim Janssen joining the Climathon Baltimore earlier this year. Let us know if you plan to go.
• The Coastal Ecology Workshop (CEW) 2026 will take place in Schillig, Germany, on the Wadden Sea Coast, from November 9 to 13, 2026. The Coastal Ecology Workshop (CEW) is an annual workshop organized by, and especially intended for, early career and postgraduate researchers with a focus related to coastal ecology. More information and RSVP here.
• Circular San Antonio is accepting applications for the Spring 2027 study trip from April 18 - 25, 2027 to Copenhagen to go beyond the case studies and uncover the answers to the question: How does a city truly put the circular economy and urban sustainability into practice? RSVP by October 15.

Here's what we have been up to since our last email:

May:

• wrapping up the Biomimicry Youth Design Challenge 2026

June:

• GANBASE visiting Berlin and Leipzig to explore nature-based solutions for climate change
• Climathon Baltimore with ideas for a circular society developed over two days with participants from the U.S. and Germany

July:

• POCACITO Summer Camp 2026 with more days and more people than ever before

August:

• GANBASE visiting Duluth and the Twin Cities to exchange on nature-based solutions for climate change

With that I wish you a joyful rest of the warmer season and an energized start into the fall.

Please stay in touch and share your thoughts and ideas here.

Sincerely,

Max and the POCACITO crew