AZA Mid-Year 2025: Building Connections and Resilience
We’re back from a great week at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ 2025 Mid-Year Meeting and the Green Summit, hosted in beautiful Palm Springs, California. Each day, we felt energized by the innovative ideas and knowledge shared by the brilliant presenters and attendees. Thank you to The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens for hosting AZA Mid-Year!
Right now, strengthening connections and resilience is more important than ever. Here are our key takeaways from this year’s AZA Mid-Year Meeting, as well as the Green Summit hosted by the Green Scientific Advisory Group.
Where We’re At: A Time of Disruption
The AZA’s recently published Trends 2033 Report identifies anticipated transformative shifts that will affect the community over the next ten years. The top megatrend is the environment, noting that climate change will impact wildlife, its care, and zoo and aquarium visitors. It is no longer an anticipated impact; it is being felt today.
As zoos and aquariums are navigating our changing climate, we’re hearing from organizations that are impacted right now by rising temperatures and major weather events. We’ve recognized a pattern across the profession: preparing for and responding to weather emergencies has become a priority. For example, novel emergencies like high winds are now included in drill preparedness in locations that previously didn’t have to worry about high winds. How do we handle this time of disruption?
Building Connections is Key
With weather disasters increasing in frequency and impact, connection is a critical way to increase resilience. Over the course of the two-day Green Summit, we discussed how to avoid division and separation in favor of connectedness and learning from one another to create positive feedback loops. The Green Summit is one such community connection that allows professionals to share their expertise, break down information silos, and cultivate in-person connections and relationships.
An outcome of growing connections is the recognition that the future of our climate is already here; it’s just not evenly distributed. Zoos in certain regions of the country already face hot weather and storms and have experience handling these disruptions. They have found ways to adapt and bounce back, and connecting with them allows others to learn how to regularly deal with extreme weather.
The Green Summit was designed intentionally for community building, from icebreakers to group outings and guided tours of The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. This year’s Green Summit was the most diverse by job title, which means we were gaining information from perspectives across institutions and creating touchpoints where they didn’t exist before. We’re grateful to have a place to build on the connections from the years before and to see the impacts of a growing community.
Cultivating Conditions for Resilience
Growing connections is one way to create conditions for resilience. With changes in the federal government’s priorities, there is a need for even more resilience. We know there is still a strong desire and need for climate work, and our work isn’t going to stop. The form might change, but the core of what we do will remain.
One way that helps us stay true to our core through disruption is with the adaptive cycle—a model for how change occurs in complex systems. Navigating change requires resilience to bounce back from these disruptions. Resilience is strengthened by social cohesion, trust, and connectedness, which were prevalent in sessions throughout the AZA Midyear meeting. Here are just a few examples of the excellent work folks are doing to increase resilience across the profession:
ACP Equity Summit – Dr. Atyia Martin
During the ACP Equity Summit, Dr. Atyia Martin reminded attendees that resilience is a spectrum. Surviving is one end of that spectrum. Building connections and community makes us stronger together:
- In communities, when someone needs a break, others can step in and lead the charge. We’re able to rely on others’ strength.
- In a resource-scarce environment, it’s all about timing, energy levels, and efficiency. By working together with the time and energy we have, we can complement others’ abilities to be more resilient.
Climate Action Workshop – Wayne Warrington, Verdis Group
At the Climate Action Workshop, a half-day event led by Verdis Group, our methodology guided organizations through identifying local climate impacts and building resilience. Our own senior associate, Wayne Warrington, facilitated a collaborative, discussion-based process that encouraged peer learning as participants progressed through climate vulnerability assessments and developed adaptation strategies tailored to zoos and aquariums.
One standout example of the workshop’s long-term impact is the Henry Vilas Zoo. Activated by what they learned through a Climate Action Workshop in 2023, they implemented the strategies over the following two years and returned to this year’s Green Summit to share their meaningful progress and outcomes with other attendees.
Growing Resiliency for Aquarium and Zoo Employees (GRAZE)
We encountered many fantastic resources for resilience, including GRAZE, an organization that is growing resilience in aquarium and zoo employees. Its mission is to strengthen individuals, teams, and organizations within the zoo and aquarium industry by providing proactive programming, support services, and crisis response. We heard from folks at both the National Aquarium and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum who are working toward a more resilient staff and are even training their wildlife to be more resilient to the effects of climate change.
What comes after AZA Mid-Year 2025?
Across AZA, there is a strong desire and need for transformative climate work. Times of disruption require frequent feedback loops and community building, which help us be more resilient as individuals and organizations. With the emphasis on connections and resilience this year, we’re excited to participate in the evolution of the AZA’s sustainability and climate impact.
Feeling inspired to catalyze climate action at your organization? Contact Daniel Lawse at daniel@verdisgroup.com to explore ways to cultivate change at your organization.