At SOC2021 our opening plenary session on Day 1 included welcoming and introductory remarks from Kim Reyher, the executive director of the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana; Chip Kline, the chairman of the board of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority; and Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards. They spoke about the events of the past few years, about restoration projects in progress and in the planning stages, and large-scale restoration projects that are on the horizon. They also introduced our conference theme, Time for Action. Together.

The afternoon plenary on the opening day of the conference featured Colette Pichon Battle, founder and director of the Gulf Coast Center for Law & Policy, who spoke about environmental justice and the Gulf South for a Green New Deal.

Day 2 of State of the Coast 2021 featured a virtual fireside chat between Janet McCabe of the EPA and Justin Ehrenwerth of the Water Institute of the Gulf.

Day 3 of the conference featured an address from Marcia McNutt, the president of the National Academy of Sciences, who talked about the role of science in solving our coastal problems along the Gulf Coast. Fugro and Sea Grant presented student awards on the morning of Day 3.

The conference concluded after a closing plenary featuring Richard Campanella, geographer and writer at Tulane University, who spoke about New Orleans’ history as a coastal city.