Summer's hottest effort to support climate change research kicks off June 16 at the Vault in Boston.

The Beat the Heat Climate Change Campaign is Earthwatch's signature effort to engage people in climate change research activities and provide support for Earthwatch's climate research programs. This year, Beat the Heat will kick off with a special launch event at The Vault, a restaurant in Boston's Financial District, on June 16. (Space is limited; reserve your place now.)

Then, in a lead up to a high-profile, exclusive fundraiser for climate change research at Boston's world-famous Taj Hotel (formerly the Ritz Carlton) on September 16, Beat the Heat will enroll people in Boston and beyond in the climate change battle. With the help of presenting sponsor State Street, a leading financial services provider, we'll provide opportunities to donate to climate change research, join Earthwatch climate change expeditions, share climate change resources online, and participate in Boston-area volunteering events.

While everyone has an important role to play in the struggle against climate change, Beat the Heat is a unique campaign in that it recognizes the particular need to engage young professionals around the issue, since they are the emerging leaders who will influence corporate, political, and social responses to this problem for decades to come.

Since its inception in 2007, Beat the Heat has:

  • Introduced more than 600 Boston-area professionals to the importance of climate research
  • Engaged more than 100 people in hands-on projects such as tree plantings and invasive species removal with local environmental and community partners
  • Raised nearly $100,000 in financial support for Earthwatch's climate change research projects worldwide
  • Leveraged social media platforms to increase its reach beyond event participants, including nearly 500 followers to date of “tweettheheat” on Twitter.

Attendees of the Beat the Heat kick-off on June 16 will be introduced to the whole range of Earthwatch's climate change research projects and results, and will be able to purchase advance tickets for the September 16 fundraiser at the Taj. Throughout the summer, Earthwatch will communicate with Boston-area supporters and kick-off guests through a range of media to engage them in the campaign and facilitate local volunteering actions.

On September 16, the Beat the Heat celebration for 200 guests will be hosted by The Improper Bostonian’s Jonathan Soroff and WHDH-TV Channel 7’s Frances Rivera on the exclusive roof deck of the Taj. The evening will include a silent auction, reports on local volunteering actions to date, and opportunities to sign up for upcoming climate change activities.

In the 2009 Beat the Heat Campaign, more than 335 volunteers, including student, teacher, and corporate fellows, participated on 11 different climate change research expeditions at a dozen locations in six countries. From students studying sea level rise on Virginia’s Eastern Shore to families exploring whales’ altered feeding patterns off the coast of British Columbia, from the permafrost of the Arctic Circle to the mangroves of South Africa, Earthwatchers were on the front lines of the effort to Beat the Heat of climate change.

And they were online as well, participating in Earthwatch’s efforts to support ongoing climate change research opportunities for citizen scientists from across the world by following “tweettheheat” on Twitter and joining the Beat the Heat Cause on Facebook. This year, be sure you join in the effort to Beat the Heat!