Carpe Diem West
Overview
Carpe Diem West is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that leads a broad-based network of experts, advocates, economists, decision makers and scientists to address the profound impacts the growing climate crisis is having on water in the American West.
Carpe Diem West was started in 2007 by a group of western water leaders acting on a shared belief that the growing climate crisis requires everyone in the field to think in new ways. It quickly began to work with a broad-based network of addressing the profound challenge of climate impacts on water resources in the American West.
All of us have a deep love for the American West. And the people of Carpe Diem West - our founders, our advisors, and our broader network - are committed to bringing their energy, talent and leadership to navigate the challenges ahead.
Our work promotes resilience in water resource and land management:
In 2015 our new initiative, the Watershed Investment Network (WIN), provides information and resources to Western communities to help advance watershed valuation and finance as critical components of watershed protection.
We believe that a headwaters-focused approach is an essential strategy for ensuring a resilient future for Colorado flows. Over the past five years, Carpe Diem West’s collaboration of Colorado River Basin leaders has helped develop the understanding that a basin-wide approach is necessary for the many innovative solutions that must be implemented at scale.
The Horizon Program is Carpe Diem West’s innovation lab. We tap into the expertise of our network to assess new climate and water information, emerging threats and opportunities.
The majority of our program work is grant funded. In addition, we work with Western communities and water agencies to start, or expand, programs to protect the source of their water. We help you navigate complexity in issue analysis, funding mechanisms, and community outreach. We can also support you in strategic planning and goal setting for source water protection plans, as well as in integrating the latest climate science into these plans.