Designing for Resilience: with Alex Berkowitz of Coastal Protection Services
Episode description
This episode is another in our series on Climate Resilience featuring Alex Berkowitz, Founder and CEO of Coastal Protection Solutions (CPS), a startup developing nearshore infrastructure that reduces wave energy and enhances climate resilience. Alex shares how her personal experience with Hurricane Sandy in her hometown of Rockaway Beach led to the creation of the Wave Breaker—an innovative floating barrier designed to protect coastal communities from storm surge and erosion.
She explains how CPS integrates landscape design, marine engineering, and microgrid energy into its solution, and how it differs from traditional seawalls or breakwaters. Alex also discusses navigating public policy, permitting, and insurance incentives, and finally, Alex shares her career advice for those who are interested in climate resilience.
Host and Guest Host: Mike Toffel, Professor, Harvard Business School (LinkedIn)
Guest: Alex Berkowitz, Founder & CEO, Coastal Protection Solutions (LinkedIn)