Linking a Vision of Resilience to Action

The CREATE Connections project follows from and builds upon the CREATE Resilience project and uses a whole community approach to build collective environmental literacy and address current and future environmental hazards related to climate change. This approach brings together a wide range of potential agents of change: community-based organizations, artists, students, educators, municipalities, libraries, businesses, and residents. CREATE Connections focuses on climate action plans (CAPs) recently adopted in Easton and Bethlehem and seeks to build social capital, connectedness and community resilience through a multi-pronged educational approach.

Goals are:
– to provide education about climate and community-specific strategies related to climate action,
– to enable community-based organizational partners (including libraries, students, and artists) to become effective disseminators of climate education to broad audiences including underserved populations,
–  to create pathways and support for communities to implement their CAPs.

To achieve these, NNC is:
–  building partnerships with local community-based organizations to help reach and engage with diverse populations including Community Bike Works,
–  developing active learning programming for youth and their families in collaboration with public libraries,
–  creating easy to understand, educational strategy spotlights,
–  coordinating storefront educational campaigns,
–  working with local artists to create interactive public art installations,
–  disseminating free climate-friendly kits to educate about climate change and the actions that will help with mitigation and adaptation,
–  holding an annual Youth Climate Summit event to engage local middle and high school youth around the CAPs,
–  hosting local undergraduate interns to help develop education and outreach programs,
–  coordinating a “Climate Action Week” in each community to highlight CAP progress.

All programs will include science, art, and community dialogue elements, incorporate civic learning opportunities and integrate NOAA assets and subject matter experts.This model is designed to broaden participation and build shared community-based leadership on climate issues by youth, library staff, community organizations and local businesses to help the CAPs be understood and embraced by the community. 

Want to be involved? Want to stay informed about CREATE? Sign up here for our newsletter. We will share details on related upcoming public events and provide a quarterly update on the CREATE Connections project as well as share stories about our partners’ efforts.

Check out past newsletters:  January 2024 CREATE Connections Newsletter

Have questions? Have ideas? Email Kate (ksemmens@nurturenature.org) or Lauren (lfosbenner@nurturenaturecenter.org)

We are so grateful for our partners:
Bethlehem Area Public Library
Easton Area Public Library
Community Bike Works
City of Bethlehem
Bethlehem Environmental Advisory Council
City of Easton
Easton Environmental Advisory Council
Alliance for Sustainable Communities
Watershed Coalition of the Lehigh Valley
Community Action Lehigh Valley Generation Next
Community Action Development Bethlehem
PAZA
The Fe Foundation
Boys and Girls Club of Easton
Northside Alive (Bethlehem)
Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center
Lafayette College
Lehigh University
Moravian University
Northampton County Community College
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission
Northampton County Emergency Management Services
National Weather Service: Mid-Atlantic River Forecast Center and Mt. Holly/Philadelphia Weather Forecast Office

This webpage was prepared by the Nurture Nature Center under award NA23SEC0080002 from the Environmental Literacy Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NOAA or the U.S. Department of Commerce.