A Climate to Thrive Launches New Climate Ambassador Program on MDI
Our climate is changing, and it’s affecting all of us, no matter where we live.
Here in Downeast Maine, warming temperatures, shifting weather patterns, and weather extremes are beginning to have negative impacts on the health of our community. The winters are becoming shorter and warmer, and decreasing snowfall amounts are having a negative impact on our rivers and groundwater, as well as winter recreation opportunities for locals and visitors alike. Increases in tick populations have exploded and we are seeing a significant rise in tick-borne illness and disease. Warming water temperatures and rising sea levels are altering both the historic ranges and movement of commercial and recreational marine species, eroding beaches, and damaging roads, agricultural land, and homes through more frequent flooding events.
It’s more important that we come together as a community to take action for minimizing these impacts, and those to come, on the health and well-being of our community. MDI non-profit, A Climate to Thrive (ACTT), is helping to lead the way with the launch of their new Climate Ambassadors program this fall for the MDI community.
ACTT’s new Climate Ambassadors program will train community members to apply their existing skills, knowledge, and experience to meaningfully drive climate action here on Mount Desert Island. Climate ambassadors will become effective climate solutions leaders and communicators on MDI. Anyone can apply to be a climate ambassador, no prior experience is needed!
The program will consist of a series of sessions that will equip participants to be informal climate solutions experts. Training topics will include major sources of greenhouse gas emissions, the top individual and collective actions to address climate change, how to effectively communicate about climate change, and more!
The Climate Ambassadors program is free to MDI residents. Ambassadors will attend 5 training sessions and a final celebration. Meetings will occur weekly on Wednesdays from mid-October through early November 2022. Food and childcare will be provided at meetings and a need-based stipend is available. Meetings are tentatively scheduled for 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Jesup Memorial Library in Bar Harbor.
Because space is limited, ACTT is asking those interested to apply to participate. To apply and learn more about the program please visit ACTT’s website at aclimatetothrive.org/ambassadors.
We hope you’ll apply and share this new program with friends and family! Please send any questions to ACTT Project Manager, Naomi Albert, at naomi@aclimatetothrive.org.