There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to tackling climate concerns, as everyone is impacted in a variety of ways by these issues. One pathway to communicating these concerns is not to highlight the environment as an outside or add-on concern, but to help people understand how these issues are, in fact, deeply intertwined.

While most folks (and more each year) understand that climate change is real and caused by human activity, less than half of American adults believe it will impact them personally (Yale Program on Climate Change Communication). Financial woes, political turmoil, and omnipresent social justice concern often shift focus from the larger landscape related to the environment, despite the interconnectedness of these topics.

Work, home, school, and other models of infrastructure all contribute to – or detract from – the success of individuals and families in each and every community. Without a stable, healthy living environment, it becomes increasingly difficult to perform well at a job that pays a living wage, to get a full night’s sleep, and to grow educated young people into productive adults. Climate change will bring increased weather irregularity and an increase in extreme weather events. All of which will make it harder to maintain that stable, healthy living environment.

My work as a Community Decarbonization Educator for CCE Tompkins takes me into a variety of spaces, which in turn requires the ability to pivot and adapt materials for many flavors of audience. Some folks who take advantage of Energy and Climate Change Team programming are already deeply concerned about emissions and energy savings. However, others are simply trying to get by and need access to resources for their more immediate needs.

This perspective is exemplified by the participants I educate within the Department of Social Services Day Reporting Program, where CCETC offers a variety of educational options. Day Reporting exists within the Justice system and serves to offer participants an alternative to incarceration. By reporting to educational programs, counseling, and other services or training, Day Reporting aims to reduce recidivism, and encourage personal growth in a supervised setting that allows participants to still remain within their community.

In the course of doing these classes throughout the year, one request from clients came up again and again: “We want more sober activities.”

Folks within the Justice System have access to even less resources than other marginalized folks, as felonies limit options, and the appointment-heavy structure of the processes around Drug and Wellness Court often adds up to the equivalent of a part or full-time job.

Over the course of this year, I began to use Travel Training curriculums from a previous role as a model to inform participants on healthier opportunities to participate in their community. This previous curriculum focused on connecting Tompkins County residents to active transportation and transit options, and built a sense of competency and agency among participates to navigate the area without a car.
“You’ll meet different people on the trails than at the bars” became a mantra that reminded folks that the agency to create change within their own lives did in fact exist, even if it seemed challenging or reduced due to some of the details of being in the Justice system. By learning to navigate the TCAT bus system, finding access to resources like Bike Walk Tompkins, and becoming empowered by the variety of options available to pedestrians in our community, folks found a sense of autonomy often missing in other aspects of their lives.

Communicating environmental concerns while addressing personal wellness creates an awareness of one’s surrounding environment, and a deeper connection to the world around us and those living in it becomes more possible. Some folks aren’t connected to carbon footprints but recognize that each step in service of a healthier life in turn creates opportunities with those around them to build a better future.