Time to Talk: Facilitating Climate Change Conversations in Rural Pennsylvania

Many people living in rural areas are aware of the impacts of climate change and often have climate beliefs that are aligned with the scientific consensus. However, climate change conversations in rural communities may be seen as divisive, political, and potential sources of conflict in the community. We describe a rural/urban collaboration intended to break the silence around climate conversations that could occur in informal and formal educational settings in rural Pennsylvania. We conducted pop up informal learning experiences using a climate card tool at a public night market, a community-college canning workshop, and with high-school Envirothon teams. The cards and facilitation approaches were aligned with local knowledge and interest and provided just enough information to introduce a discussion topic without being too didactic. Climate cards provided support for rural educators to create and customize learning experiences for different interests, lived experiences, and values.