In celebration of April being Earth Month, and with Earth Day coming up on Thursday, we’re excited to be discussing a program focused on creating leaders for climate solutions. The program, Climate for Health, was founded by ecoAmerica, and NRPA has partnered with them to bring the initiative to park and recreation professionals. 

Climate for Health is a national initiative that offers tools, resources and communications to demonstrate visible climate leadership, and inspires health leaders to advocate for climate solutions. The training program we’re collaborating on will elevate the essential role park and recreation professionals play in dismantling climate and health disparities in order to build resilient communities where everyone thrives.

In this episode we welcome:

• Cheryl Salazar, CPRP, Recreation Supervisor II for City of San Marcos, California, and participant in the first Climate for Health Ambassadors Training
• Rebecca Rehr, director of Climate for Health at ecoAmerica,
• Jenny Cox, program manager for NRPA

Tune in to the full episode below to learn what sparked Cheryl, Rebecca and Jenny’s passion for this work, as well as:

• Why the Climate for Health Ambassadors Training is an important piece of addressing issues at the intersection of climate and health.
• How NRPA is committed to ensuring that park and recreation professionals are contributing to the overall resilience of their communities.
• How the Climate for Health Ambassadors Training is valuable for park and recreation professionals at all levels of experience, and why you should sign up.
• Simple steps you can take today to reduce your climate impact, and more!

Other resources/information discussed in this episode:

• Sign up for Climate for Health Ambassadors Training: On this page, we also have a suite of resources, including webinars, research and toolkits, for park and recreation professionals and partners to address inequitable climate-related health impacts through the power of parks and recreation.
• NRPA conservation tools, resources and initiatives
• EcoAmerica: MomentUs
• EcoAmerica: Research
• Climate for Health blog
• Cheryl's blog post, "Supporting Youth-Led Climate Action in San Marcos, California"  
• Mental Health and Our Changing Climate
• Let's Talk Health & Climate

Listen to the episode for the full story.