Eastern hosts community workshop on climate change, health equity

Eastern Connecticut State University hosted a community-focused climate change workshop in the J. Eugene Smith Library on May 22. The event, titled “Climate and Health: A Community Discussion,” was organized by health sciences Professor Sarah Walters and co-hosted by advocates from grassroots initiative A Seat at the Table (ASATT).

The workshop created a lively atmosphere for more than 20 climate-change advocates of varying ages and experience levels to bond over shared initiatives and collaborate on climate goals. “This conversation was about building relationships and laying the groundwork for community-driven, sustainable solutions,” said Walters. 

She continued: “This event was far from a traditional presentation; this was a space for open dialogue, reflection, and shared problem-solving, grounded in community knowledge and collective care.” 

According to the coordinators, the ultimate goal of the event was to inspire future conversations and connections among the participants to collaborate on ideas that expand into the surrounding communities. “We’re just creating the container,” said Mari Serrano, ASATT advocate and lecturer of health sciences and nursing. “The real impact comes from the voices in the room — people doing this work every day.” 

“This was about bringing changemakers and climate leaders into the same space to identify what’s working, where the gaps are, and how innovation can emerge from the next generation of leaders,” said ASATT advocate Elizabeth Bashir. “Our hope is that we can take these conversations into the community and really work on a cohesive way of addressing climate change.” 

The workshop also featured lively and structured roundtable discussions and breakout sessions that allowed participants to deconstruct issues on topics affected by climate change, such as public health, housing, food security, and environmental justice. 

“This movement on climate change is organized work that was well explored in the breakout sessions we did,” said Serrano. “Bringing in lots of different voices is critical to building trust and relations with communities as well.”