Climate Story Network

The Climate Story Network (CSN) is dedicated to getting stories, information, and inspiration on climate change – especially climate solutions – to community-level media in Halifax/Kjipuktuk. Far too often we expect people to seek out information on climate solutions themselves. CSN will deliver relatable, accessible, and hopeful climate stories directly to community media, newsletters, and localized social platforms. They will offer professionally written and edited, no-cost, and copyright-free articles, local champion profiles, and backgrounders on climate change to the community, alternative, and urban media, non-profit newsletters, First Nations publications, university newspapers, online curators, and faith bulletins.

Grant award: $43,000

Many people face hopelessness in the face of the climate crisis – what can we do to re-frame the narrative, instill hope, and inspire action? This is the question that Sean Kelly and many others have asked themselves. Thinking about the benefits that could come from seeing all of the positive work at the community level in local papers and publications, an idea was born: The Climate Story Network.

“Climate change is very complicated. A lot of people are feeling overwhelmed. They’re feeling anxious… and they don’t know what to do or they don’t think much is being done,” Kelly said.

Kelly and a team of professional writers, editors, and communicators at the Climate Story Network (CSN), are committed to delivering free, relevant, local stories on climate solutions. The goal of the CSN is to ensure that people across the province know what is being done locally in the climate space, and who’s doing it. They are also encouraging these stories to be shared by individuals on social media, and by other community papers, Indigenous publications, faith-based bulletins, and anyone else who’s looking for good climate content. “Local newspapers are a trusted source of information. What they don’t have are the budgets to explore broader topics outside their regular community beats, even when they want to. CSN will help get climate stories to the grassroots of change,” said Kelly.

The ultimate goal is for as many readers as possible to have access to these stories. Though Nova Scotia may seem small on a global scale, there is still a lot of work happening here that people may not know about. Kelly commented, “I think there’s no shortage of good stories out there.”

The CSN is also looking to include stories and commission writers from under-represented groups, including Mi’kmaq and African Nova Scotian communities. Climate solutions must include everyone, and the CSN is dedicated to ensuring that their work reflects everyone in Halifax/Kjipuktuk.

Storytelling is a powerful tool that has the ability to bring people together, form feelings of community, and encourage the cultural shifts needed to enact meaningful climate action. This type of storytelling also removes barriers from otherwise inaccessible topics, bringing scientific concepts to non-scientists. “It’s content for people that are concerned about climate change, but they’re not experts in it,” Kelly continued. These stories can help people see what’s possible, what is being done, and how it connects to their own life. So often, climate stories are disconnected from people’s local realities; now they will see themselves in the stories and feel empowered in what role they can play in climate action.

CSN officially launched in September 2023, and they are hitting the ground running with 7 stories published on their website (go check them out!), and many more on deck. They’re offering content ranging form green beer to church retrofits, from community businesses to university sustainability.

Following their successful launch, the team at CSN has continued to forge ahead with story research, writer recruitment, writing, editing, and distribution. “The two challenges [we face are] finding enough writers… the other one is getting the stories reprinted and reshared,” said Kelly on the work ahead. Being a new non-profit that offers free content, the CSN wants community media to know that these are good, professionally written stories. “We’re a new organization. We’re working really hard to let them know about us and what we’re doing, but it may take some time for them to really understand what we’re doing – but this is good, quality content for free.” Kelly is confident that as more people begin to read and share these stories, the quality and impact of the work will speak volumes. Visit CSN online to learn more.

Does this sound like something you would like to be a part of? Are you involved in local climate projects that you want to share? Make sure to get in touch with the network with any story ideas you may have, read their published stories, and share these on your own social pages.  

Grant Highlights