EPA Announces Winners of Let’s Talk About Heat Challenge

 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the 10 winners of the Let’s Talk About Heat Challenge. Winners will receive prizes of $12,000 each for their innovative strategies and messages to raise awareness of extreme heat risks and protect public health, especially in underserved communities. The Let’s Talk About Heat Challenge was developed in support of the National Climate Task Force’s Extreme Heat Interagency Working Group, which is being led by EPA, NOAA, and HHS with support from the White House.

“This summer, unprecedented heat is having devastating impacts on people across this country and around the world. As we work to make our communities more resilient and combat climate change, we must also make sure people have the information they need to stay safe during intense heat waves. I congratulate our challenge winners for helping to protect their neighbors and our most vulnerable community members by raising awareness of heat risks,” said Vicki Arroyo, EPA Associate Administrator for Policy and senior representative on the National Climate Task Force’s Extreme Heat Interagency Working Group.

Extreme heat can affect everyone, but it can be much worse for those with chronic conditions, including heart disease, diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Heat also has a bigger impact on children and older people – as well as people who spend more time outdoors or lack air conditioning. Additionally, extreme heat can disproportionately impact people of color and people with lower incomes who often live in neighborhoods with fewer trees and less greenery, which makes these areas hotter than wealthier areas of the same city.

The Let’s Talk About Heat Challenge winners is raising awareness of extreme heat risks for more vulnerable groups and individuals and offering tips on how people can protect themselves from extreme heat. EPA and challenge co-sponsors will work with challenge winners over the coming months to share the winning heat safety messages with communities across the country and help build capacity for communities to communicate the risks of extreme heat.

• Achieving Resilient Communities (ARC) Ventura Project Partners, Ventura County, Calif., for their communications strategy to work with community organizers to expand access to information in indigenous languages and audiovisual formats on how Ventura County farmworkers can protect their health during heat waves and forest fires.

• City of Phoenix, Ariz., for their We’re Cool outreach and communication campaign throughout the city to distribute heat relief supplies, share information about community cooling resources, and help connect residents to other critical social services including shelter, housing, identification, food, hygiene facilities, and transportation.

• Crook County Health Department, Ore., for their proposed summer-long outreach and education campaign for children, students, and public school staff at various locations across the county to provide them with information and resources on heat safety to have a safe and healthy summer.

• The Farmworker Association of Florida, for their development of a widely used curriculum called PISCA (Pesticide and Heat Stress Education for Latino Farmworkers that is Culturally Appropriate) to help outdoor workers in Florida protect themselves on hot days.

• Miami-Dade County, Fla., for their multilingual Heat Season Campaign with a simple, empowering message – drink water, find shade, rest. The campaign prioritized reaching those most at risk for heat-related illnesses including low-income communities, outdoor workers, and families with children.

• Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health (PNASH) Center, for their Heat Education & Awareness Tools (HEAT), developed in collaboration with agricultural workers, educators, promotes, and others, which features a facilitator’s guide, heat awareness system (with a partner, WSU Ag Weather Net), worksite posters, interactive educational materials for workers, and radio programing in English and Spanish.

• Public Health – Seattle & King County, Wash., for their Stay Safe in the Heat campaign using comics to reach people at high risk for heat illnesses, especially those disproportionately impacted due to existing health disparities.

• Trust for Public Land, Philadelphia, Penn., for their “Heat Response: Creative Action for Philly’s Rising Temperatures (HR)” initiative focused on community engagement through public art with local artists, residents, and city agencies to combat environmental racism and historic inequity.

• WeCount!, Miami-Dade County, Fla., for their proposed ¡Que Calor! an initiative that will broadcast heat prevention public service announcements in native Mayan dialects and heat-related programs via radio to reach outdoor workers, who are particularly at risk from extreme heat. The programs will help outdoor workers better understand the health risks of extreme heat, identify symptoms of heat illness or stroke, and take life-saving actions to protect themselves and their co-workers.

• West Harlem Environmental Action, Inc., New York, N.Y., for their proposed interactive brochure, the Climate Ready Uptown Plan, to inform northern Manhattan residents on the dangers of extreme heat and encourage them to participate in life-saving emergency preparedness planning.

EPA and partners will host a webinar featuring representatives from these 10 winning organizations on Thursday, October 6 at 2:00 p.m. ET. Register here for the webinar to learn more about the winning messages and how partners worked together to reach target audiences.

In addition to EPA, challenge co-sponsors include NOAA, HHS, FEMA, and external partner organizations, including the Atlantic Council, Georgetown Climate Center, Groundwork USA, and the National Association of County and City Health Officials.