(BIVN) – From the Hawaiʻi Department of Land Natural Resources:

The Hawaiʻi Climate Commission, in collaboration with the City and County of Honolulu and Hawai‘i County, are hosting a pair of Climate Community Fairs this month and in June.

The Climate Fairs will be learning-based, integrative, and collaborative spaces for people to gain knowledge of the available resources in their communities. Diverse organizations and programs will have booths, workshops, and games to share. The focus is on what is being done to create a resilient and sustainable Hawaiʻi.

The fairs, at the State Capitol on May 20 and at the Hilo Civic Center Auditorium on June 17, will help communicate the extreme urgency of acting on climate change in a way that spurs action.

State Climate Change Coordinator Leah Laramee, said, “Homes impacted by sea level rise, wildfires and floods have disconnected communities from essential services. Extreme heat is going to have serious impacts on health, especially for keiki and kūpuna. We have the solutions to address this and can build a resilient economy while supporting green infrastructure, build up local food production, restore soil health, improve transportation services, and build fewer roads.”

Fair organizers say Hawai‘i residents can integrate traditional knowledge into actions while advancing technological capacities. Laramee added, “We are no longer at a place where we can slow roll our actions, we need systemic change now. Investing in climate action will pay dividends in the future. The more we do today, the more effective our actions, the more money we will save and the better off our communities will be.”

“The Climate Community Fair will showcase the many organizations that the climate commission is working with and the many collaborative activities underway that are making a difference. This is a great opportunity to learn more about how we each can reduce our carbon footprints, create more resilient systems, and meet other people to work together to mitigate the effects of climate change such as sea level rise,” said Dawn Chang, Hawai‘i Climate Commission co-chair.

“The fair is all about empowering people to act on climate change. Our hope is people will walk away feeling confident about the climate actions they can take. Climate change impacts every aspect of our life,” Laramee said.

There is still time for organizations to sign up. To participate in the O‘ahu Climate Fair, contact Jo Dunne at jo.dunne.contractor@hawaii.gov, or Kara Neal at kara.neal@hawaiicounty.gov for the Hawaiʻi Island Fair.