Announcing: Montana Climate Stories

Families for a Livable Climate and Stories for Action are proud to announce their new storytelling site, Montana Climate Stories, with co-sponsors Montana Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate, and Mountain Mamas.

“Our stories are the foundation of many of our relationships. When we tell our climate stories--what we’re worried about, what we’re experiencing, what we hope our future will look like--we can connect across differences and begin to make change.” said Winona Bateman, director of Families for a Livable Climate.

Montana Climate Stories (mtclimatestories.org) features personal stories from Montanans about how climate change is impacting them. All Montana families need a livable climate and thriving environment to ensure a bright and secure future. We also need good jobs, healthcare, and equitable access to education and other opportunities such as healthy working landscapes. Stories posted on the site will reflect these shared needs.

“The impacts from climate change and the shifts needed for a healthy future are incredibly connected. As a society, we need to come together in interconnected ways, like any other resilient ecosystem. Sharing our stories helps create this connection.” said Lara Tomov, director, Stories for Action.

Climate change is human caused and getting worse. But, we have most of the solutions we need to address this problem. When we openly speak about the causes, concerns, and mitigation of these impacts, we can move toward a thriving future for Montana. Our hope is that by sharing stories, more Montanans can find common ground and come together to protect our climate, our communities, and ensure a livable future for all of our families and this beautiful state we call home.

Any Montanan can submit a story. Submissions can be made through the website: mtclimatestories.org, or by tagging the project on Instagram: @montanaclimatestories. People can follow along on Instagram to see new story posts as well.

Partner organizations will be contributing to the site; some have given permission already to repost articles. Cross-posting from multiple organizations and efforts is a key goal for the project. "This is a space for all our stories," said Ms. Bateman. "We need a shared picture of what's happening to our state, and a shared space for envisioning our future."