GRANVILLE – Voices for Climate, a grassroots community group based in Granville, is partnering with the Emily Williston Library in Easthampton for a three-part virtual climate series called “Saving Us! Working toward Climate Resilience.”

The series coincides with Climate Week, Sept. 24-30, which local libraries are marking with environment- and conservation-themed programs. Libraries in Granville, Southwick and Westfield, among others, are also planning special events during Climate Week.

According to organizer John Meiklejohn of Voices for Climate, the virtual climate series is for people who are worried about the unwelcome weather and climate changes they see and read about, both locally and nationally, and wonder what they can do to make a difference.

The first two parts in the series will feature two well-respected climate experts who will bring updated factual information on climate science in an understandable way.

Westfield State University professor of geography, planning and sustainability Carsten Braun, Ph.D., will present “Climate Change 101: What You Need to Know,” at 7 p.m. on Sept. 26 via Zoom.

Braun believes climate change does not have to be complicated or intimidating. He teaches the subject along with physical geography and sustainable energy to freshmen at Westfield State University, who he says are mainly pursuing other majors.

“I might be the last scientist they ever know,” he said, adding that his main goal is to have students come away with a positive image of science, and to realize the role that science has to play in a democratic society.

In his talk for this series, Braun will review the science of climate change, discuss its impacts and explore the practical solutions that are available “right here, right now.” He believes that people can “absolutely make a difference,” and that there is very good data and studies to back that up.

“We do have a new climate legislation that Congress passed that is pretty exciting. While it’s not everything, we should celebrate these successes,” Braun said this month, referring to the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act, which supporters say will build American clean energy supply chains by incentivizing domestic production in clean energy technologies. Braun called it the first meaningful piece of climate action in a long time.

The second presentation in the series is “What Will Drive Our Climate Future?” featuring Gary Yohe, Ph.D., a Huffington Foundation professor of economics and environmental studies at Wesleyan University, and a senior member of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, at 7 p.m. on Oct. 3, also via Zoom.

Yohe will explore the limitations of what scientists do know and don’t know about climate change, and how people can still make proactive decisions to “abate” or “adapt.” There will be ample time for discussion and questions and answers at the end of the talk.

The third part, “Taking Action: Exploring Ways to Tackle the Climate Crisis,” will be a Zoom discussion at 7 p.m. on Oct. 17 facilitated by Voices for Climate. Meiklejohn said the third session will explore a range of constructive steps everyone can take, both as individuals and in groups, to turn a looming crisis into a triumph.

Meiklejohn said there are three key outcomes he hopes that people will get from the three-part series. He said Braun’s and Yohe’s talks will update the public on the current status of climate science, what is known and what is still uncertain, and will give people the opportunity to raise questions with well-versed experts.

“There is a lot we can do to mitigate, a lot we can do to adapt, and a lot of suffering if we don’t,” Meiklejohn said.

In the third session, participants will explore in large and small groups how to harness the American can-do spirit to meet this challenge, which Meiklejohn called “a remarkable moment. We don’t live in ordinary times. We are facing something humanity has never faced before in terms of a global threat,” he said.

“This will take all of us coming together in that ‘can do’ spirit,” he said. “We want to use that third session to share ideas and brainstorm, not only at the individual level, but at the community level when it takes all of us to accomplish something. How can we, plural, address this?”

To register in advance for any one or all of the sessions, visit tinyurl.com/cpw-saving-us. Questions may be addressed to John Meiklejohn at jmiserve183@gmail.com.

This series is hosted by the Emily Williston Memorial Library in Easthampton, a member of the Pioneer Valley Library Collaborative, in partnership with Voices for Climate, and is funded in part by Emily’s Friends of the Library.

Climate-themed events at Greater Westfield libraries, both during Climate Week and beyond, include:

- A grab-and-go craft for teenagers, “Edible Greenhouse Gasses,” available all week Sept. 24-30 in the Southwick Public Library at 95 Feeding Hills Rd. Each kit includes colored gumdrops, toothpicks and a key that matches the gumdrops to atoms and instructions on how to build models of each greenhouse gas molecule.

- “Silly Solar, Sun Fun” children’s story hour, 10:30-11:30 a.m. on Sept. 24 at the Granville Public Library, 2 Granby Rd. Children 3-10 years of age are invited to read about the sun, use a solar oven to roast marshmallows and make solar art.

- Mindful Outdoor Experience with Kripalu-trained instructor Colleen Mollica, 10:30-11:30 a.m. or 1:30-3 p.m. on Sept. 26 in the Japanese Garden at Stanley Park, 400 Western Ave., Westfield. Teens and adults are invited to learn present-moment awareness, deep breathing and conscious movement to awaken the healing properties of nature. Advance registration is required via one of the three sponsoring libraries, the Emily Williston Memorial Library, Granville Public Library or Westfield Athenaeum.

- Writing About Climate, a Zoom workshop by nature writer Kim Hoff, 6-8 p.m. on Sept. 28. Hoff will share tools and techniques to write engaging personal nature essays, with a specific focus on climate. Registration is required with the Southwick Public Library at southwicklibrary@comcast.net.

- “You Better Be-Leaf It” storytime, 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 29 at the Southwick Public Library. Children will hear stories about trees and leaves, then create leaf identification books and leaf rubbings. Extra kits will be available as a grab-and-go craft the following day.

- Climate Justice, a Zoom workshop 7-8 p.m. on Sept. 29 with Nia Keith, examining the connection between social inequities and climate impacts. Sponsored by the Southwick Public Library and the Milne Public Library of Williamstown. Register at bit.ly/rp09qf.

- A discussion on “The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times,” by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams, 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Oct. 27 over Zoom. The book can be checked out through any local library using interlibrary loan. To register for the Zoom discussion, sponsored by the Granville Public Library, email GranvillePrograms@cwmars.org.

For more information on Climate Week events at local libraries, including events in Easthampton, West Springfield, Westhampton and Williamstown, visit forbeslibrary.org/pvlc.