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Ready for Summer Heat: MAPC Launches Cool Communications Campaign

Ready for Summer Heat: MAPC Launches Cool Communications Campaign

By Sharon Ron, Assistant Director of Public Health

June 17, 2025 – As Massachusetts communities brace for another hot summer, MAPC is excited to announce the launch of the Cool Communications Campaign – a suite of heat resilience materials designed to help municipalities and other organizations effectively communicate about extreme heat.

As extreme heat becomes more frequent, more severe, and longer lasting, it’s important to design communication systems and engagement opportunities that reach priority populations before, during, and after heat events.

The campaign focuses on two key approaches:

  1. 'Stay Cool' Materials: Designed to support heat preparedness three to five days before heat events, these materials provide clear, simple actions for personal protection. Created in Canva for easy customization, the templates maintain visual consistency while allowing communities to adapt messaging to their specific needs.
  2. Building a Cool Culture: Going beyond traditional heat messaging, this approach uses creative storytelling and community-led engagement to build lasting communication networks for heat risk education, enabling communities to share experiences and prioritize those at highest risk.
Illustration of three people sitting around inside. Text says Stay cool with your friends. Use your AC or fan, drink water, take a cool shower, and keep your curtains closed. Learn more about how to stay cool in the heat at: mass.gov/info-details/extreme-heat-safety-tips
Example of the heat communications materials in Spanish.

Materials Available Now

Our campaign provides ready-to-use materials that can be easily customized and distributed through multiple channels.

Stay Cool Materials:

  • Social media graphics translated into multiple languages and optimized for Instagram and Facebook
  • Print and digital flyers in formats ready for distribution
  • Easily modifiable templates created in Canva with visual consistency and simple customization options

Municipal Website Guidance:

The Elements of an Effective Municipal Heat Relief Website

As extreme heat becomes more frequent and severe, municipal websites serve as trusted sources of information for residents and community organizations. MAPC conducted a nationwide scan of municipal heat websites and identified six essential elements for effective online heat relief resources:

  1. Heat & Health Tips - Clear information on recognizing heat-related illnesses and actionable guidance for protection
  2. Local Heat Relief Resources - Maps of cooling centers, parks, splash pads, and weatherization programs
  3. Extreme Heat Projects - Current community initiatives with opportunities for resident engagement
  4. Municipal Contact Information - Designated contacts for heat-related, non-emergency questions
  5. Alert Systems Sign Up - Promotion of local emergency alert subscriptions (CodeRED, ReadySOS, etc.)
  6. Translated & Accessible Information - Materials in accessible formats and commonly spoken languages

Our complete Elements of an Effective Municipal Heat Relief Website guide provides detailed guidance for each element and is available for download. We invite municipalities to use this guide as inspiration for developing or enhancing their own extreme heat website, adapting the approaches to fit their community's specific needs and context.

Building a Cool Culture Through Creative Engagement

The Cool Communications Campaign goes beyond traditional messaging through our "Building a Cool Culture" initiative, which uses art and creative storytelling to build lasting community connections around heat resilience. This summer, three artist teams will be creating community engagement projects across Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Revere, and Winthrop that reach residents disproportionately impacted by extreme heat. These creative initiatives will focus on culturally relevant engagement that builds local capacity for meaningful conversations about heat.

Headshot of Hania Mariën, one of the Lower Mystic Cool Communications awarded artists.
Headshot of Anna Deloia, one of the Lower Mystic Cool Communications awarded artists.
Photo of Carolyn Lewenberg one of the Lower Mystic Cool Communications awarded artists.
Headshot of Edwardo Chacon, one of the Lower Mystic Cool Communications awarded artists.
Headshot of Daphne Lundi, one of the Lower Mystic Cool Communications awarded artists.

The Lower Mystic Cool Communications Awarded Artists. From left to right: artist team Hania Mariën and Anna Lucia Deloia; artist team Carolyn Lewenberg and Edwardo Chacon; artist Daphne Lundi

Follow the progress of these projects and attend a heat resilience event. A full calendar of events, including the Cool Culture series, will be posted on the MyRWA Event Calendar. The artist projects will serve as models for how creative storytelling and participatory art can complement traditional heat safety messaging to build stronger, more connected communities.

Learn More about the Cool Communications Project

This campaign emerges from the Lower Mystic Cool Communications to Build Regional Heat Resiliency Project, a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Action Grant project running from Fall 2024 to 2026. The initiative builds on existing regional collaboration through the Resilient Mystic Collaborative, North Suffolk Public Health Collaborative, and the Metro Mayors Coalition's Climate Taskforce, while centering community knowledge and preferences to strengthen social connectedness and overall climate resilience.

Access the Materials

Don't wait until the heat arrives to start planning. You can access the ‘Stay Cool’ Materials and Elements of an Effective Municipal Heat Relief Website on the project page: https://www.mapc.org/resource-library/lower-mystic-cool-comms/

If you have any questions about the guide or our Cool Communications Campaign, please email Sharon Ron at [email protected].