Lower Mystic Cool Communications
Building Regional Heat Resiliency
Of all weather-related hazards, extreme heat is responsible for the most deaths annually. 2024 was Massachusetts’ third hottest year on record, while it was the hottest year on record for the contiguous US.
The Lower Mystic communities of Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Revere, and Winthrop face increasing threats from extreme heat, made worse by urban heat islands that can be up to 10 degrees hotter than surrounding areas.
Current communication systems are not designed for extreme heat and aren’t reaching the communities most impacted by extreme heat.
That's where this initiative comes in. On this page you will find resources and guidance developed for the Summer 2025 and 2026 Cool Communications campaign – a pilot to design a regionally-coordinated, community-driven approach to communicating heat risks and resources. To learn more about this overall project - the four goals, project partners, and how it's funded, please go to the About the Project section on this page.
Questions? Please contact:
Sharon Ron, Assistant Director of Public Health, [email protected]
About the Campaign
The Cool Communications Campaign Has Two Complementary Parts:
Stay Cool Materials support heat preparedness in advance of a heat event. These customizable communications materials — including a Heat Message Library and two Canva design kits — are designed to be shared via social media, print flyers, and messaging apps when extreme heat is forecasted, and are available in six languages.
Building a Cool Culture resources augment traditional messaging with creative storytelling and community-led engagement to build lasting heat resilience. This work is led by local artists and community partners and is designed to reach residents most impacted by extreme heat in ways traditional messaging alone cannot.
A companion guide, The Elements of an Effective Municipal Heat Relief Website, offers practical recommendations for ensuring your city or town's online heat resources are ready when residents need them most.
Stay Cool Materials
Stay Cool materials are designed to support heat preparedness 3–5 days before a heat event, as well as ongoing heat communication throughout the summer. The materials provide engaging messages with clear and simple actions for residents to protect themselves and their loved ones while enjoying the season safely. All materials are available in six languages: English, Arabic, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Spanish, and Simplified Chinese.
The full package includes two brand packets, each featuring a color palette, graphics, icons, and templates for both social media posts and flyers – available on Canva:
Animals Are Cool
A vibrant, illustrated style featuring animals and their heat-beating adaptations, developed in partnership with artist Hania Mariën
Animals Are Cool Brand Kit
Flyer Templates (8.5 x 11)
Social Post Templates (4 x 5)
Designed by Depict Brands
An expansive library of heat graphics, template and guidelines organized by heat season, with various layouts suited for graphic-, photo-, and text-based designs.
View the brand packets below:
Heat Design Brand Kit
Flyer Templates (8.5 x 11)
Social Posts (4 x 5)
To get edit access to the Canva assets and templates, please contact us at
A Heat Message Library
For Editable Use with ready-to-use, pre-translated messages organized by heat season — from pre-season preparedness and cooling tips to heat illness signs and high-risk groups — so municipalities can quickly customize materials for their community.
Building a Cool Culture
During the Summer of 2025, we worked with three artist teams to bring heat resilience to life in the Lower Mystic (learn more about the artists). Projects included a multi-sensory pop-up lounge, an oral history toolkit distributed through community gumball machines, and a animal-themed workshop with elementary students and resulting art exhibit. Together, these projects demonstrate how art and community engagement can reach residents in ways traditional messaging cannot.
Their work is now available as a free, reusable toolkit — the Cool Communications Arts Toolbox — for any city, town, or organization looking to bring creative heat engagement into their community. All the materials are available in six languages.
Municipal Website Guidance
Residents and community organizations rely on municipal websites as trusted sources of information during extreme heat events. Based on our scan of heat relief websites across the country, we've developed a practical guide — The Elements of an Effective Municipal Heat Relief Website — to help cities and towns create or strengthen their online heat resources.
The guide covers six key elements: heat and health tips, local heat relief resources, information about local heat projects, municipal contact information, emergency alert sign-ups, and translated and accessible materials — with real-world examples from municipalities across the country.
About the Project
This project will take place from Fall 2024 to 2026 and has four main goals:
Exploring heat and health data to identify heat alert thresholds that make sense, locally.
Connecting with cities, community groups, and health care providers to understand communication practices and needs.
Creating heat communication materials that resonate with diverse audiences and motivate protective action before, during, and after extreme heat events.
Building municipal capacity to better understand and address climate-driven heat.
Support for this project comes from the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program, supporting Massachusetts communities in planning for climate change resiliency and implementing priority projects.
The methods and supplementary information are available for download here
This initiative is a partnership with the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) and the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH). It builds on regional collaboration through the Resilient Mystic Collaborative (RMC), North Suffolk Public Health Collaborative, and Metro Mayors Coalition (MMC) Climate Taskforce, while centering community knowledge and preferences to strengthen social connectedness and overall climate resilience.
