Science centers and museums are increasingly exploring a range of approaches for encouraging their visitors and communities to not only learn about climate solutions, but to discover their own pathways to sustained, meaningful participation in action. These place-based institutions have unique opportunities to cultivate a culture of hope and action thanks to their local expertise, diverse programming (e.g., field trips, special events, and community science projects), and wide reach (including both in-person and online interactions). These assets enable science centers and museums to communicate about climate solutions in ways that are visible, relatable, and accessible, all attributes that make them more likely to be taken up.

One approach that several museums and other groups have piloted is the use of a GIS-based tool to invite members of their community to share the climate actions they’re undertaking and explore those of others. The tool produces open-access climate action maps that showcase real actions taking place in a particular community and provide an opportunity to leverage several evidence-based practices for communicating about climate solutions. By featuring everyday people who live in one’s community, doing actions that are broadly accessible, the maps build a sense of agency, provide inspiration, convey action-oriented norms, and build a sense of belonging in climate solutions.

We will describe the ways that this flexible tool and resulting map can be embedded in a range of museum contexts and will discuss the ways that contributing to and exploring the map benefits museums, their visitors, and communities. We will also discuss opportunities for increasing impact through connections with local media, decision-makers, and K-12 school systems.

This work demonstrates the role that science museums can play as hubs for collecting and coordinating climate stories and actionable resource centers for increasing community-led participation in climate action.