NH CHAT - April 2025
Greetings from our new Director of Operations
Dear NH Healthy Climate community,
My name is Emily Johnson, and on April 21, I stepped into the role of Director of Operations at NHHC. I’m honored to join this passionate and purpose-driven network of healthcare professionals, advocates, and community leaders committed to combatting climate change and protecting public health.
While studying public health and environmental studies at Colby-Sawyer College, I felt a calling to motivate community-based climate action through environmental health advocacy and education. After graduation, I began my career in policy advocacy first with Save the Children Action Network and later joining the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, but I kept my planetary health advocacy passion close to heart through volunteer work and continued learning. You can imagine my delight when, during that time, I discovered that a small, robust organization called NH Healthcare Workers for Climate Action (now known as NH Healthy Climate) had mobilized in my home state — sharing the strategic vision for climate advocacy I had adopted as a public health student concerned for the future of our planet and its people.
I’m grateful that my predecessor Emily Thompson, our powerful group of founding members, and our volunteers have built this organization and warmly welcomed me in. I have spent the past week getting to know working group chairs and coalition partners, and I’m excited to work with each volunteer and partner to advance our mission and expand our impact. At a time when environmental protection and climate progress is under attack, I’m heartened by your dedication and generosity, which powers our organization, and I’m committed to helping to facilitate the development and success of each of our important programs.
I’ll be reporting from my home office in Conway, where I live with my two Australian Cattle Dogs named Plum and Pinto. When we’re not barking on Zoom meetings, you can regularly find us exploring the Agiocochook (or, Mount Washington) Valley by bike, ski, or foot!
Please feel welcome to email me to introduce yourself, share why you joined NHHC, or ask questions. I’m excited to meet you!
Emily Johnson
Director of Operations
Souhegan Sustainability Fair Report by Cynthia Nichols
On April 5, I had the opportunity to host an NHHC table at the Souhegan Sustainability Fair in Milford to share information and network with other great organizations.
It was a blustery New Hampshire spring day outside, but it was festive inside. Folks from other tables stopped by including the local Conservation Commissions, Garden Clubs, and the Souhegan Lakes Advisory Council. We had 14 people share their emails!
I also had a chance to share info with a young man who will be studying microplastics in England and another young woman interested in getting an environmental degree in college next year. The Boys and Girls club kids provided activities including recycled crafts.
Our own Darla Thyng did two NHHC climate and health presentations. Almost everyone who walked by the table was interested in hearing more about our mission. I made a quick trifold poster with the CDC Chart shown below, and I found that it’s a very effective tool for reviewing the topic.
Folks picked up copies the Children’s Health poster for display in their areas. It was a good festive day all around – complete with a live band playing original, climate-related songs. The more we have a chance to network, the better.
Please let the NHHC team know about any fairs and gatherings where you think we should have a table. Or perhaps you’d like to host yourself?
The Souhegan Sustainability Fair was sponsored by the Milford Solid Waste and Recycling Committee and held at the Boys and Girls Club of Souhegan Valley.
Cynthia Nichols
Co-Chair, Communications & Education Working Group
Board of Directors
Mark your calendar for May 5 – 9 and get ready for a week packed with inspiration, innovation, and all-things energy in the Granite State! NH Energy Week (NHEW) is your chance to dive into New Hampshire’s energy future through hands-on tours, lively panels, networking events, and more.
Ever wondered what goes on inside Eversource’s System Operations Center? Curious about how to make your home more energy efficient, comfortable, and cost-effective? Want to meet people who are driving real change in our communities? It’s all happening right here.
Most events are free, fun, and open to everyone — just be sure to register!
Your Continued Support Is Crucial
Thanks to you, 2024 was a strong fundraising year for NHHC. We achieved program growth, and we’re hopeful that we will continue to grow our impact in 2025. We would not be a leading voice in New Hampshire at the intersection of Climate and Health without your generous support.
However, we still need additional funding to sustain our critical programs, like the CHICKs program which aims to protect our youngest generations of Granite Staters’ physical and emotional health in the face of a warming climate. You can help sustain CHICKs and all of our Climate and Health programs by donating today.
Joan Widmer
Treasurer, Board of Directors
School Nurses Gather to Learn about Climate and Health
School nurses from around New Hampshire gathered for the Annual Meeting of the NH School Nurses Association on April 5 at the Grappone Center in Concord.
Judith Joy, PhD, RN, a member of the Board of Directors of NHHC, keynoted a climate-themed day with her presentation School Health: Weather, Climate and Health Impacts.
The receptive audience of approximately 70 school nurse attendees were reminded of their critical role in public health and the current health emergency climate change presents. The group was offered data and interventions related to the various health impacts of climate change for use in their clinical and advocacy work.
NHHC also hosted a vendor table at the event, staffed by Joan Widmer, Treasurer & Interim Executive Director. She shared information on the organization and the programs and encouraged over 20 school nurses to join our organization.
Help Save Clean Energy Tax Credits
Our friends at Citizens' Climate Lobby recently met with the staff of Senator Maggie Hassan. Senator Hassan’s office is interested in stories about
the benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) clean energy tax credits, and the problems that would be created if funding for those programs were suspended.
Defending clean energy tax credits from funding cuts is critical to a just transition. Four Republican Senators and 21 House Republicans are urging their party to protect clean energy tax credits, so we know this nonpartisan effort can succeed if we advocate collaboratively and effectively.
Upcoming Webinars
NHHC is scheduling out our interactive webinar series through 2025 with local and national experts in climate and health. Check out Our Events to learn more and register for upcoming webinars.
Climate Health Book Worms
Kick-off your summer reading and join our book club, Climate Health Book Worms, in discussion on Monday, May 26 from 7 - 8 pm ET.
We will read and discuss The Air They Breathe by Debra Hendrickson, a pediatrician working in the fastest warming city in the US. Hendrickson paints an effecting picture of the real cost of climate change on children today and into the future.
Email Emily to join Climate Health Book Worms’ May 26 Zoom meeting discussion on The Air They Breathe.
Bi-Monthly Challenge from Dr. Darla Thyng
Cyano Bacteria. Yuck. Cyanobacteria has been around for eons. But I don’t want to swim in it.
I spent this weekend doing a lot of research on the increasing frequency of the icky greenish blooms. Here in New Hampshire, the reports of toxic algal blooms on our lakes has been dramatically increasing, in parallel with both our warming climate (6°F in winter) and our earlier ice-out dates on our lakes, and with increasing heavy precipitation events that aggravate runoff into our lakes. Phosphorus rich nutrients in the fertilizer that we use to grow our crops and maintain our beautiful front-yards is a great food for cyanobacteria. When it rains hard, the ground cannot soak up the water. The water runs off into streams, ponds and lakes, taking along with it bits of the topsoil. If the topsoil is fertilized with phosphate rich nutrients then cyanobacteria will thrive and form blooms. Voila! Beautiful green scum that can kill our dogs and cause stomach upset and other problems for humans. Not to mention that large blooms of cyanobacteria and algae may deprive the other fish and plants from light and oxygen, causing harm to the rest of the flora and fauna of the body of water. So, what can a single person do to help this?
Battling further climate change as well as not using lawn and garden fertilizers with phosphates are a must. I am so thankful that for years my husband has not used any phosphate containing lawn fertilizer. Our lawn is not as beautiful as our neighbor’s, but it’s good enough for me. Also, I try to only use our own home compost for fertilizer in our small garden and if I do need more, I use fertilizers without added phosphates.
I came across a great NH website that is easy to read and understand. Go to the NH EPA website called Soak up the Rain New Hampshire.
This is a great and easy-to-understand guide on how even a small home or property owner can implement changes on their property to be sure that they are not allowing harmful runoff into nearby streams, ponds or lakes. As I looked at the Soak Up the Rain website, I gratefully realized that most of my property has natural forest and thickets that are keeping the runoff out of two ponds. The front of our property naturally slopes just a tiny bit backward so the rain would still run off into a thicketed area. There is also one area in the middle of our driveway that slopes quickly down toward a pond that may need some improvement, so I will go out this coming weekend after looking at “Soak Up the Rain” again to see what we can do.
Here is my CHAT challenge:
Keep working on climate action to save our lakes and our healthy NH climate.
Only use lawn and garden fertilizers this year that do not have phosphates.
If you have time, check out Soak up the Rain New Hampshire to see if you can find a small idea to reduce runoff from your property.
Darla Thyng, MD
Rethinking, Reusing, Refusing and quietly Resisting.
