July 2026 Newsletter

In This Issue

• • America the Hopeful
  • Conference Meet-Up in Portland!
  • Feature Story: Building a Better Tomorrow
  • Thank You from NNOCCI Presents
  • Upcoming Workshop Opportunities

America the Hopeful

As the United States marks its 250th anniversary this month, we at NNOCCI are celebrating the many conservation successes that have happened in this country throughout time, including those made by our members, and member organizations. We recognize that conservation wins are not made in a vacuum, and they require the input of countless people who care, within the US and beyond. Each of us, collectively, build the support needed to turn issues into action, and turn possibility into reality. In times that can feel all too hard, know that you are in a community of nearing 900 climate communicators, beginning to span the globe, and we want to celebrate you.

In keeping with celebration, we’d like to welcome and congratulate our new Members from the Spring 2026 Framing the Conversation cohort! 20 new members are coming to us from 13 different states, American Samoa, Norway, and South Africa. These amazing people come to us from a wide array of backgrounds, from Polar Bears International colleagues, to universities, zoos and aquariums, city officials, art museums, and National Marine Sanctuaries! We’re ecstatic to have you, and hope you dive into this thriving community of changemakers.

We’d love to end this year stronger than ever! As we near 900 members across 500 organizations, we appreciate your help in spreading the word so we can continue to make our voices sing collectively across the US and beyond. How amazing would it be to have representation in ALL 50 states?! Know any climate communicators in Arkansas, North Dakota, or South Dakota who could benefit from strategic framing training with us? We’d love to welcome these currently unrepresented states to the NNOCCI Community. Please share our upcoming training opportunities, or reach out to us with questions!

Conference Meet-Up in Portland!

Earlier this summer, NNOCCI was invited to the 2026 North American Association of Environmental Education (NAAEE) Conference, on behalf of NOAA. The goal of attending this event is to help provide input on the future of what was the Environmental Literacy Program (ELP). Having previously been funded by ELP, NNOCCI is honored to be able to participate in these discussions to envision what future efforts could look like.

Are you going to be at the 2026 NAAEE Conference in Portland, Oregon, this October? Let us know, we’d love to meet up! 

Going to any conferences in 2026? Let us know by filling out this 2-minute survey! 

We’d love to see if we can get a couple of informal meetups going, or promote each other’s presentations.

This Month's Featured Story: Building a Better Tomorrow with NNOCCI's Simone Mortan

The United States is 250 years old this year. Along with the pomp and circumstance of the celebration, there are those who may feel discouraged by many moments in our country’s history—moments that don’t feel worth celebrating or honoring. We recognize that some of us feel a little hopeless right now. And while we can’t go back in time to right some wrongs, we can uplift some of the movements and moments that remind us a better tomorrow can exist, and that we can do it together.

The National Network of Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation hasn’t witnessed much of the country’s history—we’ve only been here for about 6% of it—but that doesn’t mean we don’t have any knowledge or awareness of the past. Our community includes many members and collaborators who have witnessed the very environmental and social movements that helped pave the path for organizations like NNOCCI to exist. One of whom is Simone Mortan. We recently sat down to see what has inspired Simone over the years, how NNOCCI has played a role in her career, and what hopes she has for the future.

Simone is known to many in our community. Having trained multiple cohorts, from Study Circles to Framing the Conversation, Simone knows her way around a framing conversation. Her involvement in NNOCCI has been since its inception—Simone played a pivotal role in being one of the first trained in the collaboration between the New England Aquarium and Monterey Bay Aquarium, two of NNOCCI’s founding organizations. But her love of environmental education and desire to inspire future generations goes back to her own childhood.

Growing up in Oakland, California during the social environmental movements of the 60s and 70s, Simone remembers her first dive into environmental work fondly. At 16, she helped create perhaps the first curbside recycling program in the city. A neighborhood recycling cooperative, the program eventually involved 12 families, and it continued for a number of years until her generation headed off to university. 

“Years later at the aquarium, we did an enrichment with the volunteer guides asking, ‘Where did your environmental activism start?’ ‘When was the first time you got involved?’” Simone reflected. “It made me go back and remember this. It was eye opening for me to think, man, I’ve been doing this a long time.”

Continue reading Simone's story in our latest blog post. Click the button below or head to nnocci.org to read more.

Thank You from NNOCCI Presents

Thank you so much to those who were able to join us for our NNOCCI Presents webinar, Seeding the Future: Engaging Youth in Climate Solutions! For those who were unable to attend or if you would like to re-watch the webinar, here is the recording link. It was such a delight to hear from staff and participants of two amazing organizations who are engaging youth in climate solutions: Students Promoting Environmental Awareness & Knowledge (SPEAK) at Atlanta Botanic Garden and the Youth Climate Advocacy Committee at Phipps Conservatory. Thank you to our presenters!

Upcoming Workshop Opportunities

📢✨ Looking for tools and confidence to talk about climate change with hope and inspire action? READ ON! 📢✨

Our first two public Starting the Conversation Workshops have been such a success that we’re bringing it back! Registration is NOW OPEN for this virtual, 6-hour workshop offering. This training opportunity is perfect for anyone who wants to learn and practice science-based methods for having more impactful and effective climate conversations.

“Starting the Conversation: A Workshop on Effective Climate Change Communication” introduces core framing elements, including how values-based framing reaches more people, how the Heat Trapping Blanket metaphor builds understanding of climate mechanisms, and how to promote hopeful, solutions-oriented dialogue. This 3-day, 2-hour-per-day virtual workshop is open to ANYONE interested!

Details:

🗓️ July 28th, 29th, & 30th, 2026
⏱️ 1–3 pm ET / 10–12 pm PT each day
💵 $90 USD registration fee
🚨 Registration closes on July 24th, or sooner if all spots are filled

Want to learn more? Check out our FAQs!
Ready to sign up? REGISTER HERE!
Spaces are limited, so please sign up soon!

WANT TO KNOW MORE BEFORE YOU SIGN UP?? 

Check out our FREE Changing the Conversation presentation this week!

Changing the Conversation: An Introduction to Effective Climate Change Communication

Please join us on Thursday, July 16th from 6 - 7 pm ET / 3 - 4 pm PT

FREE Webinar - Register Here!

Trying to talk about climate change but finding that facts alone don’t always land? While climate science is essential, social science shows us how to share climate messaging in ways that truly connect with our audiences. Whether you’re brand new to the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation (NNOCCI) or just want to learn more, this is a great chance to connect with us.

With over 15 years of impact, 35+ peer-reviewed publications, and a growing network of nearly 900 trained members across the U.S., Canada, and beyond, NNOCCI is an internationally recognized leader in climate change interpretation. NNOCCI is proud to operate through a fiscal sponsorship with The Marine Mammal Center.

Please register for, and share, this upcoming one-hour free opportunity with colleagues, friends, and family!