Education | August 31, 2026
Climate Week NYC

QPL is participating in Climate Week NYC for the first time, offering more than 40 programs across 21 locations as well as online. Explore film screenings, emergency preparedness training, science storytimes, digital activism workshops, and more! 

As part of our commitment to sustainability, QPL offers Climate Ready programs year‑round. Watch recordings of past workshops in English and Spanish and browse upcoming sessions to stay informed and prepared.

Browse below to discover:

 

Program Highlights 

MAKE A HOME ENERGY PLAN
Saturday, September 19
12:30pm
Mitchell-Linden
31-32 Union Street, Flushing

PEACEKEEPING CIRCLE WITH MAZORCA COLECTIVA 
Saturday, September 19
1pm 
East Elmhurst
95-06 Astoria Boulevard

EFEF SERIES (ECO-FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENTAL FILMS) 
Monday-Friday, September 21-25 
3pm
Arverne
312 Beach 54 Street 

KAHOOT TRIVIA
Monday, September 21
Tuesday, September 22
3:15pm
East Flushing
196-36 Northern Boulevard 

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & COMMUNITY STEWARDSHIP WITH GUARDIANS OF FLUSHING BAY (中文) 
Monday, September 21
3:30pm
Flushing
41-17 Main Street

BEES OF NYC! WITH THE BEE CONSERVANCY
Monday, September 21
3:30pm
Elmhurst
86-07 Broadway

DIGITAL ACTIVISM TECH LAB
Tuesday, September 22 
3:30pm
Flushing
41-17 Main Street 

Wednesday, September 23
4pm
Long Island City
37-44 21 Street

Thursday, September 24
4pm
Central Library
89-11 Merrick Boulevard, Jamaica

URBAN SOILS THERAPY WITH BIG REUSE
Tuesday, September 22
3:30pm
Arverne
312 Beach 54 Street

POLLINATOR CRAFT
Tuesday, September 22
3:30pm
North Forest Park
98-27 Metropolitan Avenue, Forest Hills

HEALTHY HOMES
Wednesday, September 23 
12pm
East Flushing
196-36 Northern Boulevard

NATURE DETECTIVES: POLLINATORS!
Wednesday, September 23
3:30pm
Arverne
312 Beach 54 Street 

UPCYCLE CHALLENGE
Wednesday, September 23 
5pm
Central Library
89-11 Merrick Boulevard, Jamaica

STEM STORYTIME & EXPERIMENT
Thursday, September 24
3pm
Long Island City
37-44 21 Street

BECOME A CITIZEN SCIENTIST!
Thursday, September 24
4pm
Rosedale
144-20 243 Street

THE LORAX MOVIE SCREENING
Thursday, September 24
4pm
Queens Village
94-11 217th Street

FROM FLOODS TO FUTURE PLANS: LESSONS FROM HISTORICAL FLOODING IN SOUTHEAST QUEENS
Register here: queenslib.org/S24  
Thursday, September 24
5:30pm
Central Library
89-11 Merrick Boulevard, Jamaica

BENEFITS OF THE URBAN FOREST
Thursday, September 24
6pm
Ridgewood 
20-12 Madison Street 

FILM FRIDAY: WALL-E
Friday, September 25
3:30pm 
North Forest Park
98-27 Metropolitan Avenue, Forest Hills

DISCOVERY DAY AT HUNTERS POINT LIBRARY 
Saturday, September 26
11am-3pm
Hunters Point
47-40 Center Boulevard, Long Island City 

MELTING METROPOLIS: CYANOTYPE WORKSHOP WITH CITATION NEEDED (ESPAÑOL)
Saturday, September 26
11- 1pm
Hunters Point
47-40 Center Boulevard, Long Island City 

CITY OF FOREST DAY
Saturday, October 3
1pm 
Hunters Point
47-40 Center Boulevard, Long Island City 

 

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Queens Stoop Index: Measuring Resilience Through Community Consensus 

Queens residents know their neighborhoods best! The Queens Resilience Network, convened by the NYC Preparedness & Recovery Institute (PRI), is asking people who live, work, learn, and spend time in Queens to help shape how resilience is understood and measured across the borough.

The Queens Resilience Network was created to strengthen community connections and resilience across Queens, with a focus on long-term preparedness for public health emergencies and climate-related disasters. Queens faces some of the city’s highest climate and public health risks, along with deep social and economic inequities. The Network brings together trusted local organizations, community leaders, and partners to improve coordination, support local priorities, and help communities prepare before the next crisis. 

This survey will inform the Queens Stoop Index, a tool being developed to measure neighborhood strengths, gaps, and priorities. Resilience includes the many resources a neighborhood relies on before, during, and after emergencies, including housing, local businesses, climate safety, community spaces, access to services, and relationships with government. Because every neighborhood experiences these strengths and challenges differently, your input is essential.

Take the survey in: English | Spanish | Chinese 

Deadline extended to Saturday, October 31! 

 

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Call For Photos: Summer In the City 

For the past three summers, the Queens Memory team has partnered with Melting Metropolis and Urban Archive to collect photographs and stories that illustrate how New Yorkers have weathered the summer season. 

This year, we’re asking you to show us how you keep cool in the summer. Are you taking advantage of the early morning or nighttime hours to go outside? Do you have a special method of cooling your apartment? Do you go somewhere to cool down? Help us document the everyday history of summer in the city!

The call is open to anyone with a story to share, but we are most interested in photographs that were taken in NYC within the five boroughs. Each photo must include at least one human subject and a brief description.

We’ll be accepting submissions through the end of September.

 

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September is National Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness Month, a nationwide campaign that encourages individuals, families, and communities to build resilience by learning how to prepare for emergencies and disasters. Check out these programs at QPL locations to participate. 

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & COMMUNITY STEWARDSHIP WITH GUARDIANS OF FLUSHING BAY (中文) 
Monday, September 21
3:30pm
Flushing
41-17 Main Street 

CITIZEN PREPAREDNESS CORP
Thursday, September 24
3pm 
Briarwood
85-12 Main Street

FROM FLOODS TO FUTURE PLANS: LESSONS FROM HISTORICAL FLOODING IN SOUTHEAST QUEENS
Register here: queenslib.org/S24  
Thursday, September 24
5:30pm
Central Library
89-11 Merrick Boulevard, Jamaica

 

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Find Us at Upcoming Outreach Events       

QUEENS CLIMATE EXPO
Friday, September 25
2-5pm 
NY Hall of Science (NYSCI) 
47-01 111th St.
Corona, NY, 11368

The Queens Borough President’s Office is hosting its fourth annual Climate Expo on Friday, September 25th at The New York Hall of Science! Join Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. for a Climate Expo featuring workshops on home energy and resiliency, creatures from Alley Pond, a mobile library, and so much more. Wrap up climate week with them! 

RSVP is required for this event. RSVP here!    

STREET WORKS EARTH
Sunday, September 27
11am-6pm 
Travers Park/34 Ave 
34 Ave. bet. 77 St. and 78 St.
Jackson Heights, Queens        

Street Works Earth is an annual festival that brings together artists, neighbors, and changemakers to co-create art and explore how we can care for our planet and each other. Stop by the QPL tent to create and take home your very own Native Plant Seed Bombs! Native plants are essential to our ecosystems here in Queens and are everywhere you look. Grab a Native Plant Scavenger Hunt and explore Travers Park for native species. Return your completed scavenger hunt to the QPL table and win a prize! Learn more about this year's festival. 

PLEASE DON’T FLUSH: A NEW FUNNY PLAY ABOUT FLOOD PREPAREDNESS        
Sunday, September 27  
11:30am-2:30pm 
Queens Botanical Garden
43-50 Main St
Flushing, NY 11355

Join us for Please Don't Flush! an outdoor comedy created by Sabina Sethi Unni about a community board meeting thrown into chaos over a proposed waterfront development that could worsen inland flooding. Developed in partnership with NYC Emergency Management and the Waterfront Alliance, the performance uses humor, music, and audience engagement to make flood preparedness and environmental justice accessible to all.

Following the performance, Queens Memory will host a community storytelling pop-up, inviting the audience to share their own stories about climate change, extreme weather, and disaster preparedness. Together, these firsthand accounts will become part of the Queens Memory archive, preserving local knowledge and lived experiences while fostering conversation about how our communities are adapting to a changing climate.

RSVP here!

 

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Find Our Valued Partners at QPL Locations

In addition to partnering with us to provide public programs, representatives from our valued partners will be available to meet the community and answer questions on select dates at select locations. 

East Elmhurst Library (95-06 Astoria Boulevard) 
Big Reuse: Community-powered programs that reduce waste and strengthen local climate resilience.
Wednesday, September 23 
2-4pm 

Ridgewood Library (20-12 Madison Street)
The following partners will be on-site during Friends of Ridgewood Library: Community Day on Saturday, September 26, 12-3pm! 

  • Clean Bushwick Initiative: Community cleanups, rain garden and tree care maintenance events, and educational workshops in Bushwick, New York 
  • Local Ecology Project: Composting and recycling services, environmental stewardship opportunities, and educational programming in NYC 
  • Grow NYC: Network of environmental programs that promote sustainability and access to farm fresh food, community gardens, and education 
  • New York City Department of Sanitation: Keeps NYC clean, safe, and healthy by collecting, recycling, disposing of waste, and more  

St. Albans Library (191-05 Linden Boulevard) 
City Sponge: Helping NYC absorb flood info and tips 
Saturday, September 26, 10am-2pm  
Saturday, October 3, 10am-2pm 

 

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Digital Platforms Available for Free with Your QPL Card

Queens Public Library offers free access to a range of digital platforms which provide informative and helpful guidance to learn more about our planet and what we can do to protect our future. Log-in to the platforms listed below with your library card account to access for free! 

Great Courses Library Collection
This leading global media brand for life-long learning is available for free with your library card account! Search for these recommendations after log-in. 

Recommended: 

  • How to Grow Anything: Your Best Garden and Landscape in 6 Lessons
  • How the Earth Works
  • Why Insects Matter: Earth’s Most Essential Species
  • The Origin and Evolution of Earth: From the Big Bang to the Future of Human Existence
  • Big History: The Big Bang, Life on Earth, and the Rise of Humanity

Hoopla Digital 
A digital streaming service for library users to access movies, TV shows, audiobooks, comics, and music.
Recommended: 

OverDrive 
Offers full color eMagazines, audiobooks, and eBooks for all devices. You may access offline reading on OverDrive's Libby app.

Recommended: 

 

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Recommended Books

 

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