The Elevate AVL project seeks to learn from Asheville communities to inform neighborhood-led and city-supported initiatives to develop shared resources and ideas to thrive in a changing climate.
In Phase 1 of the project (2024), community leaders participated on an advisory committee and as neighborhood engagement agents to inform content and purpose for the Elevate AVL project and to support the development of a Climate Action Toolkit. The final toolkit resources were refined and updated following Tropical Storm Helene and published in the spring of 2025. Toolkit contents are available on the website, as downloadable PDFs in English, Spanish, or as a hardcopy at the following locations. These resources are designed to spark climate conversations between Asheville residents, build neighborhood resilience and activate personal and community climate action.
In Phase 2 of the project (2025), in addition to supporting the distribution of toolkits in neighborhoods throughout the city, program participants designed and implemented individual community impact projects. Below is a snapshot of this innovative work and the impactful leaders at the heart of the movement to support community-led resilience building across neighborhoods, sectors, and communities.
Cassie Whiteside, Montford Resident, spent the days and weeks following the storm sharing expertise and resources around “normal” emotional responses to disasters and how to support one another, particularly kids. She also developed and facilitated Helene Recovery Support Groups and emotional regulation workshops. As a licensed therapist active in the Climate Psychology Alliance of North America, Cassie aligned her professional expertise with her grounded community leadership to walk in step with neighbors reeling from the acute impacts of Tropical Storm Helene. Both through the neighborhood support groups and through dedicated workshops sharing skills for building emotional resilience and through her contributions to the Personal Climate Action Guide mental health resources, Cassie developed and shared relevant, locally adapted resources that acknowledge and support the critical role of emotional resilience in community climate action. You can check out some workshop information, promotional materials and other information about Cassie’s workshops and resources here.
Dulce Mirian Porras is an Erwin District resident and founder of Semilla de Vida Huertos a community organization Semilla de Vida (Seed of Life) is a Latinx women and youth led grassroots initiative serving the Latinx and Afro-American communities to recover their ancestral agriculture knowledge and to build awareness about food justice, climate change and mutual aid. In the wake of Tropical Storm Helene, Dulce activated her deep community networks to get food, water and supplies to neighbors throughout the county. The critical role of water in life motivated Dulce to expand her Elevate project to include a key partnership with the STEAM studio at UNC Asheville. Together with STEAM staff Sara Sanders and McCullough Fellow Kassidy Loggins, Dulce took on the project of designing and piloting a rainwater harvesting filtration system, to include design and installation. The pilot worked to examine and test set up, filtration logistics, and a testing protocol for installation of totes on metal and asphalt shingle roofing structures. In blue skies, these water collection systems can support community agriculture projects, and be ready to activate for household water needs in the event of a disruption. We look forward to ongoing monitoring and results from pilot installation monitoring. Check out the preliminary design drawings and installation photos in this project development summary.
Lydia Koltai is a Montford neighborhood resident active through her work at Southside Community Farm and her community building in the Southside Neighborhood. Lydia’s individual project focused on leveraging and activating community leadership to support emergency kit preparation in a dedicated neighborhood in the Southside community. In partnership with neighborhood content experts Jacque and Angie, Lydia researched and procured sample kits, prepared an event curriculum, and gathered resources to share over a community dinner. Neighbors came together to share stories, a meal, and continue to build relationships and resources to weather future storms in whatever forms they may come as a strong, well connected community. See some event photos and resources the team created here.
Rene Treece is a West Asheville resident, photographer and community facilitator. Rene’s individual project brought together fellow artists and leveraged art as a tool for balance, reflection and healing. Rene’s full day workshop, titled “Creative Renewal” strengthened community resilience and connected creativity with climate awareness and advocacy. Workshop participants, most of whom were heavily impacted by Tropical Storm Helene, cultivated healing, connection, awareness and activated conversation about climate solutions. The workshop empowered artists in their own work and explored the opportunities of deepened community connectivity to impact change. See more of the awe inspiring work and reflection from this workshop here.
Veronica Lindsey is a North Asheville resident, climate professional, educator and advocate. Through her previous work and engagement with Elevate AVL Veronica identified a need to continue to build and share resources that support climate literacy. In collaboration with regional and international resources Veronica coordinated community Climate Fresk workshops to bring science and climate literacy to practitioners here in Asheville. Initially offered to Elevate AVL participants and affiliates, the workshop was such a success that Veronica then coordinated a follow up train the trainer series where participants were trained to facilitate future workshops to continue growing the network of informed, engaged and thoughtful residents. Check out a summary from the workshop and trainer series.