Hartford Book Festival 7 years of Literary Art Welcome to Eddie’s World of Learning and Education! Scroll of Knowledge!

Hartford Book Festival 7 Years of Literary Art!

“Environmental Eddie assists teachers and parents in teaching children how to reduce air pollution through the use of critical thinking.” — James MalinChak

HARTFORD, CT, UNITED STATES, September 27, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ — A groundbreaking new STEM children’s book series, Welcome to Eddie’s World of Learning and Education: Environmental Eddie Let’s Talk Series – Air Pollution, is launching a powerful live event at the Hartford Main Library on Saturday, September 27, 2025, and television stations from Hartford and around the state are strongly encouraged to attend.

This engaging and educational event is poised to captivate not only local families but educators, caregivers, and communities across Connecticut. At a time when critical thinking, environmental awareness, and STEM literacy are more essential than ever, Environmental Eddie delivers a fresh and fun approach for elementary-aged children to understand real-world challenges like air pollution—and empowers them to become thoughtful problem-solvers.

Why This Free Event Deserves Hartford Media Coverage:

•A Unique Educational Initiative: Environmental Eddie isn’t just another children’s book. It’s an immersive learning experience designed to ignite curiosity and build critical thinking skills in children through storytelling, hands-on activities, and real-world science.

•Cross-Community Impact: While the event is hosted in Hartford, the mission behind Welcome to Eddie’s World resonates far beyond city lines. Schools and families across Hartford and all of Connecticut are seeking innovative tools to engage students in STEM from a young age.

•Timely and Newsworthy: With air quality concerns, climate change, and environmental justice becoming front-page issues, this event brings these critical topics to children in an age-appropriate, solutions-focused way—an angle that will appeal to parents, teachers, and policymakers alike.

•Dynamic Visuals and Interviews: The event will include interactive activities, live readings, and opportunities for children to voice their ideas. This provides compelling visuals and soundbites for news coverage, including interviews with the author, educators, and participating families.

•A Model for Statewide Education Reform: Environmental Eddie offers a replicable model for how storytelling and science can be blended to support Connecticut’s educational goals, particularly in underserved and underrepresented communities.

Event Details:

•What: Launch Event – Welcome to Eddie’s World of Learning and Education: Environmental Eddie Let’s Talk Series – Air Pollution

•When: Saturday, September 27, 2025 | 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM EST

•Where: Hartford Main Library, 500 Main St, Hartford, CT 06103

•Who Should Attend: Teachers, parents, school administrators, caregivers, local officials, and media professionals

•Visuals: Children participating in STEM activities, free giveaways, live book reading, Q&A with author and educators

Television stations in Hartford and the tri-state area are encouraged to send reporters, film crews, and education correspondents to cover this powerful and timely story. It is more than a book launch—it’s a community call to action to invest in our children’s future through STEM, environmental awareness, and the joy of learning.

What others are saying about Al Chaney’s book:

“Environmental Eddie assists teachers and parents in teaching children how to reduce air pollution through the use of critical thinking. Al Chaney has written an inspirational guide that will empower you and his ideas will make a difference in your life! Al’s book will inspire your soul!”

James Malinchak

Features on ABCs Hit TV Show, “Secret Millionaire” (Viewed by 50 Million+ Worldwide).

Twice Named National College Speaker of the Year!

Best-Selling Co-author of Chicken Soup for the College.

Founder, www.BigMoneySpeaker.com

“Environmental Eddie assists teachers, parents, and caregivers in teaching children how to solve air pollution through the use of STEM/STEAM/STREAM supported critical thinking skills.”

Mary Lou Nayler, PhD.,

Sacramento State University, Career/Tech Ed. Assistant Professor (Retired) and National Presidential STEM Taskforce.

This engaging book, ideal for elementary-aged children, combines an engrossing story with critical STEM concepts. It encourages young readers to think critically about air pollution and develop problem-solving skills. By introducing key air pollution terminology in an age-appropriate, reader-friendly manner, the book can motivate children to become environmental champions. Additionally, it can foster empathy for those affected by air pollution, making it an impactful resource for both education and social skills.

Mousumi De, PhD.,

Assistant Professor School of Education, Department of Teaching and Learning Education, University of Redlands, Redlands, CA.

Mr. Al Chaney is a talented author who loves and cares about the environment deeply. This shows in the words of his books and in his visits with children in school classrooms and libraries across the country. If you want your children to gain knowledge of how to protect their environment and to become problem solvers to meet challenges, this book would be a welcome addition to their reading library.

Dr. Carol Montgomery, (Retired)

Former Principal, Consultant, and University Professor.

Available from Amazon

Order Today!

ISBN: 979-8-9869638-0-8 (Retail Print Version)

ISBN: 979-8-9869638-1-5 (Retail eBook Version)

ISBN: 979-8-9869638-2-2 (Retail Audio Book Version)

ISBN: 979-8-9869638-3-9 (Library Audio Book Version)

Media Contact:

Al Chaney, MBA

959-254-5984

ecycleit@yahoo.com

Al Chaney, MBA Author/Founder, Welcome to Eddie’s World of Learning and Education]

Welcome to Eddie’s World of Learning and Education!

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Bringing together the power of UConn research and extension, faculty are leveraging urban forestry and environmental justice to support Connecticut’s Hispanic and Latino communities

Through its research, extension, and educational activities, the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR) has established itself as a leader in urban forestry in the state.

The work of Cynnamon Dobbs, assistant professor of natural resources and the environment, and Mayra Rodríguez González, assistant UConn Extension educator in urban and community forestry, focuses on urban forestry and environmental justice, specifically working with Connecticut’s Hispanic and Latino communities.

Rodríguez and Dobbs are leaders of the urban and community forestry research and extension initiative, a partnership between the University and state and community organizations.

Urban forestry focuses on making cities more resilient to strains on their natural resources due to climate change, air pollution, water pollution, and other many other environmental issues.

“Cities are not going anywhere,” Dobbs says. “We need to find ways to make cities more livable and more resilient in the future, and urban forestry is one of the strategies we need to do that.”

Trees provide a host of “ecosystem services,” which include all the commercial and non-commercial benefits they provide. For example, plants absorb carbon through photosynthesis. Respiration in vegetation releases carbon to the atmosphere. The tree canopy also reflects light and provides shade. This is especially important in urban areas where “heat islands” are more common because concreate absorbs sunlight and retains heat.

Vegetation can also benefit people’s physical and mental health. Rodríguez is working with a UConn Health summer student intern to create an asset map of Hartford neighborhoods to highlight the various ways people can benefit from their proximity to plant life.

“Urban forestry can provide solutions that go beyond just the environmental,” Rodríguez says.

“We need to understand how all of those things work together because urban resilience includes all of those things.”

A key component of Rodríguez and Dobbs’ work is empowering local communities to make their voices heard.

“It’s about getting people to realize that all of these players – from the decision-maker to the practitioner, the landowner, to a community member – are important and their perspectives matter when we are managing these spaces,” Rodríguez says.

Getting input from communities can make urban forestry initiatives more responsive to specific community needs.

For example, immigrants may feel a connection to certain trees from their home country. Planting those trees in the areas in their new neighborhoods can provide a sense of home and community.

“These emotional elements are important for us to highlight. It’s a way to improve the governance of natural resources in a very globalized world,” Dobbs says.

Much of the urban forestry work at CAHNR is having an impact at the state and local level.

Rodríguez is involved with the Hartford Tree Advisory Commission. She presents her research to the Commission and helps facilitate community stakeholder engagement. She is also working on the Capital Stewardship Initiative, a recent $6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to the City of Hartford to plant trees in the city.

Part of Rodríguez’s efforts also include presentations to a family wellness center in Hartford through a partnership with the Hispanic Health Council on topics including how climate change impacts the community, food justice, and equitable tree distribution.

“The idea is to tackle different dimensions of health and that includes environmental health,” Rodríguez says.

Teaching younger members of the community is also a vital element, Rodríguez says. That’s why she delivers programming with the Hartford Public Library for children of all ages. For the youngest group, she teaches lessons about the “3 Rs” – reduce, reuse, recycle. Middle school participants perform hands-on data collection on air pollution, water quality, and heat islands. Rodríguez teaches the high school students about careers in conservation and how they can use emerging drone technology.

The urban and community forestry research and extension initiative also brought Latino Conservation Week – a Hispanic Access Foundation program – to the state. The event included free workshops and exhibits.

“That was very cool because it brought in people from natural resources and the environment, extension, community partners, and beyond,” Rodríguez says. They will hold this week-long series of events again this year from September 14 to September 22, 2024.

Dobbs, Rodríguez, and Robert Fahey, George F. Cloutier Professor in Forestry and director of the UConn Forest, are all members of the Connecticut Urban Forest Council. The Council’s mission to provide advice, assistance, education, information, and support to urban and community forestry professionals, associated professionals, municipal, state and corporate leaders, and volunteers.

This initiative relates to a grant Dobbs is leading that seeks to address barriers to accessing urban forestry programs. This work is funded by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). It will serve environmental justice communities in Hartford, New London, New Britain, Willimantic, Danbury, and Waterbury.

Environmental justice communities are defined by national standards as those that suffer from disproportionate impacts of environmental hazards like air pollution, flooding, heat islands, noise pollution, or water pollution in conjunction with socioeconomic factors.

These cities were chosen because they have not received urban forestry grants from DEEP in the past.

The researchers will work with community organizations to identify barriers they face to accessing DEEP funding.

The researchers will create neighborhood-specific information about ecosystem services, climate, tree diversity, and air and noise pollution.

“We will be able to get further by creating outreach material that is grounded within the community. It will be more impactful that general materials that are the norm,” Dobbs says.

The researchers will share this information with community organizations who can use them for their programming.

An overarching goal of this work is to encourage people to think about their environments differently, understanding the myriad services trees provide beyond traditional forestry.

“I think trees, vegetation, and nature still have a lot to say in cities, and that’s why we’re working on this,” Dobbs says.

This work relates to CAHNR’s Strategic Vision area focused on Promoting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice and Advancing Adaptation and Resilience in a Changing Climate.

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