Climate column: Becoming resilient in Petaluma

When approaching a mammoth-sized challenge, where should we start? How can we identify which lever to pull when there are so many to choose from? It’s easy to be paralyzed into inaction when the issue is as fraught with complexity and controversy as climate change.

One solution is to begin where we are.

It might appear that it is near impossible to obtain agreement on any issue right now, but I’m pretty certain most can agree on these two things: Uniting neighbors is good and being prepared for emergencies is good.

And that is where we find ourselves at this moment in history. Ready for a reawakening of our community spirit and in need of more disaster resilience.

For those participating in Cool Petaluma’s Cool Block program, the first steps are to build a cohesive neighborhood team with a share vision and then jump into disaster preparedness. Not the typical opening subject matter for climate action, but it makes perfect sense.

Topic 1 is “Energy Resilient Home: Preparing your household for energy blackouts.” This includes action items like assembling food and water supplies, finding alternative ways to cook and communicate and flush toilets - all things we take for granted when city services are running smoothly, but of critical importance when they’re severely interrupted.

Topic 2 is “Disaster-Resilient Household: Become more resilient as a household in case of natural disaster.” After the nightmare scenes at Coffey Park in Santa Rosa during the 2017 Tubbs fire, we all saw the importance of an evacuation plan and a “go bag.” And after the early days of the pandemic in 2020, we learned firsthand the value of being prepared to shelter at home. We could have used this section a few years ago!

For Block Leader Lisamarie Eldredge, the first two topics were a “brilliant way to start.” She was quick to point out how nonthreatening and approachable this was for her neighbors, especially because much of it focused on being comfortable in your own home. She noted that it was a “breezy undertaking for some members of the team.” A core group of enthusiastic survivalists was revealed and will become a recognized resource for the whole block, even those not participating in the Cool Block program.

Megan Donner, another Block Leader, loves how this work builds community and said, “Going door-to-door was so fun!” She noticed how “asking neighbors to share their knowledge is a good way to invite people into the group.” One quick tip from her team member was to keep a large empty tub with a list of everything you want to take in an evacuation - and where to find it in your home. So smart!

In climate change conversations, you will often hear people talk about “mitigation” and “adaptation.” Mitigation is all about reducing and reversing our impact on the planet so that we can turn the ship and move back toward a more stable environment, or at the very least, prevent it from heading toward the worst-case scenarios. Adaptation focuses on what we can do to reduce the damage and discomfort of the changes already occurring and prepare for those to come, like extended heat waves and sea level rise. These first two Cool Block topics are easy entries into the adaptation arena.

Block Leader Derek Douglas-Hecker calls these first steps “building people’s resilience from the ground up,” and pointed out how this had already started naturally after the first fires. Douglas-Hecker also discovered he had experts on the block who were “keen to share what they’ve already done.” They set up a show-and-tell tour of one neighbor’s “disaster garage” which is packed full of supplies, and made note of the various backyard tanks and pools for large-scale emergency water needs.

Before starting his Cool Block, Douglas-Hecker saw “lots of frozen energy and despair in people feeling disempowered by the system.” But already, he is seeing people “empowered and spurred to action,” including one neighbor who decided to move to solar energy, feeling motivated by the program.

It’s common to wonder how one person can possibly make a difference. And it is true that individual actions taken alone, privately can’t create the momentum we need. But, individual actions taken together, publicly can lead to great progress. Sharing ideas and resources and inspiration is key to the future success of our society and our planet.

And starting where we are - at home on our blocks, in cooperation with our neighbors, in an effort to become more resilient in the face of adversity - is proving to be a win-win for Petalumans.

Natasha Juliana is the Campaign Director for Cool Petaluma. She can be reached at natashaj@coolpetaluma.org. For information on how to get involved, visit coolpetaluma.org.