Climate change in Sonoma County: Who’s doing what about it?

Many people avoid talking about climate change, scared of its dire consequences and not aware of positive actions across the world, the country and in Sonoma County. We make a difference.

Climate activists in Sonoma County have rallied to widen those cracks in the darkness where the light comes through. Two words to describe the push are Just Transition, changing our culture and habits to not only end the use of fossil fuels, but to include all people in the benefits of a way of life that is cleaner, healthier, and can make it through the climate challenges ahead. A better world is possible if we work hard, smart and together!

Petaluma has a heroic record. The first town to declare Climate Emergency, the little city also declared itself the first sanctuary city for undocumented residents, declared No New Gas Stations, and after gaining a $1 million check from the national Cool Block program, became a pilot project (see below), working with 200 or so block leaders to explore ways a block of engaged neighbors can transition to a regenerative life style.

Let’s look at some of the most established groups, knowing others are coming into being.

Daily Acts: Take Heart; Take Action, new book out Oct. 2022.

We are a holistic education nonprofit that takes a heart-centered approach to inspiring transformative actions that create connected, equitable, and climate resilient communities. We believe in the power of our daily actions to reconnect people to self, community, and place, which helps to heal our society and planet. Our Mission is to inspire transformative action that creates connected, equitable climate resilient communities. Our Vision is to create healthy, just and sustainable communities built upon the daily actions of many people."

Cool Petaluma

Cool Petaluma in a grassroots effort that launched in January of 2022. In just one year, Cool Petaluma trained 163 leaders, launched 124 blocks, and reached 723 households who reduced their carbon footprint two million pounds!Powerful were new friendships and collective action, from soup nights to safe streets engagement. Based on input from countless local experts, community groups, and program participants, the Cool Petaluma team is taking the feedback from this first year, incorporating it into a new program in early 2023. To get involved, go to coolpetaluma.org. Be part of something really cool: www.coolpetaluma.org Cell: 707-658-1150

350 Bay Area (350Petaluma, 350Sonoma, 350Marin)

350 Bay Area is building a grassroots movement to eliminate carbon pollution and achieve a just, clean energy future. They organize, demonstrate, lobby and educate to push policy makers to meet the urgency of the climate emergency and accelerate the fossil fuel end game. https://350bayarea.org

Sonoma County Climate Mobilization

We are committed to bold and necessary transformation. Every city in Sonoma County signed on to the Climate Emergency pledge and the current focus of CMSC is work on transit, found to be the #1 polluter in our region. Working on greater use of bicycles, trains, buses with others.https://www.facebook.com/SoCoClimateMobilization/

Bikeable Santa Rosa

This organization is an all-volunteer community campaign in Santa Rosa to complete safe and low-stress bicycle routes connecting all neighborhoods. We have partnered with Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition and Sonoma County Climate Mobilization make low-carbon, low-cost mobility a comfortable and safe option for all residents. Launched in February of 2022, we've had a fabulous first year, growing our ranks and political power and raising $15,000 for a matching grant to ensure that Santa Rosa would be selected to participate in City Thread's Accelerated Mobility Playbook Technical Assistance Program. Santa Rosa will receive $50,000 of assistance, and a community-specific mobility audit of the city's current practices and an action plan for improved implementation and partnership. We'll also join nine other U.S. cities, to exchange best practices and further accelerate our progress toward a connected and protected bike network. earn more about Bikeable at www.bikeablesantarosa.org.burning of fossil fuels.

North Bay Jobs with Justice

North Bay Jobs With Justice believes that all workers should have collective bargaining rights, employment security and a decent standard of living within an economy that works for everyone. We bring together labor, community, student, and faith voices at the national and local levels to win improvements in people’s lives and shape the public discourse on workers’ rights and the economy. The POWER Campaign seeks to eliminate the threat of ICE in worker organizing efforts. It also aims to expand protections for worker leaders who stand up to unscrupulous employers. The POWER Campaign builds off of existing protections in order to create the conditions for new broader protection. See how by downloading the POWER Campaign fact sheet. https://www.northbayjobswithjustice.org.

North Bay Organizing Project

In 2008, leaders from the Living Wage Coalition, MoveOn Sonoma County Council, and the Graton Day Labor Center identified the need to collaborate as a coalition to build community power and galvanize a movement led by working people, tenants, immigrants and youth across the North Bay. For over a decade, the North Bay Organizing Project has won local renter protection policies, defended immigrant communities against detention, deportation and disasters, trained thousands of grassroots leaders and built a coalition of more than 20 member organizations.

The Climate Center

California has the tools and the know-how to remove more climate pollution than we emit by 2030. The Climate-Safe California campaign is a framework for getting it done. We’re a think-tank, do-tank working to turn bold ideas into action for a climate-safe future. We know what it takes to turn good ideas into policy. That’s why we launched the Climate-Safe California campaign in 2019. Endorsed by hundreds of businesses, elected officials, and nonprofits, and more than 1,000 individuals, Climate-Safe California offers climate solutions at the speed and scale that science demands. It’s a set of policies that would allow California to remove more climate pollution from the atmosphere than we emit by 2030 while creating thousands of jobs and building a more equitable clean energy economy. The Climate Center became a global organization (it took on Carl Mears, a contributor to the UN IPCC reports) early on, the perspective has been local/global and continues to be.