Dear Readers: To live with climate change, we have to make progress.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the word progress lately. And by lately, I mean about three months. My dwelling on the word first began during election season when I received a flier for local city council races. The flier mentioned making progress while returning back to basics.

I stood on my front porch, confounded.

“How can we make progress but go backwards? And what are these basics which we’re trying to return?”

I can’t think of anything I want to return to, except maybe my pre-baby body (do you know how much skin stretches after giving birth to an almost 11-pound baby?). But even that desire is a ho-hum wish (because ladies, we all know we’re like wine and get finer as we age; no touch ups needed). I can only set my mind to making myself, my life and my community better.

What about, “the way it was” was better? I especially wonder about this phrase when it comes to our environment and the climate. When I think about “the way it was,” I’m reminded of a scene from “Mad Men.” The Draper family is taking a picnic and, when they’re all done, they just leave their trash in the park. I recall watching the episode and feeling aghast. I wanted to yell at the TV: “How dare you leave your garbage? Don’t you know you’re littering? Don’t you know that’s bad for the environment?” But, I knew any yelling would be useless; the moral fibers of Don Draper weren’t all there, were they?

But, I digress.

I like to think in 2023 our moral fibers are stronger and made of thicker stuff. I look to the generations younger than me and recognize their strength and resiliency. I know, I know; resiliency is such an overused word here in Sonoma County, but when it comes to climate change, it’s kind of a vital one. Because, in my opinion, Sonoma County is sort of the canary in the climate change coal mine. I spoke with Fifth District Supervisor Lynda Hopkins about the topic and she agreed. It’s not that we have flood or fires or drought, she said; it’s that we have all three and that sometimes, we get hit by one while we’re still recovering from another. Not many other areas in the nation -- let alone the world -- experience that.

“Because of our beautiful topography and ecosystems, we have a lot fuel for natural disasters, not just fuel for fires, but for storms and droughts,” Hopkins said. “Our Redwood forests, which have built San Francisco twice, are stressed by drought and are less able to recover from fire.”

Climate change has huge indications for agriculture, too, the bread and butter of Sonoma County’s economy. Stephanie Larson, director of University of California Cooperative Extension, said the county’s ag community is responding to the drought and changing climate with climate smart ag. More than just a buzz-word (though expect to see it on your groceries in the future as the next ‘cool thing’), climate smart ag practices focus on improving soil health, adding crop diversity and engaging in better manure management.

Larson said Sonoma County farmers are leading the industry in climate smart ag practices. “We have to be,” Larson said. “We want to make our system healthier and continue to adapt to the changing patterns.”

And the patterns have changed. Larson said she’s seen the fog patterns change over the 40 years she’s lived in Sonoma County. “It’s much warmer than it used to be and we have a lot less green space, too.”

But neither Larson or Hopkins are hopeless. They point to our area’s nonprofits and, as mentioned before, future generations. They note policies that safeguard Sonoma County’s green space, as well as the desire of those who live there to fight for the environment.

What’s important to note however, is that Larson and Hopkins are both realistic. They acknowledge that climate change is real and can’t be ignored. “We have to do everything we can to decrease our greenhouse gases,” Hopkins said. “And even if we do, we’re still just a drop in the bucket.”

In the January 2023 edition, you’ll read about ways to add to that drop in the bucket -- because every drop really does count. It counts for now and for the future. Maybe it isn’t your future. But it’s a deposit in the bank for your children’s future and your grandchildren’s future. Maybe the Drapers’ didn’t think about Sally, Bobby and Gene, but we can keep our own children in mind and work to reduce greenhouse gases.