Climate change can be a lonely and alienating issue. But solving it is a team sport. There’s literally nothing you can do alone that will reach the scale of the problem. Even the most climate-friendly individual choices make a difference only when many people are informed and inspired to adopt them. Our climate impacts come from using the systems that provide us with food, energy, shelter, and transportation – systems that came from many decisions made by many people over many generations. They can be different if we decide to make them so, but nobody can decide that alone. 

Whether this fact drives you to hope or despair depends on your own experience. Do you feel part of the team working on climate solutions? Or do you feel like other people elsewhere make the important decisions, and your only part is to bear the consequences of their actions and inactions? 

If you’re reading Cook Inletkeeper’s blog, you’re probably part of the team and you know it. But others concerned about the climate may have no idea what to do with their concern. Perhaps they know nobody who shares them — or even believes in the problem at all — much less anyone working with their neighbors to discover and act on feasible solutions. These people are out there, and we need them on our team. 

Our monthly Coffee and Climate events aren’t necessarily about strategizing climate actions (we have our Local Solutions groups for that) but about creating the community that makes climate action possible. We host these casual meetups on the fourth Saturday of every month, starting 10 am at The Goods Sustainable Grocery in Soldotna. Come meet us — we’ll be in the red leather booth by the window. Coffee and Climate has no agenda except to share climate and community-related news and thoughts. We want to make a space for the solitary climate thinkers out there to meet their neighbors who are planning and acting, and to learn what’s possible in our community.      

This month, we will be sharing news about Alaska Heat Smart grants that fund nonprofits working on housing or health issues to do energy efficiency retrofits on their buildings.  And as Inletkeeper’s energy specialist, I’m always eager to chat about local energy issues. Bring your own climate thoughts and questions and join us this Saturday, Sept. 28 at 10 a.m at the Goods.

And join future Coffee and Climate gatherings on these upcoming Saturdays:

• Oct. 25
• Nov. 23
• Dec. 28

Hope to see you there!