Climate solutions by the community, for the community.

Global Problems

Most of us already know something is wrong. Two out of three Americans say climate change worries them. Three out of five think citizens should be doing more. And 78% of young Americans say we have failed to take care of the planet.

So why does it feel like nothing is happening? Because we each think we're the only one who feels this way.

Research consistently shows a stubborn "perception gap." 

Most people assume their neighbors are far less worried about the climate than they actually are. So we stay quiet. The silence signals indifference. And the cycle continues.

"As we met and discussed it together, I realized everybody in this block and in this neighborhood is interested in the same thing: making for a better world."

— Mike Simpson, Cool Block Leader, Petaluma

Local Solutions

The intention to act is there. What's missing is a clear, practical path forward, a sense of shared purpose, and the feeling that what we do together actually matters.

Our signature Cool Teams program organizes neighbors into small, structured teams to take visible, collective action on their blocks. Since launching in 2022, the program has trained 273 team leaders, reached over 1,000 Petaluma households, and generated more than 6,000 individual climate actions across five domains: emergency preparedness, consumption, transportation, buildings, and nature.

Cool Petaluma's action topics are rooted in the framework developed by Speed & Scale, the landmark global climate action plan created by investor and philanthropist John Doerr and a team of leading scientists, economists, and policymakers. Using a similar organizing strategy, Cool Petaluma has translated those global imperatives into the language of everyday neighborhood life.

“Individuals working together can not only apply collective pressure on policymakers but also shift culture to help solutions become systemic and mainstream. That’s where the power of the public lies.” 

— Madalina Vlasceanu, Assistant professor of environmental social sciences in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability

Later is too late

Scientists track nine planetary boundaries: the natural systems that keep Earth stable and livable. As of 2025, humanity has crossed seven of them. Global warming is accelerating. Ecosystems are degrading. Early warning signs of irreversible tipping points are appearing.

There is no version of this story where we wait and everything is fine. 

The question is whether we will act together, in time, and at the scale the moment demands. If we don’t have a livable planet, everything else is a moot point.

Let’s work together to protect the future for the next generation.