City Council member D'Lynda Fischer was a key advocate for Petaluma’s Cool Cities Challenge efforts, helping the city secure a $1 million grant that will help finance a critical climate change education campaign. (CRISSY PASCUAL/ARGUS-COURIER STAFF)

Natasha Juliana of the grassroots initiative Cool Petaluma explains how her team is taking a creative approach to the challenge of climate disruption.

This week, Stephanie and Michael are joined by community leader, Natasha Juliana, who is currently hard at work on “Cool Petaluma,” a project that aims to heal the climate from the ground up.

Feelings of anxiety and helplessness around climate change are not just increasing with the passage of time, they are increasing from generation to generation. And with good reason, given the news of the last few months.

Petaluma, CA – On January 12, 2022 at 6:00pm Pacific Time, Petaluma’s Cool City Challenge moonshot team will host a Zoom event to launch their campaign to help Petaluma reach carbon neutrality by 2030 without offsets. All those interested in joining this adventure to transform Petaluma into a beacon of climate hope are invited.

Sitting at a small cafe on Larkin Street in San Francisco this past weekend, drinking an exceptional cappuccino, (ah, the joys of being a journalist), I had the immense pleasure of an hour-long call with Natasha Juliana, co-leader of Cool Petaluma, a grassroots committee in Petaluma championing the need for action around climate change on a local, national, and global level.

Petaluma, along with Irvine and Los Angeles, have received $1 million "Cool Cities" grants in an effort to help achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. John Ramos reports.

Petaluma this week learned it is one of three winners of a climate change-focused grant program, the Cool City Challenge.

PETALUMA, Calif. (Cool Petaluma) October 25, 2021 — Today, the Cool City Challenge awarded Petaluma a million-dollar grant to fund a community-based effort that focuses on building up our social networks to help neighborhoods become more planet friendly, disaster resilient, and community rich.

Mountain View, CA, October 25, 2021 (PDF | Cool Cities Website) - The Cool City Challenge awarded multi-sectoral teams in three cities — Los Angeles, Irvine and Petaluma — $1 million plus consulting support to execute their plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 without carbon offsets. The awards are the result of a rigorous, months-long application process involving over 40 California cities.