Climate Column: Cool Petaluma’s Future Fest is in our future
NATASHA JULIANA
ARGUS-COURIER COLUMNIST
April 29, 2025, 12:40PM
How well can you imagine your future self?
Neurological research has found that when you think about yourself in the present moment, it lights up activity in a particular part of your brain. But when you think about yourself in the future, the activity moves to the place in your brain reserved for thoughts about someone else. In other words, your future self is not you.
Psychologists believe this is one of the reasons it is so hard to make good decisions now when the benefits will be felt much later. Go on vacation now or keep that money for retirement? Your future self will thank you for the extra savings, but who is that person, anyway?
This discovery applies to our climate crisis as well. We know there are lots of things we can do today to improve our chances of a stable planet a decade from now, but how do we find the motivation to do them?
Two ideas: What if doing the right thing for tomorrow was really fun today? And what if everyone was doing it together, making a sustainable lifestyle the new normal?
Enter Future Fest 2025. This Sunday, May 4, from 12 to 4 p.m., Cool Petaluma and collaborators will take over the entire Petaluma Community Center at Lucchesi Park for an afternoon of climate action through community building. This expanded version of Cool Petaluma’s annual Local Resource Expo pumps up the fun factor as we bring the town together at this free event.
Arts and crafts are a fun way for all ages to get involved. At Future Fest, you can learn how to mend clothes with a mini sewing project provided by Reuse Alliance and get your hands dirty making wildflower seed balls with the soil produced by our local green bin compost from Recology. For those feeling artsy, there is a chance to express your love for the Earth through painting and button making.
Riding a bike can also add an element of fun to our lives. When Cool Petaluma member Dana Gottlieb got an e-bike through a local incentive program, she was thrilled to find that “riding is joyful again, like when I was a kid.” If you’ve been curious about this new mobility craze, Redwood Bikeshare will be hosting free demo rides throughout the day.
And what could be more fun than closing out the event with a laugh-out-loud performance by local improv artists as they help us imagine a brighter future. “Improvisation helps us to see that anything is possible,” explains Carrie Caudle, artistic director of RagTag Improv and teacher at Mary Collins School at Cherry Valley. “It is based on collaboration, thinking outside the box, being present with yourself and with your team, and harnessing the power of play.”
Being in a community with hundreds of other people interested in improving the future of our city and our planet is not only fun, but helps us create a new normal. This culture shift is where the real magic happens.
By partnering with the city of Petaluma and Petaluma City Schools, we are expanding the reach of this climate action festival.
Did you know that high school students in Petaluma have been working hard behind the scenes to analyze cafeteria waste and build energy use in our schools? Through a program called Climate Action Pathways for Schools, paid internships have led to great discoveries and recommendations. You’ll get a sneak peek at their findings when they present at the event.
“Future Fest is where inspiration meets innovation,” says Dan Ostermann, college and career pathways coordinator for Petaluma City Schools. “Our students are not only learning about sustainability, conservation and climate action, they’re leading the way. Through hands-on projects and bold ideas, they’re showing us what’s possible when we rethink, restore and transform our world, starting right here in Petaluma.”
To make this festival more inclusive, Cool Petaluma is also collaborating with local nonprofit Café Puente to create a welcoming space for our Spanish-speaking community. There will be bilingual exhibitors in the Expo Hall, Spanish language presentations in a breakout room, and volunteer interpreters available throughout the event.
“Our Latin community is passionate about climate protection,” said Eliot Enríquez, co-executive director of Café Puente. “We know this will be an incredibly successful partnership, and we invite everyone to join us for this momentous bilingual event.”
By having fun and working together, we can do the right thing for our future selves and future generations. Please join us as we create a life that is beautiful, safe and sustainable for all.
May the Fourth be with you – or rather, may you be with us on the Fourth! To RSVP for great door prizes and for more information about Future Fest 2025, go to coolpetaluma.org/futurefest2025.
Natasha Juliana is campaign director for Cool Petaluma. She can be reached at natashaj@coolpetaluma.org. For information on how to get involved, go to coolpetaluma.org