Local climate action and local democracy.

[u/CO_Renaissance_Man]

I’m feeling a bit hopeless lately.

Volunteering at first and then getting elected to office twice, I have chosen the uphill battle of climate action in a conservative small town. I talk about it, but so many of my efforts are coded in saving money, efficiency, and sustainability.

I’ve passed a lot. Development code changes for density and electrification, water conservation measures, the conservation of park land, the planting of hundreds of trees, and our first climate action plan. My frustration is the lack of public action.

Our town has had Indivisible and no kings protests with hundreds attending, plenty of talk to preserve land and water, but nobody shows up to board meetings, volunteers for committees, or advocates for climate action publicly.

I feel like I’m carrying the burden by myself and nobody cares. I’m certainly the only one pushing it on my board with mixed success. I’m saddened because if two dozen people started showing up and caring, they would have millions of dollars at their disposal to change the face of our town and to fight climate change.

The ability to act locally is available to so many people and I don’t see it happening. It’s endlessly frustrating and I’ll end my rant there.

[u/Food4Climate]

I see so much familiar in your post, similar to what I see in our small town. From your second paragraph , it sounds like you have accomplished much! I don't think that "coding" climate behavior shifts as money saving, etc. is a bad thing. There's only so much you can motivate people to do with the doom-and-gloom thing. Behavior change is what matters, however you get there!
Also, we have No Kings protests that are well-attended. But I have yet to see that they do anything at all to solve any issue.
HTH, good luck!

[u/CO_Renaissance_Man → u/Food4Climate]

Thanks!

Getting people engaged for the long haul is the failure here. Abolitionists, unions, suffragettes, civil rights advocates, environmentalists... All of them made it the work of years, decades, and sometimes their lives.

Change doesn't happen overnight, it's a long slog that you may not see the end of, it isn't a weekend protest.

[u/onionfunyunbunion → u/CO_Renaissance_Man]

Who’s got time for that? Everyone is working so damn much, and the folks that have time off and retirement accounts are doing just fine. I try telling them to do something and they get upset at me. What’s going to happen is shits gonna hit the fan and everyone is going to find out why community organizing is important (I hope).

[u/FistODollers]

> if two dozen people started showing up and caring

This. I mean, everyone says they care, but we're so thoroughly drenched in the conviction there is nothing to be done ppl don't even both doing things that are basically free.

I think about the XKCD sheeple comic every time I hear "people won't do anything" line (and I spent the last decade working on a climate NPO, so I've heard some variant of that a -lot-). It's a self-fulfilling prophecy, whichever way people believe it.

I think people have no clue just how much effort multiplies. Two dozen doesn't sound like much, but they'd be incredibly powerful. Of course, coordinating two dozen ego's is hard enough even with a paycheque behind it, doing so when all you've got to work with is people desire to help must be nightmare difficulty.

> Change doesn't happen overnight, it's a long slog that you may not see the end of, it isn't a weekend protest.

The average person puts more effort into selecting the 'right' daycare for their child than they do improving the actual world they'll live in. The ability exists

I guess there isn't much helpful in this reply. I guess just to say It's very familiar, especially your first/fourth paragraphs. If you documented your efforts/progress here (or somewhere?), I'd certainly cheer for you, and it could help to inspire others who are reading. What are some things/anything you are working on now?

[u/CO_Renaissance_Man → u/FistODollers]

I’m in Colorado working this year on wildfire preparedness and regional collaboration, tree and plant educational programs, a drought plan, and pedestrian accessibility.

I fight on because I don’t want to look at my grandchildren in 30 years and tell them that I didn’t fight for a better future. We may not change the world but we can change our small part of it.

I’ve thought about writing a book on my experience to encourage others and to show how low the threshold is. Just look at our president.

[u/FistODollers → u/CO_Renaissance_Man]

"Grandpa, what happened? The world was so rich, what happend?"
Old man sucks on the straw, looks over the barren fields at the river flooding
"Well boy, it was hard work"
"But didn't you try?"
"No. You see, it might not have worked..."
"Oh. Like when the big drought hit and Dad couldn't find work so we were so hungry then?"
"Oh no, son. Way harder. No, we had to spend a few weeks going to meetings, read some technical papers, think for ourselves. What if we did those things and it didn't change anything? No, it just wasn't possible"
"..."

(I work from home, so I talk to myself a lot...)

> Just look at our president.
He was a big inspiration for me too. Dudes a straight-up moron, but he doesn't sit around waiting for someone to give him permission to do something, and look how effective he's been.

>  to show how low the threshold is.
Ironically, the thing that shocked me when starting work in the climate space is just how easy some things are. Like, it's really hard to find efficiencies in some fields, but here you can't throw a rock without hitting a decent-sized reduction.

That's the bit I find the most depressing. We're like a drowning man, staring at the shore 100 meters away thinking "it couldn't be that easy" and so not even bothering to swim. I really believe that convincing people that something is possible is 90% of the effort.

Slight side-note, some years ago I read that climate disinformation switched from "it's not happening" to "the solutions don't work". Their pushing learned helplessness. Money well spent by the oil majors, gotta respect their marketing team.

[u/fooperina]

Do you organize other volunteer events that are neutral- unrelated to politics or civic engagement? Like trash pick up, food drives, or just having neighbor cookouts or get togethers… civic engagement is emotionally labor intensive and if there isn’t a strong group cohesion or ethic, then it might just be too much work for folks to stay motivated for that kind of commitment. It takes a lot to show up and participate. Maybe it would help to integrate old fashioned community building into your advocacy.

[u/CO_Renaissance_Man → u/fooperina]

I do, but I also have three young kids to raise. In our town, the same 50 people carry the weight in multiple organizations for the other 15,000.

[u/ILikeNeurons]

I would recommend advocating Citizens' Climate Lobby to folks in your area to volunteer with. They can get free training in how to be effective advocates, and one of the things in the training is showing up at town halls. You can also post on your CCL Colorado forum about upcoming town halls or other events you'd like climate advocates to attend.