STORY BY JEFF EINERSON
PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
The Climate Action Coalition of Wood River Valley is hosting a gathering for those concerned about climate change. The gathering will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, at Hailey Town Center West at River and Croy streets.
The event will include a short motivational Nat Geo video, a pep talk from a local activist student about why she’s inspired to take action, a progress report of Blaine County’s Sustainability and Climate Program from Emily Williams—Hailey’s Sustainability and Grants Coordinator, and the main event—conversations about climate solutions.
Four climate solution areas will be introduced and attendees will be divided into groups to work on identifying a variety of ways to make a difference in each area. Groups will then share their best ideas with all attendees.
The four climate solution areas are:
- Circular Economy - Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle with a goal of zero waste.
- Clean Energy and Green Buildings - Reducing energy demand through better building designs and developing local and distributed clean/renewable energy sources.
- Land and Water Conservation - Preservation and protection of our land and water for public and wildlife use as well as maintaining space for local agriculture.
- Land Use and Transportation - Smart land use decisions to reduce vehicle miles traveled as well as transitioning to clean energy powered vehicles.
Group members will conclude the evening by determining which actions and ideas to pursue.
Future Community Conversations will be held to look at progress made on the developed actions and identify new actions. They will also include other valley organizations sharing their ideas and efforts on climate solutions with the ultimate goal of community-wide collaboration for addressing climate change challenges.
To learn more, visit https://www.cacwrv.org.
COMING UP:
The Climate Action Coalition is planning its annual Earth Day Fest. The event will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at Town Center West in Hailey.
It will include a 5K Race and Run/Walk with raffles and prizes, and other activities.