Looking Back at 2020 and Looking Ahead

In  2020, Climate Action Santa Monica, like everyone else, adapted and shifted gears. While we stayed focused on the climate crisis, we expanded our work on personal levels and organizationally to do what we can for undoing racism, helping our community through the pandemic, and rallying the vote.  

We hold most dear our commitment to youth — those who participate in our Climate Corps, coming up to its 6th year.  Despite budget cuts and lockdowns, we keep the program going.  No longer able to send the kids to public events for“climate conversations” we helped them build their own voice as advocates with the City, role models to their peers, and project leaders. They developed individual and team projects using social media, working in gardens, exploring solutions to extreme heat events, and more. We are thankful for support from the City of Santa Monica and Metabolic Studios/Annenberg Foundation, without which this would not have been possible.  

This difficult period also demanded that we stay on top of the numerous policy issues that  these times brought with them: for example, how to have safe socially distanced transportation. It was a busy time for policy.

CASM is proud to say that we are locally focused. Climate change must be addressed at the federal level, but what we do here at home is something that we can have more control over to make change. We are committed to helping Santa Monica be a leadership community that demonstrates that positive community supported change on behalf of a better future for the planet is possible.

We hope that you will support us as we move forward with LOCAL programs to reduce the city’s carbon emissions through policy, public engagement, and urban planning and youth leadership.

As we look ahead to 2021, our efforts will be focused on the following:

• New clean energy technology – Solar, Electric Vehicles, etc.
• Clean and Green Mobility
• Expanding Climate Corps to a year-round, more robust program
• Grow our team of Climate Enthusiasts!

More detail on our 2020 Accomplishments, to date, is below.

Thank you,

CASM Steering Committee

2020 Accomplishments

Supported preservation of funding  and staffing for the most important climate change-related programs during budget cuts.

Supported and participated in development of amendments to the Bicycle Action Plan to provide additional protected Bike Lanes and help reduce Santa Monica’s transportation related carbon emissions.

Developed working relationships with mobility providers and innovators including Lyft, Spin, and the Zero Emissions Delivery Zone (project of LA CleanTech Incubator) for the purposes of expanding low-carbon mobility options. 

Fostered climate conversation through:

• COVID and Climate webinar to examine connections between the pandemic and climate change
• Online communications

Worked to increase renewable energy availability and options through:

• Solar Resources for Renters handbook with the City of Santa Monica
• Solar for Condominiums Webinar co-hosted with the City of Santa Monica and SUNRUN Inc.
• Formation of an Energy Working Group to evaluate and plan for energy related programs and initiatives
• Recruited and supported 18 Climate Corps participants
• Re-shaped the program for COVID safety to include year-round participation in climate education, career development opportunities and paid internships.
• Supported team and individual projects including upcycling, gardening, creative communications, eco-art, climate games and urban heat island strategies
• Hired new Climate Corps Coordinator
• Created Climate Corps Handbook
• Compiled data from more than 1500 Climate Corps survey encounters from previous years, with findings on transportation preferences, preferences for climate action and identifying communication strategies.

SAMOCAN (Santa Monica Climate Action Network)

• Convened three online sessions designed to foster education and collaboration among those working on climate issues, drawing more than 23 people representing 15 groups
• Racial equity, Safe Streets and Main St al fresco program, and a conversation about future climate action with Mayor Kevin McKeown.