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Climate Corps Club students hold up packets of seeds of change at November meeting at Samosa House Highlights – Playing Climate Cooldown with SMMUSD – Our biggest event of the year: King Tides, Dec 6th! – SAMOCAN with Mackenzie Devilbiss: Nuclear Power Isn’t Green Enough… And America Can’t Deal with the Waste! – Youth Climate Protest Calls for Making Polluters Pay Act – Don’t miss Santa’s Pick (at the end of the newsletter) for our Playlist this month!
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CASM IN THE COMMUNITY |
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What’s CASM been up to this month?
Join us in December! Event Details below
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UPCOMING EVENTS |
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Climate Corps Club Special Event! Creative Expression with Downbeat 720 Friday Dec 5th, 4:30 – 6:30 pm Church in Ocean Park 237 Hill Street Santa Monica, CA 90405
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Santa Monica Annual King Tides Celebration Saturday Dec 6th, 8 – 10 am Heal the Bay Aquarium 1600 Ocean Front Walk Experience one of the wonders of nature, the highest tides of the year! When the planets and sun are at their closest, and the orbits of the earth and sun are just right, the King Tides, the highest tides of the year, will occur. These high tides give us a glimpse into the future of sea level rise and how these changes will affect our beach, coastal infrastructure, and our community. Join us for a truly memorable experience, as we connect with others in a shared appreciation of the wonder of the natural world.
We are partnering with The Bay Foundation. Stay for our event and their presentation with us, then make a day of it and join their group restoring the dunes!
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Nuclear Power Isn’t Green Enough… And America Can’t Deal with the Waste!
Wednesday December 10th, 6 – 7:15 pm Zoom Join us for a SAMOCAN Webinar on one of today’s hottest topics: nuclear power.
How much do you know about high-level radioactive waste policy in the United States? In the face of a global increase in demand for electricity, many nations are looking to nuclear power as a low-carbon, round-the-clock power source to bolster electricity grids. However, only one permanent high-level nuclear waste repository has been established worldwide. This webinar will discuss the current status and history of radioactive waste legislation in the United States, explaining the struggle to establish a national nuclear waste repository over the last few decades. Then, we will discuss the first permanent geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel, which has been established in Finland. Finally, we make some rough calculations to compare the buildout of nuclear power and nuclear waste facilities with renewable energy sources and battery storage facilities. How do these two advanced energy technologies compare to addressing the global demand for more electricity while also supporting people, planet, and future generations? Mackenzie Devilbiss is a PhD physicist and environmental consultant. Through her background in particle physics, she has taken many radiation safety training courses and even used radioactive sources in experiments. Her environmental work recently brought federal radioactive waste policy to her attention, this webinar serves to start an informed discussion about the topic. COMMUNITY
WORLD SOIL WEEK – WEBINAR: Healthy Soil for Healthy Cities: Nourishing Life in L.A.
Wednesday December 3, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM Online
Kiki’ing with the River: Kuruvungna Village Springs Dec 6, 10am to 12pm 1439 South Barrington Avenue Holiday Art Fair at the Santa Monica Airport Arts Center Dec 7 from 12pm to 4pm PST Studios 3026 THE CARBONAUTS SUSTAINABILITY COCKTAILS Wed Dec 10, 2025 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM Annenberg Community Beach House, 415 Pacific Coast Hwy, Santa Monica, CA 90402 Main Street Community Garden Open House Saturday, Dec 13, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM Main Street Community Garden 2318 Main St. Santa Monica, CA 90405 Commission on Sustainability, Environmental Justice, and the Environment Meeting Monday, Dec 15, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM Civic Center Parking Structure 333 Civic Center Dr Santa Monica, 90401 SMI Room Saturday, Dec 20, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM Ishihara Park Learning Garden 2909 Exposition Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90404
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News & Action |
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Youth Climate Protest Calls for Making Polluters Pay Act On November 14th, students from Pali and Samo high showed up with inspiration, enthusiasm, and a purpose – to show that climate change is a priority and that the biggest polluters can be held accountable for paying part of the cost. Check out the article linked above, and don’t miss these amazing photos captured of the event Free Appliances for Santa Monica Renters through the REACH Program! The City of Santa Monica is now accepting applications for the Renters’ Energy and Cooling/Heating (REACH) Program, a new initiative offering free electric home appliances to renters in Santa Monica! |
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Playing Climate Cooldown As we shared above, we played the Climate Cooldown game with leaders from SMMUSD. But what is this game? How did we find out about it? And why is it such a great tool for climate literacy? Here’s the scoop. Climate Cooldown is a collaborative board game, in which players work together to cool down the planet. To win the game, everyone must divest from a polluting form of energy to a renewable source, and the global meter must be in the blue. The latter is achieved through selecting cooldown cards, such as “reforestation” and “coastal cleanups” that help remediate the land and oceans. In my opinion, the best part of the game is the learning opportunities in every play. Never heard of alternative cement? Look it up on the cooldown website. In a classroom setting? Discuss as a class. Wondering why you have to divest or what that even means? Yount has a reason and an explanation. In fact, he has a full curriculum that can be taught over a week in classrooms. The multitude of learning opportunities and big picture lessons made a significant impact on us at Climate Action Santa Monica. I walked away feeling inspired, and with a sense that by working together and using solutions that already exist, we can cool down the planet. Check out this reel with highlights from our game and wise words of wisdom from Thomas. |
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CASM facilitates game of Climate Cooldown with SMMUSD leaders and Thomas Yount |
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CASM plays Climate Cooldown with Thomas Yount back in May |
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What’s in Our Playlist? |
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This month, we have Santa’s pick! Forevergreen by Josh Garrels, from the original motion picture. Santa says, “This is an excellent song to remember what’s most important this holiday season – loving those around us, including the planet.” Santa especially likes the line, “Love is planted like a seed, and it grows stronger everyday. When it’s tended patiently, there’s more than enough to give away.” DM us your pick @climateactionsm on Instagram or email casmclimatecorps@gmail.com and we may feature it next month!
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Happy Holidays! Love, Climate Action Santa Monica |
Are you ready for King Tides? We are! We’ve been planning an awesome event for you, with contributions from Heal the Bay, The Bay Foundation, an environmental student, and our favorite former SMC professor, Bill Selby. 
Climate Cooldown with SMMUSD. We coordinated a day for SMMUSD leadership to play the climate cooldown game with game creator, Thomas Yount. The game and related curricula provide a powerful resource for fulfilling SMMUSD climate literacy goals. SMMUSD was impressed with the game and curricula, and expressed interest in trying it in environmental classrooms. Hundreds of climate cooldown games are already in use in LAUSD classrooms, and we hope SMMUSD will join in soon. 
At our November picnic, our advisor Kent Strumpell shared his low tech shortcuts for DIY makers projects and repairs. Kent projects are not only simple and practical, they’re very effective, and the result is often something sturdier and better made than before. We’ll look forward to doing this again!
November 7th Climate Corps Club meeting. This month, the Climate Corps Club met at Samosa House. After enjoying some delicious samosas, mango lassi, and other treats, they worked on club president Sarrie’s project – an air quality awareness event at the Main Street farmers market. The club prepared several interactive activities, including decorating packets of “seeds of change,” making slices for their “wheel of knowledge,” and the collaborative poster with the question, “What makes you want to walk?” The club also continued their discussion on climate and sustainability plans and what makes a “climate priority.” Thank you Samosa House for the warm welcome and generosity extended to our group; it was above and beyond!!
November 9th Air Quality Awareness Event. Sarrie’s air quality event was a big hit! There was a steady stream of children, happily decorating pots and planting an assortment of vegetable seedlings. Among the three-table setup were the activities created by the club, and a variety of air quality resources that Sarrie put together, including a live air quality monitor. Between the seedlings, seeds, and responses to the “what makes you want to walk” poster, a theme emerged – nature. People were delighted to experience plants, fresh air, and green space, and they want more.