By Mary Cappelletti
Hello. My name is Mary Cappelletti, and I am an intern with Cascadia Climate Action (CCA) this summer. My first task as an intern is to begin this blog, and from now on I will be posting weekly. In future postings I will feature different ways people can make a difference with climate action. But I’d like to begin the blog by introducing CCA and what it’s doing today.
Mary Manous initiated CCA in 2015 to fill a void in the climate action community. While many climate events were being held by various groups to educate and engage the community, these sometimes overlapped and it was difficult for people interested in climate action to learn about events without subscribing to multiple email lists. Mary herself, as well as others concerned about climate change, had trouble keeping track of myriad events to find ones they could support. They saw the need for a “one stop calendar” that aggregated these events and displayed them on a single calendar. This was the birth of the CCA Climate Events Calendar. This easy-to-use tool helped organizations avoid scheduling conflicts and offered the community a reliable place to find the wide variety of events happening in Seattle and the broader Cascadia region.
Soon after CCA started, the team identified another need and began hosting events that offered detailed information on the science of climate change and clean energy. The goal was to give accurate, interesting information on the causes and effects of climate change in a fun environment. Thus began “Ask a Climate Scientist” and soon thereafter “Climate Science on Tap.”
“Climate Science on Tap” events take place at popular Seattle breweries, such as Peddler Brewing Company, Naked City Brewery and Taphouse, and Lagunitas Brewing Company. Each event features a distinct piece of the climate change puzzle, engaging and often surprising the audience. Topics have ranged from extreme weather events to the ethics of climate engineering to agriculture’s role as a cause and solution. But the most inspiring part of these events is the people. The expert speakers educate a receptive, eager audience that carries the information out to the broader community. Every person who attends an event, makes a lifestyle change, signs a petition, or takes any kind of action, is making a difference for the climate and the environment. The organization would not be successful without the individuals that help organize the events, speak at them, and attend them. As a college student majoring in environmental studies, I am truly inspired to see so many people getting involved at a grassroots level to make a difference in whatever way they can.