Climate Action for Busy People
216 pages, 6 x 9
22 photos and illustrations
Paperback
Release Date:18 Jun 2024
ISBN:9781642832778
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Climate Action for Busy People

Island Press
As unprecedented heat waves, storms of the century, and devastating fires impact cities across the country, the time to create climate resilient communities is now. While large-scale innovations in policy and technology are necessary to preserve the planet, the wisest and most lasting adaptation solutions originate at the local level. However, with something as large as the climate crisis, it can be hard to know where to begin.     

Climate Action for Busy People is a hopeful and realistic roadmap for individuals and groups who want to boost climate preparedness and move the needle towards environmental justice. Drawing from her professional and personal success in climate adaptation and community organizing, Cate Mingoya-LaFortune begins with a brief history of why our communities look the way they do (spoiler, it’s not an accident!) and how that affects how vulnerable we are to climate risks. Each chapter will help readers scale up their actions, from identifying climate solutions that an individual or small group can pull off in a handful of weekends, like tree plantings or depaving parties, to advocating for change at the municipal level through coalition-building and data collection. It’s not too late for people of all ages and skill levels to create climate safe neighborhoods.  

Climate Action for Busy People is an invaluable guide for anyone who wants to make lasting and equitable improvements that will make their communities climate resilient.
This book removes the anxiety that many of us have in feeling solely responsible for solving a global crisis. With a vital focus on nature as an often-overlooked solution for building resilience, she unlocks our ability to imagine a new world and act. We all could use Cate’s optimism and pragmatism as we confront a changing climate and the challenges of our past and those ahead. Benita D. Hussain, Chief Program Officer for Tree Equity at American Forests
Cate Mingoya-LaFortune combines the tactical genius of an urban planner with the joyous storytelling finesse of your favorite teacher.  If you want to know how and why the planet is in crisis and what we can do to reverse course, this book is a must. Karilyn Crockett, former Chief of Equity, City of Boston
Cate Mingoya-LaFortune is a people-centered climate adaptation planner, community organizer, educator, parent, and cautious optimist. Raised in an environmental justice neighborhood, she is committed to furthering a future where all people live in clean, thriving communities. She received a BA in biology from Reed College, a Master of Science Education from CUNY Lehman, and a Master of City planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She currently serves as the Chief Officer of Climate Resilience and Land Use at Groundwork USA. She lives with her family and community in New England. 
Introduction 

Chapter One: It’s No Accident 
Chapter Two: Hot, Wet, and Smoky 
Chapter Three: Now What? Small Solutions
Chapter Four: The Three Questions 
Chapter Five: Experts, Allies, and Naysayers 
Chapter Six: Who’s in Charge Around Here? 
Chapter Seven: Collecting Data
Chapter Eight: Systems Change 
Conclusion: In it for the Long Haul 

Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
About the Author
 
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