Fitbit for Sustainability
A Contra Costa County program that uses technology to inspire residents to take energy-and-water-conserving actions has helped save roughly 32,000 gallons of gas and 1.5 million gallons of water, and averted 830 tons of CO2 emissions, since its 2019 launch.
The program has its origins in a 2012 community resilience challenge led by local nonprofit Sustainable Contra Costa. “We would ask people to make pledges about the projects or behavior changes they would make, but could only track commitments, not actions,” says Tina Neuhausel, president and co-founder of the 15-year-old organization.
In 2019, with a grant from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, Sustainable Contra Costa launched the Cleaner Contra Costa Challenge in partnership with the Contra Costa Water District and six cities, including Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Moraga, Antioch, Pittsburg, and Martinez. The new and improved challenge uses a web-based platform that allows users to commit to actions — ranging from “easy,” like taking shorter showers, to “challenging,” such as buying an electric vehicle — and track their progress. The platform also provides resources, such as information on rebates, to make following through on commitments easier.
“We can see our household progress, and that makes us feel good, but also we can see our collective progress as a community,” says Neuhausel. “Saving over a million gallons of water is very motivating.”
“People are worried about climate change and really want to help, but often don’t know where to start,” says Lisa Altieri, founder and president of Community Climate Solutions, which provides the platform. “Having a framework and easy steps for choosing and completing actions makes it simpler.”
Altieri’s company is now working with 40 cities and counties across the US on similar platforms. She says she has found that community is key to creating behavior change. “When people start talking together about the actions they are planning to take, they start sharing and encouraging each other,” Altieri says. “They are far more likely to complete actions when working together with others.”
The pandemic created obstacles for the community element of the challenge: early plans for outreach efforts were centered around schools, clubs, and churches, all of which shut down in March 2020. Nevertheless, by the end of 2021, the Challenge had achieved more than 80% of its goals. This year, Sustainable Contra Costa aims to add two more partner cities to the challenge and reach a cumulative CO2 savings of 1,200 tons by July.
Other Recent Posts
Journalism Fellowship Opportunities
Our magazine offers a variety of modest fellowships for journalists in training or community storytellers.
Plants Facilitate Transition to Higher Water
Save The Bay is restoring habitat transition zones with native plants to accommodate rising sea levels and support wildlife.
Hundreds Protest Proposed Cuts to San Francisco Environment Department
Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office has introduced sweeping budget cuts for the next fiscal year, including reduced support for climate action.
El Cerrito Bets on Car-Free Living
An East Bay city is building more than 700 housing units on BART parking lots.
The Nuances of Tapping North Bay Sediment Supplies
How Adobe Creek and the Petaluma River can help three parcels, including a popular park, evolve into one resilient shore.
Meet the Oakland Biologist Making Native Plants Go Viral
Saumitra Kelkar shares videos about local biodiversity and native plants through his account, Oakland.bio.
Mountain View’s Shoreline Gets Serious SLR Attention
After four breaches, imports of clean fill, and the addition of rocks, bird islands and bridges the South Bay’s Shoreline Park has more climate resilient environs.
Adaptation Atlas
Thirty places to focus on nature-based adaptation around the Bay’s 400-mile shoreline.
Agroecology Commons Weathers a Weird Winter and Political Storms
A year after our first Agroecology Commons visit, the El Sobrante farm has a new greenhouse foundation, thriving farmer training program, and some unexpected wildlife.
Finding Community at the Bay Area Climate Literacy Exchange
A third of our food supply goes to waste, and Bay Area students are learning how to fix it one school cafeteria at a time.
