Everyday Climate Champions Podcast
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Sonoma County
Sizing Up Progress on Nature-Based Infrastructure
A May 2024 environmental conference covers levees, seawalls, reefs, wetlands, and other climate resilient shoreline designs for the Bay Area.
Seeding Urban Gardens with Love
Two Bay Area gardens are getting a boost from a new, country-wide seed sharing model promoting permaculture.
All Stories
Lighting a Fire Under K-12 Climate Literacy
In a sixth-grade Petaluma classroom, children are exploring how to make wind energy, fulfilling new state mandates to build climate literacy.
Raising Climate-Resilient Kids
Everyday Climate Champions Podcast
Sizing Up Progress on Nature-Based Infrastructure
A May 2024 environmental conference covers levees, seawalls, reefs, wetlands, and other climate resilient shoreline designs for the Bay Area.
Seeding Urban Gardens with Love
Two Bay Area gardens are getting a boost from a new, country-wide seed sharing model promoting permaculture.
Rail Line Reinvents Itself After Pandemic Slump
This North Bay rail system is winning back ridership against the odds, catering to bikers, hikers, shoppers and commuters.
Wine Country County Counts for Half of California’s Repeat Home Flooding
We tested a free flood mapping tool. It revealed that Sonoma County homes get flooded more often than most.
A Landscape Made to Flood in Sonoma
Tall oaks with submerged trunks are sure signs that the land is “flooded.” While for some areas that might be a negative, for Laguna de Santa Rosa it’s not only positive but protective.
Good Neighbors Make Good Disaster Plans
Weathering climate disasters requires more than packing a small go-bag. State planners say real resilience is rooted in connecting with your neighbors.
Crunching the Adaptation Numbers – Not Peanuts
Regional agencies made splashy headlines when they released a joint study on the likely cost of protecting Bay Area shores from rising seas: $110 billion. But the top-line number didn’t offer much insight into the complexities. A new inventory and map from the same agencies is much more revealing.
Being Human in Big Weather
When it rained this May, it felt unexpected. Based on over 150 years of climate data for San Francisco, May typically gets several days with a light rain. But context is key, and we are coming out of three years of drought—a fact which will generally color memories in a drier hue. “If I’ve learned anything it is that people’s perceptions are usually wrong,” says Jan Null….
Five Threats in Five Places
Coastal erosion in Pacifica, drought in Brentwood, fires in the North Bay, flooding in Union City, and urban heat in San Jose. Anissa Foster takes us on a revealing virtual tour.
Safer at School from Wildfire Smoke?
Research confirms the drastic impacts wildfire smoke has had on school learning. But 16 East Bay schools now have updated air filters and more actions are in the pipeline statewide.
Sonoma Taps Undeveloped Land in Climate Fight
This fall, Sonoma County officially enlisted its abundance of undeveloped lands in the fight to adapt to climate change. Last month, the county approved a “Climate Resilient Lands” strategy.
Climate Zoning Defined for Burlingame Shore and Sonoma Hills
Agencies in San Mateo and Sonoma count are floating new rules for development in flood and fire prone areas. “Where and how you build can be among the most important decisions that are made in any community,” said a FEMA official.
Yell Fire on a Community Network
When Sonoma County residents smell smoke, they usually hop on social media or check some alert services like Nixle or PulsePoint to find out what’s going on. But social media isn’t really designed for quickly and accurately sharing disaster alerts.
Dodging a Bullet on the Highway 37 Redesign
To help keep Highway 37 open despite heavy storms and rising tides, planners are assessing a wide range of options from elevating the road to rerouting it. But zeroing in on the right redesign may be trickier than anticipated. New research shows that, with sea level rise, protections for this troubled North Bay road can worsen flooding and economic damages as far away as the South Bay. The good news is that this work can also identify Highway 37 redesigns that avoid these catastrophic impacts.
Petaluma Starts Climate Conversations
Petaluma made international news earlier this year for enacting the nation’s first ban on new gas stations. The city of 60,000 in southern Sonoma County also moved this year to prohibit natural gas in nearly all new construction, and hasn’t allowed new drive-thrus since 2008. It aims to be carbon neutral by 2030.
North Bay Towns Embrace Drought Gardens
The conundrums of whether or not to spend water on gardening during a drought are many. Growing backyard food is not just enjoyable, it also cuts down on greenhouse gasses from food transport and storage. Maintaining – or expanding – ornamental gardens is therapeutic but also can sustain pollinators and wildlife that are struggling to survive human-made hurdles.