Napa Climate NOW!’s second annual Connect the Dots Climate Ride took place on October 26th. We host this event to bring the community together around the subject of climate change, but also to honor local leaders in our community (young, old, individual, organizational, etc) to lift them up as models that all of us can relate to as we face the dire challenge of climate change.
The event began with a bike ride that everyone could join. This was both a fun way to start out but also underpins the importance of alternative urban mobility as we shift away from combustion engines. We then finished with a picnic in Fuller Park and our attendees were invite to find new ways to volunteer in service of directing change in Napa in the coming months.
It seemed especially meaningful that the event occurred on the eve of the third power shut down due to extreme winds. Wind events are becoming more frequent with global warming and the increased land/sea temperature difference. But our bike ride around downtown Napa focused on solutions, both regional, such as the discussion of local microgrids led by Climate Champion Gopal Shankar, and personal, as ride leader Jim Wilson talked about divesting from financial institutions that support fossil fuel production. This is one of the ways that we are constantly learning from and giving back to community: by investing in each other and sharing what we already know.
At Fuller Park after the ride over two dozen of us enjoyed a picnic lunch and listened as the 2019 Climate Champions were honored. This year’s Climate Champions are Patrick Band and the Napa County Bicycle Coalition, Gopal Shankar, Calistoga City Councilmember Irais Lopez-
Ortega, Beth Milliken of Spottswoode Winery, and the students of Schools 4 Climate Action.
To learn more about how you can join Napa Climate NOW!, join our mailing list and attend our next monthly meeting.