Cool Petaluma is a community climate initiative that Aqus Community took on as a project in 2022, recognizing its strong alignment with place-based community building and social capital. Since then, Aqus Community has supported the work by emphasizing action at the block and neighborhood level, where relationships are formed and mutual trust is built. Cool Petaluma organizes residents around five practical areas—Prepare for Emergencies, Rethink Consumption, Transform Transportation, Improve Buildings, and Restore Nature—and uses structures such as Cool Blocks and small neighborhood teams to turn concern into shared action. Neighbors meet, plan, and work together on tangible steps, from preparedness and energy efficiency to reducing waste and restoring local ecosystems. The value of this approach is not only environmental impact, but the strengthening of social ties, reciprocity, and local coordination. By embedding climate action into everyday neighborhood life, Cool Petaluma helps create durable social capital and community resilience at the most hyper-local scale.

Learn more: coolpetaluma.org