About
Taking care of each other while we take care of the planet.
Why
We believe in the power of connection to help restore the planet for future generations. Most people are worried about climate change and social division but don’t know what to do. Cool Future helps people take meaningful actions, rooted in their own communities, that provide immediate local benefits while contributing to long-term global solutions.
Mission
We empower neighbors to create a connected, resilient, and nature-filled world, block by block.
Vision
We envision a growing network of communities where every block is a team and the journey toward a livable planet is something people pursue joyfully, together, right where they live.
Core Values
Connection: We connect neighbors with each other, nature, and needed resources.
Joy: We root our work in our love for nature and the fun of showing up for each other.
Creativity: We stay curious, use design thinking, and value innovative solutions.
Sharing: We hand off leadership and resources so our programs can thrive without us.
Integrity: We align our actions with our values and help others do the same.
Strategy
Build relationships to build trust - plus, it makes it more fun!
Empower trusted-messenger and peer-to-peer learning.
Focus on local, practical solutions but recognize how they contribute to the larger picture.
Tell the stories to inspire others to join in.
Digging deeper…
Global Problems
More than 60 percent of Americans say climate change worries them and think citizens should be doing more. And a whopping 78 percent of young Americans say we have failed to take care of the planet.
So why does it feel like nothing is happening?
Research consistently shows a stubborn "perception gap."
Most people are worried, but over the years climate conversations became taboo so now people assume their neighbors don’t share their concern.
"As we met and discussed it together, I realized everybody in this block and in this neighborhood is interested in the same thing: making for a better world."
— Mike Simpson, Cool Team Lead, Petaluma
Local Solutions
Cool Future’s signature Cool Community program organizes friends and neighbors into hyper-local teams to kickstart the conversation. Once that door is opened, people begin to build trust and take visible, collective action on their blocks, signaling to others that taking care of each other while we take care of the planet is a top priority.
What if the key to restoring this beautiful, life giving Earth starts in your own small sphere of influence?
Since launching in 2022 (known locally as Cool Petaluma), the program has trained 264 team leaders, reached over 1,000 households, and generated more than 6,000 individual climate actions across five domains: emergency preparedness, consumption, transportation, buildings, and nature.
Cool Future's philosophy of cultivating meaningful emotional and psychological connections was first inspired by Charles Eisenstein’s book Climate a New Story. The practical action topics are rooted in the framework developed by Speed & Scale, the landmark global climate action plan created by investor and philanthropist John Doerr and a team of leading scientists, economists, and policymakers. Using a similar organizing strategy, Cool Future has translated those global imperatives into the language of everyday neighborhood life.
“Individuals working together can not only apply collective pressure on policymakers but also shift culture to help solutions become systemic and mainstream. That’s where the power of the public lies.”
— Madalina Vlasceanu, Assistant professor of environmental social sciences in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Later is too late
Scientists track nine planetary boundaries: the natural systems that keep Earth stable and livable. As of 2025, humanity has crossed seven of them. Global warming is accelerating. Ecosystems are degrading. Early warning signs of irreversible tipping points are appearing. You only need to watch the weather reports to understand that the affects of climate change are barreling straight at us.
There is no version of this story where we wait and everything is fine.
The question is will we act together, at the scale the moment demands, to protect and nurture what we love most?
History
In 2021, Petaluma, CA won a statewide competition called the Cool City Challenge that led to the launch of Cool Petaluma.
Cool Petaluma has been featured on the front page of the SF Chronicle, ABC7 News, KPIX CBS News, Norcal Media’s Bay Area Bountiful, and received the AIA Changemaker Award.
In 2026, Cool Future was created as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to help others replicate Cool Petaluma’s proven strategies for community-led climate action and launched a partnership with California’s AmeriCorps Neighbor-to-Neighbor program to offer our Cool Community toolkit to other cities.
The magic of Cool Future (locally known as Cool Petaluma) described in 60 seconds!
Inspiring videos to describe what we are doing:
Petalumans, excited to take a lead, share why their neighborhoods are so cool!
This 6-minute video produced by Norcal Public Media interviews Cool Petaluma participants and describes how they are succeeding in their neighborhoods.