December 2017
Dear Friend:
Tis the season. We wax skis, bake cookies, hang (LED) lights, angst over buying gifts, share gratitude, reflect on the past year, and find, in our mail box, a mix of holiday cards and Annual Appeals from our favorite non-profits. That’s us!
No doubt this past year has been disorienting in many ways. Amid the craziness, we have felt your support and you have reinforced our belief that the need for local climate action is needed now more than ever. We committed a year ago to go bold and lead Missoula in the local efforts that are vital at this time, and our commitment has only grown stronger. That’s our orientation!
This past year, because of your support, our work made a real difference in peoples’ lives and in the direction Missoula is going.
Please consider a donation today.
In April, we were the lead organizers for the 600-strong Peoples Climate March, featuring youth voices who creatively advocated for climate action and a livable planet. As Sydney, our youngest speaker, declared: “Let’s save this planet. It’s the only one with puppies. “
In our second year of Summer Smart we catalyzed a new program to provide clean indoor air to those most vulnerable to wildfire smoke, from Missoula to Seeley Lake, helping home-bound seniors, the elderly and children. Our program resulted in many partners stepping up for area youth, and the overall effort quadrupled in reach. We were the group able to give HEPA filters to those in need during one of the most extreme wildfire smoke seasons in decades. Don, a Seeley Lake resident with severe respiratory disease, told us point blank, “I’d be dead without that filter and I cannot thank you enough.”
This, from a fall Missoula Current commentary, sums up our efforts and why we matter:
There are two interrelated reasons our scrappy little nonprofit ended up on the front lines of local disaster management. First, we had an established program that was able to spin up quickly when the need became great. But more importantly, and the reason we had that program in the first place, is that we saw the problem for what it really is: not just smoke, not just wildfires, and not just heat waves. Climate change is a bigger problem than any of these individual effects, and if we merely react to each calamity in turn, we’ll be caught off-guard again and again. Climate change is already affecting our rivers, our wildlife, our health and our economy. It will only get worse. It’s time to get ready. We need everybody.
On this small piece of paper we can only share a few highlights of all the work we do. We have a small and mighty staff working to build awareness and create tangible resources.
You have worked side by side with us, marching, advocating, volunteering, and financially supporting our work. Your continued partnership is needed in the upcoming year so we can keep the momentum going.
By donating to Climate Smart in 2018, you will help us grow these community efforts:
To be Energy Smart we are:
To be Summer Smart we are:
To be Solar Smart we are:
And so much more, from active transportation to local foods, from zero waste to climate policy!
With your donation—whether $35 or $350—we will grow our staff to engage more of you in volunteer, advocacy, and collaborative opportunities.
Help us stay true to our mission and GO BOLD.
Thank you for supporting Climate Smart Missoula.
All the best for the holidays.
Sincerely,
Amy Cilimburg, Executive Director, Climate Smart Missoula
Together with staff Abby Huseth and Max Longo and our whole Climate Smart Team!
Please consider a donation today
Dear Friend:
Tis the season. We wax skis, bake cookies, hang (LED) lights, angst over buying gifts, share gratitude, reflect on the past year, and find, in our mail box, a mix of holiday cards and Annual Appeals from our favorite non-profits. That’s us!
No doubt this past year has been disorienting in many ways. Amid the craziness, we have felt your support and you have reinforced our belief that the need for local climate action is needed now more than ever. We committed a year ago to go bold and lead Missoula in the local efforts that are vital at this time, and our commitment has only grown stronger. That’s our orientation!
This past year, because of your support, our work made a real difference in peoples’ lives and in the direction Missoula is going.
- We energized and engaged Missoulians through meetups and rallies;
- We raised awareness through events and op-eds; and
- We launched an Energy Challenge via our Energy Smart program.
Please consider a donation today.
In April, we were the lead organizers for the 600-strong Peoples Climate March, featuring youth voices who creatively advocated for climate action and a livable planet. As Sydney, our youngest speaker, declared: “Let’s save this planet. It’s the only one with puppies. “
In our second year of Summer Smart we catalyzed a new program to provide clean indoor air to those most vulnerable to wildfire smoke, from Missoula to Seeley Lake, helping home-bound seniors, the elderly and children. Our program resulted in many partners stepping up for area youth, and the overall effort quadrupled in reach. We were the group able to give HEPA filters to those in need during one of the most extreme wildfire smoke seasons in decades. Don, a Seeley Lake resident with severe respiratory disease, told us point blank, “I’d be dead without that filter and I cannot thank you enough.”
This, from a fall Missoula Current commentary, sums up our efforts and why we matter:
There are two interrelated reasons our scrappy little nonprofit ended up on the front lines of local disaster management. First, we had an established program that was able to spin up quickly when the need became great. But more importantly, and the reason we had that program in the first place, is that we saw the problem for what it really is: not just smoke, not just wildfires, and not just heat waves. Climate change is a bigger problem than any of these individual effects, and if we merely react to each calamity in turn, we’ll be caught off-guard again and again. Climate change is already affecting our rivers, our wildlife, our health and our economy. It will only get worse. It’s time to get ready. We need everybody.
On this small piece of paper we can only share a few highlights of all the work we do. We have a small and mighty staff working to build awareness and create tangible resources.
You have worked side by side with us, marching, advocating, volunteering, and financially supporting our work. Your continued partnership is needed in the upcoming year so we can keep the momentum going.
By donating to Climate Smart in 2018, you will help us grow these community efforts:
To be Energy Smart we are:
- Launching a new program with NeighborWorks and Home ReSource to weatherize and retrofit manufactured homes in key neighborhoods, helping those most in need save energy
- Working with UM to create a nifty online platform to boost residential energy savings
- Leading city and community partners to figure out how to shift to 100% Clean Energy
To be Summer Smart we are:
- Expanding our collaborative efforts to have clean, cool indoor air for all, with a continued focus on the health of the most vulnerable
- Growing trees and building shade!
To be Solar Smart we are:
- Helping residents and businesses navigate the process of going solar
- Advocating for more rooftop solar in partnership with the city, community, and statewide partners
And so much more, from active transportation to local foods, from zero waste to climate policy!
With your donation—whether $35 or $350—we will grow our staff to engage more of you in volunteer, advocacy, and collaborative opportunities.
Help us stay true to our mission and GO BOLD.
Thank you for supporting Climate Smart Missoula.
All the best for the holidays.
Sincerely,
Amy Cilimburg, Executive Director, Climate Smart Missoula
Together with staff Abby Huseth and Max Longo and our whole Climate Smart Team!
Please consider a donation today