Cool Davis spent 2023 reflecting on the future and how we can be more effective in supporting our region and its communities. 2023 was a great year because of support from our partners, donors, and volunteers! We are energized to do more in 2024 and beyond.

Your contribution is critical to achieve our vision.

The Cool Davis Board recently finalized a new mission and vision statement as part of a comprehensive 10-year Strategic Plan. That plan puts our organization on a new path to recenter our work to increase inclusivity, equity, and health, to strengthen our foundation of resources and partnerships, and, critically, to respond to unique community needs emerging from climate impacts.

We have already begun to broaden our focus to help build and support resilient communities throughout the region in a time of increased uncertainty and weather extremes.

Mission:  We work to create enduring community resilience through equitable and inclusive strategies that lower greenhouse gas emissions and help our region adapt to a changing climate.

Vision: We envision a climate resilient region where everyone has equitable access to resources for sustainable, healthy lives.

Recenter our work

Cool Davis is well aware that climate change impacts disproportionately affect the most vulnerable populations in our society, both globally and locally. Cool Davis is committed to reforming our systems, increasing inclusivity, equity, and health, and recentering our programs with less emphasis on homeowners and dominant cultural views of environmental stewardship.

Respond to community needs

In 2023, Cool Davis responded to community needs and grew new programs, for example:

  • After the 2022 electricity and water issues at the Rancho Yolo Community, Cool Davis collaborated with the community, collecting stories of success and vulnerability, holding an Emergency Preparedness Fair, and planning to help the community be better prepared for future emergencies.
  • When Cool Davis heard that Covell Commons condo owners needed to replace their Zinsco electrical panels, we quickly organized to join their community event and provide a customized Make A Plan workshop and Energy Fair with information about panel and home electrification options and answering questions about the replacement process.
  • We established the Yolo Earth Day Pledge to engage communities to further reduce their impact on the climate and connect people together to make a larger impact. Over 200 people have pledged to make changes in their daily lives, like reducing air travel, greening finances, and eating more thoughtfully.

Strengthen our foundation

We have taken big steps to strengthen and grow Cool Davis’s resources and partnerships to expand our regional support in line with our new mission and vision. Specifically, we have:

  • Invested in physical co-working space membership to make it easier for face-to-face meetings, mentoring, planning, and socializing.
  • Hosted Sacramento Valley College Core (SVCC) Fellows for a second year, who will give many hours each week supporting our engagement programs and learning more about climate change mitigation and adaptation.
  • Hired a new full-time Campaign Coordinator to support and expand our campaigns and build our volunteer and neighborhood teams.
  • Signed an MOU with Tree Davis to work together to support regional community resilience and continue to work on MOUs with other strategic partners.
  • Continued Cool Davis support for the City of Davis’s CAAP, we were recently awarded $100,000 for future CAAP implementation support
  • Signed on to provide outreach expertise and resources in support of the Yolo County CAAP to reach unincorporated and underserved neighborhoods.

Please join Cool Davis as we implement our new vision

Now that we have completed our strategic plan, we are focused on the future. Our strategic plan underscores our intention to focus more resources than ever on our communities.

Together we are stronger! Please join us as we recenter our work, respond to our community needs, and strengthen our foundation.

Donate today! Through your donation, efforts, and connections we can reach and connect with more neighborhoods, provide additional equitable resources, and help our region become more resilient, so we can all pursue sustainable and healthy lives.

Thank you and take care,

Jason Bone

p.s. We are always looking for volunteers and community champions to help our programs, task forces, and board committees.