Some communities, including Madison, Wisconsin, and Portland, Oregon, are forming ecoteams of 10 or more neighborhood families working to monitor and reduce energy use. Chula Vista, California, has developed a climate curriculum for schoolchildren. In Washington state, dinner parties are held to bring family and community members up to speed on climate issues and the steps people can take to reduce emissions. Another popular approach is town hall meetings. In addition, elected officials from Berkeley, California, attended an Earth Day event at a local high school.
Some communities also develop brochures and websites.
Nichols assessed the strengths and weaknesses of state and local climate change task forces. Rather, the information contained in these reports needs to be distilled and presented in brochures, newspaper articles, op-ed pieces, and other mainstream media. State and local governments also need to involve grassroots organizations including environmental and senior citizens' groups, and the local Lions, Kiwanis, and Rotary clubs to provide opportunities for local citizens to plug into the climate change debate and develop their own community's response to climate change. Finding Climate Change Champions In Portland, Oregon, the biggest challenge facing Susan Anderson, director of the Portland Energy Office, was persuading businesses, city council members, and other opinion leaders in the community to care about global warming. By communicating complex climate issues in terms of air quality, cost and energy savings, and opportunities for business, Portland succeeded in raising public awareness and concern.