Today on the podcast we’re talking to D’Lynda Fischer, a city council member for the city of Petaluma, a community in northern California about 45 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge. But the truth is, this could be a conversation about any community across America and many places in the world as well. This is a conversation about climate, about our environment and the steps we can take to make a difference in the world we live in. We talk about honoring the planet and paying attention to the choices we make.  It’s about living intentionally so that our children, grandchildren and the generations to come have a place to call home. 

I learned so much during this conversation. For one thing, (and I’m slightly embarrassed to admit this) I’ve never actually been to a city council meeting, in this city or in any other of the many places I’ve lived. Perhaps I should have, because the truth is, the more we know about what’s going on at city hall, the more we can demand that our elected officials make decisions that benefit all of us. This conversation allowed things to come together for me, like the pieces of a puzzle that I‘d struggled to understand. Does recycling really matter? Are paper straws truly better than plastic? It all felt so insignificant, but this conversation left me feeling energized, with actual steps I can take to help my community become carbon neutral and it left me wanting to learn more.

D’Lynda grew up in a politically active family in the foothills of Anchorage, Alaska. She became an adult while living in New York City and migrated to Southern California where she had a successful career as an Urban Planning Consultant. She moved to Sonoma County nine years ago and worked as a consultant to non-profit environmental organizations. She is passionate about healthy food systems, connected communities, and being a leader in this changing world.

You can listen to D’Lynda’s episode here.

To learn more about D'Lynda Fischer you can check out her website.

To learn about the Cool City Challenge, check out coolpetaluma.org.

Read Social Change 2.0 - A Blueprint for Reinventing our World by David Gershon.