Action is the antidote for despair

16 Dec Action is the antidote for despair

Dear Neighbor,

The warmest year in recorded history. Fossil fuel use projected at year’s end to increase by .8% to reach a record high. The appointment of a man to lead the Department of Energy who believes fossil fuels are “virtuous”. This has been a difficult year for those of us who worry about the kind of home we are leaving for the children and grandchildren of the world.

But, as a new study out from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication indicates, it is out of this worry and distress that people engage in collective action. And it is action that keeps people from feeling helplessness and despair.

In this regard, 2024 has been a busy and fruitful year for FreeportCAN and this community, and, as you will soon read, 2025 is lining up to offer many more opportunities to dispel distress by coming together with neighbors for grassroots action. And, dare I say, have some fun in the process! Want to model for our Fall Fashion Show? Host a pot-luck for your neighborhood’s newly forming resilience hub? Join a book group and meet your famous neighbor, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson?

Thanks to all of you who have contributed your skills and talents, your time and deep care and love to this work. You are all a treasure. This is how community thrives, how we endure in the face of the uncertainty that encircles us.

We have much progress to celebrate, and more to look forward to. Take a look at all we’ve accomplished in the last year, and the progress yet to come!