At San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), our employees feel a strong sense of purpose beyond delivering clean, safe and reliable energy services to our 3.7 million customers. As part of our commitment to the communities we serve, we support a variety of initiatives through shareholder contributions, employee giving programs and volunteerism. Our philanthropic strategic priorities include climate action, emergency preparedness and safety, economic prosperity and K-16 STEM. We understand that for our region to thrive and become more sustainable, it is important for all of us to do our part to ensure no one is left behind.
When we bravely center community and care, nothing is impossible. That is the ethos of the Climate Science Alliance, an organization who has, since 2015, worked to safeguard natural and human communities in the face of a changing climate. Their team chooses “climate hope” rather than “climate doom,” walking side-by-side with community-based partners on a wide range of climate adaptation and resiliency efforts. A spirit of “climate hope” helps them realize the future they want for the places they live and love—on their own terms. Now entering their 10th year, the Alliance is poised to elevate community-led climate action in a way they have worked towards for more than a decade.
At the core of the Climate Science Alliance is their network of partners, made up of over 460 organizations, agencies and community allies. “I see our network as a constellation of flickering stars, activating at different times for different reasons but always connected,” says Dr. Amber Pairis, the organization’s founder and executive director. “We are committed to providing a space where partners can find solace and support in this connection – where sharing space means sharing power.”
By prioritizing trust, respect, and reciprocity in their work, the Alliance strives to create a safe and nurturing environment for people to share ideas, build and grow relationships, and ultimately, expand the impact of their individual work through collaboration with their network.
An Environmental Champions grant from San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) in the early years of the Alliance acted as a catalyst for the organization to advance climate literacy through their inaugural Climate Kids program. Today, the continued partnership and support from SDG&E has expanded climate-informed and community-led efforts throughout the San Diego community. Most recently, the Alliance convened regional educators for a training session on their newest education resource, the Climate Science & Fire Traveling Trunk. This “trunk” is essentially a free, mobile climate curriculum to support K-12 educators with science, art and storytelling activities to teach the importance of “good fire” for many southern California plants and animals. Not limited to traditional in-classroom school programming, these resources are brought into communities to inform and build resilience about extreme fire events in a way that protects people and nature.
In the past year, the Climate Science Alliance team spent over 8,000 hours in the community to build and sustain partnerships, and to better understand priorities and needs around climate adaptation. This was reflected in a historical regranting effort to support community-led efforts, including investing $575,000 in Tribal-serving and Indigenous-led organizations; $230,000 in capacity building; and $70,000 in small projects awards and professional development for individuals. These investments go beyond financial awards, matching partners with a team member who provides technical expertise and administrative assistance to ensure projects and participants are fully supported.
“As a team, we are here to be in-service to community and are committed to being bold in tackling climate challenges in a way that creates lasting transformative impact and we can’t do this without our donors,” says Pairis. “It is hard work, but I like to think it is ‘heart work’ just the same.” The Climate Science Alliance is celebrating their 10th birthday all year long and will regularly announce opportunities to join in on the celebrations.
To learn more and get involved, visit www.climatesciencealliance.org.
