Cool Blocks/Cool Cities
Mission Statement
Create hyper-local study groups that help connect communities at the block level to learn about and practice disaster resiliency, lowering our carbon footprint, water stewardship, neighborhood livability and empowering others. Using pre-defined “recipes”, participants meet periodically as a group to decide which actions they want to take and discuss any challenges that they face in taking such action. The program is based on the work described at CoolBlock.org, which was created by the Empowerment Institute.
What is Cool Blocks/Cool Cities?
At the core of “what’s cool” for the 21st century is the cooling of our climate-changing planet.
But in addition, “what’s cool” is an ethos of collaboration, caring, and sharing. You and your household are invited to embark on a journey of discovering and making cool choices in collaboration with other households on your block.
“My block?” Cool Block is all about your block. Moreover, it’s about place-making, community-building, local ecosystems, sharing economies, and developing collaboration muscle with your neighbors who live next door, across the street, or in your apartment building.
“But I don’t even know my neighbors.” Yes. And it’s about that, too. You will learn how to meet and collaborate with your neighbors to create a cooler household, cooler block, and cooler planet. We need one another to create cool choices. Doing it together is twenty-first century cool!
Cool Block offers a vision of what is possible for our cities and planet and the tools to achieve it. The program puts this information into action to increase the quality of life for residents of a block, while also contributing to the viability of our planet’s life-support system.
Thank you for caring enough to want to make the world better on the block where you live! A win for you, your neighbors, your city, and our planet!
David Gershon
Author, The Cool Block
CEO, Empowerment Institute
Impact Highlights
As of 2024, TTGM has sponsored two Cool Block groups so far, one in Media Borough and another in Nether Providence.
From our initial pilot group, the North Lemon Drops: What did the North Lemon Drops accomplish?
Connections made between neighbors:
- Shopping for a PC
- Walking
- Volunteering together
- Citizenship support
- Potluck at each gathering
- New Year’s Eve Party
Planning
- Community Garden
- Block Party
Environment
- Walking the stream, erosion concerns… connecting with CRC Watersheds, Borough Manager, Township Engineer
- Reusable Product Demonstrations
- Switching to Green Energy
Resilience
Emergency response material – fire blankets, first aid
Food storage/long term emergency food
Water storage
Go Bags
Text and Email/Phone List
Contact
Skip Shuda
TTGM Partnerships
Recent Blog Posts
Some Cool News in a Hot Summer
TTGM Partnerships