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Cool Blocks/Cool Cities

June 14, 2024 by

Cool Blocks/Cool Cities

Cool Blocks

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

RESOURCE LINKS

  • Cool Block Program Website
  • UN Partnership with Cool Block Program
  • Palo Alto Cool Block Program
  • How the Program Works

Recent Blog Posts

Some Cool News in a Hot Summer 

Some Cool News in a Hot Summer 

hyper-local study group where we look at carbon reduction strategies: building energy resilient households, preparing for disasters, and developing community projects. You can learn more about how the Cool Block program works here: https://coolblock.org/how-does-program-work →

View All Cool Blocks Posts →

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

Join This Group

Contact

Skip Shuda

Skip Shuda

President
Stewardship Group Member
skip@ttgmPA.org

TTGM Initiatives

Circle of Aunts & Uncles

Community Resilience

Cool Blocks/Cool Cities

Fire Circles

Foraging

Green Wagon Project

Inner Transformation

Local Food

Media FreeStore

Protecting Biodiversity

Tree Lovers Collective

Tree Tenders

Zero Waste

TTGM Partnerships

Bee City

Composting

Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers

Native Seed Library

TTGM Initiatives

Circle of Aunts & Uncles

Community Resilience

Cool Blocks/Cool Cities

Fire Circles

Foraging

Green Wagon Project

Inner Transformation

Local Food

Media FreeStore

Protecting Biodiversity

Tree Lovers Collective

Tree Tenders

Zero Waste

TTGM Partnerships

Bee City

Composting

Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers

Native Seed Library

Filed Under: Cool Blocks, Current Initiatives, Featured

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