Climate Column: Petaluma has the coolest business

NATASHA JULIANA

ARGUS-COURIER COLUMNIST

April 14, 2025

More than 40 business leaders turned out earlier this month to help Cool Petaluma launch our new Cool Business Collective. How cool is that?

By taking the successful “Cool Block” model we’ve used for this city’s residential neighborhoods, and adapting it to the needs of our business community, we have been able to reach more people and invite them to participate in community-led climate solutions.

A launch party for the new collective was held Tuesday, April 8, with opening remarks by Mayor Kevin McDonnell. He delivered a direct call to action, stressing the existential threat of the climate crisis, and his pride in our small business community for stepping up to the challenge.

It’s always good to ground ourselves by remembering why we should care. We’ve been blessed to live on this perfect planet – not too hot, not too cold, with an atmosphere to protect us, oxygen to breathe, water to drink, food to eat, not to mention the beauty of rainbows and butterflies and daffodils.

Plus, think of anything or anyone you love. They are most likely all here on planet Earth too.

As climate scientist Kate Marvel puts it in “What If We Get It Right?“ a book by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson: ”I have a Ph.D. in astrophysics, which is the study of the entire universe, so I have an informed scientific opinion when I say the rest of the universe sucks.”

As we hear news of the escalating consequences of rising carbon dioxide levels, plastic pollution, resource extraction and habitat destruction, we can easily see how improving our business practices is not only helpful but necessary if we want to keep this perfect planet habitable for humans.

“My personal goal in working in collaboration with the Petaluma merchants and makers is to build a thriving, sustainable, fun business community,” explained Naomi Crawford, owner of Lunchette and a Cool Business steering committee member.

And the business community is uniquely positioned to take a leading role in the required transformation. Anyone who has started or evolved a business knows how to take an idea and make it a reality. What might be possible if we reimagined the future as a beautiful, safe and healthy world, and then channeled our entrepreneurial spirit toward that end?

The launch party brought out people representing retail, food and beverage, health and wellness, professional services and the trades. Breakout groups brainstormed a wide range of ideas – from creating emergency plans with business neighbors to using collective buying power to working with property owners to help renters make energy-efficiency improvements.

“It was wonderful to see so many different small businesses and organizations from all over Petaluma come together and want to collaborate with each other and share ideas and resources,” said Dawna Mirante, owner of Refill Mercantile and a Cool Business steering committee member. “This shows how engaged the small business community wants to be with each other to make Petaluma a thriving community.”

After a successful launch, the Cool Business Collective will begin meeting at 6 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month to share ideas and best practices. By creating a collaborative team spirit, we can make it enjoyable to learn from each other and take action together. It is in this collective effort that we can find our true power.

“Hearing how many amazing ideas everyone had was truly uplifting,” said Crawford. “It gives me hope that we can create a joyful place for others to visit and get inspired by.”

If your business is interested in joining this collective, please go to coolpetaluma.org/business.

And to meet a wide array of “cool” businesses and organizations, be sure to join us at our fourth annual local resource expo. This year we are partnering with both the city of Petaluma and Petaluma City Schools, creating an expanded event now called Future Fest. On Sunday, May 4, from 12 to 4 p.m., the entire Petaluma Community Center at Lucchesi Park will be transformed into a celebration of climate action through community building.