Bucket #10: Healthy, Thriving Community
Snapshot: Climate change poses risks to human health, both directly (heat exposure, forest fires, flooding,
insect-borne disease) and indirectly (depression and anxiety, scarcity, community chaos, and others). Many
people in Missoula are interested in reducing the risks of climate change, for their health, their community
and the natural world. Working to reduce the risk of climate change requires fortitude, persistence and
support. Building connections across the community, developing compassion for others, even those with
whom we may disagree, and developing resilience in ourselves and in our social structures will make it
easier to reduce climate change and create better health. In other words, a healthy, thriving community
begets more health and thriving. Missoula has a wealth of individuals and organizations working in the arts
and spiritual communities, working to build peace and compassion. These all contribute to a healthy,
thriving community in which long term choices can be made that serve our health, future generations and
the natural world.
Summit #2 Facilitators: Kevin Dohr
(Missoula-area Psychologist), Beth Schenk
(St. Patrick Hospital). Group members: Emily
Bentley (Missoula City Council), Betsy
Mulligan-Dague (Jeanette Rankin Peace
Center), Claudia Brown (Transition Missoula),
Kim Davitt (American Lung Association),
Martha Newell (Community Member),
Rosalie Sheehy Cates (Community Member),
Sean Benton (Community Member), Bob
Gentry (Community Member), Bryony
Schwan (Community Member), Janie
Spencer, Bill Pfeiffer (MUD: Missoula Urban Demonstration), Lulu Steinberg
Top strategies identified:
 Missoula County Health impact assessment statement identifying connections between climate
change and health
 Citizen-led happiness initiative
 Energy efficiency incentives for landlords
 Emphasize co-benefits: Benefits to health, cost savings, business development or other area that
happen when we decrease our climate impacts
 Build compassionate community
Next steps for top proposals:
 Health Impact Assessment:
o Communicate with Missoula County Health Department.
o Ask them to include climate impacts in assessment/plan.
 Happiness Initiative:
o Do cost assessment and identify benefits.
o Search for similar initiatives in other communities
 Landlord incentives for energy efficiency
o Work with other ADAPT buckets that may be addressing (Green Building, Education/Outreach)
o Work with Landlords Association to figure out ways to incentivize landlords to increase energy
efficiency of rental units
o Check with Northwestern Energy on available incentives to landlords
o Work with Sustainable Business Council to incentivize property management businesses to
increase energy efficiency
o Work with MUD to help educate renters and landlords about benefits of energy efficiency
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Amplifying co-benefits
o Work with other ADAPT buckets that may be addressing this (Transportation, and
Education/Incentives)
o Work with existing community groups: Run Wild Missoula, Garden City Harvest, County Health
Plan, Health Providers, Insurers to suggest highlighting climate benefits in their programs
o Highlight co-benefits of reducing climate impacts by communicating through the arts, amplify
fun. Check with the Public Art Committee to ask artists who paint Transfer boxes to address
climate.
Build Compassionate Community
o Work with existing groups to build and sustain a thriving community: Jeannette Rankin Peace
Resource Center, Transition Town, Faith Communities, Imagine Missoula
o Work with Emergency Responders to build tools for compassionate response in times of stress
o Help develop “Tend and Befriend” initiative to encourage neighbors to be available for help and
assistance in disaster or times of stress
Additional Climate action strategies discussed:
Health:
 Link messaging about climate action efforts to creating a healthy Missoula
 Educate regarding the health impacts of fossil fuel use (including the burning and shipping of coal)
 Emphasize co-benefits of using less and/or cleaner energy
 Identify opportunities for community members to debrief, discuss, and console after catastrophic
events
Arts:
 Work with artists and art educators to link climate action with arts, culture, and local celebrations
 Call for music related to resilience and climate
 Develop “art eruptions” to catch interest, shift awareness, have fun
Resilience:
 Work with faith-based groups and others on creating a compassionate community and supporting
each other through “tend and befriend” networks in the face of crises
 Educate regarding resilience (e.g., workshops and a symposium sponsored by the university)
 Build a sense of continuity with future generations within our community; Increase awareness of
how present actions impact younger generations
 Develop ideas for building links/networks to help people who disagree find common ground
Policy:
 Consider low-income and social justice issues when making economic or health decisions, especially
regarding climate stress
 Encourage the city to pass a Happiness Initiative; use well-being of our community as a key
component in city-wide planning and policy efforts
 Mobilize public comments and participation when health related energy topics arise in legislation
or city-county decision making
 Create Health Impact Assessment
 Create incentives for landlords for energy efficiency
Methods:
 Consider playful approaches, celebrations
 Use respectful humor
 Work with groups already established (Turning the Wheel, National Coalition Building Institute,
Living Art, etc.)
Contact Person: Beth Schenk at BSchenk@saintpatrick.org