Hope is Blooming in an Unexpected Place – Athens, Georgia.

At a time when there is so much concern about climate change, with protesters marching through cities across the globe, I was so lucky recently to find hope blooming in a quieter, rather less-expected place – Athens-Clarke County, Georgia.

Last week, C-Change Conversations’ amazing Athens chapter organized a three-day whirlwind that put us front and center with over 400 people – high school and college students, professors, Board of Education officials, state and local government executives, Rotary Club leaders, and Chamber of Commerce members. We were met with some skepticism, but also with a surprising amount of interest and engagement.

Georgia could be a bellringer for a safer future. It is a leader in the country in new cleantech investment, creating new jobs and business opportunities because it makes good economic sense, not because it addresses climate change. But importantly, it does help address climate change. Investment in clean technology not only grows the local economy, it also decreases the financial burden of future climate impacts.

Ultimately, this economic reality is the universal language that will bring us together to address climate change – and it’s happening in real time in Georgia.

Don’t get me wrong – there’s an abundance of misinformation about climate change, and resistance to hearing about it, in Athens, just as there is around the country. Bringing together those diverse audiences last week was a major feat. It wasn’t just friends and family – in fact, our team told me that many of those invitations were met by silence. I also heard from educators at the schools we visited that some parents kept their children home rather than letting them attend our presentations. We have a long way to go to get people to understand what is at risk, in Athens and across the U.S.

But 400 people in a small city in Georgia? That is momentum that will inspire us for a long time to come.