COOL BLOCK LEADER INTERVIEW 9/20/21, https://youtu.be/--EBkPr6Mp0 (UNEDITED TRANSCRIPT)

JAMIE: Hi, my name is Jamie Perlman I'm at the Los Angeles chapter, and Lisa Hart is the steering board member of the neighborhood sustainability Alliance, Lisa, we are here to talk about the Cool Block Leader program.

Can you please tell us briefly about what this is?

LISA: Yeah, the cool black program is a really unique and special opportunity to connect with your neighbors while creating the block you want and improving the environment.

At the same time, so it's very very ambitious and very lofty but the people who have been involved with it have found it very powerful and it can be really transformative and at this point in the climate crisis.

We think we need all the help we can get.

Thank you so much during the pandemic.

Social opportunity in person opportunity that can be they can take that.

Yeah, so this is our my first pandemics so you know when we did the pilot a few years ago, this really wasn't on my radar screen. So we don't know. I mean yes I mean, the answer is yes, people can do things virtually you can reach out to your neighbors virtually, you can meet via zoom. We do think actually knocking on your neighbor's door as a way to reach out to them is very powerful in and of itself, partly because people don't typically knock on their neighbors doors.

But we're going to be very very flexible because we don't know what the future is going to bring.

Indeed, so I already had this program the shoving years in not dangerous, so I'm sure there's been a couple of neighborhoods that have already done so much plot left and to stain ability for the climate nation.

Have any of these numbers in the neighborhood become the leaders and their program had they've gone through the training as well.

So we actually haven't done the program for several years we had a brief pilot several years ago.

But a lot of those so I don't know of anybody who has become a leader from the pilot but one of our former co black leaders is actually going to do it again, because you can never get everything done one go around the program last about five months.

So she's, she's just going to do it again and tackle new issues.

And we have lots of cool blocks that have sustained themselves and that have grown and grown to include more people and incorporate more things over the years.

So then, so that's the extent that I know about that.

That is shady that yeah DVD from the pilot program, because that that goes to show that a lot, energetic, that the connection to talk about them because they're passionate about.

So, I understand that you have the book that explained the five different things to focus on one of them is natural disasters, can you tell me what natural disasters do the apartment and how should have to prepare for no and actually we're not using a book anymore we used to use a book but everything's online now, and I haven't actually seen how that looks online but it's all been put into cyberspace.

I don't think there's any specific focus on any particular natural disaster. This program is is made to work anywhere and of course in LA we have specific challenges that other regions don't have and vice versa.

And for a lot of disasters you kind of need the same stuff regardless of what the disaster is also the program is designed to be very very flexible so there's a section on getting ready for emergencies, but within that topic you really get to tackle what you and your neighbors want to tackle so it's very flexible and meant to be customized to your particular interests or concerns.

JAMIE: Fantastic. So can you tell me like, what the steps would be to take water conservation, when it comes to an apartment, and a house.

LISA: Yeah, it really depends and of course an apartment situation is really different. I live in an apartment and you know I don't have my own water bill right so I don't even have the incentives like if I use less water.

I don't pay less money. So, and I have also a lot less control. So it's a very different situation but a lot of the same. A lot of the same activities that you can take to reduce water and they're all sorts of different ones, apply equally to whether or not you're in an apartment, or you're in a house so I hope that helps answer that a little bit.

JAMIE: Definitely and I think maybe the neighbors may not talk to each other. I shouldn't ask about it. They need to make it a part of the conversation.

LISA: Yeah, so that's interesting i mean i. So yeah, like I said I live in an apartment and my neighbors and I have talked about the water usage. But I've also talked to neighbors, I mean people in the building have talked about it but I've also talked with people about it.

Across the street so I guess it depends on your situation and your water issues.

Yeah, it's all very individual I think.

JAMIE: And did you say that you were part of the pilot program as a leader.

LISA: No, I have not been a cool block leader, I have not been on a call block. I have been, I have sat in on many many many many many cool block meetings so I have a sort of a different perspective than other folks do.

JAMIE: Thank you, the sharing. So, suppose I just moved into a new area. Yeah, I learned about the cool block need a full again. I don't know how to get started. I don't know my neighbors, do you have any suggestions?

LISA: Well, really so we'll help walk people through we're starting in January and we'll train people and we'll provide people with resources and all sorts of thing it's it's a very, it's a program with a lot that's very self directed but very supported by we've traditionally done it pre coded is encourage people to knock on their neighbors doors. It's more fun, and more successful if you do it with somebody else in your neighborhood.

You know, it's nice I mean for me like Oh that feels less intimidating.

Um, and you know like if you have a kid, you know, kids are always helpful because everybody loves kids, that kind of thing.

But really it's really that kind of old fashioned old school, connecting in person if, if we can do that, you know, within the confines of the pandemic.

JAMIE: I can hear you. It can be intimidating. I shot my desktop app but as possible and asking somebody to come along. They are more comfortable with a social conversation.

Not that I'm interrupting somebody from whatever they're doing, but they created a different culture here.

LISA: Yeah, and we have flyers that people can drop off lots of times these days, there are gates or dogs or people not home, all kinds of reasons that knocking on the door doesn't work so we do have other suggestions that can help as well as you want to open mouth I know that the city has easily an emergency preparation plan, but also be wonderful to know more about the climate adapt ation their take on the responsibility to do some research to know how the city, or the county, like the neighbor and those year you have to meet those adaptations and.

No, not at all. We have, you know, we have this what used to be in the book which is now online the, the actions you can take and it's all spelled out like why to take the action the steps to go through and how much time and it takes blah blah blah blah blah. And if you want to do as I think I mentioned if you want to do your own thing that's fine you can do whatever you like. And we're also going to have a lot of support from different city departments already la sanitation and DWP have stepped up and said hey we want to help the cool blocks when they're off, off the ground. And we have our own collection of resources to help folks. And we're also talking about hosting forums to help educate people about the resources out there, so there shouldn't.

So, the shouldn't. I mean, the idea is that the burden is not on the cool block leader also you you rotate meeting responsibilities, every couple of weeks, so the cool part leader is responsible for the first meeting, but then you rotate so it's really a shared leadership model.

JAMIE: Wow. And anybody who wants to learn more about the coop law program can contact at Laclimatereality@gmail.com.

We have as. What about check the code shared can be had quite a lot who have already signed that we are looking for seven more people to sign up before the 23rd of this month which is actually 27 but this run day before this period experience on guy.

Yeah man, but there is a community effort that we would love to provide for our chapter, and I'm going to share a little quote that Andy has shared, quote, to be a core black leader at another country, opportunity to work together towards a sustainable

society, rather no simple way, or mean to achieve it individually, that can spawn, the lifestyle in unison, we leave the community, not just themselves to information is changed at a grand scale and kind of could block by block on good an outward, but

only if we act. I have decided to take one more action towards another tada tip to state of a fisher because life, and avoid demanded and followed.

Thank you so much. Nice to share you with us about the program, and I look forward to learning more from you the next time around.

LISA: Thank you, Jamie.