Our Livable Future
Our Livable Future campaign inspires Montanans to get involved in climate action by sharing positive stories about solutions, and raising awareness about roadblocks.
Recent Posts
We invite you to join us during Missoula Gives and make a donation to support our work in creating a community for climate action in Montana.
We have complied events from across the state for all those of you wishing to attend Earth Week events in your county. We encourage you to download our searchable PDF for Montana Earth Week events and share it!
Recently, I’ve been remembering the words a friend once shared to me about the beauty of the seasonal shift: That winter is naturally a time to reflect and slow down, and if we lean into it rather than fighting it, this time to rest can be healing.
I wonder: can we allow this cue to rest and reflect to bleed into the sphere of climate action?
A reflection and call to action from our Executive Director
In Montana, despite my perception of a mild summer, we’re already experiencing big trouble: record lows in Flathead Lake’s water level, fishing restrictions on important rivers, and according to the Daily Montanan, “a high-pressure ridge is expected to push temperatures into the 90s and near 100 degrees this weekend into early next week in western Montana – about 15 degrees above normal.”
After listening to the poem “Dandelion is the New Guru” by Lisa Bellamy and rereading a DearTomorrow letter I had written to my daughter in 2021 for her to read 2050, my heart broke wide open as I was reminded that there is no giving up, because that would mean giving up on my child and her future.
If we are truly committed to our Montana values – improving the quality of life for this and future generations – we need to take significant steps now to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, increase energy efficiency, and protect our water resources. We shouldn’t be relying on our young people to fight for their future; we should be working to give them the best future possible. If we don’t, what type of legacy are we leaving them?
A mother’s job is never over. We don’t give up when things get hard or when they seem hopeless. Moms are tough. We work hard and we fight for our families and our communities. We don’t just hope for a good life for our kids - we actively work to build a better future for our children.
By Sarah Aswell | Missoula Current
As a comedian and community organizer, I do think there are places comedy shouldn’t go… But when it comes to talking politics, taking on sensitive topics, and making fun of our most terrifying current issues, comedy isn’t just okay, it’s imperative.
A critical part of building a livable future for all involves learning, unlearning, and confronting difficult truths about our past. It is only when we dispel our myths and take an honest, critical eye to our stories that we can authentically begin the work of reconciliation, reparation, rebuilding, and realizing a truly livable future for all.
We have gathered this (non-exhaustive) list of resources to help guide us on this journey of learning, unlearning, confronting, connecting, and taking action.
We at Families for a Livable Climate recognize the power of storytelling, and we also acknowledge how important it is to speak up about climate change. We know, despite widespread misinformation and attempts to divide and silence us, that there is actually vast support for climate action - we simply have to normalize it and mobilize those who are concerned.
What I’m realizing I want is NOT to have to do all the research and work and suffer the burden of making the more difficult but “right” choice - what I want is for the right choice to be the easy, accessible, and obvious choice. What I want is a system where workers are valued, water is kept clean, ecosystems are healthy, air is breathable, and our climate is stable, all inherently. I want a system that enriches rather than pollutes. I want a future that is livable for all.
We held our annual Climate Protector Ride last Saturday (9/17), and are feeling emboldened, empowered, and refreshed in our work to build a livable future for all.
When we are isolated and alone with our thoughts and fears (and doom scrolling) we are like a lonely rain droplet on the window, but joining together in public spaces in conversation and collective action, we have the potential to become a wave. Isolation and despair are the tools and messages of oppression, we reject them when we reach out and connect.
Black resilience, joy, and resistance are powerful, inspiring, and worthy of celebration. And, this celebration needs to be accompanied by real, sustainable, systemic change.
Thoughts and prayers are never enough when terror or disaster strikes, we need actual plans that steer us toward long term security. And when considering the work to keep our climate in the safe zone, how can we think about security without sustainability?
On Thursday, May 19, we stood proudly with the many other member organizations at Common Good Missoula’s founding event at the Missoula County Fairgrounds. The weather conspired toward cold and windy, but nearly 420 people showed up anyway. It was a phenomenal event realizing years of work to bring together a broad base of community organizations to work for the common good.
These resources from Our Kids’ Climate help teachers, parents, and caregivers meaningfully and effectively communicate with young people about climate change. They provide top tips for helping children and young people deal with emotions and questions related to the climate crisis.
Given the huge impact of energy emissions on our changing climate, NorthWestern Energy has a unique responsibility, and opportunity, to help mitigate severe climate risks, and help protect all of our families, present and future.
Ask NorthWestern to get on board! Add your name as a parent, caregiver, businessowner or organizational leader, to this letter from Families for a Livable Climate and supporters asking NorthWestern to support our shared future.
On April 1, Families for a Livable Climate stood with 350Montana, Gallatin County Sunrise Movement, and Montana Sierra Club (with guest speakers from MT Women Vote) to begin calling NorthWestern Energy to account for their plan to build gas-fired power plants (and other regrets solutions) to fuel our shared future here in Montana. The upshot? NorthWestern’s “net zero” plan is not acceptable.
How well people exercise their agency will determine the severity of global warming – and its consequences.
Watch this panel discussion on Zero Waste Schools to learn about how plastic and waste contribute to the climate crisis, the role schools play in building a Zero Waste community, and Zero Waste efforts and opportunities in Missoula schools and beyond. Also, stay tuned to our upcoming events by joining our email list for more plastic-focused workshops!
Bringing back passenger rail service = climate solutions across differences in Montana. Watch this very inspiring presentation by County Commissioner Dave Strohmaier on the collaborative, cross-county movement to bring back passenger rail across southern Montana.
Seventy-one percent of Americans say they are at least “somewhat worried” about global warming, and 35% say they are “very worried.” But 61% of Americans say they “rarely” or “never” discuss global warming with family and friends (see Yale’s Six Americas). How can we build overwhelming support for climate action if most of us don’t talk about it?
The landmark youth-led climate lawsuit, Held v. State of Montana, has been scheduled for February 6-17, 2023. Learn more about the case and ways to support the plaintiffs.
Watch this special panel discussion on Climate Conversations Across Differences to hear success stories from the field, and learn about skills for bringing climate into your day-to-day conversations consistently, and with more confidence. Also, stay tuned to our upcoming events by joining our email list. We will be hosting more conversations and skills training throughout the year.
It's simple: we must limit global warming as much as possible to protect our families, and their future. To do so will require big changes. Connecting in community is not only a critical part of building power to make change, it also strengthens our courage, builds resiliency, and deepens our resolve to act now to ensure a thriving future for our kids.
Our third Decarbonize Your Money workshop is in the books! You can watch or simply listen to the recording above. This event series has resulted in more than $500,000 being moved out of fossil fuels so far! Your money could be next!
Climate change is human caused and getting worse. But, we have most of the solutions we need to address this problem. When we openly speak about the causes, concerns, and mitigation of these impacts, we can move toward a thriving future for Montana. Our hope is that by sharing stories, more Montanans can find common ground and come together to protect our climate, our communities, and ensure a livable future for all of our families and this beautiful state we call home.
On October 12, we welcomed Drs. Lori and Robert Byron from Montana Health Professionals for Healthy Climate to speak to parents and caregivers about the potential impacts of climate change on our children in Montana, and learn tools and actions that could help keep our kids safer in a rapidly changing world. Watch the recording!
On the drive north around Flathead Lake, you can see the destruction of the Boulder 2700 fire: 31 “structures,” including 14 homes, some right on the lake, lie in cinders.
But you step on the gas as soon as you get to the other side of the charred 2,230 acres. You have places to go, people to see, business to take care of.
We Montanans turn our heads from scientific reports, too. Take the sixth assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, released last month, which says 1.) these high-intensity fires are a sign that climate change is here and 2.) it’s going to get a lot worse.