“My poor granddaughter!” Oma Gosh lamented. “She worked so hard to make the varsity volleyball team, but that finicky coach picked a younger girl in her place.  She was heartbroken.  Luckily, her friend invited her to join the cross-country team instead.  Turns out she actually LOVES cross-country,” Oma sniffed as she took a sip of tea.

        Ima Phraid could hardly wait to share her juicy gossip. “Did you hear that Maeby Imsic went in to get some blemishes taken off before her twenty-fifth anniversary party.  But that fussy doctor wouldn’t do it until they could do a biopsy.  Just imagine! She had to have her party with those unsightly blotches on her neck.  How humiliating!  I guess they actually did catch and treat the cancer that probably would have killed her.  Still, it kind of makes me mad.”

        “Hmm,” Donna Worrie chimed in, “sounds like you both need a dose of something called equanimity.  It’s a fancy word meaning being even-tempered and composed, especially in difficult situations.  Equanimity implies that we actually need to wait and see how something disappointing plays out in the end instead of assuming the worst.  I remember years ago I missed a bus to a job interview.  I blew my first big career opportunity and sat crying my eyes out when a handsome, young fella came by to comfort me.  And now George and I have been married for 40 years!  Reminds me of a relentlessly chipper character I saw in a movie once.  “It’s always better in the end,” he said. “If you’re not happy; it’s not the end!”

        “You know me,” Donna continued, “I’m always reading about the next environmental crisis.  There are more than enough to give a person nightmares.  But we really don’t know what tomorrow will bring.  Fretting about it doesn’t help, but working on solutions does.  Take global warming - it’s a huge challenge, but it’s driving some amazing technological advances.  New, lower-cost energy options really can create a cleaner, healthier future.  We just need to make it happen.  The ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, said, ‘New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.’”

        “I get it!  No more gossipy moping for me,” Oma cheered. “I’ll help work toward that happy ending because we don’t really have a choice do we.  This is our only home where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”

        Forrest Phires was all smiles as he stepped into his favorite watering hole.  Sure enough, there were the ’24 Hurricanes – Beryl, Francine, Helene, Debbie and Milton – yuking it up around the poker table.  “Great season, eh Forrest!?” Beryl called out with a wave.  At the bar Forrest found his old pals Lotti Floods and Ty Phoon.  He sauntered over and pulled up a stool.

        “What are you grinning about?” Lotti asked giving Forrest a high-five. “I just can’t believe what these humans are letting us get away with, especially this year,” Forrest exclaimed. “It’s like the World Series, Super Bowl and the World Cup all rolled up into one.  Count ‘em - 24 confirmed weather/climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each in the good ‘ol U S of A.

        “Just think.  In the old days, those of us in the environmental disaster business were lucky to squeak out 3 or 4 billion-dollar disasters a year.  For 1980 – 2023 the annual average is just 8.5 events (CPI-adjusted), and most of those have been in the past 5 years. But this year we’ve already pulled off 24, and there’s still two months to go!  Those humans just keep on paying up.  Since 1980 our shenanigans have cost them over $2.79 trillion!  (Let’s see.  A trillion is 1,000 billion, right?)”

        “Yeah,” interjected Lottie, “I was a little nervous back in 1987.  You remember; scientists had raised the alarm about the growing ozone hole over Antarctica.  Then all the countries cooperated and made a pact to prohibit the use of chlorofluorocarbons. And it’s working; the ozone hole is gradually shrinking.  So I figured once the alarm was raised about greenhouse gases polluting the atmosphere and raising Earth’s temperature, everybody would once again cooperate on a plan to reduce their use.  Hasn’t happened!

        “It’s a real mystery,” Ty added.  “Humans seem to prefer to pay to clean-up and rebuild instead of using some of that $2.79 trillion to create an energy system that’s not sooo destructive.
 
        “The thing is, these humans are very clever.  Their scientific and industrial infrastructure is more than sufficient to take on this issue.  So let’s not count our chickens yet.  I bet they’ll figure out how to cooperate to get the job done.  After all, this is their only home.  It’s where they’re all forever… Earthbound.”

        Alone on the couch, Dee Velopper sat drowsing as she nursed her second Whiskey Highball.  “Why does it always have to be so difficult?” she mumbled to herself. “I’m just trying to do my job.  Most people agree that we need to ramp up renewable energy production.  But they usually want to see it happen ‘somewhere else’.  Inevitably, when we propose a new solar or wind farm, there’s a local group raising heck and doing all they can to prevent it.  What are we supposed to do?  We can’t just keep pouring greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere,” she said yawning. “Just once, I wish we could work togeth…,” and Dee nodded off.

       Soon, Dee’s dream world came alive and included some guy named Avery chewing on his pencil.  Every so often, Avery seemed to get an idea then jotted it on his notepad.  His notes included: 

• BEFORE finding individuals to lease their land for a renewable energy project, convene a coalition of neighborhood associations, faith-based organizations, unions, environmental groups and other stakeholders.
• Together, with the coalition’s input create legally-binding contracts that lay out the benefits the community will receive from the project.  Call these Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs).
• The coalition’s support of the project raises the probability of state and local government approvals for zoning variances, state permits, and other regulatory approvals.
• Clearly, communities benefit from CBAs, but developers stand to gain also. CBAs increase their chances of starting and sustaining projects.

         Suddenly, in the dream Avery Boddywinns jumped up excitedly and jotted down examples of possible benefits that could be included in the agreement.

• Besides the landowner, neighbors in close proximity to an energy site also receive financial compensation.
• Guaranteed percentages to employ both local contractors and the permanent workforce including on-the-job training
• Annual contributions to a community economic development trust fund
• Local school funding
• Financial and technical support for a community-based Climate Action Plan

         Dee’s head snapped up. “That’s it!” she cried. “Instead of fighting these ‘Us vs. Them’ battles, CBAs benefit all parties.  Cooperation – what novel idea!  As the transition to cleaner and ultimately less expensive energy sources accelerates, cooperation can be a key element in building a healthier, more resilient world.  After all, it’s what we all want for our only home where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”