In our collaborative storytelling adventure, fictional characters and real people explore Alachua County, Florida, looking for the people living by the principles of a sustainable, just, and peaceful future.
Their journey starts at the real-life September 2024 Sustainability and Resiliency Summit in Hawthorne, Florida. I remember that rain from Hurricane Helene was still falling, and we were grateful that Alachua County only got the outer bands. We did not yet know the devastation Helene was causing on its way to North Carolina, or that Hurricane Milton would hit us less than two weeks later.
In our story, several people sign up at the Community Organizations Active in Disaster table to help with recovery. Inspired by the 1976 Bicentennial Wagon Train, the imaginary Clean Energy Climate Caravan begins its journey through Alachua County. The Global Warming Express, powered by bubbles, butterflies, and positive thoughts, led the Climate Caravan, with solar- and people-powered transportation. The Caravan stops in rural communities, engaging all ages in the county-wide climate conversation-to-action program. Arriving in Gainesville in November 2024, young people attend the county’s Climate Festival.
Resources
Alachua County weathers two hurricanes in two weeks, resumes recovery https://www.alligator.org/article/2024/10/alachua-county-hurricane-recovery
What Hurricane Helene’s 500-mile path of destruction looks like https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/01/weather/hurricane-helene-path-of-destruction-climate-dg
Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIJ5t7Lbt7E&t
Trailer: Climate Caravan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mY4kgWIBGvs