Thurston Climate Action Team (TCAT), founded in 2009, is the leading grassroots nonprofit in Thurston County promoting practical action to address the climate crisis. Our mission is to bring our community together to reduce climate disruption, resulting in a healthy, just, and prosperous future for all.

Exhibits
TCAT has a traveling exhibit that describes the climate crisis, its effects in Thurston County, and local actions being taken to address it. This is suitable for community or learning events. Contact us if you’d like to include our exhibit and related literature in one of your upcoming events.

 Educational Programs
TCAT uses a two-pronged strategy to educate the community and drive change in Thurston County.

First, through our Carbon Free Thurston (CFT) initiative we were a leader in bringing the Cities of Olympia, Lacey, and Tumwater, along with the Thurston County Commissioners, together to engage in joint, coordinated climate mitigation planning. TCAT has continued involvement by participating in and/or attending committee meetings, providing expert input and public testimony, keeping the broader environmental community updated and informed about opportunities to impact the process, and meeting individually with the jurisdictions to address concerns and motivate early action.

Our second key strategy is to raise community awareness and build a community consensus for bold climate action through outreach, education, coordination, and action groups. This includes:

• Bi-monthly convening of the Thurston Climate Action Coordinating Council composed of over 20 entities working on climate issues in our region to share information, leverage resources, and coordinate activities;
• Education and outreach events including an annual conference and monthly workshops;
• Coordination of Climate Action Groups focused on taking concrete action around specific topics, including Advocacy (Carbon Free Thurston), Energy, Food & Agriculture, Green Buildings & Cities, Transportation, Trees, Youth Education Community Outreach (YECO), 90-Day Action Teams; and
• Maintenance of a Speakers Bureau, with speakers who give presentations about a range of climate-related topics.

Each of these activities is an opportunity for organizations and ordinary residents to learn about climate change-related issues and actively engage as part of the solution.

Volunteer & Internship Opportunities
Sign up to volunteer and subscribe to our e-newsletter under the “Engage” tab of our website:

• Volunteer with TCAT to help with Event Planning, Public Outreach, Local Government, Fundraising, Writing Articles, Legislative Hearings, Database Management, Website Updates, Graphic Design.
• Join one of our Climate Action Groups, which are focused on taking concrete action around specific topics.