by Mike Cobb

I grew up in Norfolk with clear memories of four distinct seasons: muddy, green springs; pleasant, mild summers; cool, colorful falls; and long, frigid winters.

But today we have a crazy mix of unpredictable weather. Snow on Mother’s Day last spring, a hot, dry summer with water levels alarmingly low at Tobey Pond, Hurricane Isaias in August, with weeklong power outages and snow again for Halloween. It’s worrying enough that recently community members were prompted to come together to discuss how these changes are affecting our town and what we can do about it. 

On Monday, Oct. 12, a group of interested citizens held a meeting at the Congregational Church, followed by a walk in the Barbour Woods, with the dual purpose of recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day and acknowledging how climate change is affecting Norfolk. Selections from the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address and Native American poetry were read by Pastor Erick Olsen and other community members. 

Building on this momentum, community organizer Thomas Murtha coordinated a Zoom meeting on Oct. 19 to discuss how citizens of Norfolk can adapt to a changing climate as well as how each of us can mitigate our own environmental impact. Murtha has a background in renewable energy, technology, media and telecommunications. He teaches sustainable finance and investing at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. 

Topics discussed at the Zoom meeting included the development of a solar field at the town farm near the transfer station as well as building community gardens near downtown Norfolk. 

Alesia Maltz, a professor of environmental history and justice at Antioch University, offered the use of her land in Colebrook for community gardens, with an educational component for children. Asked why these issues are important to address now, Maltz said, “There can be no doubt that the weather is changing, tree species are changing. The idea that Norfolk would see a week of 70 degree days in November would have been unthinkable 25 years ago, and projections suggest in the next few decades we could become as warm as North Carolina. What are the implications for our town and region, and what kinds of things will we need as our communities become warmer?” 

Murtha held a follow-up Zoom meeting on Nov. 16. In addition to figuring out the next steps, the group sought to clarify its purpose and mission. 

“Our families and communities share a very special place in the Blackberry, Housatonic and Farmington watersheds,” Murtha said in a recent email. “We seek to honor, protect and regenerate the local and global ecosystems on which we all depend. We are driven by our love of place and our understanding that we are inextricably connected in more ways than we are divided. A changing climate brings the impacts of a warming planet to our homes and community now.” 

He continued, “Our initiative is about understanding our environmental impacts and dependencies and then working together to reduce these impacts and steward the natural systems on which we depend. How this will happen is up to us. Taking small steps to work on a few projects together in our community seems like a way forward that is likely to gain momentum.”

Though it is still in its nascent stage, this group of local citizens is spurred on by its concerns about the effects of climate change in Norfolk and the surrounding area. The group is seeking input from other residents and hopes that by pooling local knowledge, talent and resources, it can expand and effect real change beneficial to the community. 

Much of the impetus for these initiatives comes from a larger regional organization, the Alliance for a Viable Future, which seeks to support and promote climate leadership in New England through education, local projects and coordinated action for collective impact. Those interested in finding out more can do so on their website: www.allianceforaviablefuture.org.