The Ojai Valley Green Coalition was founded in 2006 in response to the An Inconvenient Truth documentary. The devastating effects of climate change are being experienced around the world and right here in the Ojai Valley. So, it’s imperative that we individually and collectively do all that we can to protect our shared habitat.

We are guided by deeply-held values and beliefs that enable us to advance a sustainable and resilient Ojai Valley. We value collaboration, respect for all, and fact-based initiatives that benefit our community as we encourage our fellow residents to think globally while acting locally and to be part of the solution.

We aim to serve as a local resource for raising awareness while encouraging and empowering stewardship among our community members, and for building and maintaining partnerships with various stakeholders in the community, including influential individuals, organizations, schools, businesses, and governmental agencies that impact us all, all the while working collaboratively to achieve common goals towards protecting our precious Valley.

Our Guiding Principles

Collaboration
We advocate for the power of strategic alliances, inter-cultural collaborations, thriving networks, social movements, allied individuals and groups, by hosting and convening networks and spaces that engender mutually supportive relationships. We believe in the power of bio-cultural diversity to sustain and enrich our world as it faces change and uncertainty. (https://terralingua.org/what-we-do/what-is-biocultural-diversity/)

One of the ways that we embrace this value is by aligning with the priorities and needs expressed as intersectional environmentalism  –– which is a more inclusive version of environmentalism that identifies the ways in which injustices happening to marginalized communities and the earth are interconnected, and understanding that addressing greenhouse gases, climate solutions can have “co-benefits” that contribute to a better, more equitable world. (https://medium.com/climate-conscious/intersectional-environmentalism-a-crash-course-6a0c495ace91)

Systems Change
We support the resilience and inherent capacity of all living systems to innovate and transform in the face of rapid and unpredictable change. Informed by a systems view of life, we seek to foster impactful initiatives that shift the conditions that hold the problem in place, so that the innovation and transformation happen as soon as possible. (https://www.ecoliteracy.org/article/systems-view-life-unifying-vision)

Adaptive Leadership
We believe in being able, both individually and collectively, to take on the gradual but meaningful process of change; it is a pragmatic leadership framework that helps individuals and organizations adapt and thrive in challenging environments. A key component of adaptive leadership is the distinction between leadership and authority. Leadership does not require a manager distinction and can be enacted by anyone at any time. (https://hbr.org/2020/09/5-principles-to-guide-adaptive-leadership)

Reciprocity
We adhere to the value of reciprocity that recognizes the interdependence and inter-connectedness of all beings. This value is manifested through the practice of building relationships based on mutual respect, equitable exchange, the celebration of diversity, acknowledgment of differentiated roles, and the sharing of strengths and privilege. (https://www.thecommonsjournal.org/articles/10.18352/ijc.881/)

Accountability
We commit to being accountable to our values and partners by holding ourselves to the highest standards of excellence and ensuring competence, reliability, and transparency in all our actions. We practice this by continually deepening our learning, being consultative in our strategy development, regularly monitoring and evaluating our actions, and sharing the results. We work to build trusting relationships by investing in processes that engender respectful, authentic, and long-lasting relationships. We commit ourselves to presenting verifiable facts, being transparent in our decision-making processes, and remaining open to challenges and feedback

Designing Regenerative Cultures
At this critical turning point for life on Earth, we seek to find common ground and embrace Drawdown climate solutions to rebalance Earth’s living systems that support health, safety, and well-being. (https://drawdown.org/solutions/table-of-solutions)