HEAT Heroes Workshop

On August 8th, Greenbelt Alliance and Latino Service Providers hosted their HEAT Heroes Workshop in Bayer Park. This workshop brought together community members to learn more about the impacts of extreme heat in their communities, provide feedback on the changes and mitigations they would like to see in their neighborhoods, and participate in a citizen science initiative that will provide important data for the HEAT Action Plan. 

The workshop began with community members using heat guns to measure the temperature of various surfaces around the park. Local residents got to see firsthand how development decisions lead to direct heat impacts and think about how to create a cooler Santa Rosa through design. Participants then formed smaller groups to discuss different aspects of the built environment that are key to extreme heat mitigation, such as trees, playgrounds, parks, and streets. Small groups contributed to vision boards for each topic that will be key to creating a community-centered vision for how Santa Rosa can adapt to be more resilient to a changing climate. 

After lunch, eligible participants received training on the purpose and set up of LogTags — small temperature monitors that measure ambient air temperature at residents’ homes across the city over a month-long data collection period. This neighborhood-level data will provide crucial information on temperatures within Southwest Santa Rosa, helping inform the HEAT Action Plan. Over 25 LogTags were checked out, marking an important step for community participation in the Southwest Santa Rosa Extreme HEAT Plan as a whole. 

This event was also featured by multiple local news organizations. Check out this video segment by ABC7 News and this article by KneeDeep Times to see the workshop in action.