Thurston Climate
Action Team
Our mission is to partner with our community to build an equitable low carbon future and to improve climate resilience in Thurston County
About Us
TCAT was founded in 2009 to address climate change and its impact on the people and communities of Thurston County. We encourage everyone to reduce their carbon footprint but believe real change will only come when we fight the systemic causes of greenhouse gas emissions. Working together we can lower carbon emissions and create a healthier, and more equitable Thurston County!
Our work does not end with passing the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan (TCMP). We must ensure that local governments and our communities take the steps needed to bring down our carbon pollution. You can be part of the action by Donating to TCAT or Volunteering for TCAT.
By acting locally and thinking globally, we are making climate action history. Please join us!
TCAT Statement to Oppose Racial Discrimination
Thurston Climate Action Team (TCAT) unequivocally opposes all forms of racism and discrimination. We believe that climate justice is racial justice, and there can be no true sustainability without dismantling the systems of oppression that have long marginalized Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color. Systemic racism is deeply embedded in Thurston County, shaping disparities in income, housing, education, healthcare, employment, food security, and the criminal justice system. These inequities do not exist in a vacuum - they make Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities the first and worst hit by the climate crisis. From disproportionate exposure to pollution and extreme weather events to housing instability and economic barriers, structural racism has placed Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities on the front lines of climate devastation. We refuse to stand by while these injustices persist.. TCAT is committed to closing racial equity gaps in climate action, economic opportunity, home ownership, land use, transportation, healthcare, policing, and access to healthy food. This is not charity - it is justice. It is what is owed. Real change requires bold action, and it must be led by the communities most impacted. We are committed to following the leadership of Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities in the fight to dismantle systemic racism. Climate resilience is only possible when every community is protected, empowered, and free from oppression.
We acknowledge that Thurston County's land and water is the traditional territory of the Nisqually, Puyallup, Squaxin (S'Homamish, Stehchass, T'Peeksin, Squi-aitl, and Sa-heh-wamish) and the Chehalis People.
The surrounding mountains, valleys, shorelines and waterways are imbued with their presence.
We seek to nurture our relationship with our Coast Salish neighbors and our shared responsibilities to this place — their homelands — where we mutually abide
You can learn more about the Indigenous territories you occupy by visiting https://native-land.ca/