Speakers say volunteer service can bridge loneliness while advancing climate action in California

Speakers at a public forum argued that volunteer service can help reduce social isolation while mobilizing Californians to take climate action.

"In this moment, in this age of just really discouraging political polarization, service can actually help bridge divides," Speaker 1, Commenter, said.

Speaker 2, Staff member, told attendees that the nation is facing both a climate crisis and "a crisis of connection," citing a recent federal public-health pronouncement. "The surgeon general of The United States, last year, declared an epidemic of loneliness in our country," Speaker 2 said. Speaker 2 added that service opportunities can let people "connect with other people and you can connect with the earth at the same time." The speaker described programs that aim to accommodate different time commitments, saying, "whether you have an hour to give or a year to give" people can take climate action through volunteering.

The forum statements framed volunteerism as a dual-purpose civic response: a way to create social ties across political divides and to advance projects addressing climate change. No motion, vote, or formal action was recorded on the topic during the session.

Speakers did not provide detailed program names, specific funding sources, or measurable targets for volunteer recruitment or climate outcomes during the recorded remarks. The Surgeon General advisory referenced by Speaker 2 was cited as background for the claim about loneliness; the advisory itself was not read into the record.

The discussion took place during public remarks and informational presentation; it did not result in board directives, funding commitments, or regulatory changes during the recorded segment.