CREATING A GREEN
WORKFORCE
BY Sena Christian
As the IPCC warns of suffering caused by climate change , the Capital Region is working to build a climate workforce
Heidi Hill Drum describes herself as “ generally not a very emotional person .” But when the Caldor Fire tore through the Tahoe Basin last year , she felt deeply for her tight-knit community of South Lake Tahoe . She ’ s married to a firefighter and was used to him going out to big fires ; this time everything felt too close to home .
“ There were so many sleepless nights and my heart is broken . I have , unfortunately , a couple of friends who lost their cabins on Highway 50 ,” says Hill Drum , whose family was evacuated during the fire . “ I have another friend who lost her home in Grizzly Flats .”
When Hill Drum and her neighbors returned to their houses on that first night , they cracked open a bottle of champagne and celebrated . “ Behind my house where I take my dogs for a walk every day , it just looks so different with the bulldozer lines and the trees down and the burned trees ,” she says . “ But we ’ re so incredibly thankful that our neighborhood and our homes were protected .”
June 2022 | comstocksmag . com 61