This locally-grown bok choy, purchased at Union Square’s Farmer’s Market, is one prong of Somerville’s sustainability effort. ~Photo by Lauren Ostberg Climate week localizes a global issue Lauren C. Ostberg Somerville has a history of hosting riders with an urgent message. This week, however, instead of Paul Revere bearing news of the British, four student bicyclists will rally the troops against climate change. The four bicyclists, known as "Climate Riders," are one of three groups of college students who will dedicate eight weeks of their summer to grassroots environmental activism throughout the northeast U.S. They are also the featured guests of Somerville's Climate Week, with daily appearances scheduled from today, Wednesday, June 23, through Sunday.

The students operate under and spread the community organization model of Marshall Ganz, a civil rights movement figure and Obama campaign organizer.

Students will work with existing environmental groups, such as event co-organizers Somerville Climate Action and Transition Somerville, to develop environmental activism and policy initiatives.

Vanessa Rule, Chair of Somerville Climate Action, hopes to open a dialogue about the impact climate change could have on Somerville, and the impact Somerville could have on climate change.

"It feels like such a global problem, that there's nothing you can do in terms of sustainability on a local level," Rule said. Somerville's Climate Week events combine activism, education, policy advocacy and local sustainability efforts in a five-day campaign to build local solutions.

Things kick off at the Davis Square Farmer's Market, where the climate riders will mingle with Somerville's localvore community. That evening, more than sixty of Somerville's community leaders will meet for the first Climate Change World Café. They will discuss the specific impact of climate change on Somerville, existing initiatives to address these issues, and means of building on Somerville's existing efforts to make the community climate-friendly and resilient in the face of coming changes.

As possible topics for discussion, Rule suggests cites rising summer temperatures, the increased frequency of severe weather and a projected drop in national agricultural production.

"We're building leadership in the [environmental] community," Rule said. "We're thinking of the future so we can develop a plan now, and be less vulnerable."

Thursday marks Somerville's second annual Somerville Living Green Festival, the event with the broadest appeal. It will include activities for children, energy-efficiency workshops in Spanish, and information about gardening, saving energy, eating local, green-building, and more.

The climate riders will give a one-hour presentation on the state of the climate, their summer project, and the need for legislation that incorporates up-to-date scientific findings.

The climate riders aren't simply blowing through town. On Sunday, they're inviting Somerville residents to First Church Somerville, where they will be staying throughout the week, for a screening of "A Sea Change: Imagine a World Without Fish."

On Saturday, at the Community Growing Center, they will train community members to be more effective grassroots organizers.

Maureen Berlow, 17, a student at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington, will be one of the four climate riders in Somerville. She's excited about the opportunity to work with local environmental advocacy groups, but, even more so, she's glad to be part of a ride that communicates the urgency of climate change activism.

"There's a sense of action," she said. "This is something that we are ready to take responsibility for now, not in 10 years."