On Monday’s Presidential Inauguration, Obama devoted a large portion of his speech to climate change—more than one minute out of approximately twenty—longer than any other topic. He said failure to respond to the threat “would betray our children and future generations,” and he pledged to lead the fight against climate change and toward sustainable energy solutions.

Obama’s pledge for a greener path forward fell on the same day as millions around the country and globe honored the great legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Dr. King could just as well have been speaking about the urgency of addressing climate change when he said, “we have been forced to a point where we’re going to have to grapple with the problems that men have been trying to grapple with through history, but the demand didn’t force them to do it. Survival demands that we grapple with them.”

Fast forward to Tuesday, when we brought together over forty organizations and individuals at The San Francisco Foundation, to talk about building community resilience in a time of climate change. We believe that climate change is the most pressing issue of our time and that climate change will disproportionately affect California’s most disadvantaged and isolated communities. Addressing social vulnerability and building community resilience in climate policies and response strategies will be critical to California’s future.

Representatives from government, community-based organizations, non-profits and philanthropy learned about the regional climate landscape, and steps that are being taken to adapt to the coming changes.

Our goals were clear: to not only address the issues of climate change, but to ensure that we were in it, together. That we build a strong, collective will to ensure that all of us protect and support one another in a time of crisis. And that it is vital for community members to be part of the decision making. Ideas, strategies and inspiration were flowing, and the desire to do something tangible, and immediate, were palpable. The collective wisdom in the room held the promise of deep impact and positive change.

As Dr. King said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”  If we can work together to build the resilience of the most vulnerable communities, we may be able to turn the rising tide and create a more equitable future for us all.

2.6 million people in the Bay Area depend on the Hetch Hetchy system for their drinking water. Water from the Hetch Hetchy reservoir is so pure and clean that it does not need filtration. The reservoir provides critical water storage during a time of climate uncertainty and projected water shortages. Projected costs to dismantle the system and find replacement water range from $3 billion to $8 billion. The social, financial and environmental implications were staggering.

Now that our water is safe, we need to recommit ourselves to diversifying our water system. As Hurricane Sandy unfortunately taught us, climate change is here and we need to prepare with all due haste. We need to explore and implement any and all policies and programs to store, conserve, reuse, reduce, recycle and reclaim water. No stone can be left unturned—especially if there is water underneath.

Thank you Prop F, for prompting us to redouble our water conservation efforts and thank you San Francisco voters, for saving our precious water.