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If you are concerned about climate change but unsure what you as an individual can do to help address it, a coalition of local organizations led by the Geos Institute and Rogue Climate is launching a year-long challenge to the Ashland community and inviting you to join. It all starts this Friday with special exhibits during the First Friday Art Walk. Special events including films, speakers, a costumed bike ride and more continue daily during Climate Week, which culminates in the Ashland Climate Challenge Kickoff from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15 at the Historic Ashland Armory. The goal of the challenge is to encourage participants to lower their energy use by 10 percent in 2016. The challenge works like this: Each month, participants have the opportunity to submit entries in three categories: Power Down, Green Up and Shout Out. If your residence used 10 percent less power in a one-month billing period in 2016 than in 2015, that's one Power Down entry. If you use alternative transportation at least four times in a month, that's one Green Up entry. And if you talk with friends, neighbors and others about energy efficiency, conservation or climate change, that's a Shout Out entry. Every three months, entrants will be eligible to win raffle prizes. Sponsors of this year-long effort include the city of Ashland, Southern Oregon University, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and many others. Details are at ashlandclimatechallenge.org . Climate change can seem overwhelming, but small individual steps make a collective difference.