Sometimes we cannot easily imagine the impacts legislation and policy can make. Andrews Smalls from City Lab wrote the article, What American Cities Looked like Before the Environmental Protection Agency Was Created. "Since 1970, the agency has reduced the six most common air pollutants by more than 50 percent, reduced air toxins from large industrial sources by almost 70 percent, and eliminated the use of ozone-depleting chemicals. And this progress was accomplished even as the country’s GDP tripled, energy consumption increased by 50 percent, and vehicle use nearly doubled."
Of course we have still have work to do. We need to reduce localized pollution and heat-trapping greenhouse gases globally. So how do we build the political will so that the public clamors for legislation and policy that will change how we get and use energy? We need to communicate to the public what success looks like. Envisioning success in our climate work though requires imagination.
To help us with this task Sean Dague, the group leader for the Mid-Hudson South chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby, leads us through a powerful exercise. He asks us, What does a decarbonized world look like? What does it smell like? What does it sound like?
Once you hear Sean’s vision of a successful future, we invite you to continue the exercise. Try some creative writing. Write a short story or a letter from the future about what you see, smell, and hear. Maybe create visual art, a drawing or painting. If you can’t draw or paint, get images from magazines and on-line then create a collage. Write a song, create a map, choreograph a dance. Use art to capture a vision of a decarbonized world. Even if you do not see yourself as an artsy person, just try it.
Towards the end of his life, writer Kurt Vonnegut would say, "Everyone should practice art because art enlarges the soul."
PLEASE feel free to share your art with our host, Peterson Toscano, and let him know if I can share it with listeners, on the podcast, Facebook, and Twitter.
If you have art from this exercise to share or if you have idea for the Art House, feel free to contact Peterson at radio@citizensclimate.org.
You just spoke to a group of middle school students about your climate change work. During the Q&A a student named Victor says, “I am freaking out because of all the bad stuff I am seeing and it seems like it is just getting worse and worse. I really do not see the point of even trying anymore. I think we are too far gone. What difference does this make?”
Lots of people young and old feel the same way. So how do you respond to Victor? How can you validate his fears while also giving him reasons to hope and pursue solutions.
Send us your answers. Leave your name, contact info, and where you are from.
Get back to Peterson by September, 15, 2019 Email: radio @ citizensclimate.org or leave a voicemail of 3 minutes or less: 518.595.9414. (+1 if calling from outside the USA.)
Dr. Noah Kaufman | Citizens' Climate Lobby | January 2021 Monthly Meeting
CCL Training: Organizing & Hosting Coworking Parties On Zoom
CCR Ep 55 Climate Change and Creation Care: What Would Jesus Do?
CCL Training: Intro to Latinx & Spanish-Speaking Outreach
Christiana Figueres | Citizens' Climate Lobby | December 2020 Monthly Meeting
#CCL2020 Dec. Conference - Introduction & Opening Keynote Panel
CCR Ep 54 Justice, Football, and Talking Trash -- Garry Gilliam and Sharona Shnayder
CCL Training: Q&A About June Conference & Lobby Days
CCL Dec. 2020 Lobby Training #2: Primary & Supporting Asks
Tia Nelson | Citizens' Climate Lobby | November 2020 Monthly Speaker
CCL December 2020 Lobby Training #1: CCL's Legislative Plan
CCL Training: Processing the Election
CCL Training: How to Give Motivational Climate Presentations
CCL Training: Advanced Instagram Workshop
CCR 53 Andrew Stuhl with Lessons from a 1972 Flood and Lynn Neuman is Dancing with Plastic
Oct 2020 | Alex Posner | Citizens Climate Lobby
CCL Training: Using CCL's Action Tracker
CCL Training: A Social Psychological Framework For Climate Advocates
CCL Training: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in CCL
CCR Ep 52 Doug Parsons on Adaptation, Resilience, and Bouncing Forward
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Saad Truth with Dr. Saad
The Resilient Mind
Positive Thinking Mind
The Mel Robbins Podcast
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast