Lessons on bold climate leadership with Auden Schendler
Last night’s event with Auden and Sanchali was amazing. We dug into some of the biggest traps we’ve fallen into when it comes to climate action:
Focusing too much on individual choices while ignoring the systemic changes that actually move the needle eg shifting social norms, having tough conversations, etc
Growing complacent with business as usual practices like carbon accounting and voluntary net zero commitments and leaving so much power on the table when it comes to advocating for essential climate policies
So, what does this mean for us?
It means we need to stop letting guilt over our personal choices consume our energy and instead focus on what actually threatens the fossil fuel industry—regulation, policy, and eroding their social license to operate. It means pressuring our employers to stop funding trade associations that fight climate progress. It means making it harder and harder for Tim Cook to stay silent while Apple’s industry peers lobby against solutions.
If this event made you want to dive deeper into community, then you’re in the right place. Climate Action Club is all about fostering genuine relationships amongst Gen Z changemakers who want to learn about climate action together and push for real change—inside our companies, through local policy, and beyond. Join us at our next picnic event on Sat Feb 8 to continue the conversation and fill out this post-event survey (2 min) so we can continue hosting valuable events for you!
We are SO grateful to Auden and Sanchali for sharing such incredible and thought-provoking insights with the community.
You can support Auden by buying a copy of Terrible Beauty (independently or Amazon), submitting a purchase request to your public library, and leaving an Amazon review! I cannot rave enough about this book; it’s incredible (even if you’re like me and often find non-fiction boring, Terrible Beauty is very entertaining) and everyone needs to read it.
You can find Commons by giving them a follow on Instagram and downloading their app!
See below for additional recommendations mentioned by Auden and Sanchali last night:
The Big Myth - book rec
Joe Romm and Auden Schendler - linkedin rec