(This is an annotated transcript of the TEDx talk I gave in April 2023. It’s 10 minutes long. I’d suggest watching it first and then coming here for supporting materials.) Does climate action feel impossible? When I was a kid, I was interested in everything. I’d need about 10 careers…

It’s on Friday, June 16th. — I learned recently that this Friday is World Refill Day. We can all use the day being on the calendar as a reason to think and talk about refillable containers. …

How to take action that does more than just make you feel better — When talking to environmentalists, I often come across discussions of the value of individual action. The question is framed a number of ways: Which is better, individual action or collective action? Can individual action succeed without cooperation from governments and leaders? Is there any point in individual action? Are we…

Summarizing all my projects in one place — I must have always loved animals, because I don’t remember ever starting to. Bugs, crows, frogs, and the rhinos on the nature programs on TV — I relate to them all. …

It’s time to capitalize on recent successes — In 2022, we saw welcome progress in the climate movement after decades of stasis. Namely, the climate provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act and a breakthrough in nuclear fusion technology. Glimmers of success aren’t our sign to stop working and settle back to watch (as you don’t need me to…

I wanted to share something! I’m giving a TEDx talk next week, titled The Climate Movement Needs Your Creativity, Not Your Guilt. If you want to check it out (or share with anyone), there’s a livestream and registration is free. Anyone can register at the link below and pick “virtual attendee” at the last step. Event details: April 15, 2023 10:00am — 2:00pm CDT (UTC -5hrs) Registration: https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/51831

There aren’t enough detailed articles about how environmentalism works — When attempting to dabble in the dark arts of SEO, I looked up the main questions the internet was asking about climate change, the environment, and sustainability. I used tools like Ubersuggest, AnswerThePublic, and Google’s autocomplete to find the most commonly asked questions, and put them into search to see…

At last year’s COP27 climate conference, nations grappled with how to take accountability for their roles in causing climate change. As individuals, many of us try to take accountability as well by minimizing our carbon footprints. However, it’s time for a better metric to guide our decision-making. For years, I…

How to find fun, meaningful activities that fit your schedule and constraints. — Volunteering for environmental causes is a great way to spend an evening or weekend having an impact, with fun activities and maybe even the outdoors thrown into the mix! Doing practical tasks with your hands where you can see the positive effects directly is uniquely confidence boosting. And the people…

I’m a newbie at this but determined to learn — If you care about sustainability, you’re probably saturated on all the usual advice about recycling, composting, and the works. There is nothing wrong with doing these, but they aren’t the whole picture. I would argue that the more important sustainability skills are about advocacy and influencing policy. …

A low-barrier-to-entry way to advocate for change — I consider myself a newbie environmentalist, and I’m always envious of the kids from high school Environmental Clubs, who’ve seemingly been going to town hall meetings all their lives and communicate like charming and experienced diplomats… That’s not me. Talking to humans wasn’t my forte in high school. Environmentalism isn’t…

Being stuck is an opportunity for scaling your impact on global problems — When I was little, I couldn’t wait to grow up and do something big and “real”. I was excited to move on from kid stuff like lessons, games and reading fantasy to going on massive epic quests in real life. That’s what adults did, right? …

And how it does and doesn’t make a difference — It’s common among journalers to worry about wasting paper. Some feel like they need to save their ‘nice’ notebooks for important thoughts worthy of the thick paper and ornate covers. Others choose to go paperless for environmental reasons, and do their journaling on a tablet instead. I’m somewhere in the…

So why do we keep using it, and what are the alternatives? — Until recently, I hadn’t given much thought to laminated paper other than to dislike its sheen and the flappy sound it makes when you wave it. I spoke on the phone to a professional at a bioplastics company. …

Look beyond the scary headlines and ground yourself in reality. — Until 2018, I avoided reading any sort of climate or biodiversity news, despite being both a news junkie and nature lover. I spent hours reading digital newspapers but never clicked on anything climate-related. I didn’t need the news to decide what to do — I was already committed to researching…

Sustainable options often lead to living better — Ergonomics has been on my mind as I set up my home office after moving into a new apartment. To get a desk of the right height, I had to build my own out of a plank from a hardware store and a couple of filing cabinets. …

Exploring a question that’s more nuanced than you think, based on the latest research. — Do you associate optimism with hoping that things will work out while taking zero action? Or with believing in your ability to make a change and never giving up? Climate scientists who warned of the climate emergency we face today were probably branded as pessimists in past decades, and look…

The 20s are here to grant your wish. — Growing up reading R.L. Stevenson and Jules Verne, I wanted to be an explorer when I grew up. That dream stumbled when I learned that there weren’t any continents left to discover. …

Grasping a vast subject requires a creative approach — Environmental sustainability is a vast subject that touches every aspect of our lives — food, fashion, and our commutes to work — as well as many elements that we don’t see behind the curtain, like the supply chains that build the trucks that ship the products we buy. It also…

As I wrote recently, I’m building up my database of sustainability research sources and news, one link at a time. For this article, I’m trying something new. I am NOT an expert on sustainability, so if you aren’t either (yet), it might be fun to follow along with me as…