Remember when some kid told you that tennis balls had poison gas in them, and if you cut them open you would die? This became a widespread belief, or credo among my childhood friends. A credo may have some elements of truth, or sound true, or it can be [...]
(When I was in jail once, I could only sustain myself with my imagination. Pandemic social distancing feels similar, yet as necessary as fighting for the earth. We do it for each other because we care for each other. So this is for all my friends that are feeling [...]
As communicators, we know words matter. They influence whether we are attracting people to a new idea or unconsciously turning them off. Naming the “People’s Bailout Campaign," by a coalition of groups, is one example where we could have done better with our words. Why? Because the campaign name [...]
I am hiking. The long trail up the mountain stretches out ahead. It’s a bright spring day on the North Shore of Lake Superior. The trees are desperately sprouting leaves celebrating the green ouroboros. While the air is cold, the earth is warm. A raven squawks from across the [...]
Anytime there is a disruption to society, there is also an opportunity to change the status quo. The disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is terrible and deadly. Many of my clients in environmental and climate organizations are now changing focus on how to immediately help our fellow citizens. [...]
I’m from Minnesota. I remember when we had snow and cold winters. We don’t much anymore. One year, we got two 18 inch snowfalls a day apart, and then the weather turned really cold. For the first week, people pretty much hunkered down. We knew it would end someday, [...]
If you are reading this, chances are you’re a climate communicator. You may also be frustrated with the progress we’ve made over the last 30 years. The communication techniques of dull fact-based presentations, or the abject fear we’ve painted haven’t worked, and won’t work simply by doubling down. So [...]
I am struck by the similarities of the Corona Virus and the Climate Crisis. They are both equal opportunity threats to our way of life. The COVID-19 virus will not be stopped by walls, and neither will the impact of climate. Yet there is a common path forward. In [...]
When your hair is on fire, what should you do? Run around and keep yelling, “My hair is on fire?” Or perhaps ask people for help? After all, they can see your hair is on fire. The same thing applies to the climate crisis. Our house is on fire. [...]
I have a friend who grew up in rural Minnesota. His favorite expression is, “You can’t put a duck bill on a beaver and call it a platypus.” This aphorism pretty much sums up urban thinking about rural America. We try to make it something it isn’t, and then [...]
