Starting to Work on the Climate Emergency
Dear leaders in care of the environment,
As I reach out to RCers to encourage them to work on ending the climate emergency, they often tell me that they don’t know where to start.
It might be useful to have a collection of stories from you about how you got started. Can you post to this list [the RC e-mail discussion list for leaders in care of the environment] a short paragraph or two about how you first got engaged in climate work and what you do to stay engaged?
Here’s my story: In 2001 the RC Community adopted three goals, one of which was about the environment. Being a good RCer, I did occasional Co-Counseling sessions on the goal. Then one day a light went off in my head—OMG [Oh my God], this is really important. I e-mailed someone I knew who was doing climate work and asked her for one thing to read to understand the situation. I read the book she suggested. Then I started going to meetings and actions of 350.org and the Sierra Club and eventually became a leader in those organizations.
I had to do lots of Co-Counseling sessions, as a lot of my early distress got restimulated. All of it was really, really good for me. Now I lead in just one of the groups but am still active in the other.
When people ask me what to do, I tell them following:
1. Whatever you do, big or small, matters.
2. You can connect based on your interests and existing relationships—the climate emergency impacts everyone.
3. Do it with a friend. You don’t have to do this alone.
4. Discharge on what’s hard about it and be sure to work on the early distress.
5. Don’t spend a lot of time trying to figure out what to do. Just try things and discharge about them and see what makes sense for you.
6. You don’t have to know anything about the climate emergency to get started. You already know enough to be very useful.
7. Try something this week.
8. Discharge some more.
9. Try something again.
10. Talk to other people about the climate emergency and what you are doing.
11. Discharge and stay with us. Let your Co-Counselors know if you are struggling.
With love,
Shoreline, Washington, USA
Reprinted from the RC e-mail discussion list for leaders in care of the environment
(Present Time 207, April 2022)