A Night of Active Hope
Last night I attended a TEDXSanta Barbara Salon event at one of my favorite non-profits: Community Environmental Council. The theme of the night was ‘Active Hope’ co-hosted by Vicky Riskin, creator of Bluedot Living, a media company + newsletter I read every day, AND CEC’s CEO Sigrid Wright.
Have you been fortunate enough to be in a room with so many like-minded people you leave buzzing with ideas, joy, fulfillment? That’s what happens every time I attend an event centered around the topics of climate + sustainability. Climate news can be heavy, mostly filled with despair and a lack of hope, but last night we watched three TED talks from three incredible women that switched the script and now I’m even more fueled to make an impact.
Dr. Katharine Hayhoe (atmospheric scientist) emphasized the importance of TALKING ABOUT CLIMATE. Stop treating it like a political marker, and start connecting from the heart. We all share common ground and no matter where you live, you are being impacted by our changing climate. Some fun facts:
There are more EV chargers in CA than gas pumps
55% of Americans are alarmed or concerned about our changing climate
Hannah Ritchie (badass data scientist + author) pitched a refreshing perspective that our world has never been sustainable. We need to reframe the way we talk about sustainability; it is not a sacrifice, but an opportunity. Sustainability gives us a shelf to rethink the way we do things!
A good life for everyone today + healthy opportunities for the future generation
Icon Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson (marine biologist, policy expert, writer) brought it home with her lovely venn diagram bringing together the buckets of ‘what brings you joy’, ‘what work needs doing’ and ‘what I’m good at’ to help determine where you can make the biggest impact. All our fates are intertwined; find your role + encourage others to find theirs!
There is hope for a healthy future if we take action now, but it requires us all to do so. It can be a full spectrum of actions — they do truly add up:
switch out your light bulbs to LED’s
consider an EV
eat local foods
compost your food waste
I believe in you — I’m almost certain you don’t want an unhealthy future for your kids, nieces + nephews, or any younger human in your life that will be living on this planet after you’re gone. Let’s do it for us + let’s do it for them!
With less waste and lots of love,
Ali