Climate Action and Sustainable Storytelling: Insights from PNW Climate Week
We're thrilled to introduce our guest writer for this blog post. Brooke Benedict, Experience Momentum's Marketing Manager, is usually behind the scenes, but today you get to hear about her first-hand experience of PNW Climate Week. We hope you enjoy this peek behind the curtain as she shares the challenges and triumphs of sustainable storytelling while addressing how you can find your own corner in climate action.
Embracing Hopeful Climate Narratives
Entering a room filled with like-minded individuals creates a space where energy and ideas flow. PNW Climate Week radiated those vibrations. The event featured numerous workshops and sessions centered around climate and sustainability. I was able to attended an impactful session titled "Crafting Climate Narratives: Harnessing Storytelling for Sustainable Impact."
By grounding our climate actions in a connection to nature and a sense of calm, we can create lasting change and feel that our efforts are truly making a difference.
Brooke Benedict
Telling stories about the state of our climate can be daunting because so often, these narratives are infused with fear, hopelessness, and anxiety. However, the attendees of this session brought a refreshing and hopeful perspective. The workshop was filled with courageous stories of our future, painting a picture of what could be, rather than what has to be.
We are constantly fed stories about melting ice caps, polar bears losing their habitat, floods, wildfires, and more. While these issues are real and pressing, the overwhelming amount of negative information can be paralyzing, making many feel it's "too late" to take action. But what if it didn’t have to feel this way? What if we found hope in these stories? By grounding our climate actions in a connection to nature and a sense of calm, we can create lasting change and feel that our efforts are truly making a difference.
Operating from a place of fear and scarcity can only get us so far. Constantly receiving negative information about the climate often leads us to believe that too much irreversible damage has been done, and our individual actions are too small to make an impact. However, one person's inspired and centered actions can influence others.
The workshop was filled with courageous stories of our future, painting a picture of what could be, rather than what has to be.
Brooke Benedict
Take Shanon Tysland, Founder and CEO of Experience Momentum, as an example. He started this business to do good but didn’t have a concrete call to environmental action until 2013, when EM became a member of 1% for the Planet. By donating 1% of all pre-tax revenue to environmental nonprofits, he communicates the hope and possibility that comes with climate action to all of his customers. Now, Shanon uses his company and passion for health, wellness, and movement to take environmental action. You can join Experience Momentum and your local community in efforts to support the environment. It could be anything but I encourage you to find your own corner of environmental advocacy—your path to climate action will actively make change because of the passion behind it.
Finding Your Corner of Environmental Advocacy
You need to find a piece of environmental work that resonates with you, channels your energy, and most importantly, gives you hope.
Brooke Benedict
Your personal commitment to the environment will likely look different from Shanon's. You need to find a piece of environmental work that resonates with you, channels your energy, and most importantly, gives you hope. When I think of an environmental issue that I want to address the most, our nation's over consumption of clothing, accessories, and home goods is top of mind. We throw away items that could have been mended and repaired, often without giving them a second chance. What if it didn’t have to be like that? Can we move back to a culture where mending our garments is normal, and fast fashion isn't celebrated?
A promising shift in consumer behavior has me hopeful, from the growing popularity of thrifting to the explosion of vintage resellers working to repair and revive clothing the purchasing of second-hand clothing is on the rise. I am seeing more businesses opening that are sustainable at their core, like The FXRY, an alteration business dedicated to keeping clothes in circulation that was founded by Calley Dawson from our EM community. These businesses are helping to change people's habits, including my own. Now, the majority of the things I buy are second-hand—a behavior change that has occurred over the past three years. I used to think my environmental impact needed to look a certain way, but I found far more inspiration and empowerment in my corner of activism, filled with passion and hope.
Join the Movement
This is my corner of sustainability where I have found my passion and ability to make an impact. What’s yours?
Share your stories and join us in making a difference for the planet. Let's create a wave of positive change together.
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