Reflecting on WTCTA's "Why"
And living into the instinct to seek clarity when everything feels confusing.
I had a great conversation last week with a wonderful mentor of mine, Deb Mills-Scofield (major shout out, Deb!). She helped cut through the noise (as I knew she would) to get at two key pieces of Where The Climate Things Are - the “why” and the “for what outcome.” I started my conversation with her sharing about all the different channels we now have going - substack, podcast, instagram, youtube, even events! - and the need, I felt, to codify that into a business model of sorts.
She stopped me there.
“The only two pieces you need to know at this stage are “why are you doing this” and “what is your intended outcome?”
I could feel the relief in my chest. “I know those things!” I exclaimed back, sliding into my college student self sitting in front of Deb.
“Good! Write them down!”
As we embark on our next event - which somehow already has over 100 participants registered!?! - it does in fact feel nice to clarify why WTCTA exists. The events, I’m realizing, are where I feel that “why” the most.
Photo credit:
The Why
I’ve written about this before, but I’ll put it in different terms - there is a magic to sharing time with other folks outside. I remember joining a running group in DC many years ago, and I ran with Senator aides and federal tax court judges and consultants and someone we definitely thought worked for the FBI. At the time, I worked for a nonprofit that supported social entrepreneurs around the world. Our commonality? A love of running, and a weird draw towards getting up before the sun and enjoying the sunrise as we ran laps on the National Mall (a draw I no longer possess).
Now, it is a very real and noticeable issue that not all outdoor recreation is open and accessible to everyone; certainly, not everyone feels welcome outside. So as we work to bring that community together on key issues, we also need to make sure that community is representative of the folks that are most impacted by climate change (cue every episode of The Trail Ahead, my other podcast, that we’ve ever recorded).
My thesis here is that folks can connect on climate* - whether through listening to interviews, watching reels, reading these posts or joining an event - by way of a shared love of outdoor recreation, which creates a more action-oriented, tighter-knit community.
*climate is something I see as the defining issue of our time, but we can also say “one of” the defining issues, sure.
And yes, as I’ve said a few times already: a) the climate movement needs to be as accessible and inclusive to everyone as possible, which means passing the mic/shining a light, and b) sometimes telling stories is the simplest way to spur action.
Outcome/Impact
Ok cool - so, to what end? Why focus on the outdoor community at all? Well, on one hand, it is the community I probably know the best in my life, feel most at home in, am most familiar with. And what’s the saying? Write what you know?
And on another hand, I am targeting this community to harness the passion these folks feel for very specific outdoor spaces (the trail out the back door! the lake you grew up fishing! the park in the center of the city!) towards climate action. And a new development with the live Climate Strides events is to *bring* more folks outside, seeing ourselves as “outdoor recreators” and redefining what that means for each of us.
So, through this initiative, I hope to create a more informed, more engaged outdoor community - arguably, some of those "closest" to nature and the environment - that feels inspired, educated, and equipped to take action on climate, whether that's through personal behavior change or getting loud in their respective communities to engender tangible environmental progress.
It feels nice to write out this manifesto, a few months into launching this project.
My most recent interview with Timothy Lock, an architect and designer with a focus on ecology and climate, had a fun exchange:
“I really love the title of your podcast actually, because where the climate things are is everywhere, right? Like we all have a role to play in that mental model, every one of us. And yeah, I just think that it's when I'm in that headspace and I'm like, wow, the opportunities are boundless. And we can totally do this because we are sympathetic to each other. I think at our core, it's just sometimes we're held apart.”
Well Tim, you pretty much nailed it. What started as a fun play on a beloved and quirky childhood storytime staple - subbing out “wild” to build an automatic association with the outdoors - has become infused with its own meaning over time. Where is climate? It’s everywhere around us, showing up in our day-to-day but then also giving each of us our own call to action on how to get involved. And in this case, “things” can mean issues, but it can also mean “solutions.” You take your pick at which you prefer.
~appreciate WTCTA, the why and the vision? check out the Patreon to further support the work!~