0:01

The returning in to 2 degrees out west

0:03

. You are probably a climate advocate

0:05

, which can seem like a daunting thing to be

0:07

, but one thing we always need to remember

0:09

is that although climate impacts

0:12

are increasing , so are climate

0:14

actions . We have lots of things

0:16

to be celebrating , like that

0:18

the cost of solar power has fallen by

0:20

around 90% and wind

0:22

by 70% in the past decade

0:24

. While emissions are still creeping up a little

0:27

bit , they are falling in more than 30 countries

0:29

, between most of Europe and the US . Another

0:32

great win is that deforestation

0:34

of the Amazon fell by 55.8%

0:38

this year , which means that our world is breathing

0:40

better . And these are just some of the climate victories

0:42

that we've seen in 2023 , and we

0:44

know that there's going to be even more in 2024

0:46

. This year at WRA , we

0:48

are focusing on a bright climate future

0:50

, which is all about climate action , climate

0:53

resilience , working together to

0:55

make sure that our voices are heard , and we are

0:57

protecting the west to create that bright

0:59

climate future for ourselves and for

1:01

future generations .

1:03

But we're hopeful because we know what the challenge

1:05

is and we have seen

1:08

progress .

1:09

On this episode , we talk with Haley Littleton

1:11

and Candice Cleveland from WRA about

1:14

what they're excited about for this campaign

1:16

and what a bright climate future looks like

1:18

for them . Welcome to Two Degrees

1:20

Out West , a podcast where we celebrate all the things

1:22

that we love about the western United States

1:24

and the stories of the people who are

1:26

working to make this place thriving

1:28

and beautiful for generations to come . I'm your

1:31

host , Jessie Janice , the multimedia storyteller

1:33

here at WRA . Now let's start talking

1:35

about a bright climate future .

1:38

Hi , I'm Candice Cleveland . I'm

1:40

the graphic designer here at WRA . I've

1:43

been here since 2021

1:45

and I work on our publications

1:47

and I also offer social

1:49

support . Take it over to Haley , yeah

1:51

.

1:52

I'm Haley Littleton . I am

1:54

the associate director of marketing

1:56

at WRA . I've been here since 2022

1:59

and I focus on

2:01

our brand messaging

2:03

and all of our digital integrated

2:06

marketing strategies .

2:08

Awesome . Thanks for the intro , okay

2:10

, so on this episode we're talking about the

2:12

bright climate future campaign that WRA is

2:15

doing , and I want to just start by

2:17

asking all about that campaign and

2:19

why it's the focus of 2024

2:21

.

2:22

Yeah , I can jump in on this . So

2:25

, as we were thinking about 2024 , it

2:27

being a major election year , we

2:29

were having conversations of

2:31

that . There's going to be a lot of focus

2:33

on the digital space , a lot of

2:35

conversation , a lot of things happening

2:37

online , and how could

2:40

WRA really share our unique

2:42

perspective , our unique expertise

2:44

and be sort of a calm , educated

2:47

, comforting voice in the midst of

2:49

a lot of confusion and chaos ? I

2:52

think that navigating an election

2:54

year can really feel like you're trying to

2:56

find your way in the dark . It's confusing

2:58

, it can be a little scary , it's

3:01

seemingly endless and

3:03

, with all of our busy lives and responsibilities

3:05

in these big

3:07

election years , it can feel really daunting

3:09

to try to understand all of the candidates'

3:12

different positions and policies on

3:14

climate change , and

3:16

it can also really be hard to know

3:18

what makes a real difference when you're

3:20

getting these news of droughts and

3:23

wildfires and environmental injustices

3:26

and air pollution . And so

3:28

we really wanted to sort

3:30

of step in and help with this bright

3:32

climate future campaign because

3:34

, as you both know , at WRA

3:36

we really are hopeful and we

3:38

believe that a bright climate future

3:40

is possible , and so we

3:42

really wanted to take this

3:45

moment to share sort of our unique

3:47

expertise and our solutions

3:49

and our work and help people

3:52

you know feel a little bit more hopeful about

3:54

our climate future , rather than scared

3:57

or apathetic or jaded

3:59

.

4:00

That's exactly right , kaylee . I

4:02

would also add that , as

4:05

you mentioned , it resembles hope , but it also

4:07

encourages folks to vote with climate

4:09

in mind and it reminds them that

4:11

you know they can make decisions now

4:13

to benefit people , communities and ecosystems

4:16

in the future as well .

4:17

Yeah , I think that piece about really

4:20

motivating folks and making them feel

4:22

like they do have agency because they absolutely

4:24

do is so important . So thanks

4:26

for adding that , Canvas . I

4:29

wanted to talk a little bit about the idea

4:31

of climate demerism and what

4:33

it is and why so many folks end

4:35

up feeling really analistic about climate change

4:38

, you know , and overwhelmed . So could we

4:40

just dive into that for a second ?

4:42

Yeah , let's dig into it . So

4:45

, interestingly enough , my

4:47

background I in grad

4:49

school focused my research on

4:51

how we actually motivate people to

4:53

act on climate change and how

4:55

we can use art and storytelling

4:57

and all of these things to get people

5:00

motivated . And I think that one

5:02

of the issues is that

5:04

there's a really big disconnect

5:07

between what people want and

5:09

what people see happening at a larger

5:11

level . You know , we see from a

5:13

lot of our polling , from a lot of research

5:15

and studies , that people across all

5:17

demographics want climate action

5:20

. You know two thirds of Americans

5:22

support 100% renewable energy

5:24

by 2035 . And

5:26

that's coming from the Yale Center for

5:28

Climate Communication Studies and from

5:30

our polling that we've seen in the West

5:33

. You know conservation in the West , an

5:35

overwhelming majority of Westerners , you

5:37

know , want to protect our land by , you

5:39

know , 30% by 2030

5:41

and believe that we need to take urgent action

5:44

to protect our water sources , and so people

5:46

kind of agree on what they want

5:48

to see happen and the actions they want

5:50

taken , but then they start

5:52

to see sort of the opposite when it comes to

5:55

people in power . Or you know governments

5:57

making more investments in oil and gas

5:59

or stalling out when it comes to

6:01

addressing the urgency we need

6:03

with water or , you know , protecting

6:06

wildlife , habitat , and so , you

6:08

know , I think a lot of the climate apathy

6:10

comes from when people

6:12

feel like the situation is too

6:15

large for them to control , which is

6:17

a lot of what we see , that kind of scary

6:19

, like it was in 2023

6:21

, the planet experience it's hottest 12

6:24

month period and 125,000

6:27

years , you know , and they see that and

6:29

they're like this is big , this is scary

6:32

, what can I do about it ? There's

6:34

nothing that I can control

6:36

. You know , we see that a lot of people

6:38

feel helpless when it comes to climate

6:41

change . You know , 70%

6:43

of people believe that governments and corporations

6:46

and citizens should be doing more , but

6:48

there's this feeling of not being sure

6:50

what to do , and so I

6:52

think that there is

6:54

this tension between people

6:57

feeling a little apathetic of what

6:59

can I do ? I'm just one person . We

7:01

need governments and organizations

7:04

to be really focusing on this , and

7:06

I think something that we really want

7:08

to do in this campaign to kind

7:10

of combat that is to show

7:12

people that there are things that you can

7:14

do as an individual to hold some

7:16

of these organizations and governments

7:18

accountable on taking action

7:20

, and that's what organizations like WRA

7:23

do , you know we really try to

7:25

promote the policy , to call out bad

7:27

policy , to hold decision makers accountable

7:30

for what they're doing when it comes to climate change

7:32

, and you know we think that

7:34

this election year is really the

7:36

perfect time to do that by

7:38

taking advantage of some of our key

7:41

civic engagement things like voting

7:43

, researching candidates

7:45

, asking candidates where they stand on environmental

7:48

issues , you know , contacting your representatives

7:51

and sharing your opinion

7:53

. We've been talking a lot about how

7:55

kind of the antithesis of climate despair

7:57

is climate action , and so it's really showing

8:00

people sort of the next steps

8:02

that we can take to really make a bright

8:04

climate future a reality .

8:06

And I would just add that you know , I think

8:08

you know , there's this belief in

8:11

climate demerism that no matter what

8:13

we do , climate change will win , that we have

8:15

no chance in solving it . But really

8:17

we want to provide our audiences with

8:19

those resources . So

8:22

yeah , with the bright climate future campaign , we

8:24

want to help shift the focus on what we can

8:26

do and encourage that we not let our fear

8:28

lead us to inaction .

8:29

Yeah , and I think

8:31

the key messages in

8:33

what you both said is that you

8:36

know people are not alone . Really

8:38

, a lot of people do feel like

8:41

they want to see positive change with

8:43

climate and there are solutions

8:45

, you know . So , as much as it

8:47

feels overwhelming , all these people

8:49

are standing with you and together we can create change

8:52

. Right , and that's like the main , the main message

8:54

. So , yeah , the bright climate future is definitely

8:56

creating like a community platform too , where

8:58

people can feel like connected to each other . Okay

9:01

, now let's get into the design elements , which is

9:03

super fun , kind of a little bit

9:05

away from all of this bigger stuff we're

9:08

talking about with doomerism and action , but like

9:10

talk about just these fun elements of the campaign

9:12

itself and the art behind it , which is motivating

9:15

in its own way . So if , candice , you want to talk

9:17

about that , that'd be awesome .

9:20

Yeah , definitely so . First I

9:22

want to talk about the main symbol of our campaign , which

9:24

is the slight bulb with the plant growing

9:26

inside , and it not only represents

9:29

hope , but it also represents the policies being

9:31

passed today that will bloom into a thriving

9:33

and sustainable west . To

9:36

get more into the design elements , this campaign

9:39

will showcase some simple compositions

9:42

where photos and graphic elements are in balance

9:44

. This is meant to help create an approachable

9:46

feel to an otherwise very overwhelming

9:48

topic . Specifically , images will portray

9:51

people and wildlife in our region . You'll

9:53

see some sunsets and overall orangey hues

9:55

to evoke inspiration and calm

9:58

, some of that calm that Haley referenced

10:00

for . You'll also find dark images

10:02

where there are glimpses of light from

10:04

lanterns or light bulbs to create

10:06

a feeling of hope , while acting as

10:08

a nod to some of our clean energy work , and

10:11

people may be holding objects such

10:13

as light bulb , lantern , eb

10:15

charger to sort of reiterate

10:17

that we can personally effect change

10:20

and that we all have the ability to create a bright

10:22

climate future .

10:24

Yeah , and what I would add is what I really

10:26

like about the designs that

10:28

Candice has put together and the thought that Candice

10:31

has put behind all of this , is

10:33

that we're used to going back to that

10:36

doomerism , like seeing photos

10:38

of wildfires and

10:40

of smog and kind of all

10:42

this the scary aspects of climate change

10:44

which are incredibly real but we

10:46

also want to use imagery

10:48

that gives people a little bit more hope

10:50

and kind of flips the narrative to say what

10:53

if it could look like this ? What if it

10:55

could be bright and calm and

10:57

clean and with clean

11:00

air and everything . So that's something that

11:02

I think we were really thinking about when it

11:04

came to the design of the campaign , too .

11:07

Yeah , the focus of the campaign is more what

11:09

are we fighting for and less what are we

11:11

fighting against , although

11:13

you know what are we fighting against is always there , so

11:15

but it's nice to envision

11:18

this future together . I think that's really beautiful . Let's

11:21

go into the main action of this campaign

11:23

, which is the climate pledge , and just talk a

11:25

little bit about what that

11:27

is , why it's so important and how

11:30

people can take the pledge Totally

11:32

.

11:32

So , as I mentioned before , you know this focus

11:35

of combating climate

11:37

despair with climate action , and

11:39

so we were really thinking about how

11:41

can we show people the

11:43

ways that they can get involved , how they can use

11:46

their voice in this election to really make a difference

11:48

and to make people feel like they

11:50

are invested and really

11:53

taking action . So we thought

11:55

of our Bright Climate Future pledge

11:57

, which you will be able

11:59

to find on our website or

12:02

you can go to BrightClimateFutureorg

12:04

, and Jesse will include all of this in

12:07

the podcast notes as well . But you

12:09

know , our hope was to really get people thinking

12:11

about how they could engage this

12:13

year and show them things that they could do . And

12:15

so there are four

12:18

aspects of the pledge that people

12:20

will go online and sign their name

12:22

, and the four aspects are first

12:24

, you know , belief in a Bright Climate Future . So

12:27

people are pledging to share

12:29

the hopefulness of climate solutions

12:31

and do what they can to support them , that

12:34

they're going to commit to this sort of climate

12:36

hope rather than the climate demerism

12:39

or nihilism like we talked about . And then the

12:41

second aspect is knowledge is power , so

12:43

really pledging to learn who

12:46

are my local , state and representatives

12:48

and where do they stand on climate issues

12:50

like water conservation , land

12:53

protection , renewable energy , outdoor

12:55

equity , things like that and pledging

12:57

to learn about some of the key environmental

12:59

issues and initiatives that are happening

13:01

in their region . The third aspect

13:03

is use my voice , so pledging

13:06

to send an email , sign an action alert

13:08

that WRA or another

13:10

organization sends out , attend a public

13:12

meeting , give public comment about

13:15

a local environmental issue

13:17

that matters to them . And then

13:19

, finally which we'll talk about a

13:21

little bit more in terms of the

13:23

election year and civic engagement , but vote

13:25

locally . And so pledging to

13:28

vote not just in the federal election

13:30

, but state and local elections

13:32

and races , because they

13:34

are so important for elected officials

13:36

that represent the environmental values

13:38

that people want to see .

13:41

Yeah , local elections are so important . I feel

13:43

like people kind of get

13:45

overwhelmed in election season , you know , and they're

13:48

like , oh okay , if I could just I'll

13:50

just , you know , I'm fairly educated

13:52

about the presidential election and then these

13:54

other ones . I'll just do my best

13:56

, you know , and I do feel like taking that little

13:58

bit of time to research is so important

14:01

. Like you're saying , knowledge is power and it

14:03

really will influence what's going on in

14:05

your state and in your city . So super

14:08

important .

14:09

Absolutely . I want to kick it over

14:11

to Candice as well , because a key aspect

14:13

of the pledge is receiving

14:16

a pin in the mail

14:18

PIN and

14:21

I want to kick it over to Candice

14:23

about what that's all about and

14:25

how we're kind of trying to use this

14:28

pin in our campaign as well .

14:31

Yeah , so , as I mentioned before , the

14:33

pin is a light

14:35

bulb with a plant growing inside , and it's

14:37

really meant to not only act as a nod to

14:39

our clean energy work , but also

14:41

to act as the symbol

14:44

of hope and showing commitment

14:47

to our work and dedication

14:49

to also voting in a way

14:51

that creates a bright climate future .

14:54

Yeah , I'm excited to get my pin . It's going to be , great . Yeah

14:57

, the pins are definitely similar to the

14:59

little I vote stickers you get , like

15:01

you can just wear it , put it on

15:03

your coat , put it on your favorite hoodie that you

15:05

wear all the time , and just a little reminder

15:08

of that hopefulness and the

15:10

action that you're taking and that you do have

15:12

the fortitude and the

15:14

drive to create positive change

15:16

. So I think it's like a beautiful little

15:18

reminder .

15:19

Yeah , and Jesse is our person overseeing

15:22

social . Maybe you

15:24

can share a little bit about how

15:26

we'd like for people to highlight

15:29

the pins and kind of our plans for

15:31

social as well .

15:32

It's going to be super fun . We're going to aggregate

15:35

everybody's social photos that they send

15:37

in . So if you take a photo of you wearing

15:39

your pin and you use hashtag

15:41

bright climate future , we will

15:43

find you and we'll put it on our

15:45

website . And even

15:47

if you're into it , we would love to you

15:50

know , reshare it on our social tag , us in our

15:52

stories and through

15:54

your photos and your collaboration

15:57

, the message will just spread and

15:59

we'll be able to do even more good this election

16:02

season . So more action

16:04

, more agency .

16:06

And one really thoughtful consideration

16:08

with our pin is they have magnet

16:10

packing so they won't ruin your clothes

16:13

.

16:13

That's awesome . You can put

16:16

it on the scarf , you can put it all

16:18

your favorite items , you don't have to stress about

16:20

it . So what are

16:22

other things that pledge takers

16:24

will see over the next year and

16:26

what are the resources that they'll receive

16:28

to aside from the pin ?

16:30

Yeah , I think one of the main

16:32

things that we were thinking about this campaign

16:35

is we want people to take this pledge , but we

16:37

don't want to just leave them hanging afterwards

16:39

, you know , like okay , great , you've taken the pledge

16:41

, go figure it out . We really want to

16:43

provide resources and help people and show

16:45

people how they can fulfill the pledge

16:48

. So , by taking the pledge

16:50

, you know they will receive

16:52

a pin in the mail that they can wear , but

16:55

they'll also be getting emails from WRA

16:58

throughout the year with resources

17:00

of how they can fulfill the pledge . And

17:02

so you know , really , after taking the pledge

17:04

, our journey together has just

17:06

begun . You know there are so

17:08

many things that individuals can do while

17:10

holding decision makers accountable

17:13

and supporting real change

17:15

, and so throughout the year , we're going to be sharing resources

17:18

like learning

17:20

about solutions and actions that

17:22

will get us to a bright climate feature in the West

17:24

. You know what are the actual policies

17:27

that can be done to make this a reality

17:29

and how can we support those policies helping

17:31

people find out who their representatives are

17:33

and how to contact them . Learning about

17:36

the power of public comment and how

17:38

advocacy can really make

17:40

a difference in the

17:42

decision making process . Helping

17:45

people make a voting plan based on key

17:47

environmental issues that are affecting their

17:49

state or community and

17:51

things like learning why voting

17:53

in all the elections on

17:56

your ballot matters . So throughout the year

17:58

, we're going to be sharing all of these different

18:00

resources to help people move

18:03

along throughout the pledge and fulfill

18:05

all the aspects that they said

18:07

they would support .

18:09

I'll also add and , jesse , this may be a little bit

18:11

more into your realm , but I think you know with

18:13

the hashtag bright climate future , I think the hope

18:15

is to really sort of create a community

18:18

of folks online that have also taken

18:20

the pledge , see what other folks are up to

18:22

and kind of you know , take these resources

18:24

together and learn together to

18:27

further the work as well .

18:29

Yeah , definitely , and we are also

18:31

hoping to send out positive

18:34

climate news emails so that

18:36

will also be like this little bright

18:38

spot of hope and wins

18:41

that we could all celebrate and share together

18:43

. I know in my personal experience recently

18:45

I was looking at some bright

18:47

climate news about bees in Vermont

18:49

and they're actually like on the rise and

18:52

they're the highest populations , even

18:54

though this is not our region . It made my day , you

18:56

know , like that little bit of knowledge that , like , bees

18:58

in Vermont are doing amazing , just made my

19:01

whole day way better . So just thinking

19:03

about that , you know , like , also , as we're going

19:05

through this year together , we have all these resources

19:07

and we have all of this kind of beautiful news

19:10

that will continue to infuse us with hope .

19:13

Yeah , I love that , jesse , and I think the point

19:16

is that we

19:18

want to show people why

19:20

, at WRA , we are so hopeful

19:22

. You know , I think that people may

19:25

be like , okay , well , why are you

19:27

guys hopeful , like what's really happening

19:29

? And I think that we are hopeful

19:31

because we've seen so many great

19:34

wins happen in the West . You know we've

19:36

seen and helped over 11

19:38

million acres of land get additional

19:41

protections on them . You know we've helped get

19:43

over $300 million

19:45

invested in transportation electrification

19:48

. That's going to result in cleaner air

19:50

for our communities . You know we have

19:52

seen communities

19:55

reduce their water use . We've

19:57

seen , you know , millions

20:00

of tons of emissions

20:02

get reduced from the air . You know

20:04

that people are committed to taking

20:06

out of our air , and so I think

20:08

it's one of those things that we are

20:10

so hopeful because we have

20:12

seen these big wins happen . You know we've

20:14

talked about the land of enchantment legacy

20:16

fund in New Mexico . You know the

20:19

first permanent conservation fund

20:21

to protect our communities and landscapes

20:23

from wildfire and to make sure

20:25

that they're accessible . And so I

20:27

think we're so hopeful because we know

20:30

that we can make it happen and we know

20:32

what the solutions are to the

20:34

challenges before us . You know that we need to

20:36

cut our emissions 50% by

20:38

2030 and close to 100%

20:40

by 2050 , that we need to use 25%

20:43

less water to protect the Colorado River

20:45

and other rivers and you know we have to

20:47

protect 30% of the West lands

20:50

and habitat by 2030 . But we're hopeful

20:52

because we know what the challenge is and

20:55

we have seen progress .

20:57

Yeah , positive change is already happening

20:59

. I think that is the main vibe

21:02

, like we need to continue

21:04

creating that change and making that change

21:06

happen , but we also need to remember

21:08

that it is already occurring through

21:10

our actions , you know , and that is

21:12

really powerful All right now . Focusing

21:15

a little bit more on the election aspect

21:17

of 2024 , I feel like it's

21:19

already everywhere . We've just started the year

21:21

. How is this campaign and WRA

21:24

going to help voters in

21:26

2024 ? I know you mentioned some things

21:28

already , haley , but if you want to just add anything

21:30

else , yeah

21:33

, a couple of things I'd love to add .

21:35

This 2024 election year is really

21:38

an opportunity to show and

21:40

remind people in power and

21:42

those running for positions of power that climate

21:44

change is a priority and that voters

21:46

across all demographics and political

21:49

spectrums we want action now

21:51

. And so , you know

21:53

, one of the biggest ways to get involved

21:56

is voting , and , like we talked

21:58

about earlier , it's not just

22:00

the large federal elections . You know , I think

22:02

people sometimes get their ballots and they're like , ah

22:04

, this commission , I don't really

22:06

know , or this local

22:09

election , I'm not sure . But

22:11

you know , these local representatives

22:13

, these statewide ballot initiatives

22:15

and these state commissions actually

22:18

play like a major , major role

22:20

in solving climate change , and

22:22

it's something you know , that we all know that

22:24

WRA works on a lot , but

22:26

in many states , elected commissions

22:29

approve and oversee regulations

22:32

that affect things like our air quality

22:34

and the price of our utility

22:36

bills and the availability

22:38

and affordability of electric cars

22:40

and how we hold utility

22:42

companies accountable to actually

22:45

reducing their emissions . And so we

22:47

really want to remind voters that

22:49

our local and statewide representatives

22:51

have a lot of power to

22:54

decide on issues like are

22:56

our communities water wise

22:58

and use water in a smart

23:00

, conservative way , or

23:02

are they building climate resilient

23:05

developments , or if our states have

23:07

enough funding to protect our public

23:09

lands and make them accessible to all

23:11

. And so you know , we call this

23:13

voting down ballot . So you

23:16

know , voting past the federal elections

23:18

, and we just want to remind

23:20

people that these are some of the most important decision-making

23:23

positions for our everyday lives

23:25

. You know , I think people can feel really

23:27

discouraged when they look at the federal level

23:29

and they're like what's going on , what's happening ? And

23:32

I think if people take a step back

23:34

and look at some of our statewide legislation

23:36

and some of our local legislations , they can

23:38

see that this is making real positive

23:41

change in our communities

23:43

. And we also really

23:45

want to remind people that their advocacy

23:48

is super powerful . You

23:51

know , we have seen

23:53

advocates completely change

23:55

the trajectory of a policy decision

23:57

by showing up and making their voices

24:00

heard . You know , as we all saw in

24:02

New Mexico , If it wasn't for the

24:04

hundreds of advocates who attended

24:07

the hearings , reached out to decision makers

24:09

, submitted comments , it would have been much

24:11

harder to pass the new clean cars

24:14

and truck standards in New Mexico that

24:16

are going to make sure that all New Mexicans

24:18

have access to clean air and equitable

24:21

access to electric vehicles . And

24:23

so just reminding people that your voice

24:25

really really does matter

24:27

and people listen and they pay attention

24:29

. And when we show up and make our voices heard

24:31

, we can make a difference

24:33

. And so voting for representatives

24:36

who support your climate values you know , sending

24:38

an email to your state representative , showing

24:40

up to a local town council meeting

24:43

and make the difference between whether we continue

24:45

with the status quo or we start building this

24:47

brighter climate future .

24:49

Yeah , representatives really want to hear from you

24:51

and I think sometimes

24:54

you know you'll see an action alert come up

24:56

and you'll just be like oh , like why

24:58

, why would it matter if I put my name on this

25:00

or not ? But really , with

25:03

the power of the people and

25:05

showing representatives and

25:07

commissions that people

25:10

do care about these issues , they really

25:12

take notice of that and it is something

25:14

that influences decisions

25:16

. So , like , push your name on that petition

25:19

like don't skip it , you know it just takes

25:21

like four seconds . Or write that email , you

25:23

know it's really powerful .

25:27

Yeah , I agree , jesse , and especially on

25:29

that local and statewide level

25:31

. I used to work for a local government

25:33

and I would see , you know , one person

25:36

show up to a town council meeting and

25:38

submit a comment , and

25:41

then it would totally change the direction of where

25:44

that decision making process was going

25:46

. And I think sometimes , you

25:48

know , a lot of our decision makers

25:50

are hearing from people

25:53

who they are upset

25:55

, you know , who disagree with them , and

25:57

sometimes , when our decision makers

25:59

are really supporting environmental efforts

26:01

and environmental values , it can be

26:03

so encouraging for them to hear

26:06

from us that we support you , we're

26:08

behind you , we believe in this . So

26:10

I think it's also , you know , holding

26:12

these decision makers accountable for what we want

26:14

, but also supporting and

26:16

encouraging those decision makers

26:19

who are really trying to make a difference .

26:23

Yes , senda , thank you . Post on social

26:25

media and tag your local representative

26:27

. It may seem kind of scary to do that , but

26:29

they feel so supported

26:32

and love that and that's exactly what they're trying to do

26:34

. Right is make these choices based

26:36

on the needs of the people . So

26:38

if you just take that second

26:40

to put in that tweet or whatever it could

26:42

really make their day . You know it's

26:44

for everybody all the time when you can , basically

26:46

Okay . So this is great

26:49

because it leads kind of into this idea

26:51

of support and collaboration , leads into

26:53

the idea of climate resilience and

26:55

I just wanted to highlight this term

26:57

in case people haven't heard it before , as

27:00

a concept that is like the

27:02

antithesis to climate demerism . So

27:05

if anybody wants to jump in on just talking

27:07

about climate resilience and why it's powerful

27:09

, Candice , if you have anything

27:11

to you want to say , I'll kick it over to you

27:13

first .

27:16

Yeah sure , Climate resilience is really

27:18

being able to adapt to the impacts

27:20

of climate change and doing what you can

27:22

to keep those impacts from getting worse

27:24

. So , on one hand , demerism

27:27

is saying I see this problem , but

27:29

it's too big and it's too complex and I can't

27:31

do anything about it , Whereas climate

27:33

resilience is saying I see this problem

27:35

and here's what I can do to prepare for better

27:37

outcomes in the future .

27:40

Yeah , and I totally agree with everything

27:42

that Candice was saying , and I think something

27:44

another aspect of resilience is

27:46

this ability to keep going , you

27:48

know , this ability to take what

27:50

happens and take the ups and downs

27:53

and keep pushing forward

27:55

, because really solving

27:57

the climate crisis is going to take courage

28:00

and resolution and

28:02

the belief that we really can create a better future

28:04

. And

28:06

I think something that we really want

28:09

to emphasize , especially as

28:11

we build these sort of

28:13

climate resilient communities and become

28:15

resilient ourselves when it comes to climate

28:17

change , is that every little

28:20

bit that we do matters . You know , I think

28:22

we see these big goals and we see

28:24

these like we have to stop the earth

28:26

warming by two degrees , you know

28:28

, and those things

28:30

are very important , but I think

28:33

sometimes people can feel like , well

28:35

, if we're not going to make it there , what's

28:37

the point ? And I think we

28:39

really want to emphasize in this sort

28:41

of climate resilience aspect

28:43

is that every drop of water

28:46

saved , every particle of pollution

28:48

removed from our air , every

28:50

acre square foot of

28:52

land protected is going to impact

28:55

our communities and our ecosystems for the

28:57

better . You know , any effort that we do

28:59

to make this better is going to

29:01

make the lives of our

29:03

communities and our ecosystems

29:05

better , and so doing everything

29:08

that we can is really

29:10

, really important , and so I think that's why

29:12

we want to emphasize that , especially

29:14

during the selection year . We are not giving up

29:16

, and we don't plan to give up anywhere

29:18

near into the future , and

29:21

we are not going to let our leaders give

29:23

up , and we really hope that you

29:25

, the listener , don't give up either .

29:29

Yeah , I think that also . That just made me think

29:31

about planning a native

29:33

garden , you know , or

29:35

having waterwise landscaping

29:37

, or switching your appliances

29:40

to be more eco friendly , like this

29:43

aspect of resiliency to

29:45

combat , like there's all these small

29:47

changes that we can make right in our

29:49

everyday lives that have

29:52

these bigger impacts . Right , if all of us have

29:54

, like , waterwise landscaping , we

29:56

would save a ton of water , right

29:58

, like it's like these little things

30:00

, humiliatively , are incredibly

30:02

powerful . So , yeah , just thinking about

30:04

that too , with the idea of resilience . So

30:08

, according to a 2021 United

30:10

Nations report , globally , 50%

30:13

of young people reported feeling sad , anxious

30:15

, angry , helpless and guilty about

30:17

climate change , which I just think is

30:19

so powerful . Like half of

30:22

the global youth feel

30:24

negatively about climate change and are , like

30:26

, stressed about it . So you

30:29

know , what that tells me and I think tells all

30:31

of us , is like this is a huge problem and we

30:33

were saying before like we're all on the same page

30:35

with wanting to solve it , and that's really

30:38

cool in a way , right , that we're all thinking

30:40

in the same line and we have backing of each other

30:42

. And so I just was wondering if any either

30:44

of you or both of you would just

30:46

have advice for all these young people who

30:49

are kind of feeling down about

30:51

climate change .

30:52

Yeah , absolutely . I definitely

30:55

see that

30:57

stat in our digital

30:59

platforms as well , which is really interesting

31:01

. You know , I was just looking at our

31:04

Google ads and our SEO and analytics

31:06

and one of our top keywords is

31:09

how can we save our environment

31:11

? And our top demographic

31:14

is actually from Gen Z audiences

31:16

, and so we really do see this

31:18

in even just our analytics that

31:20

people , especially younger people , are

31:23

concerned , are scared , are

31:25

looking for something . You know and I think , remembering

31:27

being that age , you know you

31:29

feel like you don't have a

31:31

lot of power because you're not the one

31:33

making these big decisions , and

31:37

you know you don't have all the answers

31:39

. You know I don't know how to

31:41

exactly save 25%

31:43

of water , but what's cool and what

31:45

makes me love WRA is that we do have

31:48

someone on our team who can tell you this

31:50

is how we do it , and so I think

31:52

that some of that advice that I would have

31:54

is seeking out some of those experts

31:56

as well , because it can feel really comforting

31:59

to be like oh my gosh , there is someone who

32:01

studies how we make

32:04

this clean energy a reality . You

32:06

know , there is someone who can tell us how we

32:08

do save the Colorado River

32:11

or how we do protect all this land

32:13

, and so I think that's something

32:15

we want to do , too , is show the

32:18

solutions that can actually you

32:20

know , it's like we have these policies and these

32:22

solutions that can make this a reality , but

32:24

we need that political side and that political

32:27

muscle and advocacy and support

32:29

to make them happen . You know , so

32:31

we have the solutions and people

32:33

can make such a difference by voting

32:36

for people who support the environment

32:38

, by advocating , submitting

32:40

comments and really getting involved

32:42

on that local level to make these

32:44

happen and make them a reality .

32:46

Yeah , I would just add that , you know , for

32:48

someone from Gen Z as well , I

32:51

struggle with climate anxiety

32:53

as well and just having this very large

32:56

problem of climate change and figuring out how

32:58

can I be a part of the solution

33:00

. And I think what's most

33:02

important , you know , is staying

33:04

informed , follow organizations

33:06

who are providing clear solutions and tangible

33:09

solutions to kind of ease some of that anxiety

33:11

and to use your voice to advocate

33:13

where possible . And keep in mind

33:15

, you know , like , as we were saying

33:18

before , all of these sort of actions

33:21

that appear to be small in reality

33:23

are making a huge difference .

33:25

Thanks guys . Thanks for that feedback . Yeah

33:28

, I love the idea . I feel

33:30

like we just keep going back to knowledge is power , but it's

33:32

so true , like just researching

33:35

a bunch and reading more , and it

33:38

is really heartening that , although

33:40

this huge group of people

33:42

is concerned , they

33:45

are also looking for solutions Right

33:47

and that is incredible . Like you were saying

33:49

, hailey , like that's the number one search right . That

33:51

gets them to us is like how can we

33:53

save the environment ? How can we do more ? I

33:55

just know for me that when I read

33:58

a lot of books and articles about those people

34:00

doing solutions and those organizations , it does

34:02

help to like decrease

34:04

my anxiety , so I like that

34:06

part too .

34:09

Everything else you can do is take the pledge .

34:13

Yes , please take the pledge . Well

34:16

, that leads right into this next question of

34:18

how can people and organizations get involved

34:20

in this campaign . Aside from

34:22

taking the pledge , what are some other things people could do

34:24

?

34:26

Yeah , they can share the pledge . That's

34:28

a big thing as well . We want to really get

34:31

this out and share it with more people . So

34:33

, aside from taking it , sharing it

34:35

and then really following along with

34:37

the resources that we're going to be putting out this

34:39

year you know , jesse , I

34:41

think you mentioning

34:43

that it's very heartening to you to see

34:46

these positive climate things that's

34:48

something we're going to try to be doing this year . A lot is

34:50

sharing the positive news , sharing

34:52

things that people can see that it's

34:54

like , wow , we things are happening

34:56

, we are making a difference and so really

34:59

following along as well . And

35:01

, like we mentioned earlier , people can go to

35:03

brightclimatefutureorg

35:05

and that's where the pledge is , and after you

35:07

take the pledge , you'll actually be redirected to

35:09

our resources page that we're

35:12

going to be updating all throughout the year . So

35:14

right now , in sort of this first part

35:16

of the year , it's really highlighting the solutions

35:19

that we are promoting

35:21

at WA to make a bright

35:23

climate future a reality , so people can go there

35:25

and learn about those as well .

35:27

Yeah , I wanted to add a couple of things . One

35:29

, you know , aside from sharing the pledge

35:31

, you could totally forward the emails . You

35:34

can share the social media posts . You know , like

35:36

feel free to share those resources

35:38

, whatever is interesting and inspiring to

35:40

you that you want to share with your loved ones . Like

35:42

, do that and that'll be huge . And

35:45

then also , if you're an organization that wants to get more

35:47

involved , we do have , like , a social media

35:49

toolkit and ways that we can

35:51

give you more information for you to

35:53

share this as well . And also

35:55

always sponsorship too . So I

35:57

just got to always shout that out , because the more support

36:00

we have , the more we can do . Okay

36:02

, so now let's get into some

36:04

fun parts . Hello

36:07

, it's all been fun . What

36:09

outcomes are you guys envisioning for this

36:11

campaign ? What's the like , what's

36:13

the positive outcome of

36:15

the bright climate future campaign ? If you're

36:17

, you know , dreaming it up ?

36:19

As I mentioned before , I really

36:21

envision a community of people getting excited

36:24

about solving climate change and

36:26

people kind of getting together whether that's

36:28

like through social media or kind of like they're

36:30

shared , the fact that they both

36:32

took the campaign and kind of building a

36:34

community off of that just really finding

36:37

folks together . You know who

36:39

are excited about that as well

36:41

and you know just folks using the voice

36:44

that they have to promote this campaign

36:46

, to promote bright climate future . I'll

36:49

pause there and I'll let Hailey go

36:51

, but there might be some things that I add

36:53

.

36:54

Yeah , I the outcomes

36:56

for this campaign . You know we just want

36:58

to reach as many people as we can

37:00

, to get the word out and to spread

37:03

those good vibes , those positive

37:05

messages , you know , inject

37:07

a little bit more hopefulness

37:09

, a little bit more excitement , more joy

37:11

into the climate narrative

37:13

that I think people are really looking for and

37:17

that , you know , the big , audacious

37:20

goal of a campaign

37:22

like this is just that our voices are heard

37:24

and that people cannot ignore

37:27

anymore that we are ready

37:29

for climate solutions and we want them now

37:31

and we are going

37:34

to make our voices heard for a better

37:36

future .

37:38

Yeah , I want to add my personal

37:40

little dream about the campaign

37:42

. I think I just am really excited to

37:45

see people share photos of them wearing the pins

37:47

and see everyone smiling faces . That's

37:49

going to like , on a real deep personal

37:51

level , make me feel like less anxious about the

37:53

climate , just to see everybody like being more hopeful

37:55

. And also I really hope

37:57

that all of you out there

37:59

share your wins with us . You know , tell

38:01

us how you went and voted on

38:04

the state level , on the city level , or you showed

38:06

up to , you know

38:08

, like a public forum , or

38:10

you took an action and then you did see the

38:12

change like . That would make me so happy

38:14

, like send it to us an email or

38:16

on social media about your wins

38:19

and that will just make me

38:21

feel personally like we did

38:23

something good this year , you know . Okay

38:25

, last question what does the bright climate

38:27

future mean to both of you ?

38:29

Gosh , a bright climate future . Honestly

38:32

, first , I think it means being

38:34

able to go outside without my inhaler . That would

38:36

be awesome . But I think it also means

38:38

that you know all communities have

38:41

resources to the things they need , including

38:43

access to clean water . It means

38:45

that people can continue

38:47

experiencing the outdoors for generations to

38:49

come , and I know that this campaign

38:52

is really sort of in

38:54

our region in the West , but you

38:56

know , I think spreading climate justice

38:58

globally as much as possible , maybe this

39:01

campaign will encourage climate action outside

39:03

of our region as well . So that would be

39:05

awesome and I'll kick it over to Hayley .

39:08

Yeah , when I was thinking about this question , I

39:10

was like my mind goes a million

39:12

different ways and there's

39:15

so many things that I

39:17

want to see in a bright climate future and

39:19

really believe in . But you know , for

39:21

me , when I really think about

39:24

what that future could look

39:26

like , it's that all beings

39:28

can thrive all

39:30

humans , regardless of where

39:33

they live , their economic status

39:35

, you know , any of their identities

39:38

or demographics , that they can

39:40

thrive , that they can have clean air

39:42

and clean water and

39:44

access to public lands that belong

39:46

to them , and that all of our

39:49

wildlife community

39:51

and our ecosystems can

39:53

thrive too , and that there is

39:55

this balance between the two , that

39:57

, as much as we can , everybody

40:00

is able to live

40:03

a sustainable , resilient

40:05

, thriving life .

40:08

Yes , I just want there to be harmony

40:10

between humans and nature . That

40:12

, yeah , like you're saying , like you're both

40:14

saying that lead to all of us having

40:17

thriving , beautiful , interesting

40:19

lives , I guess . Thanks

40:24

so much , candace and Hayley , for taking the time

40:27

to talk about the Bright Climate Future campaign

40:29

with us . I really

40:31

am excited to see all the positive wins

40:33

we have this year and the connections

40:36

that we make with our climate advocate

40:38

community . So this is your

40:40

reminder turn off this podcast

40:42

, finish listening and go to

40:44

BrightClimateFutureorg

40:47

and take our pledge . You'll get our pin

40:49

, you'll get on our email list and

40:51

don't forget to take a photo with your pin when you

40:53

get it and tag us on social so that we

40:55

can really share your

40:58

photo , kind of blast you everywhere

41:00

and celebrate you and also send

41:02

us those wins . Okay , I want to see how

41:04

we're making a better future together in 2024

41:07

and I'm excited to see

41:09

this future we create together

41:11

. We'd

41:14

like to take a minute to thank our sponsors , including

41:16

our impact sponsor , first Bank , the

41:18

largest locally owned banking organization in

41:20

Colorado . We'd also like to thank our premier

41:23

sponsors , solup and Vision Ridge Partners

41:25

, our signature sponsors Scarpa , Sweep

41:27

and TorchClean Energy , and our supporting

41:30

sponsors PSW Wealth Partners . State

41:32

Outdoors , colorado Group 14 , engineering

41:35

and Meridian Public Affairs . Thanks

41:37

so much , sponsors . We really appreciate you All

41:46

. Right , everybody , we have a new

41:48

segment for you this year and it's called

41:50

BrightClimate Future in the West . Basically

41:53

, we ask you to share with us your

41:55

dream of what this bright future

41:58

can look like out here in the western

42:00

US , when anyone can take part in it . You

42:02

can just send us 40 seconds to a minute

42:04

and we'll play it here on the podcast

42:06

and share your future dreams with everybody

42:08

. And if you want to send that to us , you can

42:10

get to us on social or via

42:13

email and all of the information is in the show

42:15

notes For this episode . We have Erica

42:17

from our development department . She's

42:19

really amazing and she is in Colorado

42:22

and she shares with us her

42:24

vision for the future .

42:28

Hi , I'm Erica Stadscleve

42:31

, an annual fund specialist

42:33

here at Western Resource Advocates

42:35

. I work on our development team

42:37

in Boulder , Colorado . When I think

42:39

of a bright climate future , I

42:41

imagine a world that is much different from today

42:44

. It will look different

42:46

and as a community we

42:48

will also act different . The air

42:50

is clean , the trees are abundant

42:52

, people are outside , we're

42:55

collaborative and not fighting for water

42:57

or energy or other resources . We

42:59

have all that we need and we're not excessive

43:02

. I believe in this world where

43:04

we will make do and be creative

43:06

and innovative with what we

43:08

already have .

43:15

Thank you so much , erica , for sharing your

43:17

future with us and

43:19

thanks everyone for being here , tuning in and

43:21

listening . I hope you all take the climate

43:23

pledge . It's going to be super fun . We have a

43:25

lot of really cool ideas on how

43:27

to make this more collaborative and

43:30

how to incorporate your ideas and your thoughts

43:32

so that this can be really fun

43:34

and engaging and we can all support

43:36

one another and lift each other up in

43:38

2024 . Two

43:41

Degrees Out West is a podcast from

43:43

Western Resource Advocates . We

43:46

fight climate change in the interior west

43:48

to make sure that the environment

43:50

, the economy and the people of the west are

43:52

thriving and sustainable for generations

43:55

to come . I'm your host , jessie Janessey

43:57

, the multimedia storyteller here . I

43:59

hope you've enjoyed this episode . For

44:01

our next episode , we're going to be talking with some faith

44:04

leaders down in Las Vegas

44:06

and just discussing this intersection

44:08

between faith , science , climate

44:10

change and advocacy , which

44:12

will be really interesting , so I hope you'll join me for that

44:15

one too . All right , everybody , I hope

44:17

you're having a wonderful winter . The days are

44:19

getting longer , the sun is

44:21

shining brighter , even though it might not feel

44:23

like it . Until then , stay

44:25

warm and cozy . See you next time .