Living Change: A Quest For Climate Leadership

This week, we're featuring an episode of the Climify podcast.How can you be a role model to inspire climate action amongst your friends, family, and neighbors? Does one positive action create a domino effect for more? What’s a surprising validator? Andrea Learned joins host Eric Benson to share her work being done at her consultancy and on the Living Change to podcast empower climate leaders into creating more climate action. Her initiatives help “name and fame” climate leaders to showcase how you can emulate them and also be a positive force in the climate movement. Andrea’s consultancy and podcast help you become a climate leader using your existing social capital and influence to change social norms for the better. In addition, Andrea discusses how her work in food and biking (low-carbon transportation) are interconnected and are habits that are relatively easy to change resulting in a big and positive climate impact.Links:Living Change Climify Larj MediaEpisode Transcript

This week, we're featuring an episode of The Brainy Business podcast. In this episode, host Melina Palmer interviews Andrea on the topic of building a leadership platform and personal brand for influence. Melina and Andrea discuss the importance of being authentic and engaging on social media to attract media attention and build trust with others.They emphasize the value of showcasing expertise and being seen doing the things you promote, as it builds credibility and inspires others to take similar actions. The conversation also highlights the power of aligning personal brand with initiatives and causes that align with one’s values. Overall, the episode emphasizes the need for leaders to be visible and engaged on social media platforms to have influence and make an impact. In this episode:Unearth how to harness your influence (around climate or anything else) as a tool for personal and professional progression.Construct a powerful leadership platform that amplifies your influence.Explore the narrative magic of storytelling that can pivot climate and consumption behavior.Discover your genuine voice to effectively spur behavior modification.Amplify your climate advocacy through savvy social media engagement.Links: The Brainy BusinessLiving Change

This week, we're featuring an episode of the podcast Important Not Important - it's a fantastic conversation with Dr. Heidi Roop discussing her new book, The Climate Action Handbook.Dr. Roop is the Director of the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership and an assistant professor of climate science and extension specialist at the University of Minnesota. She also serves as the Director of Knowledge Transfer for the NSF-funded COLDEX Science and Technology Center.Dr. Roop's research and extension programs have taken her from Antarctica to Minnesota, and they combine cutting-edge climate science and effective science communication to increase the use and integration of climate change information in decision-making at a whole range of scales, from city and state to national and international levels.If you've struggled to find a way to get involved in the climate fight, this book and this conversation are for you.-----------If you enjoy this episode, check out more fan favorites at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.-----------INI Book Club:The Climate Action Handbook by Heidi RoopKeep the Lights Burning, Abbie by Connie & Peter RoopA Brief History of Life on Earth by Clemence DupontFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Follow Heidi on TwitterKeep up with Heidi's workFollow INI:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettEdited by Anthony LucianiProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com

We conclude Season 1 with a high level look at how corporations might want to identify and leverage their climate influence in the food sector.  Sustainable Business Advisor and former Director of Sustainability for Marks and Spencer, Mike Barry, reminds us of the chilling MI5 maxim, “society is only four meals away from anarchy.” He has long had his eye on how to make internal change and nudge corporate Boards out of complacency on the hard topics. Andrea digs in with her old friend from COP21 days on the big sustainability issues and the transition opportunities we now have right in front of us. Mike views these challenges through his fascinating lens of longtime experience and infectious positivity.@PlanAMikeBarry@AndreaLearned

Mark Gamba’s path into local politics in Oregon is uniquely “Living Change.” As a professional nature photographer seeing climate change on the landscape in real-time, he had all the motivation he needed to run for Mayor of Milwaukie, Oregon. Biking for transportation around town, and working to make it safer for anyone else who wants to do it, has become part of his brand. And, while he might not say it himself, Andrea suspects his “being seen biking” has helped him build trust with constituents and political capital with his leadership peers. For local political leaders across the country, Mark’s inspiring journey – and the way he shares it in this episode – is an aspirational model.

How do you build constituent trust and authentic, resilient community engagement? According to John Bauters, the Mayor of Emeryville, CA, it all started with a bike on his first day of kindergarten. Now, with the lived experience of riding one for transportation around the city he leads, he finds it easier to build trust and get sh*t done. He also discusses the informal coalition of Twitter-using (for now) U.S. mayors who ride bikes or take transit daily and who are building social capital for future policies along the way. Andrea jumps in with big kudos for John’s approach, and provides context for why this sort of leadership matters. And, why many, many more mayors should take heed.  

John Bauters sees a huge part of his Emeryville mayoral responsibility as humanizing the homeless, and reflecting empathy in a way that pushes all of his constituents to see the full community benefits of affordable housing. In this first part of our 2-part conversation, we learn how his own backstory drives his approach and how social justice intersects with pollution and climate change. And we discuss how all of this impacted his thoughts on COP27. From city leaders to residents interested in climate impact, John’s reflections will help you dig deeper. Episode TranscriptLarj Media

In this special bonus episode, Andrea talks with award-winning investigative climate journalist, Amy Westervelt, about the new season of her podcast, Drilled. Season 8, Light Sweet Crude, centers on Exxon’s activities in Guyana. Unlike the climate influence Andrea (strongly) encourages, this fossil fuel giant Amy reports on so well has perfected a more negative influence. Exxon is buying up social brands (like sports teams) in every corner of the country to fuel their power over it. If average citizens aren’t benefiting from an oil boom does oil really equal prosperity? Amy has thoughts, and this conversation will make you want to head right on over to Drilled to subscribe and hear the full story of Exxon’s influence in Guyana.Drilled PodcastEpisode Transcript Amy WesterveltLarj Media

Carfree herself, Baltimore Delegate Robbyn Lewis sees transit as a public good and a lynchpin of democracy. She talks with Andrea about how there’s more to it than simply painting the bus lanes, and how improving transit is absolutely a social justice issue. How do these things get addressed in today’s city? Delegate Lewis makes a great case for really understanding the tools of community engagement and coalition building. If you are looking for smart, bold, and progressive, climate-acting local leaders, start here. 

Columbia Missouri Mayor Barbara Buffaloe started her political career with the idea that if you love where you live, it’s a joy to serve there too. In this lively conversation with Andrea, she shares insights that many other city leaders can learn from, including why and how to build quiet influence and the beauty of peer learning communities. Of course, there is an emphasis on the freedom of riding a bike for transportation. Urban Sustainability Directors Network: https://www.usdn.org/index.html#/ United WE: https://united-we.org/ National League of Cities: https://www.nlc.org/ 

As ever, Andrea has a lively conversation with this week's guest, Steve Vitolo, as they dig into the glaring paper waste he saw during the script revision process on set, and how witnessing that daily process compelled him to be the solution and found Scriptation – a script revision app now used by industry leaders from Game of Thrones to SNL. Find out why this television writer/producer decided to create massive change in his industry, and how that led to an Emmy Award.  Scriptation: https://scriptation.com/ Valerie Weiss, Director: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1401177/ Mixtape Film: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1587420/  Earth Angels: https://www.earthangelsets.com/  Hollywood Paperless By 2030 Pledge: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/bradley-whitford-rachel-bloom-pledge-hollywood-sustainability-paperless-1235093156/ #PledgePaperless  

Sandeep Patel sees food as integral to his corporate sustainability focus as President and CFO of a - wait for it - consumer tech brand. What?! That seeming disconnect is exactly why Andrea knew when she met him last year that she had to talk with him for Living Change. Patel is an intensely values-driven leader with a Wall Street background who intends to make these changes not just for PopSockets, but for the whole corporate sector. The conversation gets ever more enthusiastic as they both dream of the potential Scope 3 emissions reductions in a collective corporate food policy shift.   PopSockets https://www.popsockets.com/    Project Drawdown http://Drawdown.org  Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) https://www.ipcc.ch/  Greener By Default LinkedIn case study: https://www.greenerbydefault.com/linkedin-video Plants and Perks https://www.plantsandperks.com/  Trillion Tree Campaign https://www.trilliontreecampaign.org/  Califia Farms https://www.califiafarms.com/   Designing Your Life https://designingyour.life/    

Bowinn Ma was driven into politics by climate change and a rebellious streak. She gets around the city and builds constituent trust, by riding an eCargo Bike. She also talks enthusiastically about how the BC Government is buying up land to ease transportation for its 1.8 million citizens.  In all she does as a lawmaker, biking the streets, and on social platforms, Bowinn pedals her talk and gets things done.   CycleLogistics Background, by Sam StarrAnand Giridharadas’s book, The PersuadersSocial media tags/handles:Twitter & TikTok: @BowinnMa 

Alex Fisch knows how to engage with constituents, collaborate with peers and tell the positive stories that get the LA area affordable housing and urbanism advocates rolling. His work as a former Mayor of, and City Councilperson in, Culver City has been an ideal platform for being seen Living Change. Andrea talks with Alex about eBiking and bus lanes, parking mandates, and how understanding the whole system of transportation, social justice and affordable housing – citing the Livable Communities Initiative in LA - is key. May it ultimately rest in peace, Andrea and Alex also talk about the power of Twitter, and how the time has come for bolder, more risk-taking politicians. @AlexFischCC - Twitter LivableCommunitiesInitiative.com comes up a lot (they are @LCI_LA )  https://www.alexfisch.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexfisch/ 

KEXP DJ John Richards is well known for his global music influence and committed Morning Show fanbase, but in this lively conversation, Andrea unearths the backstory on his somewhat stealth climate influence. Recorded live at John’s fully vegan Seattle bar, Life On Mars (which is now - and rightly so - a global independent music tourist destination), this conversation brings his “living change” to full light (and, that’d be a disco ball light).  Learn about plant-based-eating and eBike-riding climate influence from a truly surprising validator.Find John on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/djjohnrichards/& Twitter:  https://twitter.com/djjohnrichardsVisit John’s restaurant, Life on Mars:https://lifeonmarsseattle.com/More fun stuff about John Richards:The Rad eBikes interview with John: https://www.radpowerbikes.com/blogs/the-scenic-route/riding-ebikes-with-kexp-host-john-richardsGreat backgrounder on John/KEXP role during COVID: https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3zmqb/kexp-is-keeping-seattle-and-everyone-else-saneHuffington Post interview with John, written by Andrea, re: the importance of community radio: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/national-radio-week-kexp-on-the-social-impact-of-community_b_59907654e4b0ed1f464c0bb0

Even though they don’t have the word "sustainability" in their title, there ARE a lot of leaders out there who care deeply about their impact on the environment. Climate influencer Andrea Learned talks with a range of guests on the corporate, political, and cultural spectrum who leverage their own climate influence, often without even realizing it!From mayors and legislators across North America, to an Emmy-winning writer/producer to a globally recognized radio DJ to a consumer goods CFO, these folks tell inspirational stories of climate impact in their industries. With her years working in and monitoring the full landscape of corporate sustainability and climate leadership, and her access to the vast networks of leaders in those spaces, Andrea finds the stories that need to be amplified. Listeners will hear enthusiastic, hopeful, fun stories from professionals using their work or business ventures to help shift the social norms around “leadership” in the Climate Crisis age.Through these stories, Andrea knows listeners will be inspired to act. Leadership takes many different forms! Lots of folks are already doing it. Don’t you want in?Clg1Ci61exud7qxT7QDR