I’m all about shifting narratives. And a big one that needs shifting is how we think about the work we’re here to do for climate change.
In fact, I struggle with how to address it. It’s not a fight, because climate change is not a battle to be won. It’s not a competition, because all of us (people, countries, and companies alike) need to come together and collaborate. I also don’t love to call it “work” because that indicates it’s something we “have to do.” Or at least for most of us, “work” doesn’t always spark the most exciting reactions in our brains.
And the truth is, we have to get excited about climate change.
To think of the climate crisis and our way out of it as a challenge we’re facing starts feeling better to me. A challenge is something we can get excited about, a challenge is something we can join forces to overcome, but it still misses the fact that a big chunk of this… (work/transition/transformation?) will happen in the interim when we think no change is being made at all. It’s in our daily lives, in our thoughts and spirits, and in our hearts. It’s in how we’re shifting perceptions and slowly breaking old molds to let new realities unfold. It’s a transformation that is in fact ongoing already and that will continue to progress outside of UN meetings and corporate boardrooms. It’s something bigger than the fights, work, and challenges combined.
It’s a journey.
When I started to see this work as a journey, everything shifted for me. It allowed me to gain a whole new perspective on the things that need to happen and also on my participation and what I can do.
On a journey, you learn and evolve. On a journey, you allow for things to unfold as they should. And on a journey, you understand that if you’ve never traveled this path before, you need to embark with curiosity and an open heart. If you don’t, it’ll be hard to take in all the new and most importantly — to let that “new” become part of your journey, to your story.
Since you’re reading this newsletter I take it that you’re well aware that a lot about this “old world” needs to go. But that also means that we have to find the courage to embrace new visions, ideas, and ways of life. And the only way to grow and muster that courage, in my opinion, is by embarking on a journey.
On a journey, you:
Accept that you don’t have everything figured out yet
Are willing to learn from experience and seek information from people and places you don’t know
Remain curious and open-minded so that you can best embrace what’s to come
Understand that not everything goes as planned and sometimes you have to reroute or take detours
Make sure to take care of yourself so that you can keep going
Have fun
If this narrative shift is new to you, try to start thinking of this work/battle/challenge against climate change as a journey into a new world. See how that changes how you think about yourself, your action, and what’s going on all around you. Will it make you more forgiving? More excited? Maybe even more eager to shape up and “get to work”?
As I like to say often — it’s not your responsibility to fix climate change, but all of us hold this incredible opportunity to enact change. To participate in the shift, the journey, the transformation towards a better world!
In the coming week, I’ll dive a little deeper into this topic and share tips and tricks for how to embark on this journey and make sure you take care of yourself on the way.
I’m Teaching a College Course!
I had one of those unreal experiences this week when I took the train up to City College of New York and picked up my ID card. When I did the same trip 7 years ago, I picked up a card that said “student.” This time, it said “faculty/staff” because get this — I’m a professor now!
That’s right, I’m back on campus this weekend — in the very same classroom I spent so many night hours studying for my masters all those years ago — and this time I’m teaching my very own course: Climate Optimism + Branding. I am beyond stoked for this opportunity and super grateful that fellow climate optimists Andreas Karelas and Katie Patrick will guest speak on two occasions throughout the course.
We all agreed on this — climate change needs an image shape-up and what better place to start than with curious marketing students? If you have any questions about this course, just respond to this email! :)
Learn more about my rather wild story in this episode of Talk with Trace.
Live in NYC — A VoxPop Series
it’s live — the vocpop series I recorded last winter in collaboration with Tetra Pak and Witness Tree Media. Every day Monday - Thursday I’ve been posting questions + answers on my Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, and each Friday I share a wrap-up on the week on Youtube and LinkedIn.
Climate Optimism
Coming soon: The largest all-electric building in New York City (and you might be surprised by who)
For the last two years, solar energy has been the cheapest form of electricity the world has ever seen. That means more and more of it is being installed around the world. Katharine Hayhoe’s newsletter
Globally, enough new solar capacity came online last year to power the equivalent of 70 million U.S. homes. China led the way, installing more new solar capacity in 2021 alone than all U.S. solar put together.
Source: Katharine Hayhoe’s newsletter
Avocado Green
I have been a long-time ambassador and super lover of Avocado Green Mattresses. We’ve slept like king and queen on their organic mattress for 5+ years and we just decided to get this beautiful bed frame to go with it (all sustainably made in California.)
Avocado is currently running an October sale that you may not want to miss out on if you’re on the look for a new mattress:
$250 off the Green Mattress - Queen, King and California King sizes only* (CODE: GREEN)
$100 off the Eco Organic Mattress** (CODE: SNOOZE)
*Excludes Twin, Twin XL, Full Green mattresses
**Excludes all Eco Organic Kids Mattress and all Crib mattresses
Hi Anne, I want to share something I noticed this morning. I receive a lot of climate, and ecological emails, articles, etc., and I notice (and so DEEPLY appreciate) that when I read yours, they feel calming, soothing, and uplifting, like a warm hug (as most I receive feel fearful, heavy, and energy-draining to me). I look forward to them, not dreading them. So thank you for doing what you do and putting optimism, positivity, high vibrations and goodness out into the world!! Congratulations on your Climate Optimism and Branding course!!