Hey everyone! Today’s the second official day of HEATED’s book club partnership with All We Can Save, an anthology of female climate wisdom edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine Wilkinson.
I hope your discussion “circles” are going well. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about when I say “circles,” you can find more about those here). If you’re not in a circle, don’t fret—the discussion questions I send around each week are totally fine to ponder alone, or you can share your thoughts in the comments.
If you’d like to sign up to lead a circle—or if you’re already a circle leader and would like more to receive supplementary materials directly from Ayana and Katharine—click here.
The section we’re focusing on this week is “Root.”
A call, a welcoming, a place to ground
The foundation of Indigenous wisdom
And the wisdom of Earth’s living systems
Interconnection, emergence, justice, regeneration
The section art for “Root.” Illustration by Madeleine Jubilee Saito
This section features essays from badass climate women like Naomi Klein, Kate Marvel, Xiye Bastida, and Sherri Mitchell. You can learn more about them and all the section’s authors in the supplementary materials section below.
As you guys know, I’m trying to be a bit off the grid this week, so I’ll just share the discussion format/questions and additional materials for this section and be out. Have a great Tuesday!
How to structure this week’s discussion
OPENINGRead 1 poem or quote from this section to open.
CHECK-INShare your name + 3 nouns that describe who you are. (Circle leader should go first and model this).
DISCUSSION QUESTIONSDo you feel welcome in the climate movement? What, if anything, has kept you on the sidelines?
What foundational wisdom in this section feels vital for this time of transformation?
If we are at a crossroads of peril and promise, where do you see possibility alive and growing?
CLOSING Read 1 poem or quote from this section to close.
Additional reading/listening/watching materials for “Root”
Xiye Bastida
If you adults won't save the world, we will, TED Talk, 2020.
My name is not Greta Thunberg: Why diverse voices matter in the climate movement, Blog, The Elders, 2020.
From a Young Climate Movement Leader, a Determined Call for Action, Interview, Yale 360, 2019.
Janine Benyus
Creating a Bio-Industrial Revolution, TED Talk, 2014.
Biomimicry in action, TED Talk, 2009.
Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, Book, 1997.
Ellen Bass
The Big Picture, Poetry Reading, Ellen Bass, 2020
Indigo, Poetry Collection, Ellen Bass, 2020
The Human Line, Poetry Collection, Ellen Bass, 2007.
Sherri Mitchell
Indigenous Wisdom & the Seed of Life, Podcast, No Place Like Home, 2020
Sacred Instructions: Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based Change, Book, 2018
Sacred Laws: Foundational Laws of the Universe through and Indigenous Lens, Book, Forthcoming
Kate Marvel
Can clouds buy us more time to solve climate change?, TED Talk, 2017.
I Am a Mad Scientist, Op-Ed, Drilled News, 2020
This Was the Decade We Knew We Were Right, Op-Ed, Scientific American, 2019
The Parallel Universes of a Woman in Science, Op-Ed, Nautilus, 2016
Lynna Odel
Remember, Poem, 2020.
I Failed to Save the World, Blog, 2020.
How I Take On Climate Change as a Regular Person, Blog, 2020.
adrienne maree brown
On vulnerability, playfulness, and keeping yourself honest, Interview, The Creative Independent, 2019.
Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds, Book, 2017.
Dramatizing the “death” of environmentalism doesn’t help urban people of color, or anyone else, Op-Ed, Grist, 2005.
Naomi Klein
A Message from the Future II: The Years of Repair, Video, The Intercept, 2020.
On Fire: The Burning Case for a Green New Deal, Book, 2019.
A Message from the Future with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Video, The Intercept, 2019.
This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate, Book, 2014.
OK, that’s all for today—thanks for reading HEATED! If you’d like to share this piece as a web page, click the button below.
To support independent climate journalism that holds the powerful accountable—and to receive HEATED’s reporting and analysis in your inbox four days a week—become a subscriber today.
If you’re a paid subscriber and would like to post a comment—or if you would like to view comments from paid subscribers—click the comment button:
Looking for climate content that’s a little weirder than this? Follow HEATED on Instagram for climate memes, tweets, and pictures of food.
Stay hydrated, eat plants (I like bananas), do push-ups, and have a great day!
First circle meeting shortly. Might be looking to jump into another circle. Or contact me if you want to grow this one: https://www.freeconferencecall.com/wall/mhainesva
"The Overstory, a book by Richard Powers is a great way to learn how trees are interconnected with their environment. Goes into depth but is for everyone. Plus its a great read.