‘The Antidote to Doom is Doing‘

“Climate change is affecting mental health literally everywhere,” writes Daisy Simmons at Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. It's not surprising. We’ve just lived through 16 months with the hottest temperatures on record, and extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change keep happening. But research shows that action is indeed the antidote to despair.

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Join Project Dandelion March 20: Every Issue Is A Climate Issue

Mark March 20 on your calendar and join Project Dandelion for a day of action on social media. Why March 20? It’s the halfway point between International Women’s Day and Earth Day, and a good day to amplify the call for women’s leadership on the intersectional issue of our time — the climate and nature crisis, which is everyone’s issue.

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When Women Lead, Action Follows

Over the first year of Project Dandelion, a worldwide movement that strives to establish a climate-safe environment for all, we have worked to strengthen partnerships with women leaders who are on the front lines of climate solutions. This week, I write about an innovative, new approach to mitigating the climate impact of extreme heat in India that is yet another example of women leading for solutions that are just and sustainable.

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The Transformative Power of Mentorships

The best mentorships contain learnings for both the mentor and the mentee. This week, I want to share the journey I took with Catalina Escobar, the founder of Colombia’s Juanfe Foundation, which offers an innovative model of care, education, and job training that is disrupting a cycle of violence in families and communities resulting in unwanted teen pregnancies and intergenerational poverty.

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'Daughters' Tells the Story of a Father-Daughter Dance... in Prison

One of the 90 or so films chosen for screenings at the Sundance Film Festival was Daughters, a documentary directed by Natalie Rae and Angela Patton.  It’s a beautiful, inspiring and moving film, a perfect example of the power of independent work to shift perspectives with personal stories we might not otherwise see.

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Reflecting on Our Sundance Journey: A Roller Coaster Ride Towards Change

Guest Post By Angela Patton
Daughters is a new documentary by filmmakers Natalie Rae and Angela Patton that received the Audience Favorite Award at the Sundance Film Festival last month. The film was inspired by a TEDWomen Talk that Angela gave in 2012. I asked Angela to share her experiences at the festival as a first-time director.

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Reflections on the 2024 Sundance Film Festival

Having just returned from my 30th year of the Sundance Film Festival, I am sharing some thoughts about how this festival, widely respected as the premiere festival for launching new work and discovering new talent, reflects an ever evolving global ecosystem of independent films, and how this impacts what you and I are viewing on our screens, big and small.

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The Transition Is Unstoppable

I hope you are following the events in Dubai where COP28 (the UN climate conference) is happening. So far, the reviews are mixed and the eventual impact is uncertain, but one thing is clear: never has it been more urgent or necessary for the world’s leaders to unite for the solutions, policies, and commitments that will ensure a climate safe world for everyone.

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What is COP and why should we pay attention?

COP28 begins soon – the 28th Climate Change Conference of its kind. Women should be at the table for every decision and commitment made during COP, but we know that will likely not be the case. That’s why I’d like to share a powerful event coming up that brings women’s voices to the forefront of these conversations.

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‘Action is the antidote to despair’

As Joan Baez, one of my favorite songwriters/performers/activists from my political ‘coming of age’ era, once said, "Action is the antidote to despair." Tomorrow is Election Day in the United States, and voting is one action we can all take as US citizens — and a privilege for every person living in a democratic country — to fend off the despair so easily experienced given the wars, the violence, and the rollback on rights in so many places today.

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Seeding a Movement for Climate Justice

Over the last few weeks, Project Dandelion, a women-led global movement for climate justice, has been very active. Energized by the connections we’ve made during our learning journey to better understand how to elevate and amplify the important work we’ve observed, we are more convinced than ever that leading for a just transition from the current crisis is the challenge — and yes, the opportunity — for all women to show up, speak out, and come together, connected by a vision of the future that is in our hands.

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9 Books I'm Reading This Summer

Sharing my summer reading list with all of you! After last week's warmest days on record, I've moved my two climate themed books to the top of my stack. These two books shift the narrative from fear to hope. Hope inspires action — and actions, individually and collectively, are necessary. My list also includes some gripping memoirs, great advice from successful women business leaders, and much, much more!

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The A. Donald McEachin Environmental Justice for All Act is the most comprehensive environmental justice legislation in America's history

None of us can afford to sit on the sidelines, stay silent and do nothing when the lives and livelihoods of all our communities are at stake. This bill is a big step forward for climate justice and we must take it together.

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