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184 / Climate Justice, Candy & The Happy Dance We Didn’t Know We Needed Right Now
Published 5 months ago • 6 min read
Hey friends 👋
I've written quite a lot about the frustration sustainable business professionals have been feeling lately — like our voices are too quiet and our efforts too small in the face of runaway capitalism, rising authoritarianism and innumerable climate setbacks. It can feel like the era of grassroots activism and moral argument is behind us.
This week, we were reminded otherwise. 🙌
The world’s highest court, the International Court of Justice in The Hague, ruled that countries can be held legally accountable for the harms of climate change, including historic emissions. The decision was a win for climate justice and for frontline nations like Vanuatu and the Marshall Islands who helped bring the case forward.
But here’s the real kicker: this groundbreaking case didn’t originate from a major power or billionaire-backed campaign. It was dreamed up by a group of Pacific Islander law students — young people from some of the nations most vulnerable to the climate crisis, who dared to believe the international legal system would listen. And it did.
As a Pacific Islander myself, this moment fills me with overwhelming pride. And even more so because Blue Ocean Law, led by my brilliant fellow Guam native (and cousin!) Julian Aguon, led the legal strategy behind the case. Julian recently published a stunning op-ed for Rolling Stone that illustrates in heart wrenching language what’s at stake, which we’ve included in this week’s 5 Links.
If you’ve been wondering lately whether what we do matters, let this moment serve as your reminder: it does. This is a win for the underdogs of the world — for all of us who keep showing up, speaking up and pushing for a future rooted in justice.
This summer, we’re hosting our first ever Reconsidered Book Club focused on Sustainable Ambition: How to Prioritize What Matters to Thrive in Life and Work by Kathy Oneto. We’re so excited to welcome Kathy herself for a discussion on August 14th to unpack the book themes and insights most relevant to sustainable business professionals! Let’s explore how our personal ambitions square up against our sustainability ambitions, together. 🥰
This month in the Change Hub, we’re focusing on Personal Branding. Not the cringey, ego-driven kind, but the kind that can elevate your ideas and build a community to help propel them forward. Last week we hosted a “Peer Review” speed dating-style gathering where members swapped 1:1 feedback on each other’s personal branding content. Next up: a behind-the-scenes session on the best practices we use to power Reconsidered’s organic growth on LinkedIn.
For more context on this week’s historic International Court of Justice climate decision, you’ll want to read this op-ed by Julian Aguon, one of the lead lawyers on the case. Using poetic prose — the dude’s a Pulitzer Prize finalist, after all — Julian’s piece doesn’t just lay out the team’s legal strategy; it shares the deeply human stories, testimony and traditions that grounded the case, from women navigating landslides in Vanuatu to communities in Papua New Guinea forced to relocate for the fifth time. A stunning read and lens into a landscape increasingly at risk. (20 mins)
Sustainability report filings by big U.S. companies are down nearly 50% this year, according to new analysis from The Conference Board. The likely reason? A cautious recalibration. With political pressure mounting, especially around climate and DEI, many companies are hitting pause and watching what peers do before hitting publish. And indeed, there are some notable differences — another assessment of reports that have been released indicates that more than 200 S&P 500 companies removed words like “diversity” and “equity” from their 2025 reports. (6 minutes)
💬 LET’S TALK: In the coming weeks I’ll be hosting a small, off-the-record conversation with a handful of fellow corporate sustainability communicators to exchange notes on what we’re all seeing and how we’re navigating it. If you’re interested in joining, hit reply and let me know — we’ll be keeping it intimate so space is limited.
This surprisingly fascinating story follows the Wild Peanut Lab at the University of Georgia, where scientists are genetically engineering the next generation of climate-resilient, disease-resistant peanuts with backing from Mars Inc. (you know, the peanut M&M people). It’s a powerful example of corporate sustainability programs investing in agricultural resilience, especially since Mars has committed to making the research open-source — though it’s curious the article skips over any mention of potential concerns around GMOs. (7 minutes)
Joanna Macy — philosopher, poet, teacher and activist whose life’s work helped give shape to the field of eco-spirituality — passed away this week. This tender reflection from her friend and “We Are The Great Turning” podcastco-host Jess Serrante speaks to the gifts Joanna left behind for those of us trying to live with heart in these unraveling times. “We Are The Great Turning” was the subject of our first Change Hub Podcast Club last year, and this piece reminded me why. (7 minutes)
Pressure is ramping up on companies to align their public affairs efforts with their stated sustainability goals — and this newly updated scorecard from ClimateVoice adds fuel to the fire. It highlights 20 major U.S. companies whose affiliations with groups like the Business Roundtable and U.S. Chamber of Commerce are at odds with their public climate commitments. (3 minutes)
🪧 TAKE ACTION: If you work for one of the companies on this list, ClimateVoice has a job for you! Check out their Take Action toolkit for ideas and resources for mobilizing change from within.
A few highlights from this week’s curation:
Burberry— Climate and Nature Data Manager (London)
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📆 July 31 — Behind the Scenes of Reconsidered’s LinkedIn Presence| 💻 Virtual| Hosted by the Change Hub. Peek behind the curtain during this members-only webinar where we’ll share the strategies, systems and tools that have powered our growth on LinkedIn.
Join our first-ever Reconsidered Summer Book Club, focused on Sustainable Ambition: How to Prioritize What Matters to Thrive in Life and Work. We’ll be joined by author Kathy Oneto herself to unpack the insights from the book most relevant to sustainable business professionals.
📣 Bringing people together for good? We’ll help pack the (virtual or IRL) room. Book your Sponsored Event Post.
❤️ Client Love:J.Crew Group’s 2024 Impact Report is now live! We were honored to be a small part of bringing this year’s report to life.
💥 In the Reconsidered LinkedIn Group, members are sharing supply chain webinars, sustainable business courses and circular fashion networking events. Join 19,000 of us here.
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Get fresh finds from the world of corporate responsibility, sustainability + social impact delivered straight to your inbox, every other week. Each issue includes 5 thought-provoking links, a curated list of impact job opportunities, interviews with global impact leaders and loads of exclusive tools + resources for sustainable business professionals.
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