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.
Share
187 / Hope, Doom & My Biggest Climate Week Takeaways
Published 2 months ago • 5 min read
Hello friends,
I returned from Climate Week NYC with a full heart, a full stomach (thanks Joe 🍕) and a mind swimming with ideas. These days I tend to limit my participation in big gatherings like these. Between the climate impact, the energetic lift and the realities of two little ones at home, I’m intentional about where I show up. But last week reminded me why coming together matters. The conversations, the insights, the sheer magic and momentum of being together in person — they refill the tank in a way few other things can. Yesterday, we held space in the Change Hubfor members to come together to debrief the week and share our biggest takeaways. Here’s a quick summary of what came up… 👭 The sheer scale of Climate Week was impressive (1,000 events! 100,000 people!). But it was also a reminder that real change still comes down to a handful of decision-makers sitting around a table — and how vital it is to keep these folks engaged. 🌍 While U.S. headlines can make it feel like momentum is slipping, in global rooms — like at theUN Global Compact Leaders Summitwhere I presented — there was a very different story: countries already feeling climate impacts are pushing forward with urgency and public perception varies widely across the different geographies. Not just that, but U.S. states, counties and cities are stepping up in a big way. 💪 While the echo chamber is real, a lot of conversations had less of the “dream big” energy and more of the “roll up your sleeves” vibe — people talking candidly about constraints and how to actually get things done. More people seem willing to say out loud when the business case just isn’t there (yet) which is making (some) conversations feel more practical and grounded. 🤩 Despite all the political headwinds and drama unfolding on the UNGA stage, the energy was surprisingly hopeful. Not naïve, but a kind of pragmatic optimism to keep moving forward on what’s in our control. I’m curious to know, what were your biggest Climate Week NYC takeaways? Do you agree with the points above or was your experience different? Whether you attended IRL or watched from the (LinkedIn) sidelines, I’d love to hear your perspectives.
October’s Hot Topic is Futures Thinking, with a live webinar featuring the sustainable link & co.’s Alba Tiley and Darina Elencheva upskilling our community on Futures Literacy. Also this month: our quarterly Brain Trust, a hands-on member gathering where we brainstorm and support one another on challenges we’re facing. Come for the professional development; stay for the positive energy, the practical takeaways and the reminder that you’re not in this work alone.
RIP Jane Goodall… primatologist, zoologist, anthropologist, conservationist and (s)hero to environmentalists the world over (including so many in this community). In her later years, Jane centered hope as the legacy of her life’s work, as brought to life in this documentary (previously available only on Disney+ but now available to view in full on YouTube). Continue the Jane-inspired binge with the award-winning 2017 documentary Jane. (93 minutes)
This blog post from “sustainability OG” Gil Friend pulls together a number of reflections and stats from across the corporate climate-sphere (Bain, BCG, Bloomberg, Harvard, etc.) to argue that despite the noise of greenhushing and ESG backlash, the business case for sustainability remains alive and quietly doing its work. Is it enough? Not yet. But is it moving? Yes — and that had me feeling (dare I say) hopeful. (10 minutes — 🙏 Gil for sharing this reflection with the Purpose Collaborative fam)
Okay, so the headline of this Atlantic analysis isn’t exactly uplifting. But for the jobseekers in our community (and I know there are many) it might be helpful to know that much of what you’re experiencing is systemic — it’s not just you. Be sure to follow up this article with a scan of this gold-mine LinkedIn thread, which contains 100+ pieces of helpful advice from sustainability recruiters and hiring managers. (8 minutes)
Wild stat: turns out 80–89% of the world’s population wants stronger climate action, but most people don’t realize they’re in the majority — a gap that might be holding back louder calls for change. It’s a textbook case of the behavioral science concept of “pluralistic ignorance” and is the focus of a whole fascinating article series from The Guardian and newsrooms across the globe (it actually launched on Earth Day, so I’m a bit late to the game on this one 🙈). (6 minutes)
“Fuck waiting for the end of the world like it’s a season finale … Doom wants you sad, scrolling, eating cold pizza in a hoodie that smells like despair. Doom wants you small. But we’re not extras in the apocalypse. We’re the scrappy weirdos, the rebels, the fellowship, the kids on bikes with slingshots who bring the monster down.”So goes this rousing campaign from creative agency Futerra, which takes narrative inspiration from all your favorite post-apocalyptic action movies. This story’s of the choose-your-own-adventure variety, with a call-to-action to vote for how the campaign should evolve. “This is a movement within our movement,” Futerra “Chief Solutionist” Solitaire Townsend said in a live recording of the "Two Steps Forward" podcast recorded at Climate Week. “And I’m done with top-down campaigning and deciding. I’m going to create the space and then people can come in and tell us what they want to do in this space.”
Lisa Hendrickson is the co-founder of Austin Sustainability Professionals and a member of the Reconsidered Change Hub. In this profile, she reflects on community building, the importance of not asking for permission and opportunities for innovation in sustainability.
This immersive event will unpack The Mix Global’s report, Second Nature, on the rise of Outdoor Collectives by and for underrepresented communities and highlight how brands can (and are) building meaningful and impactful partnerships with them. **
In our quarterly mastermind-style Brain Trust community gathering, Change Hub members come together to collectively brainstorm and support one another on challenges we’re facing.
In this live edition of our Learning Labs webcasts, Alba Tiley and Darina Elencheva, co-founders of the sustainable link & co., will explore the topic of futures literacy and its relevance to sustainable business professionals.
📣 **Partner Post. If you’re hosting an impact-driven event, we’ve got the crew for you. Reach ’em by booking a Sponsored Event Post.
🚺 Most clicked from the last issue… that discussion prompted by Andrew Winston’s LinkedIn post on why so many CSOs are women.
💥 In the Reconsidered LinkedIn Group, members are sharing impact career podcasts, networking events and freelancing opportunities. Join 20k of us here.
📣 Have mission-aligned projects you want to spotlight? Share 'em with our engaged readership by booking a Sponsored Post.
We are an impact strategy + communications studio on a mission to help sustainable business leaders drive bigger, bolder, more sustainable change.
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.
Hey there change agents 👋 Hard to believe this is our last newsletter of 2025! While I was pulling together our annual “Favorite Sustainable Business Links of 2025” list (below) I found myself reflecting on the energy and momentum this year has brought, in a time when not all momentum in the wider world has felt so positive. Baby Isabel arrived in January, bringing a burst of joy that set the tone for everything that followed. Stepping back into work was its own adventure with two little ones...
Hey there change agents 👋 If there were ever a week for appreciation posts, it’s this one — so here’s mine for sustainable business, a field that never stops surprising, stretching and inspiring me. Here are a few things I’m especially grateful for this year 👇 The slow but steady progress hiding behind every “ESG is dead” headline. The people who still believe business can be a force for good — and are acting toward it. The courage it takes to say, “We don’t know yet, but we’re working on...
Hello friends, Next month marks nine years since I took the plunge into independent consulting — a leap that was equal parts exhilarating, terrifying and necessary. Lately, I’m noticing more and more people standing exactly where I once stood — some by choice, some by circumstance and many navigating that messy, complicated in-between. No matter how you got here, the questions tend to be the same: How do I stand out in a crowded space? How do I talk about what I do in a way that feels true to...