Hi friends,
It was very, very hot here in the Netherlands last week.
And so was the public discourse about what it all means: for climate change, for adaptation, for whether or not to finally invest in a damn AC.
On an interpersonal level, though, the discourse was a bit more tentative. The "C" word hung in the background of all the school closures, the empty standing-fan aisles, the water play. If climate's role in the sweltering temps got mentioned at all, it was with an awkward grimace and a quick change of subject.
That’s a shame, because history shows extreme weather has a way of sparking real conversations… and real change. It makes tangible what's otherwise so hard to articulate. Want to talk about "experiential learning"? Try holding a midday meeting in a 16th-century canal house on day five of a heat wave. Or asking NASA scientist James Hansen, who famously testified before the U.S. Congress about the perils of global warming on the hottest day of the year in 1988. The next day it made front-page news, and the extreme heat of that summer inspired an unprecedented wave of climate-related bills.
We're only at the start of summer, with more heat spikes expected. If there's a silver lining to any of this, it's increased attention to climate issues from the general public. I keep coming back to Potential Energy's climate communications guides, specifically its "Unnatural Disasters Communication Guide" (shared in today's 5 Links). It's a science- and data-backed framework for using the weather as a conversation starter, without oversimplifying or turning people off.
Honestly, I'm still figuring out how to have these conversations myself, in language that feels authentic to me. I’ve shared a few talking points on LinkedIn; if you've found ways that work, drop ‘em in the comments!
Jessica Marati Radparvar
Founder, Reconsidered
What's On In Our World
- Our team is winding down for our annual Summer Slowdown, which means slower replies on email and LinkedIn for the next few weeks. Thank you for understanding; we know from experience that a more intentional pace now means sharper work later. 😎
- Our current and former clients are killing it these days! Shout-outs go to Etsy for its brilliant “Shop Other Jeffs” campaign, Ashoka for its new Future Ready Workforce report, the Alliance for Water Stewardship for hosting another epic edition of its annual forum and New Belgium Brewing for celebrating 35 years of pioneering change in the beer industry. #ClientLove
This Week's 5 Links
Required reading for a summer of anticipated heat spikes. I appreciated that each recommendation in this guide — and Potential Energy’s anchor How to Talk About Climate Change and Climate Solutions guide — is backed by science and research into what makes climate messaging stick. Still need to figure out a way to make the conversation-starters and calls-to-action feel a bit more “Jess”, but these guides at least give us a good starting point.
One of the most interesting tensions coming out of last week’s European heat waves was the divide between the haves and the have-nots. More specifically, those who have air conditioning (very few) and those who don’t (most of the rest of us). It’s become a political flashpoint in France but I appreciated this look into the cultural values and norms behind the debate (which helped put into perspective my own reluctance to give in, despite having grown up in a heavy-AC island culture). (8 minutes)
Starbucks. Nestle. Unilever. The past few weeks have featured an unusually high number of headlines on sustainability function re-orgs. Does it mean that sustainability is being deprioritized — or just that it’s shifting shape? Impact brand strategist Christine Taylor shares research (and a helpful infographic) to help us make sense of it all. I also appreciated this summary (and accompanying comment thread) from Fletcher’s Ken Pucker as well as this perspective from Alison Taylor. (7 minutes)
It’s about time we got one of our own on Hot Ones! In this special water advocacy-themed episode of Sean Evans’ popular YouTube series — which usually features celebrities getting grilled on gossip between bites of supremely spicy hot wings — we get treated to a discussion of the future of corporate sustainability with Water.org co-founder Matt Damon, Water.org CEO Gary White and Amazon CSO Kara Hurst. (10 minutes)
This isn’t reeeeeeally corporate responsibility related… but it was just the delightful nature tidbit I needed in a tough news cycle. It also makes me wonder… what else can nature solve if we just take the humans out of it? (4 minutes)
Impact Jobs
A few highlights from this week’s curation:
- Ralph Lauren — Senior ESG Regulatory Operations Associate (London)
- Salesforce — Project Lead, Impact Strategy and Partnerships (San Francisco)
- TikTok — Global Programs Lead, Corporate Social Responsibility (New York City)
- UN Global Compact Network UK — Program Lead, Nature (Hybrid, London)
- WWF — Intern, Private Sector Engagement Due Diligence and Research (Hybrid, Washington, D.C.)
Quick Hits
⚽ Most clicked from the last issue… 3 facts to ruin your World Cup watch party — HEATED. You all tuned into Emily Atkin’s breakdown of three frustrating facts about this year’s World Cup.
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