Lately, I’ve been thinking about how we — as communicators — can bring our skills, insights, and understandings into the service of our fragile planet. How can we help move beyond the “doom and gloom” so often seen and heard whenever anyone talks or writes about the environmental crises we face? Can we contribute to creating an effective space of empowerment and motivation?

I recently came across a relatively new academic term: “environmental communication”. The International Environmental Communication Association, the scholarly association for the field, only launched in 2011. Their Executive Director, Mark Meisner, wrote a piece on their One-Planet Talking Blog that I excerpt here because it really speaks to me:

“Better policies, cleaner energy sources, new technologies, carbon taxes and all of the other innovative approaches to dealing with environmental issues will only take us so far. In order to achieve lasting ecological sustainability, human culture (especially in wasteful Western societies) is going to have to change as well. This will require some significant shifts in our views and values towards the natural world, ourselves, and each other. So, how well we communicate about nature and environmental affairs will affect how quickly and thoroughly we can transform our cultures and ultimately how well we address the ecological crisis.”

Wow. I guess we actually do have a role to play!

Just the other day, my 7-year-old cousin and I were reading a book that referred to “global warming” and I was at a loss to explain it without scaring her. I know there are many educators working on this very front for learners of all ages (including us grown-ups). An example is an aptly named Initiative called “Beyond Doom and Gloom: Climate Solutions”.

O.k. This is obviously a huge topic, and I am just beginning to explore it. If you would like to chime in, please do so by leaving a reply.