BRINGING BIG ENERGY
“When creators and messengers of culture leverage their expertise and platforms to embrace the values needed in the era of climate change, they can drive systemic change and reshape dominant narratives of climate doom and fatalism into visions of optimism and justice. We energize climate optimism while deepening climate literacy.” This is how the Hollywood Climate Summit is building community and culture.
AUTHENTICALLY DIFFERENT
If the news ever has you feeling despondent, follow, join, and support this org to change your mood. Co-founded by rock star visionaries and creators (in the truest sense of the word) Allison Begalman, Heather Fipps, and Ali Weinstein and produced with a powerhouse team including YEA! Impact, the Summit is all about creativity, collaboration, and coalition building. From the moment you click to purchase a ticket and see how they offer and message a truly accessible range of options (“To ensure that our conference is as accessible as possible, attendees pay a price based on career-level (not related to age! you could be 50 and early career). This is an honor system, purchasing a ticket at your self-identified level helps us fund our scholarship tickets for those who need them.”), you have a sense that this is going to be something different, something powerful, something unique. And it is.
The Summit has not a whiff of checking the boxes; it is about authentically getting that we are in this together and together is way more effective—and much more fun!
ROCK STAR ATTENDANCE & PARTICIPATION
From celebrity speakers such as Jane Fonda and Connie Britton, to producers including Patty Jenkins, and science guy Bill Nye; from 20-year old Mexican-Chilean climate activist and member of the indigenous Mexican Otomi–Toltec nation Xiye Bastida, and Land Protector and Native Peoples Advocate Jody Potts-Joseph; not to mention the caterers and community members to connect with such producer Mary E. Dickinson of Climate All, Ethics and Media Coordinator Merissa Underwood and actor and activist Ariel D King this is a crowd not only motivated but taking action and driving change. From the stage to the after party and every event in between, the Summit was filled with individuals who imagine a brighter future and know that together we can build collective power, leverage our creative skills, and propel climate action to move toward a joyful future for all beings. The event’s programming created space for emergence and I look forward to what grows from the rich “soil.”
In the Summit’s closing “Flash Talks”, a truly dazzling lineup of speakers took the stage to quickly but powerfully share their visions for the future. I could not take notes fast enough to keep up with the inspiration they offered but I’ll leave you with the below words of youth activist Nalleli Cobo, whose courageous work led the charge to shut down oil drilling near her home in Los Angeles and played a large part in the oil industry recently dropping their ballot measure against Gavin Newsom and California’s ban on drilling for oil within 3,200 feet of daycares, playgrounds, and residential and commercial buildings.
ACTION ITEM
“The climate crisis is like a puzzle,” said Nalleli “What piece will you play?”
If you or your team need some collaboration, strategizing, or support in determining how you will play your part of the puzzle, get in touch and let’s chat.
