How to Keep the Climate Week Energy Flowing
Build on the connections you made and the energy you generated.
Keep the Momentum Going
One of my favorite parts of Climate Week is the communal energy that flows through the City like neon through an old storefront sign. I attended fifteen events in the last ten days, and that does not include one-on-one coffees I had with new friends and peers. While I won’t be attending that many events in the next ten days, I will still do my part to keep that energy flowing through New York City. If you recently attended Climate Week NYC, or any industry-specific conference, here are some tips to keep the magic flowing while a load of laundry from your suitcase spins in the background.
Plug into Local Action
Depending on where you live, there may be energy already building in your city with regards to local action attached to the cause you care most about. I write a NYC climate, environmental, and sustainability events newsletter on Substack called the Green Events Hub every week. My number one goal is to help others connect to local planetary and community-preserving events to amplify their power and braid in their connection to their local community.
Sitting at home and scrolling through your phone can feel isolating, despite having a heightened awareness of emerging news from around the world.
Volunteering with your local community garden, signing up to clean up your local beach, processing compost, and the like can leave you with a deeper feeling of connection after only one event. I know, because attending a beach clean-up is why I dreamt up the Green Events Hub newsletter! (More on that at a different time). Look for local events, newsletters, and events in your area related to your chosen topic to begin to identify organizations doing the work that lights you up.
2. Get Up to Speed on Your Local Elections
Local elections are where you can have some of the most immediate opportunities to influence change that you witness and more quickly feel. Don’t forget about your local Boards and HOAs, either! Nothing builds momentum like wins felt in your own backyard. Local elections influence state politics, and state politics impact federal politics. The power of grassroots organizing and people-centered campaigns is how we have Zohran Mamdani as a promising shoe-in for NYC’s next mayor. Organizations like Climate Changemakers, She Should Run, and Vote Save America, can help you get started. It can be tempting to disengage and dismiss your own power, but resist that impulse. Now is when your brave voice can make the biggest difference.
3. Follow Up With Three People
If you printed out the Climate Week NYC mini zine I made, you may have used the blank pages to keep track of people you want to follow up with post-Climate Week. I have my three, and I already followed up with one of them! One is someone I met at an event, one is the founder of a new cool climate action organization here in NYC, and one is a person two separate people have told me I have to meet. As an introvert, my social battery needs some serious recharging this week. As an intentional person who loves deep human connection and is willing to look awkward and intentional about building it, I’m excited to have three people with whom to follow up. It’s notoriously difficult to align schedules with people living in New York City, but that means the Climate Week magic will stretch into fall (an already magical season in NYC).
Whether you recently attended Climate Week NYC or another sustainability conference, the energy you’ve built can continue to glow wherever you call home.
In connection,
