Telling Stories To Save The Earth: Dr. Katharine Wilkinson & Mary Annaïse Heglar

In this episode, Steve Nygren and Monica Olsen talk with New York Times bestselling author Dr. Katharine Wilkinson and writer + podcaster Mary Annaïse Heglar about the power of voice, their love of nature, and the new book "All We Can Save," that showcases the work of women at the forefront of the climate movement who are harnessing truth, courage, and solutions to lead humanity forward.

As Mary Annaise says, "Climate isn't a story, it's a saga," and "we are the heroes in the tale of saving the planet.” Katharine calls on us all to be "climate curious,” and to open your heart and use your super powers. Join us as we discuss the power of storytelling in affecting change.

Mentioned In The Episode

“My heart is moved by all I cannot save:
so much has been destroyed
I have to cast my lot with those
who age after age, perversely,
with no extraordinary power,
reconstitute the world.” - Adrienne Rich, Natural Resources

All We Can Save is a provocative and illuminating anthology of essays from women at the forefront of the climate movement who are harnessing truth, courage, and solutions to lead humanity forward.

The Hot Take podcast is a holistic, irreverent, no-bullshit look at the climate crisis and all the ways we’re talking - and not talking - about it. Co-hosts Mary Annaïse Heglar and Amy Westervelt take a feminist, race-forward lens to the biggest story of our time. Some people might call it intersectional, they call it honest. Subscribers to their weekly newsletter get access to bonus podcast episodes in addition to original commentary and analysis and the best climate coverage of the week.

Great places flow from great rivers. That’s why Chattahoochee NOW is focused on a 53-mile corridor of the Chattahoochee, from the south end of the National Recreation Area down to Chattahoochee Bend State Park. Today, there are few places to access this stretch of our river – or even see it. NOW is the time to put these 53 miles on the map – as a corridor of sustainability for the Atlanta Region where recreation, preservation, community, and economic vitality are interconnected. We believe our riverfront can benefit everyone and are working to make that aspiration a reality.

The Trust for Public Land creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come.

The Chattahoochee RiverLands Project proposes a 125-mile uninterrupted multimodal trail running from Buford Dam to Chattahoochee Bend State Park. It is a linear network of Greenways, Blueways, parks, and the destinations they create that will bring people to the water’s edge, promote stewardship and conservation of the river, and reveal the subtle magic of the Chattahoochee to all.

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a marine biologist, policy expert, writer, and Brooklyn native. She is founder and CEO of Ocean Collectiv, a consulting firm for conservation solutions grounded in social justice, and founder of Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank for the future of coastal cities. She is also the co-editor of All We Can Save.

DRILLED is one of the few narrative podcasts about climate change. In 2018 when journalist Amy Westervelt was covering multiple climate lawsuits, she had the idea to put the story of climate change, and climate denial, into a true-crime framework.

Leah Stokes is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She works on energy, climate, and environmental politics.

Kate Orff is the Founding Principal of SCAPE, which creates positive change in communities by combining regenerative living infrastructure and new forms of public space.

Emily Atkin is the author and founder of HEATED, a daily newsletter dedicated to original accountability reporting and analysis on the climate crisis. She also hosts the HEATED podcast.

The Outdoor Academy is an accredited residential semester school for high achieving sophomores and select freshman and juniors. Focused on intellect, environment, community, and craft, OA delivers rigorous high school academics infused with  experiential education in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Their small community of students will also spend a quarter of their semester developing technical and wilderness leadership skills on backpacking, climbing, and paddling adventures all over the Southeast.

Mary Oliver’s poetry focused on the quiet of occurrences of nature.

Annie Dillard is an author best know for her narrative prose both fiction and non-fiction.

Known for her impassioned and lyrical prose, Terry Tempest Williams is the author of the environmental literature classic “Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place,” among others. She is also a naturalist and  has testified before Congress on women’s health issues, been a guest at the White House, has camped in the remote regions of Utah and Alaska wildernesses and worked as "a barefoot artist" in Rwanda.

The Pisgah National Forest is a land of mile-high peaks, cascading waterfalls, and heavily forested slopes. Comprised of over 500,000 acres, the Pisgah is primarily a hardwood forest with whitewater rivers, waterfalls and hundreds of miles of trails. This national forest is home of the first tract of land purchased under the Weeks Act of 1911 which led to the creation of the national forests in the eastern United States. It is also home of the first school of forestry in the United States, now preserved at the Cradle of Forestry in America historic site, and boasts two of the first designated wilderness areas in the east. The Pisgah, Grandfather and Appalachian Ranger Districts are scattered along the eastern edge of the mountains of western North Carolina and offer visitors a variety of opportunities for outdoor recreation and enjoying the natural beauty of the mountains.

Lindsay Baker  is the Head of Sustainability & Wellbeing at WeWork and an industry veteran in the field of sustainable and healthy buildings.

Globescan is a world leader in identifying, understanding, and engaging stakeholders in ways that provide strategic value for their clients.

“How empowering women and girls can stop global warming” - Katharine Wilkinson’s TED Talk on climate and gender equality.

Ray C. Anderson was the founder of Interface, the world’s largest producer of modular commercial floor coverings.

The 116th Congress House Resolution 109: Green New Deal calls on the federal government to wean the United States from fossil fuels and curb planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions across the economy. It also aims to guarantee new high-paying jobs in clean energy industries.

Mary Anne Hitt is the National Director of Campaigns for the Sierra Club, the most enduring and influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. They amplify the power of their 3.8 million members and supporters to defend everyone’s right to a healthy world.

Catherine Pierce is the author of four books of poems: Danger Days, The Tornado Is The World, The Girls of Peculiar, and Famous Last Words.

Alice Walker is an internationally celebrated writer, poet, and activist whose books include seven novels, four collections of short stories, four children’s books, and volumes of essays and poetry. She won the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction in 1983 and the National Book Award.

Sewanee: The University of the South

Madeleine Jubilee Saito is a cartoonist and illustrator.