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Spring 2025: Reading & Retreat Details
Happy Spring Equinox friends! Are you eagerly awaiting the hearty first blooms of daffodils, snowdrops, and forsythia like I am? Hopefully we are only weeks away from that explosion of colour and growth.
As the light increases, the ice melts and buds prepare to burst, I have lots to share with you! Including our Spring book club reading list, an invite to our 4th annual Self Care for Climate Care Retreat in Thornbury, Ontario, and some wins to celebrate..
Climate Care Book Club Spring Reads
As the land around us awakes, creatures emerge from their winter naps and the planting of seeds begins our climate care book club will be reading two books that I hope support our awakening, sowing our own seeds for change and action: Doppelganger: A trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein and People, Power, Change: Organizing for Democratic Renewal by Marshall Ganz.
The Good Reads blurb about People, Power, and Change: “At a moment when our democratic abilities seem to have eroded, and political, economic, and technological forces have weakened the capacity for collective action, People, Power, and Change is a once-in-a-generation book for anyone who wants to create real and lasting change.”
A Good Reads blurb about Doppelganger: “Combining comic memoir with chilling reportage and cobweb-clearing analysis, Klein seeks to smash that mirror and chart a path beyond despair. What do we neglect as we polish and perfect our digital reflections? Can we create a politics of collective care and undertake a true reckoning with historical crimes? The result is a revelatory treatment of the way many of us think and feel now―and an intellectual adventure story for our times.”
Doppelganger is a big read, so to thanks Becca for suggesting that we focus on some chapters as opposed to the whole book. Here are some suggestions for chapters to focus on:
Chapter 1 and 2: give a good intro to Naomi Klein/the reason for the book
Chapter 9: Calm, Conspiracy, Capitalism (how conspiracies get the facts wrong but feelings right)
Chapter 12: No Way Out But Back (includes the Twin Convoys examples, talks about the parallels between protests on different ends of the political spectrum)
“What we need are systems that light up our better selves, the parts of ourselves that want to look outward at a world in crisis and join the work of repair. Systems that make it easier, in ways big and small, for care to win the battle over uncare.” Naomi Klein– p.337.
Like those bold first blooms of spring, I’m looking forward to stretching, breaking new ground, seeing the light and growth of ideas and action this season. With you. Mark your calendars for Wednesday April 2nd and Wednesday May 14th at 8pm ET we will discuss these books, ideas, themes and strategies for action.
Self Care for Climate Care 2025 Retreat
Our 4th Annual Self Care for Climate Care Retreat will support connection, community and movement on the land from June 6-8th 2025 in Thornbury Ontario.
Let’s take to the hiking trails and forests, canoe on the Beaver River, stroll through the cute town of Thornbury, do some Qigong with Diane Gribbin, journal, sing by the campfire, chill and share meals together. If you have something you'd like to offer or share with the group please let us know in the link below.
There is no cost to the retreat, but we all share in costs for food and activities and prepare food for potlucks. Community care in practice :)
This retreat will be hosted on the lands of Historic Treaty 18 and the traditional territories of the Petun, Odawa, Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ, Wendake-Nionwentsïo and Mississauga Nations.
Celebrating some Wins!
🏆 Celebrating a career highlight! 🏆 On March 12th, 2025 I accepted the AESP’s 2025 Energy Award for Individual Leadership in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at their Annual conference in Phoenix, Arizona.
What a time to be winning an award for DEI leadership – especially in the US – the challenges we have ahead are real and the work has never been more important.
Filled with gratitude for those who have supported me:
💗 Brigid O'Connor and the team at Summerhill Group for the nomination;
💗 Ersilia Serafini for mentoring me every step of the way;
💗 My Plugged In Podcast guests, supporters and book club community;
💗 The team at StepUp, Breakthrough in Energy Management Energy Management, where I learned so much serving as a board member (2019-2024);
💗 The AESP for this honour and leading by example.
As I shared in my acceptance speech, I’m committed to continuing to learn, listen, create and show up for this work so that we can all be living in a just, clean energy future together and for generations to come.
Celebrated with epic sunset and sunrise hikes with my team on the beautiful lands in Sedona and the Grand Canyon, AZ. Traditional territories of the Pueblos, Hopitutskwa, Ndee/Nnēē: (Western Apache), Hohokam, Hualapai, and Havasu Baaja (Havasupai) Nations.
Coming Full Circle
The All We Can Save Project profiled our “beloved Canadian” book club in their newsletter this month in the “Oh yeah, we’re not in this alone” section - love that our story can be an example for others searching for community care. Thank you for being part of this community and Circle and thanks Rebecca for sharing!
Talk Climate to Me - Final Session this April
If you haven’t taken this program, I highly recommend signing up for the last Talk Climate To Me: a fun, free, unscary, online, team-based climate education experience for women and allies. This thoughtfully curated and engaging program is led with love by our book club member Katie Harper - and she is such a gift for any climate weary or climate curious heart. Congrats on the impactful journey for this program and thanks for all you do! 🥰 May it ripple 🌊.
