The World is Ours to Cherish

 By Connie Schmidt

 

Dear Friends,

I am honored to serve as a Library Trustee on the board for my local public library. And as a result, I was invited to attend the Public Library Association conference in Columbus, Ohio, this spring. My world as a Sierra Club volunteer, educator, democracy defender, and grandmother all collided with the Big Ideas speaker on the last day of the conference when Mary Annaïse Heglar spoke. WOW! 

Mary Annaïse began her work in the Climate Movement in 2014 with the National Resources Defense Council. As she edited and wrote documentation for them, she synthesized the understanding that our climate crisis is not being solved not for a lack of knowledge or will, but for a lack of POWER. The power is in the hands of those who have no will and ignore the knowledge. From there, she journeyed to a career in writing.

If you are not familiar with her, she has written essays in numerous publications such as Rolling Stone, Wired, Boston Globe, and Vox.  A participant from the audience at the conference commented that her essays were required reading in her master’s level course syllabus. Mary Annaïse has published a children’s book, The World is Ours to Cherish, and next month her debut historical fiction novel Troubled Waters will be released. 

Her message was loud and clear.  She is not an “activist” but thinks of herself as an advocate. This is a subtle but powerful distinction that I related to deeply, moving toward a positive effort rather than negative refute of archaic systems. Don’t get me or her wrong, she forcefully calls out the fossil fuel industry who knowingly perpetrated the situation that our climate is in at this moment; yet moving toward healing was her message…with urgency.

Mary Annaïse spoke about conflicting efforts within the movement as well.  She called it generational enmity, Youth vs Aged, which again was rooted in grappling for power. At times she explained that she felt that the older generation was tired and stood back to push the younger generation forward to lead or the elders were shoved to the back as the youth were tired of their older ways and inability to gain control of the narrative. This generational divide was the impetus for her transition to a writing career. Her children’s book and much of her essay work lead to help not only children, but the children in each of us, to feel enchanted and empowered to see the light of cherishing our world in order to protect it. Does this not sound like the Sierra Club motto that we seem to repeat less and less these days? “Enjoy, explore and protect.” 

A Black woman, raised in the rural South, Mary Annaïse Heglar connects and explores the work of the Civil Rights Movement to the Climate Movement. The urgency for justice and dignity for all people represented in the Civil Rights movement was palpable. Fierce work was done to make the change that was so very needed. She explains, and I agree, that within Climate Movement, at times, we sit back and “hope” for change and power shifts for solutions to be enacted. Since 1980 and before when James Hanson first warned our Congress that we are burning up our atmosphere and must change our ways, complacency of those in power has overshadowed enacting solutions. Yes, we have outliers who are ringing the alarms, but our society as a whole has yet to become engaged.

Writing and speaking for elders, children, and the connecting generation between, Mary Annaïse Heglar echoes thoughts in my heart and perhaps yours, too.  She gave new energy and encouragement to a weary struggle with her summary statement: “Climate Change is a saga, not a story.” So, my takeaway was to write this note to each of you to become engaged and hold on for the ride. We have urgent work to do.