by Sophie Kelly
Edited and compiled by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Dr. Katharine K. Wilkinson, All We Can Save holds the love and spirit of myriad women and their diverse experiences. The anthology tells a collective story of “compassion, connection, creativity” ultimately ushering in what they are calling, “a feminist climate renaissance.” Yeah... we’re in! As two women working within the climate space, Ayana and Katharine are both familiar with the dire need for feminist climate solutions. Ayana is a marine biologist, policy expert, co-host of the podcast How to Save A Planet, and co-founder of Urban Ocean Lab. Katharine is a writer, speaker, and former editor at Project Drawdown.
Photos of dynamic duo Dr. Johnson & Dr. Wilkinson from Dr.Wilkinson’s Instagram. Illustration: Malia Shen
Infused with poetry and art interspersed between essays covering everything from environmental policy, energy system transformation, seed revolutions, to sacred indigenous knowledge and intergenerational activism, the book itself feels like a love poem to the climate. And it’s an ode to the women who are dedicated–heart and soul–to saving this earth and our loved ones who inhabit it.
Image from Climable’s Loíza Fundraiser! Illustration: Malia Shen
Our review of All We Can Save starts at the very end of the book, with Christine E. Nieves Rodriguez’s essay, “Community Is Our Best Chance” (pages 363-368). I was immediately drawn to Christine’s story with Climable’s ongoing clean energy work in Loíza, Puerto Rico. As an organization dedicated to uplifting grassroots energy justice, community is truly at the heart of all we do. It feels serendipitously fitting that the anthology ended on the profound importance of community.
Detailing the aftermath of Hurricane María in the mountain town of Mariana, Christine weaves a powerful reflection on the jarring impacts of extreme climate events, what comes after, and how existing systems of resilience rooted in “trust, dignity, and reciprocity” allow communities to thrive. As Christine experienced in real time, and as Climable advocates in policy and local energy projects, ‘so-called marginalized communities' have created alternative ways of surviving in the absence of basic human services. In other words, marginalized communities are the experts on the climate adaptation needed in their own neighborhoods. We just have to give them the needed resources and empower their autonomy.
In the wake of electricity outages and gas shortages, fallen trees, broken roads, and destroyed houses, Mariana came together to launch “Proyecto de Apoyo Mutuo'' (Mutual Aid Project) that grew to serve hundreds of people hot meals, provide essential goods, host nurses and doctors, and even build a solar powered laundromat (hello, reliable, resilient, local renewable energy!). Through this process they learned that “the times we will be facing are going to require us to recognize that the most important thing around us is community.”
There is no shortage of illuminating essays, art pieces, and poems in this anthology that moved me to my core, but Christine’s essay particularly struck me because of how much it intertwines with the work that Climable is carrying forward. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that women are at the forefront of beckoning in this new era of climate leadership and action that is rooted in a foundation of “dignity, abundance, and self love” centered in community.
We have SO much more to cover on All We Can Save, from key lessons learned to highlighting the focus on accessibility that we loved so much. Stay tuned in for parts 2 & 3 of our review. In the meantime, get excited for the release of the paperback version out on July 20. (You can preorder here.) And while you’re at it, check out Ayana and Alex Blumberg’s podcast, How to Save a Planet.