by Sophie Kelly
We’ve been working on a three-part review of one of Climable’s favorite books, All We Can Save. A collection of essays, artwork, and poetry edited and compiled by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Dr. Katherine K Wilkinson that is being likened to the “feminist climate renaissance.” If you haven’t checked out the first installation, head over there now.
Last time we covered Christine Nieve’s essay, “Community Is Our Best Chance” (pages 363-368). We could write a 40+ part series just diving into each essay and poem. But this time I wanted to cover one aspect of the book that stuck out to me every time I flipped and re-flipped through the pages… accessibility.
If you are here reading this blog on Climable’s website, I would hope that part of the reason is because you recognize us as a source of engaging and easy-to-understand information about clean energy and the climate, stripped from technicalities and barrier producing acronyms (a WHOLE other conversation to get into). Even as climate change is making its way to the forefront of our news, dinner table conversations, and the consciousness of younger generations, it seems that accessible writing and thinking around climate change, what it means for us, and what we can do about it is hard to come by.
Johnson and Wilkinson, along with their community of essayists, scientists, poets, mothers, community organizers, and changemakers who shared their work through this anthology, also recognized this critical need for climate communication that is first and foremost centered in accessibility.
The book itself is laid out in a way that makes reading it fun, easy to follow, and engaging. Their Editors’ Notes lay out just a few ways that Johnson and Wilkinson worked to increase the book’s impact as you read along with:
- * to highlight key statistics
- …… to highlight insights
- underlining to point out key terms and the names of women whose work they referenced.
This attention to detail alone struck me when I first began reading. How amazing would it be if every book about climate change was woven together with such transparency and ease!
From the first essay, “Calling In” (pages 3-7) by youth activist Xiye Bastida to the last pages detailing an extensive list of climate solutions, referenced organizations, and select sources, the book is truly meant to be a launching off point for action, reflection, and conversation (readers can even start their own circle). With thoughtfully interspersed artwork and poetry, a variety of mediums allows the reader to engage with the book even if more detailed writing about energy systems and climate science isn’t your shtick.
If we haven’t convinced you to grab this book (get excited for the release of the paperback version out on July 20–you can preorder here) and tell everyone you know about it yet, hang in for the third installation of our review. We will be wrapping up with some of our own key insights and lessons learned. Until then, stay tuned in with Climable’s work by following us on social media or listening to our podcast, Behind The Switch. Explore more about the All We Can Save Project and while you’re at it, check out Ayana and Alex Blumberg’s podcast, How to Save a Planet.