Climate Readers’ Retreat with Guest Author John Vaillant: Renewing Our Energy for Change

Our world needs scalable, systemic change, and now. But most of us don’t have the time and space in our daily lives to deeply reflect on what our contribution to solving the climate crisis might be.

Pulitzer Prize finalist John Vaillant—author of The Golden Spruce and Fire Weather, award-winning communications strategist Zoe Grams, and celebrated journalist, author and non-profit founder Ian Gill present a carefully-curated five-day program to support you in moving from thinking to action in our current times. We’ll be joined by special guest, author and land-based leader Cúagilákv (Jess Housty) who will speak to the concept of right relations and Indigenous knowledge in relation to climate work.

Through workshops, presentations, interactive dialogues and more, participants will explore: 


• Hope. How do we define hope and how important is it, really, in our future work?
• Storytelling. What are methods and ideas from award-winning journalists and communications experts that can support us in turning these answers into practice?
• Right Relations. What does it mean to be in “right relations” with each other, and the planet? How or should non-Indigenous citizens collaborate with Indigenous communities for positive impacts?
• Class and politics. What are the inherent assumptions we make about others, and how do we begin to have discussions with others outside of our social “bubbles”?
• Disconnection and denial. What are the ways in which we each create barriers to doing more?
• Building the future. What’s stopping you from deepening your work or impact — and what comes next?

This is an opportunity to explore how to move from despair or mourning into organizing; to discuss tough questions about action and complicity; to discover and share techniques for renewing your energy for change; to find out how we can talk about the current political reality in order to galvanize people to action; and to create a plan to transform how you contribute to our shared futures.

If you’re seeking inspiration to stoke your work in the months ahead, to find tools for deepening your work, use this time for reflection, relationship building and giving yourself the tools and space to build a plan for the future.

Proceeds from the retreat go towards Upstart & Crow’s non-profit Climate program and Thistalalh Library.

Daily Schedule

Click here to view your program schedule.