Pe r s onal jo u r ne y
The Spiritual Work
of Climate Advocacy
By Claire Elliott Herrick
8 IMAGINE l FALL 2016
I
t was after 9:00 p.m., almost bedtime on a Thurs-
day night in September 2014. Heading home from
an exhausting three-hour workshop in a dank
downtown library meeting room, I beamed with
an energy and hope I thought I’d never know.
Climate change was an overwhelming, foregone
conclusion—and there was a solution, a best first step.
The problem was global and one person’s actions futile,
and there was something I could do tonight, tomorrow,
next week that would bring effective change.
Our political system was corrupt and owned by
the fossil fuel lobby, and humble volunteers were
making inroads. I was heartsick from years of reviling
those who profit off the planet, and here was a way to