Personal journey
The Spiritual Work of Climate Advocacy
By Claire Elliott Herrick
I t was after 9:00 p. m., almost bedtime on a Thursday 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
8 IMAGINE l FALL 2016