Spheres of Influence: Awareness into Action

Do you want to make a meaningful contribution on the climate crisis– and work with other influencers to be a part of the solution?

Are you thinking about how to leave your mark?

Do you want to understand the issues more  deeply?

Then you’ve come to the right place to learn what you can do to make a difference on the climate crisis.

Towards that end, Dr. Sarah Warren has launched a novel initiative: The Spheres of Influence Salon on Climate Change.

The Spheres of Influence Salon brings together influencers who want to make a difference — who want to use their money and energy, spirit and wisdom, connections and passion to leave a healthy planet for their children and grandchildren– for tomorrow’s children.

Join Spheres of Influence Salon today at Member Registration. 

Why a salon? A salon is a European concept, defined by Wikipedia as a gathering in which “the participants sought to increase their knowledge through conversation and readings.” The Spheres of Influence Salon is a virtual and live venue for stimulating dialogue with thought leaders, experts and visionaries who are addressing the climate crisis.

Thought leaders and experts in the Salon community include:

Thought leader Rob Harmon of Bonneville Environmental Foundation, who invented the retail carbon credit (REC) and who continues to develop innovative market solutions to the problem of C02 emissions.

Richard Rood, Professor of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences at  University of Michigan. Formerly at NASA, Professor Rood works as part of an interdisciplinary team on climate change, and thoughtfully addresses matters such the relationship between science and policy.

Brad Warren of the international nonprofit Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, whose clients include Wal-Mart and McDonalds. He has been working at the interface of business and the environment for 25 years, and is an expert on ocean acidification- global warming’s evil twin– another unintended consequence of our rising C02 emissions.

Karen Leigh Cook,  energy policy consultant of EECOM, Inc, is active with the US Conference of Mayors’ Climate Protection Center and the US Green Building Council, and believes passionately that we have a responsibility to “clear away the policy barriers for the sake of our children.”

“Tackling global warming is a form of estate planning. The people who have the most at stake in reversing global warming are the parents of the world. People who are civic leaders who help to run our companies are also parents, and they play a lot of other roles in the world. I think we need to step out of our business roles and look at our spheres of influence. We all have to come together as parents to fight climate change.” David Weinberg, charter member of Salon/retired head of FelPro, Inc.

The Spheres of Influence Salon launched September 22nd at Navy Pier in Chicago during the Corporate Climate Response Conference. Speakers for the Salon Kick-Off included Rob Harmon, renewable energy thought leader and Chief Innovation Officer at the Bonneville Environmental Foundation who developed the concept of the retail carbon credit (REC), actress Nora Dunn (SNL, currently in Pineapple Express) who is also an accomplished painter and committed conservationist who uses her talents and wit to deliver her message, and Brooks Scott, from corporate sustainability pioneer Patagonia, who spoke about how climate change has propelled their company to deepen their commitment to protecting the natural world. They shared their inspirational stories about how they are using their spheres of influence, and how we can all effectively use our talents, voices and votes.

Interested in learning about the benefits of membership? Visit our Spheres of Influence Salon Member Registration.  You are also invited to learn more about our organization’s Code of Conduct. 

Upcoming Salon Events:

Wednesday, December 3 at 8 pm Eastern/7 pm Central/5 pm Pacific.

“Setting the agenda for the first 100 days”

Prof. Eban Goodstein, author of Fighting for Love in the Century of Extinction artfully blends passion and policy. Professor Goodstein led the Focus the Nation event in early 2008 that mobilized 1 million participants across the country — His sphere of influence is pretty big.  Following the election, he will speak with Salon members on setting the agenda for “the first 100 days.” Members will have the opportunity to ask their questions about how we can use our spheres of influence to set the climate policy agenda under the next administration.

Want to join the teleconference and ask Prof. Goodstein a question? Join the Salon.

Recent Salon Events:

Wednesday, October 8

“How we can seize the opportunity of the election to get the climate policies we need—for our children’s sake?”

Betsy Taylor, co-founder of 1Sky (www.1sky.org), discussed with Dr. Sarah Warren how we can use our spheres of influence in the weeks before the election to ensure that we get the climate policies we need to protect the planet for our children. Betsy Taylor was featured in Leo DiCaprio’s film 11^th Hour. Prior to founding 1Sky- a new national climate focused NGO- Betsy was with Center for the New American Dream which she founded.  Listen to that conversation. (www.ecoaction.ecoactionplan.org/audio/SpheresBetsyTaylor10-8-08.wav)

To read the indepth email exchange with Richard Rood and Rob Harmon that followed one of the callers’ questions about the Pickens Plan,  visit this page on my site. (If the link is not working, go the right side of the site and click on the page entitled “Salon Policy Experts…”)

More about the ongoing Salon:

Dr. Sarah Warren believes that the only way to turn the climate crisis around is for us all to green our lifestyles and businesses, as well as to overhaul our policies – and for all of us to act as catalysts for others to join in the burgeoning collective effort to save the planet.

The Salon is about more than reducing our carbon footprints. It’s about the power of stories, the power of exchanging ideas, and the power of relationships and new partnerships. It’s about the power of a community of influencers.

Dr. Warren believes that we should heed the call issued by David King, a former top science advisor to the British government: “”We need to pull people toward …the bigger challenges where the outcome for our civilization is really crucial.”  There is no greater challenge than climate change. There is no better focus for our talents and efforts.

The spirit of the Salon is embodied by several of its charter members. Civic leader David Weinberg, the retired head of FelPro, Inc, has applied his talents as a professional photographer to climate change as the photographer for the coffee table book for the Cool Globes: Hot Ideas for Cooler Planet traveling public art exhibit. He sees fighting global warming as matter of “estate planning.”  We invite you to listen to a recent Interview with David Weinberg.

Other charter members include Suzanne Farver who is a board member of Rocky Mountain Institute who recently completed research at Harvard on framing climate change issues.  Lisa Nigro, social venture pioneer and proud Prius owner, who founded the Inspiration Cafe, demonstrating how successfully businesses can solve social problems. Real estate developer and independent film producer John Woldenberg produced the documentary film Cool It; as a member of Board of the Holocaust Museum, he is supporting the museum’s efforts to ensure environmental responsibility.

The Spheres of Influence Salon is not just about getting more deeply informed about the climate crisis but about committing to use our collective energy and wisdom to tackle climate change. It is about joining a community of civic and business leaders and experts on science and policy who want to achieve the common end of leaving a legacy we can be proud of. The mission of the Salon is to move people from awareness into action– action that is meaningful, thoughtful and high impact.

Join Dr. Sarah Warren, a seasoned psychologist and addictions specialist– that includes oil– who is committed to creating a unified, collective war effort. She inspires to people use their spheres of influence to preserve the “garden” that nourishes us, sustains our businesses and economy, and offers us and our children remarkable beauty.

To learn more about the benefits of membership, visit our member page. No ready to join? To stay informed about future programs and opportunities for involvement, sign up on Dr. Sarah’s mailing list.

Live events will occur not only in Chicago but in various locations around the country. And, of course, thanks to the power of technology,  you can participate in virtual events from anywhere!

Upcoming confirmed speakers include:

Simon Hauger, inspirational teacher at Philadelphia Automotive Academy and leader of the award-winning EVX team that has been building fast, sleek and clean green cars. This program is one of Dr. Sarah’s favorite prototype programs for a high impact initiative that solves multiple problems at the same time. (November– live event in Philadelphia)

John Woldenberg, independent film producer (Cool It), and co-founder of the Cool Globes: Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet traveling exhibit will speak about how we use both the power of the arts and media as well as our relationships to create greater awareness of the climate crisis.

David Weinberg, former co-CEO of Fel-Pro, Inc, civic leader and photographer for the Cool Globes: Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet coffee table book will address tackling the climate crisis for the sake of our children and grandchildren as a form of “estate planning.”

Adele Simmons, former head of the MacArthur Foundation. She is currently with Metropolis 2020 and has been working on climate change policy for decades.

Dates to be announced.  Programs on science and technology are being put in the queue but have not yet been confirmed.

Keep coming back to learn more details. Or, to save yourself the effort, sign up for Dr. Sarah’s mailing list.

If you want to “tend the garden” that sustains our economy and our lives, if you want to be a part of the solution to the climate crisis by using your spheres of influence, this salon will place you in the midst of the green zeitgeist—what Dr. Sarah Warren calls the war effort to save the planet.

 
As a clinical and consulting psychologist, Dr. Sarah Warren uses her expertise in behavior change and communication to serve as an ambassador for green. Drawing on her work in the addictions field—that includes our addiction to oil–, her mission is to educate and inspire individuals and organizations in order to move them from denial to awareness to action and into “recovery”.

A seasoned psychologist, Dr. Sarah turned her expertise in behavior change to the problem of the climate crisis, helping people find their mission by greening their lifestyles, businesses and careers to protect the planet for future generations so that they may enjoy the “garden” that nourishes us and our economy. Along the way she helps people reinvent themselves and leave their mark.

Dr. Sarah knows that change is difficult, necessary– and possible. And Dr. Sarah knows that change is rewarding. The daughter of an MIT researcher who was in on the ground floor of artificial intelligence, Dr. Warren focuses on analyzing the big picture and delivering highly effective messages about our climate crisis. With a brother who has been writing about business and the environment for 25 years and is one of the foremost experts on ocean acidification— global warming’s “evil twin–” and a sister who is a district manager at Patagonia, a pioneer among environmentally responsible companies, Dr. Warren comes naturally by her commitment to inspiring informed eco-action.

When she realized that global warming threatened her two young boys, she joined a growing movement of people who are shifting from somewhat committed unlikely environmentalists to deeply committed and empassioned eco-warriors who want to save the “garden” that feeds us, sustains our economy, and offers us natural beauty.

The Founder of the Spheres of Influence Salon on climate change, Dr. Sarah enjoys public speaking, writing, and coaching businesses and individuals on greening their practices. She also works to help people become informed, engaged voters on the pressing matter of climate policy. We invite you to learn more about our services by contacting DrSarah@ourspheresofinfluence.com.

Keep checking back as this site grows into a comprehensive resource offering climate crisis news, information on the problem and the solution (as in what you can do!), tips and trends, and Dr. Sarah’s views and opinions as a behavior change expert for the age of global warming.

And sign up for her mailing list.

Climate change represents the greatest challenge—and opportunity– humanity has ever faced. Today’s children will require a new set of well-developed strengths, qualities and competencies in order to thrive in the age of global warming. How will we cultivate the necessary competencies and qualities?

How will we prepare our future leaders for the world that Thomas Friedman so aptly describes in his latest must-read book, Hot, Flat and Crowded?

The recent wildfires in the Los Angeles area highlight the ways that climate change impacts all social classes. Multimillion dollar mansions as well as trailer parks were leveled. And if you live in a trailer park, how hard is that loss going to hit? The UCLA Medical Center was hit - babies were delivered in the dark. Imagine that you’re the head of that hospital? Imagine that you’re the physician delivering the baby? Imagine that you’re the mother? Imagine that you run the Fire Department? Imagine that you run a corporation?

Regardless of where we live, we are impacted– already. In the Midwest, we have flooding from heavy rainfalls. Recall the picture of the bridge on the Mississippi River with homes crushed against it. Think of the Cubs being flooded out. In the Southeast, think drought. Anywhere on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, think fierce hurricanes and rising sea levels. Think Hurricane Ike which at one point was 600 miles wide. Hard to wrap our minds around, but we can and must in order to cope—and to prepare our future workforce and leaders to cope with a whole new world.

For instance, within our children’s lifetimes, we will be adapting to the presence of millions “climate refugees” who will be displaced by rising sea levels in coastal areas both here and abroad. How will we will we accommodate a whole new influx of people who arrive all at once from very different cultures? What will this mean for our social relations? How do we prepare our children for that new social world?

Another example: Water shortages are projected within the next few decades, even adjacent to vast Great Lakes. Water shortages can be hard to imagine when we’re sitting next to the Great Lakes which represent 90% of the world’s fresh water. But lake levels are down, and demand is up, and projected to rise yet further. And much of Chicagoland gets its water from underground aquifers that are drying up. Further, over a third of the US has recently been in drought. Last year, Atlanta came within 100 days of running out of water—with no backup.

The right to the use of the Great Lakes water is determined by Supreme Court Consent Decree. The States and Canadian Provinces that share the shores of the Great Lakes are each given a certain allotment. And that water can’t be sold, for instance, to the Chinese– which almost happened a few years ago. But such decrees may be revisited. And when they are, will we be prepared to address the moral dimension of deciding who gets access to 90% of the world’s fresh water when the much of the rest of the world is dealing with water shortages?

As a psychologist, as a parent and as a climate change expert , I would suggest that we are entrusted to prepare our children to …

be able to think systemically about complex inter-related problems.

be outstanding team players and collaborators.

be very tech, math and science savvy in order to innovate the solutions we need
to adapt to and manage new climate conditions.

have outstanding creative problem solving skills.

be resilient and flexible.

face loss and disappointment.

be informed about the policies that affect our climate and prepared to use
their voices because we can’t conserve our way out of these challenges

value nature and its resources.

have strong moral and ethical sense in order to make ethically challenging decisions
about stressed resources such as water.

be avid conservationists.

be compassionate and display grace under pressure.

have a sense of “enoughness” so that they can appreciate they have.

display generosity of spirit.

Most of these qualities may seem like nothing out of the ordinary. In a sense, they are the basic tenets of the world’s major religious traditions. They might seem like the essence of good education.

But are we educating our children with cultivation of these qualities and competencies in sharp focus?

These competencies are essential to preparing the next generation to manage the challenges our young people will face.As a society, as parents, as educators, as civic leaders thinking about our future workforce and leaders, we need to think carefully about not just what we teach our children about conservation and science but about how to get along in a world that is very different from what we have previously known.

This is not just about the substance of what we teach but how we teach. We have an opportunity to prepare our children to thrive. How will we seize that opportunity?

Based on the tremendous response to Dr. Sarah’s “Be Green & Make Green” teleseminar– which drew callers from Minneapolis to California to Florida– Dr. Sarah has created The Green Career Circle for early to mid-career professionals who want to transition into a job in the green economy, start a green business, or “green” their current position.

The Green Career Circle brings together professionals for dialogue and strategizing about opportunities to go green.

The next offering of Green Career Circle is a 3 session teleseminar running consecutive Saturdays from October 25- November 8 (11am -12:30 Eastern/10-11:30 am Central/8-9:30 Pacific).  New members will be accepted each week as space permits- members do not need to have attended all previous sessions in order to benefit. To register: http://www.ecoaction.ecoactionplan.org/ask/greencareercircle.php

With the current economic downturn, we will focus on how to green your current position– which can be strategically advantageous to your career.

And just about any job can be turned into a green job!

Here is an MP3 of a session in which we talked about Finding Opportunities in the Green Economy:

Download and Listen

Members learn what questions to ask themselves about how to find a career that suits their personality, skills and passion. We also discuss ways to transfer skills and training to green careers. Members will also learn about emerging nonprofit and for-profit opportunities in the green economy, and will leave with a plan for a green career transition.

“I found that Dr. Sarah’s Green Career Circle Teleseminar has really energized me.  For 21 years, I held various financial management positions, including Senior Vice President and Treasurer with Bank One (acquired by JP Morgan Chase in 2004). Later I served as Chief Financial Officer of a major insurance company. So my question became ‘How can I leverage my background and skills to make a positive impact on the environment?’ The Green Career Circle Teleseminar provided insight into the myriad opportunities available. More importantly, it has given me a road map as to how to access where I can make a difference.” Eileen Kennedy, Chicago IL

You don’t have to take a vow of poverty to make a difference!

Join Dr. Sarah, a seasoned psychological career coach who helps clients harness their talents and passions and develop more meaningful careers that save the planet.

Want to learn more? Email Dr. Sarah at DrSarah@ecoactionplan.org.

Dr. Sarah Warren is a psychologist, and she brings to bear her expertise in treating addictions.

Tom Friedman, author of Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution–and How It Can Renew America, has referred to us as addicted to oil. President Bush, who has slowly come to acknowledge the reality of global warming, has referred to “our addiction to oil.”

So the rhetoric of addiction to oil is part of the discourse. And as an addictions expert, I can attest that the mechanisms of addiction — denial and rationalization,– come into play in our use of fossil fuels.

It’s as if we’ve been on a collective binge since about 1960-only instead of drinking, we’ve been directly and indirectly consuming lots of fossil fuels. And instead of getting DUIs and lab results telling us that our liver is shot, we’re getting global warming and a host of related complications that take the problem to a crisis level. Our actions have caught up with us. 

And just as alcoholics can go into recovery, we as a society can recover from our addiction to oil. 

We don’t just ask alcoholics to change their behavior– we regulate alcohol. We treat the problem of excessive use of alcohol not just as a matter of personal responsiblity but as a policy issue.

To go into recovery, we need to get out of denial, shift to a state of awareness, and move from awareness into concerted action. As a society we are moving into a state of awareness of the consequences of our dependence on oil. From there we need to move into collective action– now.  We need to start to reduce our dependence on oil– and when we “relapse” we need to get back on track. We need to confront our resistances to change. And we need to create the policy conditions that support us in shifting away from oil.

As a society, we can go into recovery.  We can change our lifestyles, our business practices and our policies. We can share with recovering alcoholics and addicts the rewards of a new way of life–including the knowlege that we’re doing right by our children.

Recovery: Hope and Rewards

The good news is that as an addiction specialist, Dr. Sarah Warren can say that there is hope. Recovery is possible. She has helped many drug addicts and alcoholics change their habits. And they have to go through physical withdrawal, which thankfully we don’t when we walk the kids to school instead of driving– or when we overhaul our policies to incentivize renewable energy.

Change is hard-and necessary, and possible. And the rewards are immeasurable.

Won’t you join us in confronting our addiction?

So what does the climate crisis mean for you?

If you’re a business owner, it could mean business interuption thanks to unpredictable weather.   Just think about the bizarre ice storm in 2007 that stretched from Maine to California to Mexico. And it could mean tremendous opportunities to develop new ways of doing business in the growing green economy.

If you’re a professional looking for new career opportunities, it means more jobs in growing fields like wind and solar, water management, and corporate sustainabilility.

If you’re a parent or grandparent or future parent, the climate crisis–unchecked–is likely to mean that your children will face tremendous challenges in the form of global economic downturn, food and water shortages, wars over resources such as water.

You’ve come to the right place if you want to know more about what Global Warming looks like and what you can do to make an important difference for the future of our planet.

The planet is the garden that nourshes us. Don’t we all want to live in a lovely garden? Don’t we want our children to live in an abundant garden?

Keep coming back to learn more as the site expands to become a comprehensive resource on the problem of global warming– and you can do!

Dr. Sarah’s EcoAction Plan is designed to help guide you though the transformation process that will allow you to…

Harness your talents, skills and passion to make a living while saving the planet.   

Reduce your business’ environmental impact– and improve employee retention while saving money!

Green your lifestyle and join the growing movement of unlikely environmentalists and new ecowarriors.

The EcoAction Plan will help you identify opportunities to reduce your environmental impact, and actions that will allow you to have the greatest possible beneficial effect. And what’s really cool is that not only will you benefit economically, you will find the EcoAction Plan tremendously rewarding.

In order to successfully wage war against the threat of global warming, we need both lifestyle and massive policy changes. As voters we have power to hold our elected leaders to account on the policies that can make or break this effort. All it takes is twenty people– that’s right, twenty– writing letters and making calls to get politicians’ attention! So use your voice.

We have a presidential election coming up, and this is a chance to have your vote make a big difference.  And state and local officials vote on policies that affect our global warming policy, too.  What kind of policies are we talking about? Learn more about the hot policy issues.

We are CEOs, clergy, stay-at-home moms, investment bankers, young professionals, entrepeneurs, future parents, teachers, men and women. We are using our spheres of influence to make our voices heard. We are on a mission to save our planet for the sake of our children, for tomorrow’s children.

To learn more about what Dr. Sarah can do for you and join this growing movement, please sign up for our mailing list.