By LEE CLARK, age 12
In order to have a brighter, more positive future, we have to imagine it first.
The NYC Climate Writers Collective was founded by a group of storytellers to draw attention to the climate crisis. The individuals in the group were feeling “really lousy about the way that the climate crisis is not being addressed quickly enough by political figures,” according to Sarah Hermes Griesbach, who works at the organization. At the collective, writers create stories illustrating a positive climate future, with interesting solutions to several environmental issues.
Several stories showcase superheroes helping people who do not have access to clean water. Others include haikus responding to negative emotions. The collective used to meet at the Climate Cafe, a place where individuals met with a common desire to end the climate crisis, and now they meet on Governors Island. The group is nonhierarchical: Everyone has an opportunity to make a difference.
The NYC Climate Writers Collective is open to the public. They hold workshops four to eight times a month, each one being about two hours. These gatherings each have a specific theme, such as a love poem to a tree.
People in the organization enjoy it not just because of how they make a difference, but because of the friendships they form along the way. Griesbach loves it because of how she formed a deep connection with people who felt the same way as her about the crisis. She says, “It’s about making a community with people who are working toward something I believe is important, that we’re trying to build a future together. I’m all about finding people who make me feel like living on this Earth is a more joyful thing.”
As for the future of the group, the organization doesn’t particularly need to be published in order to be successful. They just want to continue to inspire others to make a stand against the climate crisis. “Being a model for others to develop their own similar kind of program, that is terrific,” Griesbach says. The NYC Climate Writers Collective inspires imagination and hope for the future in us all.
