Thread by @TweetsBentley

So you've made that critical, brave decision to step up to the greatest challenge in human history. A #ClimateActionHero is always born asking the exact same question as those born before:

"So...what the heck do I do now?"

Take heart.

You're not alone.

This 🧵's for you

Answering a call to action (after first ignoring or refusing it) is textbook superhero origin story material, which means the first steps of your adventure are already taken. But Climate's been in popular culture since 2006. Something specific's compelling you now. What is it? /2

Something drove the point home to you. Activated you. Take a moment and enshrine it because you'll be explaining it time and time again, to allies, detractors, society's gate-keepers and even future #ClimateActionHeroes just like you. It's #TheBigWhy & every hero's got one /3

I'd known about #ClimateChange since @algore's #InconvenientTruth but was only moved to action thinking about turning over a world far worse than I found it to my nephew & niece. I knew I had to TRY. For them. I never looked back. /4

(I spoke about my own personal #BigWHY to Mayor @nenshi's Calgary city council in late 2018. You can give it a listen at the 24:44 mark of this @sprawlcalgary podcast if you're interested) /5 #yyc #yyccc
sprawlcalgary.com/sprawlcast-the…

Classic superhero origin stories give the hero mystical armour or developing superpowers that aid them in their quest. #ClimateActionHeroes can arm themselves with KNOWLEDGE but where do you even start in this increasingly confounding world of ours? Good thing you're not alone /6

Not only are you not alone, #ClimateActionHero is a steadily growing demographic. You don't have to reinvent the wheel. If you want a good working knowledge of exactly where we humans are in the #ClimateEmergency this @TEDTalks explainer is pretty good. /7

Arm yourself in knowing we CAN run our entire world on #CleanEnergy if we want to /8

Arm yourself in knowing we CAN recognize the inbound danger, shore up countries, cities, towns & communities to weather the storm, that opting not to is a deliberate, short-sighted, reckless decision that can only very predictably hurt us down the road. /9

Arm yourself knowing we can #SaveThePlanet. Enable the planet to save itself. Replace our toxic actions with smart adaptations that coexist with Nature instead of stomping it out.

KNOW THIS: it's all do-able & indeed has begun.

It just needs YOU.

/10

Arm yourself with the knowledge that it takes all sorts of energy, effort & cost to run our broken/backwards world exactly as it is today. To continue on exactly as we always have is a choice getting made for us. It doesn't have to go that way. At all. /11

Arm yourself knowing that no matter how big the challenge is, very smart #ClimateActionHeroes just like you are already imagining, working on & implementing the big solutions all over the world. The whole thing just needs more superheroes. Like you. /12

It surely won't hurt a burgeoning #ClimateActionHero to familiarize themselves with cutting edge Big Picture systemic solutions, especially when broken down into cute little < 2 minute videos like this one about #DoughnutEconomics. /13

Or this little < 5 minute animated beauty about the #CircularEconomy /14

Or this 🧵 about a #JustTransition /15

Armed now with knowledge, it's time to take stock: what other superpowers do you have at your disposal? What's in your existing skillset that might aid you in your quest? What sorts of things have you always been awesome at or always wanted to be awesome at? Now's the time. /16

If your secret power is ACCOUNTING I can assure you the #ClimateMovement NEEDS ACCOUNTANTS. And writers. Social network folks. Project managers. Engineers. Imagineers. Get-your-hands-dirty people. Whatever it is, pretty much you-name-it, the #ClimateMovement can use it. NOW. /17

A key early realization for a #ClimateActionHero is you're not alone on this adventure & given the scope of the challenge (greatest in human history) it's smart to band together with your fellow heroes rather than go it alone. Find your team. They're out there. They NEED you. /18

Here in Calgary, @ClimateHubYYC is a fine team for #ClimateActionHeroes new & not-so-new to connect with, even if you just want to sit in & listen while you get your bearings. I joined in late 2017 & never looked back. You can too /19 #YYC #yyccc

@ClimateHubYYC Just last week @ClimateHubYYC along with a solid number of climate-concerned Calgarians stepped up again, booking meetings with city councillors to advocate our One Pager solutions for the city's Climate Resilience Strategy upgrade /20 #yyccc #yyc

They also invited me to provide a few days of LIVE coverage which I was more than happy to do /21 #yyc #yyccc

We started Wednesday with the Hub's own @sabrinagrover, followed by a fun coalition-building show with @HalifaxHub (hot off a city climate win of their own) & concluded with an #EarthDay power panel featuring Adrita Haque, @jcom_ca & @DavidDodgeYEG /22

I asked @sabrinagrover about her climate "origin story." She honed in on thoughts I've had many times myself: renewable energy & the #NetZeroTransition will be the dominant industry of the next few DECADES. If our beloved Alberta can't adapt we'll fail /23

I talked to Drew from the @HalifaxHub about their recent municipal climate win, how Hubs across Canada can grow/learn together & why 2022 may well be the biggest year for #ClimateAction in Calgary EVER. /24 #yyc #yyccc

Our #EarthDay power panel closed out our municipal climate action week nicely. Find out a little about what makes these #ClimateActionHeroes tick as well as what's coming up next in our #ClimateQuest this year in Calgary! /25 #yyc #yyccc