Here in the Roaring Fork Valley, our physical and internal maps are breaking. As we watch our winters shift, our rivers run low, and our forests dry, we feel this ecological disruption deeply. The climate crisis is our lived, daily context. Yet, as we traverse this new reality, our internal maps are failing us too — leaving us wondering where to live, what work to do and how to cope.
We are living in a liminal world, standing at the threshold of a massive transition. At this point of entry, we need grace for our not-knowing, angst and clumsiness. This is the invitation of “Climate Wayfinding: Healing Ourselves and the Planet We Call Home,” a transformative book and curriculum created by Dr. Katharine Wilkinson and “The All We Can Save Project.”
Too often, we respond to planetary trouble by retreating into sterile science or exhausting transactional checklists. We are told to prioritize engineering and economics over ethics and emotions. But as climate scientist Dr. Kate Marvel notes, “The biggest variable in determining our climate future isn’t some physical process we don’t understand. It’s us.” Hard science is matter-of-fact, but humans are wonderfully messy. If the climate crisis originates in human activity, then Dr. Wilkinson reminds us that planetary healing must center on human capacity and community connection.
As an educator, my work is guided by the belief that presence precedes action. Authentic action happens when we show up, calm our fears and pay close attention. At Colorado Mountain College (CMC), I encourage students to view the world as our living textbook — relying on local stories and physical landscapes as our primary resources.
But how do we sustain engagement when we carry so much? Many of us hold “pre-traumatic stress”—the quiet panic, numbness, and grief of anticipating what lies ahead. Yet, we hold sway over whether our hearts simply break or break open. When our hearts break open, they awaken, ready for active regenerative stewardship.
If we refuse to face our grief, we will inevitably opt for cosmetic quick fixes, or what Dr. Wilkinson calls “tinkering rather than transforming.” Like trees, which only reach for the light because they thrive in the dark, our emotional-spiritual roots must stretch deep below the surface. Extraordinary things happen sub terra when we cultivate inner clarity for outer service.
We must also dismantle the myth of the “lone hero.” We do not need a single savior; we need what Dr. Wilkinson describes as a “leaderful upwelling” of everyday people. As social justice strategist Makani Themba states, “There is no one to spare … There is no bystanding.” We must learn the “art of flocking” — staying separate enough not to crowd, yet cohesive enough to move together in a shared direction.
This requires shifting our driving question from the exhausting checklist of “What can I do?” to a deeper, more soulful inquiry: “Who can I be? Who am I already?” We all possess unique climate superpowers — whether we show up as a careworker, organizer, builder or communicator. When we align our authentic power with deep, life purpose and joy, we transform our worry into power. Joy is not a crumb or a luxury; it is life’s way of fighting back.
By adopting a “carbonic perspective,” we see that carbon is the element of life that teams up to make more than is possible on its own. In what Dr. Wilkinson beautifully terms our “carbon dreaming,” we are prisms joined one to the next, and in our relatedness, we will bend the line between shadow and light. I long for climate healing motivated not from wanting to fix something, but as she writes, “from wanting to love something.”
A compass is not just for navigation; its original, ancient purpose was spiritual — a tool for creating harmony and balance. As Dr. Wilkinson notes, a compass is ultimately something we are.
This October, I invite you to join our eight-week Climate Wayfinding cohort at CMC in Basalt. Together, we will build a deeply personalized, living Climate Compass to guide our decisions across our personal, professional and public lives. You, with your tender heart, keen mind and profoundly capable hands, are a wonder. Let us step out of isolation and find our footing, together.
Sarah Johnson is a CMC faculty member and certified Climate Wayfinding facilitator. To learn more and register for the upcoming eight-week course starting Oct. 12, visit the CMC registration portal.