Last week, the Gen180 team took on the Pacific Northwest for the inaugural Bloomberg Green Festival. The Festival predominantly celebrated progress and emphasized the scalable solutions of climate change (including climate comedy!), while bringing together like-minded climate advocates and entrepreneurs stressing the urgency of the crisis and the pressing need for action. After mourning our inability to start our day with Seattle’s Best (coffee), we put our heads together this morning to come up with our top takeaways from the event. 

— Stuart, Bri, Jamie, and Esteban

Stuart: We all have a role to play

It could not have been more fitting that the first Bloomberg Green Festival coincided with record-breaking 90-degree-plus temperature days in Seattle – until recently, the Pacific Northwest was not known for its heat domes.  The mission of the festival was to provide a place to collaborate on solutions needed to address our current climate reality. The festival’s organizers brought together a wide range of experts, leaders, and creators, including corporate executives, city leaders, nonprofit organizations, and Generation180’s own Comedian-in-Residence and comedy cohort members. 

While the common thread was our climate’s pivotal moment, the message I took away is that we all have a role to play.  No matter who you are, or your passion, you can make an impact and inspire others too.  The climate crisis is a big challenge, but as Generation180 says “We’ve Got This”.  It will take all types of Americans to move us collectively to a clean energy future that is not only better for everyone, but also more accessible than ever before thanks to policies such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). 

The Bloomberg Green Festival provided a place to be inspired, network, and feel optimistic.  Individuals, businesses, and states are stepping up and taking action – demonstrating that we all have a role to play in realizing our clean energy future. 

Bri: We are making progress, together

It’s sometimes odd to take on the climate crisis from behind the screen of a computer. I wonder, is this enough? What’s everyone else up to? Is it time for more coffee? Bloomberg Green Festival did its best to answer all three of these questions.

Is this enough? Yes, whatever gift or time I have can be applied to the climate crisis. The fest featured scientists, comedians, artists, and directors showing it’s going to take all of us and all professions. 

What’s everyone else up to? SO MUCH. There are so many solutions out there; according to their signage “There’s only one planet but 8 billion actions” reminded all festival goers that it’s up to each of us to take those actions. I listened to speakers ranging from 21-year old activists to icon and power-house Stacey Abrams.

And lastly, the question: Is it time for more coffee? The answer was unanimously yes. There’s more work to be done, and Seattle is keeping everyone caffeinated through it. Some are even doing it without the coffee beans. 

Drag queen and environmentalist Pattie Gonia emceeing the Green Creatives Stage.

Jamie: No pride, no planet

If I’m not working, there’s a 99% chance I’m rock climbing outside or trail running. From cross country summer road trips to National Parks to exploring local backyard trails, most Americans can now say they’ve experienced how weather extremes intensified by climate change are impacting us and our outdoor recreational activities.

I’ve been a big fan of Pattie Gonia’s climate activism and drag shows for a while, so I was a bit star struck getting to meet Pattie in-person. Together with her community, they’ve collectively fundraised over $1.5 million dollars for LGBTQIA+, BIPOC and environmental non-profits, completed thousands of miles of hiking and backpacking around the world, and raised awareness about the ongoing environmental crisis through their film projects. Pattie emceed the programming on day two of the festival and reminded us about the importance of diversity in climate leaders and in climate solutions themselves needing to be present in the movement.

“We have a whole climate movement right now that thinks that they have to change who they are or what they do to fight for climate. But the reality is that we each have unique skills, diversity, and access to spaces that others never will. So, the minute you take your identity and what you are good at and apply it to what you care about, the world will never be the same.”

Green Voices Online panel moderated by Esteban Gast, featuring Brown Girl digital creators like Wawa Gatheru, Shelby Orme, Mark Vins, and Rollie Williams.

Esteban: Climate change needs creativity

Climate change isn’t known for giving anyone the giggles: Temperatures keep breaking records and most of the conference’s attendees sought out air conditioned spaces or corners of shade wherever they could find it. Extreme weather is only getting more serious and a growing number of people are suffering from record-breaking, prolonged global heat.

But, even the most dire climate headlines still leave room for humor. I had a blast emceeing the programming on day one of the conference, where I introduced panels with inspiring activists and content creators. I had the honor of closing our live Climate Comedy Cohort stand-up show on day two, where we joked about electric vehicles, induction cooking, and how powerful humor can be to raise awareness and drive action. Rumor has it that I even showed the audience my clean energy tattoo 😉

Esteban Gast, Comedian-in-Residence and Comedian, with Climate Comedy Cohort fellows Kaycee Conlee, David Perdue, and Reem Edan, after a set of climate stand-up. 

Comedy and telling stories is all about helping process emotions. Comedy helps me reflect on the world around me and I hope attendees see how we need creativity and levity to help us cope with climate change. There’s always more to do, but each small action can add up to widespread change that improves quality of life for all of us.