Clarifying Complex Ideas, LLC Posts

I established Clarifying Complex Ideas to help organizations with thorny strategic problems — many of which are grounded in communications challenges. I provide content strategy and help them develop and articulate an often-nascent sustainability strategy in a way that resonates and engages their key stakeholders. As a consulting agency, clients…

The International Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its latest report yesterday. If you have sustainability people in your life — and I include anyone focused on the environment, social justice, or any form of public health under that umbrella — you might have noticed that most of us spent…

I lost a longtime friend last month. It sounds absurd to say “lost,” as if he he’s been misplaced like a thank-you note in the dark depths of the postal system. But I mean it in the truest sense of the word. This is a huge loss—not just for me,…

If you want to understand where we’re heading, follow the money. No, not the shady Watergate-style corruption money. I’m talking about the ways in which large corporations are raising money in terms of bonds and loans. Sustainability Bonds Companies are issuing sustainability bonds — money that will help them finance…

As I mentioned in my last post, sustainability is an imperfect practice. We need more individuals and organizations doing things imperfectly than a handful doing it perfectly. Let’s talk about how imperfect sustainability can be part of your world. How can you be an imperfect sustainability ally? At home, we’re…

Climate change is real, y’all. We’ve pushed everything to its limits for too long, and now we’re watching the climate collapse.  There is no way to live in the smoke-filled western part of the United States — or any part of Australia, as we saw earlier this year — and…

There’s a certain level of imposter syndrome that goes hand-in-hand with sustainability. Things are fine within the industry; I’ve found colleagues to be welcoming and supportive. But there tends to be a lot of gatekeeping when you meet someone on the outside. It’s like that meme: “Oh, you like sustainability?…