CLIMATE ONE ENCORE: Drag Queen Pattie Gonia on Bringing Joy to Climate Action
When individuals want to take action on climate, it’s often in the form of electrifying a home, voting, or maybe even traditional activism. Those are very important, but we often overlook how individual skills and talents can also make a difference.
This week we’re highlighting creative forms of climate action. Pattie Gonia is a drag queen, environmentalist and advocate for inclusivity and diversity in the outdoors who struts their message through national parks, in Pride events, and through the halls of Congress. Mike Roberts and Will Hammond Jr. wrote a sultry R&B song that will change the way you think about heat pumps… and an equally stimulating song about the power of geothermal energy. Together, they remind us that we don’t always have to take ourselves too seriously in order for our work to be meaningful and have impact.
This episode originally aired on February 7, 2025.
Guests:
Pattie Gonia, Drag queen; Environmentalist
Mike Roberts, Musician; Climate advocate
Will Hammond Jr., Educator; Musician
Pattie Gonia image credits Mitchell Overton and Maxwell Poth.
On July 31, Climate One is hosting Premal Shah and Kinari Webb for a live episode recording! With years of experience navigating the global climate movement, the two are sure to offer unparalleled insights during their conversation with Co-Host Greg Dalton. Tickets for the show, which will be held at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, are available now through our website.
Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today.
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General Stanley McChrystal: Choices That Define a Life
“When I die, how will I be measured?”
For Stanley McChrystal, the answer could be obvious. As a retired four-star general, McChrystal might be measured by his stars (four), commands held, wars fought, or awards and medals received (numerous).
But when McChrystal looked back on his life and his current status, he focused on the importance of character, a topic he explores in his new book aptly titled On Character: Choices that Define a Life. Character is, he says, the key to living with purpose and integrity. He says character isn’t something you are born with, nor do you automatically accrue it through education, position, or experience. Instead, he says it is the result of a succession of choices, sometimes mundane ones, sometimes hugely important ones, that together reveal our capacity for virtue.
At a time when virtue and character are sometimes hard to identify in leaders, come hear McChrystal in his return to Commonwealth Club World Affairs for a rallying cry to become our best selves—as individual people and as Americans.
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The Confluence of Technology, Traditional Painting, and Interactive Art
Join us for a conversation with author and new media artist Scott Snibbe. Snibbe will introduce us to the history of his pioneering use of new technology and his exploration of traditional art forms. His artwork has been featured in leading institutions, from MoMA, SFMOMA, and The Whitney Museum of American Art to London’s Institute of Contemporary Art, Tokyo’s Intercommunications Center, and beyond.
Snibbe has collaborated with renowned artists and creators throughout his career, including multiplatinum recording artist Björk on the groundbreaking “app album” Biophilia, filmmaker James Cameron, musician Beck, and composer Philip Glass. He is the author of How to Train A Happy Mind, featuring a forward written by the Dalai Lama.
In his latest work, Snibbe draws from centuries-old Tibetan thangka painting techniques he studied in Nepal, which inspired him to explore the intersections of digital media and ancient craftsmanship. At the confluence of technology, traditional painting, and interactive design, Snibbe creates participatory experiences that push the boundaries of contemporary art and invite audiences to engage with it in new and unexpected ways.
A Technology & Society Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums.
OrganizerGerald Anthony Harris
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Shannon Watts: Fired Up!
Since she started Moms Demand Action in 2012 following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Shannon Watts has drawn thousands of women from the sidelines and gotten them involved, helping them realize the power they had. Now she brings that approach to helping people more broadly stand up and achieve their potential.
Whether it’s launching your dream business, leaving a bad relationship, or standing up for yourself at the office, Watts has an approach to “identify, light, and feed the fire inside you.” She explores that in her new book Fired Up, and she returns to the Commonwealth Club World Affairs stage to share her inspiration with women everywhere. She says it will not only transform your life, but it can transform the world.
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CLIMATE ONE BONUS: He Started Tesla Employees Against Elon. Then Got Fired.
Matt LaBrot was the Tesla sales manager who got so fed up with how Elon Musk’s public persona affected the brand that he published a website called “Tesla Employees Against Elon.” He was subsequently fired, allegedly for "using company resources to build a website that did not align with the company’s perspective."
For our pod audience, we’re dropping this extended version of Greg Dalton’s conversation with Matt LaBrot. A portion of this interview aired in our episode “Is The EV Transition Stuck in Neutral?” on June 27th.
Guest:
Matthew LaBrot, Former Tesla sales employee
On July 31, Climate One is hosting Premal Shah and Kinari Webb for a live episode recording! With years of experience navigating the global climate movement, the two are sure to offer unparalleled insights during their conversation with Co-Host Greg Dalton. Tickets for the show, which will be held at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, are available now through our website.
Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today.
For show notes and related links, visit our website.
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The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's largest public affairs forum. The nonpartisan and nonprofit Club produces and distributes programs featuring diverse viewpoints from thought leaders on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast — the oldest in the U.S., since 1924 — is carried on hundreds of stations. Our website features audio and video of our programs. This podcast feed is usually updated multiple times each week.
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