Over the past two years, ASI has hosted our Let’s Talk Leadership series, bringing together people from different backgrounds to discuss how leadership shapes the choices we make every day and the sustainable future we are working toward.
The most recent event, Leading Climate Action Through Storytelling, was a reminder of the power of our words, narratives, lived experience, and responsibility we hold in using them to shape the climate movement.
But what does it mean to be a storyteller in the face of climate change? How can stories help us see the world not just as it is, but as it could be? Where do emotion and imagination meet the facts?
Ashoke Mohanraj and Alice Irene Whittaker joined us to share their thoughts; here are a few of their key takeaways:
An idea is only as good as how you communicate it
For many people working in sustainability, much of the job happens in the “messy middle” – stuck between a rock and a hard place, trying to influence upwards, sideways, and outwards.
Too often, it feels like banging your head against the wall to get employers, decision-makers, or communities to care about sustainability. The stone-cold facts don’t always move people.
“You might have the science on your side, you might have all the information behind you, you might have all the statistics,” said speaker Ashoke Mohanraj. “But in order to get people to change and get on your side, you need to provide them with a compelling story. That’s where the connection between storytelling and science comes together to show people … the stories that really matter.”
Ashoke is a children’s book author who focuses on telling stories that show the world “caring is cool.” His books, Dolphin Dude and Pollinator Man, were intentionally centred on superheroes to create positive role models. By linking masculinity with compassion, courage, and care for the planet, he invites young readers, especially boys, to see themselves as protectors of the Earth and to consider future careers in the field.
“No one really glamorizes the more compassionate work,” he said. Commenting on how jobs like engineers and scientists are often seen as aspirational, Ashoke notes a gap: the culture around these roles doesn’t always connect to the caring side of addressing climate change. Through his stories, he hopes to close that gap by showing that compassion can also be something to aspire to.
Responsibility of the climate storyteller
Author of Homing: A Quest to Care for Myself and the Earth and environmental communicator, Alice Irene Whittaker, reflected on the responsibility that comes with climate storytelling.
Stories, she said, are not just entertainment. They shape how people see the world, what they pay attention to, and ultimately what they care about.
“What we pay attention to is what we care about, and stories can help us say ‘this is important,’” she said.
Alice Irene said this power carries both opportunity and risk. When a storyteller creates a film, novel, or piece of music, audiences experience the world through the storyteller’s lens and edit. That perspective can inspire action, but it can also unintentionally manipulate or push people toward despair.
Climate storytellers in particular walk a fine line, she said. Most of their audiences already know the facts and care deeply, making them vulnerable to hopelessness.
That’s why she emphasized the need to balance authenticity with responsibility. Acknowledging the dire realities of the climate crisis is essential, she said, but storytellers must also avoid stripping away hope from those who are most engaged.
“If the people who care the most and are doing the most feel like, ‘Oh, it doesn’t matter what I’m doing because this person I respect or look up to is saying it doesn’t matter,’ that can turn off the personal power people have [to take climate action].”
To expand the climate movement, we need to expand the way we tell its stories
“What we most need is that climate, environment, and nature stories are interwoven into all other stories so they aren’t explicitly environmental. So it’s not just environmental storytelling for environmental people who are already engaged.” said Alice Irene Whittaker. “How can we, as storytellers, build it into the regular films we’re seeing, the podcasts we’re listening to, and the books we’re reading… so that we can see climate as part of our lives?”
Both Alice Irene and Ashoke urged storytellers to move beyond idealized or perfect narratives. The most compelling stories are imperfect, relatable, and inclusive of the full spectrum of human experience. They don’t just show people with wealth or privilege making “perfect” choices, and they don’t lecture about the “right” way to take climate action. Instead, they embrace imperfection, spark conversation, and invite audiences to see how their own actions, even the small ones, matter.
Ashoke added to this, noting the importance of making climate conversations approachable and even fun. “It’s hard having conversations at the dinner table and not being seen as the ‘radical environmentalists.’ How do we flip that and make it fun and more approachable?” he asked.
Both speakers emphasized that stories should create common ground rather than judgment, giving people the sense that their actions contribute to a larger movement. By blending hope, authenticity, creativity, and even humour, storytellers can expand both awareness and personal agency, helping more people see themselves as part of the solution and as climate leaders. Stories have incredible power to create change, and we are all storytellers at heart.
Note: Unfortunately, Samuel Marty, Clean Energy Coordinator at Frog Lake First Nations, was not able to join us for the live event – his presence and thoughtful perspectives were truly missed.
Our Next Let’s Talk Leadership Event
Past Lessons, Future Voices: Generations Across Climate Action
November 5 | 12 – 1 pm PT | 3 – 4 pm ET | FREE
Climate change isn’t new but the way we talk about it, organize around it, and take action has shifted dramatically over time. From Grand(m)others Act To Save The Planet (GASP) to Fridays for Future, every generation has found its own way to step up, speak out, and push for change.
Join us for a lively conversation with three climate leaders: Abbey Piazza, Bob Willard, and Desiree Maurice as they share perspectives on:
- How climate action has evolved throughout their careers
- Lessons we can draw from the movement’s past and present
- How generations can team up to make an even bigger impact
About the Speakers
Alice Irene Whittaker
Author, Podcaster & Senior Environmental Communicator
Alice Irene is an author, environmental communicator, and mother of three young children. Her debut book, Homing: A Quest to Care for Myself and the Earth, was published in Fall 2024, and she is also the host of the Reseed podcast. Her writing has appeared in The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, National Observer, and Permaculture Magazine. She has spent over a decade in nonprofit leadership and executive roles, including as Co-Founder and Executive Director of Mother Nature Partnership.
Ashoke Mohanraj
Director, Dolphin Dude
Ashoke Mohanraj is currently a JD candidate at the Schulich School of Law, specializing in Marine and Environmental Law. Outside of law school, he is a children’s book author focused on telling stories that show the world “caring is cool.” Ashoke is currently adapting his second book, Dolphin Dude, into an animated series.
