The tables were filled in Mills Hall as Schendler spoke about the power that corporations and individuals have to make a difference on the climate, while weaving in anecdotes about his family and personal life.
Schendler is a writer, adventurer, and climate leader who graduated from ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ with a degree in biology and environmental studies. His path back to the College has been winding with many jobs, including energy technician, high school teacher, Outward Bound instructor, and think tank analyst. His most recent position is senior vice president of sustainability at .
Gabe Sarno ’25 introduced Schendler before his talk. “His latest book, Terrible Beauty, looks at the disconnect between what we say we care about—like our kids, the planet, our communities—and how we actually respond to a changing climate,” Sarno said. “It’s a call to be honest, to take responsibility, and to find courage.”
Schendler began by showing a video of his son chopping wood, and described the profound gratification his son showed when his action was met with success. He connected this to a greater idea of sustainability.
“So what you’re looking at here is human thriving, sustainability,” Schendler said. “That’s what we’re talking about, the ability of all people to experience that kind of a thriving life is what we’re looking for when we talk about a sustainable future and when we talk about environmentalism.”
Schendler continued with maps and graphs predicting how dry soil will become in the coming years, returning again and again to how this will affect all that we love. “These things we love so much—our children, our communities, the natural world, ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾—they’re so stunningly beautiful, and yet they’re all being threatened,” he said.
“These things we love so much—our children, our communities, the natural world, ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾—they’re so stunningly beautiful, and yet they’re all being threatened,” he said.
He touched on the importance of schools like ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ in a time when things can feel so dire. “There are things we like to do as human beings that require that we not live in a survival society. These things, they seem superfluous: art, culture, sport, literature, poetry—but you all know, especially here at a liberal arts school, they’re not superfluous,” he said.
“These are the things that advance society….If you live in a world where you’re constantly battling the next flood or something, you don’t get to do that. That’s the threat of a climate change world.”
He shifted to speaking about the role of corporate sustainability in today's environmental movement. He spoke of the moment he realized he did not just want to be a part of the status quo, and said he took tha job with Aspen One to create meaningful change from within the business world.
“We started asking the question ‘What matters?’ and what would actually drive change, and where our power is,” Schendler said.
Schendler closed with a reminder of how human inclinations and climate activism go hand in hand. He urged students to take action, promising them it will not just improve the world but also improve their own lives.
“If you’re presented with an opportunity to work on climate change in a meaningful and not token way, and in the process of doing that add meaning to your life—endowing your life with some of the oldest aspirations humans have ever had, the notion of living a graceful life, a dignified life—I don’t think you can help but do it.”
