Professor Emeritus Scott Russell Sanders may have retired from Indiana University more than a decade ago, but the acclaimed nature writer continues to publish thought-provoking work that challenges the conventions of modernity that have fueled climate change and other ecological problems.
On Sept. 11, In This Climate (ITC) podcast aired an interview with Sanders, who touched on his Midwest upbringing, his experience of ecological grief, and his hope for humanity. Sanders recently published a collection of essays called “The Way of Imagination,” which explores how imagination and compassion can point humanity toward solutions to address urgent ecological and social challenges.
In his interview with ITC Host and ERI Director Janet McCabe, Sanders recognizes the limitations individuals face in the shadow of such global problems. People who are making the best choices available to them and living within values that recognize humanity’s dependence on nature, however, give Sanders reason to hope.
“I've been a teacher now for half a century, and I have seen people learn,” Sanders said.
“If you ask yourself, ‘Will the action I am taking change the world?’ the answer is always going to be no. It's just not going to change the world. That's not the right question. The right question is, ‘Is this the morally responsible thing for me to do?’”
In This Climate is a joint venture of the Environmental Resilience Institute and The Media School at IU and can be listened to through the ITC website, Apple podcasts, and Spotify.
