Episode 29: Climate Consciousness with Felipe Benitez

In the third episode in their series on climate consciousness, Marti and Todd are joined by Felipe Benitez, the founder of Corazón Latino. They dive into a discussion on approaches to leadership and addressing climate change through a lens of love, compassion, and engaging diverse communities. Benitez emphasizes the importance of reconnecting people, especially communities of color, with Nature in joyful and experiential ways, rather than relying on top-down messaging or policy changes alone. He shares insights on effectively inviting people into Nature, tapping into shared human experiences, and catalyzing collective action through a focus on hope and positive engagement. The three of them discuss the power of individual consciousness, the need to move beyond polarization, and the opportunity to create a more hopeful future by highlighting our interconnectedness with the natural world. 

From the Edge: Evolution Evolving (Todd)
Conscious Rant: Nothing to Rant About (Marti)

Guest: Felipe Benitez

Felipe is an award-winning social entrepreneur, proud immigrant, and dad. He is the Founder and Executive Director of Corazón Latino, an international non-profit that seeks to reconnect communities of color with nature, arts, and civic engagement through love, compassion, and hope.

With his 20 years of communications experience, and as the founder of Benitez Strategies, Felipe has designed and implemented outreach strategies for advocacy campaigns worldwide, from protecting the fundamental rights of indigenous groups in the Amazon to confronting climate change to helping protect the rights of immigrants in the United States.

Felipe served as Director of External Affairs and Strategic Communications at the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate/New Climate Economy, a major new international project to analyze and communicate the economic risks and opportunities that arise from climate change and to make recommendations to the world’s governments and business and finance leaders on actions that will lead more climate-resilient patterns of economic growth and development.

Felipe’s Website

Contact Felipe

 
 
 
 

Series: Climate Consciousness

What role can leaders play in healing our relationship with the planet? Can one person make a difference? What is happening around the globe that brings us hope? Join Marti and Todd for this series on climate consciousness featuring scientists, thought leaders, farmers, and more.


Timeline

[00:00:24] Todd’s episode introduction

[00:01:02] The importance of how we "be" in addressing climate change

[00:03:16] Introduction of Felipe Benitez

[00:05:11] Leading from the heart and finding common ground

[00:07:46] Effectively inviting diverse communities into Nature

[00:11:11] The science and psychology behind reconnecting with Nature

[00:18:09] Overcoming barriers and biases when engaging diverse communities

[00:24:09] Mobilizing people and communities through joy and play

[00:32:18] Addressing the scale of climate change and maintaining hope

[00:40:14] From the Edge: Evolution Evolving (Todd)

[00:48:54] Conscious Rant: Nothing to Rant About (Marti)

[00:59:16] Takeaways from Marti, Todd, and Felipe


Quotes

“When our actions come from the core of our being, connected to full consciousness, or love, or these higher powers, it has a compounding effect in the world.” — Todd Hoskins

“We are not just lone actors trying to each save the planet. How we be does not just shift our own actions. It ripples like a raindrop falling on a glassy lake. That movement, those rings that extend in every direction is the power that we all have access to." — Todd Hoskins

“When we all confront the risks of a changing planet, it’s not just what we do that matters--it’s also how open, grounded, aware, and responsive we are in our daily being. As we show up in this connected way, our language shifts, our capacity to reach people shifts, and the world shifts from our presence.” — Todd Hoskins

“It doesn’t matter whether you're a Republican, a Democrat, left, right, communist, capitalist, the CEO of a company, or you're just somebody that works by the hour at minimum wage, we all care about one thing—which is clean air, clean water, bringing a better future for our kids, and that is what we find brings people together.” — Felipe Benitez

“Planting a tree, protecting a butterfly, or protecting bees is nonpartisan.” — Felipe Benitez

“We try to step away from the politics, the buzzwords, from whether we call it climate change, ESG, or woke. No. Let's talk about life. Let's talk about love. Let's talk about joy. Let's talk about Nature. And that brings people together.” — Felipe Benitez

“When people get their hands dirty, when plant a tree and get the dirt in our hands, and protect and connect with Nature, we will be more likely to care.” — Felipe Benitez

“Planting a tree can ultimately lead to a person voting for the rights of [Nature], or to advocate for policies on Capitol Hill or at the local government to protect green spaces. Once you enjoy it, you want to protect it.” — Felipe Benitez

“Everybody enjoys Nature in their own way. There's no right or wrong way of enjoying Nature.” — Felipe Benitez

“Everybody—no matter where you come from, no matter what your immigration status is, no matter what language you speak—everybody has the right to enjoy our public lands. That is such a beautiful notion that it belongs to everybody. That's one of the things that, for me, is so unique and so beautiful about about this country.” — Felipe Benitez

“When we hear we only have 10 years—maybe less—to prevent catastrophic consequences, I tend to say it the other way. Hey, we still have time. We still have eight years. We have the technology. We have the financial resources. And we have now the will of the people.” — Felipe Benitez

“One of the most courageous acts of love, of hope, is planting a tree, because very likely you will not see it fully grown. You do it because you believe in the future.” — Felipe Benitez

“We are moving beyond the notion of evolution as something that happens only within individual species. Darwin’s theories of evolution focused on biology. Together with his views on natural selection, most people have inherited the belief that each species is passing along the best possible traits in the fight for survival. It’s this animal vs. that animal. This mate or that mate. Me or you. This new theory suggests that evolution is happening at much larger systemic scales than just within individual species.” — Todd Hoskins

“Our world is playful. It’s trying out new combinations and seeing what happens. And because there are patterns--not complete randomness--there seems to be an underlying intelligence that is moving systems toward new futures.

To me it’s not important what we call this intelligence—this creative force. To know that all systems are continually in the process of creation— not just species adapting to survive—brings a sense that there is so much more happening than we realize. When we say systems or life are evolving, another way of saying it is, systems and life are creating new options.

If humanity is participating WITH this creative force, we, too, will have more options.” — Todd Hoskins

“Most of our ranting is a diversion, a waste of energy and intelligence that is just plain damaging to the heart and soul of who we actually are, which is a magical, if often confused and incredibly creative species, an inextricable part of an enormous awesome living system that is trying very, very hard to actually support us.” — Marti Spiegelman

“Our idea of harmony is mistakenly based on a strange notion that everything and everyone should be us.” — Marti Spiegelman

“When we fight with our failings, we ignore the entrance to the temple itself.” — David Whyte

“The harmony we yearn for is actually created when we learn about everything that is different from ourselves and revel in the variety. We celebrate the marvelous and the magical wonder at the seemingly impossible beauty, and leave it as it is.” — Marti Spiegelman

“Consciousness thrives on variety, not similarity.” — Marti Spiegelman

“If we can manage a bit of harmonization—even just a bit—instead of fighting for that false harmony, we'll actually begin to create and nurture peace and safety and collectivity.” — Marti Spiegelman

“Everything has a coordinate and a function in the big system. Instead of trying to control it, we have to learn from it and then give ourselves that same honor coming to know who we are as individuals and as a species—part of the big system of beautiful Life.” — Marti Spiegelman

“The climate movement needs more polka and mariachi bands.” — Todd Hoskins

“Less ranting. Less complaining. And more dancing, more music, more Nature, more love, compassion, and understanding. That is the only way we as humans are going to be able to survive and thrive.” — Felipe Benitez