News & Articles

On Sept. 4 of this year, the Nike corporation introduced a new advertising campaign titled “Why Do It?” 
As a revision to its original campaign – “Just Do It” – which was launched in 1988 as a call to action for athletes, the “Why Do It?” campaign is the company’s recommitment to its founding belief that when you show up and try, anything is possible. 

Nicole Graham, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer at Nike, stated, “We’re igniting that spark for a new generation, daring them to step forward with courage, trust in their own potential and discover the greatness that unfolds the moment they decide to begin.”

These days, we are facing so many challenges and crises in our city and around the country. We have a president who’s tearing down the East Wing of the White House, sending ICE agents to threaten and arrest innocent people, proposing to restart nuclear tests, and is pardoning his political allies who had been incarcerated for committing numerous crimes. There’s millions of federal employees without a paycheck, a growing number of people who are unemployed or homeless and tariffs that are raising the prices of everyday consumer goods. 

And along with wars in the Ukraine and Gaza, mass shootings, the rise of authoritarian governments and racism, then there’s the global threat of climate change. 

During these overwhelming and anxious times, it’s hard to figure out what to do and where to begin at this moment. How do we step forward with courage? How do we trust in our own potential? Why do anything? 

In his book Master of Change: The Case For Rugged Flexibility, Brad Stulberg talks about the importance of learning how to respond to difficult situations and events instead of simply reacting. Stulberg argues that reacting to disruptions in our lives – including illness, aging, workplace tensions and even climate change - will backfire on us. What we need are “thoughtful and deliberate responses.”

According to Stulberg, the one way to respond to all life challenges is with what he calls “tragic optimism.” It’s the ability to stay hopeful and find meaning in life despite any pain, loss or suffering we may experience. And it’s through “wise hope and wise actions” that we look at any situation or event with clear eyes and maintain a hopeful attitude.

On Oct. 28, the Phys.org website published a piece on the recently released 2025 Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change Report which stated that the continued overreliance on fossil fuels and the failure to adapt to climate change is negatively impacting people’s lives and health. Warmer temperatures have seen the rate of heat-related deaths increase by 23% since the 1990s. 

In 2024, air pollution from wildfire smoke contributed to 154,000 deaths. And there are now about 2.5 million deaths each year due to the air pollution from fossil fuels. The report called for “all hands on deck” to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change. 

Right now, our city is facing warmer temperatures, more extreme weather events, air pollution from wildfire smoke, severe droughts, and is still too dependent upon fossil fuels. So, for Duluth, what is our “all hands on deck” approach? What are we being called to do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change? 

To address the climate emergency and how its impacting everyone’s lives and health, we need to remember Nike’s new campaign and step forward with courage, trust in our city’s potential and discover our collective greatness at this moment by deciding to begin. 

Today, sign the petition to hire a full-time sustainability officer in city government: change.org/p/fill-the-duluth-mn-sustainability-officer-position

Then send an email to the mayor asking him to keep the position in city government: rreinert@duluthmn.gov

And if you would like to participate in the new Citizens Climate Commission which begins in November, drop me an email to risson1954@gmail.com. 

There’s a quote by Albert Einstein at the Clayton-Jackson-McGhie Memorial in downtown Duluth which reads, “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.”

With the numerous impacts and challenges facing our city from climate change – especially with our vulnerable neighbors who are homeless, unemployed, disabled and aging – we can’t just stand there and do nothing. And we can’t simply react out of fear, denial or anger. 
We need to come together with wise hope and wise actions.