The Earth Said Remember Me, a guide to resisting environmental amnesia

A Tuesday evening on memory, climate, and what we choose to notice

Oakland gets a thoughtful one on Tuesday, September 15, when Jason Dove Mark comes to Local Economy for a 6:00 pm talk about climate memory, shifting baselines, and how people can stay awake to changes happening around them.

Mark is an environmental activist and the longtime editor in chief of Sierra magazine. His new book looks at a problem many of us know in our bones. The creek runs lower. The smoke season lasts longer. A hot week becomes normal. Then we move on.

His answer is simple, but not small: go outside, bear witness, make a record, and pass it on. That gives the evening a practical feel. Less hand wringing, more paying attention.

Local Economy should be a good fit for this kind of gathering. Expect an Oakland room with a close, conversational feel, where the main event is listening, asking questions, and leaving with something to think about on the walk home.

If you care about parks, trails, shorelines, gardens, birds, old trees, clean air, or just the way the Bay feels different from year to year, this is worth putting on the calendar.

When: Tuesday, September 15, 2026, 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Where: Local Economy, Oakland, California
Event info: View details

For many years, climate scientists and activists alike have wondered what new emergency or extreme event might shock the world into action. Well, none has come so far.
We humans are masterful at getting used to new normal after new normal. Scientists call this “shifting baseline syndrome” and warn that it’s why we are increasingly sleepwalking toward disaster.
In his new book, environmental activist and longtime editor-in-chief of Sierra magazine Jason Dove Mark offers an antidote, focusing on four simple but powerful rules that everyone can use to resist environmental amnesia: Go outside. Bear witness. Make a record. Pass it on.
Mark makes the case for everyday practices that can help us “remember the Earth” and support environmental conservation, restoration, and rewilding.