Fall 2009
Member profile
Plotting a Safer Climate
It is safe to say that writing fiction and combating global warming are the two passions of novelist and UCS member Audrey Schulman's life. The threat of climate change looms in the background of her first novel, The Cage (Harper Perennial 2001), as well as her upcoming fourth novel, The Third Way—both of which are grounded in scientific facts often supplied by UCS.
Having been raised in a family of scientists, it is no surprise that Audrey believes science and the peer-review process are the best ways of getting to the truth. "UCS speaks with and for scientists," she says. "If scientists say there's a real problem, we need to trust them and act." She values our reputation for rigorous analysis, as well as our long track record of putting her donations to good use.
Words Buoyed by Action
| In this issue of Catalyst:
> In the Footsteps of Thoreau |
Last August, Audrey discovered a new way to act on what the science tells us about global warming. She and some of her Cambridge, MA, neighbors founded HEET (Home Energy Efficiency Team), which emulates the tradition of barn raisings by bringing neighbors together to weatherize local houses, churches, and schools. Volunteers not only help reduce the carbon footprint of individual buildings but also learn skills they can apply at home.
True to her nature as a novelist, Audrey sees a common theme running between her writing, her involvement in HEET, and her membership in UCS. She wants to "raise the alarm about global warming, teach people how easy it is to make a difference—starting in their own homes—and empower them to get political with groups like UCS." Audrey's words make a compelling case for change.
