Off the Page: A Literary Talk with Bill McKibben

doors 5pm | talk 6pm

Acclaimed environmentalist Bill McKibben, author of more than 20 books, comes to Crested Butte with his latest release, Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization. McKibben, is one of the first to sound the alarm about the climate crisis and insists this moment is also full of possibility. Energy from the sun and wind is suddenly the cheapest power on the planet and growing faster than any energy source in history—if we can keep accelerating the pace, we have a chance.

In the last two years, Bill McKibben traced the arrival of plentiful, inexpensive solar energy and shows how solar power is more than just a path out of the climate crisis: it is a chance to reorder the world on saner and more humane grounds. You can’t hoard solar energy or hold it in reserves—it’s available to all.

There’s no guarantee we can make this change in time, but there is a hope—in McKibben’s eyes, our best hope for a new civilization: one that looks up to the sun, every day, as the star that fuels our world.

Bill McKibben will talk about his new book followed by a conversation with climate activist Auden Schendler. Schendler spent twenty-six years running sustainability programs at Aspen One. He focuses on scale solutions to climate change, including clean-energy development, policy, advocacy, movement building, and activism. He is working to mobilize the outdoor industry as a political force and is author of the book, Terrible Beauty: Reckoning with Climate Complicity and Rediscovering Our Soul. 

Join sponsors GV Heat, GCEA, Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, and the Town of Crested Butte before and after the program to learn about local sustainability efforts and opportunities to make a personal impact on climate issues. Townie Books will be on hand with books by both authors. The event is free and open to the public.