We’re excited to share the latest work from Auden Schendler, an environmental advocate, former Conservation Colorado board member and long-time sustainability innovator. His new book, Terrible Beauty: Reckoning with Climate Complicity and Rediscovering Our Soul, takes a candid and often humorous look at the environmental crisis and the urgency of action. Below, we dive into a Q&A with Schendler about his personal journey, the themes of his book and the bigger picture of climate change.
You can find more about the book, Terrible Beauty at www.audenschendler.com
Q: Before we dive into your book, could you share a brief bio with our readers?
Schendler:
I grew up in New Jersey at its worst—rampant pollution, poverty, and crime. It was the pre-Clean Air and Water Acts era, and I remember playing baseball above the Lincoln Tunnel, with purple plumes of filth billowing past first base. But when I visited my grandparents in North Dakota, I was struck by the contrast: what went wrong in New Jersey? And how do we fix it? That question stuck with me as I moved to Colorado right after college and began my work in environmental advocacy. I served on Conservation Colorado’s board for nearly a decade and spent 25 years pioneering sustainability initiatives at Aspen Skiing Company. Along the way, I got in trouble a lot for pushing the boundaries of traditional corporate sustainability.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your background and what inspired you to write a book focused on the environment?
Schendler:
I’ve always believed that climate change is the fundamental sustainability challenge. My work has often been about asking, “Is this enough?” The answer is usually no. Over time, I realized that much of modern environmentalism, particularly corporate sustainability, was essentially a system designed by the fossil fuel industry to maintain the status quo. It’s like the way authoritarian governments distract people with sports—keeping them focused on something other than real systemic change. In practice, this meant environmental efforts that focused on individual or firm-level actions, like reducing carbon footprints, rather than tackling the larger, systemic issues we need to address. My “spear through the heart moment” came during a bike ride in the Elk Mountains when I realized that we, as a society, have been complicit in supporting the fossil fuel industry, which is the very agent of our destruction.
Q: What personal experiences or events sparked your passion for environmental issues and motivated you to advocate for change through writing?
Schendler:
This book is not your typical “climate book.” It’s not filled with doom-and-gloom science and token solutions. Instead, it’s a journey. It starts with a story of my friends and me chasing a dust devil in Utah, trying to get inside it. It weaves in tales of my son’s gnome collection, my daughter’s martial arts, turtle hatchings and river trips. Through these personal moments, I aim to highlight what we stand to lose from climate change: joy. The reason we need to act is not just to prevent disaster, but to protect the things we love. Too often, we don’t act as if we truly love them. This book is an invitation to rediscover that joy—and the urgency of protecting it.
Q: In your book, what do you hope readers will take away about the urgency of protecting our planet, and how they can make a difference in their own lives?
Schendler:
I differentiate between personal actions that focus on individual lifestyles (which are important but not enough) and actions that wield power and create change—like political engagement, joining movements or running for office. These are the things that truly move society forward. I often say, “If it’s easy and sexy, it’s probably not meaningful environmentalism.” The hard stuff—the battles where people get mad at you, where you’re scared, where you lose sleep—that’s where real change happens. In my book, I share stories of these tough battles with humor and a sense of joy. Because even in the darkest moments, there is incredible opportunity. We have the chance to save civilization. What an exciting opportunity that is!
