Alpinism and Imperfect Advocacy with Graham Zimmerman | For The Love Of Ep. 7
When talking about huge, scary topics like climate, it's easy to get all doom 'n' gloom. But nothing is ever black and white.
Graham Zimmerman is an award-winning professional alpinist who's climbed across Alaska, Patagonia, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, and all over the lower 48 and Canada. He holds leadership roles in a range of nonprofits and outdoor companies, including the American Alpine Club and Protect Our Winters and uses climbing as a medium for bigger conversations.
In his 2023 book, "A Fine Line: Searching for Balance Among Mountains", Graham grapples with how to reconcile the love of outdoor adventure with the cost of such endeavors, both human and environmental.
Having faced grief and personal loss in the mountains, as well as witnessing firsthand the effects of climate change on these beloved places, Graham joins us to share about the balance of pursuing alpinism with social responsibility above all.
We talk about...
Climbing as the backdrop for his advocacy work and recent book
The trade-offs of alpinism: losing people you love, loneliness, marriage pressures
Writing a memoir in the middle of a career and behind the scenes of writing his book, “A Fine Line: Searching for Balance Among Mountains”
Capturing lessons during expeditions to offer actionable, useful wisdom back home
How Graham sought to write a book that would nudge the climate crisis conversation forward in a meaningful way, rather than recapping climbing successes
Going to K2/Chhogori in 2021, with the mountain being very hot and collapsing around him
Seeing dramatic changes in the alpine that affect the communities who live there
The climate crisis isn’t just about the environment, it’s about community health and social equity
How having a platform drives Graham’s ability to make change in the world and how climbing gives him the tools to be an advocate
Becoming an “imperfect advocate” in the face of the climate crisis
Considering “carbon footprints” on expeditions and how the world interprets that
Personal change vs. systemic change to solve the climate crisis
Aiming towards being more carbon efficient or carbon neutral in our systems as a top priority
Should we give up what we love or what we need to reduce our “carbon footprint?” What is realistic or truly helpful?
It’s not either or: You don’t have to give up travel or carbon-impacting experiences in order to fight for systemic change.
Nobody needs to be a “perfect” advocate. Can we embrace imperfect advocacy instead?
Supporting others who are doing the work goes a long way: Let people know you appreciate them, and write to your lawmakers, too, of course.
Getting people to care about climate action
Stories matter. After 30 years of trying, hitting people with facts and science doesn’t tend to work. Let’s move to stories that create common ground and shared purpose and THEN talk about actions to take.
Outdoor activities require bravery and trying new things. So does climate action. You’re already primed for it.
Local and regional action is where we build momentum for massive change
How can you make positive change in YOUR work? For example, Graham’s friend in tech who made code more efficient on data servers which helps cut energy in half and money too.
No need to throw everything out and start over. What are you already good at, what is your network now?
Balancing marriage and his work
Open lines of communication and having hard conversations are necessary for compromise, and you need to state your needs
As a young climber, hearing the message that anything that wasn’t in service to making him a better climber was making him worse vs. now, knowing that being a whole person makes him a better climber.
How “A Fine Line” is a dual love story of his wife Shannon and climbing
Training is intentional and less “fun” than just climbing all day, but it creates time for him to be the partner he wants to be, which balances out when he’s a “shitty husband” while on expeditions.
Juggling duties as a multi-hyphenate human
Living as an athlete, advocate, filmmaker, science background, volunteering and more
Glass balls vs. rubber balls of responsibilities and opportunities
How to know when to say yes vs. no to opportunities; being intentional with limited time
Give opportunities to others: empowering others is another form of success
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Music: The Kind of Sandwich Island by Shut-ins
Thank you to The Ruins, the best wedding venue in Oregon, for supporting the show.