Jeff St. John’s adorable dog has a request

Dear Canary Media reader,

Could you resist a plea from this lovable pup? I know I can’t. When Lily wants another walk around the block, I’m powerless to resist.

I’m hoping that some of Lily’s persuasiveness will rub off on me today as I make my plea. Hear me out.

I’m one of the luckiest journalists in the world. For the past two and a half years, as Canary Media’s director of news, I’ve been able to wake up every morning excited to take my next crack at understanding and conveying the complexity and urgency of the greatest challenge humankind has ever faced — how to transform our fossil-fueled industrial economy and society to one powered by clean energy, and organized in a way that embraces, rather than ignores, the inexorable laws of physics and ecology.

It’s not always fun. Each day, I must confront and cover the harsh realities that can sometimes make this transformation seem like a wishful mirage — the inertia and complacency of political and financial powers that be, the fractious and too often falsely informed discourse in the public sphere, and the perverse incentives of short-term profit-seeking that stymie the initiative to combat climate change. The fact that these threats are no longer hypothetical but all too real — and that they fall the hardest on those of us with the least power — adds guilt and rage to the despair I sometimes feel.

But I’m happy to report that these feelings are outmatched by the inspiration I receive from my daily work with all of the people — like you — who are rising to meet the challenge. Every day I get to learn from some of the smartest and most inspired people I’ve ever met — people who are developing and applying cutting-edge technologies, crafting progressive public policies, and dedicating themselves to the collective action needed to carry out this transformation. I owe my professional career and my personal purpose to these people — to all of you.

Today I’m writing you (and shamelessly roping in my dog) to ask a favor: Can you donate to Canary Media to help me and my colleagues continue our reporting? We would be hugely grateful. 

We’re a nonprofit, so all donations are tax-deductible. Do you work for a company that matches charitable contributions? Then your gift would make even more impact.

No other news outlet is doing what Canary Media does — deep-dive, accessible, engaging reporting on what’s needed to make the energy transition a reality, available free for everyone to read. But we can’t keep up that work without support from our community of readers. Please help us out.

I thank you — and Lily thanks you even more.

Sincerely,

Jeff St. John
Director of News and Special Projects
Canary Media