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Making Earth Day Every Day Shouldn’t Be This Hard | Kathleen Rogers
What happens the day after Earth Day?
In this episode of It Shouldn’t Be This Hard, we sit down with Kathleen Rogers, President of EarthDay.org, the force behind one of the most iconic and enduring movements on the planet.
This episode is a masterclass in what it takes to accelerate a legacy climate movement that spans 192 countries and activates over a billion people every year.
From our deep psychological resistance to change to the global rise of pollution, plastics, and political polarization, Kathleen reveals why progress remains so slow, even when the stakes couldn’t be higher.
She shares how Earth Day evolved into a global hub for environmental action, why it’s become now an “unstoppable movement,” and why fear-based messaging backfires. Most importantly, she explains how protecting “what surrounds us” — the very definition of environment — can rewire how people connect with climate, community, and hope.
Key Takeaways:
- “People love the status quo.” Human resistance to change (not science or technology) is one of the biggest barriers to environmental progress.
- Earth Day’s biggest challenge is the day after. Mobilizing a billion people is powerful but sustaining the momentum requires cultural and behavioral change.
- Climate change presents an opportunity to reinvent the world. Kathleen believes that there is an optimistic opportunity confronting us: we get to redesign our systems, economy, and future for the better.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Kathleen’s surprising path: TV, law, Olympic committees, and the road to EarthDay.org
08:00 – The global paradox: growing awareness, but worsening pollution
09:42 – Earth Day’s evolution into a global movement
10:00 – The challenge of momentum: What happens after Earth Day?
12:27 – The importance of protecting what surrounds us
13:10 – The rise of plastic pollution and public concern
13:36 – The true cost of Climate Change? Who is hurt most?
16:39 – Renewable energy as an “unstoppable” force
17:08 – Turning global problems into business opportunities
18:56 – Why changing human behavior is the hardest part
19:52 – Closing reflections: hope, humanity, and the miracle of the natural world
Additional Resources:
🤖 Meet Gaia, our sustainability AI: https://shorturl.at/wrkNR
🌍 Get Grounded: https://shorturl.at/2PZeI
_
It Shouldn’t Be This Hard is the podcast for leaders, founders, and change-makers reimagining what good business looks like — real conversations, radical ideas, and the belief that purpose and profit can (and must) coexist.
View all episodes
By Phil White & Heidi SchoeneckWhat happens the day after Earth Day?
In this episode of It Shouldn’t Be This Hard, we sit down with Kathleen Rogers, President of EarthDay.org, the force behind one of the most iconic and enduring movements on the planet.
This episode is a masterclass in what it takes to accelerate a legacy climate movement that spans 192 countries and activates over a billion people every year.
From our deep psychological resistance to change to the global rise of pollution, plastics, and political polarization, Kathleen reveals why progress remains so slow, even when the stakes couldn’t be higher.
She shares how Earth Day evolved into a global hub for environmental action, why it’s become now an “unstoppable movement,” and why fear-based messaging backfires. Most importantly, she explains how protecting “what surrounds us” — the very definition of environment — can rewire how people connect with climate, community, and hope.
Key Takeaways:
- “People love the status quo.” Human resistance to change (not science or technology) is one of the biggest barriers to environmental progress.
- Earth Day’s biggest challenge is the day after. Mobilizing a billion people is powerful but sustaining the momentum requires cultural and behavioral change.
- Climate change presents an opportunity to reinvent the world. Kathleen believes that there is an optimistic opportunity confronting us: we get to redesign our systems, economy, and future for the better.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Kathleen’s surprising path: TV, law, Olympic committees, and the road to EarthDay.org
08:00 – The global paradox: growing awareness, but worsening pollution
09:42 – Earth Day’s evolution into a global movement
10:00 – The challenge of momentum: What happens after Earth Day?
12:27 – The importance of protecting what surrounds us
13:10 – The rise of plastic pollution and public concern
13:36 – The true cost of Climate Change? Who is hurt most?
16:39 – Renewable energy as an “unstoppable” force
17:08 – Turning global problems into business opportunities
18:56 – Why changing human behavior is the hardest part
19:52 – Closing reflections: hope, humanity, and the miracle of the natural world
Additional Resources:
🤖 Meet Gaia, our sustainability AI: https://shorturl.at/wrkNR
🌍 Get Grounded: https://shorturl.at/2PZeI
_
It Shouldn’t Be This Hard is the podcast for leaders, founders, and change-makers reimagining what good business looks like — real conversations, radical ideas, and the belief that purpose and profit can (and must) coexist.