Make a Difference…Be the Butterfly. “Be the Butterfly” refers to the butterfly effect, which states that a small act can have large consequences in a complex system. We invite you to perform one small act or behavior change to help mitigate climate change. Choose the butterfly act that works for you or, if you need ideas, check out the suggestions made by the following climate authors:

Omar El Akkad is an author and journalist whose books have been translated into more than a dozen languages. His debut novel, American War, was listed by the BBC as one of 100 books that shapes our world.
Nonprofit: Oil Change International, oilchange.org

Lily Brooks-Dalton is the author of The Light Pirate, which was the runner-up for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, a #1 Indie Next title, and a New York Times Editors’ Pick. Her previous novel, Good Morning, Midnight, was the inspiration for the film adaption The Midnight Sky, and her memoir, Motorcycles I’ve Loved, was finalist for the Oregon Book Award.
Nonprofit: Indigenous Environmental Network, ienearth.org

Julie Carrick Dalton is the author of Waiting for the Night Song, a New Hampshire Writers Project People’s Choice award winner for best novel, and The Last Bookeeper, long listed for the Massachusetts Book Award. A former farmer, beekeeper, and journalist, she is a frequent speaker about the intersection of literature and climate science, a faculty member at Drexel University’s MFA program, and a visiting professor at Tufts University.
Nonprofit: Conservation Law Foundation, clf.org

Jane Ekstam, PhD is Professor Emerita at Halden University College, Norway. She is the author of a trilogy on climate change, Katja’s World Game.
Nonprofit: Trees for the Future (sub-Saharan Africa); 350.org (USA), trees.org

Nick Fuller Googins is the author of the novels The Great Transition (2023) and The Frequency of Living Things(2025). He lives in Maine and works as an elementary school teacher.
Nonprofit: The Half Earth Project, eowilsonfoundation.org/what-is-the-half-earth-project 

Peter Heller is the bestselling author of The Dog Stars, The River, and Burn, among other novels. He lives in Colorado.
Nonprofit: American Rivers, americanrivers.org

Wren James is the Carnegie-longlisted British author of many young adult novels (writing as Lauren James), including The Loneliest Girl in the Universe, which Amazon MGM Studios is developing as a feature film. They founded the Climate Fiction Writers League, edited the anthology Future Hopes: Hopeful stories in a time of climate change, and work as a consultant on climate storytelling for museums, production companies, and major brands and publishers, with a focus on optimism and hope.
Nonprofit: The Pelorus Foundation, pelorusfoundation.org

Barbara Kingsolver is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. She is a trained biologist and lives on a sustainable farm in southwest Virginia.
Nonprofit: Earth Justice, earthjustice.org

Bill McKibben wrote what’s generally regarded as the first book for the general public on climate change (The End of Nature, 1989) and has gone on to found the global grassroots climate campaign 350.org and Third Act, which organizes people over the age of 60 for action on climate and democracy.
Nonprofit: Third Act, thirdact.org 

Lydia Millet has written more than a dozen novels and short story collections, including A Children’s Bible – shortlisted for the National Book Award – and Love in Infant Monkeys, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. She also writes essays, opinion pieces, and book reviews and is the author of a new nonfiction book called We Loved It All: A Memory of Life.
Nonprofit: The Center for Biological Diversity, biologicaldiversity.org

Cate Mingoya-LaFortune is a trained biologist, teacher, and climate adaption planner and is the author of Climate Action for Busy People – a how to guide on intervening locally in the climate crisis.
Nonprofit: Groundwork USA, GroundworkUSA.org

Pitchaya Sudbanthad is the author of Bangkok Wakes to Rain, a New York Times and Washington Post Book of the year.
Nonprofit: Climate Action Network International, climatenetwork.org