Get to know CEC members Joe Wheelock & Caitlyn Eberle

InCollaboration and Leadership, NewsByJoe Gauer

Name	Joe Wheelock
What is your work and how did you end up focusing on the work you do?	I am a program manager for the Heartland Tree Alliance at Bridging The Gap. We try to grow greener, more resilient communities through small actions. Working hand in hand with the communities impacted most by environmental burdens and trained volunteers we grow urban tree canopy, protect & conserve natural spaces in the metro, promote & educate on recycling, and help our homes be more energy efficient. My formal education was very focused on ecology and sustainability. BA in environmental Biology and MS in sustainability in agriculture and insect ecology. This led me to an AmeriCorps VISTA position with BoysGrow in KCMO. After that I knew I wanted to be more rooted in my new city and was looking for a position that blended science and people. HTA had an open position and I’ve been there ever since!
What’s your biggest motivation to do climate work (or for engaging in climate action)?	A deep appreciation for our natural world and all of the fascinating creatures that reside within it.
If you could accomplish one big goal related to climate action, what would it be?	I’ll have to think more on this…. but right now I think I’d have to go with whatever bring more people into the movement. Many small actions go a long ways and getting the average metro citizen to make even just one or two small climate friendly changes would have big effects for the region.
Who inspires you the most?	I probably would have answered this question very differently a few years ago, but right now the folks that inspire me the most are HTA’s community partners. Our Neighborhood leaders in Eastwood hills, Dunbar, South Roundtop, and many many more across the metro that day in and day out are working (often thanklessly and on their own dime/time) to grow greener neighborhoods.
What’s one book that helped inform your perspective on climate action?	Thinking In Systems by Donella Meadows and Cultivating an Ecological Conscience by Fred Kirschenmann
What words of wisdom or motivation can you share with those who want to engage in climate action?	It is incredibly easy to get lost in the big picture. If we only look for hope in massive, sweeping change, we might miss the small signs of it right at our feet. On the other hand, if we walk through the world lost in cynicism that change is impossible we end up trampling the very progress we’re working for. We live in a world of Twitter feeds and TikTok algorithms that make it easy to miss the amazing work happening day in and day out. We’ve been conditioned to think of hope as a feeling that just washes over us. But the truth is, hope is not passive. Hope is active. Hope requires participation. And if you go searching for it you’ll find it in abundance.
What’s one thing you do to recharge from your work?	I like to take my dog, Ashe, and visit one of KC WildLands natural areas for a nice hike. Hidden Valley and Rocky Point Glade are two of our favorites.

Name	Caitlyn Eberle
What is your work and how did you end up focusing on the work you do?	I currently work as a researcher for United Nations University’s Institute for Environment and Human Security. I mainly contribute as a lead author to their flagship publication “Interconnected Disaster Risks” – where we discuss natural hazards, how they often share the same root causes, and what we can do to change it. I grew up with a family that placed a lot of effort on caring for the environment; my dad raced solar cars with the American Solar Challenge for most of my childhood. I became interested in culture & sustainability during my undergraduate studies, and eventually decided I would like to focus on how to help people adapt and thrive in a changing environment.
What’s your biggest motivation to do climate work (or for engaging in climate action)?	My biggest motivation for climate action is the frustration that I can see the tools and knowledge we have available to us to build something better, and we seem determined to be miserable instead. I saw a quote once that said something to the effect of “hope is not just wishful thinking, real hope requires action.” So I want to do more than just wishful thinking, I want to actively help build a better world with people who also want the same.
If you could accomplish one big goal related to climate action, what would it be?	I would love to get more mass transit options available for people here in the U.S. and especially rural Missouri. Mass transit (and really, I am thinking about passenger trains and trams) helps everyone; fewer cars on the roads, less asphalt infrastructure, more agency for elderly folks or people with disabilities, less pollution etc etc.
Who inspires you the most?	We stand on the shoulders of multiple giants, but Dr. Jane Goodall is one in particular that inspires me, especially as an anthropologist. I felt like she gave me permission to care deeply about the planet; and reassured me that I wasn’t crazy for doing so.
What’s one book that helped inform your perspective on climate action?	I have so SO many, but one that comes to mind is a short fiction book called A Psalm for the Wild Built, by Becky Chambers. It’s like a happy, post-apocalyptic, solar-punk story and I love it; and it inspires me to take action towards creating that world.
What words of wisdom or motivation can you share with those who want to engage in climate action?	You don’t have to solve it all; you just have to show up. I think the state of the world in general feels incredibly overwhelming, and it is SO HARD to care for and pay attention to everything. So don’t – I like to distinguish between stuff I care “about” and stuff I care “for.” I care about a lot of stuff: the state of the world’s freshwater, loss of biodiversity, climate change, pollution etc. but if I tried to care “for” all of that, I would probably die from burn-out. So, I focus on what I can control. I plant a pollinator garden, I collect rainwater, I boycott companies, etc. You don’t have to do the most good, you just have to do good. You will never be perfect, so imperfect action is better than perfect inaction.
What’s one thing you do to recharge from your work?	I think I am a pretty crafty person, so I like to draw or crochet in my spare time – it often ends up as a “brain off” activity where I can get into a “flow state” and just chill.