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History of CDI
Like a house with crumbling foundations, American democracy is suffering from decades of deferred maintenance. The challenge of repairing and updating our institutions would be difficult enough, but we obviously do not live in “normal times.” The pace of change is faster, threats bigger, risks global, and the time to forestall the worst is very short. CDI is predicated on knowledge that to solve the climate crisis, we must solve our problems with democracy.
We strongly encourage you to listen to the first episode of our podcast Heatwaves of Change to understand how we know this, and what we must do to fix it.
2016
Like a house with crumbling foundations, American democracy is suffering from decades of deferred maintenance. The challenge of repairing and updating our institutions would be difficult enough, but we obviously do not live in “normal times.” The pace of change is faster, threats bigger, risks global, and the time to forestall the worst is very short.
David Orr, one of the nation’s most influential thought leaders, gathered peers from across the U.S. to discuss what must be done, and how the U.S. economy should adapt to a warmer world. The November 2016 election results brought profound urgency as business and environmental regulations were cast aside.
2018
Now called State of American Democracy, a conference featuring 32 speakers and panelists is held to discuss the preservation of ecological systems that make life possible, and governmental action needed to respond to the enormity of the climate crisis.
Attendees included today's most perceptive writers, practitioners, scientists, educators, and journalists, who are committed to moving the political conversation from anger and angst to constructive change to a durable democracy that works for everyone and protects our common future.
2020
Democracy Unchained is published - edited by David Orr, Andrew Gumbel, Bakari Kitwana, and William S. Becker. The book outlines a set of guidelines for making American democracy work to solve problems that have long impaired our system of governance.
Contributors include Yascha Mounk on populism, Chisun Lee on money and politics, Ras Baraka on building democracy from the ground up, and Bill McKibben on climate.
Jane Mayer, chief Washington correspondent at The New Yorker says of the book, "This remarkable book is like speed dialing the smartest minds in America, and getting them to tackle the country's toughest problems. It's full of fresh and urgently needed ideas.”
2020 - 2021
The accompanying video series to Democracy Unchained features 72 different speakers, all commenting on the themes of the book and the immense struggles our democracy is facing in the new reality we all live in.
Across eleven episodes, the series delves into many topics related to democracy and our institutions, as well as what many prominent thinkers believe should be done to solve these problems.
Today,
CDI has brought together thought leaders and key stakeholders across many fields to discuss the state of our Democracy, the reality of the Climate Crisis, and how these two topics are interconnected. Our work centers around addressing these issues while re-framing the conversation on both.
Today - We are supporting the initiation of hubs for climate and democracy in select cities across this country. Our Colorado and Arizona hubs are blossoming, and we are constantly bringing in new partners to help us expand to the rest of the United States.
