Understanding human behavior at the deepest levels is no longer an option. It’s an imperative.

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We know more than ever about the immense scale and magnitude of the challenges facing humanity on a finite planet. However, we also understand more about creativity, resilience, and problem-solving than ever before. At the intersection of neuroscience, behavioral sciences, clinical psychology, psychosocial research and public health, are insights uniquely suited for meeting our immense challenges. Insights we can be accessing, applying and scaling. No matter the challenge or context. Each of us has the ability to be a catalyst for exactly the kind of changes needed most today.

CONSULTING

I work with a range of organizations across sectors, applying proven psychosocial methods for engagement, brand strategy, research design, insights and messaging.
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SPEAKING

I present to groups internationally to share insights, challenge assumptions and provoke deeper thinking about how we can be more effective and inspired.
READ MORE

TEACHING

I design deep dive courses, trainings, workshops, and capacity building for organizations, foundations, universities and the public.
READ MORE

jbogue-RLertzman_web_res-02381

Understanding human behavior at the deepest levels is no longer an option. It’s an imperative.

We know more than ever about the immense scale and magnitude of the challenges facing humanity on a finite planet. However, we also understand more about creativity, resilience, and problem-solving than ever before. At the intersection of neuroscience, behavioral sciences, clinical psychology, psychosocial research and public health, are insights uniquely suited for meeting our immense challenges. Insights we can be accessing, applying and scaling. No matter the challenge or context. Each of us has the ability to be a catalyst for exactly the kind of changes needed most today.

CONSULTING

I work with a range of organizations across sectors, applying proven psychosocial methods for engagement, brand strategy, research design, insights and messaging.
READ MORE

SPEAKING

I present to groups internationally to share insights, challenge assumptions and provoke deeper thinking about how we can be more effective and inspired.
READ MORE

TEACHING

I design deep dive courses, trainings, workshops, and capacity building for organizations, foundations, universities and the public.
READ MORE

Upcoming Events

Renee is an internationally recognized thought leader and adviser, and works with organizations, professionals, and practitioners from government, business, philanthropic, and non-governmental sectors to design research tools, brand strategy, trainings, workshops, engagement practices, and strategies suited for the uniquely challenging nature of environmental work.

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Sustainable Brands Vancouver 2018 Keynote

FEATURED NEWS AND PROFILES

Young Minnesotans with 'climate grief' are feeling anxiety – and taking action

By Kevyn Burger (Star Tribune illustration)

"It's on that emotional continuum, the feeling that the world is heading into a very uncertain, chaotic place and the impact is potentially devastating," she said. "It's a painful place to be."

READ THE ARTICLE IN THE STAR TRIBUNE

The Other Kind of Climate Denialism

By Rachel Riederer (The New Yorker)

“The Uninhabitable Earth,” David Wallace-Wells’s new book about how climate change will affect human life, begins, “It is worse, much worse, than you think.”

READ THE ARTICLE IN THE NEW YORKER

Is it okay to enjoy warm weather caused by climate change?

By Annabelle Timsit (Quartz)

This time last year, the United Kingdom was in the grip of a wave of freezing wind from Siberia called the “Beast from the East.”

READ THE ARTICLE ON QUARTZ

The Difficulty of Imagining Climate Change Isn’t Just in Your Head

By Alex Ronan (The Cut)

As Lertzman and others argue, climate change comes up against a human mind hell-bent on denial. “We are really good at denying and avoiding input that arouses any kind of cognitive dissonance, guilt, shame, confusion, fear,” she said. “That’s climate change in a nutshell.”

READ THE ARTICLE ON THE CUT

Sustainable Brands

Sustainable Brands Vancouver 2018 Keynote

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Experts are starting to tackle dealing with climate change anxiety | ThinkProgress

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Selling the Science of Climate Change | Climate One

Podcast

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Change Your Mind. The Climate Will Follow. | The Trouble

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How To Hack Our Psychology To Take More Eco-Friendly Actions | MBG

How To Hack Our Psychology To Take More Eco-Friendly Actions | MBG

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Reducing Desire for Ivory: A Psychosocial Guide to Address Ivory Consumption | WWF

Reducing Desire for Ivory: A Psychosocial Guide to Address Ivory Consumption | WWF

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Why is it So Hard for Canada to Have a Real Conversation about Pipelines? | DesmogCanada

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Renee generously offered her expertise to Living in the Future’s Past, a film exploring our role in the environment. Her work advances the power of invitation, rather than preaching, helping us get beyond the ideological traps that keep us stuck in old patterns of behavior. Her contributions made the film stronger.

Susan Kucera, director | Living in the Future’s Past

Renee is working at the forefront of exploring deeper levels of how people respond to environmental issues, and what this means for new ways of communicating with and engaging people. She brings great sensitivity and insight to her work on psychological dimensions of sustainability. It is a perspective and orientation that is urgently needed in environmental scholarship and research, and one that is often missing.

Paul Hawken | Executive Director, Project Drawdown

I have learned a great deal from Renee’s work on producing the landscape report on climate change engagement, which then inspired our new Climate Field Guide. It’s really helped me navigate this emerging space.

Bruce Lowry | Director of Policy and Advocacy, Skoll Global Threats Fund

Renee is rare combination of brilliant scientific researcher, strategic consultant and creative thinker. She brings a deep understanding of both climate science as well as human psychology to teams I've worked with her on. For the Alliance for Climate Education’s climate conversations campaign, she was an invaluable thinker, collaborator and trainer. I highly recommend working with her.

Jonah Sachs | CEO, Free Range Studios

I regard Renee’s work as one of the most significant voices today addressing our environmental challenges.

Elizabeth Thompson | Founding Director, The Buckminster Fuller Challenge