Emotions are the driving force behind climate action, according to author, teacher, and climate activist Dr. Katharine K. Wilkinson. Indeed, words like “heartbreak,” “courage,” “healing,” and “belonging” appear throughout her work like signposts marking the heart’s journey—sometimes her own—from climate despair to commitment to self, nature, and community.

Whether it is weeding one’s garden, hiking a forest trail, taking recycling to a center, or picking up trash in a waterway, when people interact with nature, they are cultivating their nurturing hearts toward the planet.

Anna Heringer, architect, author, teacher, and winner of multiple awards, has discovered a secret to beautiful and sustainable building: Form follows love.