The Carbon Almanac
47,000 words, 300 contributors across 41 countries. How we built an award-winning climate action resource in just 5 months.
The Carbon Almanac is a 47,000-word book—written with no errors in just five months—by a global team of 300 contributors from 41 countries. As a member of the leadership team, I worked closely with best-selling author Seth Godin and a diverse network of collaborators to bring this essential climate resource to life. This ambitious project was designed to provide clear, accessible knowledge on climate change, one of the most pressing challenges of our time, while demonstrating the power of large-scale, global collaboration.
Roles
Leadership Team, Creative Lead, Art Director (Infographics & Visuals), Strategic Collaborator
Methods
Leadership in Collaborative Teams, Storytelling for Engagement, Data Visualization, Podcasting, User Experience & Accessibility
Results at a Glance
- Winner, Most Insightful Data Book; Data Literacy Awards 2022
- Editor’s Pick, Nonfiction Amazon.com
- World Record, Largest Global Book Signing
- Endorsed by Jane Goodall, Vincent Stanley, Bette Midler, Margaret Atwood + more
- Published worldwide, translated into 12+ languages
CHALLENGE
How might we turn complex climate data into an accessible, action-inspiring resource—crafted asynchronously by 300 contributors from 41 countries—in just five months?
Building The Carbon Almanac this way was necessary to create the conditions for maximum impact—but as a first-of-its-kind project, it presented unique challenges.
Translating complex climate data into clear visuals: The Almanac had to make dense, scientific information instantly understandable. Every chart, graph, and illustration needed to be visually compelling while remaining scientifically accurate.
Ensuring visual consistency across contributors: With hundreds of volunteer contributors, artistic styles, skill levels, and interpretations varied widely. Strong creative direction and clear visual standards were essential to maintain a cohesive, on-brand look throughout.
Designing for accessibility and clarity: Visuals needed to function as tools for understanding—readable, culturally neutral, and effective across languages and literacy levels.
Collaborating asynchronously with a global team: With limited real-time meetings, we relied on streamlined communication and efficient feedback loops to keep hundreds of moving parts aligned, on-brand, and on schedule.
Working under an immovable five-month deadline
With a fixed global publishing date, every decision had to balance speed and quality. We streamlined approvals, shortened feedback loops, and made smart trade-offs to ensure the book shipped early, and error-free.
Art Direction & Data Visualization
I led the visual storytelling for The Carbon Almanac, overseeing all infographics, illustrations, and data visualizations. My focus was on making complex climate data easy to understand, at a glance, while staying visually engaging and scientifically accurate.
Directing a global team of volunteer contributors, I established systems to ensure quality, consistency, and cohesion across varied design styles and cultural interpretations. Every visual needed to work across languages and contexts, so I guided design standards, simplified visual metaphors, and enforced accessibility best practices throughout.
Data visualization was a new discipline for me—one I had to quickly master to serve the project’s ambitious goals. That effort paid off: The Almanac received the 2022 Data Literacy Award for Most Insightful Data Book, recognizing its success in turning dense climate science into accessible knowledge.
A New Approach to Leadership: Page 19 Thinking
The Carbon Almanac was created without traditional leadership roles or management structures. There were no titles, no hierarchy, and no traditional management roles—just a shared mission and a global team of contributors, each bringing their skills and perspectives to the project. Regardless of experience or background, everyone had the opportunity to contribute, shape the work, and take ownership.
My work on The Carbon Almanac was featured in Fast Company’s article, Lessons from a project with no managers, no boss, and everyone is a leader, which highlights the groundbreaking collaboration behind the project.
Guiding this process was Page 19 Thinking, a concept coined by my friend and fellow contributor Anne Marie Cruz. It’s the idea that, in a collaborative project like this, we know there will be a Page 19 in the book—but no one knows exactly what will be on it yet. The way forward is for someone to start, for others to refine and build on it, and for the team to challenge and improve the work together—until the best version emerges. Criticism was welcomed, but it was always about the work, never the person.
This unique, open structure allowed The Carbon Almanac to come together in just five months with 300 contributors from 41 countries. A testament to what’s possible when leadership is redefined as collaboration, trust, and shared accountability.
As part of the small leadership team, I helped guide this effort, ensuring the project stayed on track while fostering an environment where contributors could do their best work.
The Carbon Almanac: It’s Not Too Late and Generation Carbon – A Carbon Almanac for Kids have been translated into dozens of languages and are published worldwide.
LinkedIn Learning Course
As part of The Carbon Almanac’s educational outreach, I contributed to the development of the LinkedIn Learning course, 34 Things to Know About Carbon and Climate, a 48-minute crash course on key climate concepts. Released on June 30, 2022, this course distilled more than 30 important insights from The Carbon Almanac, making climate education accessible, engaging, and easy to share.
The impact has been remarkable. Nearly 120,000 people have taken the course, with an outstanding 4.7-star rating from over 2,000 reviews. This learning resource continues to empower individuals with clear, actionable climate knowledge, extending the reach of The Carbon Almanac beyond the printed page.
“Working with Jennifer was an incredible experience. She has a rare combination of vision and leadership that can take a complex project, no matter how many moving parts or people are involved, and turn it into a clear path forward. Her ability to drive execution while staying focused on the bigger picture is inspiring. Plus, she’s got a big heart and brings such a positive energy to the team — she’s not just effective, she’s also genuinely fun to work with. If you have the opportunity to work with her, definitely take it. You won’t regret it.”
“I have had the privilege of working with Jennifer on several projects, and she has the rare ability to both inspire her team and drive results. She fosters collaboration and creativity, ensuring that every team member feels valued and motivated, which makes her a standout leader. Working with Jennifer is an enriching experience for everyone involved.”
Impact & Results
With a global reach, award-winning impact, and a record-breaking launch, The Carbon Almanac continues to spark conversation and drive climate action worldwide.
🏆 Winner: Most Insightful Data Book, Data Literacy Awards 2022
🏆 Editor’s Pick: Nonfiction, Amazon.com 2023
🏆 World Record: Largest Most-Global Book Signing in History, 2022
A World Record-Breaking Movement: On July 16, 2022, The Carbon Almanac made history with the Largest, Most-Global Book Signing ever recorded. Across six continents and 21 countries, thousands of people came together to engage in conversations about climate action and sign the book, establishing a new world record.
Signings followed the sun, starting in New Zealand and ending in Honolulu, Hawaii, taking place everywhere from bookstores to breweries to Little Free Libraries. I had the unique opportunity to host a book signing in Toronto, contributing to this global moment and helping spark meaningful conversations about systematic change.
The Carbon Almanac: It’s Not Too Late has garnered praise from prominent figures and became a worldwide best-seller.
“An absolutely essential read for anyone who still has hope that humanity can save itself from the wreck it has made of this beautiful world. First you cry, then you act.”
“Panama has understood that the success of its economy and the well-being of its population will depend on the preservation of the environment. Investing in conservation and sustainability is profitable for us. Our country has prioritized addressing the climate crisis both at home and as a key element of our foreign policy. Climate diplomacy is emerging to be a crucial asset for nations wishing to achieve their own climate goals, while also raising global ambition. Climate change is a challenge that requires coordinated efforts to be solved. The Carbon Almanac is a powerful tool to help people understand the complexity of the global climate crisis and the do-able solutions that we urgently need to apply.”
“The Arctic is warming up twice as fast as the rest of the Earth. If we want to conserve the Arctic and prevent catastrophic effects for the rest of the Earth, we will need to act better and faster. All together. The Carbon Almanac gives great input and understanding about the climate crisis, making it understandable for the broad public. To enable the public to make a change.”
“What appeals to me is the comprehensive character and the depth of the information. An extraordinary useful book.”
“Every action we take makes a difference – every day. It is up to each one of us the kind of difference we make and The Carbon Almanac helps us all find a way to take positive actions for the health of our planet and its inhabitants.”
“This book is a remarkably readable, digestible, and impactful exploration of climate science. It will change the world.”
“The book is just fantastic. I think it’s going to be a huge success, by which I mean to break out of the silo and perhaps cause a shift in a larger public discourse. That would be the absolute best outcome, of course.”
“For too long the climate conversation has excluded the vast majority of people – many of which are directly impacted by changes to our climate in significant ways. The approach to creating The Carbon Almanac is truly inclusive. Relying on volunteers across the globe has resulted in information that provides varied perspectives and makes room for knowledge that has been historically excluded.
Readers from all backgrounds will find the information accessible and interesting, allowing them to take action in a way that is most meaningful to them, resulting in the change we need now more than ever!”
“Focused on the climate crisis in all its forms, The Carbon Almanac is wonderfully thorough, democratic in intent and language, and should draw as many readers as the Whole Earth Catalog did for an earlier generation.”
“The Carbon Almanac is an invaluable resource. If you’re looking to inform yourself about the basic science, impacts, and solutions to the climate crisis, then pick up a copy, arm yourself with knowledge, and join the defining battle of our time.”
“Hurry up! Read the Carbon Almanac and improve the Earth and the environment. Is there anything more important?”
“Mitigating climate change is one of the major challenges worldwide for the coming decades and requires a commitment from all of us. However, information on climate change is often complex. The Carbon Almanac uniquely puts together a large number of facts (including possible solutions) to enable everyone to assess what is going on.”
“The Carbon Almanac is an essential reference book for all those attempting to fend off the collapse of the biosphere, and the human species along with it.It’s also a message of hope: ‘It’s not too late.’ To which I would add: yet.”
“It’s put together for folks like me, and maybe you, who are deeply concerned about the climate crisis, but are not scientists, don’t run alternative energy companies, and can easily start to feel overwhelmed by all the ways that we could/should move forward to make a difference—a place where fear of doing the work in the wrong way keeps us from doing anything beyond sticking with the status quo. The book is loaded with real life, eminently learnable tips, tools, and visuals. It’s both fun, and informative.”
“The Carbon Almanac is full of ideas, data, perspectives and resources to help us understand the realities of climate change and what we can do to fight it. The big hope is that we — as collective inhabitants of our planet — use this crucial information to take informed action together.”
“The Carbon Almanac is like the CliffsNotes of everything you need to know about climate. From stats to infographics to summary tables, it distills complex information into an accessible and digestible format.”
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