Inspired by Many Dreams

Have you ever wondered what a sustainable future might look like? In this minicomic by Michael Ascari, James Kahn, Toni Gagliardi, and Jordan Pares-Kane, the main character, Tessie, dreams of a world called Tessaria, where energy comes from wind, solar, and nuclear power, and materials are reused and recycled. With colorful digital collages of wind turbines and other graphics, the authors provide visual examples of possible solutions to combat climate change. The comic also includes what community and education looks to Tessie. At the end of her dream, Tessie returns to her home planet to help save the Earth. The end of the comic recounts Tessie's journal entries that detail different steps taken on the local, federal, and global levels to help combat climate change through clean energy, the circular economy, community, and harvesting air. This zine was created for Applications in Climate and Society, taught by Brian L. Kahn and Andrew J Kruczkiewicz at the Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Science in the spring of 2021. -- Grace Li