# Alex Steffen

> Alex Steffen is a climate futurist, author, and strategist who coined the terms 'bright green environmentalism' and 'predatory delay.' He co-founded Worldchanging.com, wrote the internationally bestselling 'Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century,' and now runs The Snap Forward - a Substack newsletter with 24,000+ followers helping readers navigate the era of planetary discontinuity. Featured in Rolling Stone's '25 People Shaping the Future,' he advises institutions, investors, and individuals on climate strategy and teaches Personal Climate Strategy workshops.

- **Role:** Publisher at The Snap Forward (Substack)
- **Organizations:** The Snap Forward (Substack newsletter), Worldchanging.com (co-founder, 2003-2010), IDEO (Planetary Futurist in Residence, 2013-2014), Design Futures Council (Senior Fellow)
- **From:** Oakland, California, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Undergraduate, Allegheny College, Mentioned in some sources, Oberlin College
- **Known for:** Co-founded Worldchanging.com, which became the second-largest sustainability site on the planet with ~12,000 articles, Coined the term 'bright green environmentalism' in 2003, Coined the term 'predatory delay' to describe deliberate obstruction of climate action

## Career timeline

- **early 1990s** — Began career as environmental journalist covering planetary change across four continents
- **1996-1998** — Founded and ran Steelhead, an urban culture magazine focused on sustainability
- **2001-2002** — Ran 'The Wild Green Yonder' sustainability road trip project
- **2003** — Co-founded Worldchanging.com; coined term 'bright green environmentalism'
- **2005** — Worldchanging won Utne Independent Press Award
- **2006** — Published 'Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century' (bestseller, foreword by Al Gore)
- **2007** — Gave first TED Talk 'The route to a sustainable future'; won Green Prize for Sustainable Literature
- **2010** — Worldchanging.com closed after 7 years and ~12,000 articles
- **2011** — Gave second TED Talk 'The shareable future of cities'; revised edition of Worldchanging book
- **2012** — Published 'Carbon Zero: Imagining Cities That Can Save the Planet'; named Smithsonian Innovator to Watch
- **2013-2014** — Served as Planetary Futurist in Residence at IDEO
- **2016** — Produced 'The Heroic Future' live documentary series via Kickstarter ($77,253 raised)
- **2017** — Launched 'The Nearly Now' newsletter on Medium; named Rolling Stone '25 People Shaping the Future'
- **2020-2021** — Launched The Snap Forward as flagship Substack newsletter
- **2023** — Created Personal Climate Strategy Workshop ($2,500/student, month-long intensive)
- **2024-2025** — Launched 'When We Are' podcast; grew to 24,450+ Substack followers
- **2026** — Featured in New York Times article on Personal Climate Strategy Workshop (March 21, 2026)

## Achievements

- Co-founded Worldchanging.com, which became the second-largest sustainability site on the planet with ~12,000 articles
- Coined the term 'bright green environmentalism' in 2003
- Coined the term 'predatory delay' to describe deliberate obstruction of climate action
- Published internationally bestselling book 'Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century' with foreword by Al Gore
- Two TED Talks with combined 2+ million views
- Named Rolling Stone '25 People Shaping the Future' (2017)
- Named Smithsonian Magazine 'Innovator to Watch' (2012)
- Named New York Times Magazine '6 Ecological Innovators'
- Grew The Snap Forward to 24,450+ Substack followers, ranked #28 in Climate & Environment paid tier
- Advised over 100 institutions, companies, investors, philanthropists, and NGOs
- Won Utne Independent Press Award (2005), Green Prize for Sustainable Literature (2007)
- Speaking fees of $30,000-$50,000; has spoken at Harvard, Yale, Oxford, Stanford, TED, SXSW

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Featured in New York Times article on his Personal Climate Strategy Workshop; described as age 58
- **2026-03** — Podcast 'When We Are' reached 22 episodes including 'Do You Know What You've Lost?' and 'The Hidden Climate Advantages of Being Young'
- **2026-04** — Running new cohort of Personal Climate Strategy Workshop (April 14 - May 14, 2026)
- **2025-01** — Published 'Trump Won't Confront the Climate Crisis. He'll Feast Off It.' in Mother Jones
- **2025** — Featured in Denmark's Information.dk on climate adaptation work
- **2025** — Reached 24,450+ Substack followers for The Snap Forward

## Links

- Website: https://www.alexsteffen.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexsteffen/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/AlexSteffen
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex_steffen_writer/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/the.writer.alex.steffen/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/alex-steffen
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-23