Logo
Newsletters
Newsletters

It's Called Science

News for people who give a shit. Free.

WCID Weekly

What's hot, what's new. Free.

Basic Shit

Explainers from the frontlines of the future. Free.

fire-simple

Seriously?

Quinn's essays. Members only

fire-simple

The Good Shit

The stuff we use and love. Members only.

fire-simple

Life Finds A Way

The original diversity initiative. Members only.

fire-simple

The Science of Fiction

A Technical Guide to the Future. Members only.

fire-simple

Not Important

Quinn's favorite books, music, food, and more. Members only.

Podcasts
Podcasts

The Most Important Question

What can I do?

Not Right Now

A show about parenting through all this.

Become A Member.

Get ad-free pods and bonus episodes.

What Can I Do?
Shop
Team
Sponsors
Sign in
fire-simple
Join

WCID Weekly

WCID: Whales and bears and foliage, oh my

Jul 9, 2025

•

11 min read

WCID: Whales and bears and foliage, oh my
Quinn Emmett
By Quinn Emmett

In partnership with

What Can I Do? Weekly is a free weekly email that collects the most timely and trending actions from our app into one handy place. 84% of readers rate it “pretty pretty good” or “hell yes”. Manage the emails you get from us here.

Happy Wednesday, Shit Givers.

I’m back from Alaska! Top of the bucket list for my entire life and it blew me out of the water. I’m so, so grateful to have shared the experience with my wife, kids, new friends. So many ecosystems in so little time.

May we all have the access to nature we deserve.

Let’s go.

— Quinn

  • Donate: The July 2025 floods (made worse by climate change) in Texas are/were horrifying, full stop. Check out our updated list of ways to contribute to victims here. (go)

    • Go bigger: Help decarbonize the hard stuff like steel, concrete, and food with our friends at Giving Green

  • Get Help or Donate: No one should go without health care because they can't afford it. Use the Patient Advocate Orgnization’s Co-Pay Relief tool to donate — or find out if you’re eligible for funding. (go)

  • Volunteer: Our BEST FRIENDS at Run For Something are recruiting, supporting, and training candidates for election administrator positions at the local level all over the country. These are the people that operate at the foundation of our democracy. Sign up now. (go)

  • Learn: It’s summer break and the news is A LOT, so, uh, how can we teach kids about huge (often heavy) topics like climate, health, technology, and science in general? Let our curated book picks guide the way! (go)

Check out our brand new series, Life Finds A Way: The Original Diversity Initiative!

In every issue, Life Finds A Way will use fascinating examples from nature to show how diversity, cooperation, and interconnection are just…how shit works. Wild, untamed diversity isn’t an exception or curiosity, but the standard operating procedure of evolution.

We kicked the series with a very special post by friend of the pod, 10x author, and prolific dino writer Riley Black. Enjoy.

Read it for free
  • Learn: Wait, how many rain gardens are you people building? This app has been in our top 3 for weeks now? MOAR RAIN GARDENS (go)

  • Donate: The US Supreme Court upheld state laws restricting transgender youth from accessing healthcare, but fuck those guys. The Trans Youth Emergency Project supports families by helping them navigate their options for continuing care, providing travel grants, and building a network of families and providers. (go)

  • Invest: Instead of banking somewhere that uses your cash to invest in fossil fuels, bank with Bank Australia. They use your money to fund things you care about, like affordable housing, clean energy, and non-profits. (go)

Run your own search for free

Together With The Rundown AI

Start learning AI in 2025

Everyone talks about AI, but no one has the time to learn it. So, we found the easiest way to learn AI in as little time as possible: The Rundown AI.

It's a free AI newsletter that keeps you up-to-date on the latest AI news, and teaches you how to apply it in just 5 minutes a day.

Plus, complete the quiz after signing up and they’ll recommend the best AI tools, guides, and courses – tailored to your needs.

Sign up to start learning.

Want an ad-free experience? Become a Member!

  • Organize for affordable housing (go) What does it mean when everywhere is unaffordable? It means “populism”, and here we are.

  • Learn about meaningful careers: The layoffs will apparently continue until morale improves. Get a new job — get a better job. (go)

  • Donate to agriculture: Farming is becoming harder (and less profitable) every day the climate crisis continues. Support farmers around the world with our picks (go)

Run your own search for free

The Good Place

  • Learn: It’s never, ever a bad time to get a broader take on AI ethics, or really any ethics, but especially right now. Check out Women in AI Ethics today. (go)

  • Donate or Volunteer: Unequal healthcare access is bullshit. Partners in Health (PIH, if you know) is driven by their belief that everyone deserves access to quality health care. They fight for the 50% of people across the globe that don’t have it. Donate or volunteer to fight for the right to quality care. (go)

Hit the easy button with our Starter Actions

That’s it. It’s hot, very hot. Stay safe, stay cool, take care of each other.

PS: Busy as hell? Us too! You can save actions for later with an WCID To Do List!

Thank you — as always — for giving a shit.

— Quinn

Was this WCID action update helpful?

  • Hell yes
  • Pretty pretty good!
  • Not quite what I was looking for
  • Not at all

Login or Subscribe to participate

We’re 100% independent and proudly supported by readers like you.

Members get a 30 day free trial to:

  • Ad-free everything

  • Your What Can I Do? profile: save & favorite your action steps, connect with other Shit Givers

  • Vibe Check: Our news homepage, curated daily just for you. Never doomscroll again, thx

  • Seriously?: The frameworks, models, history, and pop culture we use to understand what’s happening now and next

  • Half Baked: Weekly briefs to help you think and act on specific, timely issues as they happen

  • Not Important: My favorite books, art, movies, music, apps, and more that have nothing to do with the jet stream slowing down

  • Lifetime thanks for directly supporting our work

Start 30 day free trial

💌 Don’t want to receive WCID Wednesdays? No problem! Manage what emails you get and don’t get in your Subscriber Preferences.

Join the discussion.

Avatar

or to participate

Related articles

Because you give a shit.

Podcast

Shop

Books

© 2026 Important, Not Important.
Report abusePrivacy policyTerms of use
beehiivPowered by beehiiv