A clean energy policy consultant is joining the cast of Netflix's hit reality show Love Is Blind. Season 7 cast member Taylor Krause, manager of clean energy think tank RMI, is able to bring the subject of climate change to her dates and bring it to the forefront of the show's large and loyal audience.
Love is Blind is a reality dating show in which contestants spend 10 days chatting with potential romantic partners in soundproof booths furnished with plush rugs and West Elm pillows. Once they decide on their choice, they will only see the person of their dreams if both parties agree to get married. The couple then leaves the “pod” and spends four weeks together before deciding whether to say “I do” or “I no” at the wedding.
The show considers itself more of an experiment than a traditional dating show, but it's hard to imagine an academic article on “Love Is Blind” passing peer review. It's trash TV, but trash TV can be great. It could even be a good place to talk about climate change.
It’s so convenient that the cast of Love Is Blind Season 7 is made up of people from Washington, D.C., including a clean energy policy consultant. At the Rocky Mountain Institute, Krause specializes in policies to reduce climate pollution from the manufacturing of materials such as steel and cement. She also previously worked at the Citizens Climate Lobby, a grassroots climate nonprofit that creates political will for climate action, and holds a master's degree in energy policy and climate from Johns Hopkins University.
Krause says this is the key to her heart: “Love me for my thoughts.” It seems like a good bet that she might be looking for a partner who shares her values on climate change.
Romantic couples tend to have similar climate beliefs and behaviors, according to research led by Matt Goldberg of the Yale Climate Change Communication Project (publisher of this site). But research has also found that disagreements between couples are fairly common, leaving plenty of room for partners to influence each other's opinions.
Krause is uniquely positioned to influence climate beliefs and behaviors not only among romantic partners, but also among Love Is Blind viewers.
With that in mind, my colleague Mallika Talwar and I sat down to discuss what we'd like Krause to say about climate change on the show.
1. We wanted her to talk about her work.
Marika: I really want her to be very loud and proud about the work she does and not shy away from it. You don't have to go into deep discussions about policy or anything like that, but talk about why this work is important to our society, to people.
Sam: There does seem to be some hesitation about talking about climate change in the popular media, and there seems to be a false assumption that people don't want to hear it, or that people don't want to have these conversations. But all studies show that most Americans are worried about climate change.
2. We hope Krause will try to connect with potential partners about shared concerns and visions for the future.
Marika: I think she should talk about how she wants her partner to care about climate change as much – about the future of their potential children, about where they live, about the impacts, that kind of thing. There is something to be said about building a life together and planning a future.
Sam: On the show, ideally your partnership is based on shared values because you're just talking through a wall to connect.
Marika: They often talk about what kind of life they want to live. Of course, we know individual behavior change isn't enough, but I thought it would be cool to talk about things like how they can live sustainably as a couple.
3. She shares her personal climate story.
Marika: She should talk about her own personal journey, her reasons for doing what she does, and why it's important to her. We know that personal stories are powerful and can drive people to become more engaged on climate change issues. She has a platform that a lot of people engage with.
Sam: I think this is correct.
4. We hope Klaus can deliver some key climate messages.
Sam: I'm thinking about the five key messages identified by the Yale Climate Change Communication Project survey team, and the importance of continually living up to them: Climate change is real, it's man-made, it's bad for us, scientists agree, And there is hope. It might make sense for viewers to see this and normalize it.
Marika: It’s much harder to talk about the substantive details of policy, and she doesn’t need to go into it. But I think it's fair to say that she's doing this work for a reason: because this is real, this is happening, and she's worried about her future, worried about the life she's going to build with her partner, and all these things. I think these are all ways to normalize it without getting bogged down in it.
5. We hope Netflix leaves the climate dialogue in the final cut of the show.
Sam: I wish her the best, I hope she finds love, and I do hope the editors and producers keep the climatic aspect. The movie is political,” so it doesn't talk about climate change, and that still seems to be part of our current situation. So it'll be really interesting to see what happens.
Marika: This doesn't need to be a heatedly political conversation, especially if she really takes it personally. And it doesn’t need to be something she talks about all the time.
Sam: completely. We have a fulfilling life outside of work.
Marika: Apparently, the two of us also enjoy dating shows in our free time.
Bonus: Some interesting thoughts on how Klaus infiltrates climate change, courtesy of Marika and her co-stars.
- “I love food. Do you cook? If you do, is it an electric stove or a methane gas stove?
- “What do you think [whispers] community got engaged?
- “Love is a lot like clean energy. It requires investment, long-term thinking and a spark.
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