This is not a sponsored post. I’m just genuinely excited about the articles that Fast Company, a magazine & digital media company, has put together on Climate Change. Free! One post in particular really resonated with me to the point where I joked to myself; “Well, I can shut down my blog because someone has written the perfect article about what we can do and how we can do it!”
That would be letting myself off too easily though, wouldn’t it? Many of us need avenues to meet as individuals that help us feel connected and engaged with other people. So I’ll be here, spooling out the best ideas I can find on Nature and Community related subjects.
If you have time, I encourage you to read these articles.
First, I want to acknowledge today, October 11,2021, here in the United States as the holiday of Indigenous Peoples’ Day! This holiday falls on the second Monday in October and is a counter-celebration to what has previously been known as Columbus day. I believe this holiday is important to the modern United States for recognizing and reflecting upon the racism, forced assimilation and genocide of the Native peoples. Environmental Justice is Social Justice for all people!
Thank you to everyone who took the time to participate in the first Nature-Led poll!
Which topic are you most interested about?
1
How Habitats Shape Our Habits
3.63
2
3D Houses, The Future of Housing?
4.25
3
Social Engineering, The Great Deception
4.75
4
Vertical Farming for Urban Renewal
5.50
5
Science Fiction to Science Reality, Nature-Led Innovation
5.63
6
Tiny Forests Redux: Perils and Considerations
5.75
7
Why EcoTerrorism Doesn’t Work
6.25
8
Creating A Firewise Habitat
7.13
9
Social Learning: Finding Your Niche By Learning From Others
7.63
10
Extinction Level Events: A Dark Ray of Light
7.63
11
American “Downwinders”, The Generational Cost of War
9.63
12
Deconstructing Water: The Evolution of Open-World Game Environments
10.25
This is called a “Weighted Rank” I guess its like Golf where the lowest number is better.
*I missed an important word, I meant “3D-printed houses, The Future of Housing?” Most of you probably knew what I meant though as we’re already live in the 3rd-dimension. Stay tuned for 4th-dimensional living tips though! Maybe I’ll cover that next year! Haha
Other Topic?
What we can still learn from our early native true Americans?
(Short Answer: A LOT! Hahaha. I will discuss this question with an Indigenous friend. Maybe she will do her own guest post or give me her blessing on what I can pull together. As a White woman I can’t speak for Indigenous Americans, but I can share their words and work with you. There is an immeasurable amount of loss and heartbreak in trying to recover their lost languages and ways. Some of these have died with the elders and can never be recovered. Many tribes are currently fighting for a more just and sustainable future though. I would be happy to share their their ‘works in progress.’ I’m hoping this will be there time to shine, that their voices will be heard and that they can help guide us into a more sustainable future.)
What one person can do to actually make a difference.
When I figure this out I’ll let you know! This is my current obsession and why I was a little disappointed about the Regeneration book by Paul Hawken that I reviewed two weeks ago. I wish it had included more pages dedicated to this very topic.
Eight-Spotted Skimmer Dragonfly By Melanie Reynolds
On this day twenty years ago I was an American Red Cross Volunteer in Seattle, WA. For three days I jockeyed phone calls connecting stranded airport passengers to hotel lodging, vital medication refills, and other services. I triaged panicked callers who urgently told me, “My husband/ wife/ daughter/ son/ mother/ father/brother/sister was supposed to be on Flight xyz.”
I had a copy of the passenger manifest lists. For many I could assure them their loved one’s name was not on the list. For six people I had to put them on hold saying I would “check”, but I’d already memorized the names on the passenger lists. Instead I was ringing a Counselor to say, “This person’s loved is on one of the manifests.” Then I patched the two call together so that the Counselor could break the news to them, while I continued taking the next call until the flood became a trickle.
We lost one of our own in the following weeks. Linda Johnson, who traveled to New Jersey to help in the coordination efforts collapsed and died as she was returning to her hotel with other Red Cross volunteers. She had helped numerous people throughout her life. She had a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Special Education. She worked for the Red Cross as a full-time employee as an Instructor and Administrator, then “retired” so she could volunteer to be deployed on field assignments. She made three trips to Puerto Rico after hurricanes, deployed to Florida and Kentucky after floods, provided earthquake relief in California and assisted in the Philippines after an eruption of Mount Pinatubo. I didn’t know her very well personally. She was there during two of my training courses before I became the Newsletter Manager. I do know that she loved her family and she loved helping others. I keep a copy of that September Newsletter to remember her and how all of our lives changed after that event
In 2004 I would go to India and meet a woman who lost her sister in the South tower. My presence seemed to help her in her journey towards healing. She felt as if her sister were beside us as we talked about that day. I do believe healing is a journey. You have to be patient and kind with yourself. It’s like physical therapy for your heart. You have to re-learn to take small steps before you can walk again.
The Nature-led Life 