Gardening teaches patience, persistence, and flexibility. The “Capital G” Garden will never be done, since it is in a constant state of becoming, but necessary tasks just haven’t gotten done during what has been a busy and challenging year. I did what I could to at least spend some time enjoying my happy place – and I hope you can too through this post.
It was only a matter of time before members of my Climate Lab cohort would be asked to produce something as a result of our learning, instead of just cramming information into our heads. In a time when my country feels more divided than ever, I wanted to find a way to work toward equitable, sustainable solutions that addressed concerns of conflicting parties.
With days left to go until the election and the eyes of the world on Pennsylvania, I’m looking for ways to bridge the political divide no matter what the outcome is. Reaching across the aisle is not popular and can be a scary prospect, but there are steps we can take to disagree better and find that we have more in common than we think.
Finding common ground is easier said than done, especially during election season. With one week to go until Election Day, this post examines the concept that a majority of Americans are actually quiet or uninvolved entirely in politics, possibly driven away by exhausting hyper-partisan rhetoric. For those of us interested in attacking positions, not people, there are some resources available to help make that happen.
With two weeks to go until Election Day, I’ve been exploring both theory and practice regarding shifts in perspective, particularly when it comes to politics. Tribalism within political parties can be severe and lead to violence when people get desperate. Fortunately there are examples of people coming together after a tragedy to move forward, such as the one described in this post.
As this post goes live, we’re nearly three weeks out from Election Day in the United States, with critical races happening up and down the ballot. I always hesitate to tell people how to cast their votes, and at a time when we are more polarized than ever, that approach wouldn’t do much good anyway. But there could be a better way to mend division.
Good, challenging travel teaches you about yourself, and I seem to have learned more about myself in Fiji than I did about Fiji. My introspective blog series does not begin to do justice to this beautiful country, but I am grateful that I had the opportunity to explore some of my growth edges against such an amazing backdrop.
Since I was 19 on an anthropology study abroad trip to Ecuador, I have searched for authentic intercultural experiences. It’s difficult, to be sure, and not everyone wants their travels to be difficult. My vacation in Fiji after the Climate Lab week came to an end raised some important questions: what is the value in striving for authenticity and is it even achievable?
I try to avoid touristy places when I travel, conveniently ignoring the fact that I am a tourist myself. In this post I wrestle with some external judgment related to how people “should” travel, including whether they should even travel in the first place. Seeking comfort (in addition to challenge) when I was in Fiji helped me realize there’s no clear black-and-white answer here.
The questions guiding our work in the Climate Lab focus on how to make climate action effective and inclusive, scalable and just – but the desire to craft the perfect approach can come at the expense of moving forward with a good approach. During our week in Fiji, we saw some inspiring examples of people making a difference by simply doing their best.