Content related to world events and other things happening outside my daily life
With one third of my year-long program completed, our cohort has been doing a lot of reflecting on what we’ve seen, learned, and applied. At the end of a week together in Hawai’i, we focused on some very real leadership challenges we’ve faced in a fragmented, polarized world, as well as how to encourage and empower others to keep moving forward toward a common goal.
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” as they say, but venturing into the unknown is a daunting experience for anyone. The theme of exploration was strong during our Climate Lab week in Hawai’i, especially given Polynesian cultural ties to long sea voyages. Although solving the climate crisis can feel like sailing into the unknown without a map, we’re building navigational tools that will help us find a destination.
Any good management class will tell you that stakeholder engagement is necessary for project success, but it can be easy to forget that guidance once you’re in project implementation mode. Seeing examples of good stakeholder engagement in person during my Climate Lab week on Oahu helped illustrate just how effective an inclusive process can be, or – even better – how community-led efforts can truly shine.
I was impressed when I learned about Hawaii’s goal of 100% renewable energy by 2045, but I was shocked to learn about some unintended impacts of wind energy development on Oahu’s north shore. Hearing from impacted residents was a great reminder that wind energy, like any tool, is not inherently good or bad – it comes down to how it is developed and used.
As part of my year-long climate adaptation leadership program, our cohort is participating in three intensive, in-person sessions at different locations throughout the Pacific. The first week was in Hawai’i, exploring impacts from climate change and adaptation strategies in place across the state. Before we did anything else, we spent some time in the classroom examining priority issues and best practices for engaging local communities.
I was skeptical of the term “beneficial electrification” when I first heard it, mostly because I knew that more than half of our electricity in Pennsylvania was generated using fossil fuels. But when electric appliances are used in concert with energy efficiency measures, cleaner energy sources, and smart grid technology, beneficial electrification represents a meaningful step in addressing the climate crisis.
As my climate change leadership program continues, we’re exploring important topics about who gets to make decisions, what approaches might be effective, and why people might be resistant to change. During our first four months of virtual sessions, I’ve been thrilled to see themes from my own work come up in discussions that are relevant across our cohort, whether we’re talking about theory or practice.
This post marks five years of Radical Moderate! I had a lot of choices for topics related to the fifth anniversary gift of wood, but my recent examination of ‘90s nostalgia reminded me of an important cause I encountered as a young environmentalist: deforestation. There are many contributing factors to this big issue, but there are also some things we can do to help.
The thing that started this whole road trip was my desire to see my first annular eclipse. Distinct from a total solar eclipse, this “ring of fire” is a strange sight to behold – and that’s coming from someone who travels to see total solar eclipses. Over the years I’ve learned some lessons about what to do (and not) in order to get a good view.
A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it line in a 1996 summer flick was my first introduction to the largest organism in the world: Pando. Since we were going to be in Utah for the October 2023 solar eclipse, I wanted to meet this 106-acre tree. Unfortunately, it almost didn’t happen because of some internet misinformation, but we got an amusing story out of our misadventure.