Fifth Anniversary: Wood

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.

Equity in Brewing, Part 3

White men have long dominated the brewing industry, making women, people of color, and LGBTQ individuals feel unseen at best and unsafe at worst. The recent reckonings around sexism and racism in our society have impacted many aspects of our lives, including what we drink. This post sheds a light on efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the industry.

Equity in Brewing, Part 2

Learn from history or be doomed to repeat it, we are warned. The battle between small, independent brewers and large, consolidated production is only in its latest incarnation. There are meaningful arguments about the pros and cons of each side, but the full picture – with all the impacts of our decisions – isn’t always visible. Equity is continuously at stake when we vote with our dollars.

Equity in Brewing, Part 1

Brewing is a long-beloved hobby of mine, and as a female medievalist, I know there is a rich history of women in brewing across the centuries and throughout the world. How did an activity that was so fundamentally tied to women’s role in the house become dominated by men? And what factors are at play to shift the industry back to something more equitable?

The Three-Day Effect, Part 3

Our Memorial Day weekend adventure continues with day two of camping in the mountains of Virginia. Question: what happens when you get curious, introspective people out of their daily lives and into the forest? Apparently you get discussions around philosophy, psychology, anthropology, brain chemistry, culture, society, and unexplainable phenomena tied to the nature of reality. And s’mores. You get s’mores too.