Scientists and sensitive human beings across the world are telling us to pay attention. The trees, plants, animals around us have complex lives, intelligence, friendships, and responses not unlike human emotions.
Rethinking Thinking: How Intelligent Are Other Animals?
Not this year, until now, did I turn to Mary Oliver’s poetry. I don’t know why except perhaps the numbing worry about erratic leadership, a pandemic, and climate change right here right now, and isolation.
In “Beside a Waterfall” Oliver draws our attention to the beingness in all the living world, our deepest connection with each other, the exchanges that give us life and purpose.
Mary Oliver, Beside the Waterfall, at the Poetry Foundation.
The National Council for Science and the Environment and Project Drawdown will host a conference, January 5-9, The NCSE Drawdown Conference to address solutions to a “planet under pressure”. The conference is free to students, $200 for the five-day, full conference. $75 for one day with Project Drawdown is also available as well as scholarships if you cannot afford the full registration.
I encourage as many of you as possible to register for the conference or some part of it. The reason? This is about coming together in partnership that builds trust among partners that may believe their mission is incompatible with the other, or partners have never thought to work together.
Project Drawdown offers a listing of scientifically researched solutions that may surprise you, especially in terms of the greatest contributors to the global carbon dioxide or pollutant concentrations. For example, refrigeration is at the top of the list of CO2 contributors. And, solving food waste is another.
This conference and these two very effective organizations are working on Applied Solutions that simultaneously address the economy, injustice, health, and building regenerative systems that secure life on Earth.
See a Powerpoint Presentation by both organizations hosted by the Sustainability and Security Forum to learn what is unique about the approach to solving common problems while protecting the Earth’s well-functioning.
Susan Feathers 