I am an artist and documentarian working in pencil, pastel, and film to convey my love of people and the planet. Please subscribe to my irregular email.
The Final CounterAct Climate Change Webcast; Here's The Recording!
Sweet Endings
Dear Reader,
When we launched the CounterAct Climate Change Project in April 2020 we aimed to bring you inspiring planet protectors, with their ideas big and small, to help us change our ways, not the climate. We approached it with an agnostic, journalistic mindset; we knew a thing or two about the problem of climate change and some mitigation solutions, but we also knew we'd learn plenty of things along the way that would open our minds and shape our opinions down the road. Our internal motto was "Bee Curious!"
In the beginning, we had only a list of friends, colleagues, and family to work with. About 35 folks attended our first program, on growing moss gardens. We hadn't heard about biochar and pyrolysis, or all the negative effects of light pollution, or silvopasture, and a bunch of other topics too numerous to recount here. Since then, over 1,000 folks signed up for our programs, from Canada to California, Tanzania to Tennessee.
It's been eye-opening, challenging, and fun! Maybe some of our programs ruffled your feathers, challenged your assumptions, or validated your reasons. We hope our programs moved you emotionally and intellectually to do something for the planet, like volunteering for a local organization, or calling and emailing your legislators about an issue, or simply supporting your local farm or watershed organization. Maybe you're a longtime fan, or maybe you just recently began tuning in. Regardless, we've enjoyed the ride, and we hope you did too. Thank you for your interest and support! Bee curious!
We wish you and yours health and happiness, during and beyond this holiday season!
Sincerely,
Sue, Joy & Jasmine
Here's the Recording of the December 13 Webcast
If you missed our final program, "Environmental Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet," here's the recorded webcast! A big thanks to our presenter, Sara Sezun, a volunteer from the Sierra Club Massachusetts Chapter's Plant-Based Planet Team.
And, here's a list of Plant-Based Diet Educational Resources that Sara put together for us, including some excellent recipe links!
Further reading:
- Sierra Club's Plant-Based Planet Team Page: https://www.sierraclub.org/massachusetts/your-plate-your-planet
- Project Drawdown: https://www.drawdown.org/solutions/plant-rich-diet
- The Sierra Club Climate Research Team study on Massachusetts municipalities: https://masstownsforclimate.org/resources
Tower Hill Botanic Garden Climate Talks This Winter!
The CounterAct Climate Change Project has sponsored a series of online “Climate Talks” with the Tower Hill Botanic Garden. These talks are appropriate for academics, laypersons, town planners, conservationists, professional horticulturists, and botanists.
We're sponsoring a total of five climate talks: two are completed, and three more will be coming in early 2022! So please bookmark the Tower Hill online learning page to find out when those talks will happen!
Did you Miss One of our Events?
We archived all but one of our past programs, so they live on in the Internet, where you can watch them, and share them with others!
Here's a sampling:
- Energy Realities
- Why We Need Dark Skies: The Impact of Light Pollution on Planetary Health
- What the Heck is Biochar?
- Youth As Catalysts for Action
- Protecting the Mystic River Watershed From Climate Change
To see our whole selection of programs, click here!
Susan Adele Edwards
I am an artist and documentarian working in pencil, pastel, and film to convey my love of people and the planet. Please subscribe to my irregular email.
Live happily, you're worth it. Thoreau’s Journals: Discovering Nature Through Drawing "Birch Bark"Illustration by Susan Edwards An invitation to lead a drawing class at Thoreau Farm’s upcoming Lichen Day (April 6) aroused my curiosity: “Did Henry David Thoreau sketch?” Indeed, he did! About 13 years into his journal writing, he began regularly illustrating his entries with pencil drawings. It’s likely he used pencils crafted in his family’s own factory, carrying them on his daily...
Live happily, you're worth it. The Carrot Underground, by Susan A. Edwards "All flourishing is mutual."— from The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer, 2024. Did you know that beneath our feet a mutual flourishing is happening between soil microorganisms and plant roots? A plant’s roots and the surrounding few millimeters of soil — the rhizosphere — are teeming with industrious life you can’t see. Millions of microorganisms, mostly bacteria and...
Live happily, you're worth it. "Basking in the Moonlight" by Susan A. Edwards Sowing Seeds for a New Exhibit With the moon casting long purple shadows on crystalline snow and the inky sky flecked with stars, this is a time of year I cherish — a time to rejuvenate, create art and, this winter, curate my next exhibit, "Journey to the Rhizosphere." The exhibit is slated for April this year at the Harris Center for Conservation Education. My collaborative, multi-sensory exhibit will invite people...