At the Fork

  "Small things give me hope when big things feel so oppressively bleak."   As I begin drafting this post, my time at Iracambi is coming to a close.  This is a long read, get your favorite beverage and rejoin me... I find this pithy Julien Baker quote fitting for my experience here when I consider it against the back drop of the wider climate crisis. After the majority of staff have left for the day and the volunteers and on-site staff unwind for the evening, we talk about the big climate change topics.  We share inspirations and frustrations.  Many here are scientists, engineers, environmental educators or on their path to be.  To them, the challenges and solutions are far less complicated.  People and politics get in the way.  Then we go to sleep, wake the next day and get back to doing good work and feeling grateful.  And hopeful. Every single one of us can make small changes, small choices that matter.  We need to keep the conve...

How did we jump from Port Chester, New York to Iracambi in Minas Gerais, Brazil? Late last year I held to my plan and notified my landlord that I would not be renewing my lease which ended in March.  Ironically, Informa and I agreed to end my temporary position also on March 31.  While I had a couple of tempting marketing-related options I could transition into, I held to this part of my plan, too. The next role would be majority sustainability-focused. I had two big life transitions hitting simultaneously.  This could have been an "oh shit" moment, but the universe was sending me good signals.  It's important to remember that I'm still bouncing back from a hellish couple of years.  Backsliding on any part of my plan felt like I was falling short.  Getting a safe job quickly, moving to another town as a temporary stop gap, would have felt like a loss.  I needed more stuff in my Wins column.  That's where Iracambi, Brazil, France, Spain and the res...

Bem Vindo a Iracambi!  There's a lot to share tomorrow on Earth Day so let's do some quick housekeeping and catch you up on the back story of all this before we get into the juicy, new stuff. I mentioned in my first post that in 2021 I was forced to do a life inventory.  Forced?  Strong word, but fitting.   My work schedule was dizzying and relentless.  I was definitely asking "what's it all for?" like half the nation.  The priority was staying employed; inspiration could wait.  I clung to a few sustainability-related extracurriculars when I could: brands I leaned more into at work, volunteering on weekends.  My brain needed it, but the sum total of all that COVID wonkiness compounded the stress.  My health suffered. My fitness level plummeted.  I retracted socially. I tried making small routine changes, but nothing stuck.  Too little energy, too many excuses. The day I hit the wall, I called my sister Lorri.  I was comple...

Keuka Lake is the fourth largest of 11 Finger Lakes located in western New York's wine region.  These glacier-formed lakes boast crystal clear water, shale shorelines and refreshing, swimmable water temps throughout the summer.   Despite having the good fortune of visiting dozens of cities and countries around the world, Keuka Lake remains my favorite destination. Keuka is Y-shaped.  Boaters journeying from the south shore in Hammondsport travel north to the Bluff, which you see in this picture.  In that regard, the Bluff serves as the lake's fork in the road.  Take the east branch past Keuka College to the quaint village of Penn Yan or cruise up the west branch past waterfront cafes and patches of steep hillsides and small gorges to Branchport. The Bluff is the marker for what's next in the journey, the excitement that something previously undiscovered awaits, and knowing at the end of the day regardless which direction I choose, I return to typical life a...