Monthly Memo: Ready to learn this August

This month I'm thinking about the anticipation of going back to school and the excitement of learning something new.

Kids are easy to engage in environmentalism, I think because they are super empathetic, love learning, love having agency and kid-sized responsibility-- and above all, I think they still subconsciously feel closer to nature and can relate to other small, vulnerable beings in the big world.

We will need to do some things differently. And that can either be uncomfy, or it can be satisfyingly challenging.

Us grownups have to claw our way back through layers of to-dos and expectations, schedules and worries, capitalist propaganda and Cartesian dualism... And I have come to realize there are a fair number of adults, particularly in this country, who just can't see their place in this world from a different perspective-- and sadly won't even try.

I've long been noodling around the question of how to get busy adults to give a shit about the climate crisis, without getting all Type A-anxious and perfectionist about it-- and then giving up on new information or new habits.

As adults, we lose out on that yearly marker of a new season of focusing primarily on learning. Happily for us, we can still tap into that curiosity and joy on our own whenever we start a new book or a documentary, or sign up for a workshop.

For those who still care and are willing to try something new, I would love to get them to stop worrying about sorting the curbside recycling perfectly. We can think bigger, have bigger impact, and still have fun and enjoy a good life. But we will need to do some things differently. And that can either be uncomfy, or it can be satisfyingly challenging.

So that's why this month, I'm thinking about learning and trying new things-- building new habits and new routines, trying out new perspectives and approaching big challenges with "beginner's mind," all in the buzzy spirit of back-to-school season.

How can we create meals with less meat that are still filling and tasty?

How would we relax and have fun without shopping?

Where will go when we don't have to drive?

What problems can we solve when we start from care and curiosity?

What if we can cool our planet?

What if we can reverse climate change?

Let's try it, together.

With you in slowness, beauty, and the wisdom of the local,

Allie