Latest from Gen Why Media

Posted @withregram • @350canada Our thoughts are with communities across the continent experiencing unprecedented heatwaves. If you are living in an area hit with extreme heat, remember to stay hydrated, check in on your friends and neighbours, and wear sunscreen! But most importantly, remember that this deadly heatwave is happening because of the climate emergency and it could have been prevented with enough political courage. Even today, with the climate crisis at our doorstep, our political leaders (ahem @justinpjtrudeau) continue to subsidize the expansion of the fossil fuel industry while taking negligible baby steps to address the climate crisis. 🚨We are in a climate emergency. Politicians need to start acting like it.🚨 https://www.instagram.com/p/CQt7Ru0sc8-/?utm_medium=tumblr

Highly recommend listening to @currentcbcthe segment this morning on the remains of at least 215 kids found buried at a residential school in Kamloops, B.C. Insightful and urgent comments from @angela_sterritt and @cindy.blackstock.7 who remind us that residential schools were about colonization, about undermining indigenous sovereignty in order to steal the land and this is still happening today. Can you think of a more horrible tactic of dominating a people than taking, abusing and in some cases murdering the children of a community? What a nightmare. Reconciliation is about accountability and reparations and it’s the work of non-indigenous people to hold our governments accountable for the atrocities that were done in our name (and that continue to be done in our name). https://www.instagram.com/p/CPi18LhM9-u/?utm_medium=tumblr

Warm evening in May during a pandemic. https://www.instagram.com/p/CO4JBqwskUT/?igshid=19yckl5z8dyhv

Definition 25/100 - Interbeing: If you are a poet, you will see clearly that there is a cloud floating in a sheet of paper. Without a cloud, there will be no rain; without rain, the trees cannot grow; and without trees, we cannot make paper. The cloud is essential for the paper to exist. If the cloud is not here, the sheet of paper cannot be here either. So we can say that the cloud and the paper inter-are. “Interbeing” is a word that is not in the dictionary yet, but if we combine the pre-fix “inter” with the verb “to be,” we have a new verb, inter-be. If we look into this sheet of paper even more deeply, we can see the sunshine in it. If the sunshine is not there, the forest cannot grow. In fact, nothing can grow. Even we cannot grow without sunshine. And so, we know that the sunshine is also in this sheet of paper. The paper and the sunshine inter-are. And if we continue to look, we can see the logger who cut the tree and brought it to the mill to be transformed into paper. And we see the wheat. We know the logger cannot exist without his daily bread, and therefore the wheat that became his bread is also in this sheet of paper. And the logger’s father and mother are in it too. When we look in this way, we see that without all of these things, this sheet of paper cannot exist. Looking even more deeply, we can see we are in it too. This is not difficult to see, because when we look at a sheet of paper, the sheet of paper is part of our perception. You cannot point out one thing that is not here- time, space, the earth, the rain, the minerals in the soil, the sunshine, the cloud, the river, the heat. Everything coexists with this sheet of paper. “To be” is to be inter-be. You cannot just be by yourself alone. You have to inter-be with every other thing. Definition via Thich Nhat Hanh, excerpt from Teach Breathe Learn by Meena Srinivasan #neologismsproject #climateart #the100dayproject https://www.instagram.com/p/CO4F6FYss56/?igshid=h3xx37gxvogv

Next session happening tomorrow at 10am (link in bio)! Join us on May 7th, 14th, 21st & 28th from 10AM - 11:15AM for Four Fridays in May: A Series for Climate Solutions Leadership! Come together with emerging climate action leaders to explore a solutions oriented and creative communications approach to climate action. You will hear stories from the frontlines of GHG emissions reduction in transportation, energy conservation, green streets and waste reduction. You will learn what engagement strategies work, how the project narrative is shaped and reflect on lessons for your own community-based climate action. Handout materials will be provided for each session. Presented w @sfuenv and @specbc. Link in bio. https://www.instagram.com/p/CO1TKjnMIIh/?igshid=15ifysqsys2jd

Definition 24/100: A human who willfully acts via creative interventions to cultivate restorative conditions for interspecies life to flourish in regions largely devastated by human activities. 2. In the face of increased mortality during the 6th Mass Extinction (happening now), one who aspires to regenerate endangered ecosystems through interdisciplinary collaborations and uniquely different approaches. 3. Zlot, a number of zoeistas assembled to collaboratively work together. Word via @thebureauoflinguisticalreality #neologismsproject #climateart #the100dayproject https://www.instagram.com/p/COoPTFOMtpK/?igshid=2lqe6apgg4ah

Definition 23/100 - Epoquetude: An antidote to crushing anxieties over the deteriorating state of the world, epoquetude is the reassuring awareness that while humanity may succeed in destroying itself, the Earth will certainly survive us, as it has survived many other cataclysms; and that, in the endless chambers of time, the lives of individual species, vast civilizations, and even entire worlds are merely brief notes in an inconceivable symphony, each sounding its distinct voice and then fading out, so that the music may continue. Definition via @thebureauoflinguisticalreality #neologismsproject #climateart #the100dayproject https://www.instagram.com/p/COl-jnyMjZv/?igshid=1rpma4yv8xiqu

Want to do something about climate change at the local level but not sure what? Join emerging climate action leaders to explore a solutions oriented and creative communications approach to climate action. The series is offered over four sessions in May, once a week. You will hear stories from the frontlines of GHG emissions reduction in transportation, energy conservation, green streets and waste reduction. You will learn what engagement strategies work, how the project narrative is shaped and reflect on lessons for your own community-based climate action. Handout materials will be provided for each session. Open to everyone, pay what you can. Link in bio! https://www.instagram.com/p/COUBi-NsQTg/?igshid=1rgfa3w151qgd

Definition 22/100: Jestope - A hopeful attitude that things will work out, which does not shy away from looking at difficult or even extremely difficult circumstances or realities. A belief that comedy is a way that we can examine the difficult realities of our world. Jestope is informed by the alternative history of the jester as someone whose real roll it was to speak truth to power under the protective guise of jest or humor. While jestope is a very useful, and often underused, tool or emotion, when taken too far it reaches into the utopian or dystopian side of its meaning. Definition via @thebureauoflinguisticalreality #neologismsproject #climateart #the100dayproject https://www.instagram.com/p/COT__nUsC3k/?igshid=1sbigbzvw907g

Definition 21/100: Surbrace - A powerful sense of conviction to do the right thing that arises after one has already let go of the outcome, because they see the situation as larger than themselves— almost as though they are already dead looking back at history. This is not at all to be confused with a feeling of fatalism, or with giving up, but something very far from that. It is a well of inspiration, that one’s every action has consequence and power, and that to be on the right side of history— regardless of the outcome— is greater than the pain of facing the sometimes difficult realities of the challenges we face. Definition via @thebureauoflinguisticalreality #neologismsproject #climateart #the100dayproject https://www.instagram.com/p/CORF9ZdMpkE/?igshid=1wbz30w2gu6l2

Definition 20/100: Peatlands, also known as bogs or mires, are neither solid ground nor water but something in between. Peat is a thick, mucky substance made up of dead and decomposing plant matter. It develops over hundreds, even thousands of years, as wetland vegetation slowly decays beneath a living layer of flora and in the near absence of oxygen. Although these unique ecosystems cover just 3 percent of the earth’s land area, they are second only to oceans in the amount of carbon they store—twice that held by the world’s forests, at an estimated 500 to 600 gigatons. Protecting them through land preservation and fire prevention is a prime opportunity to manage global greenhouse gases. Because peatlands’ typical carbon content is over 50 percent, they become powerful greenhouse chimneys if disrupted. When peat is exposed to the air, the carbon it contains gets oxidized into carbon dioxide. It can take thousands of years to build up peat, but a matter of only a few to release its greenhouse cache once it is degraded. Luckily, 85 percent of the world’s peatlands are intact. Though not as effective as halting degradation before it starts, restoring drained and damaged peatlands is an essential complement to protection. Climate solution via @projectdrawdown #neologismsproject #climateart #the100dayproject https://www.instagram.com/p/COMyblhM2ny/?igshid=1ee6yxt9zkibn

Definition 18/100: Ghomanidad - A reframing of humanity from being, and viewing itself as, a force that is extractive to one that is regenerative and energizing. This can be thought of as a new concept, or as a return to and older view of ourselves that existed before we intellectually separated humans from other species. A ghoma elevates beyond the contemporary environmental shift that ask us to stop viewing the earth as “a thing to be extracted from” and to view it as “a thing to be protected”—recognizing that both views are innately objectifying. Ghomas and Ghomanidad exists as part of the earth and can contribute positively and integrally to it. #neologismsproject #climateart #the100dayproject https://www.instagram.com/p/COHXmQVMwoX/?igshid=9h3picttphkp

Definition 18/20 - Gelm: The presence of a premonition, and/or a sense of foreboding, threat and dread from every day, human initiated incidents which ultimately threaten the ecology of the environment, and are caused by environmental hazards, such as: traffic jams, the deformed feet of pigeons, the debris of litter from fast food outlets, the crush of urban life, the invisible smog of pollution, the demise of garden birds, the abundance of cleaning products which end up in waterways, images of drought riven lands, images of flooding… images of huge industrial complexes churning out smoke… A ‘Gelm’ is a powerful and continuous emotional response to the threat of environmental and ecological destruction from human intervention. Definition via @thebureauoflinguisticalreality #neologismsproject #climateart #the100dayproject https://www.instagram.com/p/COE1lo9sdZh/?igshid=121zcjocifqik

Definition 17/100: Shifting to a diet rich in plants is a demand-side solution to global warming that runs counter to the meat-centric Western diet on the rise globally. That diet comes with a steep climate price tag: one-fifth of global emissions. If cattle were their own nation, they would be the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Plant-rich diets reduce emissions and also tend to be healthier, leading to lower rates of chronic disease. According to a 2016 study, business-as-usual emissions could be reduced by as much as 70 percent through adopting a vegan diet and 63 percent for a vegetarian diet, which includes cheese, milk, and eggs. $1 trillion in annual health-care costs and lost productivity would be saved. Bringing about dietary change is not simple because eating is profoundly personal and cultural, but promising strategies abound. Plant-based options must be available, visible, and enticing, including high-quality meat substitutes. Also critical: ending price-distorting government subsidies, such as those benefiting the U.S. livestock industry, so that the prices of animal protein more accurately reflect their true cost. As Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh has said, making the transition to a plant-based diet may be the most effective way an individual can stop climate change. Climate solution via @projectdrawdown #neologismsproject #climateart #the100dayproject https://www.instagram.com/p/CN_BUpUMSwu/?igshid=bexgimw4lft2

Definition 16/100 - Silvopasture is an ancient practice that integrates trees and pasture into a single system for raising livestock. Research suggests silvopasture far outpaces any grassland technique for counteracting the methane emissions of livestock and sequestering carbon under-hoof. Pastures strewn or crisscrossed with trees sequester five to ten times as much carbon as those of the same size that are treeless, storing it in both biomass and soil. Carbon aside, the advantages of silvopasture are considerable, with financial benefits for farmers and ranchers. Livestock, trees, and any additional forestry products, such as nuts, fruit, and mushrooms, generate income on different time horizons. The health and productivity of both animals and the land improve. Because silvopasture systems are diversely productive and more resilient, farmers are better insulated from risk. Silvopasture often runs counter to farming norms and can be costly and slow to implement. Peer-to-peer education has proven effective for spreading it. As the impacts of global warming progress, appeal will likely grow, because silvopasture can help farmers and their livestock adapt to erratic weather and increased drought. That is the climatic win-win of this solution: Silvopasture averts and sequesters emissions, while protecting against changes that are now inevitable. Climate solution via @projectdrawdown #neologismsproject #climateart #the100dayproject https://www.instagram.com/p/CN1tMKNsnz5/?igshid=198yliflrue0p

Pandemic home mural #2 entitled ‘The descent into monotony’ https://www.instagram.com/p/CNwOtCYsYS9/?igshid=1umdwlpe1z8rn

Definition 15/100 - Ihalpnapan: An understanding that two seemingly disparate groups are perhaps intimately tied to each other in a way that is mutually binding for both parties’ survival. A state of awareness in a time of great cultural rift that, whether we like it or not, we are wedded to the other side, as they are to us, and the feeling of not not knowing how to move forward with that understanding. Definition via @thebureauoflinguisticalreality #neologismsproject #climateart #the100dayproject https://www.instagram.com/p/CNv5D2SMk35/?igshid=w8orpwnr4o3o