Hope and the Climate Crisis: The Tension Between Reality and Possibility
With evidence of the climate crisis reaching all corners and communities of the world, the reality of what we are up against as a species is more present and overwhelming than ever before. In a recent conversation with Krista Tibbett on the podcast On Being, marine biologist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson asks a pivotal question about climate action: What if we get it right? With the 24-hour news cycle constantly reminding us that climate change is far worse and coming far faster than predicted, slipping into despair seems all too easy—but what about hope for a future full of solutions we’ve already imagined? What about what is possible? This conversation will open space to explore the tension between the reality of where we are, where we could go, and what it will take to get there. How does it feel to hold the scale of the challenge and also the possibility of a better future? This event will take place in the Boxer Pause room at Washburne Hall
Create, Iterate, Persist: Connecting People to Actions and Actions to a Movement
Oregon Climate Action Hub was created to help all Oregonians find their place in the climate movement, serving as a “one-stop-shop” for individuals to find opportunities and take part in organized action. Join Karen Wolfgang, co-founder of the Hub, for a So Much Together where she will she discuss the project's development from a mere concept to a comprehensive public resource, and highlights the importance of relationships in the creative process.
Bridging the Gaps: The Future of the Intergenerational Climate Movement
Amidst devastating wildfires, a global pandemic, and a rapidly changing world, young people across the planet have stepped up to lead in the movement for climate, racial, and social justice. In this workshop, high school organizers Adah Crandall and Danny Cage will offer dialogue and case studies from their involvement in youth-led projects and campaigns: the good, the bad, and the somewhere-in-between. This workshop will invite participants to join in a conversation about collaborative organizing and to imagine the possibilities for a powerful, multigenerational social movement—one that cultivates adult allyship, supports youth, and makes space for youth voices.
Binding Fenrir
What are our responsibilities to wild animals in a human-altered world?
The Circle is Expanding: The Gift of Climate Grief
(Please note: this is a two part workshop taking place on May 4 and May 7.)
Climate grief, also known as climate anxiety or eco-anxiety, is a psychological response to ecological loss driven by our unfolding climate crisis. It can be felt as profound sadness, helplessness, guilt, anxiety, rage, or numbness. An increasingly common condition, it’s becoming more widely recognized and accepted as a valid response to our changing world. This workshop will help us understand what climate grief is, why it’s important, and how it might become a positive force in our lives one that can motivate us towards greater joy, community, creativity, self-awareness, and social change.
The Circle is Expanding: The Gift of Climate Grief
(Please note, this is a two part workshop taking place on May 4 and May 7.)
Climate grief, also known as climate anxiety or eco-anxiety, is a psychological response to ecological loss driven by our unfolding climate crisis. It can be felt as profound sadness, helplessness, guilt, anxiety, rage, or numbness. An increasingly common condition, it’s becoming more widely recognized and accepted as a valid response to our changing world. This workshop will help us understand what climate grief is, why it’s important, and how it might become a positive force in our lives one that can motivate us towards greater joy, community, creativity, self-awareness, and social change.
The Future of Intergenerational Climate Movement
Amidst devastating wildfires, a global pandemic, and a rapidly changing world, young people across the planet have stepped up to lead in the movement for climate, racial, and social justice. In this So Much Together workshop, high school organizers Adah Crandall and Danny Cage will offer dialogue and case studies from their involvement in youth-led projects and campaigns: the good, the bad, and the somewhere-in-between. This workshop will invite participants to join in a conversation about collaborative organizing and to imagine the possibilities for a powerful, multigenerational social movement—one that cultivates adult allyship, supports youth, and makes space for youth voices.
Conversation Project: The Meaning of Climate Change
We live in a time of tremendous transformation as the reality of climate change and its effects on our communities become more apparent with every passing year. While there is still much that can and must be done to mitigate the range of impacts climate change might have, we are confronting the certainty of a crisis that will continue to unfold no matter what we do. What is the meaning of this extraordinary moment in human history? The meanings we construct about climate change affect how we think about it, our feelings about it, and our willingness to take action. Portland State University instructor David Osborn leads a discussion exploring different meanings of climate change and how our understanding of meaning relates to action.
Hotter, Drier, and Less Predictable
Amanda Waldroupe writes about how climate change is affecting Oregon's agricultural sector and how some farmers are adapting.
Second Growth
Lee van der Voo writes about how a new generation of activists is leveraging spectacle and strategy to protect Oregon forests.
How to Build a Kite
Daniela Naomi Molnar on ecology, grief, and the illusion of closure
Conversation Project: The Meaning of Climate Change
We live in a time of tremendous transformation as the reality of climate change and its effects on our communities become more apparent with every passing year. While there is still much that can and must be done to mitigate the range of impacts climate change might have, we are confronting the certainty of a crisis that will continue to unfold no matter what we do. What is the meaning of this extraordinary moment in human history? The meanings we construct about climate change affect how we think about it, our feelings about it, and our willingness to take action. Portland State University instructor David Osborn leads a discussion exploring different meanings of climate change and how our understanding of meaning relates to action.
Climate and Fire
The Almeda Fire devastated my community. We can make future fires less destructive.
Who Gets to Fight Climate Change?
JL Jiang on navigating climate activism as a second-generation Asian American
Earth and Motherhood
Melissa Matthewson on the wildness that surrounds us.
Conversation Project: Relationships for Resilience
In a time of intensifying social and ecological crises, in a cultural context of individualism, the pressure to practice "self-care," build "personal resilience," and "transform oneself" is pervasive. While "doing your own work" is important, we overemphasize the individual to the detriment of our human communities and the rest of the living world. The deep transformations we need will be cocreated, and the deep resilience we must develop will be relational. In this conversation, we will explore the dynamics of our strongest relationships, seeking to name the qualities and practices that underpin resilience. How can we bring our insights more intentionally and broadly to bear in our human relationships and in our relationships with our home—lands, waters, and ecosystems?
Learn more about this event at crooklib.org.
Beyond Capacity
Paul Susi writes about racism, the pandemic, and rage at a severe-weather homeless shelter.
From the Director: Old Jokes
Adam Davis on the personal and cultural legacy of cruel jokes
Burn Down Valley
Theo Whitcomb writes about the 2020 fires in Southern Oregon, cooperative land management efforts, and finding hope for the future.
Putting in the Work
This comic by Jonathan Hill explores how people can stay engaged in politics and advocate for the changes they want to see outside of major election cycles.
Posts
Readers write about Climate
People, Places, Things
Tabitha Espina remixes the Oregon Department of Energy’s 2020 statement on climate change and energy in Oregon.