Today: Meredith Cornett, the Nature Conservancy's director of science and climate strategy in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Reading
I read anything I can related to the climate crisis — and the power of nature to help us solve it. Now it's "The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis" by Christian Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac. Figueres and Rivett-Carnac speak to the need to take decisive climate action today. They should know — having led United Nations negotiations for the Paris Agreement in 2015. They also host the podcast "Outrage and Optimism," which I will no doubt binge on very soon!
At home, I just finished up "How Bad Are Bananas? The Carbon Footprint of Everything" by Mike Berners-Lee — and oldie but goodie (2010) that has helped my family think through our dietary, travel and other lifestyle choices.
And I've rediscovered my love of fiction (after a decade plus of being distracted by parenting books). Ann Patchett's "The Magician's Assistant" is my current read.
Following
Maria Popova's Brain Pickings — an Inventory of the Meaningful Life. I love Popova's eclectic musings on art, science and what it is to be human. She includes gorgeous images, and there is a feminist twist more often than not.
Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial, Inc. On June 15, Duluth will observe a day of remembrance marking 100 years since three young African-American men were murdered by a massive lynch mob. I have been following the countdown to the anniversary. Concerts, presentations, and film screenings are leading up to the event, which aims to bring 10,000 people together to face the horrific legacy of lynching. The Equal Justice Initiative's visionary founder and leader, Bryan Stevenson, will be the keynote speaker June 15.
Watching
"Stranger Things." I just finished the third season with my teen, who is obsessed with it. It's not something I would have chosen for myself, but has been a way to bond with my kiddo, and that counts for a lot!
Listening
Wilco! I live in Duluth (where they played Tuesday) and was listening to "Ode to Joy" in anticipation.
I travel a lot for work, so podcasts are my go-to. "In the Dark" series (Madeline Baron) is both addictive and astonishing.
• Molly Woodstock's podcast about "what the heck gender is." I have a family member who identifies as nonbinary and am learning all I can about what that means and how best to be an ally and advocate. This gender podcast is a great resource for humans who are cisgender, trans and anything in between and beyond.
Doing
I have been volunteering with Citizens' Climate Lobby, a grassroots initiative to grow the political will for bipartisan solutions to climate change at the federal level. Our focus is setting a national price on carbon — which is essential.
Lately I've been getting out on my snowshoes. I love the warm, sunny days in early spring when there's still plenty of snow, yet we don't have to bundle up to enjoy it. We live in the woods, so I like exploring our trails before the snow is gone. It's a great time of year for tracking. We recently came across tons of springtails, aka snow fleas, which look for all the world like specks of dirt — until you start watching them. They are quite dynamic little animals.