The Regeneration • Issue No.4 by Kyle Calian

Interview

People Creating A Better Planet

Issue No. 4 â&#x20AC;˘ Fall | Winter 2018

Real Climate Leadership

Xiuhtezcatl Martinez

Indigenous hip-hop artist is taking the climate change battle to the courts and using music as a platform for change

Straws and Green Roofs Rafael Espinal

Social and Environmental Equity Rep. Donald McEachin

Triumph of the Sun Hunter Lovins

Printed on post-consumer waste recycled paper processed chlorine free, using nontoxic inks.

We plant a tree with TreeEra for every copy sold.

Issue No. 4 Climate Activism Hello friend, The Regeneration is more than just a magazine; it's a vision for a brighter and more interconnected future, where businesses can spearhead change and people can work together to regenerate our planet Earth. We began compiling this issue with the intention of focusing on changemakers taking unique approaches to advocacy, activism, lawmaking and political engagement. However, because climate change impacts every facet of society, we decided to broaden our scope of coverage to provide a more holistic overview of the most exciting happenings within the climate movement. Whether you are a reader, supporter, follower or even a critic, it is a privilege to earn your attention. On behalf of The Regeneration team and network, thank you. We hope you enjoy the content to follow. - Davis, co-founder and editor-in-chief

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People Creating a Better Planet Issue No. 4 Interviewees

Barbara Stegmann Deborah Lawrence Donald McEachin Hannah Debelius Hermione Taylor John Oppermann Max La Manna Megan Litke Naama Tamir Rafael Espinal Ricky Stephens Xiuhtezcatl Martinez

If you have questions or comments, please write to us at hi@theregenerationmag.com

Ashley Goetz

Contributors

Editor-at-Large

Amer Jandali Anne Therese Bengtsson Ashley Goetz Carmen Artigas Charlotte Webster Davis Burroughs, IV Eileen Geller Emily and Freddie Carlstrom Heather Heckel Jamie Punzi Jeremy Hoffman Josue Rivas Kaitlyn Depew Kyle Calian L. Hunter Lovins Mary Madison Andrews Rob Kunzig Rob Merritt Titania Inglis Vikramaditya Yadav

Have a conference or event you'd like copies for? Maybe your office or university needs a few? Don't hesitate to reach out to us for a bulk discount.

Fall / Winter 2018 UPC: 8600002915-83 Bipad: 68320 Founder and Creative Director Kyle Calian Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief Davis Burroughs, IV Managing Editor

Bailey Edelstein Operations Anna van der Heijden Illustrators Holly Broderick Youheum Son Jill Pelto Hannah Salyer Photography Attributed Per Piece

For advertising inquiries, get in touch with us by contacting kyle@theregenerationmag.com Subscribe To subscribe, visit us at theregenerationmag.com

The Regeneration Magazine is produced by Kyle Calian. It is printed in Northport, New York, by Eco Friendly Printer on recycled FSC certified stock. The Regeneration is an independent publication. The ownership of each article contributed is copyright. This copyright belongs with the contributor of the respective article, which is stated here. All other ideas expressed by The Regeneration are put forward with the intention to inspire productive conversation about humanity's relationship with the environment. The opinions published in The Regeneration belong to the respective authors of each article, which do not necessarily represent the views of the publishers and editorial staff. Some content in the magazine is republished with the written consent of the publisher. Certain content republished in this magazine is in the public domain. No other content in this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written consent from The Regeneration. The Regeneration Magazine reserves the right to accept, reject or edit any material submitted by contributors prior to publishing the magazine.

Introduction

Our Values 1

Drawing the connections between the largest movement on Earth.

Showcasing contributions that drive meaningful conversation.

From businesses to nonprofits and small personal passion projects, we're here because we share a mutual love for planet Earth.

These are inspired by positive change, resiliency and innovation, not fearmongering.

Promoting the commonly forgotten connection between social justice and environmental sustainability.

Believing that sales figures are not the only measurement of success.

The goal of this movement is to improve the quality of life for all living things.

Therefore, we don't pursue growth for growth's sake, but only if all of these values can be upheld.

Acknowledging the evolution of the economy away from free market capitalism.

Practicing what we preach and taking great efforts to minimize our environmental footprint.

We need to showcase the businesses that are trying to achieve a true triple bottom line. These organizations are at the forefront of the next economic movement, and the more we can learn from them, the better we can adapt their models to solve social and environmental problems.

We use recycled materials, plant a tree for each physical copy sold, optimize our supply chain and do not pulp unsold copies. Additionally, we only accept support from organizations that align with The Regeneration's values.

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Contents

Parts One and Two

Communication tips Kaitlyn Depew

Young people are speaking. Listen Up. Xiuhtezcatl Martinez

Climate Communication and Activism

Words from our team The Regeneration Staff

14 Write climate for the right climate Deborah Lawrence

Plastic Pollution

Climate art Jill Pelto

Role Model Management Anne Therese Bengtsson

74 Social and environmental equity U.S. Rep. Donald McEachin

Plastic bans Davis Burroughs, IV and Mary Madison Andrews

Straw bills and green roofs Rafael Espinal

94 Plastic straws â&#x20AC;&#x201D; what's the fuss? Heather Heckel

Earth Day Initiative John Oppermann

Supporting science museums Jeremy Hoffman

Featured Section

112 Lessons in scaling a regenerative business Emily and Freddie Carlstrom

Introduction

Part Three

Energy

112

130

Whose responsibility is it? Davis Burroughs, IV

Wind power is for the birds Eileen Geller

116

136

American University carbon neutrality Hannah Debelius and Megan Litke

Triumph of the sun Hunter Lovins 144 A bug in the solar cell Vikramaditya G. Yadav

Part Four

152

166

Food and Agriculture

Lighthouse Brooklyn Naama Tamir

Farmers market soup Jamie Punzi

160

168

Vegan chef Max La Manna

Agriculture technology Ricky Stephens

Part Five

178

194

Entrepreneurship and Business

Do Nation Hermione Taylor

Dress for the century Carmen Artigas and Titania Inglis

186 Braceletote Amer Jandali

198 Holiday Gift Guide

190 Return on Love Barb Stegmann

The Regeneration

A few words from our team

Kyle Calian

Founder and Creative Director

When we set out to try and solve problems, as designers do, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re faced with an entirely more complex set of analyses. We're not only trying to figure out how to make something physical, but also how to remap the way human ecology interacts with our biological systems. This is the biggest challenge designers will face in the 21st century. I believe we all become designers when we choose to be intentional about how we think, what we do and how we create change. From the farmer who designs resilient, waste-free closed loop systems to the architect thinking about graywater systems and capturing lost energy, we can all be good designers if we listen to people and acknowledge them as experts.

Ashley Goetz Managing Editor

The road to change is long but not impossible. And in a movement, every voice counts. If you need proof, just look to this year's midterm elections, where incredible voter turnout resulted in a flipped House of Representatives and a record number of women elected to office. So as you read through this magazine, consider how you can lend your voice to the environmental movement -- as an activist, scientist, world leader, writer, entrepreneur, artist, politician. The list is endless but, ultimately, we are all responsible for the health of our planet and its people.

Illustration

Holly Broderick

Introduction

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Part One

Better Ways to Communicate Climate Change We already have many of the solutions we need to mitigate the climate crisis. But until we can communicate not just the science, but also the benefits that climate solutions bring to people, the planet and the economy, the pace of progress will remain slow. With the worst effects of climate change set to materialize in just two decades, it's time to change the way we talk about global warming. 8

Illustration

Holly Broderick

Climate Communication

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The psychology behind communicating climate change Words Photo 10

Kaitlyn Depew Jena Anne @fillyoureyes

Essay

Among the many scientific topics of debate, very few can compete with the level of disagreement and frustration encountered when communicating environmental science. Interactions with climate change rejectors or deniers can be exhausting, and professionals consistently encounter roadblocks when relaying messages to those who are skeptical of the science. The majority of climate communication operates on the assumption that people can be convinced with facts and numbers. But research disputes the widely held belief that an increase in knowledge about environmental issues leads to pro-environmental behavior. Why is climate change so hard for people to believe? It’s easy for people to distance themselves from the realities of global warming. The non-immediacy of climate issues and the natural internal resistance to distressing information creates a barrier between knowledge and behavior change. Unfortunately, climate change is not a problem that can forgo immediate solutions — changes in the environment are often noticed after significant damage is already done. Sometimes, people choose to ignore or refuse to accept climate change research because it contradicts their way of life. Renowned social psychologist Leon Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance states that people want their beliefs and their behaviors to correlate (Kollmuss &

Agyeman, 2002). When how we act differs from what we know to be true, it causes discomfort. To avoid discomfort, there are certain emotional and psychological responses that are unconsciously triggered. These responses can come in the form of denial, rational distancing and the refusal of personal responsibility. Our aversion to discomfort is why guilt doesn’t work when convincing skeptics of the realities of the environmental problems faced today. Guilt is an emotion that causes a great amount of personal distress and is very likely to elicit these defense mechanisms.

How can we avoid these defensive psychological reactions? There are communications solutions that scholars, journalists, media publications, 11

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news outlets, influencers and other passionate people can use to affect the greatest number of people possible. These are small adjustments that could lead to big waves in the movement.

up, we should address the future of a world with greater efficiency, scientific and economic progress, and future profitability in new green energy industries.

Reframing the message

Personalizing and localizing issues

Framing is often done with little thought, sometimes entirely unconsciously. It is how the author communicates to the reader how he or she should interpret what they are reading. Positive frames that uplift, rather than incite fear or despair are, less likely to lead to denial or other responses that block climate messages from making an impact. The goal is to communicate climate problems in a way that promotes “dialogue, learning, and social connections” (Nisbet & Scheufele, 2009). Climate change is often framed based on alarmism and conflict. While the information surrounding the topic is alarming and does cause conflict, there are more beneficial approaches to science communication.

How to reframe the narrative From cost to insurance: Instead of talking about what we have to lose, let’s discuss what we can do to protect ourselves (and the world) from further climate disruptions. From uncertainty to preparedness and ethics: Instead of talking about how unclear out future is, stress how we need to prepare for change and emphasize larger-than-self cultural values. From sacrifice to opportunity: Instead of focusing on what we need to give 12

For many, it can be challenging to see where they fit into the global problem of climate change. It seems far away, out of their hands, and therefore out of mind. One way to approach this is to feature face-to-face interactions and personal stories, which demonstrate that (1) global warming personally affects people like them and (2) there are opportunities to make a direct impact on their communities. The 2018 New York Times article, “How Six Americans Changed Their Minds About Global Warming,” showcased personal stories about people who once questioned global warming and are now believers and activists. For some, it was seeing their local communities torn apart by natural disasters, rising sea levels, and coastal erosion. Others were convinced by family members or by seeing people close to them struggle as a result of climate change. The most influential spokespeople are those close to or similar to us (Stoknes, 2015). Sometimes, all it takes is one concerned family member. In other instances, finding common ground may not occur until an entire community is setback by a hurricane or disastrous flooding. It’s hard to question climate change when you see it affect your life and the people around you.

Essay

Make it social

Bringing it all together

The whole domain of social psychology is centered around how the social environment influences behavior; it’s important to take advantage of these social influences when attempting to alter habitual behavior. One of the most revolutionary ways of encouraging others to conserve energy and promote pro-environmental action is to make the act seem like an idealized norm, competition or widely accepted way of life.

Preventing emotional and denialbased responses to climate change is no easy task. It requires a consistent effort to keep the dialogue positive and uplifting, keep issues as relatable and close to home as possible, and to make pro-environmental behavior a social movement.

Some of the most significant reductions in power consumption came from initiatives by companies like Opower and Strava that made it easy to share energy-saving performance with friends (Stoknes, 2015). Great strides have also been made through public engagement — visible, social action — such as earth hour, an initiative where millions of people choose to switch off lights and come together to celebrate the pro-earth movement.

Editor’s note: For a list of primary sources referenced in the article, please email davis@theregenerationmag.com. Kaitlyn is studying marketing and psychology at the College of William and Mary. She’s a Richmond native and is interested in learning how people think and make decisions — then tailoring communication to best fit the psychological research.

The common thread between these success stories is their goal to show that pro-environmental behavior is a desirable and socially acceptable trait. 13

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Interview

Deborah Lawrence

Write climate for the right climate: using words to promote action Interview Photos

Davis Burroughs, IV, Kaitlyn Depew and Mary Madison Andrews Davis Burroughs, IV, Kaitlyn Depew and Deborah Lawrence

Deborah Lawrence, Ph.D., is a professor of environmental sciences at the University of Virginia. Her research focuses on the links between tropical deforestation and climate change. She leads a group of UVA students fighting for the right climate. Since February, @writeclimate engaged more than 1,200 members of the UVA community in a conversation on climate change. On pieces of paper, they each wrote a piece of our shared climate story — science, policy, emotion and commitment. Why did you start Write Climate? Deborah Lawrence: The reason is to create climate awareness, climate commitment and community. We're trying to use art to do something about climate, and hoping to do it in a new way 'cause as a scientist, I'm pretty sure we have plenty of science that tells us what to do, but I am also surprised that that evidence alone does not motivate people. We're looking for a way to motivate people to commit. Facts are not the best way to-

They don't help, right? You know that as a journalist, but I didn't know that as a scientist. My whole life is creating information and believing in information, so

this is a way to say, maybe information is not the only way to go. What we're trying to do is art to action, art to community and art to commitment. We are inviting people to step into the climate story by writing it. What is that climate story? Well, it starts hundreds of years ago with some science, but we think it progresses all the way through to today with a lot of excellent policy. We're focusing on the United States — that's where we live -— and just trying to say here's the science. It's hundreds of years old. There's nothing controversial about that science, but here you go. You have a piece of that science, and you can write it. Or come 1955, you could start tracing our arc, in this country, of caring for the atmosphere and stabilizing climate. So we trace out the arc of that policy story. 15

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Who else is involved with this project?

Thirty-seven students from UVA and me, and a bunch of allies … This is what I love: I'm an environmental scientist, and you'd think, "Oh, it'll be 36 environmental scientists and one psychology major." It was four environmental science majors, and 33 others from four schools and 12 departments. So it was everybody. What attracts participants to this project?

People are concerned about climate change, everyone is, especially with this generation. Around 80 or 90 percent of young people are convinced and worried, and ready. Why is art an effective medium to deliver your message?

Because my whole idea is that I am interested in a legislative solution. Ultimately, we can't do anything without a price on carbon, or it will just take forever. The prices are all dropping in the right direction. It's like somebody's on our side, because really it is happening without that price. But it would be so much faster with the price, so I believe in that. But how do you get that price? You have to get to a state where the legislators are not afraid of getting kicked out of office for voting for that carbon price, which means that constituents all have to be saying, "Hey, we're so ready for this." And they may be saying it in a poll, but I want people to say it every day. I want them to say it in their actions, I want them to say it verbally, I want them to talk about it. I want them to be living this new normal which is: "Hey, climate awareness, this is what we do. We are all about climate because if we 16

aren't, we're really headed into a future that we don't want." I want to create this new normal, and I think art is better than data at hooking people in. We try to hook people in at campus. We were tabling. We could hook them in by saying, "Hey, you want to write climate for the right climate?" And they say, "What?" Then, we say, "Well, you know, we're doing this art project." So they say, "Sure, I'll write something," and then they write. We can hook them in there, by being out in public — that is pretty exhausting. Or we can bring them back when we have the art. We did that. We've had three shows. We had two on-grounds, and we'll have this one. And we could do that more … At campus, we get hundreds of people going through the spaces, just looking at the art. They don't all stop, but they look. They're like, "Hmm, what is this?" Then, every once in a while when my fellow professors don't complain, I blast this video, which is a bunch of students saying why they're involved and what they're doing and what are we trying to accomplish. So people do stop and stare at the video. They don't want to read my blurb, but they will stare at videos. So more exposure. I just want people to come in … everyone can write. We're not actually asking them to make the art. What we discovered this year was it's really fun to do individual projects, but we thought it'd be more fun to do one giant piece of art. So come back next year, and we're going to have a giant piece of art- — we don't know where.

Interview

What's your strategy or philosophy behind keeping people engaged beyond the initial visits to this space?

Something that I have learned, because I'm a scientist and a scholar, through study, is that people do want to act right away. They want to know exactly what they can do … Whenever we display, we also put: what you can do about climate change. You can see easy tips, including if you have money and if you don't have money. I always like to give them a list of these easy action items. What are the instructions that you put out when you ask people to write something out?

We actually had a little setup during the show where you could write climate, and

we'd say, "Look, do you want to write about science? Do you want to write about policy?" And we would give them some options. In the class, our work was to read the stuff and try to find the good language. What do we like? What are the good words? So we found the good words, either in policy statements — for example, President Nixon opening up the EPA or Barack Obama signing the Paris Agreement — or in quotes from scientists talking about the greenhouse effect. So we'd say, "You can write science or write policy." Two weeks in, tabling away, the students came back and said, "You know what, people don't really want to write about science or policy." And I said, "What do they want to write?" They said, "They just want to write about why they are worried." And I said, "OK, well you can write what you're worried 17

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about if you then follow it up and say what are you doing about it." Because again, what I had learned was if you just let people get all scared and depressed and say, "I'm worried about the penguins," or, "I want to go to the beach," or, "I'm afraid for future generations," that's demoralizing. We called it, "Why do I want the right climate?" Then, "What am I doing to make the right climate?" So we gave them new prompts, and they would do both. And if some people didn't know what the right climate was or what they did, we helped them. We were like, "Well, do you sometimes walk to school instead of taking the bus?" And they were like, "Yeah." We're like, "Great, you do that. Go ahead." Or, "Do you sometimes choose chicken instead of beef?" "Yeah, sometimes." And some of them already knew what they did. They would write, "I compost." So it was very funny. In the end, I'd say about 65 percent of the paper was why I care and what I am doing, and 35 percent was my original project, which was science and policy. And you wanted to know what the inspiration was? Yeah.

Last summer, there was an artist in New York, Morgan Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Hara, who decided she needed to get in touch with the Constitution, because she was upset about things that were going on in the world. So she took the Constitution, a bunch of copies, and old notebooks, and pens and paper into a New York Public Library, and she sat there and started writing. I thought, I want to do that with the Paris Agreement. I want people to commit to the Paris Agreement. 18

So I thought, I'm going to do this. We're going to write climate. So I started writing the Paris Agreement, and 90 minutes in, I had written seven pages in very small lettering. And I was at article seven of 29 articles. I thought, hmm, this may be not the thing. This is maybe not what's going to happen for 18to 22-year-olds. I had some students say, "No, we're going to do it later. We're going to do it in The Rotunda ... We're going to do the whole Paris Agreement â&#x20AC;Ś Don't worry. Your project is not dead!" But I did learn that my project had to evolve because of who I was working with, which was great, and what I thought people wanted to do. What kind of scientist are you?

I'm an environmental scientist. I study climate change. In your education, did you feel that you were taught how to effectively

communicate climate change science?

I definitely did not get any training to do that. But I went to school a long time ago. Nowadays, we do train our scientists to do that. When did you go to school?

I went to school from '92 to '98 at Duke, in the botany department. Totally straight up science program. So you were in school for the Kyoto Protocol?

Interview

"We can do this. We still have time. We have everything we need. We just need to act." 19

Photos Jena Anne @fillyoureyes

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Interview

Yeah. But I was tuned out. I studied tropical deforestation, and I felt like all of my colleagues were studying carbon dioxide. And I said, you know what, that is a later problem. I'm talking about deforestation right now, biodiversity loss. I don't know why you people are not studying land use change, 'cause climate change is so far down the road. Well now it's 30 years later, and it's down the road â&#x20AC;Ś I am still studying deforestation. But now instead of looking down at what happens to the soil and the plants, I'm looking up and saying, How does this change our atmosphere? And what does that mean for climate? How does that affect humanity? You said earlier you wanted to put a price on carbon. Can you talk more specifically about what policy solution you would prescribe, if you had a magic wand?

I would be happy with any version. There are versions out there that say, let's put a fee on it, and then give it all back. And I say you know what? That's fine with me. Then there's people who say, "Well, let's take a piece of that and invest it in clean energy. Let's take a piece of that and give it to people who may be disproportionately burdened by that fee." Or, "Let's take a piece of that and pay off the deficit." Those are all different options that would be fine with me, too. The price signal is so important. You can also do cap and trade. Really, I don't care. I just don't care. I think what we need is a price, and I would take any price. Because of political divisions, if there's a solution that would breach that divide, I would take it. And I'd let anyone get the credit, as long a we establish a carbon price. I don't care. It's so important.

I was talking to a Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee staff member just last night, and we were talking about the carbon tax. He asked me my opinion on that, and I literally said the same thing â&#x20AC;&#x201D; whatever works by this point.

Yeah. I mean, I was so happy they were going to do cap and trade in 2009. I would've been so happy with that â&#x20AC;Ś But since then, there hasn't been, at least in the Senate, a single Republican that is really willing to even talk about climate change as an issue ... so disheartening. But it's coming back, slowly. For students or people coming to this exhibit, what solutions do you find tend to be the most well-received?

I have to say, I do not start with, "We need to elect a new Congress." I just don't. I start with what they can do, because I think it empowers them, and I want them to feel like they can start now. You can start tomorrow, and every emission that doesn't go in the air is a win. I always start with personal choices, and I know this is quite hot. My good friend Mike Mann is saying that the meat discussion is misplaced, and gets us misplaced and gets us away from the important things. I really love him and he is my friend, and I will say this to him, that what he's missing is that people may want to focus on the important policy issues, but they also need to feel effective and empowered, and like they have a role to play themselves. So I start with change from meat to chicken once a week. That's a huge win. You just reduced your impact by 14 percent for your food. It's huge! So I like to start with what 21

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"I love evidence, so the evidence would suggest you actually have to commit [to a behavioral change] for a specific period, which is about 60 days. And if you could sustain it for 60 days, it often becomes a habit that sticks in your life." you could do. Yeah. Well, I think one of the things that gets lost in the debate between individual action versus corporate action versus governmental action is that corporations and the government are made up of individuals. So if you can get those individuals to bring change into their own lives, then hopefully they can start incorporating change within their businesses and within their governments. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something I learned from Hermione Taylor, who we also spoke to for Issue No. 4. On the other hand, it's very easy to make the initial commitment to do something, like eating less red meat as a simple example. But it's also very easy to slip back into old habits. So what would you say to anyone looking to not just create a change, a behavioral change of some sort, but actually sustain that change?

Two things: I love evidence, so the evidence would suggest you actually have to commit for a specific period, which is about 60 days. And if you could sustain it for 60 days, it often becomes a habit that sticks in your life. 22

So I would say don't ask them to do it forever, ask them to do it for 60 days. The second thing I would say is try to do it with a friend. Have some accountability. There are great websites out there that help you do it, and get someone pinging you and saying, "How's it going?" That's helpful. Or a real friend is probably even better. Have you ever heard of Hermioneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s organization, Do Nation?

Actually, we were in touch early on â&#x20AC;&#x201D; I used her site to get 50 people to reduce their emissions for my 50th birthday. I must have been one of her early adopters, 'cause I turned 50 a couple years ago. You're definitely on the same wavelength. I know that's one of her strategies is trying to get friends and family involved with those choices. At the same time, though, one of the first things you said was you firmly believe that we need a major policy solution to the problem, but we've spent 90 percent of this conversation so far talking more about individual change.

Interview

I know. So how do we do that? Yeah.

Well, I don't leave the policy part off the table. And in fact, just this morning, as I was walking my dog, I was thinking maybe Write Climate needs to have one political goal every year, and one article and some other goal, like expanding to another campus or community. You can't give up on the political action. I also get people asking me, "How do you balance a desire for justice with a desire for environmental safety and security?" My feeling is that without a secure planet, we don't have any chance for justice. So personally, I spend my time on the environment. It doesn't mean I spend all my time there. If justice is partly voting, they

marry up pretty well. So people do wonder about how they're supposed to invest their time, and I think that's a personal decision. What do you think are some of the most effective strategies as an individual, aside from voting, 'cause that's an easy one?

Yeah. Well, not as easy as you think, right? Well, it's an easy answer.

Yes, this is true. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Tis an easy thing to say. Being involved with the movement myself, more on the activism level back in high school and college, and being involved with many protests, and submitting public comments, and door to door canvassing â&#x20AC;&#x201D; what I found was just 23

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failure after failure. You look at what just happened in Michigan with the Nestle water extraction debacle, where 80,000 public comments were submitted in opposition to the plan, versus 75 in favor, and whatever environmental panel they had still signed the permit 'cause they don't actually have to consider public opinion. So I'm wondering if you have any ideas for maybe newer, more effective forms of activism that you can take as an individual to hopefully have a bigger effect on change?

With activism, you could eat as much red meat as you want and show up to a protest, and not save a single emission. So I say go ahead and do something on your own. 24

I think that, again, research would suggest that all of us can probably reduce our footprints by at least 25 percent without government action. At least 25 percent. It's work, and you have to kind of put the pieces together, but that's pretty huge. If we did that, we would be actually on target to Paris, which is not a perfect target, either. So I would say do some personal action. But there's a role for those protesters, they really get a lot of publicity. My art exhibit did not get as much publicity. For sure. Everyone has a role to play, large or small. You've been involved in this movement on many different levels for a long time, so I'm sure you've witnessed the ebbs and flows of public opinion.

Interview

"Research would suggest that all of us can probably reduce our footprints by at least 25 percent without government action ... that's pretty huge." Can you talk a little bit about that and what it's like to see people all of a sudden accept climate science, and then reject climate science? And now, we're somewhere maybe in between, I'm not sure.

Well, first of all, it's fascinating to me to see my own evolution. In 2000, I was teaching an ecology class, and I teach about global change, and I would say, "Well, we think the planet is warming." In 1998, it looked pretty good, not everyone was willing to say, "I think the planet is warming." They could say, "Well, we're still within this kind of envelope of natural variability." Now, I do not ever say that … I say, "We are totally warming." Eighteen more years, really the data is very solid. So my own evolution has been interesting. The evolution of public opinion is also interesting. I'll tell you a story about being in the State Department in 2009. I mean, I did not see this coming. I was in the Climate Office working on deforestation and the role of forests in climate, and part of this negotiating team that was going to head off to Copenhagen at the time. And that, what did they call it, Climategate? Was it Climategate with Mike Mann and the email? Yeah, yes.

So that happened. I'm sitting at the bus stop, and this guy asks me, from Treasury, he says, "Oh, you're at State? What department?" I said, "I'm in the climate office." "Oh, what do you think about this?" And I said, "It changes nothing. The science is totally solid. This is nothing." Well, that was not true that it was nothing. That was a moment when scientists seriously lost credibility. I remember thinking, "I cannot believe I don't have credibility." I was used to feeling like scientists are this little class of people who are so special and that they have no personal interest, and they're just pure. Right? Yup.

They’re just, "Nope, that's just the data." So I kind of was shocked [about Climategate] … Still, we're not back from where we were in 2009. Climate scientists were not pariahs, and now climate scientists are actually the ones that are. There's a lot of scientists who still get that lovely treatment, medical, engineering, cellphone people. All good, except for climate scientists. That was a huge moment … I really wasn't aware of how much manipulation of a story can just devastate belief and everything. [Climate science acceptance] was really on the rise at 25

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that point, and then I think we had a drop. So that was totally disheartening. Right. Well, not every movement is fighting against a decades long propaganda campaign waged by the most powerful economic sector-

Except tobaccoYes.

… Which also kills us. I think with tobacco, though, I don't know, it was probably 20, 30 years from the initial onset of the medical community discovering that smoking was bad for you until the surgeon general's warning came out. So we use that as an example, maybe. We're at the point whereThe Surgeon General might issue a statement saying, "Climate change is actually bad for you." What an interesting idea. And that's something Obama tried to do, was to frame climate change as a public health issue ... I'm not sure how well-received that was. The funny thing is … this is where it's sort of the nitty-gritty about disease and vectors, and it is pretty scary to think about all the stuff that's coming our way. Weird new diseases, old diseases. Malaria, we haven't had malaria in this country in forever. So interesting to think about. It's completely going to be related to climate change. Now, that would be a scare tactic, though We don't do that. Don't do that. You're right [about it being a scare tactic] … I do not like to be a big bad … I don't like to do that. There is plenty of hope. We can do this. 26

It is a great motivator, though.

[It's not.] I just did a huge study on heat stress in East Africa, and how many people are going to live where, and what's the temperature going to be, and how many days a year are they going to spend at a temperature that can make them sick. And it's shocking! And I wrote this whole paper, and then I read some great polling that said, "Do not ever scare people into action, 'cause it does not work." And I think, oh, well how do we do that if we don't tell people what it's going to be like? Yeah, I mean, I've read the same research. But then I think about when it comes to issues of national security or North Korea ... … fear of people from different backgrounds, in that case it does tendIt does promote action. This is true. Then, I wonder if the scare tactics haven't been focused well enough. So things like, "Oh, disease is going to be everywhere." Well that's really diffuse. So what I'm trying to do personally in my work is to say what is the lived experience going to be like? 'Cause I think one degree warming, two degrees warming, really? Does any of us know what that means? It means nothing. It's a global average. So what does it mean for a summertime? What's the summer like in Charlottesville? For every time it rains, does it also flood? That's a big pain. You can't get to work. Someone might die. So I'm trying to think about the lived experience. And then the localized experience.

Interview

The Regeneration

Yeah. I'm a skier, so if I'm ever on the lift and someone brings up climate change, and is in any way a doubter or a rejector of mainstream climate science, my response is, "Do you want to be able to ski in the future? Do you want to have your ski trips?" Or if you're on the beach … you have a beachfront property, "Would you like to continue having this?" I'm sure this happens to you frequently, if you hear someone with a misinformed opinion (to put it nicely) talking about climate change, and you're in the mood to engage them, what do you say to attempt to change their mind?

I can start with what do we agree on, such as, "Do you know what the temperature record is? Would you like me to show it to you?" If we agree on that, and people say, "But it doesn't matter," then I can say something like, "Well, you understand that what we've seen is already as much change as we've ever seen as a human species. We've never seen anything bigger than this in terms of up or down. One degree, we've never seen it. So anything more than this is outside of our experience. And in the last few hundred years, when we became civilized, everything we did, agriculture, ports, infrastructure, cities ... We've never lived in such a climate." So I try to make the case that it could really be quite different and not better. But say we don't even agree on the record, I don't know what to do with that. If people don't agree that the [temperature] record exists or that it's valid, I don't actually think you're supposed to talk to those people. Because I don't think they're going to hear me if they can't agree on the record. And I'm not saying you have to be in my sandbox before I'll talk 28

to you, but it's very hard when people simply will not accept things like, do you believe in physics? Do you believe that CO2 holds heat? What about basic physics? There's certainly an argument to be made to just ignore those people and continue the conversation, and they'll catch on eventually.

Well, I actually got invited to be on a panel of AM radio, and I called Mike Mann, 'cause he really is a friend. I said, "Mike, am I supposed to go on AM radio on a panel?" And he said, "No! That is a trap. Anytime there is two sides, that's a trap. Do not go on that. You don't have to." And I was like, "But aren't I supposed to try to reach those people?" He said, "You can't reach those people.” So I thought, that's too bad. In an email, you mentioned "subtle politics." Can you elaborate on what that means and why it's desirable? Well, because we're in such a sort of difficult time. “Difficult” is a mild word. “Terrible” comes to mind. We're just in such a polarized state that if we can have … I think that doing things like riding your bike or walking or eating less beef or riding around in an electric vehicle is a statement. And it is saying, "This is who I am." And yet, it's not the same as having an argument. It's just saying, "This is what I value. This is who I am." My laundry is out on the line, and I don't think anyone else … [Maybe] maybe one other neighbor does it. It's where they can all see it, and it's kind of on purpose. 'Cause it's like you know what? We all have laundry, and this is clean, and it's dried in the sun, and it smells so good, and it's free. So why wouldn't we all do that?

Interview

Subtle politics is just trying to do something that you know is political, in that everything we do is political, and yet not have an argument, and not get stuck feeling like we have to get on sides. Really, you could say to anyone, "Do you think you could have meat one time less a week?" To my mind, that doesn't seem like giving up a lot. And in fact, it might be unleashing all sorts of things, like learning how to cook something else or exploring vegetables you never ate before. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s next for Write Climate?

... We're doing it again at UVA, Then we're going to go into the high schools in Charlottesville, and we're going to try to galvanize people outside â&#x20AC;Ś My goal is really not to just be in schools or places of education, but that's where I'm comfortable.

But I would like to be at Kroger. I would like to be at the public library. I would like to be at a carwash. I'd like to just be out there, everywhere, with people.Because ultimately, we do have to touch more than just the people that are already probably thinking about it. So that's my goal. If you had just one message to give to our readers, in one minute or less, related to climate change, what would that message be?

We can do this. We still have time. We have everything we need. We just need to act. Perfect.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. 29

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Check them out at: sitka.ca Follow them: @sitka_

Sitka creates outdoor essentials that supplement (y)our connection to the wild. That means highquality goods and an overall need for less, support for local economy and culture, reduced environmental impact, and funding for preservation projects. Their mission is to conserve and restore land, water and air in coastal British Columbia to promote the sustainability and resilience of our communities. They seek to achieve their mission by pursuing and supporting initiatives that improve our understanding of the natural world and our place within it. They support initiatives by providing funding, which is raised through Sitka's 1% for the planet program.

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Check them out at: keapbk.com Follow them: @keapbk

Keap was started with the simple yet lofty mission to make candles better: using the finest fragrances and purest materials available, and a long-term commitment to eco-effective luxury. Primarily sold via a CSA-like subscription, Keap candle shipments come in rotating seasonal selections, accompanied by collectible limited-edition marchboxes by local artists, as well as many other perks. Keap works closely with SolarAid to create a solar revolution: Every candle they sell supports distribution costs to get solar lamps to communities in need through their Buy a Candle, Light a Home program. Use code REGENERATIONDISCOVERYSET at checkout to get a complimentary discovery set gift card when you sign up for a candle membership. 31

The Regeneration

Constructing new ways to communicate science through art Words & Art

Jill Pelto

Art is a uniquely articulate and emotional lens. Through it, you can address environmental concerns to raise awareness and inspire people to take action. The following pieces are drawn on charts reflecting actual climate change data. Data sources may be found in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;galleryâ&#x20AC;? page at jillpelto.com. 32

Art

Progression

Progression uses data showing the increase in overall use of renewable energy by the United States over the last decade. As a country, we are working toward a goal, but we still have a long way to climb.

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Dwindling Migration

Dwindling Migration uses data that documents the dramatic decline in caribou population herds, focusing on the George River Caribou Herd from 1980 to present. Unfortunately, this trend is seen in most caribou herds globally.

Art

Landscape of Change

Landscape of Change uses data about sea level rise, glacier volume decline, increasing global temperatures and the growing use of fossil fuels. These data lines compose a landscape shaped by the changing climate, a world in which we now live. 35

The Regeneration

Habitat Degradation: Deforestation

Habitat Degradation: Deforestation uses data showing the decline in rainforest area from 1970 to 2010. These lush ecosystems are disappearing before our eyes, and with them, millions of beautiful species. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m quite certain that anyone would agree that a tiger is a magnificent creature, yet how many people realize that they are critically endangered? For this serie0,s I chose to separate the animals from their habitat, because that is ultimately what we are doing. The tiger is trapped outside the forest, cornered. He is defensive and angry that we are sealing his fate.

Art

Draw Your Own

2 2 2

Temperature Change (°F) Temperature Change (°F) Temperature Change (°F) Temperature Change (°F)

1.5 1.5 1.5 2 1 1 1 1.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 1 0 0 0 0.5

-0.5 -0.5 -0.5 0 -0.5

Global Air Temperature Increase Global Air Temperature Increase

https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/monitoring-references/faq/anomalies.php https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/monitoring-references/faq/anomalies.php https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/monitoring-references/faq/anomalies.php

Cause: Increased concentrations of heat trapping gases in atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide (CO22) ) Cause: Increased concentrations of heat trapping gases in atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide (CO Cause: Increased concentrations of heat trapping gases in atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide (CO 2) Effects: Habitat change, drought, forest fires, glacier melt, and sea level rise Effects: Habitat change, drought, forest fires, glacier melt, and sea level rise Effects: Habitat change, drought, forest fires, glacier melt, and sea level rise

Global Air Temperature Increase

https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/monitoring-references/faq/anomalies.php

Cause: Increased concentrations of heat trapping gases in atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) Effects: Habitat change, drought, forest fires, glacier melt, and sea level rise

Jill Pelto is an artist and scientist, currently pursuing a career that combines both. She recently completed a masters of science studying the Antarctic ice sheet at the University of Maine, where she also completed degrees in studio art and

earth science. Her goal is to collaborate in order to reach a broader audience. She is teaming up with fellow scientists, artists and people from any discipline to reach that goal. Purchase prints and view her entire gallery at jillpelto.com. 37

The Regeneration

If you support local climate change action, then support your local science museum Words Photos 38

Jeremy Hoffman, Ph.D. Davis Burroughs and the Science Museum of Virginia

Essay

On July 13, 2017, the weather in Richmond, Virginia, felt like the inside of someone’s mouth — and we wanted it that way. A team of citizen scientists, led by the Science Museum of Virginia, set out to collect data that would transform the way our community discusses and addresses climate change for decades to come. In 2015, the museum received a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Education to communicate climate change and resilience to guests. We quickly assessed that without making a clear connection between global climate change and the daily experiences of people in the city of Richmond, we weren’t going to inspire anyone to take action. We needed to localize climate change and resilience practices, and we needed data to do it. We decided to lead a group of volunteers from nonprofits, government agencies and universities to map the city’s exposure to extreme heat. Richmond is well acquainted with hot, sticky summers. With usual high temperatures in the mid-80s and persistent high relative humidity, our “feels-like” temperatures regularly soar above 90 degrees from June to August. Heat-trapping greenhouse gases emitted from human activities have intensified summers in Richmond (and around the U.S.). The number of days that hit or break 95 degrees Fahrenheit has increased locally,

and by mid-century we might experience more than 30 additional such heat days. The urban heat island effect only exacerbates the issue. Human landscapes (roads, parking lots, brick and steel) absorb more of the sun’s energy than natural landscapes (native trees, grasses and shrubs). The human landscapes reemit that energy back into the surrounding air as heat. To a lesser degree, human sources of heat emitted from engines, heating and cooling units, and lighting also contribute to urban heat islands. This phenomenon, first discovered in the 1810s, amplifies heat extremes within cities and towns by 10-20 degrees or more. In other words, you might physically 39

The Regeneration

experience a heat wave much more acutely than your neighbor. Understanding the urban heat island effect is different from knowing how it impacts individuals. To capture localized data in Richmond, we invited several partner organizations â&#x20AC;&#x201D; including the Portland State University Sustaining Urban Places Research Lab, the primary researchers behind this technique â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to traverse the city by car with us during a 99 degree heat wave. We went out at 6 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. to catch the full range of daily temperatures. 40

Sensors hanging out of our vehicle windows measured air temperatures every second, while a GPS device recorded where we were over time. Using that information, we collected 130,000 data points and mapped the exposure to extreme heat in every neighborhood. The results show there is a 16-degree difference in temperature between sections of Richmond that are less than 2 miles apart. We expect more of these 95 degree (and hotter) days in the future, so

Essay

understanding how they are intensified or muted by a cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design, building materials and green spaces is essential for understanding our cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exposure to a changed climate. More importantly, it will help our city explore options, develop and prioritize strategies, and take action now to become more resilient to future heat extremes. For example, we have seen from analyzing local health records that during 95 degree or hotter days more people suffer heat-related illnesses.

If we identify the hottest parts of the city, agencies can focus efforts to provide cooling stations or focus green infrastructure initiatives in those areas. Since the citizen science-led campaign in 2017, the urban heat island assessment of Richmond has been leveraged within a long-range city planning document and in the development of a mid-century greenhouse gas reduction plan. It has also inspired boots-on-the-ground education programs for several classrooms and after-school programs. In addition, it led 41

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to urban heat island campaigns headed by the National Aquarium in Baltimore and supported by the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., in August 2018. More science museums across the country should be inserting themselves into the local climate change conversation by coordinating action in their communities. As the most trusted source of scientific information in many communities, we can inspire people to help build resilience to climate change through actionable, citizen science-driven campaigns. Informed residents lead to policies and plans that acknowledge and take appropriate steps to mitigate climate change impacts, benefiting everyone in the process. 42

Assessing urban heat is just one way the Science Museum of Virginia is empowering its guests from all backgrounds to get involved in building resilience. If you support local climate change action and want to know how you can help further this cause in your area, then support your local science museum. Seek it out, find out what it is doing regarding climate change research and ask how you can join the local climate change conversation. Together, you could help transform your community for decades to come. Jeremy Hoffman, Ph.D., is a climate and earth scientist with the Science Museum of Virginia, an organization inspiring Virginians to enrich their lives through science.

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Part Two

Climate Activism in the Age of Disinformation Fake news is often little more than a moniker used by authoritarians to undermine independent scrutiny and justify policies that ignore science and facts. Nonetheless, it is increasingly difficult to distinguish truth from fiction, so activists and influencers must innovate new strategies to mobilize the public around science-based solutions to the climate crisis.

Climate Activism Introduction

Photo Mirah Curzer 45

The Regeneration

Young people are speaking. Listen up. Words Photos

Ashley Goetz Josue Rivas

Profile

Indigenous hip-hop artist Xiuhtezcatl is taking the climate change battle to the courts and using music as a platform for change. A 6-year-old boy stands on a small stage. Gaze fixed on the audience, he says: “I came to talk to you about how sacred the earth is.”

Understanding and recognizing it as a voice for marginalized communities, for oppressed peoples who were ignored and left behind by the system,” he said.

Fast forward 12 years, and that boy is still at a microphone with a story to tell. Only now, the words tumble from his mouth in rhythmic procession, gliding between melodies as they rise and fall to a beat.

At a young age he began playing keys, writing lyrics and making beats on his computer, and it grew from there. His music is a source of self-expression and, he hopes, a way to inspire a movement. “I’m on the stage so that the brief spark of my life doesn’t go out,” he says on the track “Tiahuiliz / Light.”

Xiuhtezcatl (shu-TEZ-kaht) Martinez is a hip-hop artist and indigenous environmental activist. Raised in the traditions of the Meshika people, the Aztec people of Mexico City, he was taught that he has a responsibility to protect the land, the water, the earth and his culture. His family encouraged him to find his voice and to use it — and he has. At 11, he lobbied for a moratorium against fracking in his home state of Colorado. At 15, he addressed the United Nations about the urgency of acting to combat climate change. At 17, he published his first book. And this fall, the 18-year-old released his debut solo album, called “Break Free.” Xiuhtezcatl (who goes by his first name) will tell you he’s trilingual, speaking Spanish, English and Nahuatl, the native language of the Meshika. But music is his language, too. “I was always in love with the culture of hip-hop, with the energy and the movement of hip-hop.

Xiuhtezcatl wrote and co-produced every song on the album, where he raps about mobilizing the masses, planting seeds to grow a movement and the dangers of putting “profits over people, progress over the planet.” These aren’t new ideas for him, but hip-hop has provided a new way to amplify them. When he’s not producing music, Xiuhtezcatl travels the globe in his role as youth director for Earth Guardians, a nonprofit that empowers kids to make change in their communities. He’s also one of 21 youth plaintiffs suing the federal government for the legal right to a safe climate. Juliana v. United States — sometimes called the children’s climate case or Youth v. Gov. — was first filed in 2015, and is supported by Our Children’s Trust, a nonprofit based in Eugene, Oregon. 47

The Regeneration

Xiuhtezcatl and Olsen have been working together on climate litigation for eight years. “I love her so dearly,” he said of Olsen. “She is such a fucking badass.” Olsen said the feeling is mutual. “I always just saw in him this deep wisdom and strength … It's a good synergy to be doing this work together,” she added. In what other legal experts have called “creative lawyering,” the plaintiffs argue that allowing atmospheric pollution violates the public trust doctrine — which holds that the government must protect and maintain certain resources that are preserved for public use.

The young plaintiffs, now between the ages of 11 and 22, assert that the federal government’s affirmative actions to promote the use of fossil fuels violate their Constitutional rights to life, liberty and property. “The United States government has known for well over 50 years that if they continue to promote a fossil fuel energy system that the pollution from that system would cause catastrophic climate change and put later generations in danger,” said Julia Olsen, who represents the youth plaintiffs. “Notwithstanding that longstanding knowledge … [the government has] continued to facilitate and promote and permit and subsidize and invest in a fossil fuel energy system for the nation.” 48

The case employs a concept coined Atmospheric Trust Litigation, which reasons that the atmosphere is one of these public resources. Therefore, the government has a responsibility to protect it, both by preventing future damage and repairing past harms As Xiuhtezcatl puts it, the lawsuit deals “directly with survival” — that of his and future generations, who have contributed the least to climate change yet stand to lose the most. The plaintiffs are asking the court to “prepare and implement an enforceable national remedial plan to phase out fossil fuel emissions and draw down excess atmospheric CO2 so as to stabilize the climate system and protect the vital resources on which plaintiffs now and in the future will depend.” “If the climate recovery and the remedy that we’re demanding were to be put in place, that would be monumental,” Xiuhtezcatl said. The government counters that the lawsuit is “an

Illustration

Holly Broderick

Profile

unconstitutional attempt to use a single court to control the entire nation’s energy and climate policy,” according to a statement from Jeffrey Wood, acting assistant attorney general for the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. But it is not the first time a matter with broad national implications has been brought before the judiciary. Other landmark civil rights decisions have been decided in court, including Obergefell v. Hodges, which confirmed the right to same-sex marriage. Faced with an executive branch that denies climate science and a legislative branch in a continuous stalemate, citizens are left with few other options than to take the climate fight to the courts.

But a victory for the children’s climate case won’t come easy. And neither, it seems, will a court date. For three years, the federal government has made repeated attempts to have the case thrown out — first from the Obama administration and now, with increased resoluteness, from the Trump administration. “[Trump] doesn’t play fair, you know?” said Xiuhtezcatl. “He’s trying to avoid being held accountable for what we’re demanding in this lawsuit.” The Ninth Circuit Court has already denied three attempts to dismiss the case. “The Trump administration is pulling out every tactic they can to try and stop us, [but] we keep overcoming those tactics,” Olsen said. In the latest upset, the 49

The Regeneration

"If he delays it another five, 10 times, we're still gonna be here ... But time is running out quickly. We're just in a really precarious place."

Supreme Court handed down a stay of trial just days before the case was to begin.

impacted by unprecedented droughts, wildfires, floods and food shortages.

Oct. 29 arrived and the young plaintiffs found themselves relegated to the steps of the courthouse, rather than inside. It was a brisk, rainy day, which Olsen described as emotionally heavy. Though disappointed by another delay, they refuse to back down. “If he delays it another five, 10 times, we’re still gonna be here,” Xiuhtezcatl said. “But time is running out quickly,” he added. “We’re just in a really precarious place.”

On Nov. 2, for the second time, the Supreme Court denied the federal government’s application to keep Juliana v. United States from proceeding (though Justices Gorsuch and Thomas would have granted the petition). Less than a week later, a panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted, in part, the Trump administration’s motion for a temporary stay of District Court trial proceedings.

In October, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a new report stating that the planet could reach disastrous levels of global warming as early as 2040. In the midst of such a climate crisis, millions of people could be

However, Our Children’s Trust said in a press release that U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken “indicated she would promptly issue a trial date once the Ninth Circuit lifts the temporary stay it placed on trial.”

Profile

The Regeneration

“I am gonna show the world that it doesn’t take being in presidential office to make change, to reach people, to inspire the masses.”

Interview

Illustration

Holly Broderick

The Regeneration

Profile

In the meantime, Olsen is left not just playing the role of lawyer, but also of morale-booster. “I just try to continually remind these young people that movement building and social justice and big, important constitutional cases didn't come without struggle, and [setbacks are] part of the process,” she said. “I've been there to give them hugs while they cried, and definitely just try to lift them up as much as we can, and hold them as we get through this.” As the lawyers dig their heels in, determined to make sure that these kids see their day in court, life outside the lawsuit rolls steadily on. For Xiuhtezcatl, that means his focus can return to music. When developing a new song, he prefers to start with the instrumentals. “My inspiration to write lyrics comes from understanding the sonic bed it’s going to lay upon. I rarely write without a beat,” he said. He admires artists like Logic, Noname and Anderson Paak for their willingness to experiment with sound and stage performance. “I respect the way he does music and the passion and how real and soulful his art is,” he said of Paak. “All these young, new artists that have a different sound and a different vibe … It inspires me to push myself beyond.” As with most young people, Xiuhtezcatl uses social media to amplify his message. Like music, it’s another outlet to share his story, his thoughts and the way he feels about the world. As a lifelong climate warrior, his social media audience is diverse, encompassing generations of people inspired by his environmental advocacy.

And as he finds his own voice through music, that audience has expanded to include more of his peers. That’s exciting, he said, because “it’s showing people that the life of somebody who is heavily involved in movements isn’t something that is stale and boring and linear.” As to what comes next, he plans to follow whatever path gives his voice the greatest impact. “I am gonna show the world that it doesn’t take being in presidential office to make change, to reach people, to inspire the masses,” he said. “I want to be able to do that as an artist, as an entrepreneur, as an activist, as someone that is fighting on the front lines, as an educator, as a movement designer. I don’t wanna have to be looped into this political sphere of change to have people believe my voice will matter. Fuck. That.” -Donate/Support ourchildrenstrust.org earthguardians.org Follow @xiuhtezcatl @youthvgov / #youthvgov @earthguardianz Listen Buy "Break Free" at xiuhtezcatl.com or listen on your favorite musicstreaming platform. Subscribe to the “No Ordinary Lawsuit” podcast on iTunes Stay in-the-know youthvgov.org

The Regeneration

Interview

John Oppermann

Executive Director of Earth Day Initiative Interview Photos

Kyle Calian Earth Day Initiative

As executive director of Earth Day Initiative, John Oppermann manages a breadth of activities, from the organization’s annual Earth Day events to its year-round programs, which include a sustainable food toolkit aimed at high school students and a renewable energy initiative.

Kyle Calian: How did you end up at Earth Day Initiative? John Opperman: I went to law school knowing that I did not want to be a lawyer, but I wanted to work in the environmental and sustainability fields. So I went in talking to various alumni and people that were working in areas I thought were interesting. Maybe they were working for an NGO ... or working for some company in a sustainability role. I just talked to them and said, “Do you think law school helped get you to where you are now?” Everyone said yes. Basically, you come out of law school with a lot of great connections. It opens a lot of doors. People sort of trust you to be competent if you're a lawyer, for better or worse.

During law school, I really focused on environmental law, environmental policy, climate change issues, natural resources issues. I really oriented all of my coursework and clinical work toward environmental stuff. After law school, I briefly worked for a corporate law firm … just to get some experience in the legal field. Then, I found a position at this organization, Earth Day Initiative, and started working for them in a deputy director role, supporting some of their programs and putting together the large-scale Earth Day events that we do. A few years after that, there was an opportunity to transition into the executive director role. It suited me really well, because I had always sort of wanted to start my own thing, maybe my own nonprofit or company around sustainability. But 57

The Regeneration

this was an opportunity to move into an executive director role within an existing organization with a very long history and a lot of connections from all of the work that the organization has done over the years. So tell me a little bit about what Earth Day Initiative does. Earth Day Initiative started out in 1990, organizing super large-scale Earth Day events for the 20th anniversary of Earth Day ... The first Earth Day was in 1970. But then 20 years later, people looked around and were kind of like, oh, a lot of this stuff really isn't solved. We have a ton of environmental challenges still. So people were galvanized around the environmental movement again, to make a really big stand to call for environmental action in 1990. That's when our organization was born. 58

Every year since then, we obviously put together large-scale Earth Day events to get people involved in various environmental causes and connect them to different things that they could do to green their own lifestyles. Over the years, we've also developed yearround programs. We have a sustainable food education program, we have a green building publication, we have a renewable energy campaign â&#x20AC;&#x201D; all these things that we do throughout the year to bring the sort of "Earth Day, every day" ethos to our work with the community. When did you realize you wanted to work on sustainability? I think I was always interested in environmental issues and sustainability, because my dad really instilled that in me and my sister. My dad is a landscape

Interview

architect and land planner, so he will lay out new developments in the area where I grew up, in Kansas City. He always brought an environmental lens to that, where he would really design neighborhoods that had as little environmental impact as possible, in terms of laying out where streets would go and sewers and the whole system.

Gotcha. What are some trends you're seeing in the world of sustainability right now? What are some things that you've seen change with the Trump administration and how crazy things are currently in the federal government? How do you see the world changing?

He was always very much in tune with nature and the environment, and it was just a passion of his. I think it sort of seeped into us. So when I was looking at going to law school and was sort of figuring out what I wanted to do, around the age of 23 or so, I just kind of naturally zeroed in on sustainability and environmental work. It's something that's just always been there, and it's something that I've always really cared about.

Before we had the Paris Climate Agreement, I felt like a lot of the international conferences and summits convening various leaders from around the world to talk about how we could actually create an agreement to deal with climate change â&#x20AC;Ś They actually worked as an incubator for a lot of different actors who were interested in taking action on climate change, but they weren't necessarily leaders of countries.

The Regeneration

Interview

"People are just clamoring for, 'What can I do? What is something that I can do to move us in a positive direction when it looks like things are still moving in the wrong direction?'" So NGOs, companies large and small, individuals, regional, state and local governments were all really interested in doing something to tackle climate change â&#x20AC;&#x201D; even when not much was happening at a global level, country to country, to create a global framework to deal with climate change. These conferences and these summits would act as a sort of connector, where all these different groups would come together and say, "Oh, our local government's doing this over here around climate change. It sounds like your company is doing this other thing over here around climate change. Maybe we could work together somehow." All these partnerships and collaborations would come out of these summits, where people were moving forward regardless of a lack of international agreement. So a lot was happening at all different levels by people really eager to tackle the issue. And they did great work for a very long time. So the Paris Climate Agreement happened and, finally, there was this international framework to deal with climate change. Then, the Trump administration announced that the U.S.

was going to pull out of that. But I think that really meant that the collaboration and spirit of partnership around climate pollution, among all of these other actors not necessarily at the country level, was just put on steroids. The Paris Climate Agreement existing and then being taken away meant that all of these actors were really galvanized to say, "Well, we're just gonna move forward without you. We had this agreement that we were very excited about and that we thought was going to create progress for the world. But now that it could potentially be taken away, well, we're just gonna move forward even more strongly, regardless of what the U.S. government decides to do on this issue." â&#x20AC;Ś I think under this administration, people are really eager to move things in a positive direction, because they are so horrified by the things that are happening. Not just in the environmental space but, obviously, in terms of civil rights and the economy and just a lot of different issues. I think that's definitely true in the environmental space. People are just clamoring for, "What can I do? What is something that I can do to move us in a 61

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positive direction when it looks like things are still moving in the wrong direction?" So people have really empowered themselves and are looking for ways that they can get involved and not see us backslide on the progress that we have made around climate and other environmental issues. Earth Day Initiative works on a lot of events. Are there any upcoming events we should know about? Well, we're already gearing up for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. The 50th anniversary is in 2020, and we were already preparing … but then with the 2016 election, 2020 all of a sudden started 62

looming large in the minds of a lot of people as a date that was very important, because that's the next presidential election. And 2020 is also the year that the U.S. could technically pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement, officially. So, for several reasons, we're looking toward 2020. And we're already gearing up for the 50th anniversary with events next spring and [in] 2019 that will act as a sort of countdown to the 20th anniversary of Earth Day. You’re a nonprofit, but can you tell me a little bit about how you’re funded and the partnerships you have? Yeah. So we are a federal 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and we raise some of our money

Interview

through corporate partnerships — various companies that wanna support our events and our year-round programs. So we'll get grants from different companies that wanna support the work that we're doing. We also [work] with partners that logically make a good fit, such as electric vehicle and other companies that sort of have a sustainable angle to what they're doing. Who are some of your biggest influences, or leaders you're looking to right now? I think, actually, Christiana Figueres and what she did with putting together the Paris Climate Agreement was really interesting, because the approach that she took was very much making the most of a difficult situation. The way that she put together the Paris Climate Agreement was through differentiated commitments that sort of fit the different situations of the countries that she was talking to. So it wasn't the talk-down approach, where it was like every country is going to commit to X, Y and Z. She went to each country and said, "What can you do? What's the commitment that you can bring to the table on this?" So each country made a substantial commitment, but it wasn't necessarily the same commitment. I thought that was a really interesting and inspiring approach that kind of parallels what we try to do with various organizations or individuals that we work with. We basically go to the public and say, do what you can. What you do might differ from what your neighbor does, but you can do your own thing. Just figure out what, exactly, that is.

We try to do that with our "Do Just One Thing" campaign, which is getting people to switch over to renewable energy in whatever way they can. It's not necessarily the same for everyone. So if you live in the suburbs, maybe you could install solar panels on your house. But if you live in the city, you're gonna need to look to other options, like joining an ESCO or a community solar project, because it's not really gonna be the same as what someone living in a single-family house could do. So what's the one thing someone trying to combat climate change could do right now that would have the most impact? There's obviously a ton of different things that people could do to have an impact, but the impetus behind our Do Just One Thing campaign was really to cut through all of the noise and the abundance of information that organizations like ours try to supply people [with] when they're looking to make a positive impact. Because organizations like ours try to be comprehensive, so we'll give people a list of, “Here's 100 things that you can do to green your lifestyle.” But the problem is, any study of human nature shows that if a person is presented with a list of 100 things to do, they're not even going to do one of them, because it's too overwhelming and they don't know where to start. So our Do Just One Thing campaign tries to cut through all of that and simplify things … After they've done that first thing, then we can follow up with additional things. Because chances are, if you were motivated enough to do the first thing, then you 63

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Kyle Calian

The Regeneration

Interview

might also be motivated enough to do a second thing if we compartmentalize it and give you just one thing at a time. We really focused in on renewable energy, because we wanted something that existed at the intersection of convenience and impact. There are a lot of options where it's insanely simple to switch over to renewable energy, [or] to support renewable energy on an ongoing basis â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to do it one time and then you don't even have to think about it again. Because you're supporting it through, for instance, your regular utility bill. That has this impact every month, where you're channeling your dollars toward a more positive solution of renewable energy rather than fossil fuels. So it really sits at this intersection of convenience and impact. The third thing that was also important to us was metrics. So much of what environmentalists do is encourage people to make changes in their lives that will have a more positive environmental impact. The problem is, a lot of those things are not measurable to us. If we do a campaign around eating more sustainably and encouraging people, for instance, to eat less meat, that's great if people actually change their habits. But that's very difficult for us to measure. So we could have a huge campaign, and we have had projects, encouraging people to eat more sustainably. But then, I have no idea what you went home and put in your mouth that night. I don't know if you ate more sustainably or ate less meat. There's just no way of us measuring that.

The renewable energy project is a really great solution, because people sign up through our website or through different referral links that we've set up. So then we can really measure our impact. We can see what messages are resonating with people and how many people we're actually getting to switch over. Awesome. Final question: Is there anything you do or that you carry with you to help reduce your own impact, your own waste? I try to overcome the natural human instinct of grabbing free things. Because as someone working in the environmental field, I can't even tell you how many tote bags I have accumulated over time, where people are trying to do a positive thing by giving [them] away, for instance â&#x20AC;Ś I try to overcome that impulse to just take free things. I say, how many tote bags do I actually need? That's how many I'll take. So trying to minimize consumption, even when it's very easy to consume â&#x20AC;Ś really trying to not take the things that I'm not actually gonna use at the end of the day. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. Check them out online at: earthdayinitiative.org Follow them at: @earthdayinitiative

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Geordie Wood

The Regeneration

Role Model Management: Using social media for good Words

Anne Therese Bengtsson

The influence, role and accessibility of celebrities have changed dramatically over the last five years — for the better. Today, the line between big screen starlets and Instagram celebrities is blurred. Clients not only expect models and actresses to show up on set, but also to establish authentic bonds and trust with their audiences to help push the client’s marketing agendas. What does that mean for a new generation of models, actors, musicians and other public figures with thousands, sometimes 66

millions of people looking up to them? Do they realize the responsibility that comes with the platform today’s social media offers? And in a world where positive activists are more needed than ever, what does it mean to be an influencer? Role Models Management™, launched in 2017 by myself and Los Angeles-based model and actress Val Emanuel, is a model and talent agency on a mission to represent social influencers who wish to use their voices and platforms for good.

Who We're Following

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Randy Tizon

The Regeneration

In its first year, Role Models Management onboarded models from all corners of the world. Our talent includes body-positive athletes in their mid-40s, vegan models running the mountains of France and eco-warriors marching the streets of New York City. Each model has a personal mission, which they passionately share on Instagram and other social platforms. They all believe in the individual’s power to be a positive influence and to speak their truth, which was not taught by many of their previous agencies. “I remember earlier this year, during all the political uproar, models asking me if it was OK to post their political views on their social media. And I thought, wow, they are really afraid to let it be known what side of Black Lives Matter they are on, because they are afraid Nike will not book them,” Val explained. They are all so different though. One minute you’re reading up on an ex-NASA engineer who is also vegan and posed for Playboy, and the next you can be looking at Dane Johnson, who has helped thousands of people through his private practice, Chrons Colitis Lifestyle.

In a recent collaboration, one of Role Models’ Muslim models, Jaz Moshiri, proudly wore a hijab in the Pure Barre’s 2017 campaign. We hope the inclusiveness and diversity clients have been asking for is not a trend. We welcome all on our roster, although our models’ bubbly personalities and bright social media pages have helped us book commercial clients in need of fashion models. That is primarily what Role Models does now, although we are adding two new agents and a kick-ass public relations team to help further our mission as we close out 2018. Role Models Mgmt™ represents models with healthy beliefs and values. They believe that today’s models and influencers have an incredible responsibility and power to influence — a power to use that given platform to set standards and promote a lifestyle that is beneficial for the individual and the planet. With Role Models Mgmt, you’re not just a model, you’re a Role Model.

Illustration Holly Broderick

The idea for the agency came about when Val and I bonded over a mutual feeling of disconnect between the industry and the values that they wanted to portray. Having come together right as we were helping propel the Times Up movement, we believed that there must be other models out there who felt the same way — models who wanted to work with agents that put moral principles, not clients, first. There was also a growing need for models who wished to work with fair trade brands and promote social change.

Who We're Following

Renee Peters

Rachel Ford

Renee is a lifelong animal lover and nature enthusiast. She tries to give back to the planet and the natural world by using her platform as a model to reshape the way people think about the environment and their role in protecting it. In 2015, she launched her blog, Model4greenliving, to provide practical tips and everyday actions that encourage mindful, sustainable living. She aims to be a body, mind and planet-positive example for everyone â&#x20AC;&#x201D; for those who care about the environment but aren't sure what they can do to help, and for those who have never considered their environmental impact.

Rachel is a plant-powered model, fashion activist and sustainability enthusiast who believes that being human is a given, but that keeping our humanity is a choice. Through modeling and Instagram she passionately shares her values and her message is clear:

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@renee.elizabethpeters

Brett Warren brettwarrenphotography.com

@itsrachelford

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Clothe yourself in compassion. Nourish your body with kindness. Radiate love and positivity. Live each day as an example. Be the change you wish to see in this world. The choices we make today affect tomorrow. The future is in our handsâ&#x20AC;?

Mathilde Bresson @mathildebresson 69

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Dan Pontarlier

Milena Majewska

A full-body tattooed college professor with the passion for sustainable fashion and travel. He teaches sustainability and tourism, and promotes a conscious lifestyle via his blog: sustainable-man.com.

From entering the modeling world and the lifestyle that comes with that, traveling a lot and living abroad, Milena realized that she was given an amazing opportunity to learn about the world and people. To her, being in the fashion industry wasn’t just a job to pay the bills but a passion in life. Recently, as she’s become aware of the negative impact that certain parts of the fashion industry have on people and the environment, she’s realized that our common concern is moving toward a more conscious lifestyle.

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@dpontarlier

Rocío García García

@milamajewska

Aleksandra Medvey Gruszka

Who We're Following

Carolina Fontaneti

Philip Mangan

Carolina is an environmental activist and vegan living in New York City, with a passion for taking the fashion industry to a new level of consciousness, where all sides would be benefited: client, model, consumer and, most importantly, the environment. Through her modeling platform and social media she’s trying to teach that every single one of us has a huge impact on the collective and that when our talents and gifts are gathered and we work with them for the greater good, abundance will flourish.

Philip’s passion is helping people become more mindful of their actions by inspiring them from his own experiences. He wants to use his modeling platform to inform others about the environmental issues our planet is facing and bring awareness to the sustainable measures we can all take to make a difference. He’s currently the director of sustainable culture for Our Children’s Earth Foundation, and he volunteers his free time with GrowNYC, helping educate others about recycling as well as performing textile and food-scrap collection at green markets throughout the city.

Photo Bruna Del Bortol @LesPetis

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@carolfontaneti

@the_veganmodel

Lisa Richov 71

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How are you using social media to influence positive change? I'm authentically and unapologetically creating and hope it inspires others to do the same. Everything I share on social media is a representation of how I see and interact with the world. As an influencer, I have the opportunity and responsibility to shift people's perception of what is possible by not just thinking outside the box but by living outside the box. The best way to predict the future is to create it. It's in our hands now, and these hands can be used to heal and create or to destroy and desecrate. What do we choose?

That feral flow That mystic glow Keeper of Secrets Mostly her own .:.

Mini interview with Alea Rain @alea.rain

How did you end up as a model and dancer? I consider myself a movement artist and creative director â&#x20AC;&#x201D; dancing and modeling are just a part of that. I've always been one to express myself through art, whether that be words, photography, painting, movement ... but dance has always been my soul food, where I feel most myself. Since I was a little kid I was dancing in the streets, in the forests, on the beach and through grocery store aisles ... Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s my spiritual practice as well as my art and career. I never had a plan to become a model or dancer. I've just spent my life exploring and expressing, and it's led me to creating all sorts of visual content. 72

Who We're Following

If you had a magic wand and could fix any problem, what would you fix? Whoa, that's a tough question. I would have everyone in the world meditating. Every. Single. Day. I think if everyone was able to tap into the collective consciousness that would resolve most of our problems across the board.

the limits of what is possible. Because we create the limits, and we create the possibilities. So just keep going. What book are you currently reading? “The Untethered Soul,” by Michael A. Singer and, “Demian,” by Herman Hesse.

What's the most important lesson you've learned recently? To follow my intuition, not just listen to it, but to take action on it. And to keep going, no matter how shattered or shaken I may feel at times, constantly push past 73

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Davis Burroughs

The Regeneration

Interview

Donald McEachin

U.S. Rep. wants to bring environmentalism to the ‘kitchen table,’ but do voters?

Interview

Davis Burroughs, IV

Congressman A. Donald McEachin was elected in 2016 to represent the 4th Congressional District of Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives. In his tenure thus far, McEachin has been elected co-president of the freshman class and appointed regional whip. He also serves as a member of the Leader’s Environmental Messaging Team. Davis Burroughs: Within three months of assuming office in the House of Representatives, you started the United for Climate and Environmental Justice Task Force. What’s the origin story there? What sort of life experiences or teachings led you to make issues of environmental justice a top priority as a new federal lawmaker? Donald McEachin: Well, you know, I had my previous experience in the state Legislature. And, to be quite honest with you, not too far from here is a landfill that has just been the plague of the neighborhood that surrounds it. They were bringing those issues to me when I was in the state Senate, so it started triggering that issue of making sure that people of color are included in the conversation about the environment. That landfill in Henrico, Virginia, was put out here when there was nothing but farmland.

One of the challenges, I’m almost convinced of this, was that when they started to develop this part of town no one of color was coming to the planning commission meetings. They decided they would do affordable housing out here. So how is it that when these houses were constructed around this landfill — were people of color actually involved in the planning process and the zoning process? Because, really, there should be no houses out there. I mean, we can talk about and debate the merits of landfills, but if there's a landfill there, it shouldn't be so close to housing. So that whole experience in trying to push back on what was going on, trying to get DEQ to do the right thing and cite these people, penalize these people more and more. Eventually everything worked out, to a degree. It's still there, it still has its issues, but it's not as bad as it was. Those things 75

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led me to think about the fact that African Americans, in particular, people of color in general, need to be more involved in environmental issues. You mentioned everything worked out. What were some of the solutions that you were able to achieve?

Illustration Hannah Salyer

Change of ownership was the big thing. Ultimately, these huge fines got to the point where one owner pulled out and another owner came in. I think, generally, when we talk about addressing issues of racial injustice or socioeconomic inequality, the environment isn't necessarily the first topic that comes to mind. So as an advocate for this issue, how do you describe the link between environmental issues or hazards, and issues affecting the prosperity of lower income groups or communities of color? Well, you know, what we have to do is make sure that we are educating people to make sure they understand there's a link between clean air and asthma. There's a link between clean water and cognitive abilities. So, that's the biggest challenge. And one of the things that impacted me so much to even be into the environment was my seminary experience of Virginia Union University and the whole notion of "creation care." I absolutely believe that if we can educate people to get this notion of being good environmental stewards through to the kitchen table ... I like to talk to about the kitchen table discussions, right? When you're at the kitchen table, you're talking to kids 76

Interview

"We have to start telling Americans, and this includes people of color and African Americans, what's in it for them. And what can be in it for them is more, better-paying jobs. Because as we talk about infrastructure reform, we need to be talking about it from a green perspective." about homework. You're talking to your wife or your husband about how we're going to handle the bills this month. You're talking about a lot of issues that impact you on a daily basis. We've got to get environmental issues to that level, because they do in fact impact people on a daily basis. One of the ways we go about doing that is to preach it in our churches. So one of the things that Virginia Union has done, which I think is so wonderful, through the School of Theology is that they've got a green curriculum to start teaching preachers and pastors about the importance of "creation care," as they would refer to it. If it's preached, then people start paying attention to it. The other thing that we have to do is we have to realize that spirituality, morality or whatever you want to call it, is only going to get you so far. And then we have to start telling Americans, and this includes people of color and African Americans, what's in it

for them. And what can be in it for them is more, better-paying jobs. Because as we talk about infrastructure reform, we need to be talking about it from a green perspective. We need to be talking about how we start to incentivize companies into reclamation, repairing the earth. I'm a huge advocate for wind and solar, and I love talking about those issues, but I think we also need to take the discussion to the reclamation level. Like, you're aware of what they're doing in the Pacific that's so cool, right? They've got these ships that scoop up all the plastics. That's just fascinating to me, but that's only one aspect of reclamation. You know, coming up with a few ways to incentivize tree farms and everything. I mean, we could just go on and on. Talk to me a little bit more about the education component, because whether you're talking about air pollution or 77

Photo Office of Donald McEachin

The Regeneration

"Let's just make sure that people understand the importance of clean water and clean air, and the effect that has on your health. " Illustration Hannah Salyer

Interview

soil pollution or climate change, the science is difficult to understand. It's hard to draw the line between the point of pollution and the specific public health, environmental or even economic problem. What's your strategy for explaining to a constituent how these issues affect them right here, right now? You mentioned using preachers and pastors as a venue to bring that conversation to the dinner table. Anything else? It's going to be incumbent on elected leadership, social leadership, which means fraternities, sororities and different social organizations, to start grappling with this issue. We don't have to be as sophisticated as you and I might want to be when we're putting out a newspaper article; we need to Keep It Simple, Stupid, right? KISS. A lot of African Americans live in urban areas. There's no way for the heat and the C02 to escape because of the concrete and all the stuff that we've got going on. To be able to break it down and explain how that affects asthma rates, to be able to keep it simple so that it's things that people can grasp ... I don't care, I mean I do care from a philosophical standpoint, whether people buy into man-made climate change or whatever. But let's just make sure that people understand the importance of clean water and clean air, and the effect that has on your health. And there are some exciting things going on, especially in D.C. There are some physician groups that are really taking that challenge on and trying to educate their patients about that as well.

You've been working on these issues for some years. How would you describe the response from constituents when trying to push forward your agenda related to environmental justice? Do you generally find that these are issues, once you have been able to get the message through, that really resonate with people and drive them? Once people understand that there's something that's affecting them, that will motivate them. So the answer is yes. We were successful in doing that. How about motivating and engaging them politically? Yeah, I do see people getting activated once the message sticks, as you say. And, of course, that is the ultimate challenge, making sure that we show them what's in it for them. Would you say there's still a lot of untapped ... Room to grow? Yes. There's a whole bunch of room to grow, because we're not at the kitchen-table level yet, right? But I am encouraged; I see more happening today than when this started. If you continue to gain momentum within lower income groups and communities of color, could you see their influence tip the scales in favor of adopting a truly progressive environmental agenda at the federal level? 79

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Absolutely, because you're talking about numbers, right? There are a whole lot of people who are not in the environmental movement that need to be in the environmental movement. [If] we get these folks energized, you're going to see a more robust, progressive environmental movement. Another group that's maybe not as involved in the environmental movement as we'd like to be includes a majority of conservatives and Republicans. Now that you're working in the House of Representatives where it can be a bit more challenging to turn legislation into law, what do you think is the role of bipartisanship going forward in Congress concerning getting something like a carbon tax passed or reform of the Clean Air Act, or what have you? Those are going to be challenging to get done on a bipartisan basis, but that's because we're talking about the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. But interestingly enough, Creation Care is one place where the religious right and the religious left can meet. Now, we haven't done a very good job executing that plan, right? There's a book called, “Green Like God.” I can't recall the author's name, but he's actually a very conservative person. He's an evangelical. I assume he probably voted for Trump, but he's writing about green issues and how to approach those issues. So I think if we can get to a point where the rhetoric starts to dissipate a little bit and get those two wings working together, we can make some progress. 80

That's a good point. It's interesting when you look at polling on questions like, “Should the federal government regulate greenhouse gas emissions?” I wouldn't call it overwhelming support, but pretty consistently you see a majority of Americans support federal legislative action on these environmental topics. But that message isn't necessarily reflected in the policy preferences of Congress, where it tends to be a 50-50 split or worse. What do you think could be behind that? Why aren't Republicans more aligned with public opinion? It's almost the same analogy if you talk about gun safety, right? A lot of people believe in it, but they're not necessarily going to make that the issue they're voting on, right? So I think part of the challenge is that people want us to regulate greenhouse emissions, but there are issues on top of it that they care more about that really influence their vote. And those who are opposed to us know that, so they know they can sort of pat them on the head. "But look, I gave you this tax cut, or I put this judge on the court who's going to be pro-life, so you don't have to worry." You can't get me on everything, that type of attitude. I'd like to talk for a second about the role of individual action versus corporate or government action. We speak to people from all sides of this movement, and we've certainly noticed a trend toward action at the individual level, because of a perceived lack of progress with policy.

Photo Kyle Calian

Interview

"There are a whole lot of people who are not in the environmental movement that need to be in the environmental movement. [If] we get these folks energized, you're going to see a more robust, progressive environmental movement." 81

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"They're not adding up the externalities. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not adding up the health costs. They just use dollars and cents, you know basic arithmetic, but they're not factoring in the cost of health." But of course, as someone who represents the interests of your constituents, including those who have been underrepresented, when you think about some pro-environmental behaviors, many of them come with higher costs. As a simple example, purchasing a green cleaning product often costs more than the alternative. So where do you see, if any, the role of taking responsibility for your own environmental footprint? And if you do see a role there, how do you communicate that? If not, why then do you feel the onus should be more on businesses and governments? Yes, to everything. Yes, there's a role for the individual. One of the things we need to think about from a public policy point of view is this: Let's just admit to ourselves that at one time we thought the very best science we had, everything that we were taught and learned, everything said, fossil fuels and this world that we've developed so far, was the way to go. We thought that was the right thing to do. 82

Now we understand that it's not the right thing to do, and we need to be prepared to sort of pay to fix it, right? And one of the ways we pay to fix this is to provide subsidies, tax breaks, whatever you want to call them, to folks who are willing to do the right thing. And so to your point of the expensive green products, depending on what the green product is, we should either be providing people a tax break for it or a subsidy for it. Or understand, like in the case of wind and solar when the State Corporation Commission wants to say that nuclear or fossil fuels are cheaper than wind and solar, that they're not adding up all the costs. They're not adding up the externalities. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not adding up the health costs. They just use a dollar and cents, you know basic arithmetic, but they're not factoring in the cost of health. The fact that young children have to be carted off to the hospital to get their asthma taken care of, that there's lead in the water because of some of our actions.

Photo Melany Rochester

Interview

They're not calculating that, so we need to make sure that ... I call it externalities. A lot of people have different words for it, but that the externalities are factored in. Part of the reason I asked that question is because the environmental movement has certainly been criticized for being too elitist or exclusive, white, and at some points out of touch with the concerns of ordinary Americans. Would you say that's the case? I think people act in their self-interest. That's why I get back to the point that part of our challenge is to show people what's in it for them. You know, when you're a landowner, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve worked hard all your life and you've got this beautiful piece of property, and then all of a sudden Dominion wants to put

transmission lines across it, your interest has been affected, right? So now you've turned into an environmentalist, and that's fine. It's the job of all of us to make sure that everybody understands how their interests are impacted by the environment. Most of my constituents may not have hundred-acre plots, but all of them have to breathe air. All of them have to drink water. So making sure they understand the importance of clean air and clean water hopefully will get them to be more integrated into the movement. One of the policy solutions that has taken off in the last couple years, at the state and local level, has been to 83

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Photo Ishan Seefromthesky

"I've said this on the campaign trail, I'll say it on the record here. It is the most important issue of the 21st century. It's the issue that we have to get right. It's the issue that impacts everything, and every policy judgment needs to be made with the environment in mind."

Interview

introduce bans or taxes on plastic foam products or single-use plastics, bags, straws and so on. What are your thoughts on those agendas? I think that's a good approach, because the only thing that the government can do really is to give you economic incentives to behave one way or another. So doing our best to get rid of plastics, or as you say single-use â&#x20AC;Ś Single-use plastics. Single-use plastics. I like that phrase. I hadn't heard it before. Single-use plastics is an appropriate thing. Yeah. They call it the linear production model, where itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take a resource, make a product, throw it away. We work with a lot of companies who are trying to transition materials toward a circular model, or back into the life cycle to get reused again. No landfill. No virgin materials extracted. Anyway, looking forward, what are you most excited about when it comes to environmental progress? There's a lot I'm excited about, man. I want to really get into infrastructure. Making sure as we talk about it that we have a green infrastructure program going forward, especially with businesses that reclaim the earth. I really think we need to do some better work on how we dispose of our nuclear rods. I know we need to do better when it comes to coal ash. Those are just some of the things. There's nothing about the environmental issue basket that doesn't excite me. You

know, it's just a matter of whether I thought about it to tell you about it, but the whole panorama excites me. I've said this on the campaign trail, I'll say it on the record here. It is the most important issue of the 21st century. It's the issue that we have to get right. It's the issue that impacts everything, and every policy judgment needs to be made with the environment in mind. The environment being, as you mentioned, the most important issue of the 21st century. Is that, again, something that your voters are on board with? Do they agree with that? They are very generous in allowing me to be able to take that attitude. There are obviously issues that they would put higher than the environment, because they're thinking about health care ... But, nonetheless, it's incumbent upon me as a leader to sometimes try to take chances. I'm not suggesting this is a profile on courage, because there's nothing dangerous in the 4th congressional district about being an environmentalist. But being willing to talk about these issues, to try to have a dialogue with your constituency. That's one of the things I like about town halls, right? They come to me. They tell me stuff, "Oh, well, I didn't know that. That's kind of an interesting thing. Let's see if we can work on it." And I tell them stuff, and they usually have a positive reaction to the environment. Does that mean that's going to move it all the way up, so it's past health care? Not all the time. But if we keep doing it, and if we keep doing it, and if I keep doing it and others join me in doing it, we'll 85

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finally make the connection between the environment and your quality of life. Given the current makeup of Congress and the executive branch, what are some of your policy priorities related to the environment going into these next two years? You know, politics as they are, I don't know that there's anything possible with Donald Trump. But, at least in theory, he's for infrastructure. So if we can work together on infrastructure, and making sure that as we do that, that we have a green component in it, there may be some room for compromise. When you look at some of the biggest environmental movements over the past couple of decades â&#x20AC;&#x201D; whether it's Keystone or the Dakota Access Pipeline or the failure to push through Cap and Trade Legislation in the Bush Administration, withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and the demise of the Clean Power Plan with the Trump Administration â&#x20AC;&#x201D; it can be depressing to be involved on a political level with the environmental movement. Looking back at those fights, what lessons can we learn from them? And is there a better approach that activists can take in order to achieve their intended goals than what's been done in the past? I think by the time it gets to the newspaper it's too late. That's number one. Can you tell me what you mean by that? I don't think people understand the power 86

of relationship. I will confess to you that in 2005-2006 and the years preceding that, I was probably agnostic about the environment, but here's what happened. I was running for state Senate in 2007, and there was this woman who had absolutely had it, fed up with her state senator and his environmental positions. And so she just joined my campaign. You know, a campaign is not that many people when you get right down to it, the people that actually show up day in and day out. She walked with me to get petitions signed. She was out there in the sun and the rain. She took the time to make sure she knew who my wife was and my children are, and we formed a relationship, right? She's a buddy of mine. And because of that, she started talking to me about her passion, which is the James River and the environmental issues that she saw impacting that. And so, she's my friend now, right? So you care about it, I care about it. I think that's what people don't really understand, and that's what I mean by the time it's in the newspaper it's too late. Because we havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, as activists, formed those relationships to stop the bad stuff from happening in the first instance. But you've got a perfect example. Look what Jeff Flake did yesterday after he encountered those women in the elevator. But that's the bad end of it, right, where you're being browbeaten? But there's the good way, like I was faced with, somebody who just wanted to work with me. And fortunately for me in the environmental movement, I've met a lot of people who just want to work with me and help me run up the learning curve.

Interview

"You know, a campaign is not that many people when you get right down to it, the people that actually show up day in and day out."

Maybe not so much as actively volunteering for a campaign or going out to meet their representative. What's the simplest or most effective approach they can take to initiate the change that they're hoping to see? Well, if they're not willing to get involved in the political process, then they just have to do the stuff that they can do on their own to reduce their own carbon footprint. But I reject the notion ... My real answer is to tell them to get off the sofa and get involved, right? I mean, that's how our system's designed. Our system is not designed for lazy citizens. Our system is designed for people who are going to be active and for people who are going to have an encounter with their legislatures. If you're not willing to do that, then you don't really care about the issue that you're talking about. But there is a role for somebody who doesn't want to do anything and that is to do those things in their house and in their daily living that reduce their carbon footprint.

Last question for you is just to finish this sentence for me. Envision a world where ... Envision a world where we have reclaimed the earth. Period? Period. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Illustration Hannah Salyer

What about for folks that wouldn't come to a canvas launch like this or aren't too invested in what's happening in their communities, but they know a little bit and want to get involved?

The Regeneration

Plastic bans Questions to consider and strategies to follow when launching a plastic campaign Words Photo 88

Davis Burroughs, IV and Mary Madison Andrews Jordan Rathkopf

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Most of us use and dispose of it every day without considering where that petroleum-based product came from or where it went along its destructive path.

small piece of a much larger plastic problem. And so it is also encouraging that in the U.S. this year, cities including Baltimore, Seattle, Surfside and Monmouth Beach have moved to enact some sort of single-use plastic ban or fee, joining the ranks of early adopters like Washington, D.C., and the state of California.

Encouragingly, over the last year the world has been swept up in a small but growing tide of change against the exercise of sucking; plastic straws have been under the microscope of scrutiny, as people become more aware of the consequences of their actions. But straws are a

All good news, though it should be noted that without a massive cultural shift, technological revolution, or far-reaching policy intervention by governments worldwide, plastic will continue to choke wildlife, threaten public health, and prop up the world’s dirtiest industry: oil and gas.

Plastic is the hallmark of the modern world due to its convenience factor.

To ban or to tax? As far as policy solutions go, one of the most plaguing questions in the fight against plastics is whether they should be taxed or banned. Just the mention of the word “tax” has the majority of the country up in arms and the remainder breaking out in hives. But while straw bans are all the rage these days, taxes on single-use plastics may be a more productive path forward. From England to Hawaii to Montgomery County, Maryland, plastic taxes or fees have been implemented with high rates of success. But what it mostly comes down to is the mindset of the citizens.

“In a culture like America, where freedom is deemed sacred (even though governments, business and the media regularly shape our behaviors and thoughts), preserving the perception of free choice is an important part of any successful legislation,” wrote Erik Assadourian, a senior fellow at Worldwatch Institute, an international environmental research group. Whereas outright bans might be plausible in liberal strongholds, a tax can reduce plastic consumption by similar rates and, as an added bonus, generate revenue to address other pollution issues. 89

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Case study: Washington, D.C. Such was the case in Washington. In 2009, the city council levied a 5-cent fee on plastic bags to curb pollution and support local waterway cleanup efforts. Lawmakers also wove optional revenue streams into the “bag law,” including the addition of a check-the-box option to contribute to the cleanup fund on residents’ income tax returns. Money from the fund was (and still is) split between affected brick-and-mortar businesses and river cleanup projects. Jim Connolly, former executive director of the Anacostia Watershed Society, which aided in the passage and implementation of the measure, said, “The brilliance of the bag bill — that includes a fee — is that it didn't say you can't include a bag, it just said that if you want one, you need to pay for it.” Note the omission of the word “tax,” from Connolly’s remarks. His first piece of advice to bag tax hopefuls elsewhere: Don’t use the T-word. Connolly’s successor, Jim Foster, doubled down on the importance of economic framing in any environmental campaign. “If we're going to get other John Doe's to engage in this fight, they really have to embrace the mainstream point of view and the economic point of view,” Foster said. The economy is “really what drives the majority of people's thinking.” 90

Or as Connolly put it, “Without value, people aren't going to come up with great solutions.” In any campaign, that value needs to go beyond words. Connolly and Foster stressed that early efforts by bag law advocates to engage the business community — and craft a bill they could support — were critical to its success. “It was an overhead expense that moved out front. So suddenly, [businesses] were selling bags and getting paid to manage the program,” Foster explained. While economics was a huge selling point, the lawmakers’ end game was to change consumer behavior. In that regard, the current and former nonprofit leaders said the bag law has been incredibly effective. Indeed, nearly a decade since its passage, consumers are reminded almost daily of the 2009 policy and reasons behind it (whether they like it or not). “Still to this day I'll go into a store in D.C., and often they'll have a sticker right there at the cash register saying, 'skip the bag, save the river,'” Connolly said.“ "And they'll always ask, ‘Do you want a bag? Do you want to pay for a bag?’ In a way, it is a daily reminder to so many people in this whole region that, yeah, maybe I don't need that.”

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Photo Jorge Alcala

If you love it, fight to protect it Ultimately, to savor the things you

use plastic consumption. Many of these

love in life, you have to save that

stories began with the love someone

which makes them possible.

felt for their home. They were tired of

In many ways, love was the Trojan horse that felled the mighty plastic empire in the select few regions that have succeeded in drastically curbing single-

their once pristine landscapes being used as dumping grounds, so they took their grievances to their local legislators and, with a little grit and persistence, prevailed over hydrocarbon aggressors. 91

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Tips to start your own campaign Ultimately, to savor the things you love in life, you have to save that which makes them possible. In many ways, love was the Trojan horse that felled the mighty plastic empire in the select few regions that have succeeded in drastically curbing single-use plastic consumption. Many plastic ban success stories began with the love someone felt for their home. They were tired of their once pristine landscapes being used as dumping grounds, so they took their grievances to their local legislators and, with a little grit and persistence, prevailed over hydrocarbon aggressors. Maybe you’ve considered forming a legal Monkey Wrench Gang of your own. The idea may seem daunting: you versus the status quo. But it doesn’t have to be. There is no “silver bullet,” but according to Alex Truelove of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, when it comes to getting rid of single-use plastics, there are some courses of action that are more effective than others. Truelove suggests sticking to a familiar playbook: “good ol’ fashioned grassroots movements.” Editor’s note: The authors of this story initially set out to provide readers a simple, step-by-step guide to kickstarting your own plastic campaign. After weeks of research and conversations with advocacy leaders, we determined that would be irresponsible. Grassroots movements are complex and cannot be described in a few paragraphs, let alone a few bullet points. While we strongly encourage our readers who feel called to lead to do so, we would be doing them a disservice to suggest that the path forward will be so simple. These are some guiding principles based on those conversations that may help. But there are many paths forward, each one with its unique set of roadblocks, twists and turns. Our advice, in the words of baseball legend Yogi Berra, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

To become a plastic crusader in your town, start by engaging your personal network. Talk to your friends and family to get some support for your grassroots movement. Next, contact local and state nonprofits who have the same vision and would be willing to back your cause by creating a coalition. Lastly, find a local legislator who will sponsor your bill (and help you write it) to tax the single-use plastic of your choice. American University Professor Heather Heckel, an activism and advocacy expert currently working on a plastic upcycling project in Ghana, offered a different approach. Begin by talking with others about opportunities for reducing plastic in your community, she advised. Some questions to consider in those conversations: • Could your employer stop selling plastic bottles? • Could you ask your favorite restaurant to use plant based plastic products? • Could your community or faith organization hand out reusable bags?

Essay

Photo Isaiah Rustad

So if the love you feel for your home is matched by your dismay of its mistreatment, then it is time for you to pick up the torch and lead your community toward a cleaner, more sustainable future.

Holly Broderick

“Creating change takes time, individual role modeling, community engagement and political will,” Heckel said. “But many communities have demonstrated successful paths forward on plastic. Together, we can all make a difference.”

Mary Madison is an environmental science student at the University of Mary Washington and a marketing and fundraising intern at The Regeneration. She has been obsessed with the natural world from an early age; her dream is to grow up to be like the Lorax and speak for the trees.

Illustration

Likewise, Heckel recommends engaging local nonprofits to see if they are working on plastic in your area and to find out how you can help. And, attend city council and other political meetings to find out what environmental issues are being considered and which civic leaders are prioritizing plastic reduction.

The Regeneration

Plastic straws What's the fuss? Words Photo

Professor Heather Heckel Jordan Rathkopf

Essay

Plastic pollution in the ocean is a serious problem threatening the entire marine ecosystem. Ocean Conservancy, a leading environmental advocacy group that helps formulate policy based on peer-reviewed science, estimates that there are currently 150 million metric tons of plastic in the ocean and that we add 8 million tons each year. How long that plastic will last varies by the type of plastic and where it is in the ocean. Plastic straws can take 200 years to fully degrade. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation reports that plastic is expected to quadruple by 2050. If current trends continue, then the ocean will soon contain a larger volume of plastic than fish.

Why does plastic in the ocean matter?

Is anyone trying to stop this pollution?

As many viral photos and videos have shown, plastic disrupts the ocean food chain. Sea turtles mistake bags for jellyfish, the albatross thinks bottle caps are squid, and many animals from anchovies to whales are ingesting microplastics. For some of these animals, like baby sea turtles, plastic is deadly. For others, it is a toxin that impacts behavior and health. Studies are beginning to confirm what seems obvious: Humans are ingesting plastic and toxic chemicals by eating fish. But, we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really know what the impact of all this plastic in the ocean will be, because much of the research on plastic is recent and there are many knowledge gaps.

Beginning about 10 years ago, some cities in the U.S., such as San Francisco and Washington, D.C., initiated policies to ban single-use plastic bags or to charge fees for them to discourage their use. More recently, nations around the world have implemented bans, fees and other policies to reduce plastic bags. And in France, a ban on all singleuse plastics will take effect in 2020.

So, why all the talk about straws? Over the last few years several factors have led to a rapid and broad movement to reduce or ban plastic straws. These include: advocacy by

The Regeneration

Photo John Cameron

nonprofit organizations such as Straw Free, The Last Plastic Straw and the Plastic Pollution Coalition; campaigns such as StrawsSuck, #StopSucking, and OneLessStraw; and viral photos and videos of the impact of straws on sea turtles and other animals. Some argue that this movement has taken off in part because it is relatively simple and, for most people, curbing straw use is not a significant sacrifice or behavior change.

the plastic straw movement from a variety of demographics, including:

This movement and the expanding consumer awareness and advocacy that surrounds it has led to commitments to reduce or ban straws from major companies â&#x20AC;&#x201D; such as Alaska Airlines, McDonaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Royal Caribbean and Starbucks, as well as policy actions by cities, states and countries.

Concerns about inclusion and rights of those who are differently abled: Some people need straws for health reasons, and calls to ban plastic straws are raising concerns that such policies are discriminatory and that the bans were developed without consulting disability advocates. In response, Starbucks and other companies have indicated that they will provide plastic straws upon request. Some cities have included a waiver for those who need them. It is still

The controversies? There are many concerns about 96

Criticisms of the data: Many campaigns and news articles refer to 500 million straws used in the U.S. each day. This number is disputed and is not based on any scientific study. The truth is that we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really know how many straws are used in the U.S., and we know even less about how many are used globally.

Essay

unclear as to how the straw ban will be implemented and what its impact will be. Uncertainty about alternatives: For those who still want a straw, there are a variety of alternatives including biodegradable plant-based straws, paper straws and reusable metal straws. However, the environmental and health impacts of some of these alternatives are not well studied. It’s not enough: Some environmentalists are arguing that the straw ban is not enough and has limited impact. They feel that it is not an efficient use of time and resources and is a distraction from larger behavior changes and policies needed to protect the oceans.

Are they right? Does it matter if I use straws, or not? It’s true that we need to do far more than stop using plastic straws in order to protect our oceans. It is also true that one person giving up straws has limited impact on the volume of plastic entering our oceans. As Lao Tzu wrote, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” I believe that our individual actions matter.

and the power of refusing what we do not need. These reminders make us and those around us more likely to make other environmentally friendly choices, like choosing reusable bags and water bottles. Third, as demand for plastic straws declines, supply chains begin to change. Shifts by producers, retailers and consumers may help to alter the frightening trajectory of growth in plastic production and use. Finally, many small actions help magnify our voices. For example, we might share stories about the ocean, or we can ask a business to reduce both straws and plastic packaging, or we could purchase plant-based plastics for our offices and community organizations. And some may choose to advocate for environmentally friendly policies and politicians. Though issues of waste and pollution are complex and challenging, taking steps to learn more and to engage in individual and collective solutions are valuable first steps. Heather teaches environmental studies

There are several reasons that this first step is more helpful than it may seem:

at American University. She also directs

First, when we decline a straw at a business or bring our alternative, we become a role model to those around us. When many of us act, it creates a cultural context in which it is easier for decisionmakers to act to protect the environment.

that supports community-led sustainable

Second, each time we make a conscious decision not to use a straw, we remind ourselves of both the plastic challenge

and to upcycle plastic trash.

Engage Globally, a nonprofit organization development. In collaboration with community partners in Ghana and Costa Rica, Engage Globally strives to empower youth to become community environmental educators, to reduce plastic consumption,

The Regeneration

Interview

Rafael Espinal

Brooklyn City Council Member Interview and Photos

Kyle Calian

A lifelong resident of Brooklyn and City Council member for the 37th district, Rafael Espinal proudly serves the diverse communities of Bushwick, Brownsville, Cypress Hills and East New York. His current focus is on helping consumers and businesses become more eco-friendly. He started with the plastic straw ban and has now set his sights on a green roofs bill. Kyle Calian: From fighting crime, improving race relations and tackling poverty to addressing police brutality, developing infrastructure and ensuring a robust economy, there are a lot of serious issues facing New York City. Why are you picking a fight with straws? Rafael Espinal: I think every issue that we choose to fight against is a serious issue. And though straws might seem like a small problem, [theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re] part of a more significant issue â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and that's the amount of plastic and waste that is going into our waterways. Plastic straws make up one of the 10 most [common] pieces of garbage found in beach and ocean cleanups. Those straws are contributing to the fact that by 2050, if we don't decline the use of plastic, we will have more plastic by weight floating in our waters than we do fish. As you know, very few bills that are introduced become law. How do you feel about the momentum behind

the legislation right now, particularly regarding your strategy and cosponsors? Is it going to be attached to another bill? Yeah, I have to say that it's very encouraging to see the amount of support that people in New York have thrown behind this bill. Not only in the five boroughs, but across the country and across the globe. And we've had many great partners locally, like the New York Aquarium and the Wildlife Conservation Society, who have been doing the groundwork here to educate New Yorkers, educate small businesses and consumers on the effects of single-use plastic on our environment. I also have to thank the broader players like Lonely Whale and actor Adrian Grenier who have been carrying this campaign to cities and states across the country. A lot of the efforts, of course, are grassroots. A lot of momentum is being built around awareness, and New Yorkers being excited about being 99

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"Telling folks that just by skipping a straw in the morning when they order their ice coffee or with their drink in the evening -- that's got into their consciousness, and they're making that effort on their own." able to play a small but essential role in reducing the number of plastics that are being used. Lonely Whale has been doing some incredible work. We spoke to their executive director, Dune Ives, in the last issue. What's the status of the legislation now? I feel very confident that we'll be able to get a bill passed before the end of the year. We held its first public hearing, which is one of three steps we need to take to get a bill passed on the city council. At that public hearing, we received testimonies from the public about the ways we can improve the law. One of the major concerns that came from that hearing was the effect that this might have on the disability community who depend on plastic straws. So we're spending the summer figuring out which is the best way to move forward to take into account those concerns and make sure that they don't feel left out of the process. When we're able to find a consensus I hope to have a second hearing, which is a vote. After the hearing, it hits the general floor for the entire council to vote on the bill. Again, I hope to 100

get this all done by the fall or before the end of the year. Great. It's easy to sell this legislation to environmentalists, but how are you selling it to your fellow lawmakers and your constituents? Yes. I have to say, I believe that New Yorkers, in general, understand the issues with plastics as a whole and the impact it has on our globe. I think the straw is a natural shift that consumers can make and businesses can make to ensure that they're playing a role in the broader conversation. Telling folks that just by skipping a straw in the morning when they order their ice coffee or with their drink in the evening -- that's got into their consciousness, and they're making that effort on their own. They're seeing that's a straightforward statement they can make without it interrupting their daily lives. So because of its easiness, I would say that it's had a lot of people participating. I think it's an excellent initial step for people to see how one little decision that adds up over the course of an extended period of time can really have

Interview

a tremendous impact. It's amazing, because when I introduced the bill, I remember people asking, "Well, how

about the lid? Or how about the plastic cup

that goes with the straw?" That's the kind of thing you want and the kind of reaction you want to get from folks.

The thing is those pieces are recyclable; the straw isn't.

Right. That as well. There are many points

on why the straw, in general, is terrible. But I think the straw has people thinking about other plastics in their daily lives.

It's definitely getting a reaction out of people. Do you draw inspiration from any other campaigns or movements in New York, or elsewhere, right now? I have to say that all the campaigns that exist around the straw have joined forces. There's been great synergy between my office, Lonely Whale and the Wildlife Conservation Society. These are all the leaders in the conversation, so we've all been working in sync, making sure that we're working together to get this done. Are there any other politicians, movements or other things that have inspired you to become the person you are? 101

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"It's amazing, because when I introduced the bill, I remember people asking, 'Well, how about the lid? Or how about the plastic cup that goes with the straw?' That's the kind of thing you want and the kind of reaction you want to get from folks." 102

Interview

For me, in general, what really inspired me to think about climate change and the city's role in it was Bernie Sandersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; campaign back in 2016, especially when he unapologetically stated that climate change is probably one of the most significant, most dangerous issues that the globe is facing and people living in the world are facing. To see and to be able to speak about it so clearly and so forcefully inspired me to look at how here, in New York City, I can make similar changes. Or to look at ways that the city can help with legislation that can have a considerable impact on the fight against climate change. If you're successful with the straw campaign what is your next step for environmental policy in New York? I'm actually introducing a bill tomorrow that would require all buildings in New York City to install green roofs. That's awesome. I think that that would be a significant step in reducing the heat island effect, improving air quality, reducing stormwater runoffs that turn into polluting our waterways. I think it's just a silver bullet dealing with a lot of the issues that cities create when it comes to climate change. Plus, it's beautiful. It brings wildlife back to the city. Yeah, definitely. It'll be announced tomorrow, so I'm sure you'll be reading about it. I'm very excited. Let's see. Another question on the straw bill. Does it have any connection with the new Nightlife

Advisory Board? It seems like they're almost tied together on that. Yeah. I've given a lot of focus to Nightlife's issues in general. I think Nightlife hasn't got it's fair shake here in the city council. When I was thinking a lot about the establishments, I was also thinking about how establishments can go greener. I thought that the plastic straw, of course, tied into that conversation well. That's great. I think the most common time that people continually use straws is when they go out for drinks. Definitely. It seems like the perfect tie-in. It's also great to know that many, many businesses are joining the movement on their own here in New York. A lot of restaurants and bars are stepping up and spreading awareness in their own communities about the impact of the straw, which is encouraging. I agree. On a personal note, do you own glass or metal straw that you use when you go to order a drink? Or do you go strawless? I'm a strawless kind of guy. [laughs] I do own two aluminum straws, but I don't carry them. I drink without a lid. Cool. And when I go to the bar, I drink my drink without a straw. Any other legislation we should know 103

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about that might be coming up? When it comes to plastics, I also introduced [a bill] a few months ago that would ban vendors that are located in our beaches and our parks from selling beverages in plastic bottles. I look forward to continuing pushing antiplastic legislation soon. In general, who has been influential or mentored you throughout your career? I draw a lot of inspiration from a lot of folks who are doing great work. I know I mentioned Bernie Sanders as being someone that has created greater awareness 104

in the way I legislate. My local state senator and my local city council member were folks that gave me my first opportunity working in government. They supported me to run for office. Can you think of a specific mentor you've had along the way that's really brought you out? I like to hear how people bring each other up. You know what I mean? Yeah. Man, that's a tough question. I will say my local city council member Erik Dilan gave me my first start in working in government and endorsed me to run for office when I first ran. Once I was in office, I drew inspiration from colleagues of mine

Interview

who I thought were doing great work. What are some of the more difficult challenges you have faced so far in the work you've been doing? The most difficult challenge is trying to please everyone. At the end of the day when I do my work, I work really hard in making sure that I am addressing all the needs of all New Yorkers. But the reality hits when you find out that it's not possible. I find that very challenging to navigate.

If only we were all 35, right? [laughs] Yeah, right. Exactly. Right. Cool. Well, thank you so much for your time. It was a pleasure. Davis Burroughs contributed to this interview. Follow Rafael: @rlespinal

And then finally, what are you most excited about in the coming years of climate policy and your own career? What are you looking forward to? The revolution. [laughs] I was a huge Bernie Sanders supporter. I think it's exciting what's happening here in New York and across the country. I hope the energy transcends into 2020 elections. There's been crazy momentum. I'm from New York originally, and I was following the New York elections. When Alexandra Cortez â&#x20AC;Ś She had 50,000 followers on Twitter on the night of that election, and within a few days or a week she had almost a million. It went crazy. Yeah. I think there's a lot. We've got legs right now. Super exciting ... especially for millennials to be able to see people getting into office who reflect their demographics and their age. It's exciting. Or our, I should say. Our demographic and age. 105

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Lessons in scaling a regenerative business Kappiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s short straw campaign Words Photos 106

Emily and Freddie Carlstrom Kappi

Essay

Kappi is an Australian reusables brand committed to providing sustainable alternatives to the worst offending single-use plastics. In July, 2018, owners Freddie and Emily Carlstrom began giving away 100 free stainless steel straws to any cafe that pledged to stop using single-use plastic straws. The Short Straw Campaign was born out of frustration. For months, Kappi was struggling to sell our reusable stainless steel straws to cafes. Several of our friends are cafe owners, and after a few pointed questions we determined that busy midsize cafes in our area can use up to 100,000 straws per year. That number is jaw-dropping, especially when you consider that mainstream Australian recycling facilities are unable to process straws. If we could get our straws into only 10 venues, then we could potentially stop over 1 million straws from entering the waste stream every year. However, cafes weren’t interested in straying from the norm. We tried offering great credit terms and bulk discounts to no avail. The strange thing was, we knew that our straws were well-received — our website had dozens of testimonials from thrilled customers who loved the idea, look and feel of our straws. We knew the venues would love them too. We just needed to get our straws into the venues any way we could.

Over a few consolatory red wines, we decided to throw caution to the wind and just give our straws to cafes for free. The next day, with our altruistic notions slightly tempered by realism, we decided to tweak the model. Venues signing up for the Short Straw Campaign would have to purchase a retail kit in addition to the 100 free straws. Sales of the retail kit would offset their own cost, and provide funding for two more Short Straw Campaign kits for future venues — a pay-it-forward model. Almost immediately, we received incredible attention from media outlets and eco-bloggers. This coverage helped immensely in getting the word out there and, as a result, we received enquiries from all over the world. Our Short Straw Kits were being delivered to cafes as far away as Canada. It’s truly humbling and a great reminder of the awesome little community we’ve managed to build here at Kappi. During #plasticfreejuly, a global initiative to reduce plastic use and improve recycling, 14 venues 107

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the poster child for single-use plastic waste. However, we won’t save the world, or unsuspecting wildlife, by just avoiding plastic straws. Many critics on social media have argued that single-use plastic straws are only a fraction of the problem, and that avoiding singleuse straws is easy. That in doing so, people feel good about their contribution to reducing the waste epidemic and continue on without actually making changes as a consumer — a sort of green-washing, if you will. signed up for the Short Straw Campaign, eliminating almost 1.5 million plastic straws from the waste stream annually, based on conservative estimates. The complete list of participating cafes can be found on our website. Now, here at Kappi HQ, we feel like we need to address the elephant in the room. Plastic straws have been 108

We believe these critics are both right and wrong. Ditching plastic straws is easy. But that’s why the focus on straws is so powerful — it makes reducing plastic consumption accessible to the masses. In doing so, it starts to change the mindset of consumers. The conscious act of asking for no straw isn’t isolated to the cafe. When people leave the

Essay

venue, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve taken that first step toward a more conscious consumption of single-use plastic goods. That small act of asking for no straw may start to extend into their everyday life where they can begin to question their unnecessary plasticuse on a daily basis. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen the change firsthand. Among friends and family, checkout guys and gals, supportive waitstaff and awesome bartenders at our local haunts â&#x20AC;&#x201D; society seems to be undergoing a mindset shift for the better.

Emily and Freddie Carlstrom are partners in life and business, furparents to a ridiculous Boston terrier called Winston, and co-founders of eco-lifestyle brand, Kappi. Together, they aim to educate, provide solutions and raise general awareness about the small changes we can all make to reduce our everyday impact on this planet.

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Part Three

Energy Sweeping energy legislation remains elusive, so lawmakers need to find new, more clever ways to legislate global warming solutions. Meanwhile, as governments worldwide drag their feet, many are looking to private-sector ingenuity as the greatest hope for advancing the development of renewable energy alternatives and leading the transition to a clean energy economy.

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PolicyEnergy and Energy

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Who owns climate change? When it’s unclear who broke it, it’s tough to say who should buy it Words

Davis Burroughs, IV

As with most problems, it’s easy to point fingers. But in the case of climate change, there are so many fingers pointed in so many different directions that we might as well just be pointing at ourselves. In the United States, for example, polling data shows that Americans split the onus of combating global warming almost evenly across a swath of actors. The Morning Consult and Politico survey, conducted in June 2018 among a national sample of 2,022 adults, suggests that there is little agreement over who bears the burden of solving the climate crisis. In fact, a plurality of voters, 28 percent, could not choose between governments, individuals, nonprofits and international organizations, such as the United Nations. Among those who did choose an actor, governments (22 percent) narrowly edged out the next most common choice, individuals (20 percent). International organizations, businesses and nonprofits rounded out the bottom of the list. Hermione Taylor, founder of Do Nation, an 112

environmental nonprofit that advocates for individual behavior change, said she was surprised that more Americans didn’t choose businesses. Word choice could have played a role. Had the term “businesses” been narrowed to "the oil and gas industry" or “corporations,” respondents might have more easily identified those entities as the climate change perpetrators most responsible for developing solutions. Taylor, who holds bachelor’s degrees in biology and evolutionary biology, as well as a master’s in environmental technology, added “It would be really interesting to see how those results have changed over time.” Morning Consult confirmed this was the first time they had sent that survey question into the field. Across the Atlantic in Britain, a more directly worded (and more leading) survey, conducted by the nonprofit ClientEarth and the donor group The Climate Change Collaboration, induced stronger support for private sector action. "More than eight in 10 believe

Essay

In your view, which of the following is MOST responsible for combatting climate change?

10%

25%

20% 3% 13% 7%

Businesses Governments International Organizations Don’t Know / No Opinion

that companies who knew about climate change early on and continue to lobby government against taking action should be at least partially responsible for the costs of major weather events,” according to the 2018 report. Results were mostly consistent across age groups in the U.S. poll, except in one circumstance: 16 percent of 18- to 29-yearolds said governments were most responsible, less than half the rate of seniors (aged 65 and over) who said the same. "I feel like the younger generations are disillusioned by politics and governments,” Taylor said. “They don't want to put blame on something like that because they don't trust them.” She’s right in that assessment — a majority of young people, 53 percent, do not trust governments to combat climate change.

22%

Individuals Nonprofits Other

Curiously, though, one of 2018s biggest U.S. climate stories surrounds the Juliana v. United States trial, where a group of young people are challenging the government to implement sweeping changes to the nation’s climate policies. The constitutional lawsuit is led by 21 youth plaintiffs, ranging in age from 11-22, who assert that "through the government's affirmative actions that cause climate change, it has violated the youngest generation’s constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property, as well as failed to protect essential public trust resources.” Because polls generally do not tally opinions from people under 18, it is difficult to know if the nation’s youngest generation sees governments as more responsible and likely to solve climate change than individuals or other institutions. To confuse matters more, seniors, who said governments were most responsible for combating climate change, 113

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70%

How much would you trust each of the following   to combat global warming? A Lot / Somewhat

Not a Lot / Not at All

62% 52.5%

49% 35%

30% 17.5%

19%

Governments were also the least trusting of governments to develop solutions. Seventy-four percent of seniors would not put their faith in governments to combat climate change. Among all demographics, Americans were slightly more confident in businesses than governments to save the planet, though not by much. A majority of respondents, 62 percent, would not trust governments to fix global warming. A near-majority, 49 percent, would not trust businesses, either. For the general lack of confidence in anything or anyone to solve climate change, and for all the blame that goes around, one things is clear: We all have a role to play. We all own climate change. Whether we’re acting in our capacity as an individual or as part of a business or organization, solutions

114

Businesses will only be found by fighting for change across every facet of society. “The biggest impact any one of us can have is by inspiring people around us to start creating change,” Taylor said. “Lead the change and be visible about it. Talk to people around you about it.” Or, as Democratic Rep. Donald McEachin of Virginia put it, just “get off the couch” and do something about it. Learn more about Hermione Taylor and Do Nation on page 178. Read our interview with Congressman Donald McEachin on page 74.

Art

Lesley Hilling Stoneflower Reclaimed Wood Photo by Charlotte Webster 115

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Photo 116

Ana Kaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ahanui

Interview

American University The school that took sustainability to a whole new level (and the people who did it) Interview

Davis Burroughs, IV

Hannah Debelius is the sustainability outreach and communications manager at American University working with students, staff and faculty to build a culture of sustainability. Before working in sustainability in higher education, she spent four years at the U.S. Green Building Council in the Center for Green Schools and was an outdoor environmental educator with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in Smith Island, Maryland. Megan Litke, LEED AP O+M, joined the Office of Sustainability at American University in August 2014. Originally hired to manage the university's green buildings initiative, Megan is now director of sustainability programs and oversees all sustainability-related initiatives. Megan is proud to have contributed to AU achieving carbon neutrality in 2018, two years ahead of the target date. Prior to joining the Office of Sustainability at American University, Megan was the sustainability manager at the University of Richmond, where she led the Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office for Sustainability for four years.

Davis Burroughs: As compared to other institutions, what role do universities play in advancing sustainability? Megan Litke: I would say everybody can play a unique role. There's not one player that's more important than another, or a specific entity that needs to take a leadership role in order for it to be successful. If we all, as individual players in this, work toward our strengths. If you have a supply chain that you can

influence, then work toward that. In our case, because we have students coming through our doors all the time and going off into all different careers like journalism or business or whatever it might be, the more we can do on campus to make sure that students leave here with an understanding of sustainability, that they can integrate into their future careers, the better. I think that's a role that universities can really dive into and have a meaningful impact not just on our physical space â&#x20AC;&#x201D; how we manage our campus â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but so much broader than that, because a couple thousand students 117

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Davis Burroughs

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leave this particular university and go somewhere else every year. Then that, multiplied by every university, is just a crazy idea about how much influence you can have on changing the world. I totally agree. We all have a role to play in different ways. Hannah Debelius: I also think that universities have a unique viewpoint not just because we educate both current and future leaders, but also because of the timescale we work on â&#x20AC;Ś Most universities assume that they'll still be here in hundreds of years, which can give universities more of a perspective when it comes to thinking about sustainability.

Illustration Holly Broderick

118

Carbon neutrality and energy efficiency HD: In 2009, [AUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s president, Neil Kerwin] committed to the carbon neutrality goal by 2020, which set a lot of things in motion â&#x20AC;Ś In 2018, we were able to announce that we had reached that goal two years ahead of schedule. Of course, the first best thing any individual or organization can do is just reduce our use, so a lot of what we've done around campus has been to reduce our carbon emissions. We've done that in part through having a policy where all new buildings are at least LEED Gold.

Photo

Ana Ka’ahanui

Interview

Classic green building design ML: So this building (the School of International Service) has a lot of the classic green building technology and techniques in here, including materials reused, high energy and water efficiency, and LED lighting in the parking garage and stairwells. HD: Yeah. One of my favorite things about this building — and this was not a part of LEED at the time — is “Biophilia.” Biophilia is a human's connection to nature and the idea that bringing that into our built spaces can improve human health and wellness. We've of course done that with having actual plants in the space, but also the textures and colors we chose are reminiscent of the natural world, and then our water feature is an auditory reminder of nature. Although right now it's summer, so there's not a lot of students. During the school year, as

you know, this is packed. And I think it's because the space feels so calming and welcoming. ML: Our solar shades (pictured above) help to block heat while still letting light into our building, which helps to reduce heat transfer and increase energy efficiency. 119

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Mckinley building â&#x20AC;&#x201D; where old school meets new school ML: I would be remiss to not talk about McKinley, because it's my favorite building on campus. [It was built in 1893], and it's a really amazing example of how even a 100-plus-year-old building can be a really green building. McKinley earned its LEED Gold certification about two or three years ago after a major renovation and expansion. One of my favorite features of the expansion is this wall that you can see in the addition, which still has the marble stonework on it. That stone came from taking down the original back wall of the building. We saved those stones and integrated them into the new part of the building. 120

Very cool. ML: Architecturally, it ties the building together, but from a sustainability standpoint, we didn't have to extract more materials from the earth â&#x20AC;Ś In LEED, actually, you're able to earn points if you do something like that, which are only available for major renovations, not new construction.

Illustration Holly Broderick

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American University

Interview

Every inch of carbon counts HD: Another [carbon offset] is our study abroad program. Study abroad is very big at AU. Seventy percent of students go abroad, which is much higher than the national average. Of course, we don't want to reduce study abroad, 'cause it's an awesome program. There's also no other way to go abroad except to get on a plane. Those carbon emissions are the ones that right now we can't do a lot about, so we've purchased a carbon-offset project to cover that carbon. But the project that we chose is actually working out of Nairobi, Kenya. It's an organization that employs local women to sell more efficient wood-burning cookstoves in Nairobi and the villages surrounding it.

So there's the actual environmental benefit of decreased deforestation, because they're burning less wood. There's the social-economic benefit of employing women, and also, if they're spending less time collecting wood, then they have more opportunities to go to school. There's the public health benefit of decreasing indoor pollution, but then we also included an academic benefit â&#x20AC;Ś This organization that we're working with this semester will be Skyping into some classrooms to talk about the project. Nairobi is a premier study abroad location for AU, so as students go there, they'll be able to interact with that carbon-offset program. It's the only one of our carbon offsets that's international. We chose it deliberately to match the impact of study abroad. 121

The Regeneration

American University

HD: As we walk by a bike rack, I'm going to talk a little bit about our transportation programming.

ML: We are really excited that we are entering our third year now of a partnership with Metro. All of our fulltime students pay a small fee at the start of every semester, and then they have unlimited access to Metro and Metro Bus. So it gets them out of their cars. They don't need them to get around the city. [Access to bikes also] makes it more possible for students to get to internships around town. And it encourages students to just explore D.C. more often and to get out of this part of town and see what else there is in the city for them. We have also done a lot of work to get students comfortable with biking in the city … So we partner with the Washington Area Bicyclists Association. They come to campus to do seminars like classroombased learning on biking in D.C., but then at the start of this year we'll be having what I think is our third or fourth community bike ride with them, where they come and we'll ride all around this neighborhood. It's great, because we're not downtown. These streets are busy. It helps, especially for new students who might not be coming from an urban area, to learn what the rules are here, that you are allowed to ride your bike on the sidewalk outside campus if that's what makes you feel more comfortable. And just to get comfortable with, "These are the roads and this is where they go." Our current president [Sylvia Mathews Burwell] and her husband are avid 122

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Please.

cyclists … she and her husband have joined us on a couple of these rides, so it's great that we have participation from everybody on campus in getting people into bikes. HD: During the first week of class, we bring a Metro bus to campus and let people practice getting on and off and how to use a SmartTrip [transportation card] on a bus. I think people generally — if they've not experienced public transportation — can be more comfortable with Metro than bus when they come here, but we want to break down those barriers. Also, they can practice putting a bike on and off the front of a Metro bus while it's stationary here on campus ... ML: Right. It's way less stressful to learn how to do that when it's standing still and not when angry passengers want to get to the next stop. The reason we do all of these programs is that we want to

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American University

Interview

get people out of cars and using different modes of transportation to get to campus for environmental reasons â&#x20AC;Ś We've also begun to reduce the amount of parking that we have available on campus. But we can't get everybody out of their cars. Some people need them for a variety of reasons and we also have, as Hannah mentioned earlier, AU-related travel for conferences or athletics or for recruiting new students. So we had to turn to offsets for those programs as well. For the university-related travel around conferences, athletics, anything else that's happening on behalf of AU, we use offsets that are coming from efficient trucking. We wanted to find offsets that were in the world of transportation, and trucking is such a major industry and there are a lot of ways that it can be managed to be more efficient. So we're contributing to that. And from those programs, we

have data that we're able to use in our classrooms so that again we have that added educational benefit, in addition to something good for the environment. ML: For our commuting, though, we're doing something that I'm personally really excited about â&#x20AC;&#x201D; local offsets. Since those emissions are being generated locally, we wanted to tie it into our community. We partnered with an organization called Urban Offsets and then ultimately with a partner in the district to plant trees locally. So we're going to plant trees in D.C. that are going to grow into offsets. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve already been working with Duke University to evaluate the trees that they've put in the ground and peer-validate their offsets. So we'll have a reciprocal relationship where students from another university will come here to evaluate our tree plantings for offsets as well. 123

The Regeneration

HD: Yes, and the George Washington University Hospital, where we, in conjunction with them, built a very large solar farm with about a quarter of a million solar panels in North Carolina. The reason it's in North Carolina is because North Carolina is still on our energy grid, so it's contributing directly to our grid, and we purchase it from there. And that's supplying roughly … Illustration Holly Broderick

The educational benefits that have come out of it are bigger than we ever anticipated. We knew it would help with students who wanted to learn more about tree identification … but it's also involved learning about project management, learning about documentation of projects — all of this real-world application for the students who've been engaged ...

Power HD: When we've exhausted energy efficiency options, then we move on to making the most sustainable choice — the best, most carbon neutral choice. For us, that's really come around our energy use. One hundred percent of the electricity at American University comes from a renewable source. It's a mix of on-site solar, renewable energy credits, and also a kind of innovative project that we've partnered with George Washington University onML: And George Washington University Hospital. 124

HD: Half. Half of our electricity. Also half of GW University's and the GW Hospital. ML: And we retain the renewable energy credits from those projects. ML: So now we buy 50 percent renewable energy credits ... Well, about half and half, and then we have some on-campus solar power as well. HD: Yeah. A small percentage of onsite solar.

Runoff ML: As a private landowner, we try to take more responsibility for the rainwater runoff we generate on-site. We do that through a variety of outdoor features … Green roofs are definitely one of those. HD: In terms of water features, we have a number of rain gardens around campus and we also have a couple of bioretention like this one [unpictured] which is sort of bathtub-shaped and filled with plants. Where does the runoff water go once its caught?

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American University

Interview

HD: In a rain garden — where there's

Bees

ground, and we want to keep it where it

Editor’s note: As the main facilitators of pollination flowering crops that humans rely on for food, bees are critically important to AU’s sustainability plan. It was a tough winter for the bees at the college, but not for a lack of caring — it was just really cold. “[The university already forbids] the use of any neonicotinoids which are the kind of pesticide that are particularly harmful to bees,” Hannah said. The school is working on a plan to reintegrate bees onto campus permanently beginning this spring. The plan will be implemented with the help of the student-run beekeeping society. AU is also a pollinator-friendly campus and is certified in environmental planning through the Audubon Society's Cooperative Safety Program.

not a drain — it just sinks into the

is. The bioretention basins … are a little bit different.

They do have a drain, so if it becomes

incredibly overwhelmed then that will go into the regular sewer system.

ML: So this whole area that we're

walking (pictured on page 118) around used to be a parking lot and now it's a beautiful green space. It's a much

more inviting front door to campus and I think does a better job of showcasing our arboretum.

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The Regeneration

Sustainable landscaping HD: All 82-acres of campus is an accredited Level II arboretum. Standards for that mean that we have to be opento the public. It has to be managed landscape, there has to be room for research and we must maintain a diversity of species. ML: A fun fact: This is the oldest tree on campus. HD: And it's a scarlet oak, which happens to be the official tree of D.C.

Where the grass is actually greener All right, riddle me this. These big lawns, you see these obviously in 126

colleges and parks, but also often in corporate lots and similar areas. It seems to me that nine times out of 10, they're loaded with some sort of fertilizer or pesticide or whatever else, something that makes your skin hurt. Why does everyone else do that, and how do you manage to grow grass that looks this good without it? ML: So I think it's a perception of the cultural idea of what a perfect lawn is; a perfect lawn, historically, has been one species of grass grown to be consistent. ML: But here we have lots of different species of plants and different varieties depending on where you are. HD: And clovers and dandelions.

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American University

Interview

ML: [So the lawn is] still lush and beautiful and, I would argue, more interesting, because you're going to attract things like butterflies to the clovers in the middle of the field. Or maybe people actually go and play. ML: Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right! Now schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not in session, but when it is, you always see people hanging out on these benches. We also let our grass grow a little bit longer than other places. And when we do cut it, most of the time we leave the clippings on the grass which helps make it more lush. But they do have to reseed it because of course we encourage students to walk across it and lay on it. ML: Yeah. So we limit our chemical use across campus and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t use pesticides on the quad at all.

Zero waste HD: Being that I'm student facing, I always love to highlight the awesome work of students ... but the Zero

Waste Club is one of our most active sustainability student organizations. At the end of the year, they collect what students would otherwise throw away from their residence halls, store it for the summer, and then during the movein weekend, they have a huge yard sale where they sell shower caddies and hangers and notebooks and everything. Not only is it the most affordable choice for students that are moving in, but it's also very convenient. Every year it diverts about 20,000 pounds of waste from landfill. It's entirely student-run. It's awesome. They're also starting a food recovery network here to capture excess food from catering and things like that to give to inneed communities in DC.

What gets these leaders jazzed? Considering the entire landscape of sustainability initiatives worldwide, what are you most excited about? 127

The Regeneration

HD: This doesn't really answer your question, but I think a lot of times working in sustainability and working with climate change, a lot of people are like, “Man, climate change. Isn't it depressing to work in climate change?” I get that question a lot, but my answer is always: No. It's awesome, because I truly believe that we already have most of the solutions that we need. They exist already, we just have to be doing them. And there's not one solution to climate change. If there was, we would have done it already. What's exciting is that there are tons and tons of solutions to climate change, and solutions within sustainability. The fact that I don't even know about all of them is the most exciting to me, because it's what makes it feel the most like we can do something about it. I'm going to give you a high-five for that one. HD: Please put that high five in the transcript. That's literally why we created the magazine. To create a climate-positive narrative and to shift the conversation to a solutions-based paradigm. It's very easy to point out problems, and I did that as an energy journalist in D.C. for a couple of years — every day publishing: This bill didn't get passed, this regulation is going to get torn down, and this horrible hurricane killed a bunch of people and wiped out a bunch of crops. Day in and day out, because "if it bleeds, it leads," right? But there are positive stories aplenty. 128

Our role is to share them. ML: I would say globally, having worked in the field for a while, it's really exciting to see the connectivity that there is across the world. There are shared problems that we experience on every continent. I think you can see it with plastic in the ocean … It's not an effort that's just being led by one organization in one place. It's something that has a ton of approaches from every community, and people are really engaging in it. And now we're starting to see this shift in how people are thinking about plastics they use in the U.S. and across the world. I think that it's really exciting that with this shared problem we also have this community, globally, of people looking for unique and diverse solutions that we could all share across cultures and through economic divisions. These solutions are rreplicable, and we're seeing them start to have an impact. Cool. You get a high-five, too. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Illustration Holly Broderick

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The Regeneration

Wind power is for the birds Words Photo 130

Eileen Geller Keith Luke

Essay

Across Virginia, citizen scientists are traipsing through their backyards, neighborhoods and local parks tracking the breeding habits of birds. It may seem strange to take such an interest in our avian friends, but this is not the first time Virginians have conducted a statewide atlas of breeding birds. The current study concludes in 2020, at which point researchers can compare the new data with the data the Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas collected during the first atlas in the late 1980s. The results will give us a window into how changes over the last 30 years â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and climate changes in particular â&#x20AC;&#x201D; have affected bird populations across the state. The information could also provide information about our changing planet and what our future may look like. Compelling evidence of climate changeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impact on bird populations worldwide already exists, thanks to years of citizen science efforts. In 2015, the National Audubon Society analyzed data collected over many decades during their Christmas and Great Backyard Bird Counts. The results were troubling. The research flagged a number of birds that are already losing habitat and/or food sources because of a warming climate. As many as 314 species in North America alone stand to lose more than 50 percent of their current habitat range in the next 60 years. Time on this planet may be running out for those species and potentially many others, if drastic action is not taken (and soon).

One solution is to move toward more renewable energy sources, including wind energy. There is a misconception that birders and bird conservation organizations, like the Audubon Society, are opposed to wind power. Early efforts in wind power were notorious for their negative impacts on birds. Most memorable is the tragic deaths of hundreds of golden eagles and burrowing owls in California in the 1990s. However, a collaboration between industry groups and conservation organizations have altered the landscape on wind power in the 21st century with improved technology and a better understanding of migration patterns. 131

Illustration Holly Broderick

The Regeneration

Modern approaches that take migratory paths into account have proven to be much safer. In 2012, conservation groups, Native American groups, government agencies and wind companies partnered to form a federal advisory committee that worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop a step-by-step process to quantify and mitigate wildlife threats at a proposed wind-energy site. Exciting research projects are also underway, testing the capability to monitor incoming flocks of birds and temporarily halt or slow turbines until skies clear. Early testing of a program involving California condors is showing 132

promise, although broader applications of that particular technology may be limited. The vast majority of wild condors are equipped with tracking devices, so they are more easily monitored than most other birds. So far, a system that senses when a condorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tracking device comes within 2 miles of a turbine has successfully mitigated harm to that very threatened population. Researchers are also studying thermal imaging and camera-monitoring technologies that could have broader applications. As with all human impacts on the planet, wind power is not going to have a perfect record, but these efforts can go a long way toward minimizing harm. If the U.S. could get 20 percent of its electricity from wind, it would be equivalent to taking 71 million cars off the roads. The benefits of wind are enormous, and with smart, conservation-focused applications, it can be an incredibly valuable tool in our battle against a warming planet. Eileen Geller is the President of the Richmond Audubon Society, a chapter of the National Audubon Society located in Richmond, Virginia.

Essay

Illustration Youheum Son

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The Regeneration

Poems by Rob Merritt Untitled Notebook, May

Untitled Notebook, Fall

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so nice to see the sunlight folding through the curtainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s violet light

there's a green i feel rain i think i'm living two or three times across the street there's a family of deer and each time the bough crosses their eyes they disappear across the street where i stood to see the evening make an engine of the wood

the shadow's mouth and width the blue green from violet, pale and bright beneath a soft wind becoming surface as the sun what birds dive through is not our room subtracted from the air breathing out the window and the wind lucy, lavender see through 134

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Jena Anne

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The Regeneration

Triumph of the sun Words

L. Hunter Lovins, President Natural Capitalism Solutions

California State Senator Kevin de Leon has to be pleased: After a summer of wildfires ravaging his state, he finally got his proposal to power California with 100 percent renewable energy by 2045 through the legislature and signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown. Brown also issued an executive order to take the state carbon neutral over the same time frame. Great optics for the state hosting the Global Climate Action Summit, which brought scientists, government officials and activists together to lay the plan for implementing similar programs around the world. But is it really possible to go 100 percent renewable? The answer: yes. Transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy is smart economics. As University of California, Berkeley professor Dan Kammen puts it: Green energy is gold for California, and for the U.S. Kammen is one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experts on the job creation potential of renewable energy, having previously shown that a dollar spent on renewables generates 10 times the number of jobs than money spent on fossil or nuclear power. 136

Another Californian argues that going 100 percent renewable is not only entirely possible, it is inevitable. Stanford University Professor Tony Seba describes how the convergence of disruptive technologies and business models will make the world renewable by 2030 in his book, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Clean Disruption of Energy and Transportation.â&#x20AC;? Four factors will drive this change, Seba says: the fall

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in the cost of renewable energy, the fall in the cost of energy storage (batteries), the rise of the electric vehicle and the advent of the autonomous electric vehicle (AEV).

But, really? Can the whole world be renewable in a little over a decade? Here’s what I’ve been following: A new solar array goes up in the U.S. every 2 1/2 minutes. And when the Kentucky Coal Museum puts solar on its roof rather than plugging into the coalfired electric grid at its doorstep, you know that the fossil era is over. In 2017, China announced that it had already eclipsed its 2020 goal in solar installations. The country adds 45 gigawatts of solar every year (more than the entire installed solar capacity of Germany). 138

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He reminds doubters that experts totally underestimated sales of mobile phones. In the 1990s, McKinsey told AT&T Inc. to expect 900,000 mobile subscribers by the year 2000. They were off by 108 million. By 2014, there were more mobile phones than the 7 billion people on earth, and they were increasing five times faster than the human population. As Bill Gates put it, "We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next 10.”

Hannah Salyer

The business model of delivering renewable-powered, electric vehicle transit as a service will be 10 times cheaper, he says, than paying to buy, fuel, maintain and insure a private internal combustion car. This shift to autonomous electric vehicles will move us to a completely renewable energy system.

Why? Because, nearly everywhere, renewables are now cheaper to build than fossil energy, and their fuel is free ever after. In fall 2017, Saudi Arabia announced a world record low price for solar in an auction bid at 1.79 cents per kilowatt-hour. Just running a natural gas plant costs more than that. OK, it looks like Seba is right on his first point: We can run our society on solar energy. But what if the sun isn’t shining, or the wind isn’t blowing? Storage technology (batteries) can make renewable energy available 24/7. This industry is only in its infancy, but its prices are falling, too.

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Chase Lewis

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In late 2017, the coal-dependent Xcel Energy, a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based utility holding company, released the numbers from its request for bids to supply energy for its utility customers. Thousands of megawatts of wind, solar and battery storage were offered at prices far below competing fossil options. When you combine renewables with battery storage (or other cool options, such as compressed air energy storage and Redox flow batteries) you get fixed, firm, 24-hour power — just like with a coal plant but without the pollution. When the Aliso Canyon natural gas well blew out, spewing 100,000 metric tons of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, the local utility feared it would be unable to keep the lights on in Southern California.

In record time, Tesla and others brought more than 70 MW of energy storage online for less than it would have cost to build a new gas peaking plant — plants that run only when energy is in high demand — and vastly faster. Tesla’s audacious CEO, Elon Musk, immediately promised that he could build an even larger, 100 MW battery in South Australia, even faster to prevent their electric grid from crashing. Tesla. Little Tesla. It sells 300 times fewer cars than General Motors, but it is challenging them for market capitalization. How can that be? What business is Tesla in? Are they a car company? No, they’re a battery company. And more, a diversified energy company. And this is very bad news for fossil competitors. 139

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Hannah Salyer

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The Financial Times reported that Fitch Ratings, a big three credit rating agency, warns: “Widespread adoption of batterypowered vehicles is a serious threat to the oil industry,” noting that transport accounted for 55 percent of total oil use in 2014. In the U.S., transportation accounted for 71 percent of oil use, according to 2016 figures from the Energy Information Administration. Two for two for Seba. And it’s going to get worse. Or better, if you favor a habitable Earth. In September 2017, China announced it was going to phase out internal combustion vehicles. China represents a quarter of the world’s car market. India, France, the U.K., and Norway have made similar announcements – it is an existential crisis for both the oil and car industries. General Motors, which reclaimed 140

its status as the world’s biggest car manufacturer on the strength of its Bolt electric car, announced that its future is electric. Meanwhile, Daimler, Volkswagen and Volvo have committed to electrifying their product portfolios. In November, Musk released an allelectric, long-haul truck, and China announced the launch of the world’s first all-electric cargo ship. Hmm, that makes us three for three on Seba’s predictions. But in his scenario, it’s the autonomous electric vehicle that drives the real reduction in cost that he claims will make the disruption inevitable. Are AEVs more than just science fiction? To get the straight story, I talked to Tom Chi, one of the designers of the self-driving Google car, and the head of Product Experience at Google X.

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“Within 10 years?” Tom mused, “Easy.” Tesla, he said, released its driverless vehicle when it was as safe as a humandriven car. Remember, hundreds of thousands of people die every year in car crashes. Teslas have driven more than 5 billion miles in autonomous mode, en route to the company’s 10-billion-mile safety proof point. In fact, all Teslas are now capable of full autonomous mode. The Google car has driven 4 million real miles and an additional 2.5 billion simulated miles. GM just announced that it is pivoting its business model to offer driverless vehicle transit as a service by 2019. Does that make it four for four? Is Seba right? You decide. But realize that if the evidence laid out here is true, it has profound implications for, well, everything. It will mean the dissolution in value — and likely complete loss — of the oil, gas, coal, uranium, nuclear, utility and auto industries, the banks that hold the loan paper for all of these companies, and the pension funds and insurance companies that are invested in them. It will mean an economic collapse within about 10 years on a scale we have never seen before. Consider coal and oil. In 2011, Carbon Tracker calculated that at least 80 percent of the fossil deposits still in the ground would have to stay in the ground if the world is to avoid warming more than 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. Given that those fossil assets are on the balance sheets of some of the world’s wealthiest companies and form the basis

of the sovereign wealth funds of many nations around the world, John Fullerton of the Capital Institute predicts that stranding the fossil industries implies a write-off of at least $20 trillion dollars. In contrast, Fullerton warns, the 2008 financial collapse was triggered by the stranding of only $2.7 trillion in mortgage assets. What can you do? First, you might want to pay attention to what your money is doing. If you own stock in fossil fuels, you own climate change. You also own an industry that will be disrupted. Bevis Longstreth, former Securities and Exchange Commissioner, observed: “It is entirely plausible, even predictable, that continuing to hold equities in fossil fuel companies will be ruled negligence.” Even without controls on carbon, a backtested analysis of fossil investments by the New York Common Retirement Fund, the third largest pension fund in the U.S., found that the fund “lost” $17.5 billion over 10 years for failing to divest from fossil fuel companies. This endangers the banks, as well. Bloomberg News reports that a quarter of all corporate debt, perhaps as much as $3.4 trillion, is related to utility and car company bonds that are tied to fossil fuel use. Change Finance is one of a variety of companies that offers an exchange traded fund on the New York Stock Exchange that is truly fossil fuel-free. Its goal is to track the S&P 500 Index, while enabling investors to drive social and environmental justice through investment. The investment thesis 141

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of such companies is that fossil-free products will outperform traditional investments, because companies that take these values seriously tend to pay more attention to all aspects of management and are less likely to have the risks associated with climate change or bad behavior. For the price of a pizza, the exchange-traded fund allows anyone to divest from fossil ownership. Where does your energy come from? Are you dependent on an industry that is at risk? Make your home as efficient as you can afford. Then, consider switching your energy source to the power of the future. Millions of people, communities and cities are going 100 percent renewable. Currently, though most solar systems feed renewable energy into the grid, they cannot stand alone in a disaster. This is just bad design. My ranch is powered by solar. Excess power is stored in batteries in my garage and in the battery in my electric Leaf. When the power goes out, we party on.

To guide this transition, four of us have just released a book: “A Finer Future: Creating an Economy in Service to Life” that details how to build a world that works for everyone. When rabbits are threatened, they freeze. When humans are threatened, we entrepreneur: We create the solutions we need. As wildfires sweep through our cities and hurricanes batter our coasts, we can wring our hands and whimper. Or we can get to work and build that finer future. L. Hunter Lovins, Time magazine’s “Millennium Hero for the Planet,” is a business professor, the president and founder of Natural Capitalism Solutions, and a co-author of the best-selling book, “Natural Capitalism.”

Is your job at risk? Companies will either become part of the solution, or they won’t be a problem because they won’t be around. Emerging industries are creating millions of jobs, but millions are at risk. Talk to your boss, and ask if your company has a plan to become part of the transition. It will cut your costs and improve your bottom line.

Her newest book, "A Finer Future," is aimed at business leaders, entrepreneurs, activists and anyone who cares about the future of the planet. Rich with stories of communities implementing solutions, it describes the exciting news in the work to transform finance, business, energy agriculture and many other areas of our society to create an economy that works for every one of us.

Throughout your life there are opportunities to choose a more renewable future.

Learn more: ourfinerfuture.com

We have the technologies to solve the worst of the crises facing us and to buy the time to deal with the rest. The crises we face and the inevitability of change means that we will also have the 142

opportunity to reinvent everything. In many ways that is incredibly exciting; it will also be an immense management challenge.

Follow: @hlovins

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A bug in the solar cell Words Photos 144

Vikramaditya G. Yadav Lewis Wilson (cover), Vikramaditya G. Yadav (article)

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“As the three princes of Serendip traveled, they were always making discoveries, by accident and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of.” — Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford Allow me to introduce you to lycopene, a molecule that could be the key to a decarbonized economy. Without knowing, you’ve likely consumed copious quantities of lycopene. The natural chemical gives tomatoes their bright red color. It’s also rumored to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, which may explain why global demand is on the rise. As agricultural gains struggle to keep pace, the need to identify and develop alternative sources of lycopene has never been more acute. Enter synthetic biology: a scientific revolution with the potential to sate society’s ever-growing energy, agricultural, material and health needs, without depleting our natural resources. The underlying premise of synthetic biology is as simple as it is groundbreaking: applying the principles of engineering to the science of living things. Utilizing cheaply synthesized DNA, we can reprogram biological systems to perform new tasks, or to perform existing tasks more efficiently. Those tasks range from manufacturing lifesaving pharmaceuticals and producing fuels to cleaning up oil spills and sequestering carbon dioxide. Synthetic biologists the world over, my team at the University of British Columbia included, have even

been re-engineering microorganisms to produce more lycopene. To understand the practice of synthetic biology, imagine a living cell as a highly connected and well-regulated network of chemical reactions, wherein atoms are sequentially added, removed or exchanged from a molecule as it moves through the network. Each chemical reaction is catalyzed by a unique enzyme that is the product of a specific gene. If we modify a cell by adding copies of its existing genes or introducing new genes from another organism, we can alter the chemical content of that cell to suit specific needs. For example, my team took the genes that encode the production of lycopene from the tomato plant and introduced them into a microorganism. In our case, that microorganism was a variant of E. coli (Don’t be alarmed — this particular strain is noninfectious and has already been utilized for industrial applications, including the production of insulin!). The genetically modified E. coli was then able to produce lycopene. Considering that microorganisms grow significantly faster, take up less space and consume fewer resources than tomato plants, we now have the capability to produce more lycopene than an entire field of tomatoes in a fraction of the time. 145

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But as we produced ever-higher quantities, we hit an unexpected roadblock: A sizable portion of the lycopene was degrading by photodissociation, which causes a compound to break down when exposed to radiant energy. This chemical reaction is not uncommon in the natural world. In fact, it’s the principal cause of depletion of the earth’s ozone layer. Photodissociation has also been used in a special type of solar cell — called a dye-sensitized solar cell, or DSSC — to harness the energy of the sun. As we thought about this problem with our lycopene production, it began to seem less like an obstacle than an opportunity. 146

In a DSSC, light-sensitive dye is confined to a part of the cell known as the anode. When sunlight initiates a chemical reaction with the dye (photodissociation), electrons are released and diverted toward the cathode through a circuit. That flow of electrons through the circuit produces an electrical current. If the photodissociation of lycopene produces a similar measurable current, it could be used to make a new type of dye-sensitive solar cell. Current methods of manufacturing these cells are both expensive and time-consuming. Bacterial lycopene is not only faster and cheaper to produce,

Essay

“You see things; and you say ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say ‘Why not?’” — George Bernard Shaw, “Back to Methuselah” it can also be manufactured in greater quantities. So a DSSC that utilizes lycopene could make the technology less expensive and more accessible. In science, such ideas are typically called “fishing expeditions.” If they pan out, the “catch” often alters scientific paradigms. Washington, Oregon and my home province, British Columbia, aspire to be among the world’s leading decarbonized economies. The reliable generation and supply of clean energy is key to achieving this objective, and solar energy is a leading candidate. Unfortunately, the Pacific Northwest’s dreary winter skies impose unique requirements on photovoltaic materials. Light-sensitive dyes, including lycopene, release electrons at significantly lower intensities of light than the crystalline silicon found in conventional solar cells, which means DSSCs should perform better in low light conditions. So why aren’t these solar cells already the standard for harnessing solar energy under overcast skies?

way for economical solar energy in the Pacific Northwest. In theory, the exposure of each cell could be programmed based on the weather, utilizing the lycopene cells in low light and the standard cells in full sun. But fabricating an LSSC is easier said than done. For starters, the very property that makes lycopene a promising solution for solar energy also complicates its production. How do we extract the molecule without losing most of it to photodissociation in the process? Extracting lycopene from E. coli also requires the use of toxic solvents and significant energy — possibly more than what the lycopene might generate in a solar cell. Was the idea of the LSSC dead on arrival? Conventional wisdom told us that constructing a DSSC using a dye that could not be efficiently extracted was unlikely to succeed. But the rich history of science and technology (or any human endeavor, for that matter) has taught us otherwise.

While DSSCs may outperform standard solar cells in low light, they are still at a disadvantage in full sun, where standard solar cells can convert sunlight to more electricity.

What if we didn’t need to extract the lycopene from the E. coli at all? If we could overcome the high internal resistance of a cell — a natural barrier that limits the flow of electricity — could we use the bacteria directly?

Manufacturing a lycopene solar cell, or an LSSC, that works together with conventional solar cells could clear the

We decided to encrust the E. coli cells with titanium dioxide (or titania), which is cheap, ubiquitous and, most importantly, 147

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a good conductor of electricity. The coating makes the cells more conductive, allowing more electricity to flow through. The resulting “biohybrid” material is not only light and highly porous, it also resembles some of the best-in-class materials currently used for solar energy. The moment of truth had finally arrived. Would the titania-coated, lycopene-filled bacterial sacks perform as we had hoped? Eureka! The short-circuit current density of our LSSC (0.686 mA/cm2) is already the highest for a solar cell incorporating biohybrid electrodes. Its impressive open-circuit potential (0.289 V) is a close second to a cell fabricated by Andreas Mershin, from MIT’s Center of Bits and Atoms, and Michael Graetzel, the inventor of the original DSSC who has 148

been working on this technology for nearly 30 years. Admittedly, our first-generation material still has considerable room for improvement. The efficiency our LSSC is 0.057 percent, whereas conventional solar cells average 13 percent. We’re already working on the next generation of the bacterial solar cell. With more sophisticated fabrication techniques, we could improve efficiency and extend the life of the technology. Our outside-the-box approach takes aim at one of the most pressing challenges in photovoltaic science — making solar energy economical. The biohybrid materials we are developing can be manufactured economically

Essay

and sustainably. And, with sufficient optimization, they could compete with conventional photovoltaics. In the scientific community, it can be all too easy to work in silos. But collaboration and diversity was key to this endeavor. Had synthetic biologists, chemical engineers, electrochemists and material scientists not joined forces, the LSSC would have never seen the light of day.

Vikramaditya G. Yadav is an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering and the School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. He leads a highly multidisciplinary and industrially connected research group that applies bioengineering and synthetic biology to reinvent manufacturing. Email: vikramaditya.yadav@ubc.ca Twitter: @biofoundry

The cloudy sky is the limit for our technology, and the palette of biohybrid materials that can be generated by marrying synthetic biology with materials science is virtually endless.

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Brittany Anzel

Food and Agriculture

Part Four

Food and Agriculture The food we choose to eat and the systems we choose to support can have profound effects on the health of our bodies and ecosystems. In this section, we dive into some conversations with chefs, restaurateurs and agriculture innovators all approaching the way we engage with food from a new perspective.

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Naama Tamir

Whether farmer, cook, waitstaff or guest, when a restaurant owner ‘embraces humans,’ everyone wins Interview and Photos

Kyle Calian

Naama Tamir is the co-owner of Lighthouse, a Brooklyn restaurant with a seasonal menu of healthy, fresh food that sources organic produce from local farmers. Kyle Calian: Could you describe your path to what you're doing now? How did you end up at Lighthouse? Naama Tamir: When I moved here from Israel in the year 200,0 as a student and an immigrant, the two optional jobs were baby-sitting and working in restaurants, and so that's exactly what I did. I went to school at Hunter College for philosophy and psychology, and somewhere along the way, I realized that though I really loved academia, my real passion was restaurants. I just loved serving people. I loved talking to people. I felt like it wasn't even work, like I was hanging out and getting paid for it. I worked in different places, often with my brother. Through working together and going out to eat, we developed our own ideas around the [food] industry. Part of it was a lack of transparency. I felt that there was a disconnect between the idea that what you're making will end up in someone else's body. I think food has to be delicious, absolutely,

but it also has to be nutritious. We want to be responsible and honor that trust. It shouldn’t be just about the chef's creative aspirations or whatever is hot on the market. Food is what your mother used to do when you were a baby, feeding you breast milk. The connection that what you eat today is your body the next day was something that I thought was lost at that time. It was just the ‘food awakening’ or the ‘foodie movement.’ Another aspect was the enormous amount of waste. I grew up in Israel, where farm work was part of the curriculum — actually working the fields. Weeding, planting, composting, everything that needs to be done on a farm. So that connection was always really there for me. I love nature and being around it. As kids, my parents took us mushroom foraging in the winter, asparagus picking in the Spring, we would pick almejas from the sea, which are tiny little clams. I am fascinated by 153

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ecosystems and biomimicry, I just see us as all being a part of it. Being in this very urban environment (NYC) where everyone moves so fast and everyday items are single-use and easily disregarded was overwhelming … The early 2000s were an era with a lot of money and corporate cards and so much excess. And I thought there has to be a better way. I didn't know what it was, but a seed was planted. Another reaction we felt was that service became a little less loving and warm, and there was this “Brooklyn cool service” like, oh, you're lucky to be here. Where for us, someone sitting down at your table is like hosting friends at home. Make them feel welcome and safe and taken care of. It was very meaningful for me to create a place that embraced humans, especially in New York, which can be cold and lonely. I was craving a place that embraced you, 154

that said, "Hey, you're home or you're here. How can we make you happy? How can we do this great?" — a place that creates connectivity and community. Then, just before we opened, I went to Israel to visit for my nephew’s bar mitzvah, and jetlagged I found myself watching the science channel. I happened upon a documentary called “Cradle To Cradle,” and I'm sitting there watching it and having the biggest aha moment I've ever had in my life. I called my brother and said, "I know why we're opening a restaurant. We're opening a restaurant to reinvent what restaurants are like." And I told him about this movie, and I immediately ordered a bunch of books to read. Yeah? Yeah, “Cradle To Cradle” and “The Upcycle.” It really shifted the way I was thinking. All of a sudden, I had a plan. I had this blueprint

Interview

and this real incredible way to think and talk about solutions, rather than the problem. I really love their positive approach, solving and addressing issues through design and good systems. It didn’t occurred to me before — to take a really wholistic mindful approach to problem-solving where everything is a part of the equation. The animals, the quality of soil, water, air, the earth, the people, the human spirit and creativity. It's a win, win, win, win, win, win situation, which was just so inspiring. So we decided that that's what we're going to do — we're going to create this beautiful restaurant that encompasses these wonderful values. And then we came to the action of it, and I realized that none of those systems were in existence and that being a sustainable

restaurant was so much harder than I imagined … Parts of it were impossible at first, because we built a restaurant with our own hands and without real investors. Budget was definitely a challenge, but we decided to do what we could and continue to work on it and find partners because that was the answer to being sustainable. You can't do any of it by yourself. It's about building a community and collaborating and finding people that have the same values. So, for example, we had a neighbor that was dying fabric organically using little bits of organic waste — onion peels, avocado skins and pits, beet tops ... It was a drop in the bucket, but it was a start … Then, a friend of mine introduced us to the incredible Billion Oyster Project, so we started separating our oyster shells to be upcycled as oyster reefs in the New York harbor. 155

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In terms of being a part of a healthy food system, a major part is sourcing, knowing what kind of meat we wanted to use, using seasonal ingredients. Over time, we started naming these processes. Our purchasing process is called voting with money, and I'm a huge believer that buying from companies, brands and people that share your values is one of the most meaningful and influential ways to positively impact this world. [Those experiences] changed my mind about consumerism. For so long I was this pragmatic minimalist,and now I think, well, it's an opportunity to support someone that's doing something wonderful, someone who has more than one bottom line. Cool. Well you just answeredAll of them? I do talk. [Laughs]. What's the story behind the name? Lighthouse is a metaphor for being a beacon of light. We really believe in being mindful, in doing things right, that it's possible to source well, pay good wages and be a financially viable business. It is advantageous to treat people well and to pay them as much as possible, rather than as little. Lighthouse is a human-centric kind of place. So it's all of these things. We want to set an example, and we want to be a beacon of light. That's our way to change the world. I think we've made a few unsavory turns as humanity and instead of talking about the negative, we feed people good food and treat them with respect and love, with the hope that when they leave here they'll be kinder to the next person. 156

My brother who came up with the name says Lighthouse is for the drunken sailors of the sea. A place to gather and come together, a safe place for immigrants and all those connotations. Shifting the conversation just a little bit, you already talked about your childhood experiences with foraging, going to find mussels, oysters, and things like that. Outside of that, in terms of your own education when it came to sustainability and agriculture, where did that start? It began when I moved here and I realized that my body was reacting to the food differently, because it was just so used to more natural clean food, the Mediterranean diet â&#x20AC;Ś I think immediately some things

Interview

spiked and I was like, oh, that's weird. So, for example, the milk tasted different, meat tasted different. I gained some weight. I craved food in a different kind of way, and as a curious human being, I started learning about it. I read “Fast Food Nation” and “My Year of Meats,” and the wheels started turning. So a little bit of education, a little bit of popular culture and being in tune with my body. And walking into a GreenMarket and … well that is just pure beauty.

In terms of menu creation, how do you pick menu items? I know some things change seasonally, so how do you make those decisions? I go to the market almost every week to shop and observe. When you're ordering off a site you don’t always understand how far food travels and what's really in season. So I like to see it and feel it and talk to the farmers. The menu changes seasonally. There are big changes over the seasons, and then we have micro seasons. Asparagus and ramps have a very short season. So we do some specials, and we play around. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

Yeah, it's something to take in, for sure. 157

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You've mentioned your Israeli upbringing. How has Israeli cuisine affected your approach to cooking? We have these basic ingredients — tomatoes, herbs, tahini, olive oil. I’s all very simple and relies on the quality of the ingredients, so the food is very flavorful but also clean, healthy and easy to digest. For example, herbs bring so much flavor, they have incredible health benefits, and they enhance savoriness so you can use less salt. Right, and they're also naturally medicinal in many ways. It's one of the funny things I've noticed about American cuisine and some people who are traditionally used to eating American. I'm Mediterranean as well, and my grandmother would cook with boundless herbs.But that’s almost nonexistent in American cuisine. It's crazy. 158

The main herb is corn syrup. Yep, and you can see its effect on health. To me, herbs are a cornerstone of a healthy diet. A diet that lacks in herbs, also vegetables, but herbs specifically because of some their anticarcinogenic and anti-inflammatory properties is just that, lacking. Food is medicine. Let thy food be thy medicine. Exactly. If there was one thing you could tell readers to do to have a bigger impact, what would it be? Be informed about your consumption, demand transparency. Be it food, fashion, books, cleaning supplies … It's such a simple way to support the good players … I think knowing how staff is treated is oftentimes overlooked. But to me, that's a big part

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Favorite cocktail at Lighthouse: Negroni or Foggy Dog Favorite dish at Lighthouse: Bread, sourdough. Favorite dish you've had recently outside of Lighthouse: Steak tartare at the Hoxton Hotel (chef: Matt Deliso). Favorite episode of “Parts Unknown” by Anthony Bourdain:

of sustainability, too — making sure that we're building a sustainable system where everyone gets to participate and no one is left behind. I'm really proud that my cooks can afford to eat at Lighthouse, and part of our mission is to make good food affordable. I think if we all become diligent about it, companies will pay attention, and it will become a part of their bottom line ... There are a lot of corporations out there that are lowering their costs, but the cost is hiding in our soil, our air, our water, our well-being.

French Polynesia. They're eating crab that tastes like coconut. Favorite park in New York: Central Park and also that one on Grand right by the water right here. It's a good place to think – Grand Ferry Park. Favorite herb: Cilantro.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

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Interview

Max La Manna

Instagram-famous chef talks sustainability, influencer responsibility and mindful (but not overbearing) veganism Interview Photos

Kyle Calian Max La Manna

Max La Manna (@eatingwithmax) is a zero-waste vegan chef who never wastes food and resourcefully creates delicious meals. He is an outspoken voice for sustainability and environmental conservation around the world. Kyle Calian: How did you end up as an Instagram chef, and what made you get into cooking? Max La Manna: My father was a chef, and food has always been the central focus in our family. It brought us together all the time. I grew up in a busy household. There were six of us, and we were all over the place with sports and activities and school projects and things like that. But food always brought us together. I would always watch my father cook in the kitchen, and I grew up working in his establishments. I didn't think I wanted to be a chef or at least cook for a living until about a year ago when I was living in Australia. I had this epiphany of what am I doing with my life? I'm 27-years-old, what am I doing with myself? So I sat down on the beach, wrote out a list of 10 things I can see myself doing each and every single day. And one of them was to cook.

When you're prepping your menu and picking your ingredients, why is one store more important to you than another one? When I'm shopping, I'm looking for food and ingredients with no packaging or less packaging. I don't have berries during the fall or the winter, because at grocery stores or supermarkets they're all packaged in plastic. During the summer days, I'm at the farmers market picking up fresh berries because they're seasonal, they're local and they require no packaging at all. I ask the farmer, "Hey, can you take this back? Can you reuse it?" With shopping, yeah, it takes a while for me to think of a list of ingredients that I'm going to need, because some stores and markets may not have exactly what I'm looking for. One week there may be cauliflower that's in plastic. The next week they may have cauliflower that's not in plastic â&#x20AC;Ś It changes all the time, so it keeps me on my toes. 161

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How are you using social media to influence positive change? What are some of your favorite things to post or share to help to spread this message? One of my strengths in this regard, I think, is compassion, just having compassion for other people and showing that the changes that I've made can be easy changes that anyone else can make. There may be difficulties involved, maybe you really want something that's wrapped in plastic or packaging, but I think it's just knowing exactly where that is going to go at the end of the day. There is no away. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s throw that away? There is no away. It stays here. Just being adamant and strong in the choices that you make. 162

One thing I like to do is to pick up garbage around the neighborhood, usually in Brooklyn where I live. And right now, since I'm traveling, it's fun to pick up garbage in other cities too, because I don't see anyone else doing that. And so quite frequently people will stop and ask me what I'm doing. I also like to use social media to show a range of different products that people are using. I think that gives insight to other people around the world who are watching, who are tuning in to my channel. To know, oh, wow, I guess I can also pick up garbage, too, because this is our planet. I don't wanna walk down my street where I live and see all this garbage that is accumulating. If we can

Interview

continue to just raise awareness that way ... Just like, hey, pick up some garbage on your street and throw it away properly. You're gonna encourage somebody who may see that and say, "OK, maybe I don't need to litter anymore." Why is eating a vegetable-based diet so important to you? It originally started with health reasons for me, and then it switched gears into more environmental reasons … When I was child, I watched “The World’s Strongest Man” on ESPN. My dad told me he actually was the world’s strongest man and, of course, I believed him. So having that in my mind growing up, I always thought, OK, yeah, what do I need to do in order to achieve that? So I was heavily into sports as a kid and took care of my body … and I got to the point where having a vegan diet, having a plant-based diet was introduced. And it made all the sense to go and do that for my health. Can you talk about the connection between mindfulness and eating? It's a great question. Mindfulness and eating. We're so caught up with what's happening around us and what's going on in our phones, that we forget where we are and what we're doing in this present moment, especially when there's food in front of us. I think we eat with our phones first. We take pictures of our food first, and we then eat the food, and we're not even enjoying the flavors. We're not savoring the moments of each texture. And with mindfulness, when we're able to put our phones down, smell the food, touch

the food with our hands, savor the food, let it sit on your palette, it is a meditation. And your body definitely thanks you and is appreciative of you taking that moment to slow down … If we’re able to do that in eating, then we're able to do that in other areas of our life. A question about the word vegan; how does that term make you feel? Because there's a lot of debate ... It can make people feel ostracized or singled out. As someone who was vegan for almost three years, I found it tricky to navigate at times. Do you feel like there's a balance for each person? Does it have to be so strict? Yeah. I see people's reactions when I mention that I'm vegan. And they're like, "Oh, here's another vegan." Just yesterday, I went to a Vietnamese restaurant with a friend. I know fish sauce is common in Vietnamese cuisine, so I made sure to ask if the (supposedly vegan) dish I wanted contained fish sauce. They said yes. I said, “So it’s not vegan, then.” So, people have their own ideas of what veganism is. For me, I don't think I really advocate and tell people, hey, go vegan. I think that’s harsh, actually. There's a lot of people out there (on Instagram) who promote a vegan lifestyle, but they ostracize and hurt other people's feelings for not making the switch to veganism. This may work for some, but it's not an approach I think will convert the minds of others. What I encourage people to do is just eat more plants. The conversations that I've had with people, whether they're vegetarian or pescatarian or they just eat meat, I say, hey, 163

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let's lower our consumption of meat and eat more plants. And almost 100 percent of the time they agree, and they're like, "You know what? You're so right. This makes a lot of sense." I think people who are vegan need to understand — it was a process for me — that people can have a really bad experience with food. There's a lot of people who have emotional baggage or emotional issues with food in general. So when we associate a term like vegan to someone and how they live, they can take on a lot of stress. And that's not good for the body. It’s not good for your health. I like to use the term "flexitarian," because if you just focus on plants I think you'll be all right. It's not an all or nothing game, but you should be focusing on doing the most good and not the least bad. I'm sure you've cooked for a room full of omnivores and carnivores alike. What are some dishes that you feel have just blown people out of the water? Pizza and pasta with mushrooms. They thought that the mushrooms were meat because of the way that I prepared it, and flavor-wise and with the textures. But with pizza and pasta, people think that you can't make pizza or pasta without eggs or cheese. Now, obviously, they know they're coming to somebody who's vegan and who prepares vegan or plant-based food. They know what they're getting themselves into. But then it goes back to that mindfulness, where I invite everyone to just take a moment, look at your food, smell the food. If you wanna touch it, touch the food. Eat with your hands. Activate all your senses when you're eating. I think 164

that's a really important process, too. But yeah, people are blown away, like, "Wait, how do you make pasta, how do you make pizza without actually using animal products?" There's alternatives nowadays. And I think it tastes identical. Yeah, I agree. Who are some of your biggest influences? My inspirations aren’t always people ... sometimes it's just an act that someone does, like holding a door for someone. Or maybe I see someone carrying someone's baby carriage up the stairs, as you probably see all the time in New York City. Those are the things that influence me. And if we had to go to a chef, someone who inspires me is Matthew Kenney. I'm not sure if you've heard of him.

Interview

No, I haven't. Big plant-based, vegan chef â&#x20AC;Ś He's all over

the world. And I've had the honor of meeting him and talking to him a few times. But he's someone I look up to.

Cool. Final question: If there was one

thing you could tell readers to do to have

We may not see it or may not know it, but what we do today will create a huge impact for the future to come â&#x20AC;Ś Plastic was introduced to us 60-plus years ago, and now we're in this mess. But we're cleaning it up. So I think we need to slow down and be more mindful. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

a bigger impact, what would it be?

Eat more plants. Less is more. Say no to plastic. And just be more mindful of the

choices that we make each and every single day, because that not only impacts us in the

moment, but it impacts everyone else around the world. It has that ripple effect.

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Fall farmers market soup Words Photo

Jamie Punzi Monika Grabkowska

A walk through the farmers market in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood on a crisp fall morning is sure to inspire. The smell of cider, children’s laughter and dogs in little coats paint the scene. We are grateful for the farmers who spend all year tending to the land and who take pride in bringing us their harvest a few times each week. What could be more comforting than a hearty bowl of soup to embrace the season and celebrate its bounty? As the air gets cooler in New York, this vibrant fall farmers market soup will warm your body and your soul. Share it with your favorite people to warm theirs too.

Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • • • 166

1 small butternut squash, cubed 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped 1 small spaghetti squash 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved 5 cloves of garlic, minced and divided in half Drizzle of balsamic vinegar 1 yellow onion, diced 1 zucchini, cubed 8 cups vegetable broth 1 teaspoon turmeric

• • • • •

1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika Pinch of cayenne, or to taste Handful of Lacinato kale, destemmed and roughly chopped Juice of 1 lemon Your favorite pesto and a handful of roughly chopped parsley for serving

Recipe

Directions 1. Preheat your oven to 400Â°F. 2. Toss the butternut squash with 1

tablespoon of olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary, and spread it evenly across a baking sheet. Cut the spaghetti squash in half and drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the spaghetti squash face down onto a separate baking sheet. Add a little water to the bottom of the tray to help the spaghetti squash steam while roasting. 3. Roast both squashes in the oven for 30-40 minutes, turning the pans halfway through. 4. In the meantime, cut the tomatoes in half and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, half the minced garlic, a drizzle of balsamic, salt and pepper. Spread evenly on a baking sheet. 5. Remove the squash from the oven, and put the tomatoes in for about 20 minutes.

6. Once the spaghetti squash has

cooled, use a fork to shred the flesh away from the skin. 7. In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. 8. Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes. 9. Add the zucchini and remaining garlic, and cook for about 2 minutes. 10. Add the vegetable broth, a few pinches of salt, ground pepper, turmeric, paprika and cayenne. Stir to incorporate the spices. 11. Turn the heat up to medium-high. 12. Once youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve achieved a light boil, reduce the heat. Add the roasted tomatoes and kale, and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes or until kale is tender. 13. Remove the pot from the heat, and add the roasted squash. 14. Stir in the lemon juice, and garnish with fresh parsley and your favorite pesto. 167

Photo Zoe Smythe

The Regeneration

Ricky Stephens Founder of AgTech X Interview and Photos

Kyle Calian

When it comes to the future of agriculture, collaboration is key. AgTech X (@agtechx) is a New York City-based community platform dedicated to educating and connecting those who are passionate about innovative, sustainable food systems.

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Kyle Calian: Would you describe your path to what you're working on now? How'd you get started? Ricky Stephens: My background is in digital marketing and sales technology. I started my career with a company called Red Ventures. That was a really foundational experience for me, as I started considering a more entrepreneurial path. We were tasked with building out their first international office in Sao Paulo. Before that, I was really passionate about food. I never really knew what that looked like outside of the culinary world and, ultimately, I was deterred by the kind of bureaucratic nature of kitchen life. As I was leaving Brazil, I started researching the innovation going on around the food and agriculture system in New York. I'm from New York originally, so I wanted to move back here. The more I researched what was wrong with the food system, the more I started discovering that so much of it is traced back to how we grow food in the first place. Consumer transparency trends were also interesting. Over my last three months in Brazil, I developed this huge spreadsheet of companies and people in New York doing interesting things. I was so excited about how large that list had gotten that I felt ready to move back here without a job, get into the space and start networking. I met a ton of people, one of those people is my business partner, Henry Gordon Smith. I was really attracted to and inspired by Henry, because he had built two impactful companies early into his career â&#x20AC;&#x201D; one a blog called agritecture.com, and the

other a consulting company, Blue Planet Consulting. Now, he's merged the two under the Agritecture brand. I think Henry is someone who's considered a global thought leader in the urban agriculture space. And yet, he'll still make time to meet with strangers who message him on LinkedIn. He'll still teach workshops and classes. He makes himself really accessible, which is an important trait I was looking for in working with or for someone. 169

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We started AgTech X because we felt like there was a gap between the young professionals and millenials with a curiosity and enthusiasm for urban farming and the people that were actually able to hire Agritecture, the consulting team, to help them start their project or urban farm. AgTech X became about those pathways. How do we create more pathways for young people that want to get into sustainable food and agriculture as a new career? So how does AgTech X help develop those pathways to sustainability? We refer to ourselves, right now, as a community platform focused on two things: education and entrepreneurship. What we started discovering is that you have a lot of people who are just curious. Maybe they’ve read Michael Pollan or some articles on how environmentally damaging our current food system is, how it plays into social inequities as well. There's a lot of social justice focus that people come to this space in search of. A lot of people have very little hands-on experience within the food or ag world, so we’re providing education in the form of classes, workshops and handson experiences, from working with sustainability-driven chefs who teach workshops about incorporating zero waste tactics to how to start a worm bin for composting. We also help to fill a hole when it comes to entrepreneurs in New York City who know a ton about a particular subject but are still grinding it out, working 70 hours 170

a week and are unable to market to a large audience. We can serve as a solution where we say, "We'll host. We'll sell the tickets. We'll find an audience. We'll do all the marketing. You just come here and present on that topic that you already know a ton about." As people start coming here, they feel inspired by the projects or the class instructors. Naturally, they want to make a full career transition to this space. We’ve found that one way [to do that] is just by creating a space that allows for connection. We've already seen that lead to jobs. Another piece is having more entrepreneurial-minded individuals who want to start something on their own. We try to serve as a place that helps them get from ideation to the proof of concept stage, where they might be able to get into an incubator or an accelerator that already exists here in New York. How does AgTech X facilitate the growth of these new business ventures? Right now, things move fairly organically. This is our 15th month of being in operation. The first six months or so, we were in a much smaller space. We put up a bunch of vertical farming systems, a couple desks, and we just said, "Show up, and we'll teach you about hydroponics." So does your space function like most other shared workspaces? When we first opened, we were like, anybody can come here. As long as you’re interested in urban agriculture, you’ll be a

Illustration

"We started AgTech X because we felt like there was a gap between the young professionals and millenials with a curiosity and enthusiasm for urban farming and the people that were actually able to hire Agritecture, the consulting team, to help them start their project or urban farm."

Holly Broderick

Interview

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fit … except we didn’t have a kitchen, we had a really bootleg bathroom, we had nowhere to take calls. It didn’t function like a real coworking space. It had to be more purposeful.

year. He has this product that he's trying to develop, a passive water-capture system. There are a lot of applications potentially for it, and it's hard to figure out which application they should focus on first.

About six months in, we shifted to more entrepreneurs or people starting companies or organizations. We don't have to hold their hands every day. They have an ongoing project and we can help by checking in with them once a week or once a month. And we can leverage the power of our community to really facilitate connections for them. A good example in the space today is C. Mike Lindsey, who won the biomimicry design challenge last

That's something we could help solve, partly because of Henry's experience in the industry, and partly because we have relationships with farms in New York City that could use something like this and trial it.

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So that's what we help do: Let's try to validate the idea that you have. Does it work better as a passive dehumidifier, or does it work better as a water-capture

Interview

"By bringing agriculture into the city, they're opening consumers' minds to what plant-based flavors can taste like." system that's creating water for a hydroponics system? Who are some of the partners AgTech X engages with to help answer those kinds of questions? We're members of the NYC Ag Collective, which is a consortium of urban farmingfocused organizations in New York City. There's about 20 of them. About half are farms. The other half are technology companies or service providers or consultants. A couple groups we collaborate very closely with. Oko Farms is one. They're New York City's only outdoor aquaponics farm. The founder teaches an ongoing aquaponics workshop here. Urbanstrong is like a green infrastructure consultancy, and Alan Burchell, who's the founder there, also teaches a class here. We've sent him some leads for green roofing projects. Another, Farm. One, we've worked fairly closely with. One thing we're exploring as we work with chefs is farms (especially small farms and new farms) that are still developing their marketing. Oftentimes, they're left with surplus product. We try to help them utilize that surplus. We'll take it off their hands and create content and education.

Let's say Farm.One has some extra produce. They grow rare herbs and specialty greens and edible flowers, really interesting things that most people have never had before. I love to use them as an example. By bringing agriculture into the city, they're opening consumers' minds to what plant-based flavors can taste like. It doesn't have to be the five lettuce variations that you find at a supermarket. The plant kingdom is vast and amazing and diverse, and we know so little about it, as urban consumers especially. We're doing an open house tomorrow where our chef-in-residence, Denzel, will be cooking up a bunch of different flavors. He'll incorporate their microgreens. Now, Farm.One has content that otherwise wouldn't have existed, and they minimized their food waste. Cool. So is the stuff being grown in your space mostly educational? Yeah, pretty much all educational. Sometimes, we'll harvest it and incorporate it in Denzel's cooking. But for the most part, it's used in our classes and workshops. Who are some of your other influences? 173

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"When I started seeing the marriage of environmental impact with business and conscious capitalism, something awoke in me." Well, I have personal/business mentors and figures. And then I have people in the sustainable food and ag space that I really respect. Paul Hawken is a big one, because he's one of the early people bringing together environmentalism with business. Ecological capitalism. Exactly, yeah. Conscious capitalism has always been something I've been attracted to. When I started seeing the marriage of environmental impact with business and conscious capitalism, something awoke in me. And [Project] Drawdown, just as a resource, has been extremely influential. We get a lot of people in here from the clean energy world, but sometimes people in that industry don't realize there’s other industries that are huge contributors to climate change. The average consumer, too, sometimes has a passive nature. But it’s like, what did you choose to eat today? That directly impacts. Yeah, it’s the things you do every day. A lot of people don’t see their own energy consumption. That's the beauty, I think, in food. It's just more tangible. And what I was bringing up before, specifically with Drawdown, is that they have those 100 most impactful solutions by 2050. When they categorized them, food was the most impactful sector. It was more impactful than energy. 174

And I think people just don't realize ... Yeah. What are some trends in the regenerative agriculture space that you’re most excited about? Because I don't come from this industry, I've tried to observe a lot of what's going on. I’ve found it, I guess, a little scary that within the alternative agricultural world you have so much contention between people that are generally trying to do good things but going about it different ways. There are incredible points of conflict between high-tech, urban farmers who use hydroponics to conserve land and water, and regenerative, soil-based rural farmers who are maybe thinking more holistically. Whereas high-tech, indoor farming is about avoiding some of the harm, regenerative farmers are about facing it head-on and coming up with new processes. I think because of those different approaches and the different terms that get used, and maybe the flow of capital as well, there's so much tension. One thing that I've sort of made a personal mission, and that I hope to infuse in AgTech X, is to find a way to overcome that. The bottom line is we need radical change. It's gonna happen. There's not gonna be a silver bullet. It has to happen across the board.

Interview

There's no reason for the disconnect and the tension. I think the media game, in some ways, and different mechanisms around hype and capital have deteriorated the message a little bit. AgTech X's mission will continue to be how do we bridge that gap. How can we talk about technology not just in the urban environment, but also that can be applied to regenerative, soil-based systems. Cool. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s end with a few rapid-fire questions â&#x20AC;Ś Favorite plant? For eating? I would say nasturtium. Favorite fruit? I'd say passion fruit. Good answer. Favorite vegetable? This is important information for your profile. [laughs] I know, it's tough. I don't want to give a lame answer. I got to go with zucchini, just because you can do so much with it. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s versatile. Very. And, finally, favorite tree? I'm gonna say Moringa. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

From C. Mike Lindsey, member of AgTech X: What is Next Loop? Next Loop is building a building facade retrofit for urban agriculture. So we're collecting fog and rain with this modular retrofit for use in urban agriculture irrigation systems. We'd ideally collect fog and rain and source that for urban farms in arid coastal regions. But we're also looking to apply this to hydroponic farms and be a passive dehumidifier in those places.

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Part Five

Entrepreneurship and Business If it bleeds, it leads, the old newspaper adage goes. Fortunately, we're neither old nor a newspaper. In this section, we highlight the work of inspiring entrepreneurs innovating creative climate solutions and weaving them into their business practices. If they can do it, so can you! 176

Essay

Entrepreneurship and Business

Photo

Jordan Rathkopf 177

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178

Interview

Hermione Taylor

Follow the leader: how social influence supports behavior change Interview Photos

Davis Burroughs Hermione Taylor

Hermione Taylor is the founding director of Do Nation, a behavior-change platform making sustainable living the norm by helping people commit to small changes that collectively make a big difference. Davis Burroughs: You have an online platform that helps people not just commit to planet-positive behavioral change but also helps them stick to it. Is that a fair description? Hermione Taylor: Yeah. Most importantly, it helps them to encourage their friends and family and colleagues to try out these habits, too. So its effects go beyond just the individual? They’re multiplied. The multiplier effect. Yeah, exactly. So why do we need this? What's the benefit of using your service as compared to doing something like making a New Year's resolution? Good question. There are a few things

that triggered me to set up Do Nation. The main things were that most people want to do these actions. They want to do better for the environment, and they'd like to think that they could be healthier or more environmentally friendly, but they're not really sure where to start. And indeed we all know from New Year's resolutions that you need to get nudges to keep doing what you said you'd do. A year’s a long time to keep something up without any support, so we only ask people to try their pledges for two months – and we send them nudges during that time. Parallel to that, people are most influenced by their friends and family. If it was just an organization, a charity, a publication, a government or whoever saying, “We should all be cycling to work,” it's a bit distant. It's not going to strike home as powerfully as if their friend says, "Hey, I'm doing this challenge. I'm running a marathon. Could you support me? You can support me by doing one of these actions, perhaps by running to work." 179

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To flip your question around a bit, the thing that made me think this is needed is that here in the U.K., it's a really popular phenomenon for people to raise sponsorship for challenges. Yeah, same over here. People are endlessly asking for money for causes, which is great when the cause needs money. But the environment needs action more than it needs cash. It's not a problem that can be solved by chucking money at it. Clearly, it does need some money. But it also comes down to our actions and behaviors. It's much more efficient for people to say, "Hey, support me by pledging to do one of these actions." Whether that's cycling 180

to work, wasting less food, washing your clothes at 30 degrees or using reusable water bottles, those actions have an impact. Is it easier to get people to take actions like not driving to work than to give money? Or is it more challenging? It depends on the person. I would say it's often actually more challenging. Often we have people say, "Can we just donate a tenner? That would be so much easier." We're like, no! The whole point is we need your action. It creates interesting conversations, and it gets people questioning the role of money and their actions in some places. To me, that's really valuable.

Interview

I watched one of your TED talks… One of … it makes me seem like a serial TED talker. All right, well, I watched your one TED talk, which is still a significant accomplishment. One thing that stuck out to me was when you said (and I’m paraphrasing) that you disagree with the notion that the onus of fixing problems like climate change falls on the government or larger institutions. Is that true? I'd say it falls on us all. I think the point I was trying to make there is actually those governments and large institutions, they are us. They're made up of people like us. And often, putting the onus onto them is just a way to shift it away from us. That's a false reality. We work in them, or we buy products from them or we vote for them, so our actions have an impact on what they're doing. Do you think there should be a greater focus on individual action, rather than an equal focus on individuals and on governments and institutions? To say what percentage needs to be on each is an impossible question. We need to be tackling them all. There are people working with businesses and governments, and that's fantastic. But for us it's getting the individuals thinking about it. And then, hopefully, the result is that those people will start to talk about it within their company or wherever they have influence on that higher level. We have seen that. We've seen some pretty influential people using us and going on

to make bigger decisions about what their organizations are doing. That's where we can have our biggest impact. So I know governments and international bodies have a mixed record on addressing these issues. When I think about how to fix climate change on a global scale (and I know you have some background in international environmental policy), one of the success stories that sticks out to me is the Montreal Protocol. In the ‘80s, when the impact of CFCs and HFCs on the ozone layer became clear, the United Nations body came together to successfully ban ozonedepleting substances. As a result, today, the ozone layer is being restored. I think to at least some people in academia and government there's this sense that if you're going to get involved then policy is the route you should take. What are your thoughts on that? That's a really interesting question that I haven't really thought about in that way before. But I guess the CFCs and the Montreal Protocol is such a singular issue that was quite easy as a top-down decision. “You know what, we are just going to ban this”. There are alternatives that are safer, and industry couldn't really argue with that. It was quite a binary disposition. Simple. Simple. Climate change is so much more complex, and there's not really a single solution to it, right? It's a challenge that we've got to fight on every single front, and there's 181

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urgency to it. Governments just take so long to move, and it's agonizing to see how slowly the decisions get made. And obviously you get a new person in power, and then suddenly you're out of the Paris agreement, for example. I was at an event where Christiana Figueres was speaking, about a year ago. She said in her keynote, "The best thing that's happened to the climate change movement is Trump." The whole room was like, "What?" But him coming in and pulling out of the Paris Agreement just rallied everyone into action. All of these different bodies within the environmental industry that used to in-fight and debate with each other about what they should be doing, they were all suddenly on the same page. One common enemy, basically. And I felt it even over in the U.K., massively, [with] individuals going, “You know what, we can't wait for governments. Because who knows what's going to happen, and who knows what a government is going to decide to do?” We've gotta take decisions into our own hands and make the changes that we can in our own lives and hope others do the same. There's a massive momentum picking up around that. And because of that, governments and businesses are feeling more pressure to act too. Can you talk about the psychology behind the behavior changes you advocate for? Are there certain changes that are easier to make than others? What's behind someone's will to initiate a change and then to sustain tit? People talk about behavior change being a massively complex issue, and I think 182

that’s why lots of people don’t focus on it. But, actually, it’s super simple when you talk about changing just one behavior. The challenge is that when it comes to climate change, there are thousands of behaviors we need to encourage amongst all sorts of different groups of people. It's very complex, because encouraging someone to turn their lights off versus encouraging them to switch their energy supplier ... both are very energy-focused examples but with very different behaviors and motivations. So we've tried to include a wide range of easy actions, like boiling less water in your kettle. That's our most popular action now. Until last year, the most popular action had been Veg Out, which is to make meat a treat. [That] always surprised me, because people have kind of historically thought that trying to encourage people to go vegetarian would be a real challenge. But to make meat a treat, to become part-time vegetarian, is quite an easy task that people really enjoy. There are health benefits, there's financial benefits and huge environmental benefits. Boiling less water in your kettle is also an easier change to motivate, because you save time and your tea tastes better. I guess over in the U.S. kettle boiling for tea isn't quite such an issue. Not quite as much. Yeah, you're not quite as addicted to a good cuppa. The next most popular one is Step Up, which is walking up the stairs instead of taking the lift. The main benefit of that is a health one. But lifts do use electricity,

Photo Tyler Nix

Interview

so walking up the stairs saves that little bit of energy. And if done by 9 billion people around the world it could have a good impact. I'm seeing a trend here where if you can tie a behavior to a benefit to the individual, then it's more efficient than a behavior that's less tangible. If the behavior has wider benefits, then itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more likely to stick. People try it out, and they realize, "Ah, I feel better for this. I'm gonna keep to it." From our users, I think 68 percent of them say they have improved their well-being, half say they have improved their health. That's key. On Do Nation, a pledge is to try an action for two months. So we're only ever asking people to try out a behavior. We're not asking them for a lifelong

commitment. Two months is long enough to experience those other benefits. The hope is they stick to them. How do you encourage them to stick with their pledge afterward? From the tech point of view, we send them a series of emails with tips and reminders. At the end, we ask how they got on. And they confirm whether they completely nailed it or totally failed or somewhere in the middle, and if they plan to continue.Because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s simple and light touch, our response rate is really high. About half of our users come back to confirm two months later how they did, which is pretty good in terms of tech retainment. 183

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But on the ground the real key to this is most of the pledges are being made within a social community, like a group of friends all supporting their buddy who's running the New York Marathon. When they go to dinner at that mateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house or they meet in the pub, people are going "Oh, what are you doing to support them?" Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re talking about their pledges. That brings it back, and they obviously want to show they've been successful. So there's that kind of social learning, social pressure element to it that keeps people motivated. Most of our pledges now come from within workplaces, where companies are running pledge challenges between teams of employees. And that is great, not only because they can pay us to use this, but also because within a workplace is where people spend most of their time. There are really clear communications channels, and people talk about their behaviors. Some actually even start bragging about it and use it to get brownie points with their boss. Some companies discuss what actions they're doing in their appraisals. To me, from what we've heard from our users, the actual on-the-ground discussions around the coffee machine or over lunch are what really drive the change home. The tech is just an enabler for that. I'm just thinking about how on Facebook you can ask someone to donate to a cause for your birthday. Is that something you've looked into? We've had people raising pledges for birthdays and wedding gift lists, as well. We had a really successful one recently. We haven't managed to get integrated with 184

Facebook in a way that they do for causes. We're a two-person team. Trying to partner with a beast like Facebook is a challenge. Obviously you know we're called The Regeneration. We like that term, regeneration, because the idea is to get people to do more good. Rather than leave no trace, we believe in leaving a better trace. Sustainability, on the other hand, kind of connotes cutting back, making sacrifices â&#x20AC;&#x201D; stemming from the supposition that our behavior is in some way wrong to begin with. Our theory is that it's easier to inspire people when you tell them they're OK and can do better, as opposed to saying that what they're doing now is bad and they need to be less bad.

Interview

Yeah. When it comes to pledges, I imagine it’s similar. If you're being challenged to do less of something, is that a bigger ask than saying, "Can you do more?" Any reactions to that? I think different people respond to different messaging. We've always tried to be very positive with our messaging, just like you are. I talk about sustainability in the background. I think on the website we actually don't use that term; we try to use less industry jargon. We initially thought we could ask people to complete an ecological footprint and do a full survey, and then be like, OK, these are the areas you can improve on. That could work for some people really well. It’s a bit too in-depth for me. As I said, we want to make a light touch so that it appeals to a much wider audience, perhaps to a less committed environmentalist. But also because that can be a negative message. Ours is all about by doing this action, you'll save this much. It's not that by not doing it, you're creating this damage. You see what I mean? Yes. That makes perfect sense. For every pledge, we calculate how much carbon people save. We calculate water and waste as well, but that's just behind the scenes for our own measurement. People who are already driven by numbers get to see how much carbon they'll be saving. And if their friends set a target of saving a ton of carbon, they can see that they're contributing 67 kilos to that.

Could those savings numbers be applied to corporate sustainability reports? For example, could you track how many people are eating red meat at lunch or driving instead of biking to work? For sure. Some companies are doing that. That's kind of an interesting area that we're hoping to explore with a few clients who are measuring that stuff anyway. And now they're using Do Nation, and it can be like, OK, can we track the impact? But we don’t want to become too Big Brother-like and automatically track people’s actions day by day. I think people are pretty cautious about their data these days, and I don't want to be responsible for all of that data. I find sometimes the best way to get people to behave is to just trust them, as opposed to tracking them. Yeah, exactly. Last question: if you could tell our audience one thing, in 30 seconds or less, what would that be? One thing ... The biggest impact any one of us can have is by inspiring people around us to start creating change. So lead the change, and be visible about it. Talk to people around you about it. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

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Designing for social impact Words Photos 186

Amer Jandali Jordan Rathkopf

Essay

I have to tell you that it is an amazing time to be alive. Disney just hopped on board to ban straws, Heinz is looking to make all of its ketchup packets recyclable or biodegradable by 2025, and even the behemoth chain Kroger is talking about phasing out plastic bags over the next seven years. Never before has there been such global awareness of plastic waste, or so many people seeking solutions, and this trend shows no signs of slowing down. We are in the midst of a cultural shift. Forbes reports that as of Sept. 2018 there were at least 349 states, cities or counties within the U.S. that have either implemented fees for plastic bags or banned them altogether. Every day I become more involved in this movement and more inspired by its momentum. But I never used to think twice about our plastic problem. Six years ago, landing on the couch after a late night DJing, I found myself watching a documentary about plastic bags, called “Bag It.” I heard the statistics (more than a trillion wasted each year) and saw the impacts (pollution, harm to animals, waste). But that wasn’t what struck me. What really woke me up was how unaware I had been. How was such a huge problem allowed to persist without proper public knowledge and accountability?

I stopped using plastic bags. This habit soon became a motive for grad school and led me to pursue a degree in Design for Social Innovation at the School of Visual Arts in New York. During the first semester of shop class, we were tasked with designing a tool to solve a social issue. I sketched out a few ideas — a sanitary doormat and a to-go container that changed colors when the food went bad. Nothing really stuck until my friend Lauren said, “Dude, why don’t you design something around plastic bags? Isn’t that why you’re here?” Looking down, I noticed something for the first time; I wore bracelets as a form of self expression. Why not have one about ditching plastic bags? The thing is, I didn’t want a bracelet that just said reusable tote. I wanted it to be a reusable tote. I wanted a Braceletote … so I made one. The iterative process has continued since that day in Sept. 2014. I designed Braceletote for the corner store essentials: eggs, fruit and bread for 187

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tomorrow’s breakfast, cleaning supplies, toiletries and other things we tend to grab on the go. But it’s conveniently within arm’s reach for all types of errands. The bag is sized to maximize the use of a square yard of fabric, minimizing waste while still remaining compact around your wrist. Right now, it’s made of a virgin nylon, but in the future it will be produced from recycled or upcycled materials. The bag’s sleeve — our creative canvas — is already made from upcycled fabric scraps and Army/Navy surplus parachutes. It’s thrilling to be on the cusp of releasing a product that is the first of its kind, but it does come with a fair share of anxiety. 188

I see this moment as the perfect storm, an opportunity to discover life’s virtues beyond professionalism or project management, such as letting go of expectations and the symbolic power we assign to money. For me, this experience has revealed the universality of the creative process, and the oscillations between struggles and successes. What I have learned is to stay committed to the intention and detached from the outcomes. Let the research and user needs guide the process, and always center back on why you went for it in the first place.

Illustration Holly Brockerick

Essay

Pre-order your Braceletote today at Braceletote.co Brace-le-tote (noun) A small tote bag that folds up and becomes a bracelet. Handy, self- expressive, durable; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s designed for your urban commuter lifestyle. Amer is the founder of Future Meets Present, a start-up innovation company that designs sustainable products, systems, and events. Their first product is the Braceletote, a small tote bag that folds up and becomes a bracelet.

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Return on love For Barb Stegemannâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perfumes, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about more than flowers Words Photos 190

Rob Kunzig The 7 Virtues

Profile

The 7 Virtues is a mission-driven company founded by entrepreneur, human rights activist and author Barb Stegemann after her best friend was severely wounded while serving in Afghanistan. In the following profile, our friend Rob Kunzig, a multimedia journalist, tells her story. Things might have been different if Barb Stegemann didn’t have a hearing disability. She might have joined the Canadian Army, following her best friend and fellow Nova Scotian, Captain Trevor Greene, to Afghanistan. She might not have been by his hospital bed as he recovered from his war wounds. And if she wasn’t, she wouldn’t have founded The 7 Virtues, a line of organic fragrances that’s less about what’s in the bottle — essence of rose from Afghanistan, farmed and sold at high risk — than how it got there. It’s a complicated story, Stegemann said, and one that arguably begins not in the hills of Afghanistan, nor by Capt. Greene’s bed, but in a small home in Nova Scotia, where she was raised on welfare by a single mother. It taught her the value of opportunity: When someone offers you a leg up, you take it. “I was very blessed in that I had mentors and that I had teachers who expected more from me,” Stegemann said in a phone interview. She excelled in school and ended up at The University of King’s College in Halifax, where she met Greene,

a young idealist with a keen sense of service. He joined the Royal Canadian Navy, and later earned a commision in the Army reserves. “He signed his joining papers at my kitchen table,” she said. He was sent to Kandahar, a restive southern province in Afghanistan. As a civil-military relations specialist, it was his job to speak to local elders, to hear their concerns and answer their questions. He habitually removed his Kevlar helmet, as a sign of trust and respect. On March 4, 2006, he was speaking with tribal leaders when a young man came from behind and buried a homemade ax in his skull. “He was poor,” she said of Greene’s attacker. “The Taliban paid him a few dollars. He was desperate.” After a long journey, Greene returned to Canada to recover and recuperate. Stegemann was by his bed as he struggled to string words together. As a student of philosophy — particularly the Stoics, a group of Greeks who considered personal virtue the most important thing in life — she had a means of coping with Greene’s injury. 191

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But it wasn’t enough. More than aid him, she said, she had to “take on his mission.” As he sought to make the world a better place by helping those less fortunate, she would extend the wisdom of the stoics to girls. “The 7 Virtues of a Philosopher Queen” drew heavily on the Roman philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius, and encouraged women to use their commercial and political power to affect change. She wrote the book in the early hours of the morning, busting out pages before driving her kids to school. When it was finished, she self-published and billed the first print run to her credit card. The book was a cult success, leaving her unexpectedly flush after recovering her investment. The next logical step, she said, was to practice what she preached. She now had to leverage herself as an economic force. Now that Stegemann heads up a burgeoning and rapidly expanding fragrance brand, 192

it’s hard to imagine that it all started with a 2008 story from National Public Radio titled “Promoting Perfume, Not Poppies, in Afghanistan.” She learned about Abdullah Arsallah, a Jalalabad man who was making fragrances from the orange blossoms and roses he grew in his orchard. Because many Afghan farmers grow poppies, and because the opium harvested from poppies funds the Taliban, Abdullah’s business was a de facto protest. Maybe Stegemann saw a bit of Capt. Greene in Arsallah, a determined idealist against all odds. She made contact via the Canadian International Development Agency, and the two went into business. She named the perfumes she made from Arsallah’s essences The 7 Virtues — “Kind of the thesis of my book,” she said. In the years since, Stegemann has grown her brand through steadfast evangelizing and appearances on TV shows like “Dragon’s Den,” an entrepreneurial reality

Profile

program. To accommodate increased demand, Arsallah has expanded his distillery and started selling olive oil, along with his own fragrances — though, as Stegemann notes, “He has to pay for more security now.” The 7 Virtues gathers the narrative strands of Stegemann’s life — the humble roots, the sense of service, the need to act — in tiny glass bottles with minimalist labels. “It’s no longer about Trevor and I,” she said. Capt. Greene was certainly the inspiration, but it’s more about Arsallah’s growing distillery now, which is fine by them. “When people say they’re going to do something bigger in life, that’s beautiful,” she said. “When people wake up to their own power.” She’s never been able to secure a visa for Afghanistan, so her relationship with Arsallah is maintained via email and Skype. Stegemann thinks this is the best time for The 7 Virtues to come into its own. Millennials tend to be consumers with consciences, she explained. When they decide what they want to be or what they want to buy, they decide with their hearts. “They don’t want to be millionaires,” she said. “They don’t’ want to sit in a cubicle. They believe everything should be cruelty-free. I’m so in awe of what I’m seeing in this generation.” In other words: It’s a good time to be a social entrepreneur. She knows she could build a cheaper supply chain. She knows she could cut corners while retaining her ethical bona fides on technicalities. That would pad out her profit margins, but this was never about profit — not really, anyway.

It’s about love, Stegemann said — the love for mankind that led a young Canadian to volunteer for a war that almost killed him, the love for virtue that led a farmer to resist the poppy crop and the love of a woman for neighbors she’s never met. “You see firsthand how you can fix communities, and that’s far more valuable than just looking at the financials,” she said. “Instead of always looking at the ROI, what’s your return on love, your ROL? My ROL is really high.”

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Dress for the century Words Photos 194

Carmen Artigas and Titania Inglis Shay Platz shayplatz.com

Essay

“Dress for the century, not the moment.” — Valentina’s advice to Greta Garbo

In our era of internet-enabled instant gratification, the cycles of fashion are turning ever faster. The garment industry is producing more than 160 times the weight of the Empire State Building in clothing every year, most of which goes to landfills after just a few wears. Complicated fixes abound, but ultimately what drives this mass production is that consumers are buying it. It is the wearers of clothing, all of us, who have the power to take matters into our own hands, to look to tradition rather than technology and rethink our habits to slow this madness and close the circle. While we think of textiles as ephemeral, clothing that is well-crafted and lovingly cared for can last for decades, sometimes longer. As recently as the 1800s, dress styles evolved only every 10 years; as trends changed, women would simply alter their existing gowns accordingly, mending them over the decades as they aged. Today, on the other hand, the average high street garment is worn seven times before it is discarded. At the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute in New York City, head conservator Sarah Scaturro is charged with preserving garments ranging from 15th-century menswear to Iris van Herpen’s delicate, futuristic 3D-printed dresses. Her advice on wearing garments as long as possible? It’s not a contest between synthetics and natural fibers but a matter of how they’re cared for. While synthetics have a reputation for being

long-lived, some are chemically volatile and emit toxic gases as they break down; others shed dangerous microfibers into our water. For all types of garments, Scaturro offers this common-sense advice: avoid extreme conditions (sunlight, heat, moisture) and pests; mend as needed, reinforcing stress points; wash less frequently, using just a little soap; and don’t tumble dry. As for mending, there are both modern and time-honored techniques to address holes, tears or discolorations that can crop up over time. Reweaving, embroidery and appliqué can be employed either to conceal holes or transform them into decorative elements, as with punk-rock patches or Japanese sashiko stitching. As for stains and fading, in the markets of Morocco, dyers still refresh old garments with new color — a practice recently revived by the Berlin-based, Japan-dyed vintage line Blackyoto. This process can also be done at home. Parsons School of Design professor Timo Rissanen — who likes to have a bit of fun with visible mending, both in his creative work and in his own wardrobe — argues for reviving the homemade aesthetic. He’s mended his oldest garment, a 25-year-old Norwegian sweater, so many times that it’s acquired an entirely new aesthetic. Though altering a garment has long been considered a 195

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faux pas among fashion connoisseurs, Rissanen finds the lack of preciousness that comes with repairs liberating. For those intimidated by the skill required for mending, he suggests a similarly openminded approach: first learning to stitch buttons and hems, then most crucially, learning to love the results. For those who fear that luxury clothing is devalued by any alterations, especially clumsy ones, Rissanen would like to see a full-scale rethinking. “The homemade ought to be celebrated,” he declared via an email interview. “The home-mended ought to be celebrated.” Once a garment is beyond repair, many forms of recycling beckon. Quilting and patchworking — originally methods to layer scrap fabrics into new textiles so

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strong that they were used for armor in Japan and Europe — are seeing a revival. Clothing brands, such as Eileen Fisher, APC and Nudie Jeans, now take back, mend or resell their lines’ used garments. And yet, as Rissanen points out, what to do with worn-out garments is rarely the issue. “For the most part, garments wearing out is not a problem. It's much more of a problem that we are not wearing clothes to the point where they actually wear out.” In a 2013 report, U.K. anti-waste organization WRAP agreed: “Our evidence shows that extending the active use of clothing can have the most significant impact on the carbon, waste and water footprints of clothing.” How then, as participants in fashion, can we all work more responsibly to avoid filling our planet with our castoffs? The answers aren’t easy, but they’re surprisingly joyful. Purchase only clothes that we truly love, that will have a special place in our wardrobes. For one-time wears, rent or buy used. Buy clothes

Essay

made from unblended natural fibers, which are healthier for us and our planet. And have a bit of fun with your clothing — embrace making rather than shopping as a social activity. We don’t have to look far into the past to remember these practices. In Carmen’s Mexican grandmother’s day, women would gather to jointly embroider a large, complex piece as they chatted and socialized. Titania’s mother grew up in the British colonies wearing clothes her own mother handmade for her. And as many people embrace making as a counterpoint to the disembodied computer work that prevails in their day jobs, textile classes have multiplied across the U.S., from Textile Arts Center in New York to Makers Mess in Los Angeles. Dressing for the century no longer has to mean, as it did in Garbo’s day, conforming to the classics. As Scaturro said in an interview, “It’s possible to assume any style and have it be relevant for both the moment and the century. We are now in

the post-post-modern era, which means anything goes, quite literally.” Rissanen contends that, contrary to today’s assumption that dressing fashionably requires rampant consumerism, “To participate in fashion does not require a great deal [of], or even any, money.” Rather, it demands only “an unbridled imagination and confidence in your ideas.” It’s time to let our imaginations run free and dream up a wardrobe, and a world, unencumbered by garment waste. Titania Inglis is a Los Angeles-based designer, writer and educator who launched her award-winning slow fashion line in 2009. She also co-founded Hyphen magazine. Born in Mexico City, Carmen Artigas is a multidisciplinary designer and sustainable fashion consultant. She is known for her work redefining ethical fashion, and much of her focus has been devoted to preserving endangered craft techniques. 197

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Holiday Gift Guide Selection Photo

Kyle Calian and Anna van der Heijden Jena Anne

Lovett Sundries Deodorant from Arrive Well @arrivewell Let’s be honest: everybody sweats, and that’s a good thing! Sweating regulates body temperature and flushes out toxins; without it, we’d be in serious trouble. Unfortunately, many deodorants contain harmful chemicals that you don’t want anywhere near your skin. That doesn’t mean you have to put up with stinky pits. Choose from lavender, lemongrass, pine or unscented. The cardboard tube used for this deodorant is also made in the U.S. Photo by @arrivewell

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Gift Guide

Naeco Bottles @naeco Wide enough for ice. Not so wide that it might spill all over you. Feel like drinking from a screw thread? Neither did they. They put the cap screw on the inside, so you can drink from a smooth surface. This bottle is perfect for the city, the office, the car, or whatever adventure awaits.

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Keeps drinks cold (24 hours) Or hot (12 hours). Leakproof, BPA-free cap Eco-friendly, non-toxic paints 100% recyclable packaging (and not wrapped in plastic)

Photo by @naeco

Tushy @hellotushy Turn your bathroom into the private spa oasis you've always wanted with TUSHY White and Bamboo Classic. Every spray to your bootyhole will transport you to a relaxing spa experience in the comfort of your own bathroom. Their classic bidet attachment washes your bum with a refreshing stream of clean water after you poop. They also have a spa version with a warming feature. Photo by @hellotushy

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Darzah Shoes and Bags @darzahdesigns Darzah means "stitch" in Arabic. They work exclusively with tatreez embroidery, a centuries-old Palestinian art form traditionally passed down from mother to daughter. All of their products are handembroidered by refugee and low-income artisans to create one-of-a-kind pieces. They are committed to paying living wages to their artisans, sourcing materials locally in Palestine and creating job opportunities for marginalized women in the West Bank Check out their full line of shoes and bags at darzah.org Photo by @darzahdesigns

Keap Candles @keapbk Keap was born from a simple question â&#x20AC;&#x201D; why is it so hard to buy a high-quality candle that is also sustainable? Their signature scents will delight, refresh and transport you to nature-inspired memories. Keap uses sustainable coconut wax for a clean and complete burn. Their packaging is 100% plastic-free and made with innovative materials. When the candle is gone, repurpose it into a cup or return it to Keap for re-use. By far the most natural and fragrant candles we have ever had the pleasure of sniffing. Don't go this holiday season without getting a subscription. Photo by @keapbk 200

Gift Guide

Bureo Jenga @bureo The first board game made from 100% recycled fishing nets. Jenga Ocean is made from over 25 square feet of nets proudly sourced through Bureo's Net Positiva recycling program. Featuring threatened marine animal block designs, players of Jenga® Ocean are encouraged to 'Save the Animals' through special edition rules. Learning about the damaging impact of discarded fishing nets, which account for 10% of plastic pollution in the ocean, players will gain an understanding of how discarded nets are harming marine animals, and learn about what they can do to help. All packaging 100% recycled and recyclable. Photo by @bureo

Lloyd Beanie @arvingoods The new Lloyd Beanie from Arvin Goods is made from Polylana®, a patent-pending staple fiber composed of a proprietary blend of modified polyester pellets, and rPET flakes. This proprietary blend allows Polylana® fiber to be dyed at a low temperature and gives Polylana® yarn, when knitted, a unique loft and feel.

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Reduces environmental impact Reduces pressure on virgin resources Reduces plastic pollution in our environment

Photo by @arvingoods

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Grammar Shirts @grammarnyc Grammar explores the foundational elements of the conscientious wardrobe – starting with the classic white shirt. Upholding its iconic stature in the canon of style, the white shirt is versatile and smart. But, above all else, it is democratic. This translates to an inclusive approach to design, creating proportions with underlying ease and practicality that are fitting to women of all forms. Grammar shirts are made in New York City using shell buttons and 100% organic cotton, both recyclable and biodegradable. To ensure that the cotton is of the highest quality, Grammar requires GOTS certification for its compliance with the strictest standards of sustainability and labor rights from seed to finished fabric.

Stojo Biggie @stojoco The stojo biggie is ultra-portable, leakproof, collapsible and reusable. Designed by coffee lovers, it's a convenient alternative to bulky travel mugs and better for the environment than disposable cups. Suitable for every situation, you can take stojo to the office, airport, gym, cafe or park. It's perfect for hiking, skiing, snowboarding and camping, too! Once you've finished your drink, just collapse, seal, stow and go!

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Quickly collapses and expands

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Optional straw makes it perfect for iced beverages and smoothies

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Made from safe, recyclable materials no bpas, phthalates, leads or glues

Photo by @stojoco 202

Photo by @grammarnyc

Gift Guide

Zeki Toys @zekilearning Zeki Learning is a part of a non-profit social enterprise called Child's Cup Full, based in the United States and the West Bank. Their mission is to create high quality learning materials for preschool age children that support cognitive development and language learning. At our artisan center in the West Bank, we train and employ refugee and low-income mothers to make beautifully handcrafted educational products, available to preschools in the US. All of their learning game materials are designed to support learning and development for children ages 0-7. Each product is handmade with durable, machine-washable fabrics. Photo by @zekilearning

Shea Brands CBD Balm @sheabrand CBD Natural Pain Reliever is a protective shea butter moisturizer that carries CBD into your body through the skin providing relief from pain associated with muscle aches, soreness, chronic joint pain and irritated skin. For maximum therapeutic effects, it's made with arnica oil and hard-hitting essential oils like black pepper, cinnamon, eucalyptus, ginger, peppermint and wild oregano. This balm offers a wide range of antioxidant properties and can be used anywhere on the body. Photo by @sheabrand 203

The Regeneration

Urban Austral Insoles @urbanaustral Urban Austral creates beautiful, handmade products from locally sourced, upcycled lamb leather in Patagonia. They source their leather from waste streams, as the vast majority of this material. According to Fair Wage Guide, Urban Austral's artisans are paid 78% above Fair Wage Minimum. Their insoles are naturally soft, warm and comfortable — the perfect fit for any of your shoes! Photo by @urbanaustral

Plaine Products @plaineproducts With their reusable aluminum bottles and incredible natural scents, including rosemary, vanilla and mint, they'll make your bathroom feel like a spa. Their vegan ingredients bring your hair and skin back to life. All of their products are:

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Free of sulfates, parabens, phthalates and palm oil

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Blended with whole essential oils

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Vegan and non-GMO ingredients

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Designed to biodegrade

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Baby-safe and hypoallergenic

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Cruelty Free, Leaping Bunny certified

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Free of single-use plastic

Photo by @plaineproducts 204

Gift Guide

Trail Weekender from United by Blue @unitedbyblue Every product purchased from United By Blue removes 1 pound of trash. Just under the maximum carry-on size, this weekender is a must for managing far-flung camping trips and never-ending wedding seasons.

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100% recycled polyester, made with REPREVE® Durable, water-repellent finish, which sheds moisture and resists staining Padded laptop sleeve, accommodates up to 13" laptop Exterior zippered pocket and open pocket Removable, adjustable crossbody strap

Photo by @unitedbyblue

Wowe Bamboo Safety Razor @wowelifestyle It is estimated that about 2 billion razors are thrown into landfills every year. All that plastic can take up to 1,000 years to decompose and can even leak pollutants into the surrounding soil and water. This bamboo safety razor never needs to be thrown away. Even if you do decide to toss it, the bamboo handle is decomposable, and the metal parts can be taken to a recycling center. The Bamboo Double Edged Safety Razor is perfect for creating an ultra-smooth and clean shave. Photo by @wowelifestyle 205

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This is a place for you to jot down thoughts or ideas you want to remember or share ...

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Partners

verynice helps businesses, non-profits, and governments expand their capacity for impact through designdriven innovation.

Check them out at: verynice.co Follow them: @veryniceinstagram

verynice provides hands-on strategic consulting and design services, facilitate workshop sessions, and publish a variety of open-source design methodologies. With client experience spanning 500+ brands including the American Heart Association, Disney, UNICEF, and Google, our expertise is centered around building brands, creating digital presences, and better positioning organizations.

In 2008, verynice was established with a bold aspiration: to become known as the most generous design firm in the world. Since then, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve realized this goal by building a successful business that was founded on the premise of making design more accessible. In just 10 years, through a range of impact models and initiatives, verynice has provided thousands of organizations, practitioners, and students from 100+ countries with access to over $14,000,000 USD in discounted or pro-bono services and free educational resources. 207

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Partners A huge thank you to the following incredible businesses for backing The Regeneration with confidence and for making this entire project possible.

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Partners and Patrons

Patrons A heartfelt thank you to the following awesome people and businesses whose generosity empowered us to print our fourth issue. AnestasiA Vodka Eric Calian anestasiavodka.com

Bear & Owl Gavin Pomerantz bearandowl.com

Colin Roy colinroynyc.com @colinroynyc

Christopher Hanson

Green Chimneys Children's Services Edward Placke greenchimneys.org

Bret Dunlap yeslender.com Jo Scard Fifty Acres fiftyacres.com.au

Smile Design Dental Spa Stacie Fraistat mountkiscodentist.com

Tyson Bilton

Love Me Love U Kelli Shaughnessy lovemeloveu.com

Citali Sanchez

Mrs. American Made Ana Bogusky mrsamericanmade.com

Nour Seikaly Grammar Grey House PR, LLC

Jon Gaynes

Harry Doull Keap @keapbk

Kimberly Lindegren

Harrison Helm

Michael Finney

Waste Free Earth Marina McCoy wastefree.earth

Christine Rayburn

Matthew Monahan

Liz and Mike Doerr

Nick and Jim Stanton

Melanie Ryan involvedwith.com

Be Zero Darby Bundy bezero.org

Michael Greenberg

Jane Morris tothemarket.com

Jane Korman Bassam Alasad Gwen Burroughs Regrarians Ltd. Darren J Doherty regrarians.org

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