Category: Climate Action

My Green New Deal, Part 3

3/15/2019

Say 'Yes' to The Mess

Paris Lights, Spring 2012 By E.R.Swett

OK. So
I was really
inspired by last week's
Global Student Strikes for Climate.
If the Pope, Paris & thousands of scientists aren't
convincing enough, listen to the kids.
They speak truth.

Sunrise in Maine, 2014 By E.R.Swett

'I don't want
your hope. I don't want
you to be hopeful. I want you to panic...
and act as if the house
is on fire."
-Greta Thunberg, World Economic Forum

Storm in Mexico, 2018 By E.R.Swett

OK Greta.
I'll try. But when
the winds blow and my heart
races, I run for shelter to protect myself and
my children. I think, "my children are
watching, I must stay calm."
Isn't it my job to
protect?

Footprints in the Sand, 2010 By E.R.Swett

I think,
though, that you're
asking me to stop protecting by
running away. You're telling me that we,
mothers and fathers across the planet, have to protect
not by seeking shelter from the storm, but
by facing the wind, rain and fear
and calling them what
they are.

"Yield" by Roxy Paine. Crystal Bridges Museum, Arkansas. Photo by E.R. Swett

This,
for example,
is a work of art that
looks like a tree and this is
a tree that looks like
a work of
art.

Is this a real tree? Which will yield first? Photo by E. R. Swett

My Green
New Deal Part 1:
Celebrate FDR's Creativity.
My Green New Deal Part 2: Beware
window dressing. One of these trees is not real.
Do not be deceived. My Green New
Deal Part 3: Say yes, Greta,
I will embrace the
truth.

Sunrise in Maine, 2014 Photo By E.R.Swett

But to
embrace the truth,
I must name it. We have a
problem that frightens me. Those fires
in California and floods in the Midwest are daunting.
Then, I listen to Franklin Delano Roosevelt
and remember that "the only
thing we have to fear
is fear itself."

OK. Here I am. By E.R.Swett, 2015

Got it Greta.
Got it President Roosevelt.
I'm on it.

A Tree in Bloom, Anytime. By E.R.Swett

"Jazz
improvisors
focus on discovery
in times of stress...They interpret
challenging situations so that
fear does not limit
choices..."
-Frank Barrett, Yes to the Mess

Hanover Neighborhood Action Group 4th of July Parade, 2018 Photo By E.R.Swett

I am not
a jazz musician,
but I love the energy that
comes from a group of people working
together to find solutions to real problems. With our
Neighborhood Action Group (the NAGs),
we've walked in a parade and
organized neighborhood
conversations.

Hanover Energy Forum "Sneak Peek" 2019 Photo By E.R.Swett

For ongoing
inspiration, I've started
listening to podcasts hosted by women
(it is Women's History month, after all)
who say yes to this mess with
humor, compassion
and joy.

Neighborhood Action Group Planning, 2017 Photo By E.R.Swett

Here are three that I currently following:

Mothers of Invention
(With former Irish President Mary Robinson and comedian Maeve Higgins)

No Place Like Home
(Anna Jane Joyner & Mary Anne Hitt; Sponsored by The Sierra Club)

Cultivating Place
(With Jeniffer Jewell - Focus on gardening, but really about the human spirit)

Big Green Machine & The Parade, 2018 Photo By E.R.Swett

Greta -
This is how we
express our panic in New
Hampshire. I know we look silly,
but we're listening - - to you and to each
other. Personally, I'm grateful to you for keeping
us honest and inspiring us to say 'No'
by saying 'Yes' to
this mess.

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Walt Whitman Inspiration: 2019

1/6/2019

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Happy New Year!

Excerpt from Walt Whitman's Poem "This Compost"

I've never
embroidered before,
but I decided to embroider
excerpts from Walt Whitman's
poem "This Compost." While he may
have written about dead corpses following
the American Civil War, I re-imagined
his words and considered waste
instead, and the power of
the earth to renew
herself again
and again.

Embroidered excerpt from Walt Whitman's Poem "This Compost" by Evelyn R. Swett

We have that
same power. Every
January 1st to begin again.
Whitman's is an optimistic poem
reflecting our innate American optimism.
I celebrate this poem not just because
2019 is the 200th anniversary of
Whitman's birth, but also
because his message
is more important
now than ever.

Embroidered excerpt from Walt Whitman's Poem "This Compost" by Evelyn R. Swett

My individual
stitches might be uneven
and the text written on an old pillowcase
may be awkward, but seen from afar, the colors
are bright, cheerful and make me want
to smile. Optimism is all I know.
So here we come 2019,
on stitch at a time...

Embroidered excerpt from Walt Whitman's Poem "This Compost" by Evelyn R. Swett

I launched
my online climate
'coaching' class and am
petrified. What if no one is
interested or needs what I have
to offer? But I show up,
one week, one stitch
at a time and
know it is
good.

1995 sheepskin fleece washed for the first time in 20 years!

I came home
from Mexico to find
that my anxious dog had
peed all over the sheepskin rug
I stand on to write these blog posts.
Frustrated? You bet. But what's a gal to do?
A few squirts of soap, some aggressive
massaging of the fleece and some
patience while it dried was all
that was needed. This is
what I tell myself.
New Year. New
ventures.
Patience.

Compost, Hanover, NH By Evelyn R. Swett

So here we are.
It's 2019. The UN Climate
Report says we have twelve years.
Our job is to show up, support each other and
get the job done. For me, that involves
persistence and patience and a
whole lot of bravery as
I creatively try new
things. What
about
you?

Embroidered excerpt from Walt Whitman's Poem "This Compost" by Evelyn R. Swett

"Behold this Compost! behold it well!
...What chemistry!"
-Walt Whitman

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Puzzles, Part 2: A Plan

12/19/2018

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I don't know about you, but I love the clarity and
focus of a puzzle. I start with the edges and
move on to specific colors or scenes.

Sometimes I have to change my
perspective or walk away and come back later.
It's amazing how even then, it can be hard
to see what is sitting right
in front of you.

Like these gaps.
I spent hours looking...I sorted the
pieces by shape and color and still had no luck.
Then my husband showed up and in
less than two minutes, these
three holes were filled.

At first, I was mad.
How dare he come along and
make it look so easy?

And then, I remember.
That's what makes a second opinion
or a second set of eyes so valuable. New perspectives
make something seemingly difficult
appear simple and self-evident.
How cool is that?

So in my last post
I talked about Reparations and
Carbon Offsets and how excited I am to
share my family's offsets with our local Advance Transit.

It was easy to go online and set up sustaining monthly
donations. We've amortized what we owe, so we'll
pay off our travel debt over time,
while also supporting
an invaluable local
resource.

When I think
about climate action,
I realize it's all about sharing -
not just the financial resources we may have,
but also our time, ideas and points of view. It turns out that
collaboration is critical, but so is having a plan, like
strategies for a jig-saw puzzle, or methods for
paying carbon debts we didn't even
realize we had.

Will Moses, Butternut Bend 24 x 30 www.willmoses.com

I may be an artist,
but I am also a planner and,
rumor has it, a motivating teacher. So I've
created an online 'class' that inspires people to dive
deep, take control, and find joy as they
participate in guided action
throughout 2019.
Stay tuned...
If you are looking for a climate action plan, I've got one for you.

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My Green New Deal, Part 3

Say 'Yes' to The Mess

'I don't want
your hope. I don't want
you to be hopeful. I want you to panic...
and act as if the house
is on fire."
-Greta Thunberg, World Economic Forum

"Jazz
improvisors
focus on discovery
in times of stress...They interpret
challenging situations so that
fear does not limit
choices..."
-Frank Barrett, Yes to the Mess

Walt Whitman Inspiration: 2019

Happy New Year!

Puzzles, Part 2: A Plan

Subscribe to
Let's ReFrame!

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Categories

My Green New Deal, Part 3

Say 'Yes' to The Mess

'I don't want your hope. I don't wantyou to be hopeful. I want you to panic...and act as if the houseis on fire."-Greta Thunberg, World Economic Forum

"Jazzimprovisorsfocus on discoveryin times of stress...They interpretchallenging situations so thatfear does not limit​choices..."-Frank Barrett, Yes to the Mess

Walt Whitman Inspiration: 2019

Happy New Year!

Puzzles, Part 2: A Plan

Subscribe to​Let's ReFrame!

Archives

Categories

'I don't want
your hope. I don't want
you to be hopeful. I want you to panic...
and act as if the house
is on fire."
-Greta Thunberg, World Economic Forum

"Jazz
improvisors
focus on discovery
in times of stress...They interpret
challenging situations so that
fear does not limit
choices..."
-Frank Barrett, Yes to the Mess

Subscribe to
Let's ReFrame!