Global warming CAN be reversed with solutions that exist TODAY.  The data is in, the solutions are awesome, and implementing them might even be inspiring and fun... 

Over the next 30 days we will explore:

• How Global warming CAN be reversed with solutions that exist TODAY. (The data is in, the solutions are awesome, and implementing them might even be inspiring and fun)
• An antidote for turning shock and despair
• How to create a tsunami of positive possibility, hope and even joy!

The first baby step in the series shares some thoughts about how to approach the seemingly insurmountable problems of these times.​

To get the most from this course, take it in steps.  I encourage you to engage with the material each day, but if you need to pause, do so.  And... don't worry, I won't pile on too much in a single lesson. The exercises are intended to build on each other--so try not to skip steps. 

​This program is designed to encourage and inspire you so that you can be a beacon of hope at a time when others need you to be.  Start with the three steps below.

Remember --you can do this!  Just take it one step at a time. ​

STEP 1:  Take the Course Pre-Assessment

STEP 2: To get you in the mood, watch this 5 minute video featuring Charles Eisenstein:

​STEP 3: When you are ready, begin with Day 1.

How do we think about and engage with the seemingly insurmountable problems of these times?

Welcome to Day One.  

Did you enjoy the video featuring Charles Eisenstein? (If you haven't watched it, please pause here and do so now)

When it comes to climate, we don't have time to waste.  But rather than think about how big this problem is, I'd like you to consider baby steps in the right direction. From this point, for the next 30 days, I will share with you a step you can take each day to develop your capacities to take positive action and exercise those positive action muscles.

The first of these baby steps is to help you orient your approach --to give you a framework for thinking about how to engage with the seemingly insurmountable problems of these times.

Framework for Positive Action

​What IS Positive Action exactly?  
To understand what it is, it is helpful to look at what it is not.

Positive Action is NOT:

• Contributing to or exacerbating negative energy flows in the world
• Social posts that share with others how you are feeling
• Shaming or blaming others for the current situation
• Watching videos (though I will share some good ones)
• About being "right"
• Based on denial about the reality of our situation

So what is it then?

For the purposes of our work, Positive Action:

• Can be small or large
• Creates movement--it takes you (us) in a direction 
• Creates an opening for further action
• Is often, as Charles Eisenstein says (in yesterday's video) "on the edge of your courage but not past it"
• Involves positive connection with yourself, with nature or others
• Is strategic and intentional

To get specific, positive action that can help reverse global warming falls into one of three categories:
​
1. It works to transform or dismantle the story, systems and structures that

• destroy living systems or
• perpetuate the release of carbon into the atmosphere   

2. It focuses on getting carbon out of the atmosphere and into life instead.
3. It activates others to do one or both of the above.
We will explore these possibilities in the days to come.

For now, keep this in mind: our positive action in the world works best when it both energizes us and thus has the potential to also energize others.

Over the next few days, we will focus on getting in touch with the part of ourself that knows what is ours to do. To do this, we will need some tools.

TODAYS ACTION:

1. ​Get a notebook and make it your own.  You'll use this notebook for the next 30 days of steps, so blank is best.
2. Find a pen you like and write down "Day One" and today's date on the first blank page.
3. Draw a simple picture of something you love as inspiration and intention for the days ahead. It could be anything you love: perhaps something from nature, or perhaps your children or grandchildren
4. Write down any ideas, thoughts or insights that come to mind thus far on the topic of "What One Person Can Do About Global Warming?" (it's okay if you don't have much to write yet) This notebook is for you and will signal your commitment to action and to your own well-being. Don't judge what you have done, just let it be.

That's it for today.

Tomorrow we will use that notebook, so have it handy

Thanks for your big heart,

We've been living in a broken story...  

When I was growing up, I believed that Star Trek would save us. More precisely I believed the story that humans could make a better world and that technology would take us there.

We were taught this story: if you worked hard in school, you would go to college and you would get a job in this world of technology. From there, you would be able to provide for yourself and your family--you would do something that matters, and you would be happy.

We trusted institutions: churches, colleges, government, and even the best companies. We dreamed of a better world, a more beautiful human-created and controlled world. All this and more awaited those who put their faith in this story.

It didn't happen that way.

There were grave consequences --instead of creating something better and more beautiful than the natural world, our technologies and quest for "more" degraded the natural world. Instead of peace and harmony among humans, we fueled injustice and conflict. Where once we could pretend it was all working okay, we could no longer pretend. Whatever beliefs came with that old story, they have since been shattered.

I wish I could tell you that the story of humanity, of life on Earth, and global warming has a happy ending. But I can't tell you that. No one knows the end of the story. No human has ever lived in times such as these--where we are literally facing an existential crisis of our own making.

The end of this story has yet to be written... and it is up to us to write it, to live it, from this point forward. To create "the more beautiful world our heart knows is possible", we will need to imagine a new story. Something wonderful and magical perhaps.

We will save that magic for another day. For now, we still have some work to do. Before we can act powerfully from a new story we need an opportunity to empty out what we feel about the old one.

Day 2 Actions:  

Use your notebook for this step. Turn to the first blank page, Write "Day Two" at the top and take a deep breath. Connect with your breath--and with your heart. Ground yourself in whatever way works for you. Breathe deeply.

Once you feel centered and grounded, do this:

(1) in just one or two sentences, write your version of the old cultural story. What did you believe that you now know is no longer true?

(2) How do you feel when you think about the loss of the old story? Betrayed? Sad? Angry? What are your fears, doubts, struggles? Whatever’s there for you, be with it and then write about it in your notebook. Don't worry about grammar or anything else. Just feel it and write. Give this exercise at least ten minutes.

That's it for today. While this may not seem like "action" in the larger scheme of things --it is important because it allows us to move forward with integrity.

You are doing great!

Much love,

​Denise

What is one simple step that can make all the difference?

Commit to the Great Work of our time.

​Modern mystic and thought-leader Thomas Berry said: "The Dream Drives the Action." He went on to suggest that it is the dream, the story, that is the root cause of our difficulty and that our Great Work of creating a mutually-beneficial human presence on Planet Earth will first require that we address the dream of the modern world. 

In July 2018, Loretta and I traveled to the Ecuadorian rainforest with the Pachamama Alliance at the invitation of the Achuar and Sapura people, two of our planet’s most remote indigenous groups. These are ancient dream cultures still living in harmony with their ancestral land, nearly two million acres of pristine tropical rainforest in Ecuador and Peru.  
​There we learned about the dream that led to the invitation and we learned about the other dream --the one fueling our collective destruction.

Just days after our arrival home in California, our farm and community were threatened by wildfire-- specifically the Ranch Fire, now considered one of the largest wildfires in CA history (and  U.S. history.) This fire consumed almost the entire Mendocino National Forest in our county. We were forced to evacuate our home for nearly two weeks, and thrown into uncertainty-- wondering if we would have a home to return to. Luckily our farm was spared, but sadly the surrounding landscape was transformed to ash and the ever-present smoke lingered, making it difficult to breathe. 

I thought back to our time in the Amazon rainforest just days earlier, a place where the dream is to be at one with the natural world. 

And I thought this: We could breathe there. 
You don't realize how important breathable air is until it's gone.

How stark the contrast between paradise and Armageddon. ​

In a span of just two weeks, we witnessed two possible futures for our descendants. The first: a lush green living breathing natural and old growth forest. The second: ash and soot, fire destroying homes and whole forests, and air thick with smoke.

It is past time to change the dream of our modern world. 

And really I cannot make any real promises that this is even possible--but I ask you to commit to living into a more life-giving dream anyway. (This is a 30 day action activation series, after all.) 

If you commit to this, it will open up the possibilities.
Don't worry about HOW just yet... just decide if you are all in.

That's a lot, I know. We'll explore dream and story in more depth soon, but for now take away this:
Actions, big or small, can have huge impact if fueled a big intention. 


DAY 3 ACTION : Commit to the Great Work of Our Time

Are you committed to this work of creating a beneficial human presence on Planet Earth?  
​Are you committed to the work of reversing Global Warming?  If so, why?

Signal that commitment by writing down your WHY.
​
As a bonus step-- share your "why" with others and let them know that you are starting this 30 day journey.
​Let us know your intention in the comments below!

To a better dream,

​Denise

Personal Action
The problem of Global Warming feels so big.

Is it any wonder that some people ignore the problem or deny it, or simply give up and say "we are screwed".

Yes, let's acknowledge that personal "lifestyle" actions seem almost ridiculous in the face of such a large-scale problem. Drive less? Recycle more? Turn off the lights? Really? How is THIS going to stop the destruction?

Yet... personal action matters and here's why.
First, small actions all add up
Second, what would we be doing if we weren't doing something?
Third, we underestimate the power of our intention in a situation where early action matters so much.

Scientists tell us that action NOW has much greater impact than action later.
Every action is significant in the next few years, no matter how small. Necessary even.  
Necessary, but not sufficient.
​
Keep in mind that  difficult does not mean impossible.  

So, the initial challenge is not choosing which perfect action to take, but how to start moving in a direction, keep at it, sustain it, to magnify it and to transcend beyond the personal into a true shift in how all humans relate to the natural world. 

More on that in the days to come. For today, let's exercise our action muscles and take one more of those small step in the right direction.

Day 4 Action:

1. In your notebook, under "Day Four" make a quick inventory of what you are already personally doing to make a difference on climate.

Consider ways that you save energy, water or reduce consumption.

2. Celebrate! Yay!

3. Put a check mark next to the items on your list that you could deepen over the next few weeks.

4. Are there some that you can perhaps make more consistent, automatic or habitual? Have you recently encountered any new ideas that you are excited to try? (I've included a list of my own favorites at the bottom of this page.)

5. Now focus on the most interesting of these ideas and identify one small step you can take to  deepen your commitment and make it real.

Maybe it is calling the propane company to fix that leak. Maybe it is adjusting the thermostat or, yes, buying that LED light bulb.

6. Do this simple action with deep intention and notice what happens.

That's it for today. Tomorrow we explore both the challenge and the opportunity of global warming

Thank you for all you do,​

Denise

P.S. Short on Ideas?  Here are some of my personal favorites:

Most Obvious

• Change to Energy Efficient Lighting (LEDs etc)
• Install High-efficiency appliances
• Recycle 
• Walk or ride a bicycle
• Plug energy leaks. Use insulation, window shades, weatherstripping
• Avoid unnecessary consumption in the first place
• Reuse items. Buy second-hand -Shop, stay and play locally
• Generate Electricity with Solar Photovoltaics  
• Drive an Electric Car (charged by solar of course)

Less Obvious

• Adopt a plant-based diet
• Prevent heat gain from entering your home. Plant shade trees to keep the sun off your windows, install shades to keep heat out in the summer and in during the winter.
• Avoid "internal" heat in the summer--leave ovens off, turn off unneeded appliances or avoid using appliances if possible, turn off fans who you leave the room
• Save water
• Avoid plastics, especially single-use plastics - buy in bulk where possible,
• Reduce Food Waste

Least Obvious

• Install Solar Hot-water
• Use climate-friendly refrigerants
• Save energy with regular appliance, AC and motor maintenance
• Air dry clothes
• Cook with a solar oven
• Fix things that break
• Compost

About Drawdown
I hope you enjoyed Paul Hawken's** video yesterday. Did it open up a feeling of possibility for you? (It's a vital part of this series so if you haven't had a chance to watch it, go do that now here.  )

Remember: the goal of this series is first, for you to see the possibility of REVERSING global warming, and second, to see that you have an important role to play in that process.

Project Drawdown offers a fundamental shift in our understanding of what’s possible.

What is Drawdown? "Drawdown is the point in time when the concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases begins to decline on a year-to-year basis." (from www.drawdown.org)

​Project Drawdown has identified and modeled the 93 most substantive solutions to address global warming and demonstrates that we can begin to turn the situation around by 2050 with existing technologies. The net message:  The sooner we begin, the better.  These solutions address the energy we use, the food we eat, how we travel, and more

Day 6 Action: Investigate Drawdown

1.  What will "bend the curve?"  Watch the first 8:16 minutes of this TED Talk (Don't worry, we'll watch the remainder in a few days):

**A Note about Paul Hawken:

Deja Vu
2.5 billion years ago a noxious gas –generated by some of the earliest life forms—poisoned the atmosphere. This gas even etched the rocks! It threatened all life on Earth. The story of life could have ended right then and there.

The gas... was oxygen.

Did life end? Obviously not.
Here's what happened: Life found a way. Mitochondria were born—first as stand-alone creatures, then as a subset of other creatures. Mitochondria's innovation saved the day-- turning oxygen into fuel to further the adventure of life.

Even though the odds are long, it is possible to turn things around. I find hope in the fact that Earth has been here before and thus has much to teach us. Plus, humans, and all life, can be incredibly innovative once we focus on what is important.

An what other choice do we have? Give up?
 
Day 7 ACTION:  

Today, find at least one reason to be hopeful and share it with someone who needs it. Perhaps it is Project Drawdown or one of the solutions you saw on the Drawdown.org website. Or maybe you are inspired by just how diverse and alive humans can be.

We'll explore many more reasons for hope in the days to come.

To a way forward,

Denise

Awakening
A few years ago, I visited a local warehouse store to fill my eyeglasses prescription. As I waited at the optical services counter, situated right by the exit, I observed cart after cart leave the building, each piled high with all manner of consumer goods. Big screen TVs, camping supplies, lawn furniture, giant boxes filled with bottles of water... and on and on.

I said to the clerk as she brought me my prescription “I wonder how long the planet can sustain this.”

"You know” she said, “I think about that all the time.”

I don't know why I was surprised by her response. After all, she too witnessed this cart parade, in her case day in and day out. Cart after cart. She recognized that we humans are getting it wrong... that some of our best human creativity is going into the products in those shopping carts.

She taught me this lesson: do not underestimate our fellow human beings! Within each of us is a deeper knowing--a connection with all life. We awaken even as extraordinary events shake us... maybe it's as we experience the most recent summer of smoke, or multiple "100 year" floods in a row, or the last three years being three of the hottest years on record. Regardless, we awaken to a warming Earth.

As we awaken to the specter of global warming, I imagine that many might feel scared, or angry, or even hopeless. Maybe they have already given up.

Most people don't yet know that global warming is reversible with the technology we already have.

We need to give them hope!

Think about it. The barrier is not that we don't know what to do! It's not that we haven't figured out what will work, but rather it is our willingness to act.

As we awaken to the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced, we must also rekindle our own love of life itself.

It is too soon to give up the fight for life!

Day 8 ACTION:

Share with someone you know the fact that global warming is reversible with the knowledge and technology that we already have.

Make their day.

Denise

​​Seeing YOU
The word "Pachamama" comes from the Quechua, an indigenous people of the Andes. Loosely translated, it means "mother earth--or more precisely the life force of our Earth mother. The call of life.
​

The Pachamama Alliance was initiated by the Achuar people of the Amazon rainforest and over the past 20+ years this organization has served to awaken people around the globe to a deeper wisdom within themselves.  Each of us is called in our own way.

Even though others might make suggestions on what action to take, the deep knowing of what is YOURS to do has to come from you.

At the heart of it, reversing global warming involves a spiritual awakening--a connecting to the life force within ourselves, within others and within our planet herself..

I'm so excited to share my own journey into the rainforest and back and the groundbreaking work of the Pachamama Alliance and Drawdown. When I look in the mirror I see an Earth lover and healer and I know that there is hope!  

Today's action is inspired by the Pachamama Alliance's Awakening the Dreamer and is an exercise created by Joanna Macy for step 1 of the Pachamama Alliance 30Days, 30 Ways Challenge in September 2018.  You can access resources for their entire 30 Day Challenge here.

TODAY'S ACTION : Look in the Mirror 

Look in the mirror and see who looks back at you.

Consider that you are looking into the face of someone who deeply cares about what is going on in our world. Someone who understands that the situation facing the Earth and all species at this time is critical. In looking into your own eyes, allow your awareness to open up to the very real possibility that this person will play a role in the healing of our world. That you are at the right place, at just the right moment, with just the right gifts, resources, and motivation. Allow that possibility, with all that it means for you, to enter your consciousness and your heart.

Acknowledge yourself for being that person.

-----------------------

Enjoy the short video below with author and speaker Charles Eisenstein and once again experience his powerful perspective on the potential we each have to make a difference.

I'm so glad you are here.

Denise



==============
A New Story of the People - Charles Eisenstein

Tomorrowland
When I was five years old, my dad took me to Disneyland for the first time. There I experienced Tomorrowland - "The City of the Future."
They promised, and I truly believed, that technology would make everything even better. 

Fast forward fifty-five years... Today we have technology in the palm of our hand that even Walt Disney's imagineers never imagined. With a television studio and a powerful computer in our pocket, we are connected with one another around the globe. You would think that we have indeed created a technological future that we imagined a half-century ago.

But we aren't living in Utopia. 

Somewhere along the way, we drifted off the rails. Only a handful of people are allowed in the gated community of Utopia and everyone else is left in the dystopian futures of the Matrix. Or Mad Max. Or Idiocracy. 

Why are our latest imaginings so uninspired? What ever happened to Tomorrowland? When did we stop imagining a better future for our children? 

Despite the difficulties humans and our planet face together, we do have a choice. We can choose possibility. We can choose to re-imagine a positive future for ourselves, one where humans live in right relationship with the living systems and with each other. 

Yes, we can choose to believe in and create possibility. 

The only caveat-- this will involve connecting with others--ideally in real life.

TODAY'S ACTION - COMMIT TO CONNECTION. 

Commit to connecting with others. I know that you may find this to be a difficult action, because we often tend to isolate, and technology allows us to lurk behind the scenes at times. So I am offering you a baby step! 

Reach out to others who are working on Climate in your own community and find out when they are next planning to meet.  In my community, this is led by a member of the local Sierra Club who formed a Climate Action group.  In the Bay Area it might be Climate Action - Bay Area. 
​
Bonus Points: if you are brave, consider attending their gathering.

That's it for today.

Love,
Denise

OPTION:
Exercise those connection muscles a little bit by reaching out to future participants in this 30 Day Activation... post a comment on this thread with your answer to this question: What makes your heart sing?  Let's celebrate good things!

Audacity!
While the goal seems audacious--anything less would be uninspiring. Who wants to rally around just mitigation? No. We want to turn it around.

We need to create a new way of living--one that is regenerative by nature.  We start by enabling powerful positive action around the world.

Project Drawdown asked the question: do we know what to DO to turn this around? Do we know what the most effective solutions are? Hundreds of researchers, implementors and policymakers are collaborating to create a common model to answer these questions and convey it in a way that is accessible to all audiences.

Drawdown presents an audacious goal... and it is totally possible. This is an opportunity to create the future we want.  Let's create an audacious intention.

Is it ambitious? Is it optimistic? You bet! But we can't NOT do it. The moment we are in calls for audacity.

TODAY'S ACTION: Inventory
​
1.  Click the video to watch (or rewatch) the last 8 1/2 minutes of this TED talk:

Surprises
Researchers were surprised when the data showed that educating girls and family planning, when put together, were the most impactful solution to reverse global warming.

When refrigerant management turned out to be the number one technical solution, they said "Really?"

That nuclear power made the list at all demonstrates the researchers let the data speak for itself without political filtering. It is hardly a draw for the grassroots.

We don't have to personally embrace all of the Drawdown solutions. We do have to trust that the best solutions will draw many good people to work on them.

The good news: most of the solutions have multiple benefits beyond reversing global warming, and there are hundreds of solutions waiting in the wings--ones that will make the list soon. There is truly something empowering for everyone.

Delving into this wide range of possibilities, there are even more surprises. For example, would you have thought that "smallholders" would make such a difference? (This is one of my favorites) What is a smallholder you ask? Look it up here.

TODAY'S ACTION: Look for Surprises 

Review the list of Drawdown solutions you printed out yesterday or go here: https://www.drawdown.org/solutions/table-of-solutionswww.drawdown.org/solutions/table-of-solutions

On a fresh page in your notebook, List five solutions that surprise you--perhaps those you had not heard of or those you did not know would help reverse global warming.

OPTIONAL: share your "surprises" in the comments below.

Denise

Bonus: Full video--Paul Hawken shares why the solutions are inspiring well beyond climate work here:

The answer is right under our feet!

Soil
In 2004 I enrolled in an "Introduction to Permaculture" class. One of the exercises was to create a garden bed. We did this using a layer method, first cardboard on the ground to keep the weeds from coming through and then layered native soil, straw and compost in a lasagna-like preparation.

On an intellectual level, I understood what we were doing— allowing nature and time to do the work of creating garden soil. But for me, the lesson really hit home when we were guided over to a garden bed that the previous class had prepared maybe six weeks earlier. The instructor encouraged us to plunge our hands into the soil. It was warm and moist filled with worms and life. I could sense that this soil would create a beautiful garden. I knew that, given time, ours would do the same thing.

We sat quietly, marveling at the soil. The instructor said:

“Are you working the soil? Or is the soil working you?”

At this I realized how happy I was with my hands in that soil. Create the conditions and life will thrive. Let nature do what it does—we just need to do our part.

Many climate solutions involve care of the land and soil. Soil draws down carbon--it takes it out of the air and turns it into LIFE. Soil feeds us. Healthy soil is one of the most awesome ways to reduce global warming.

Is it any wonder that one of my favorite solutions is Composting.

Here is why I like it so much:

• It can be implemented both locally--by an individual, or scaled to a whole community;
• It is easy to learn how to do it;
• We don't need any government action to make it happen;
• We would want to do anyway for many other reasons -- to grow food, create healthy soil, create beauty;
• When we compost, we divert food waste from landfills where it would otherwise decompose and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas;
• Composting creates life from death. 

Compost creates beauty.  And there are plenty of amazing ways soil can help us reverse global warming. Intrigued? Check out the  videos below from from Kiss the Ground (and there are plenty more on their channel!). And this is just ONE of the many climate solutions.

Day 13 Action:
Take out your notebook. As you review the five surprising solutions you wrote down yesterday, glance at the entire Drawdown list or consider the work from Kiss the Ground...

1.  What is your favorite climate solution so far?

2. Why do you like it? Is it beautiful? Easy to do? Can you implement it on your own? Can you implement it with others?

Post your answer in the comments below. Be sure to let us know which solution you are most drawn to and why.

Think about where you might find resources to inspire you to take this solution further.

To creating beauty,

Denise

The Soil Story

The Compost Story

BONUS: Other fantastic videos from Kiss the Ground

 The Opportunity

I mentioned a few days ago that with great problems come gret opportunities. 

There has been tremendous press attention to climate lately. Why? Because there is a LOT is going on around the world when it comes to climate. After thirty years of ignoring the issue, the mainstream press is finally reporting the story of Climate.

Unfortunately, the stories are crisis-driven--global-warming has exacerbated fires, tornados, floods and hurricanes and all of these make good video. Sometimes they story will be celebrity-led actions.  

Regardless, the mainstream media will be most likely report doom and gloom as they often do. Many people hear these news stories and believe that the problem is too big and too scary and too complicated. They believe that they cannot make a difference.

It is time to change that story to one that is truer and more empowering.

Consider this an opportunity to reframe the story.

Day 14 Action:

1. Watch Paul Hawken's video below on the Opportunity of Global Warming

2. What stories do you tell yourself about global warming? Is the story true and empowering? If not, how might this story be reframed? Write in your notebook. 

To a New Story!

Denise

​Even the most optimistic among us can be affected by events

​You might be asking "Denise, Drawdown, Pachamama, and change making frameworks are all well and good, but what if I feel despair? What can I do if I feel overwhelmed by the state of the world ?"

​Meet the Dragon of Despair. This is perhaps one of the greatest challenges we face in our quest.

As compassionate, sensitive, open people, we can be overcome by the magnitude of the losses we see every day. Even the most optimistic among us will be affected by the staggering events and the daily affronts to our values, sensibilities, and even our sanity.

It is painful. So painful that sometimes we are tempted to close up rather than feel it.

Joanna Macy and her "Work that Reconnects" asserts that we ought not be afraid of the pain of the world. That in feeling it, speaking of it, befriending it--we transform it. Our pain shows the depth of our love.

If you are unafraid, then nothing can stop you.

Day 15 Action:

1. Watch Joanna Macy video:

​2. If despair and sadness are present for you, check out Joanna Macy's The Work the Reconnect Practices . Know that you are not alone! One of the best ways to transform these emotions is to connect with nature and others in ritual. I often use her Truth Mandala ritual in groups,

Even though The Truth Mandala and other rituals are designed for groups, it is possible to create your own healing rituals for reconnecting with your Source. Whatever your spiritual beliefs, make it a practices of connecting with a deeper source of wisdom within yourself that can guide you,

3.  Connect
Connect with something or someone in actual reality (as opposed to virtual reality) for at least 30 minutes today. This can happen out in nature or in human interaction. The goal here is to really connect --in the real world, so turn off your computer and phone. Give yourself the gift of uninterrupted time to just be.. I'll share a bit more about why this important tomorrow.

Baby Steps!
  
Here are my grandkids learning to take their first steps. Not long after this, they were RUNNING. Now they are skipping, doing backflips and climbing trees.

They didn't know it then, but these baby steps opened up a whole new world for them. Today, they can imagine playing varsity basketball or hiking Mt. Lassen. Anything is possible.

What does this have to do with reversing global warming? Turns out, a lot.

Drawdown shows us that reversing global warming is possible, yet the required change to human behavior and systems seems massive from our vantage point today.

This presents us with a crisis of imagination. A spiritual crisis... one that can be solved with a change in habits. This requires baby steps.

What do I mean?

Today, most people are sitting on the sidelines out of overwhelm, apathy, despair, cynicism or worse. Even though we need to get connected and take action together, many cannot imagine how to do this.

Did you take 30 uninterrupted minutes to connect with yourself, nature or others yesterday? 

If you did, congratulations! But, if you did not, that's okay, 
Frankly, I assigned a confusing, complicated action. Was I asking you to connect with yourself? Was I asking you to connect with nature? Was I asking you to connect with others? And 30 minutes! whoa--that's a big ask.

Behavioral change expert and Stanford University Professor Tim Fogg (tinyhabits.com) says that there are three things that need to be in place to change behavior in any given moment. 

1. A Trigger
2. Ability
3. Motivation
If you did not take the 30 minutes, chances are one or more of the above was missing.

Trigger: Perhaps you read the email at the end of the day just before bed, so 30 minutes was out of the question - the email was an insufficient trigger for you to take this action.

Ability: Maybe you had no idea what I meant... and thus did not have the ability to do it.

Motivation: Or maybe the email was insufficient motivation--it did not seem as important to you as other things you were doing.

Professor Fogg's studies also demonstrate that there are only three ways to actually change behavior:

Option A. Have an epiphany
Option B. Change your environment (what surrounds you)
Option C. Take baby steps

Option A is possible, but rare, so let's set that aside for a moment. Option B is possible, but can be a bigger challenge and takes much more work.

That leaves Option C - Baby steps.

Why do "baby steps" work so well in changing personal behavior? Consistent long term change can happen best if we become the "type of person who does____" New habits start small. Meditate for 3 minutes today. Floss one tooth a day. Do one push-up a day. Connect with nature for 2 minutes a day.

Consistency is key. Want to begin an exercise program? Start with a ridiculously easy baby step. Walk for 2 minutes a day. right after breakfast. Do it every day. Of course, by day three, if you are like most people, you'll be walking for more than two minutes.

The "tiny habits" method demonstrates the real problem to change is inertia... If we can overcome initial inertia with what Fogg calls "a trigger" after 65 days, we'll have a new habit. 

Experts recommend introducing a new tiny habit every thirty days.

A "trigger" is something you already do or something that happens regularly. Examples:

- the morning alarm goes off
- You pee
- You brush your teeth
- Your mobile phone rings
- You see a negative political post on social media

Doing this also demonstrates the power of changing the story, even in small ways. If I walk for two minutes a day, I am now "the kind of person who exercises daily." Voila!

We'll learn why working on our own habits and well-being is important to reverse global warming tomorrow.

TODAY'S ACTION: 

So today, with the same goal in mind (connecting) let's try a much more specific action.

Find a trigger--let's say you just finished brushing your teeth, At that moment, take one minute to connect with yourself. Just breathe.

If you choose, make that small moment of self-connection your new tiny habit. Or select another self-care action that is important to you..

Commit to this new tiny habit for now and in a week notice what happens!

The gift of who we are needs to shine through.  ​

The Gift

Not in a million years would I have imagined that Loretta and I would be in the middle of the Amazon jungle leading a song as part of a cultural exchange with the Achuar people. Fortunately, our traveling companions had our backs--literally. They sat behind us and sang along... and even participated in the accompanying hand motions.

The song was about opening our hearts wide and choosing life.

The whole situation was humbling for sure.

Why were we doing this? We were advised to not bring material gifts for the people as their culture is not materially oriented. We were encouraged to offer ourselves and our songs as the gift. We did not share a common language, but somehow we were able to connect. It took me awhile to understand this:

We were the gift.

To truly do this work at this moment in history, we not only need to see differently, we need to BE different. The gift we are needs to shine through.

A resource that I have found particularly valuable in this work is Will Keepin's Principles of Spiritual Leadership. 

The first of these principles is to work from love--to be FOR what we want rather than AGAINST what we don't want. The Dalai Lama says, "A positive future can never emerge from the mind of anger and despair."

Yesterday's action was to unplug and connect with yourself. Why does this matter?
​
Intentionally taking action from the heart may be one of the most important steps we can take to reverse global warming, regardless of which "solution" we choose to work on. Our heart is what draws others to our work.

TODAY'S ACTION:
1. Read Will Keepin's Principles of Spiritual Leadership  

2. Which of these principles of spiritual leadership most speaks to you at this time?

Over the next few days, I'll share a couple of these principles that I find personally helpful in this work of reversing global warming.

To being wholehearted,

Denise

How are you?

I'm really asking.

Is this 30 Day series going much too fast? Just right? Are you eager for more? Check in with yourself. And if you need to take a few days off, that is okay.

Today and tomorrow we pause a bit to examine the deeper WHY... our motivation for this work.

Remember Will Keepin's Principles of Spiritual Leadership? . Another key principle is this: "The motivation underlying our activism for social change must be transformed from anger and despair to compassion and love."

You may have been at this for awhile... so, yes, this includes self-compassion and self-love.

This work of living a new story is, in part, an exercise in physical, mental and spiritual health--and most activists and sensitive souls understandably struggle with these. If the world feels dark and scary, or void of joy, positive energy and beauty... you aren't helping.... or specifically, your energy isn't helping. It might just be time for TLC (tender loving care).  Maybe a nap is enough.

Whatever we plan to grow in the world will depend on the nutrients in the soil of our own health and well-being first.

Our state of mind is directly proportional to the amount of self-care we practice. This starts with caring for our physical body--good sleep, nutrition, water, exercise, and then our emotional and spiritual health--good relationships, connections and practices. If you are not doing these things, do NOT beat yourself up or try to implement everything at once. Be gentle with yourself--perhaps commit to taking one small step in the right direction this week.

TODAY'S ACTION:
​Take this self-care assessment.

In fact, take this assessment as often as you would like --I personally review these items once a month or so just to check in with myself.

Is there one area of self-care that you can commit to improve in the coming weeks? What "tiny habit" can you initiate today to begin?

Above all, be gentle with yourself,

Denise

Feed what you want to grow

In a few short weeks, my pumpkin plants were HUGE I realized that the best way to garden was to create conditions the plants like and allow them to grow.

Feed what you want to grow--it is a lot like this principle from Will Keepin's Principles of Spiritual Leadership:

We often worry and wonder how to open closed minds and closed doors... ​

Love
My friend and farm-mate Clovice is a composer and a cellist, among his many other talents. He is an entrepreneur turned minister and when I heard that he was studying for the ministry, I thought "that's perfect."

To me he is one of the most genuinely happy and insightful people I know, and one of the most loving.

If  "What you attend to, you become." then Clovice attends to love and creativity.

The love that we offer the world can take many forms: care for others, service to community, political activism, or even self-care. And Clovice shows that love can be as simple as devoting yourself fully to creative expression and sharing it with others.

Clovice invests most of his time into his creativity, every day. I really like being around Clovice., and I notice that other people like being around him too. That's when I realized how much Clovice has to teach us about transforming our world for the better...
Clovice opens the door with love and has a genuine opportunity to change hearts and minds on the issues of the day--more often than not political issues. Even people who disagree with him are willing to engage in meaningful conversation.

They love him, he loves them... a door is open.

We often worry and wonder how to open closed minds and closed doors... yet Clovice makes it seem nearly effortless, sometimes with only a cello.

Could it be this simple?

TODAY'S ACTION:

Observe how you spend your time over the next 24 hours.

To what are you attending?

To opening closed doors...

​Denise

Tipping Point

You already know this. It is no secret.

We don't have much time.

Atmospheric CO2 has almost reached a level where irreversible and devastating climate unraveling will impact all life on Earth. And the changes are happening in real time.

I'm not emphasizing this to scare you or to discourage you, or anyone. I'm saying this instead to highlight the moment in which we find ourselves:

We are at the Tipping Point in the story.

We've seen this moment in the movies plenty of times. You know how it goes: there is a point in the story when all seems lost--our hero has fallen into a pit with no obvious way out. If she were to give into despair and hopelessness, who would blame her?

Does the hero say. "Well, I'm in this pit of snakes and odds are against me, so I guess I'll give up"?

No! That's not at all what happens... (what a crummy story that would be, without a hero at all.)

Instead, a new story emerges--one where our hero overcomes long odds and triumphs in the end. The archetypal Hero's Journey, which is typically considered to be outward, masculine journey, even if the hero is a woman.

So here we are. This superhero journey can capture the imagination--and almost all Hollywood blockbusters follow this formula.

But I'd like us to especially consider the feminine archetypal journey.  This is more the inward journey, where we defy expectations, nurture and find our true magic, believe in ourselves, and offer our gifts to the world, regardless of the judgements and expectations of others.


TODAY'S ACTION

Imagine a story about our future from this point forward--one that you want to have happen. What would you include?

Write it down.

Stretch Action: Share it or post your story in the comments below.

To the next phase of the story,

​Denise

Let me ask you something. Which of these stories inspires you to take action?

Story One: "Global Warming is such a massive problem. It is too big to solve, so why even try? We are doomed. It's game over."

Story Two: "We are alive at one of the most significant moments in planetary history.. This is a gift-- an opportunity to be a part of the most important transformation in the history of humanity and create a better future for all life on Earth. Game on!"

Experts tell us there are three critical strategies at this pivotal moment:

(1) Do everything we can to halt destructive SOURCE activities that destroy natural systems and/or release carbon into the atmosphere
(2)  Do everything we can to draw carbon down from the atmosphere as rapidly as possible
(3) Transform society into one that is just and sustainable.

I believe there is a fourth strategy that enables the other three:

(4) Chose the future we want to commit to. Change the story we tell ourselves about what is possible.

Here is how the historians will tell the story of our time:

When our collective future was at stake, one shift in human thought changed everything.

Suddenly, all at once, we believed we could reverse global warming.

We refused to give up. We stopped the destruction and set to work restoring living systems around the world.

It all started with people like you and me who not only believed that a better future was possible, but committed to making it happen.

We changed the story.

So that's where we are going with this. That's the goal of our work together--to find ways to change the story for ourselves and for others--through action and connection--so that humans can imagine, believe and create the "more beautiful world our hearts know is possible."


TODAY'S ACTION

(1) What is your best next baby step to help reverse global warming?

(2) Take that step today, or at least remove a barrier to doing so.

Bonus: share in the comments below.
​
To a new story and a better future!

Denise

Superpower

Everywhere on Planet Earth an unprecedented global phenomenon is rising.

Millions of  organizations around the world  are working towards social and environmental justice --the largest social movement in the history of humankind.

This systemic shift is already underway on a massive scale, and humans are making some of the most necessary and fundamental changes needed to create a future that works for everyone.

What fuels this shift? Connection, passion and love.

If you are connected with others in your work for the planet, you are already a part of it.

There is a reason that defenders of the status quo are attacking "woke." This movement cannot be stopped. And it will change everything.​

ACTION TODAY

​Watch Paul Hawken here:  

Phase Change

In nature, phase change is a physical phenomena that shows us how quickly things can change once a system reaches its tipping point.

Let's say that you have placed a kettle of ice cubes in a pot on the stove. You turn on the burner to eventually melt the ice and heat the water. Did you know that until the ice fully melts, the temperature of that water stays at 0 degrees centigrade? No matter how much energy you put into that kettle the evidence on that thermometer would show that the temperature is not changing at all.

Once the ice has completely transformed from solid to liquid, the temperature of the water begins to rise. Eventually, the water will begin to boil. Again the temperature stalls--staying at 100 degree Centigrade until the water is completely turned to steam.

It takes energy to dissolve old structures. We may not see the change (the temperature of water rising) but the dissolution of the bond is happening. Massive change is happening nonetheless.