Mind & Life periodically invites guest writers to contribute their perspectives and experiences on the blog as a way of deepening dialogue and understanding around key themes related to our mission. This post is adapted from a longer piece Megan published reflecting on her experience at our 2021 Summer Research Institute. “Storytellers have only three …
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Merging mindfulness and climate change education
In light of the climate crisis, one of the biggest impediments to social action is changing individual mindsets towards greater human-earth connection, and sustainability practices. The “Bending the Curve” (BtC) Climate Change solutions curriculum has now been adopted at-scale across nine University of California campuses and also at the University of Stockholm, with over 1000 …
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Documenting Mayan Milpa biocultural heritage through embodied ethnoecology
Milpa is a millennia-old agricultural polycrop system from Mesoamerica that continues to be widely used in México. Milpa includes maize, beans, and squash, often mixed with other crops. This agroecological system has many sustainable properties, including the ability to support large crop yields without requiring pesticides or fertilizers, even in nutrient poor soil. Lineage holders …
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Inspiring Minds – January 2022
Our January 2022 conversation features Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and Elissa Epel. They discuss how contemplative practice can build resilience to address injustice and the climate crisis.
Transformative Social and Emotional Learning as a Catalyst for Climate Action
There’s a saying in the climate movement that to change everything will take everyone. In my work as an educational leader of color dedicated to transforming school communities through Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), I believe it’s imperative that schools ultimately position SEL in service of a shift in collective consciousness.
Contemplative Environmental Mentoring Communities
Professors of Environmental Studies face a unique pedagogical challenge. They must teach about the immensity of global environmental harm without falling into deep cynicism. Professors can meet this challenge by facing up to their own fears and developing the courage to share insights as honestly as possible. This requires a high level of self-awareness and …
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Vandana Shiva – Earth Democracy: Connecting the Rights of Mother Earth and the Well Being of All
“Earth Democracy : Connecting the Rights of Mother Earth and the Well Being of All” by Vandana Shiva. We are facing an existential crisis with multiple emergencies. The multiple crises and pandemics we face today—the health pandemic; the hunger pandemic; the poverty pandemic; the climate emergency; the extinction emergency; the emergency of injustice,exclusion, and inequality; …
A Conversation with Christiana Figueres: The Case for Stubborn Optimism
Christiana Figueres is renowned for having delivered the seemingly impossible. During her tenure as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from 2010-2016, she brought together national and sub-national governments, corporations, activists, financial institutions, communities of faith, think tanks, and technology providers to jointly deliver the unprecedented, historic Paris climate …
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Roshi Joan Halifax – Integrity & Moral Suffering in Relation to the Climate Catastrophe and Health
“Integrity and Moral Suffering in Relation to the Climate Catastrophe and Health” with Roshi Joan Halifax. Roshi Joan will speak to some of the psychosocial effects of climate change and the role of moral suffering and integrity as we address health issues related to the climate catastrophe. She will briefly explore four valences of moral …
Altruism and Wonderment: Towards a Sustainable Harmony
One of the main challenges of the 21st century is to reconcile short-term imperatives—providing for one’s family’s need, surviving the fluctuations of the economy—with the search for life satisfaction in the medium term, and the preservation of the environment for the sake of future generations in the long term. Altruism is the only unifying concept …
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