The RēMind, No. 037: WE ARE LIVE!

Updates from Rē / Giving Tuesday / Virtual Library / New Courses / Food System Ableism / Midterm Election Climate Implications / Upcoming COP27 negotiations

Happy Sunday, Regenerative School Community!

In this week’s newsletter, we share some exciting news including our virtual library launch, an upcoming Giving Tuesday campaign and a seasonal wellness offering!

Of course, we also share a weekly roundup of some reading that we enjoyed this week. Topics include unpacking ableism in the food justice movement, climate implications of a split congress, and upcoming COP27 negotiations.?

Keep reading for more!

UPDATES FROM Rē:

Stay tuned for our Giving Tuesday ReDonate Fundraiser!

The platform will be shared on our social media and website this Tuesday, November 22. Rē is a non-profit and we appreciate the generosity of our donors. Every donation counts. We have a lot in the works right now and we are very excited about 2023 and our upcoming programs. We thank you for your support. Small seeds grow into large trees. Click here to donate: https://givebutter.com/BDkxmj.

Our Library is Live!

Visit?https://regenerativeschool.org/reschool/?to access our virtual curricula that we have been cooking up for many months. For this holiday season we have two beautifully rich course offerings that explore how we engage with climate, history, and nature!?

1. ReMembering The Origins of Climate Change?by theologian and researcher Sara Jolena Walcott, founder of?Sequoia Samanvaya." The opposite of to remember isn't to forget, it's to dis-member," according to author Parker Palmer. Sara applies this framework to our fragmented, short-sighted understanding of climate change. In this new, three-part course, we will trace the roots of climate change back 500 years to its roots in colonialism, racism, and church doctrine. Along the way we will delve into our own family histories to make sense of the deep story of how we have arrived at today's climate crisis and how we can instead choose to build a more regenerative future.
2. Nature and Belonging?by?Empower with Nature's Maya Galimidi. In this popular three-part course, we will ground and re-build connection to place. We will explore diverse concepts and use phenomenological techniques to engage our senses and heighten our levels of observation. Through a deepened understanding of ecopsychology and the “ecological self” we will reconnect to place and purpose. Consider this class a personal invitation to ROOT: within yourself, and wherever you are.

Fall Seasonal Offering

We also have a Seasonal Retreat Offering (Pay from the Heart, donation based) available on our website and library for those interested in rēcharging and rēbalancing the mind, body, and spirit, as the days continue to grow shorter and colder. Thana Numan, an ayurvedic wellness counselor and therapeutic yoga instructor of Nourish Me Wellness, and Caitlin Smith, owner and founder of?Within Wellness, have put together a beautiful practice for you! The offering includes a yoga practice, meditation, Kitchari recipe, and more! Consider our invitation and check it out?here!

Consider our invitation and lean into a beautiful practice just for you.

WE RēCOMMEND:

1. “Mirroring society at large, community gardens and their associated programming are often created under the assumption that there is a “normal” or ‘correct’ way for bodies and minds to function... [so we asked ourselves] what other barriers are keeping community members from being able to fully participate in our [community garden] program?”?Civil Eats’ Dana Ferrante reports on the growing group of advocates and allies who are pushing the food justice movement to include the one-quarter of U.S. adults living with disabilities in “Disabled Activists Are Building a More Inclusive Food Justice Future.”?

2. “Education access is considered a climate solution—because knowledge is power.” In “Education Culture Wars Didn’t Stop Midterms Climate Wins,” by?ATMOS’ Yessenia Funes, and “What the Unusual Midterm Elections Mean for Climate Action,” by?The New York Times?correspondents Coral Davenport and Lisa Friedman, climate and education implications of a split Congress are explored.?

3. “The Yak Tit?u Tit?u Yak Ti?hini, also known as the Northern Chumash, sent a letter last month to California governor Gavin Newsom requesting the return of the Diablo Canyon lands. The tribe believes this is the moment for California to make amends for a long slate of historical wrongs, including the loss of their land.” Read more about this landmark request in Noah Schlager’s “Returning Diablo Canyon Lands to Indigenous Hands,” published in this week’s Hakai Magazine.?

4. In “Draft COP27 agreement fails to call for ‘phase-down’ of all fossil fuels,” Grist’s Sandra Laville & Bibi van der Zee break down how the United Nations climate agency published a first draft on Thursday?of what could be the overarching agreement from the COP27 climate summit in Egypt. Formal negotiations on the text are yet to start.

5. Featuring essays from more than thirty contributors of widely diverse backgrounds—including Jamaica Kincaid, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and bell hooks—Alison Hawthorne Deming and Lauret Savoy’s??The Colors of Nature: Culture, Identity, and the Natural World?works against the grain of the traditional blind spot of environmental literature by exploring the intersection of cultural diversity, ecological awareness, and connection to place. A must read!

That’s all for this week! See you November 19th for more on our upcoming courses and developing retreat offerings!

What have you been reading? What have you been listening to? Write to us at?[email protected]?and let us know.

Thank you and see you soon!

Adar