Sustainable Bonanza

July 25, 2011

You’re Not Alone and Success is Possible

As I hung up the phone with the Director of Sustainability of a small liberal arts university, I was struck by the number of times that I have heard the same challenge articulated. The challenge – we have no money to work with- is a common one since schools that are fiscally conservative often have a small to non-existent budget to put towards sustainability initiatives which leads their Directors to face what feels like a huge wall.

The seemingly insurmountable needs – resources, manpower, support – feel like they grow larger over time since the Director does what they can, in many cases continuing to identify more and more that needs to be done around the school.  Overwhelming for certain.

I am going to propose a solution, or even better, show you that there is no insurmountable wall in front of you, there is simply a challenge that you have yet to overcome. (more…)

July 22, 2011

Is it Social Justice or Judgement?

Filed under: Conscious Leadership — Tags: , , , — Kirsten @ 12:16PM

The semantics of the word justice.  Who would have thought that the word justice would have negative connotations… (more…)

July 20, 2011

Meditation & Trust

Filed under: Conscious Leadership,General — Tags: , , , , , — Kirsten @ 11:14AM

I was at a workshop when one of the leaders, who I was having a good conversation with at the time, mentioned to me that the reason she meditated every day because then she could trust herself. I felt like she was on to something that I’ hadn’t thought of in that way before. (more…)

July 18, 2011

Yes, and…

One of the rules to improvisational acting is to never say ‘no’ or ‘but.’  Why?  Well ‘no’ stops the flow of creativity.  It stops momentum.  The trick is to say ‘yes, and…’

Just like a good improv, brainstorming is facilitated by always saying yes.  Gathering all the nuggets of information and ideas before determining which is best or suits the situation the best.  (more…)

July 15, 2011

UN Frustrations

Filed under: Economic Anthropology — Tags: , , , — Kirsten @ 9:26AM

While in Haiti doing relief work in March of 2010 I ran into a frustration which I’d like to air. Namely, it was the United Nations (UN) that drove me crazy. (more…)

July 13, 2011

Redefining the Heroine

Traditionally the hero/ine was the achetype that comes in and saves the day when something has gone wrong or justice needs to be done.

To me, through the lens of sustainability and environmental justice, a heroine is a support for people who know they need help.   She enables organizations and groups of citizens, through facilitation and training, to create a better world for themselves. A better world which is based on the shared values and culture of the community and not what someone else thinks they should be. (more…)

July 11, 2011

A New Species

Filed under: General — Tags: , — Kirsten @ 12:11PM

Over thanksgiving weekend with friends I met a friend of a friend and we spent some time getting to know each other. On the last day she made the comment “You are like a new species of bird to me. I’m so curious about you.” (more…)

July 8, 2011

Workaholic Advice

Filed under: Conscious Leadership,General — Tags: , — Kirsten @ 12:05PM

Practical Advice for the workaholic

Ask yourself this question…

Is someone going to die if I take the time to myself and breathe, meditate, walk, hike, do yoga? (more…)

July 6, 2011

The Festival of Beer and Flavors Inspires.

Filed under: General — Tags: , — Kirsten @ 7:16PM

Fort ChamblyLuck landed me in Canada during the yearly La Fête Bières & Saveurs at Fort Chambly. What a beautiful location!

While several locals were surprised to know that I was there all the way from the United states they quickly shifted into teacher mode sharing with my their favorite beer and stories about what they loved about their home, the french-speaking Canadian province of Quebec. (more…)

July 5, 2011

Fixed!

Filed under: General — Tags: — Kirsten @ 7:15PM

After months and months of troubleshooting why I couldn’t log into my blog to add or update anything -> It’s fixed!!!

Look forward to reading some of the posts that I’ve written while waiting and seeing updates all over the site.

<3

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