"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power." -Alan Cohen
While it might seem worrisome that I've gone from opening these entries with James Fenimoore Cooper quotes to those written by self-help gurus, Cohen's words articulate my feelings perfectly. After 6 weeks of working on the canvass I began to realize a few things. Firstly, that the canvass would leave me no time to figure out what I'm doing or what country I'm living in come September; second, that there was absolutely no way that I would have time to prepare my undergraduate work for publication; and thirdly, that I wasn't a very talented canvasser and wasn't setting a good example for my crew.
My director and I worked on my canvassing skills, but alas it didn't help much. We determined that people could probably tell that gay rights aren't my raison d'etre (although I do support them whole-heartedly), and could see in my eyes my dreams of securing larger tracts of protected land, ending overfishing, continuing to push for a carbon-neutral economy etc. etc.
So with that, I finished up Green Corps on June 10th, and took the next few days to catch up with friends in D.C. and explore the fantastic museums, monuments and galleries. D.C. is quite a lovely place. It doesn't make me swoon like Paris does, but the thoughtful planning and gorgeous architecture impresses me in the same way. Walking down the mall on a steamy Monday around noon, I spied half a baguette sitting in the middle of the yellow gravel path. This lonesome loaf took me back to my year in Europe, eating French bread with cheese and tomatoes on a bench overlooking the Seine.
My friend Spencer outside the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum in D.C.
I knew my decision to leave was right as soon as I made it, and will still be in close touch with my Green Corps friends, both those done early as well and those still working. We've decided to put together a biannual e-newsletter to update each other on our lives, and I know we'll be seeing each other again whether it be for socials or collaborations in the environmental movement.
I took the train from D.C. to Montreal to meet my parents on June 16th. At home, I lived the life of Riley for 10 days. I love my Canadian friends, and it feels fantastic to have such wonderful people to dance, swim, picnic and cook with. I wish I could bring them all with me when I go off on these adventures, and at least Skype makes that possible in the digital sense.
From land o' lakes to land o' mountains. . .
During my two weeks of vacation in D.C. and subsequently back home, I figured out the contents of my next few months. After interviewing for an internship in Colorado where Alex is for the summer, I nervously waited to hear the result after being offered a job leading a short canoe trip with my old outdoor center. Having that little job as a backup felt great, but I was ecstatic when I got the internship in Denver with the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies. And as quickly as I'd come home, I jetted off again to Colorado where I'm now living in Boulder.
The U.S. has everything. This is something I came to understand a while ago during my Green Corps year. There are so many more people, and so many different types of environments, that you can pretty much get exactly what you want. Hate winter and live in Canada? Moving to Vancouver is your only option. And there, if you hate rain, you're in trouble. Here, if you want perfect weather, move to California! Want green rolling hills? Wisconsin! Want to live in hellish, resource-destroying suburbs? Have your pick of places, but I highly recommend Northern Virginia.
Are you outdoorsy, subsequently ruggedly good-looking, and laid back? Well Boulder is the place for you! Walking down the street, I've never before thought, "hey they look like a lot of fun - I want to hang out with them," about every person I see. Signs everywhere reminding people how fantastic the planet is and that we should respect it, free yoga classes, and 14,000-foot peaks (with dreamy trails) just an hour or two away, and all I can think is: why can't everywhere be like this? Imagine, instead of North America being as it is, living on a continent where everyone knows that the environment and their own health are things that need to be respected. Holy cow - I can't even count how many local, national, and global tragedies we could be avoiding right now.
It does make me feel a tad guilty though. I could escape from the world in a place like this forever! But then . . who would be helping to turn everywhere else around?
Treading the line between research and organizing. . .
I will be escaping this July from the rigors and frustrations of the environmental movement by slipping back over into the helpful-but-not-usually-game-changing realm of conservation biology. My project as an intern with AFWA is to compile invasive species legislation for all 50 states in an accessible guide that will allow state agencies to compare best practices and develop more effective policies for controlling the threat of invasive species. It feels great to immerse my brain in documents treading the line between biology and policy - it's right where I've always wanted to be - engaging in science with a very direct and applicable purpose.
This project is also refreshing the skills I'll need to complete my grad school & scholarship apps, as well as design and carry out a Master's project in 2012. I'm having qualms about leaving the environmental movement for a few years for graduate school, but know it's right for me, and am confident that I can still engage with issues and spin my project so that it makes an impact as well.
Before that, I'm returning to organizing this fall at the Earth Island Institute in Berkeley. I'll be putting my energy towards encouraging the next generation of environmentalists through their New Leaders Initiative. That's the plan anyway - the biggest challenge may be convincing U.S. border officials that I'm not interested in immigrating (not yet anyway)!
I'll close with a quote I've been wanting to steal from my friend Clary Franko for a long time (she has it as her Gmail signature). For this month, I will be doing more of the latter (see quote below), and will be sure to have some great stories to tell of big mountains, icy lakes, rolling green hills and spectacular starry skies. The best part of it is that I get to have all of these adventures with someone who I still can't believe I was lucky enough to meet this year.
"I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day." - E.B. White
Alex & I on South Arapahoe (my first 13er).
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