Reflecting on 10 Years of Blogging

What do you do after you have to create a blog for a class assignment and that class ends? If you're a tree-hugger with Finnish heritage, the obvious answer is to retitle it envirofinn and write about the environment for at least 10 years.

For the 2010 spring semester of my Ph.D. studies, I had to start a blog in my rhetoric class. It was simply a blog about assigned readings. Since I didn't have any more of those after the class ended, I decided to take the blog in a new direction on May 19, 2010. I thought it could become a good place to collect and share information about the environment.

Looking back on the last decade of envirofinn, I realize how much I put into its development and maintenance. It turned into a lot more than an information hub. I liked the template I chose so much, I haven't changed it once despite having many new options. The fall theme is just too me. Plus, I think it still looks nice. Besides, I spent a great deal of time trying to find the perfect color scheme for the text, and when I finally found it, I didn't want to let it go. I'm also quite fond of the envirofinn flag I created by adding the green of the blog to the Finnish flag.

A lake in Repovesi National Park reflects
a partly cloudy sky over Finland.

Yes, a lot of myself went into this blog. Eventually, the posts evolved from sharing resources, tips, and events to covering some of my personal experiences and growth as well. A few highlights included going to Finland in 2012 and coming back with material for several posts and the series from summer 2015 that chronicled my coming to terms with the age of global warming.

Some posts also recorded professional accomplishments and development. For instance, I used the blog to announce that I had published a journal article about environmental communication. In addition, I covered my work with Initiative 1631, Carbon Washington, The Nature Conservancy in Washington, and the Black Hills Audubon Society. In short, envirofinn contains some major pieces of my life even though it continues to be a place where I share resources, tips, and events. It probably helped me further my understanding of the environment as much as it helped anyone else learn where to recycle something or how to buy reusable shopping bags.

One thing I take extra pride in is the fact that I have made at least one post in each of the last 120 months. I may not post as often as I once did, but it remains important to me to keep the streak going.

A lot has happened since its inception, but looking toward the future, envirofinn will continue exploring our connection with the environment.

First Pieces

My first pieces of content for The Nature Conservancy in Washington and Carbon Washington have hit the Internet.

Last month, I blogged about continuing my work in environmental communication. Now, I am excited to reveal the publication of two of my initial projects, one exploring nature-based solutions (NBS) for The Nature Conservancy and the other highlighting some important legislative work by Carbon Washington.

The most recent publication on The Nature Conservancy's City Habitats site, my article on NBS allowed me to make use of my academic background. It looks at new research into the best strategies cities can use for employing NBS. Translating the research into an article for the general public's consumption gave me the opportunity to combine my understanding of scholarship with my professional work in environmental communication. Check out the full article here.

About a week before the publication of the NBS article, Carbon Washington started making legislative headway on a bill aimed at fostering sustainable farming. With considerable momentum behind the bill, writing about it for the organization proved very exciting. I enjoyed being a part of the move toward progress. Read my write-up here.

These pieces are just the beginning of my work with these organizations. Watch for the addition of more pieces soon.

Doubling Up to Double Down

My path in environmental communication
continues with projects for Carbon
Washington and The Nature Conservancy.

I enjoyed my experience working on the campaign for Initiative 1631 so much that when election season ended, I looked for some new environmental-advocacy opportunities. One would have been great, but I ended up doubling my pleasure with work for both The Nature Conservancy and Carbon Washington.

In November, Carbon Washington put out a call for help with their communication team. Because of their work promoting action on carbon pollution (they had led the charge on Initiative 732 in 2016), I felt like helping them would allow me to continue addressing an issue of particular importance for me. After discussing it with them, I agreed to write content for their communication.

Near the end of December, The Nature Conservancy in Washington state announced that it was looking for volunteers to write for its City Habitats blog. Considering its focus on connecting people in cities with nature, I saw the blog as a wonderful opportunity to help develop the relationship between humans and the environment. My first post should appear in the next few weeks.

To have these two opportunities come up after the I-1631 campaign provided a good outlet for the environmental communication I still have in me. As my work with them continues, I'll post updates on this blog, so stay tuned for more information.

Two chances to work on environmental communication is definitely twice as nice.

My Change, Our Change, Climate Change

From making a change to affecting change, I've spent a lot of early 2018 focused on change, a point of emphasis that will surely continue through at least the rest of the year; but really, these changes have been a long time coming and are part of a much larger change.

During the last five years, I taught and conducted research at the University of South Dakota. I enjoyed the job and met so many great people in the process. On the downside though, it took me away from my beloved Pacific Northwest. Over time, I felt a growing need to return to my home region, and I also experienced the urge to have greater and more direct involvement in efforts to affect change and bring about needed action on environmental issues like global warming. Eventually, I reached the conclusion that I needed to make a change happen in my life if I really wanted to act on those desires, so I submitted my resignation at USD in January.

The winds of change need a little push.

When I announced my resignation, I had no other job waiting for me. That uncertainty scared me a little, but I knew I had made the right decision. Then, in early March, a coalition of environmental groups in Washington state announced an initiative to regulate carbon emissions, and I knew just as clearly that I wanted to participate in the campaign for the initiative. It was my chance to help affect the changes we need to make in our society if we are going to address global warming effectively, and because of the changes I'd made in my professional life, I could commit wholeheartedly to the campaign. The Nature Conservancy played a key role in putting together the initiative, officially listed as Initiative 1631, so I reached out to them. Happily and proudly, I can now announce that I will be writing copy for the Yes on 1631 campaign.

It's no secret that global warming and the changes it's bringing to the planet have been on my mind for a while. I wrote my dissertation on newspaper coverage of the issue; this blog contains numerous posts dedicated to it, particularly to the alarming changes I've seen in the Pacific Northwest in recent years; and for the last ten years, I have either walked to work or taken the bus. In short, global warming has changed my life, ingraining itself in my emotions, decision-making, and actions. Now, I am excited that I have an opportunity to help bring about social change on the issue.

Times don't change themselves; people have to make those changes happen on individual, societal, and planetary levels.

Numbering the Days of Carbon

Wind turbines producing renewable
energy at Vantage, Washington.

The number to watch for this year in Washington state is I-1631.

As I blogged about in March, a coalition of environmental groups, including The Nature Conservancy, has submitted an initiative to regulate carbon emissions in the state. That initiative now has an official number: Initiative 1631.

I-1631 would regulate carbon emissions by imposing a pollution fee on industries that emit carbon dioxide. It represents an important first step toward limiting the emissions that cause global warming.

Volunteers have already fanned out across the state to gather the signatures needed to put I-1631 on the ballot in November. I signed at the Glacial Heritage Preserve on this year's Prairie Appreciation Day. So be on the lookout for signs of I-1631 and people collecting signatures for it, and please consider adding your signature to the list.

Let's make sure carbon's days are numbered.

It's in the Air

An unmistakable sense of change builds in the air of Washington state as its residents take on carbon emissions.

The snowpack vanishes from the
Tatoosh Range in the heat of 2015.

Ordinarily, a setback will blow a movement off course or, at least, stall it, but we aren't living in ordinary times. Almost as soon as Washington state legislators reported their failure to deliver a carbon-tax law last week, environmental groups, with the wind at their backs, announced a new initiative for a similar carbon tax. Already fully detailed and sponsored by a coalition that includes The Nature Conservancy, Climate Solutions, Washington Conservation Voters, and the Washington Environmental Council, the ballot initiative will now seek the signatures necessary to place it on the ballot in November.

The speed of the response to the legislative disappointment suggests the strength of Washingtonians' commitment to addressing global warming. Polling in this report from Sightline Institute supports this conclusion, showing that a supermajority of state residents back the regulation of carbon pollution.

Setbacks like this year's attempt to push for legislative action and the defeat of Initiative 732 in 2016 appear to have bolstered the resolve for carbon regulation and fine-tuned efforts to make it happen. This latest initiative balances the needs for clean energy, ecosystem protection, and aid for humans adjusting to changes related to climate and the economy. For more information about the initiative, click here.

In Washington state, something's in the air and in the people too, and it promises to change the current system that spews carbon into our atmosphere.

Now Presenting: The Search for Alternative Voices

In our attempts to respond to nature's signals, we clearly need the help of new voices, and I recently gave a presentation on how critical rhetoric allows us to identify these alternative perspectives.

Much of my research in environmental communication focuses on rhetoric, especially one approach to rhetorical criticism called critical rhetoric. When I was asked to deliver a presentation for the Humanities Research Forum Series at the University of South Dakota, I brought together several papers in which I had employed critical rhetoric. Below, you can view the Prezi I used to present my presentation aids for the talk:

Critical rhetoric challenges power by deconstructing meaning and identifying and advocating for marginalized voices. That focus makes it particularly useful as environmental communication scholars pursue new ways of articulating the relationship between humans and nature.

The Prezi above addresses several key aspects of the presentation I gave on critical rhetoric's potential. First, it explains the value of laying out environmental discourse about the human-nature relationship on a continuum. Part of the continuum addresses discourses found in newspaper coverage of global warming. These discourses include nature-as-out-of reach, nature-as-antagonist, and nature-as-co-present, the latter of which represents an important alternative perspective that challenges its more dominant counterparts. Next, the continuum adds components through an analysis of the Web site, The Featured Creature. Together, the discourses from the newspaper coverage and The Featured Creature provide a fuller picture of the human-nature relationship. 

The presentation also discusses how an analysis of The Nature Conservancy's Liquid Courage Web site suggests that elements of physical distance can be added to a public participation model to enhance research into environmental communication. Liquid Courage demonstrates the value of physical-distance elements in our relationship with nature.

As our environmental issues grow more complex and the urgency to address them increases, critical rhetoric presents us with an important tool in finding the voices that can help us respond to environmental signals.

In the Flow

The Nature Conservancy's latest campaign wades deep into water.

Using an interactive Web site, the organization immerses us in the issues and interconnections that swirl around water. Dubbed "Liquid Courage," the campaign shows the cool possibilities of combining environmental advocacy with social media. Along the way, it reveals the bigger picture about water.

Rather than simply sharing information, the Web site engaged me. It asked me to scroll down to begin the experience. Then, as it provided details about water, the site offered me opportunities to share what I was learning through social media. Additionally, after asking for information about where I live, it made the experience personal and brought the environment home for me by showing where my water comes from. It all progressed more like a conversation than a visit to a Web site.

The Nature Conservancy also uses Liquid Courage to connect our daily activities to water. By showing how much water we use to make things like clothes, the site gives us a sense of the whole system and our constant interaction with the environment. To tap into Liquid Courage for yourself, click here.

It's exciting to see the potential technology adds to current environmental campaigns. Advocates and organizations now have the ability to bring people into issues and connect them with the environment in ways that traditional communication formats never allowed.

Navigating today's environment-related communication is tricky, but environmental groups are jumping right in.

Trim More Than the Tree

Less is more, but "more is more" is heard more, especially when it comes to the holidays.

Two days ago, I blogged about my present-free Christmas list. It's one of the ways I'm trying to minimize my environmental impact during the holidays. However, a lot more goes into this time of year than presents, and that means we have additional opportunities to decrease our consumption of resources.

In this green spirit of the season, The Nature Conservancy is giving people ways to "REthink the Holidays." These include buying local food, additional alternatives to giving presents, reducing waste, and several more. One is about starting green holiday traditions with a young child. I really like these ideas, and they cover just about everything involved in the holidays. Click here to see the full range of suggestions.

Of course, if you do end up with stuff, it's important to know how to deal with it. For that, the Natural Resources Defense Council has tips on how to reuse and recycle.

Cutting back may be the best gift we'll ever give to the planet.

Five for Starting

Earlier in the month, I gave my top five reasons for addressing global warming. Now, I want to give five things people can do to help address it.

You'll see different versions of this list everywhere, but I want to give those who are starting out on this task something to get the process going. With that in mind, hopefully, you'll find most of these steps closely connected.

1. Calculate your carbon footprint. This will get you started and give you a baseline from which to work. Various carbon footprint calculators exists. If you have trouble finding one, refer to my post about The Nature Conservancy's calculator.

2. Make a list of things you do that use energy sources like electricity and gas. Using a carbon footprint calculator can help with this list because as you answer the questions for the calculation, you can note the sources of energy consumption the calculator includes.

3. Use the list from the second suggestion to make plans to cut energy use (use power strips to turn off appliances when you aren't using them; use fluorescent light bulbs; take shorter showers). The carbon footprint calculator can help with this list too.

4. Drive less by consolidating trips, walking, bicycling, and/or taking public transportation.

5. Contact your elected officials and ask them to create legislation that limits carbon emissions. This last suggestion is a little different than the others, but it is important because it deals with the larger system. It's great if individuals are doing their part, but the society as a whole must be set up to limit emissions, and elected officials are the ones responsible for that. For information about how to contact your elected officials, click here. The link allows you to find and contact officials, including the president, members of Congress, governors, and members of your state's legislature. Don't underestimate the impact of contacting these officials. Please let them know it's important to you that they address global warming with legislation.

This Common Ground is Green

The other day, I happened across an interesting idea on The Nature Conservancy's Web site. A group of young Seattleites has formed to bring together people who share an interest in conserving and connecting with the natural world.

Washington's Next Generation caught my eye for a number of reasons. First, I thought it was cool that the group, which is for people in their 20s and 30s, was getting ready to pick up the baton as a new generation of environmental advocates in a state where the environment is a major focus.

Second, I liked the idea of using The Nature Conservancy's superstructure to form a local group that can further develop the organization's relationship with people. Such an extension contains the promise of fostering greater engagement.

Finally, it's a great example of centering oneself around the environment. The group helps make the environment a common cause and gives people additional opportunities to connect with the natural world.

The message: Regardless of your age, reach out to those around you who share your interest in the environment. Together, you can share resources, information, and encouragement that lets you strengthen your relationship with nature.

Picture This

Searching for a new look from your computer? Quickly naturize your computer desktop by visiting The Nature Conservancy's wallpaper page.

The page contains great photos of animals and natural settings. (See the example below.) That makes it a cool way to experience nature even when you have to sit in front of your computer screen.

Explore the many options. You'll likely find something that fits your interests.

Carbon Footprint Calculator - What's My Carbon Footprint ?

A preliminary step to reducing is knowing how much you are currently using (or with regard to carbon emissions, producing). Carbon footprint calculators estimate how much carbon your life produces and sends into the atmosphere per year.

The Nature Conservancy provides one such carbon calculator: Carbon Footprint Calculator - What's My Carbon Footprint ? By using it, you will get an idea of what kinds of activities contribute to carbon emissions, how much each activity adds, what your overall footprint is, and how you might reduce it. Along with providing this information, the carbon calculator gives you a baseline from which to start whittling away at your footprint. Because it gives me something to shoot for, I find knowing my footprint to be energizing and inspiring. As the footprint decreases because of lifestyle changes I make, I feel empowered to address global warming.

Web of Green Goodness

In a previous post, I talked about using wise-giving standards to choose a charity. If that entry helped you find a charity or if you already had a favorite charity, you might be interested in a way of harnessing the Web to produce more money for your charity of choice.

GoodSearch (http://www.goodsearch.com/) is a search engine that allows you to turn your online searches and shopping into donations for your charity at no cost to you. All you have to do is verify that GoodSearch has the charity in its databank. Then, when you use GoodSearch to conduct Internet searches, the search engine donates to that charity. You can also use GoodSearch's GoodShop function to earn money for the charity while making online purchases. Many online vendors, including Amazon, iTunes, Overstock, and Barnes and Noble participate, so just start your shopping at GoodSearch. You will find a link to the vendor you want to use, and after you click that, you will be able to support your charity as you shop without paying extra. 

The charities GoodSearch benefits include numerous environmental groups such as the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, The Nature Conservancy, Defenders of Wildlife, and the National Wildlife Federation. Additionally, many local environmental groups have signed up for GoodSearch as well, so chances are pretty good that those of you who want to use the service to support a favorite environmental cause will be able to do so.