Ferbruary Newsletter: Immediate action. Long-term outlook.

NEWSLETTER VOL 12 | February 2025

Immediate action. Long-term outlook.

There is a lot going on.

It’s tempting to respond with heated action and outrage. And to possibly burn out in the process. It’s also tempting to detach, disengage and pull the wool over our own eyes. Wake me up when its over.

Both responses are human. And yet neither is a long-term solution. The fight for the world we want to live in is going to take sustained investment and will require both immediate practicality and long-term resiliency. It might sound cliché, but psychology agrees that healing our world depends on healing ourselves. And, as our last newsletter and the podcast below suggest, healing happens collectively.

This month’s blog summarizes the current cuts to federal agencies and how you can help. Elon Musk is asking federal workers (currently at risk of losing their employment) to list five things they did in the past week. Sigh.

In that spirit, what are five things you can do to help these workers and the public services they support? Read more to find out.

Let’s take incremental action steps. And take care of ourselves along the way.

Tender enough to feel

Present enough to witness

Humble enough to listen

Courageous enough to act

Accountable enough to change

- Prentiss Hemphill

BLOG POSTS

Tue, Feb 25

Acronyms under Assault: a snapshot and what you can do

A snapshot of how the current administration is attempting to undermine DEI, the EPA/Parks Service/Forest Service, USAID, ESG and what you can do

Mon, Feb 12

Learning Black History inspires me to be a Good Ancestor

Revisit this blog written by Kyle in 2024

With February being Black History Month, I’ve taken time to reflect back on what I have learned about Black history over the last few years, how it has transformed my worldview and how I spend my time

Why a Renewable Energy Investor Thinks It Will Be Hard to Kill the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)

Last April, we wrote a blog that sought to decode the EPA’s historic Biden-led $27b investment into greenhouse gas reductions and support disadvantaged communities. With the new administration, much of the Inflation Reduction Act funding has been locked up and is at risk of being pulled back. A recent Mother Jones article purports that Biden’s signature legislation may stay afloat due to bipartisan support. The uncertainty and delays could affect long-term plans for businesses and communities counting on the program. In the coming months, more than $1 billion in investments is scheduled to close, including funds for affordable home construction projects and solar farms in Native and rural communities. We hope this Renewable Energy Investor is right.

Podcast and Book: What it Takes to Heal by Prentis Hemphill

Prentis Hemphill is a writer, embodiment facilitator, political organizer, therapist and co-founder and director of the Embodiment Institute and the Black Embodiment Initiative. This CIIS Public Program podcast interview with Hemphill seeks to help us navigate years of “collective upheaval”.

As we emerge from the past few years of collective upheaval, are we ready to face the complexities of our time with joy, authenticity, and connection? Now more than ever, we must learn to heal ourselves, connect with one another, and embody our values.

What It Takes to Heal asserts that the principles of embodiment—the recognition of our body’s sensations and habits, and the beliefs that inform them—are critical to lasting healing and change.

Hemphill shows us that we don't have to carry our emotional burdens alone. Check out the book. Want more? This October 2024 Seattle Times article looks at Hemphill’s thesis from a local perspective.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Seattle-based Landesa has been directly affected by recent changes at the State Department and USAID. On January 24th, Landesa received a stop work order on two projects funded by the State Department. The organization has complied with the order and halted work on both projects, which involve work on land rights and climate action in Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Nepal, and support for Stand for Her Land coalitions in Bangladesh, Colombia, and Kenya. While the likely loss of this funding is significant, Landesa remains on solid ground thanks in large part to individual donors.

Ways to support Landesa:

1) RSVP to and attend Landesa’s annual fundraising event Seed the Change on Wednesday, March 5th at Town Hall, Seattle (speakers below)

2) Consider giving a direct gift or donating through your Donor Advised Fund (DAF)

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