Force for Good
When it comes to building community resilience—or building community at all—we have our work cut out for us.
Society featured
The long culinary history of pumpkins – from ancient Mexican soups to modern spiced lattes
Despite being harvested until December, for many, Halloween will mark the end of pumpkin season with the decorations unceremoniously binned. Studies show that just over half of the pumpkins bought in the UK each year (18,000 tonnes of them) go to waste uneaten.
Erik Fernholm: “Inner Development Goals: Cultivating Change from the Inside Out”
Today, Nate talks with Erik Fernholm about The Inner Development Goals, a framework designed to foster the skills and capacities needed to tackle the existential challenges we face.
Richard Gephardt: “Preserving Democracy: A Call for Civility”
In this conversation, Nate is joined by former Congressman Richard Gephardt to discuss the importance of democracy as a system of self-governance, as well as the need for respecting differing views in order to keep that system intact.
Beyond bottled water and sandwiches: What FEMA is doing to get hurricane victims back into their homes
Staffers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency have been on the ground since before Helene and Milton hit, positioned to help as soon as the storms passed, along with state and local responders. But many people aren’t clear about how FEMA helps or what its responsibilities are.
Indy Johar: “The Foundational Challenge: Stewardship, Responsibility, and Designing a New System”
Today, Nate is joined by architect and professor of planetary civics, Indy Johar, to explore the relationship between system design and human behavior – and what might be possible for transformational change.
How Long Before This Storm Turns Political?
In a world where the weather’s only growing worse, if my community is a good example — and I suspect it’s as good as any — rural Americans need to think hard when they go to the ballot box (or the cash register) and consider the universe of hard scientific facts rather than just listening to the latest conspiracy monger on X or Instagram. Their lives and their livelihoods may just depend on it.
Bird flu, infected cows and playwright Henrik Ibsen
Is the next pandemic on its way? The dramatic spread of bird flu in American cattle is very concerning.
Tribes help tribes after natural disasters. Helene is no different.
Despite being located in some of the most vulnerable areas, tribal communities have a history of being left behind when extreme weather strikes.
Coming soon to a country near you: The not-so-subtle shift to adaptation?
Ultimately, the question is two-fold: 1) What are we trying to make more resilient? Luxury shopping malls or local hospitals? And 2) How we go about it? Building networks of neighborhood parks that serve a dual role as flood control or giant underground concrete storage tanks that offer no benefits except every 5-50 years when there’s a flood?
The Lament of the Bigfoot
In this Frankly, Nate reads a poem he wrote 20 years ago this month “The Lament of the Bigfoot”, which highlights the disproportionate role humans have on the ecosystems they inhabit and reflects on how his attitudes have both changed and stayed the same 20 years on.
Bill Plotkin: “Ecological Awakening: A Path Toward Holistic Adulthood”
In this episode, Nate is joined by eco-depth psychologist Bill Plotkin to explore the profound themes of human development, the urgent need for ecological awakening, and the importance of art and nature in navigating the crises of modern society.
