Oh hey!
Well, I said I was going to take a break doing everything but honestly… I’ve got a lot to share! (#NeverReformed know-it-all here. Sorry not sorry.)
Really, though, I stepped back from my online work to be more present in my life and avoid the vanity metrics of online environmentalism.
It’s helped - a lot!
My cynical self is out here contemplating trees, taking an herbalism course, and considering ways to be in community that don’t burn out the biggest anarchy-considering (!) introvert almost immediately and to great ill-effect.
But in that I realize I have so much more time to read, learn, and consider new things than ever before. During that exploration over the past few months, I’ve learned sharing is an incredibly important part of that process for me.
All that to say, I’ve gotten more offline than I have been in years and realized this community in particular is important to me and I want to keep sharing what I’m learning with you.
And, as always, getting super-pumped about everything you share with me in return. Always feel free to hit the reply button!
This is a good one, you guys. I hope you enjoy all these offerings as much as I’ve enjoyed getting to know them. - Polly
Like this? Awesome! I don’t monetize this newsletter, so you can support it by:
Sending a one-time payment through Venmo (@polly-barks).
Sharing it! Please encourage others to sign up and learn more!
Links of the week
🖊️ = blog post 🎥 = video 📰 = article 🎧 = podcast 📚 = book rec 📅 = event 💰 = where my money's going ⚡ = action item ❓= misc.
⚡ Line 3 Resistance Dashboard
I’m still a little mystified (as someone with a pretty huge amount of financial freedom and free time) as to how people get out for extended direct action. I don’t have an extra car to drive. I don’t have a friend to do with that has an extra car/can miss work. I… have a job? Anyway, just musing on how I could make direct action more accessible to me personally and using this awesome resource as a way to learn more about how to help however I can.
🎧 Live Like the World is Dying
Ummm… survival/prepping through an anarchist lens? Yes. Please. This podcast has given me so many wonderful ideas (& a sense of security/peace!) as it talks through prepping for the end of the world through a firmly anti-”isolationist in a bunker” lens. I particularly liked E22 (Walidah Imarisha on Envisioning the Future) and E15 (Han and Eepa on indigenous prepping and field skills). E29 is lined up next (Shane Burley on Confronting Fascism during the Apocalypse!!)
📰 Biden to Sign Executive Order Granting Farmers Right to Repair Protections
In the “deeply unsexy but really important” category: this story. Right to repair is critically important to supporting circular economies, and encouraging it in this way is really important! If you didn’t know…
“Over the last few decades, big companies have formed repair monopolies by artificially locking “unauthorized” people out of their own machines through the use of software locks, the use of proprietary parts which are only sold to dealers or authorized repair companies, onerous end-user license agreements, and copyright law. Small businesses, consumers, and activists have been pushing for state-level legislation that would make it easier for the average person to fix their things by requiring companies to sell repair parts and tools to the general public, make internal repair guides public, and ban software locks that prevent repair.”
🖊️ Why is planned obsolescence of electronics bad for the environment?
One of my last blog posts touched on this, if you’d like to learn more broadly about right to repair and planned obsolescence. (A word I’ve not once spelled correctly on the first or second try.)
❓ The Formation Project
I saw this in another newsletter I follow and it looks like a pretty incredible opportunity, although maybe a bit too much for me?? Anyone else interested in going to the info session and learning more?
“The Formation Project was a year-long pilot designed to support a personal deep dive into a different way of life. Its core components included rigorous spiritual practice and reflection, accompanied by elders, a nurturing small group, and the riches of ancient and living wisdom. Our vision was to create a container in which we could actually experience what it’s like to live connected to the sacred within ourselves, in others, and beyond. And then to take steps toward a lifetime of growing into that way of being.”
📰 All-Consuming
”The acquisition of stuff looms large in the American imagination. What is life under consumerism doing to us?” These Vox series are always really good… I definitely recommend following along and checking out all of the articles as they’re released.
📚 The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
This book is so cool! If I’d read this when I was in school, I would have had a much deeper appreciation for biology and nature in general. This talks about the ways that trees talk, taste, smell, and live in incredible community with each other. It’s the sort of stuff you know a little bit about, but having it laid out so fully - recommended reading around some tall trees if possible - is really incredible. (Amazon link, please check out your library or shop elsewhere for books.)
💰 Introductory Herbal Course
I’ve been wishy-washy about herbalism for a long time, but finally felt like it was time to take the plunge. I’ve just started the intro course through Herbal Academy and look forward to gathering a baseline knowledge in a place like Lafayette that doesn’t seem to have much in the way of in-person instruction. As I work through it, I’ll let you know what I think about it. I think it comes with an affiliate code, so I’ll pass that along if it gives you a discount/the course seems beneficial as I work my way through.
And that’s that! Stay cool, my friends. Speak to you soon. - Polly