Blog
Hi, I'm Dawn.
I'm a Minnesotan mom, nonprofit founder, and fun-loving fan of the outdoors. We are at a wonderful time in history where humans hold the reins. We just need to figure out which way to steer—together. Please join me on the journey.
About me and this blog…
From classroom teacher to public education and gardening then to writing books and doing puppet shows and now running a growing nonprofit, it’s already been a winding and fun journey.
But the sustainable world journey is just beginning. The blog posts ahead will have a common theme of creating a livable world for our kids. It is our moral responsibility to hand down a world with breathable air and drinkable water. But that’s not exactly humanity’s trajectory. Yet.
But like Figueres and Rivett-Carnac, I’m a stubborn optimist in regards to the climate change crisis. And I will keep working to solve this problem until I take my last breath. Will you join me? I promise it will be thrilling because the clock is ticking. Ensuring that humanity will survive puts the stakes high. There are plot twists, and bad guys and…this isn’t just a thriller, this is real life and we need a new narrative.
There’s no doubt, climate change poses HUGE problems that we need to solve. But it doesn’t have to be overwhelming and scary. It can be an adventure and an opportunity to tap into our creativity, solidarity, innovation, and many other abundant human attributes to be part of the most important time in history. We know that climate change is a crisis of will, not of knowledge. And that acting on climate change is a moral responsibility. We can choose to write a story of regeneration of both nature and the human spirit—but we have to make the choice. Together.
years in education
people served
Books
educational materials developed
Posts
Striving for a better world.
8 Stop the Bleeding
Keith learned on his tour that being one of the Ejected gave him the ability to travel anywhere, but he was still figuring out the details of how to be visible or invisible and heard or muted. Keith decided he should practice since he clearly didn’t have the settings...
7 The Blueprint
Ivy already knew quite a bit about environmental issues. Since her mom worked in the renewable energy industry, Ivy had grown up discussing carbon dioxide equivalents, alternating current, and gigawatts at the dinner table. She went to work researching sustainable...
6 Surprise Visit
Chapter 6 Surprise Visit It had been a few hours now, and her dad still hadn’t picked her up from her mom’s house. Her mom had left for the weekend for a yoga retreat because it was Ivy’s weekend to be with her dad. Ivy stomped around the house because nothing was...
5 Camaraderie
After their tours, the Ejected were all dropped—like bombs—in the same realm where they first met. They were haggard, hungry, and horrified. No one talked or could look each other in the eye. They all knew they were responsible for so many ills on Earth. Even if they...
4 The Reckoning
Although Keith was floating above the Earth, his soul was painfully heavy. His head throbbed, and his stomach churned. He was hopeless and miserable. Guilty. Lost. Banished. He longed to be with his daughter, Ivy, who was, without question, the best part of his life....
3 The Tours
Without warning, and still recovering from their physical torment, the Ejected were catapulted in different directions. Keith watched with amusement as others’ arms and legs flailed, and they all made the exact same ridiculous, wide-eyed, open-mouthed, terrified...
2 EJECTED
Chapter 2 Ejected Stuck in traffic, Keith could feel his blood pressure rising. He was late for picking up his daughter, Ivy, and he was never late. It was a perfect evening to stroll around Grand Avenue and he was excited to see her and take her out for pizza and ice...
CHAPTER 1 The No-Show
Where is he? He’s never late. Ivy wondered. But instead of being upset that her dad hadn’t come yet to pick her up for the weekend, she decided to take the opportunity to relax. It had been a busy week, with soccer practice every night, before-school chamber orchestra...
Camping with Kids—Both the Human and the Goat Kinds!
We All Need Food and Water is renting goats from Midwest Goat Mitigation to eat the weeds in Peace Lutheran Church’s community garden.
No Mow May
Scroll down quite a ways to find our "No Mow May" yard care tip on the Redfin website. Is it possible that a pollinator-friendly yard will become as normalized as wearing seatbelts? Let's hope so! https://www.redfin.com/blog/spring-home-maintenance-checklist/