Hi!!! Sorry I've been nearly absent - but I'm an avid reader even when my voice is silent for awhile. I'm beginning to think our blog may be made up of a silent majority, as a matter of fact :-)
I'm in Santa Cruz, CA now, and head to San Francisco to see friends for the weekend. Jenny, I'm sad you won't be around this time! I'll be channeling you and Jasmine while I'm in the Bay area for sure...
Have had an exciting week of talking about everything marine at a TNC conference here. Surrounded by scientists, I was starting to wonder where I fit in, until I had an amazing conversation with someone who runs one of our programs in Indonesia and we bonded over the need to remember that, at its heart, conservation is really a social science in so many ways. It was lovely :-) Anyway, I wanted to pass on a link to this document someone just told me about yesterday in a workshop on marine issues and climate change. It's called The Earth Is Faster Now: Indigenous Observations of Arctic Environmental Change. I haven't even read it yet, but it looks fascinating so didn't want to wait to share!
Oh, also, I don't know if you're reading this, Anthony, but had lunch today with a woman who lives in Guam, and she and her husband are volunteer scorekeepers for rugby tournaments. I'm not sure of her name, but she's lived there for 13 years and works for TNC. Sound familiar? What a fun connection - rugby brings the world together!
I'm listening to waves outside my room and missing all of you!!!!
Sarah
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
The anti-library
Today I went to the National Library in Rome after a nice lunch with Akif at FAO.
I was planning to read some articles on environmental markets, write a bit, send some emails from my lap top. A humble plan for which the library seemed logical. I didn't expect much trouble.
But then, I should have known better. I've lived here for almost 6 years. It's the can't do society.
The National library in Rome has two main anti-library devices.
First, a very clear rule: no bringing in books, no taking out books.
Second: no internet access, anywhere. If you want to research on the internet, well, you can't.
??
I spent half an hour trying to get a library card (with photo). After that I had to put my stuff in a locker, buy a transparent bag for ten cents, put my pens and phone and laptop in the bag (no lap top bags mind you, my macbook must rattle against my locker key). Nevermind the long process of signing in for the locker key and signing out. All in all, it took me a full hour to get me into the library and all of my books, gum, and study accessories out.
Just to be clear, the restricted library items are:
1. books
2. lap top bags
3. water bottles (somewhat logical, but there are no water fountains so I spent the whole time in there dehydrating)
4. thick notepads that look like books.
and no internet access in the whole place! Only research through the card catalogue and only microfiche files!!!
I kept laughing to my friend, "how do they manage to make this not a library but a library museum? We're back in the 17th century. I can't believe this is the national library...." He was laughing too.
And then we had the most productive, silent, prolific day of the year.
I love it here.
I was planning to read some articles on environmental markets, write a bit, send some emails from my lap top. A humble plan for which the library seemed logical. I didn't expect much trouble.
But then, I should have known better. I've lived here for almost 6 years. It's the can't do society.
The National library in Rome has two main anti-library devices.
First, a very clear rule: no bringing in books, no taking out books.
Second: no internet access, anywhere. If you want to research on the internet, well, you can't.
??
I spent half an hour trying to get a library card (with photo). After that I had to put my stuff in a locker, buy a transparent bag for ten cents, put my pens and phone and laptop in the bag (no lap top bags mind you, my macbook must rattle against my locker key). Nevermind the long process of signing in for the locker key and signing out. All in all, it took me a full hour to get me into the library and all of my books, gum, and study accessories out.
Just to be clear, the restricted library items are:
1. books
2. lap top bags
3. water bottles (somewhat logical, but there are no water fountains so I spent the whole time in there dehydrating)
4. thick notepads that look like books.
and no internet access in the whole place! Only research through the card catalogue and only microfiche files!!!
I kept laughing to my friend, "how do they manage to make this not a library but a library museum? We're back in the 17th century. I can't believe this is the national library...." He was laughing too.
And then we had the most productive, silent, prolific day of the year.
I love it here.
Monday, February 12, 2007
green weddings
for those of you planning on ringing those wedding bells....and want to use potato derived forks and eat organic cake
here's a great article i read in the new york times....
here's a great article i read in the new york times....
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Direction and dialect
Contrary to Chhavi's theory about large cities in developing countries converging...
Climate stunts
John Quigley and assisted by Carter Brooks of SpectralQ
with a team of a scientific and cultural researchers from the Ice Lady Patagonia on behalf of Global Green USA.
February, 2006.
(All of this ripped off of their website, but I don't think it matters as it is just credits?)
Carter Brooks is now at Redefining Progress in Oakland, the same folks who did the Ecological Footprint and other Neumayer favorites.
Sunday, February 4, 2007
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