Spring is here! 🌱 How are you celebrating the emergence of flowers, leaves, and all of the amazing plants and animals that hibernated all winter?
There are plenty of upcoming Silent Seasons sustainability events to participate in! Come say hi to Laura and celebrate her favorite season in Springville, Buffalo, Austin, and Hamburg between now and June ❤️
Here is the email I just sent out to the Silent Seasons Author Community (subscribe to receive emails from me 2x per month in the right column!). I thought it was worth sharing with more people, so I made a post for it. Here’s to 2023! xoxo, Laura
Dear Silent Seasons Author Community,
I hope this email finds you safe, warm, and connected to a reliable source of electricity. My home city Buffalo, NY has once again made national news this year – we are now recovering from the intense “blizzard hurricane” that paralyzed Western New York beginning Friday morning. I just had to check my calendar to confirm that it is now Tuesday because between the holidays and the storm, time has been alternating between fast and slow.
My family (which includes my partner, his 10-year-old son, Sunny the dog, and Neptune the cat) survived the blizzard without any emergencies. Although we did not get to celebrate the holidays in the way that we planned, I am grateful to be safe. It was interesting to pay attention to my thoughts and emotions throughout the blizzard – they started out sad and frustrated that I wouldn’t have a “normal” holiday, and then quickly moved into fear about not having power/heat while the temperature of the house stayed in the mid-30’s, plus deep concern for others in the storm. The worst part was not knowing when the power would come back on. We had a Christmas miracle and our power/heat arrived the afternoon of the 25th! I felt so happy and relieved – I’m still trying to let go of the layers of tension I accumulated while waiting in the cold.
Although our house did not have power or heat, we did have running (cold) water, a working toilet, and a working gas range stove (the oven operates from an electric control pad, so the range was the only part that we could self-light). We went grocery shopping the night before the storm, so we enjoyed huge pots of hot chili and stew and didn’t worry about going hungry. I had a lantern and flashlight in my camping bag, plus many candles. We all camped out in a blanket fort in our living room to stay warm. I have a new appreciation for the game “20 Questions” being able to pass time in the dark.
Although it was uncomfortable and scary throughout this blizzard, I was much more prepared, privileged, and lucky compared to many other people here in Western New York. There are a lot of conversations happening on social media, the press, and between individuals judging people who looted stores during the blizzard and what is “right” and “wrong” about that (did they steal “essentials”?). My perspective on this comes from the fact that the City of Buffalo is one of the poorest and most segregated cities in the US and there are many people that have been living in extreme poverty their entire lives. This blizzard was a life-or-death event where it was clear that no help would be coming, and I am not going to judge people who were put in such a desperate situation with no safety net (again).
I’ve had a lot of time to think about sustainability, resilience, and what “climate action” really means over the past few days. I really hope that Buffalo, Erie County, and all of Western New York will start providing me and my neighbors with the skills, resources, and support they need to survive storms like this, which will inevitably happen again in one form or another. Saying this blizzard is the “Storm of the Century” is a misnomer that lies to people about our future – strong storms will happen again, and sooner than we think. We all must learn from this and build resiliency.
I also want to say that when it comes to climate change action, I know we all want “simple” replacements where gas-powered machines and appliances switch to being electric-powered, but that puts people in an incredibly vulnerable and dependent position when the power goes out. For example, I know gas-powered stoves are being vilified these days, but during this blizzard, my gas range allowed me to cook hot food, make tea, and when the house got really cold (32 degrees), heat up the kitchen a few degrees by heating up large pots of water. Our climate solutions have to be more nuanced, focused on the needs of the people, and based on the characteristics of the specific bioregion they are being implemented in.
Well, this is the last email you will receive from me in 2022! I hope you’re doing well, safe, warm, rested, and gearing up for the New Year. I have many podcast, book, and website plans for 2023 that I am working to set in motion. Stay tuned!
Lots of love,
Laura
Now that Silent Seasons is published and available for purchase as an ebook and paperback, I’ve shifted into a new phase of the book process: sharing it with the world! This is a steep learning curve for me and comes with strong feelings of inadequacy and fear, but the more I face it all, the easier (and more fun) it gets.
I am so grateful to Burning Books out of Buffalo, NY for being the first brick-and-mortar bookstore to carry Silent Seasons! You can buy your copy at the store, or order directly from their website HERE.
If you’re reading this before November 3rd, you’re invited to come out to Burning Books at 7pm for a Silent Seasons book talk! Check out the above flyer. And please support the Burning Books expansion project via their online fundraiser HERE.
Here is my original inspiration story for Silent Seasons. It really hits at my “why” for all of the work I do, including creating this book.
Warning: this is a sad dog story.
I started writing Silent Seasons with the Book Creator program and New Degree Press last November. The first piece of writing that my development editor, Cassandra, read and reviewed for me is my book’s “inspiration story,” which didn’t make it into the book. Although I was going to include it in the Introduction, Cassandra and I agreed to leave it out because it was so sad and in the end, more disconnected from the rest of the book than I originally expected. I am saving my animal stories for the next book 🙂
One afternoon in November 2020, I said goodbye to my parents’ dog, Archer, on the kitchen floor of my parents’ house, located on a dead end road in a small town south of Buffalo, New York. Archer was a 100-pound Rottweiler in a lot of pain from the ravages of bone cancer at age 9. On this particular day, the last one he spent on this Earth, Archer was laying on my parents’ kitchen floor of dark green tiles while I lay next to him. He welcomed the warm touch of my hands, but was too weak and in too much pain to move much or get up. A large tumor had been growing on the back of his neck, at the base of his skull, for months now, and he struggled with doing much of anything anymore.
I petted him, and softly said, “It’s ok, Archer. You’re an amazing dog and don’t deserve to feel this type of pain. I will tell the world who you are, what has happened to you, who did this to you, and that so many more of our family dogs have died this way before you.”
Archer, being a dog, didn’t answer me back in words, but he always had a soulful, human way about him (especially in his eyes) and he looked at me in a knowing, resolute way. He remained calm and peaceful while I was talking, and I could feel his pain and fatigue while I petted him this one last time.
While we lay there quietly on the floor, rainbows flashed across his black fur as the sun shone light through a kitchen window at just the right angle. I noticed that it matched the new pair of black Vans with rainbow stripes down the side I was wearing.
I still wear this pair of shoes and remember my last day with Archer, and the importance of writing this book.
I’ve stayed silent about how the past six dogs in my family have died young of cancer because revisiting this truth is SO PAINFUL, but it is a big reason why I devote my life and work to environmental law, sustainability, and what to do about climate change. My family’s dogs have always been like “extended siblings” to me. Too many people and animals I love have died of cancer, and as an environmental lawyer and planner with 15 years of education and experience, I know it’s (largely) because we are all living in an environment that is steeped in low-grade (to high-grade) poisons.
I have stayed silent about what I see and what I know in my personal and professional life for too many seasons – literally years of seasons. I am writing this book to break the silence.
Silent Seasons is available as an e-book now, and a paperback within the next couple of days! Check out the “Book” page on this website for more information.
Welcome to Season 7 of the Keeping Things Alive Podcast! Listen to episodes wherever you listen to podcasts (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, PocketCast, etc.). It is also streaming on SoundCloud.
This season, Homes Guarantee Organizer, Political Educator, and Afro-futurist John Washington is co-creating many of the podcast episodes with me. John has been on the podcast many times in the past, including the annual ballot reviews like this episode, which we have been publishing during election season since 2018. John has a deep knowledge and understanding of Buffalo, economics, history, systemic racism, housing, environmental justice, comics, music, and more.
Here is a link to the Welcome Episode. Learn about our intentions for the season and more information about my book, Silent Seasons: Chasing Sustainability through the Law, which is now available as an ebook on Amazon and Kobo! This season will be a little different because instead of conducting new interviews, we will be re-releasing many episodes from past seasons and tying them to current issues and events.
I posted the first “regular” episode of Season 7 this week, too! Here is a link to Episode 87, which is my September 2021 interview with Margaret Wooster, a watershed planner and author of Meander: Making Room for Rivers. Margaret’s work aligns with the sustainability lessons of Silent Seasons, especially the lesson that “working with the Earth fosters sustainability, while working against her makes things more difficult and unsustainable.”
It feels good to have another season of the Keeping Things Podcast open again! I’m glad that you’re here.
by: Laura Evans
e-book available for purchase on Amazon HERE for 99¢ until September 28th (then $4.99)!
e-book also available for purchase on Kobo HERE for $4.99!
Paperback arrives the first week of October 2022.
Publisher: New Degree Press
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Silent Seasons: Chasing Sustainability through the Law is a thought leadership book about sustainability and US environmental law based on what author Laura Evans has experienced and learned as an environmental lawyer, consultant, and nonprofit staffer living in both Western New York and Austin, Texas.
Silent Seasons combines personal stories and legal information to teach the reader:
The stories and lessons in this book will give the reader broader perspectives and new ways of thinking about sustainability, which will empower us all to move toward a more healthy and sustainable future together.
After a long pause, the Keeping Things Alive Podcast just published a new episode to share the exciting news that I wrote a book! In this episode, you will learn more about the book, why I decided to write it now, and what is in each chapter.
Silent Seasons: Chasing Sustainability Through the Law will be published by New Degree Press this fall. The purpose of Silent Seasons is to offer accessible information about environmental law and new perspectives on sustainability for everyone, based on Laura’s life.
There are still 6 days left to pre-order your signed copy, get a ticket to launch party, and support the publication of this exciting project!
Click here to pre-order your signed copy now until April 30th!
Hi, it’s the week of October 25, 2021 and everything is wild! The elections that are happening locally for the City of Buffalo, Erie County, Western New York, and therefore New York State are shaping up to be intense. It’s exhausting and exciting at the same time. And here is a new podcast episode about it all!
I am proud to say that the Keeping Things Alive Podcast has turned into one of the longest things/projects that I have ever stuck with in my life (that and avoiding sugar since 2014 — omg sugar impacts my brain and body so much!). It’s gotten to the point where I have an annual voting episode, and here it is again! Time flies.
Just in time for the start of early voting which started this past Saturday October 23rd and runs until this Sunday October 31st, this episode is another “ballot review” episode that I put together with John Washington for this year’s election in Buffalo, NY. This is the third year in a row that we have done a review of what government positions will be on the Buffalo, NY ballot. John is a community organizer and political educator out of Buffalo, NY. He’s been on the podcast many times before and I promise that I will re-publish those episodes in the coming months – I am in the process of a re-boot for this website and the podcast, too (stay tuned for new things happening to this site and podcast in 2022!).
The purpose of this ballot review episode is help listeners become aware of what government positions are on the ballot (in the City of Buffalo, which also includes some Erie County seats and voter propositions that apply beyond City of Buffalo residents), and how they may affect an average person’s life. We change it up this year and discuss particular candidates and how we feel about them.
I know that many people fear change, but considering the devastating physical changes that are happening to our planet and all people living on it (mostly due to thoughtless industrialization and greed), the type of change and leadership that India Walton brings to the table is needed in the City of Buffalo and everywhere, like yesterday. I also support Kimberly Beaty to be the Erie County Sheriff. This podcast has covered the human rights violations that continue to take place within the Erie County Holding Center and jail system for years – again, time for actual, accountable leadership and change.
Here is a link to John Washington’s 2021 Ballot Review, streaming on SoundCloud (you can also get it on your favorite podcast player app, Spotify, Google Play, and more). Enjoy!
Here is the website of the Erie County Board of Elections.
Here is the website of the New York Working Family’s Party.
Hi all,
Apologies for the silence, but Season 6 started in May! Here are links to the episodes that have been published so far:
As you can see, this season is set up a little bit different. The plan is to run it from May until November, and publish two episodes each month. One monthly episode will be the “standard” long-form interview, while the other will be an “info collage” that is covering four different topics: the legalization of cannabis in New York State, learning about the healing properties of an herb, discussing a tarot card, and hearing stories of peoples’ experiences with the police in Erie County.
Thanks for being here, and I’m looking forward to sharing more information, stories, and conversations about what is happening in and around Western New York as we all do our best to “keep things alive” and move forward on this beautiful and brutal Planet Earth.
Love,
Laura
P.S. One more thing: this season, we have EmZee creating the cover art for each episode! Check out @onyxarcplanet on Instagram for more amazing images and videos by EmZee <3
In case you haven’t heard, it’s 2021 (what?!), there is a raging global pandemic, white supremacists invaded the U.S. Capitol, Redditors have disrupted Wall Street by buying GameStop stock, America has a new President, and the U.S. has rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement. I haven’t posted much besides podcast shownotes in a while because I’ve been suffering from a complex case of writer’s block for months (maybe years?).
I am grateful that Trump is out of the White House limelight. He is a narcissistic tyrant who has used masterful hypnotic techniques to manipulate his economically anxious, white supremacist base for years. He also grew significant support from his economically savvy, white supremacist supporters who never went to his rallies, but live in towns, cities, churches, offices, and board rooms across America.
Pop quiz: can you name the common ground that connects all Trump supporters, no matter how different they appear on their face? My answer is white supremacy, the ethos that white people (and what they do, say, and create) are inherently better than people of all other races, which leads to all kinds of dehumanization and harmful systems of oppression. White supremacy is deeply embedded in America’s history, systems, sports, Netflix options, education, hospitals, job searches, public transportation, food systems, the locations of industrial plants — everything. If you are white like I am (and especially if you are white living in a mostly white suburb or rural area), you don’t see white supremacy as much, but it’s always present. There is so much dismantling to do, and it starts with honest acknowledgement of the problem.
While in office, the Trump Administration, bolstered by an overall belief in white supremacy, unapologetically kept children in cages separated from their parents, gutted environmental protection laws, made it easier to drill for fossil fuels, intentionally sowed lies that made the Covid-19 pandemic worse, incited an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, and caused chaos for millions (billions) of people. I am grateful that he did not have another four years to commit more regulatory, physical, and cultural violence, and I visualize what true accountability for his actions will look like every single day.
This podcast episode by Brené Brown about words, actions, dehumanization, and accountability has really helped me sort through my feelings about the January 6th riot at the Capitol, white supremacy, and how to be in this moment.
There is much healing to do, and one piece of that healing is honestly addressing climate injustice, and that starts with re-joining the Paris Climate Agreement, which already happened on Biden’s first day in office. This is critical because in December 2015, nearly every nation on Earth met in Paris and agreed to meaningfully address climate change under the premise that the United States, one of the top three greenhouse gas polluters in the world, was committed to the Agreement, too. That premise was destroyed when Trump backed out of the Paris Climate Agreement in January 2017, his first full week of office.
Fast forward four years to January 20, 2021 — on the same day that Biden took his Oath of Office, he signed an Executive Order stating that the U.S. has re-joined the Paris Climate Agreement. Phew. Here is the Executive Order in its entirety:
ACCEPTANCE ON BEHALF OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
I, Joseph R. Biden Jr., President of the United States of America, having seen and considered the Paris Agreement, done at Paris on December 12, 2015, do hereby accept the said Agreement and every article and clause thereof on behalf of the United States of America.
Done at Washington this 20th day of January, 2021.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
This one-sentence Executive Order will have an untold impact on our collective future because the Paris Climate Agreement is the basis for International cooperation around climate change mitigation, adaptation, and resilience. Nearly four years have passed since the U.S. participated in official Paris Climate Agreement implementation work — there are many relationships to repair and details to work through. John Kerry is Biden’s Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Change with a focus on international climate work and the Paris Agreement, while Gina McCarthy is tapped to be the White House National Climate Adviser and focus on climate action within U.S. borders.
I am optimistic that there will be multiple people addressing climate change at the national and international levels — it is this type of multi-layered strategy that we desperately need if we have any hope of addressing the wicked problem of climate change. Business as usual (i.e. operating under systems of white supremacy and capitalism) will continue to kill us, and I am ready to witness and participate in the massive shifts we need to keep things alive now, and for generations to come.
