Why a trio of articles on tribes + fire = essential reading

September 1, 2022.Reading time 8 minutes.

Wildfires are a permanent part of the landscape. Climate change – and a host of “positive” ecological feedback loops (a positive loop is one that is self-reinforcing; a negative loop indicates reactions that move in the opposite direction) – mean that things will only get worse, not better, unless we enact radical changes. We have […]

Cultural burning = #GoodFire.

July 27, 2022.Reading time 11 minutes.

A primer on why we need more good fire. This week, another piece on the importance of indigenous fire knowledge and techniques went live online. I’m thrilled, because after working on this article for weeks, it appeared in Slate, a news magazine that usually carries more popular culture pieces. Even more exciting: the preponderance of […]

My Bus Conversion Video Hits 1 Million Views on YouTube

September 28, 2020.Reading time 5 minutes.

Five years ago, after a series of traumatic experiences with slumlords-posing-as-nice-people, I decided to stop renting and create my own tiny home. I needed something with wheels that was well-built and affordable, one that would allow me to implement eco-friendly systems including solar energy, water conservation, and a composting toilet. Given my financial resources and […]

Kleptophiliacs and Mudflat Heroes Make Me Swoon

October 3, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

Come join me in Bali! (Underwater, in the northwest corner of Bali, to be exact.) Where wily critters commit outrageous acts, both visible and invisible to the naked eye. The air is tinged with salt, the light gauzy as the Balinese sun opens its eyelids. A kingfisher shrieks, swoops, perches with quarry. Omnivorous deer graze […]

Random Acts: a poem against racism

August 2, 2019.Reading time 3 minutes.

Poetry brings us together, slows us down, blows our minds like fluffy puffs of dandelion becoming airborne and dancing off in all directions. In Mendocino county, poets gather in art galleries and hotel lobbies, after-hours in restaurants, and in friends’ living rooms. If we are lucky, poet/DJ/educator Dan Roberts shows up with his recording equipment […]