Moving Forward Together
An Evening of Connection and Reflection
A group of thirty-three individuals representing sixteen eco-minded organizations recently gathered together to discuss possible pathways towards more interconnection, collaboration and mutual support. Juliet Malik of Shasta Environmental Alliance and Heather Bortolussi of Western Shasta Resource Conservation District teamed up with Dr. Holly White-Wolfe, a recently certified California naturalist and researcher of resilience and community well-being, to provide an opportunity for local eco-groups to engage in a meaningful, interactive way.
The evening opened with food,conversation and a compelling land acknowledgement from Jonathon Freeman of Native Roots Network. He spoke of the practice of modern land acknowledgments as a way to attempt to reduce the erasure of Indigenous people–along with their knowledge and experiences at the hands of settler-colonialism–from history and the landscape.
He further noted that in Indigenous culture a land acknowledgement is an agreed upon practice between different Native tribes in which they defer to the practices of the hosting tribe when visiting their lands. He called upon the group to remember that ethic as we collectively work to protect, conserve, and restore our local environment by promoting a responsible and reciprocal relationship to the earth.
In planning this event Heather, Holly and Juliet set out to create an event that facilitated connection and relationship building, the necessary first steps to collective solution finding. Holly developed a beautiful framework for individual and group reflection based on the mushroom-mycelium-tree relationship of forests and woodlands –we are all nature nerds afterall. Juliet created a take-home zine (a mini booklet) for each guest to guide them through the steps of the reflection process and Heather hand drew and colored over 15 large trees. Heather also recruited RCD volunteers to make colorful mushrooms for the evening’s project.
After introductions, the group began the activity of imagining the mushrooms as our individual roles, the trees as our organizations, and the mycelium (the underground fungal threads that make up the vegetative body of mushrooms) as the connective network between organizations. We used the analogy to help identify where we are thriving and where we are struggling. We learned about other organizations and began to realize how much we all have in common, even though our organizations approach environmental work through different lenses and with different focal points. The group completed the first three steps of the reflection process and will be invited to participate in a future event. In the fall, we’ll explore the mycelial web (resources and relationships) and cultivating nutrients (collaboration) to continue to grow our collective connections.
The feedback from the event was overwhelmingly positive. Survey results from 22 respondents suggest:. Participants feel highly encouraged that their organization’s needs can be met through continued collaboration and mutual sharing of resources (ideas, knowledge, talent, volunteers, event planning, etc.) When asked what resonated most, one survey respondent said, “The fact that others who may or may not align on everything with me share a desire to care for our environment. ‘Healing’ – I think we all need this.”
Any other environmentally focused non-profits or groups that wish to participate in the next event or get more information can reach out to [email protected].
For community members who wish to get more involved in supporting our local environment, there is a wealth of opportunity across many organizations, covering a wide array of topics. We encourage you to explore this list of organizations to find the right fit for your interests:
List of participating organizations
