🌳 Our bond with nature is fading, threatening our health & planet. My new op-ed, reflecting on new research documenting a 60% loss of connection to nature, explores why reconnecting is vital—for body, soul, and survival—and how we can act now! 🌍 #Nature substack.com/inbox/post/1...

Join me on Tue, Aug 12, 6-8pm for a fireside chat & book launch with Dr. @Rosa Vásquez Espinoza! Celebrating The Spirit of the Rainforest—exploring the Amazon, stingless bees, & indigenous wisdom. RSVP: spiritofthe rainforest.eventbrite.com #AmazonConservation #BookLaunch #ThistlerockMead #virginia

Grateful for our community for showing up on July 4th in protest of government overreach and fighting to protect academic freedom! Please consider signing our petition to the Virginia General Assembly to shield our institutions from a despotic federal government! #uva Change.org/handsoffUVA

The Environmental Protection Agency has drafted a plan to eliminate all limits on greenhouse gases from coal and gas-fired power plants in the U.S., according to internal agency documents reviewed by The New York Times.

💐Why hit up your local farmers market? Fresh, tasty produce, direct support for local farmers, and less environmental impact. Plus, you’ll find unique goods and connect with your community. Visit one this weekend! 🐝🍷 #FarmersMarket #SupportLocal #thistlerock

Grateful for good people doing good in the world. My buddy Brian Woerner from the #WorldHoneyExchange stopped by the farm for an impromptu rare honey tasting and to hatch collaboration plans for the next year. 🍯🐝🍷✈️🌍🎥

Honored to join the board of @jmmontpelier.bsky.social ! Grateful for the opportunity to help steward the legacy of the Father of the Constitution and engage with an incredible team dedicated to preserving history and fostering dialogue. #Montpelier #JamesMadison

He is a dose of positivity to get your Friday started- a case study on the #innovativefinance work for #affordablehousing being led by @redlightmanagement.bsky.social & DMB’s Bama Works Fund in #Charlottesville, VA ssir.org/articles/ent...

“Protecting free and independent thought in the United States is going to take more than just one institution fighting back.” Let’s go. www.columbiaspectator.com/opinion/2025...

Here in Virginia, because we don’t have many large commercial beekeepers or move our bees across state lines for pollination (at least the majority of VA beekeepers), we are thankfully somewhat insulated - for now. That could change but it’s crucial we stay ahead of this.

🚨🐝 extremely concerning letter, went out last night. U.S. commercial beekeepers are reporting catastrophic hive losses of 50-100%, worse than CCD days. Immediate economic impact of - $140M but will have a bigger, more profound impact on American food security in months ahead.

This matches, step by step, the playbook we’re witnessing from the White House and DOGE. The first half of this narrative is background and context of the ideology while the second half is the roadmap for implementation. Very disturbing. m.youtube.com/watch?v=5RpP...

@marianabellmusic.bsky.social welcome to the land of non-suck. There is cheese and less Nazis.

@benstiller.redhour.com just wanted to say thank you for all your work with @unhcr.org and for standing with refugees. That’s all. Keep doing you Ben. 🙌

Re-read U.S. Constitution of the United States, Article I, Section 9, Clause 7 (the Appropriations Clause) and Article I, Section 8, Clause 1 (the Taxing and Spending Clause). @kaine.senate.gov is Congress going to take them to court or what? www.nytimes.com/2025/01/27/u...

When you wear multiple hats…up early today to share our #netzero mead with customers. Mead for breakfast? #whateverittakes #entrepreneurship

EU’s solar and wind growth pushes fossil-fuel power to lowest level in 40 years - Carbon Brief

for the first time ever, solar power generation overtakes coal in the eu the change since 2011 is staggering (and will continue widening)

And because it’s been a grim week, I thought you might enjoy a picture of a friendly little reindeer I met while in the Arctic of Finland.

I wings just be writing about economic justice. I’ll also share how to brew, ferment, and drink it- in the form of the world’s most sustainable and mission-driven alcohol. Because we *might* need lots of this over the best few years.

Oh, and if you did read that NYT piece about refugees’ immense net economic contributions to the U.S. economy and want more, hang with me here as I’m in the last mile of writing a new book w/ the brilliant Christine Mahoney called #BankingOnBelonging w Columbia U Press. Vive la résistance.

Been fairly quiet on socials for a while as haven’t feel the fire to share content. Well, that was fun while it lasted. 2025 here we go..,

A question though- if US Federal agencies (like the EPA), under direction of the new admin, fail to distribute contractually obligated grants executed prior to Jan 20, and thus violate the terms of their contracts, will local orgs and institutions have to sue them to release funds? #realquestion

In other more positive news, a badass team of changemakers @uvabatten.bsky.social @uvawise.bsky.social and community and county partners secured a $20M grant from #EPA to advance #climate #resilience across #Appalachia. batten.virginia.edu/about/news/u...

Remember that time when the President commissioned a study of refugee economic impact on the U.S. and then tried to bury it after finding the net contribution was billions of $ in paid taxes and jobs created? Let’s revisit this little chestnut… #facts #refugees www.nytimes.com/2017/09/18/u...