I’m back from the Galapagos… but I’m having a hard time being happy about it. Re-entry into the “real world” has me reeling, literally. The first few nights home, I felt like I was still on the sea, swaying with the waves. Cars. People. Technology. PHONES. I didn’t realize how much stimulation there is in our daily lives until I was without it for a week. This adventure really touched me in so many ways that I’m still processing and will continue to process.
Photos of my trip dominate this newsletter, so read on!
I call this photo: Booby Screaming Into The Void.
Help make 2026 our best year yet!
This week, Angela launched a Holiday Flash Poll (only three questions!), and your answers will directly guide our programming for the year ahead. That means, who we feature for webinars, who we interview on EcoRight Speaks, and where we connect with you online
If you have a moment, share your ideas here! We love hearing from you and your input makes a difference in how we think about and plan for showing up for you in the coming year.
Momma Sea Lion With Heart Nose Taking Nap On Beach.
This week’s must read — Rare Win for Renewable Energy: Trump Administration Funds Geothermal Network Expansion (Inside Climate News)
H/T to Angela for sharing this bit of good news in a world where renewable energy feel-good stories are few and far between.
Journalist Phil McKenna writes:
“The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed by Republicans and signed by Trump in July, quickly phases out tax credits for wind, solar, and electric vehicles. However, the bill left geothermal heating and cooling tax credits approved under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 largely intact.
A reorganization of the U.S. Department of Energy announced last month eliminated the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy but kept the office for geothermal energy as part of the newly created Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office.”
This is particularly good news for a first-in-the-nation Geothermal Network being established in Framingham, Massachusetts, which due to federal funding, is poised to double in size. “Geothermal networks are widely considered among the most energy-efficient ways to heat and cool buildings,” which account for about a third of the carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S.
Are you sick of my photos yet?
Revisiting our conversations with TIME100 influential climate leaders: Benji Backer
Crazy things happen in the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas when calendars are supercharged and scheduling feels hard. So absent a new episode this week, we wanted to revisit those climate leaders named on the TIME100 list, starting with our June 2024 conversation with Benji Backer.
And now I’m off to shovel/scrape/sweep the snow-ice mixture that has accumulated today. Definitely not in the Galapagos anymore… see you next week!