003: Consumer Culture and Resilient & Sustainable Communities with Laird Christensen of Green Mountain College
A Sustainable Mind - environment & sustainability podcast
Marjorie Alexander
4.6 ā¢ 588 Ratings
šļø 17 September 2015
ā±ļø 37 minutes
šļø Recording | iTunes | RSS
š§¾ļø Download transcript
Summary
Laird Christensen has dedicated his life to environmental activism and finding ways to create more sustainable communities. He has been an author, activist and educator during his career and that is how I came to know Laird, through his courses at Green Mountain College, where receivedĀ my Masters in Environmental Studies. Laird is the Director of GMC'sĀ latest masters program in Resilient and Sustainable Communities andĀ in this episode we discuss his upbringing and hisĀ inspiration for developing the program.
Ā
Long-standing Habit
- Mindfulness, learned from the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, which focused on awareness and compassion
Most Unexpected Gift in Developing MRSC
- Laird learned from his students what it means to build community in different places all around the country.
Environmental Resource
- Post Carbon InstituteĀ ā Empowers people to live healthier lives by coveringĀ research and education to change consumer habits.
Sustainable Mindset Book
- A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There
Ā by Aldo Leopold
Interview Links
- Green Mountain College Masters of Science in Resilient & Sustainable Communities (MRSC)
- MRSC Facebook Page
Ā
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Did you know that ASM is a 501(c)3 charitable organization?Ā Become one of our donors with a tax-deductibleĀ donation onĀ https://ASustainableMind.WeDid.it
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | A Sustainable Mind, Episode 3. |
| 0:05.0 | This is A Sustainable Mind podcast, where we delve into the minds behind today's most impactful |
| 0:10.8 | environmental campaigns, organizations, and startups, inspiring the environmental changemakers |
| 0:16.7 | of tomorrow. I'm your host, Marjor Alexander. |
| 0:26.6 | Today, I am extremely excited to have on the show, Laird Christensen. As some of you know, A Sustainable Mind podcast is my thesis project for my |
| 0:33.7 | master's degree, and I'm receiving that degree from Green Mountain College. Laird is a professor |
| 0:38.7 | of field journaling and bioregional theory and practice, among other things. Those just happen to be |
| 0:43.8 | the two courses that he taught me. But I also met him at the residency, which is a four-day event where |
| 0:49.8 | students and faculty gather on the campus of Green Mountain College in Vermont. So I had a chance to |
| 0:56.4 | meet Laird in person and spend a good deal of time with him and other students getting to know |
| 1:01.4 | each other before the program even started. So without further ado, let's jump in. Laird Christensen grew up |
| 1:07.9 | in Western Oregon, where he witnessed the struggle between the timber industry and the environmental movement. |
| 1:13.5 | Now he searches for balance in his work as a writer, teacher, and activist. |
| 1:18.3 | He has taught college courses in bioregionalism, literature, and environmental education. |
| 1:24.1 | Laird is also now the director of Green Mountain College's new Masters of Science in Resilient and Sustainable Communities Program. |
| 1:31.3 | Welcome, Laird. |
| 1:32.3 | Thank you. I'm glad to be here. |
| 1:34.3 | All right, so I kind of want you to start out talking about how you grew up. |
| 1:40.3 | I think a lot of people have this idea that anyone who lives an environmentally conscious lifestyle now drew up as a hippie. |
| 1:49.9 | It's an all-consuming thing. |
| 1:52.1 | But I think a lot of people have this realization when they're an adult and when they start having children about the kind of legacy that they're leaving for the next generation in terms of their impact on the planet. |
| 2:06.0 | So can you go ahead and talk a little bit about how you grew up and how your parents viewed environmentalism or Earth-conscious living as part of their lifestyle? |
... |
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