
When we insist on shared values and universal human experiences, we erase these productive differences and cripple the potential for equitable collaboration.
When we insist on shared values and universal human experiences, we erase these productive differences and cripple the potential for equitable collaboration.
For Rose Abejero, a poet and environmentalist, livelihoods are not only the cause of destruction but the reason for protection. She’s just one example of the many perspectives that have reshaped my own this summer.
How do you learn from those with whom you can’t communicate? This question has posed a methodological and ethical quandary as I work on community-based mangrove restoration with Marine Conservation Philippines. My research explores localContinue reading
Seventy-three years ago today, a fateful explosion altered the lives of the thousands of people living in communities around Alamogordo in a devastating and irrevocable way. White ash fell like warm snowflakes over the desertContinue reading
“Hi Joe!” I hear this cheery call often while doing community-based conservation in the Philippines. Filipinos frequently call foreigners “Joe.” It’s a rich, if casual, reference to the military nature of U.S.-Filipino relations: “Joe” derivesContinue reading
Deep voices wove and echoed rhythmically through the sun-baked pueblo and as I walked closer into the main plaza the source of these foreign chants were finally revealed. On the North and South sides ofContinue reading
I suppose the smell hits you first. As you walk into a mangrove forest, the deep, gaseous, almost sulfuric smell of the swamp tells you where you are. There’s no point wearing shoes here, andContinue reading
Sparkles of light ricochet off of Vero’s pale blue eyes. I am struck at first by his slightly unusual mannerisms, though it is apparent immediately that he is a very kind person. “Speak louder…I haveContinue reading
While interning for Marine Conservation Philippines from June through August, I’ll also be conducting research on their community-based mangrove restoration project.
Some of you must have been wondering where I have been this past few weeks. Well, I was off the grid. I was learning about my country and meeting amazing people. I really had anContinue reading