Manifesto, by Gabrielle Smith, class of 2020

Follow the Call

A confident agent- I want to be one who is willing to have their mind changed at any moment and be authentic in each decision I make. Coming into my mid-early twenties, I am beginning to shape many choices on my own without the overbearing mother that is institutionalized schooling. Being that I have been apart of a school system and schedule since I was three years old, the coming of grand change couldn’t feel more ripe. Between my arrival to Humboldt County in 2016, and now with merely eighty days left until graduation in Spring 2020, I know I have grown more into myself than my conscious being has ever confessed before. 

This spring, I am graduating with an Environmental Studies degree with two minors in Music and Appropriate Technology (AT). My passion for music erupted in freshman year at HSU as my friend recommended I enroll in Afro-Cuban Percussion class. Four years later, I am completing my music minor with the experience of World Percussion Samba, Introduction to Percussion, Introduction to Strings, and a year and a half of Private Fiddle Lessons, and plenty of drum circles and open mics under my belt. Becoming a music minor was the best thing I could have brought into my college experience as an Environmental Studies student because it taught me how to embody rhythm and melody in ways I had ever explored- never knew I needed. Irish fiddle became its own branch in my musical tree of love. A place where I could reach into my roots and feel connected to the celtic people who grew out of the little island that looks like a gummy bear; fiddling brought me satisfaction through an unknown longing for heritage and music. 

Likewise, my study of Appropriate Technology deserves a great deal of gratitude, for its sponitunity came just as quickly as my sudden passion for music. From harvesting and selling for the local farmers market to building rainwater catchment systems on campus, I was taught that AT meant using the right materials, techniques, and conversations when creating small scale and locally friendly projects. Today, I have made choices that have brought me to chair a committee on campus called Earth Week Every Week. Through my years of experience in social and environmental direct activism in Humboldt, I have found myself sitting as this years Associated Student’s Environmental Sustainability Officer. I am proud of my work so far, but somehow feel a different calling in my life. With a profound amount of gratitude for the numerous scholarly articles about environmental justice and politics; endless small group conversations about heavy social-science topics; and a powerful community of people who want to show action in the time of climate resilience- my time for a new way of life feels as though it could not come sooner. I have learned what I needed from HSU, will teach those who have not learned, and will open myself up to signs of opportunity that spark a true sense of longing within my ever-changing self.

I have emerged into these positions through natural callings and talents. Too, I have been trained that these are the steps that are logical for creating a successful future, but I believe there are other options-I am called to other things. Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Maree Brown has taught me to follow my heart and move towards collections of people who agree with my beliefs. Within my life experiences in Humboldt County, I have also unveiled my love for caretaking for people and the land. I have worked as a caregiver for supporting living agencies throughout my time in Humboldt and feel like I am giving back to the world in the right way. With a younger brother who has Autism and a cousin with Cerebral Palsy, I was taught that it simply made sense that we take care of one another. So I look to further my caretaking as college comes to an end, though I feel more of a calling towards teaching now-a-days. I long to spend time with children, and am inspired to begin teaching as a substitute teacher for disabled children at the local special education school, Glen Paul. 

My calling for gardening has also blossomed through my interactions in Humboldt. “What you pay attention to, grows.” claims Brown, and so I choose to grow food. With the decline in food quality through our primary food system, communities must embrace the farming techniques that we so regretfully left behind in the coming of the industrial revolution. For me, gardening began with planting flowers with my mama as a child, and has flooded into my life like a river breaking through a shrewd dam. I have moved every year for the four years I have been here at HSU, and I have never stopped planting and harvesting food along the way. In my time, I have worked with plants such as: strawberries, black berries, plums, many culinary and medicinal herbs, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, peas, beans, flowers, lettuce, cabbage, carrot, garlic, tomatoes, and more plants I cannot think of right now. Through my intuitive use of combining seed, water and soil, I began gardening. With the knowledge of my peers and teachers, I have grown into a farmer. In my life, I want to help grow a farm and call it home. I look to intern and work at local farms for the short future, and am curious about farming opportunities around the world that may lead to this sort of family farm dream.

I have traveled all around the country. I was born in Florida and quickly moved to Louisiana, Alabama and Colorado. From there, we moved to Georgia, South Carolina, and California. My dad was in the military so I was used to change and making friends. After several years in San Diego, I decided it was time I step out on my own and prepare for college, so I took a ten day solo road trip up the coast of California. You could say I am used to moving, but I would rather phrase it as a love for travel. I have huge dreams to travel before I even begin to think about my life career. Unlike my mom, aunties, and granny, I chose not to get pregnant and married before age twenty, and therefore am called to a different life path than creating a family in my early twenties. I want to create myself first, and that very well means seeing the world and the cultures which grew from this Earth. Specifically, I want to physically connect with my Irish roots. Granny and Papa immigrated from Ireland in the 1950’s to find work in the U.S., and after their passing several years back, I have come to realize the value of my unknown Irish heritage. The Gaelic they spoke, the foods they prepared, all of the things that makes me Irish by blood was not honored by my child self as I realize as a woman, and now know that my chances for cultural revitalization lay in the hands of my fifty cousins across the globe. 

With dreams as big as mine, I know Ireland will find me one day, I just hope I find the courage and luck to get there sooner than later. I have plans alright, may they be a short visit to the motherlands of Ireland, or a lifetime of global exploration through the Chakras of Earth, my heart longs to meet the world outside of U.S. customs and borders, for the human experience seems too beautiful to ignore our strongest callings.

Manifesto, by Christina Samoy, class of 2020

Our Change-Vision- Action workshop reminded me of an elf tinkering with a
snowglobe. The inside of the snowglobe represents our dreams and goals, the act of taking it apart and resecuring it with better fitting parts symbolizes the changes we need to make in order to see our dreams and goals in motion. We can compare ourselves to the elf, the only way to mend the broken part is if we decide to take the time to repair what is not currently working. 

The way in which we so delicately crafted our plans to resolve our fears was part of the courage adrienne maree brown filled us with. In the section where brown describes herself as a doula, she shares a story of a time she helped comfort a woman who had just been attacked behind her apartment. That situation showed brown that she could comfort and be of service to others. I think we could be inspired by her actions because many of us doubt ourselves, but when it comes time, we always perform sometimes even better than expected. It’s that courage that comforts me in knowing that even though we see so many problems, we just need to remember that we can adapt and we have the skills to get through anything as long as we have a supportive community.

Community, as I see it, are those who you keep company with and enjoy spending time with. In our workshop there was a theme of community and a call for less individualism. The change we need begins in our heart and mind. Within a community we are more receptive and I think change within is swift, largely due to the trust we have in other’s advice. During the workshop we were asked to envision ourselves about 2-3 years in the future; strangely I could only imagine myself 30 years down the line where I’m being thanked by young adults for sharing food and farming knowledge with them. I think that image appeared because I know long term that’s what I want to do, but it is going to take a variety of learning experiences to get to that point. Knowledge grows with the various experiences and sometimes we just need to allow ourselves to learn from others.

In terms of behavioral changes, I think using art to express ourselves is not only an emotional outlet, the art can have messages within that can shape how others think. I was thinking back to Joe Mallory’s art piece that depicts an overcrowded hillside with polluted land, cars stuck in traffic, and construction. For Joe, he may be depicting the world as he sees it or how it may be in the future, but it’s up to the audience to interpret what they think it means and then have the choice to act or not act on how they feel. The more I understand my own writing, the more I find myself describing the minds of others. I think I’ve discovered that my true passion is sharing knowledge, giving others the comfort to imagine, or allowing for mental discoveries. I think a lot could be accomplished if we had the comfort of being able to digest what we do on a daily basis, perhaps using art to understand ourselves can be a tool. 

Another tool brown mentioned that can fit into our category of behavioral changes is practicing shivasana. The act of laying chest up on a floor or bed, palms up, and using deep breathing can improve our wellbeing, allowing us to think clearer. While she’s given us great advice to trust each other, she also mentioned how we must “walk our talk” in #6 Commitment to Self- Transformation in the Jemez Principle. How can we expect others to take care of themselves if we don’t make the time for it in our lives. We have to be active, so going forward I am going to put self healing at the top of things to keep in mind when I face any struggles.

In the short term I see myself trying to create a community like the one I found here in Humboldt, this program, and everyone along the way. I’m unsure if I’ll move back to the hectic city of Los Angeles that I call home or find another slow paced town like Arcata, but wherever I end up, my goal is to create a family like Humboldt has. I think surrounding ourselves with like minded people keeps our spirits high, it can be tough in a major like ours where it seems like no one but our little class can relate, but rest assured there are others out there, we just have to find them! So I leave us with the same words as adrienee maree brown did, “practice emergent strategy, but only as much as you understand that it is a way to practice love.”

Manifesto, by Michael Raigoza, class of 2020

My goal in life is to be happy. It has always been and always will be. I sometimes fail to reach that goal in certain moments,hours, or days but I just have to remember that life is short and we only get one. Can’t be wasting time on the sad things in life. So I will start my manifesto with: Be Happy.

The next part of my manifesto is one of the principles that I choose to incorporate in my life. I think of life as a balancing act, and that means there is give and take. If I am going to be happy in the world then I want to share that happiness with others, and the way I know how to do that is kindness. So Be Kind is next. 

These are pretty cliche but they are simple and I like simple.Also since we are writing a manifesto, I wouldn’t be true to myself if I didn’t put these in here. So often I think if only we could work at being happy and being kind the world would be a better place. Unfortunately it is not how the world works and I know that, but I will lead by example and maybe one day enough people will act that way. 

The vision or goal I have for my life, and maybe inspire some other social change, is to live in an innovative system that highlights nature and renewable energy. I would like to live in a space where I can grow my own food using permaculture and power my house with solar panels or other renewable technology. I feel that if I am going to preach knowing where my food comes and anti-fossil fuel use, then I need to also be acting that way. Don’t talk about it, be about it. The end vision for me sees me sitting on my rocking chair in my old age, with a home that operates as a closed system immersed in some trees. So I need to Be In Touch with my Food and Be Resourceful/Renewable.

My immediate next goal is to do something with renewable energy on a larger scale that fights the fossil fuel industry, or promotes change within our energy system. I want to help create community utility companies/collectives that use renewable energy so we can limit our greenhouse gas emissions. We have little time and a daunting opponent which makes it easy to throw in the towel. I don’t want to give in and just accept that this is the way things are, so I will not give up, I will fight, and I will have hope. 

The last part of my manifesto I stole from Emergent Strategy, but it really hit home for me and I would like to remind myself of this throughout my life. What we pay attention to grows. It is simple yet it calms me and I feel like it gives me power back. I become motivated when I read this because it is a reassertion to myself that no matter how small the act, it does create some change. What I devote myself to can make a difference. I will pay attention to what I want to grow. 

Manifesto, by Tony Pignone, class of 2020

Can you feel it? Can you see it? It's all around. There is a strange feeling, a energy pushing this planet and everything on it in a direction none of us seem to want to go. We talk about it as if it's happening on a personal level but nothing is changing it's direction, at least not fast enough to make a difference. Are Environmental Studies Majors & Faculty the only people that sense this? Is it up to us to change the future that has yet to come? Lets not be afraid of it, lets embrace it, take the challenge head on. There is a future out there worth envisioning and being a social change agent is going to help get us there.

What is a social change agent and whats it mean to be one in the world?  

A social change agent wants a better future. A social change agent sees the world for what it really is and wants to make a difference in positive ways that reduce oppression and inequality. They have a unique understanding of the dominate narrative in our society and all over the world. Seeing the connections that make up our reality and knowing that it can be different is the drive for a social change agent. Bringing options and opportunities to communities we engage with including our homes to better their lives and ours. Being a social change agent is about standing up for what is right and doing the right thing no matter the force in the way. Social change agents are strong willed, courageous, calm under pressure and compassionate. They care not only for their own loved ones but for all of man kind, non-human species, their environments, and the ecosystems that allow life to thrive. It is our job, our calling, our mission, our purpose to lead the changes necessary for life to continue to thrive. It is our responsibility to contribute to technological advancements and in the merging of it's applications to the real world. We must find the maximum benefits while limiting the negative effects. Through our teachings, research, and resilience our Environmental Studies Program has shaped us into becoming the next wave of ideas that can and will shape our future.

The key to accomplishing the changes we seek is with love which is highlighted in "Emergent Strategy." If love was the main concept of our society cooperation and understanding throughout would be seen and felt more. The impacts of how our world is run or operates as would be I think drastically different. Being or becoming an emergent strategist requires us to spread love and not hate. Our goals involve bringing people and communities together through love, compassion, and understanding for one another. We are stronger together just as we are stronger with nature. We shouldn't be separating ourselves from each other or nature. We are all human or at least we all share this planet and the best way for all of us to thrive is to come together despite our differences and love one another and value life, all life in a way that hasn't been seen for quite some time. Finding solutions to live on this planet in harmony with one another and nature should be focused on love not profit. Applying what I have learned through the use of appropriate technologies can help solve many of the problems separating us from nature.  

What has helped me identify myself, my goals, and my purpose wasn't one thing alone. It has been a combination of life experiences, education, and open mindedness. The book emergent strategy was one of many books I would recommend to others that has helped provide some insight, knowledge, guidance, and understanding. My time in the Army was a major part of my life that opened my eyes to the reality of the world. My time at HSU and the ENST program has provided me the tools, focus, direction, and connections to accomplish my goals and create my vision and spread what I've learned. I've always had this vision or idea about living with nature rather than against it. Living a more sustainable life, a greener life. My own personal road blocks or speed bumps has allowed me to find my purpose and my passion which is helping Veterans with their PTSD and Addiction problems by providing a space where they can learn to grow their own food and medicine while working with the land and the local community. The ENST program has taught me how to communicate those ideas and connect with others about them. It has assured me that I'm going in the right direction and the only thing in my way is myself. The other key aspect of the book "Emergent Strategy" is resilience which I believe go hand in hand with adaption. The world is in constant change and the more adaptable we are, the more resilient we become. We become stronger and grow as individuals through these experiences. Being open minded will help bring about new and more experiences that will help us become more adaptable to situations and cultures outside of our main perspectives on life. Seeing the world through other lenses is important when trying to spread knowledge through love.

Actions needed to smash through my goals and make my vision a reality is to finish what I've started to begin with. Finish my formal education and stay consistent when it's completed. Always strive to be a better person. Keep educating yourself is KEY. Continue growing as a person as well as being part of the community. Spread the knowledge I have learned and lead by example. A major aspect of this is becoming decentralized in how humans do things such as politics, data and information flow, economies, finances, and peer to peer networks. Being decentralized will help humans thrive in a sustainable fashion by forcing ourselves to be more responsible and ethical. Being decentralized while harnessing the vast amounts of capabilities with our technological advancements increases the connection and networks around the world and keeps the flow of knowledge distributed evenly. I believe that by accomplishing this we as a species can create more time for ourselves which we could put into being more sustainable. We wouldn't be in a rush all the time. We can focus our energy on helping and loving ourselves, each other, and our home, Earth. For me, the next steps are to live it. Live how I preach. I believe I am ahead of the game  at this point and I fully intend on keeping it that way. I know exactly what I have to do to make my dreams, my vision come true. It is my purpose to make it happen. I know I can help people especially Veterans change theirs lives, by changing their minds, giving them options that maybe they didn't know they had. By offering another way to live, a life that has purpose.

Manifesto, by Joe Mallory, class of 2020

In the face of our daunting global problems such as climate change, extinction, human inequality, and altogether widespread complacency, I find that the root of our problem is a  somewhat a sense of cultural sickness, that is, one in which we are complacent and taught to fully believe in a system that is inherently flawed and failing us. Often I am daunted by the weight of our world. It affects me everyday, and makes me wonder, What is it that I can do?

For that I answer, I want to use the power of art and community to spread messages that go against the grain, that is, that spread a ecocentric and egalitarian perspective of cultural and environmental awareness. 

Yet before I can help others, I must make sure I help to better myself. I want to make sure I always have adequate time to focus on always bettering myself, so that I can be the best me, and then can fulfill what I aspire to do. 

In caring for myself, I must remember:

• To be the change you want to see in the world, as change begins within
• Question and reduce the things that contradict your own inner good
• Make valuable changes where possible, and know that that inspires others to do the same
• To be open minded, always see things from multiple perspectives
• Get out of your comfort zone, try new things
• Be free for change to happen
• Don’t judge people, we are all different versions of the same oneness
• Don’t be too hard on yourself either, be understanding but also dynamic
• To focus more on fewer things to make for the best results (Don’t spread yourself thin)
• Don't force the flow of things and get upset when things don’t work out, but rather be in the flow and try to be a guiding force for the rest of it (or, Don’t fixate on being particular, it only limits you, rather let things flow and be dynamic with them)

Outside of working on myself, it is easy to get overwhelmed by the scale of our problems. Many of which we seem unable to change. But rather than that, I should focus on change locally, and know that that is a piece of the puzzle. Small changes pave the way, creating waves for new ways.

In thinking locally, remember:

• To strive to build connections
• New connections happen unexpectedly, being open to them is crucial
• Inspiration spreads quickly, you can take it in and help spread it too
• To find new opportunities, as these equal new ways to change the flow of things
• To pay a role in connecting other people together (Collaboration)
• Whatever you do, you are a piece of the puzzle and no matter how big or small you can find a way to bring the picture together

Finally, I want to make art and music, and to find a way that those things can be used to fit in to the puzzle of creating societal change. 

In creating Art, remember

• We need to create works of art that challenge the way our society views environment and culture
• Supporting oneself through art and not being dependent on a remedial job is a form of societal rebellion
• Create work that can give back to certain groups in the form of fundraising or donations
• Create work that doesn’t contradict itself in terms of sustainability - strive to upcycle and use more natural materials
• Always work to spread inspiration, pull other artists up with you
• Make connections, collaborate, as you never know where they will lead you
• Never stop creating!

Manifesto, by Miles Kinman, class of 2020

There were many principles of Emergent Strategy that really resonated with me but the most compelling was the author’s emphasis on decentralized action. This is something that I’ve always thought was the best way to enact change because it would mean more people in society now have a vested interest in making any given change take place. One thing that my friends often tell me is that I’m a friendly and kind person and I also believe this to be my greatest asset in fighting climate change. I’ll also say this observation is definitely true most days but most certainly not all and I can be the polar opposite on some days. 

However, I think those qualities my friends described are the best way I can go through the world trying to bring about the change I’d like to see. One of my most alluring daydreams is thinking about spending time on a homestead I’ll buy in the Northwest, surrounded by friends and family, and we’re all sharing with one another our knowledge and teaching each other how to grow with the world instead of consuming the world to grow. The most enticing and beautiful thing about this too is that no one person is more important than the other. Sure, some people have the resources and knowledge and others may not, but what good would that knowledge be if it weren’t shared to help better the world? Furthermore, while it is my hope that I can get a job working directly with nature, life doesn’t always work out the way you want. As long as I end up on that homestead surrounded by good friends and family, I will be content. I will be content because I know that even then I can still be a catalyst for change. Not everyone can get a job working in restoration, community organizing, or other socio-environmental causes; nor should everyone get involved in the same careers because our diversity helps makes us beautiful. T

hus I’m not going to beat myself up if I don’t end up where I envisioned in my career because sometimes that’s how Life happens but one of the core things environmental studies has taught me is that there are a myriad of other ways I can affect change than just through the workplace. Indeed, the teachings here have led me to believe that this idea is necessary for change. Change will never come if the ideas that manifest movements for change are left at the office and not incorporated into everyday life. Thinking about fighting climate change, living a healthy life with the earth, reminds me of my recent efforts to have a healthier body. To simply be mindful of my health at the gym only, which would be the office in this metaphor, would result in me most likely not caring about what I ate or did outside the gym and result little to no net health benefits. 

I like to imagine that trying to care for the earth as a society is like trying to care for the body as an individual. We have to think about all of our actions on a daily basis and how they impact the planet and our bodies. Yes it’s okay to have some beer and eat some ice cream but doing it every day will kill you. By focusing my efforts on trying to foster harmony with nature in my everyday life and experiences I’m doing my part to help build that collective, decentralized momentum to bring about a better world.

Manifesto, by Jami Henry, class of 2020

Before reading Emergent strategies, I had lots of ideas about things that I may want to do in the future.  I tend to want to solve the issue or create the biggest impact possible. Of course, right? Who wouldn't? I am not quite sold on the idea yet but one thing the book got me thinking about is if small scale changes really make a difference; so much environmental harm is occurring on a large scale such as by production companies or extraction industries that pollute land, water, and air creating more of an impact on the environment than one person can.  I have shifted my thinking a bit. I am not sure that patterns that happen at a small scale replicate themselves later on a larger scale as Emergent Strategies claims. However, I do think I can make an impact with my living in a way that adjusts my lifestyle to be conscientious of the environmental harm people are inflicting and various ways to address it in our everyday lives as well as other ways to get involved. In this way, I can spread the word to help teach and educate others.  

     I have pictured a variety of ways and scenarios of my future life that would somehow make me feel that I have contributed to the changes I want to see within our society.  On a fundamental level, I think ideas of ecocentrism that recognizes the value of all life, could be a useful ideology. Currently, the majority of society sees people as separate from nature, something to be conquered.  Much to the contrary we need harmony with nature and all living beings. Humans are not at the top of my food chain, I only see a web of connections. I studied ecosystems a lot which leads me to believe we all need each other, other living things to survive and thrive in our environments.  Each piece has a part that it plays and when put together functions as a whole to keep the environment functioning, but nature often reflects life in this sense ecosystems do too as they are always changing. It could be slight changes that most wouldn’t notice like a change in plant composition: a few less ferns, a few extra ivory.  Or much larger scale changes like the gradual transition from a grassland to wooded area with many stages and time in between.  

     So, back to that picture I have.  One of my grandest ideas struck me a few years ago while working at the Jefferson Community center.  Back in my hometown there is often not much for teenagers to do in town, especially that does not cost money.  I would love to be able to open up and run a youth recreation center focused on education surrounding the environment taught through learning about nutrition and gardening.  Another Idea I had involves me working with after school programs and having my own ceramics studio on the side. My sister plans to have foster teens and at this age connection can be hard.  One thing that always got through to me and quite often ends up being my happy place outside of nature is ceramics. I hope to provide others with learning and give them the opportunity to experience art and self-expression.  Working with clay can help me feel grounded in chaos, so if this is something I can pass on the other so they may feel grounded in whatever it is they choose to do with their lives whether that includes working on environmental and social justice issues much like I have or not, that’s great!  

Lastly, I hope to own a house with land someday so that I am able to grow my own food. This is something that is so important to me, because I feel as though it is something I have lost or maybe that was taken from my family without them noticing. My great grandparents and grand parents no matter which side of the family, blood relative or not ALWAYS gardened.  There is nothing like a tomato fresh out of Papa’s garden or a plum off my favorite fruit tree. However, my parents did not really garden. My mom tried it for the first time when she was almost in her 50’s. That seems so crazy to me as I love to garden and get my hands dirty. My dad has this attitude of ‘why should I care about growing my own food when I can just go to the store’.  I do not know when the shift began. Maybe with an increase in city living, gardening is less possible for the average person, but either way people are disconnected from their food systems. We have food deserts in which people do not have access to fresh, health, affordable food in their everyday lives. This is an issue that I think needs changed on a fundamental level. People need to know where their food comes from and if people could understand that local food decreases our environmental footprint, people may make more conscientious decisions about what they are eating and where it comes from.  I also remember that my grandparents always shared their garden with anyone who stopped by from friends and family to neighbors. Thus, by having a garden where I can focus on not using fuel or pesticides I can educate others. 

Any amount of ideas could work to help me meet my goals. I suspect that I may try many or all of these ideas at some point within my lifetime. In the end who knows what it will look like maybe a mashing of all my visions together, it is very fluid, but my hope by the end is to feel happiness as well as like my life had some kind of positive impact associated with it from my perspective. Hence, in my most simple definition to be an agent of change means to impact, help, educate, and relate to those around you drawing them into the environment with positive momentum's of change instead of an urgent sense of gloom and doom( which kind of  freaks some people out for some reason).