i, on the other hand, had a plan. well, to be more precise, i had yearning. for getting away, for getting into nature. i was going to the canyon. no, not that canyon. something closer to home. cloudland canyon, in the northwest corner of georgia, bordering alabama and tennessee.

however, i would have to leave soon if i were to make it in time for sunrise — it was just after 2:00 a.m. and i had a three hour drive ahead of me. i racked my brain and gathered everything i thought i may need, shoved them into my car, and got on the road— i would not sleep that night.

my drive was long, quiet, and peaceful  — and then i was there. i got out of the car, took a deep breath of green, and began walking to the first overlook on the edge of a cliff. i had the place mostly to myself. distant waves of fading green and amber. singing birds gliding about. i then realized that the main trail of the canyon was the other way, so off i went.  

sitting at the head of the trail was a set of wooden adirondack chairs set up to take in the view.

the wood was soft, chilled, smooth, and inviting, so i plopped down and gazed at the landscape.  these chairs sure had a good thing going for them. they faced a tree-spotted cliff with a wooden fence to corral guests from going off the edge. beyond it were grassy hills rolling into the nothingness of the horizon.

i sat a long time. i was in no rush. finally, my stomach growled, as i had not eaten all night. so, it was time to head back and find that restaurant i had seen a few miles away.

with some fuel in my stomach, it was time to hike the trails. there was green everywhere — i would have to come back in autumn to see fall colors. as i went on, i noticed how the opposing side of the valley had another tree covered rock outcrop—like a mirror. i  found a large stone ledge i could stand on, unguarded by a fence, that would allow me to witness it all, undisturbed.

i continued, eventually reaching a large natural pool. i waded my legs into the translucent water, flinching at the cold.

i heard a low rumble and looked up to see that the pool was being filled by a small waterfall surging over the cliff. as i grew closer to the fall, the rumble took on specific notes. on some rocks, the water fell in tones of a low rumbling bass, on others, a jolting treble. people were standing on these rocks, using the fall as a makeshift shower of sorts. i joined in, clothes and all. they would dry.

i started back, but when i reached the entrance of the pool, i noticed another trail going in the opposite direction. this trail was littered with debris — rocks and large tree limbs. i ducked under the limbs, most of which were fallen trees that had gotten stuck between the sides of the cliffs. i crawled, climbed, and maneuvered around the rocks, trying not to fall into the pools of water trapped in their floors. finally, i reached the end. it opened up to water flowing off the edge of a rock. it was beautiful. there was a small snake squirming around. i found a dry spot on the rock to sit — it was cool to the touch — and hung my legs over the edge. when i looked down, i saw the same people who were just in the pool with me. i realized i had gone around the back to the source of the waterfall. i sat and took in this view for a while, before deciding it was probably time to head back to my car. back to the suburbs. back home.

in this conversation from the 2022 planet forward summit, mala sharma, vice president and general manager of adobe creative cloud, shares her creative expertise, inspiration, and advice for emerging storytellers with planet 世界杯欧洲预选赛免费直播 diana quintero.

planet forward was honored to be featured as a creative changemaker at the 2021 adobe max conference. more here!

for the last 40 years, lonnie has been an artist and musician who highlights the realities of waste and environmental degradation. 

applied energy innovations is a vertically integrated renewable energy contractor based in minneapolis. they expect to see more installations, due in part to the energy rebates offered from xcel energy for renewable energy production using minnesota-made products.

the bio-battery has multiple civilian and military applications of great interest. cfdrc is working with the u.s. army to help reduce the number of batteries soldiers are required to carry for military operations. in addition, the bio-battery may be used for remote monitoring, sensing, and surveillance in civilian and military situations where batteries are used, but also limit operational effectiveness and flexibility.

we talked to quadlogic controls corporation (qlc), based in new york city, which is a small business that produces these devices. smart meters are conduits that allow for communication between utilities and consumers. they enable customers to monitor their electricity usage in real time. smart meters make individuals and businesses responsible for the cost of electricity use, which can lead to smarter, greener, and more sustainable decisions.

our piece focuses on illuminating the ways in which blind energy usage contributes to overall habits of energy waste, and how empowering consumers with a means of literally itemizing their energy usage can reverse this effect.

– charles pulliam-moore and sayre swarztrauber

how can this be done? by creating a mechanism for wide ranging community stakeholders to come together, identify community issues, and find ways to work together to address those issues. the mechanism would require continued involvement and commitment from local government agencies and other primary city organizations but it is crucial that those agencies do not control the process or the outcome. it cannot be just a one-time political initative but an ongoing, evolving mechanism to allow for the changes in the local climate – environmental, economic, and political.

don’t believe it can be done? wrong, fayetteville, arkansas began such a program in april 2009 and it is continuing to evolve and adapt to the changing climate of our city. the program is led by a volunteer group of community members with support and commitments from the city government, local university, and chamber of commerce, in addition to numerous other organizations and individuals. they have developed their own structure, based on what is most effective for fayetteville. involvement, membership, issues, and initiatives are developed and driven by the community – and allowed to fluctuate and evolve as the community. fayetteville community members have focused and taken action on economic development, transportation, creative economy, local food, community inclusion, health, education, and sustainability.

why is this innovative? a city government can adopt a progressive policy or law, they can get funding for an innovative program, but if the policy, law, or program does not come from the community it will either fail or take an unnecessarily large amount of funding to convince the community to embrace it. if it comes from the community, city governments will spend much less time and resources trying to convince the community of the need for their program or policy and can use their existing resources more efficiently and responsibly.

sounds easy? it’s not. it takes a serious commitment from local government agencies and organizations. it also takes a little funding to support the program and keep it going. fayetteville spent approximately $40,000 on this program in the 2 years since it began. it also takes convincing the community members that they do have the power to do something themselves. and it takes building community trust – and keeping that trust.