Category Archives: Intentional Communities

Editors note: Dean Jacobs is a Fremont man, world traveler, photographer and author, who is writing a series of columns about his trip to Ecuador. There is a good reason I was not born a tree, even though my roots run deep in Nebraska. Staying in one place for an extended period is not what I was designed for, so the last couple of years of COVID have been a unique challenge. Traveling is one of the activities where I am at my best. It offers the opportunities to discover something new about the world and, at the same time, learn something new about myself. Venturing into something new livens us. It sparks the mental wires tired and dusty from repetition and engages us with life once again with a sense of wonder. It widens perspectives and helps us see new possibilities and expressions of life beyond the familiar. Traveling is often a topic of high importance and priority with my life coaching clients because the payoff is enormous. Its a dream many people have, but need some support to pursue. The last couple of years has covered us with a blanket of fear, which has taken a mental toll on our capacity and willingness to act and engage. Traveling can be a medicine for this condition and provide space to breathe deep, physically and mentally. With 58 countries under my belt, totaling eight years of independent travel abroad, I know what leaving the familiar behind offers. Traveling offers a chance to reboot, refresh and restart life in a healthy, intentional way. To allow undiscovered qualities to be revealed and experienced. To reboot the passion that comes with seeing something beautiful. To refresh in the pristine waterfalls deep in the Amazon Rainforest and have it wash away all the negative vibes navigated over the last few years. To restart and see with new eyes, from a new perspective and possibilities. So, instead of arguing for the walls that are supposed to keep me safe but playing small, I chose to travel again and lead a group of students from the University of Nebraska on a life-changing journey. Going abroad alone is one thing, but leading a group of 17 university students is a much higher responsibility. Since 2015, I have led journeys abroad, a natural growth from the school presentations for the last 20 years. Two years of COVID put much of this on pause. But if we are to break off the chains of fear that have hampered our connection to the world, we must take bold actions beyond what is comfortable. We must make a choice that living a life filled with wonder is worth the risks it requires. Ecuador is calling. Home to some of the sacred headwaters of the Amazon River, and the endless green horizon of the Amazon Rainforest, its call is irresistible to ignore. Packed into an area about the size of the state of Colorado are Andean Mountains, active volcanoes, rainforests, waterfalls, beaches, and indigenous communities still practicing the wisdom passed down through the ages. Travel creates fertile ground; it supports the space in the mind that allows us to grow. Therefore, I overlay the trip with life coaching conversations with the students; as we push back the noise and distractions, they can hear with their minds and hearts. They turn off their cell phones and turn on their dreamers. If we are going to move forward with intention and hope, we need to keep turning on our dreamers, especially the young members of our communities, for within them the future lives. Few things do this as powerfully then travel. So, with 17 Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity members at the University of Nebraska, we set off for two weeks to South America. To explore how the world has changed and how we have changed. I want to know how the indigenous communities deep in the Amazon Rainforest survived COVID using their traditional medicines. I want to laugh again with the Indigenous communities living in the Andean Mountains. I want to see again the place they call the land of everlasting spring. To stoke the internal fires of life again, to turn back on our dreamers. Ecuador is calling.

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Editors note: Dean Jacobs is a Fremont man, world traveler, photographer and author, who is writing a series of columns about his trip to Ecuador.

There is a good reason I was not born a tree, even though my roots run deep in Nebraska.

Staying in one place for an extended period is not what I was designed for, so the last couple of years of COVID have been a unique challenge.

Traveling is one of the activities where I am at my best. It offers the opportunities to discover something new about the world and, at the same time, learn something new about myself.

Venturing into something new livens us. It sparks the mental wires tired and dusty from repetition and engages us with life once again with a sense of wonder.

It widens perspectives and helps us see new possibilities and expressions of life beyond the familiar.

Traveling is often a topic of high importance and priority with my life coaching clients because the payoff is enormous. Its a dream many people have, but need some support to pursue.

The last couple of years has covered us with a blanket of fear, which has taken a mental toll on our capacity and willingness to act and engage. Traveling can be a medicine for this condition and provide space to breathe deep, physically and mentally.

With 58 countries under my belt, totaling eight years of independent travel abroad, I know what leaving the familiar behind offers.

Traveling offers a chance to reboot, refresh and restart life in a healthy, intentional way. To allow undiscovered qualities to be revealed and experienced. To reboot the passion that comes with seeing something beautiful. To refresh in the pristine waterfalls deep in the Amazon Rainforest and have it wash away all the negative vibes navigated over the last few years.

To restart and see with new eyes, from a new perspective and possibilities.

So, instead of arguing for the walls that are supposed to keep me safe but playing small, I chose to travel again and lead a group of students from the University of Nebraska on a life-changing journey.

Going abroad alone is one thing, but leading a group of 17 university students is a much higher responsibility.

Since 2015, I have led journeys abroad, a natural growth from the school presentations for the last 20 years. Two years of COVID put much of this on pause. But if we are to break off the chains of fear that have hampered our connection to the world, we must take bold actions beyond what is comfortable. We must make a choice that living a life filled with wonder is worth the risks it requires.

Home to some of the sacred headwaters of the Amazon River, and the endless green horizon of the Amazon Rainforest, its call is irresistible to ignore.

Packed into an area about the size of the state of Colorado are Andean Mountains, active volcanoes, rainforests, waterfalls, beaches, and indigenous communities still practicing the wisdom passed down through the ages.

Travel creates fertile ground; it supports the space in the mind that allows us to grow. Therefore, I overlay the trip with life coaching conversations with the students; as we push back the noise and distractions, they can hear with their minds and hearts.

They turn off their cell phones and turn on their dreamers.

If we are going to move forward with intention and hope, we need to keep turning on our dreamers, especially the young members of our communities, for within them the future lives.

Few things do this as powerfully then travel.

So, with 17 Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity members at the University of Nebraska, we set off for two weeks to South America. To explore how the world has changed and how we have changed. I want to know how the indigenous communities deep in the Amazon Rainforest survived COVID using their traditional medicines. I want to laugh again with the Indigenous communities living in the Andean Mountains. I want to see again the place they call the land of everlasting spring.

To stoke the internal fires of life again, to turn back on our dreamers.

Dean Jacobs is a world traveler and a Fremont Tribune correspondent.

Dean Jacobs is a world traveler and a Fremont Tribune correspondent.

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Traveling from the perspective of a wonderer | Columnists | fremonttribune.com - Fremont Tribune

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By Dr. Laura McGuire

Judaism and Unitarian Universalism have deep intertwining roots. Their inherent commonalities have laid a strong foundation, past and present. For those of us who identify as Jewish UUs, these commonality currents take on more meaningful importance.

So why have UU spaces long been a spiritual haven for progressive-minded Jews and how this relationship can continue to evolve into the future?

Going back to the dawn of the Unitarian movement in Eastern Europe, Jews have been able to find fellowship with Unitarians, who faced persecution and hostility from trinitarian Christian groups that sought to divide themselves from Jesus Jewishness. Understanding the history of the UU communitys ties to Judaism allows us to forge a path forward for the future. As more and more rabbis become UU faith leaders and additional resources for Jewish interfaith families expand, we see just how important it is to strengthen these connections for the good of both the UU and Judaism.

On a personal note, I formulated my roots in the Unitarian Universalism because of my journey back to my ancestral home in the tribe of Israel. In the fall of 2021, I began my journey as a seminarian, quite certain that I would serve as an interfaith Christian in the Quaker community. A few months later, as I explored scapegoat atonement theory and ancestor veneration, I started to feel my already loose grip on Christianity letting go.

As I released this idea that Jesus was some form of a God or a savior of humanity, I came to have a more profound longing to answer the questions that kept popping up about my mothers ancestral line. I soon gathered information that would fully affirm that her ancestors were Jews who lived in the Mediterranean during the Inquisition. Long-held traditions, recipes, and superstitions- that we had not previously been able to explain- now made sense as the realization of their crypto-Jewish culture came into the light. I knew that the fact that I had decided to go to seminary while working at a Jewish school was no coincidence, but evidence of the divine intervention of my ancestors led me to this moment.

This new information led me to the rationale that I needed to walk through this door of personal transformation, despite my fears and hesitations about making such a significant life change.

As I continue on my journey in earning my Master of Divinity and looking into rabbinical schools afterward, I continue to find unbounded peace in being a UU faith leader in the near future. When I begin working in community ministry, I need to make sure that I am in a space that embraces people like myself. As DNA testing increases, more and more people realize that they are part of the Bnei Anusim or the descendants of forced Jewish converts. It has led to a tidal wave of returns/conversions, which is wonderful news. I sincerely believe that people returning to their Jewish heritage is part of the vital work that is decolonizing religion. I feel strongly that this process is integral to healing epigenetic ancestral wounds. For this to occur, there needs to be more discussion around creating spaces where people can come up with challenging questions and complex identities and be included in these nuances.

The Unitarian community, founded in the 16th century in Eastern Europe, was initially a space of intentional bridge-building between the new Christian communities and their Jewish and Muslim neighbors. Unitarians rejected the idea that Christ was God or that there was a way to have multiple gods in one. This provided them with the ability to hold space for their Abrahamic siblings and discuss what it meant to worship the same God in such a similar way. Where other Christian communities were building walls, primarily founded on their perspective that there was only one way to enter eternity with the God of Abraham, Unitarians could sit in a place of spiritual humility that was an open the door to their Jewish neighbors.

When the Trinitarian doctrine was commented as mainline belief, first by creating the first Christian creed at the Council of Nicaea and then officially named as three distinct persons at The Council of Constantinople, this formed a desire for the further distinction of Christianity from its extended religious family. After the Council of Nicaea, Emperor Constantine, whose prerogative was likely a mix of religious fervor and empire-building ideologies, officially severed ties with Jesus religion by no longer allowing Christians to follow the Jewish calendar and encouraging followers to no longer have any relationship to the detestable company of Jews (Percival pg. 54).

The shadows of these councils still cast a harmful image on the face of global Christianity today. These sentiments have sewn seeds of hatred for generations to come. For a Jewish rabbis legacy to become one of antisemitism is a sin that has yet to be fully addressed, much less atone for, by the Christian majority. We cannot separate our Christian roots from how Jews the world over have been targeted by hatred and genocideunderstanding where this cruelty manifested is the first step in addressing it holistically.

Islam mindfully made Jewish traditions and Christianitys Prophet interwoven into their emerging faith. In the Islamic state of Medina, the Prophet Muhammed (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed his citizens to be at one with one another (Ritchie pg. 3). The Quran has a book explicitly dedicated to Jesuss mother, Mary, and tells many stories, not in the gospels, about Jesus life. Yet these emerging Christian communities chose not to return the favor to acknowledge Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as anything but a problem and cut any lingering connections to their Jewish forebearers.

Resources from this time also reflect the beauty of the connection shared between the monotheistic communities. We see evidence of Unitarian, Jewish, and Muslim theologians having intellectual discussions around their commonalities more than their differences in the Ottoman empire. Theologian and traveler, Paleologos wrote of a time and places where this Abrahamic family broke bread together in fellowship instead of division. This reality would be fleeting and not often reproduced (Ritchie, pg. 18 &19).

Continuing in Europe, theologian innovators such as Michael Servetus and Erasmus sought to carve out spaces that would benefit reform Jews, Unitarians inspired by the life of Christ, and those, like the Bnei Anusim, who existed in the margins. Erasmus and Servetus were instrumental in decolonizing the Torah from the New Testament (Ritchie pg. 40 & 41). Through extensive research and documentation, they proved that much of what was said to be a foreshadowing of Jesus messianic prophecy was based on additions to holy texts that came centuries after they were initially written. Servetus was particularly keen at deciphering what was rooted in anti-Jewish antisemitic beliefs and what was scripturally founded. Because of this work, he became a Unitarian, vehemently denying the ability to embrace a Trinity as a purportedly monotheistic religion.

Universalism began with the enlightenment, primarily its foundation in North America. In a similar vein, Reform Judaism began to emerge from the enlightenment in Germany. The German enlightenment embraced theism and religious integration with rational thought and scientific paradigms. German enlightenment philosophers, such as Christian Thomasius, believed that scientific revelation should revitalize religion, not be its demise (Anhert). Universalisms ability to embrace all faith paths, including humanism which does not include deity frameworks, made it an additional safe haven for those seeking a new way of communing with religion and/or God.

In this time and place, Jewish scholars began to reimagine their own faith. Rabbi Sonnenschein was one of the instrumental bridge builders between the Unitarian Church in The United States and Reform Judaism (Hart-Landsberg & Keller pg. 38). In the 1860s, he pointed out the essential parallels between reform Judaism and Unitarianism- that each was founded on a desire to ring tolerance, freedom, and the religion of humanity to the larger world. Like many Jewish UUs today, he found several obstacles in pursuing this path; debates between founding figures, holy days, and Zionism continued to plague his efforts. Universalist faith leader, but for reasons undisclosed was denied (Hart-Landsberg pg. 41).

When the Universalist and Unitarian communities came together, they both had already set a foundation for Jewish inclusion in their spaces. As Jews sought to continue to rethink the way that they connected with Hashem, many additional parts or forged to combine these different communities. Reform Judaism, founded by Moses Mendelssohn, sought to reimagine how Jews connected to their history and their loss-making the Jewish experience more personal and willing to evolve with scientific innovation.

The reform Judaism website echoes the history of universalism in liberal Jewish movements, The universalist tendency stressed the common values and behaviors they shared with their non-Jewish neighbors (Englander).

Today, many Jewish UUs continue to embrace the historical fellowship between these Semites and UUs and find ever-evolving reasons to remain in these borderlands. Jewish Voices in Unitarian Universalism (2014) is a collection of essays that provide insight into the common desires and difficulties experienced by those who identify as Jewish and UUs. Typical desires, or experiences, that cause people who identify as Jewish to come into the Unitarian Universalist fold are centralized on an experience to defy limiting boundaries. Faith should be liberatory; it should allow us to break free from other societal constraints. Yet, far too often, religion only feeds into human limiting beliefs and adds layers of gatekeeping that inhibit our ability to express our authentic selves.

Those who grew up in interfaith families or had internal interface leanings are told that this is not acceptable. To be a good Jew is to choose a singular path, worship among only those who follow the Torah, and practice the mitzvot.

As one Jewish Universalist states in the book Jewish Voices in Unitarian Universalism, Unitarian Universalists are the only people I know who will let me be the Jew I am (pg. 13). For children and families, this is particularly painful. To ask them to choose one faith tradition exclusively is to choose one parent, one family, in their mosaic of familial connection. The Unitarian Universalist Church is a space where they can finally exhale. No one asked them what they believed and required to turn off all is around that. Instead, walls are broken down, and new pathways for intersecting beliefs are forged.

Common obstacles faced by Jewish UUs are a feeling of not being able to voice their Jewishness in its fullness within the Unitarian Universalist community. For example, wanting to worship on Shabbat might not be an easy option in Unitarian Universalist spaces with predominantly Christian attendees. Kosher food options are often not available at Unitarian Universalist events. And Christianese, or vernacular based on Christian normatively, is far too familiar. Simply calling a Unitarian Universalist faith community a church can be problematic if not painful in and of itself. The challenge here is to think expensively. To offer more options based on awareness of what Jewish attendees need. And to reimagine the language that we use around the space that we hold on to the beliefs that we share.

One community I have not seen discussed in the UU resources I encountered is the Bnei Anusim, descendants of crypto-Jews/Marranos/Conversos. Current books on the Bnei Anusim experience are positioned from an Orthodox Jewish lens (Leon). Authors such as Rabbi Stephen Leon operate from an Ashkenazi lens and see the Bnei Anusim as vital to fulfilling the prophecy that Abrahams descendants would be scattered and as numerous as the stars (Leon, pg. 49-51). Yet, in the same breath, they deny that these crypto-Jews should be welcomed into the tribe easily, requiring them to do extensive research on their genealogy and go through numerous requirements to be entirely accepted. But as Rabbi David Kunin explains, this is hurtful to the Jewish people as a whole and does not include Sephardic perspectives on halacha (Jewish law) around returning Jews (Kunin).

He states, Due to the unique history of the Anusim who have maintained their Jewish identity, beliefs, and practices secretly and often to their peril, and since in the words of R. Solomon Duran, the Anusim for all time are part of the Jewish people, no conversion ceremony is necessary, nor is it necessary to investigate the genealogy of the returning Anusim to demonstrate a clear matrilineal line of descent. It is advisable, however, to provide and encourage ongoing adult education as we do for all Jews, so that the returning Anusim can play a full and fulfilling role in synagogue life. It may also be useful to develop a ritual of return within the congregation as a form of celebration and formalization of the return.

Others are personal narratives, such as Rabbi Elisheva Diazs bookWrestling for my Jewish Identity, but which do not have Halachic guidelines for how to return to Judaism. Neither explains how to merge ones former faith identity, mainly in Christianity, with the new Jewish mindset. Interestingly, in Rabbi Diazs personal narrative, the author, who professes to have proudly left Christianity far behind her, also mentions that she still feels there is power in the name of Jesus. There is no further context for this, but I am sure others feel similar kinds of internal theological conflict.

Other Bnei Anusim who have returned to Judaism but still love much of what they gleaned from Christianity has been denied Aliyah (the law of return to Israel) and told the Israeli government that they are not Jewish enough to be welcomed home.

We, the Bnei Anusim, are complicated Jews, no matter how passionately we embrace Judaism and deny Jesus of Nazareth as a divine being. He is still a pivotal figure in many of our lives and a visual representation of love-made flesh. Trying to connect to a deity with no visual representation is profoundly challenging. We may also miss other relics of our Christian upbringing, such as the Saints or Blessed Mother. Singing songs in English with modern tempos and meaning can also feel a significant loss. If we express these feelings, we are told not to return to Judaism, that being a Jew is too much for us if we have these internal conflicts.

We are also often isolated in this journey from our family and community. Many who learn of their Jewish ancestry do not wish to return and may feel fearful of family members denying Jesus as Christ. The emotional tug of war between familial genetics and a desire to avoid hellfire can create fissures in kinship dynamics. This additional emotional upheaval means that reverts to Judaism need support more than most Jews and other kinds of converts. As more and more Bnei Anusim find their Jewish roots through genealogy, particularly in South and Central America, the need for space to explore these inherent misgivings is paramount to spiritual wellness and Jewish identity.

For this reason, I wish to call on the Unitarian Universalist community to make new inroads for these reverts. Only in a UU faith community can Bnei Anusim make peace with holding space for what would otherwise be seen as dichotomous theologies. No one will tell you that specific thoughts or longings for familiar traditions make you less of a Jew, nor will they pressure you to have your family come along on the same spiritual journey. As the only returning Bnei Anusim in my family, I say this from a place of painful personal experience. In a synagogue, I must remind family members not to wear a cross or bring up their beliefs in the trinity.

When I try to visit my family members churches, I can no longer sing the familiar songs that focus on Jesus as God-head or substitutionary atonement. In a UU space, we can all take a deep exhale. In all our complexities, we can be ourselves together as one. My children will never be asked to choose or given odd looks for celebrating multiple holidays or wearing both a Kippah and a crucifix.

The ability to show up, individually and together, as our whole selves, unapologetically, is sacred. If we are all reflections of the divine and if every faith tradition is a facet of the face of G-d, then communities that embrace this truthfully are holy grounds. Let us take off our sandals, borders, and biases and break bread togetherunited in the universality of how the metaphysical is known to each of us.

Citations

Anhert, T. (2006). Religion and the Origins of the German Enlightenment. University of Rochester Press

Diaz, E. (2017). Wrestling for my Jewish Identity. Friesen Press

Endglander, L. (n.d. ) History of Reform Judaism and a Look Ahead. Taken on 4/26/22 from https://reformjudaism.org/beliefs-practices/what-reform-judaism/history-reform-judaism-and-look-ahead-search-belonging

Hart-Landberg L. & Keller, M (2014). Jewish Voices in Unitarian Universalism. Skinner House Books

Leon, S. (2017). The Third Commandment and the Return of the Anusim. Gaon Books

Ritchie, S. (2014). Children of the Same God; the historical relationship between Unitarianism, Judaism, and Islam. Skinner House Books

Dr. Laura McGuireis a survivor, sexologist, and seminarian. They currently work as an adjunct professor at Widener University and are the CEO of the National Center for Equity and Agency where they develop certifications in trauma-informed care, prevention education, and restorative justice. They are the author of Creating Cultures of Consent and are publishing an additional guidebook on preventing sexual misconduct for universities in 2022. They are the descendant of the Anusim- or those forced to covert under the inquisition. Raised as a Christian they now identify as a Jewish Universalist, the perspectives of which they now bring to their Masters of Divinity studies at Earlham School of Religion.

See the article here:

Unitarian Universalism and the B'nei Anusim Jews - Patheos

Amazon is ending its employee health service Amazon Care. While it may seem that shuttering the service marks a setback for the company in its healthcare pursuits, analysts argue the opposite.

One of the main benefits of Amazon's involvement in the healthcare industry more than traditional healthcare facilities is its ability to pause and reassess challenges and what could be done better, said Natalie Schibell, research director at Forrester Research. When a project isn't optimal, the project gets shut down and the company regroups. That's what Amazon is doing, she said.

Amazon is seizing a "huge opportunity" and has demonstrated its interest in moving away from employee healthcare and going direct to consumer care through its recently announced decision to acquire One Medical, a national primary care organization, as well as its bid on healthcare platform Signify Health.

"They're setting up for much bigger things," Schibell said. "Employee health is small potatoes for them; now they're going to provide primary care to the consumer."

Amazon launched Amazon Care for its Seattle-based employees in 2019, offering virtual healthcare services, prescription delivery and in-person visits for select areas.

According to an internal memo reported by GeekWire Wednesday, Amazon Health Services lead Neil Lindsay said Amazon is ending the service Dec. 31 because it is "not a complete enough offering for the large enterprise customers we have been targeting, and wasn't going to work long-term."

Employee health is small potatoes for them; now they're going to provide primary care to the consumer. Natalie SchibellResearch director, Forrester Research

Indeed, Amazon Care's ability to attract corporate clients became one of its most significant challenges, said R "Ray" Wang, founder and principal analyst of Silicon Valley-based Constellation Research. However, Wang said it served as a learning experience for Amazon.

"The technology used for Amazon Care helped pilot a number of innovations they will use and reuse," Wang said. "They also learned what types of patients preferred what types of services and where the limits of telemedicine end and where you need to physically visit a physician."

By ending Amazon Care, the company is sending the message that it's learning what does and doesn't work, something expected for a "perennial innovator," Gartner healthcare analyst and senior director Kate McCarthy said.

"They don't linger in spaces that aren't working for long; they make them better," she said.

McCarthy said there's no evidence Amazon is looking to back away from healthcare. Instead, its recent moves for One Medical and Signify Health demonstrate a seriousness about the "legitimate business of healthcare" and being "much more intentional about their investments," she said.

By acquiring One Medical and bidding for Signify Health, Amazon is positioning itself to provide in-person care, Gartner's McCarthy said.

"As they move forward with One Medical, they're adding a breadth and depth of services to their portfolio that brings them into communities, gives them physical presence, gives them clinics, gives them physicians," she said.

By entering the primary care space, Forrester's Schibell said she expects to see Amazon chart a new path through an industry troubled by issues such as rising costs and staffing shortages.

"This is disrupting the model as we know it," she said.

Healthcare today isn't as effective as it could be, which has given rise to retail giants like Amazon, CVS, Walmart, and others with an "edge for innovation" to find the right offering for consumers and enterprise customers, McCarthy said.

"It's less about that larger healthcare ecosystem disruption and more about how big does that segment [of retail businesses] decide to go with healthcare," McCarthy said. "I think we're seeing real promise for the primary care of medicine for sure."

Signify Health is a healthcare platform helping consumers stay healthy and age at home. It's focused on care in the home versus at a clinic.

Amazon can pair Signify Health with its AWS backbone to gather data from its services, such as prescription delivery and devices like Amazon Halo, to get a bigger picture of a patient's overall health, Schibell said.

"If you really want to get into primary care you have to have that holistic view," Schibell said. "So, if they don't acquire something like Signify Health, they're going to go after another company. And there's lots of them that are doing it well."

Makenzie Holland is a news writer covering big tech and federal regulation. Prior to joining TechTarget, she was a general reporter for the Wilmington StarNews and a crime and education reporter at the Wabash Plain Dealer.

Original post:

Amazon evolves healthcare approach, ends Amazon Care - TechTarget

August 24, 2022

A team of researchers,collectively known as the Community Orientation Action Research Team (COART), has been selected to provide research support during the first phase of the Wallace Foundations new five-year arts initiative focused on arts organizations of color.

The initiative was created as part of the foundations efforts to foster equitable improvements in the arts. At a Learning Community event hosted by the Wallace Foundation, Christina You-sun Park (left), assistant director for ASU's Studio for Creativity, Place and Equitable Communities, works with Elena Serrano, program director at Eastside Arts Alliance. Photo by Claire Holt

The COART team includes researchers fromArizona State University'sStudio for Creativity, Place, and Equitable Communities(otherwise known as the Studio), theEquity Centerat the University of Virginia and ASUsSchool of Social Transformation,

The team is led by Christina You-sun Park, assistant director of the Studio, Sherica Jones-Lewis, director of community research for the Equity Center, and Mako Fitts Ward, assistant professor in ASUs School of Social Transformation, with initial support from Ascala Sisk, former senior policy fellow at the Studio.

The organizations work and research are focused on a guiding question: Facing strategic challenges, how can and do arts organizations of color leverage their experience and histories of community orientation to increase their resilience, while sustaining their relevance?

ASU was awarded $948,000 for Phase 1 of the project, which is 18 months, with a possibility of being selected to continue to Phase 2. UVA's Equity Center will receive a subaward totaling $358,398 of the above Phase 1 funds.

The role of the ASU-UVA COART team is to work with the 18 nonprofit arts organizations receiving funding, which represent a diverse range of artistic disciplines, geographic locations and communities served.

Participating organizations are 1Hood Media; the Arab American National Museum; BlackStar; Chicago Sinfonietta; a collaborative comprising EastSide Arts Alliance, Black Cultural Zone and Artist As First Responder; Esperanza Peace and Justice Center; Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture; Museo de Arte Contemporneo de Puerto Rico; PHILADANCO! The Philadelphia Dance Company; Pillsbury House + Theatre; Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater; Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project; Ragamala Dance Company; Rebuild Foundation; Self Help Graphics & Art; Theater Mu; the Laundromat Project; and the Union for Contemporary Art.

Christina You-sun Park

Each organization will receive five years of funding to develop and pursue a project to address a strategic challenge. In the first phase of the initiative, COART will work with the arts organizations to develop a research plan that explores the relationship between community orientation, relevance and resilience through the grantee projects over the four years of implementation.

Phase 1 (of the Wallace Foundation initiative) is really a different method of working from how a lot of research is done, Park said. Were making sure to take the time and space needed to set up the research on the right foot, in collaboration with the grantee organizations. This intentional approach of building a strong foundation for the work is embedded within all of the Studios programming and research.

Founded in 2016 by Institute Professor Maria Rosario Jackson, who became the head of the National Endowment for the Arts earlier this year, ASUs Studio for Creativity, Place and Equitable Communities is an innovative collaboration between Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts and Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions. The mission of the Studio is to advance the integration of arts, culture and design in community development, planning and related fields in order to help redress historic inequities and create healthy, equitable, more just communities where all people can thrive. The program portfolio also includes a faculty academy, senior policy fellows, creative placemaking curriculum integration, Projecting All Voices fellowships and the Creative Measurement Lab.

"The research (that) Park is leading, in collaboration with the partners of COART and with support from Wallace, is putting into action not only what the Studio has gleaned through other programing, but what we aspire to do: to change industry standards through our mission," said Chandra Crudup, interim director for the Studio.

Mako Fitts Ward

Traditionally, Park said, the research unit is separate from the arts organizations being granted funding.

But, she added, Wallace wants to ensure that the outcomes of the research are helpful to the organizations. So even the things were talking about, the debate around the terminology, for example instead of dictating that these are the terms that were going to research, were going to hear from the organizations themselves. This first phase is about careful intentional planning with the organizations, making sure the research is relevant and applicable to them and their communities.

Park said that the approach is rooted in an acknowledgment that current national research hasnt always benefited BIPOCBlack, Indigenous and people of color arts and culture organizations. Traditional data indicators for success, for example, dont represent the true impact of these organizations which calls for a reevaluation of what is considered success.

Park began working with the Studio in 2019. She earned her MFA in sculpture from ASUs School of Art, then worked for the city of Phoenixs Office of Arts and Culture, which is where she first encountered Jacksons work.

How arts and culture exist within communities has been an interest of mine for a long time, Park said. I got into creative placemaking through the way of reevaluating how we see metrics and really thinking about how structural inequities perpetuate issues for neighborhoods. I feel like the way I understood creative placemaking before I joined the Studio was very practitioner-based. The Studios programs have a different perspective on it, which is that in order for structural changes to take place, the burden cant be just on artists and designers. The institutions need to change as well.

Sherica Jones-Lewis

The Wallace Foundations goal is to identify field impacts through the sharing of the research, Ward said. However, for the arts organizations, the challenge is how do you participate in research on how your community engagement contributes to your organizational resilience without taking time and resources away from arts programming and other work? Our job, as the research team, is to create a collaborative process that doesnt overburden the organizations while also meeting the objectives of the funder, which are to identify best practices and blueprints for the arts field.

Ward said COART landed on the term transformative action research to describe their work.

There is a strong desire for equitable partnerships between universities, community and sometimes corporate partners, Ward said. But the emphasis in those areas is always the action and how the action leads to change, with the emphasis on change. While the change is important, its all about process. How do theories of action ultimately inform the ability for arts organizations to justify the impact they make and articulate their impact? How do you create a process that is truly generative and iterative from start to finish? We are trying to figure out how you can hold both.

See the original post here:

ASU team plays key role in $100M initiative to foster equitable improvement in the arts - ASU News Now

While Floyd Countys school buildings were not affected by flooding in eastern Kentucky, Superintendent Anna Shepherd (left) and other district and school staff mobilized to assist families and other school districts in need. Photo submitted by Anna Shepherd.

The foundation for great teamwork in eastern Kentucky following the catastrophic flooding and what I feel is at the heart of every successful team is open lines of communication.

Flood watches and warnings are commonplace in eastern Kentucky. Those who live in flood prone areas often take precautionary measures, just in case, such as moving their vehicle to higher ground and monitoring the rise of the creek. The flooding that occurred on July 28 came unbelievably quick, in the middle of the night, and was worse than had ever been experienced in most locals lifetimes.

Community members, many whose homes had never flooded, were woken up by the sound of water rushing into and sweeping away their homes. Some had to climb onto their rooftops to wait in the rain to be rescued the following morning.

I was at the Kentucky Association of School Administrators Conference in Louisville on the night the flood hit. Most of us woke up to text messages that next morning that included unimaginable photos of our devastated communities. I texted my staff and we immediately returned home to assess the situation and needs of staff and families.

Luckily, none of Floyd Countys schools were damaged. I called a district team meeting to check on staff, assess the situation and respond. Principals, Family Resource Youth Service Center (FRYSC) staff and others at the school level were already communicating, checking on one another and beginning to call and make their way to homes of students and families in their jurisdictions.

Together, we started tracking the needs in each area, deciding which schools needed to be open for hot meals, showers, as clothing centers, a place to rest, recharge batteries, brush teeth, pick up cleaning supplies and provide access to school counselors. Our schools have always been local hubs for our communities, but now they were serving as community centers.

Sign-up sheets were posted to staff schools seven-days-a-week and were quickly filled by employees who were eager to pitch in and help. School counselors and family resource directors were with displaced families from day one at the local community center and rode in boats to take food, books and activities to the state park for anyone staying at the lodge or campground. Taking care of one another is what we do best!

Floyd County Schools employees were eager to volunteer to help with recovery efforts following catastrophic flooding in eastern Kentucky. Photo submitted by Anna Shepherd.

Having strong lines of communication is important to me and being intentional about building these networks in my first year as superintendent set us up for success during this tragic time. Those who know me would say that I speak clearly, inquire curiously and share frequently. I was eager to hear what ideas staff had based on their situational awareness and the feedback they had gotten from families.

We had been operating our summer feeding program for those under age 18 before the flood and our nutrition director immediately worked to ensure that we could begin feeding adults in addition to children. He and members of a church also worked with Tyson to secure 45,000 pounds of meat that was provided to families with the help of volunteers.

As the water receded and people started to dig out, clean up and salvage what they could, we knew they wouldnt stop working to come to the schools for a meal. Some had even lost their vehicles, so we started taking food out to the areas that were hit hardest. Our cooks and bus drivers had prepared and delivered meals during the COVID-19 pandemic, so they were well-prepared. Food service teams prepared and served nearly 5,000 hot meals each day out of nine school cafeterias. Volunteer groups also helped deliver meals on ATVs.

I was moved by the dedication of our school groups who went to the community center to do activities with displaced children and our sports and academic teams from across the county who mobilized in the hardest hit regions to help shovel mud, muck homes and unload trucks of supplies that started arriving from all around the state. Hardin County, Russell Independent and others bought and donated gift cards to FRYSCs to help with the immediate needs of local families.

Connection drives collaboration, promotes knowledge sharing and builds trust. Our state and county elected officials, school board members, law enforcement, first responders and so many others have been instrumental in the relief efforts.

The local sheriff secured mobile washer and dryer units for our schools and Pikeville Independent, Johnson County and Lawrence County superintendents brought a truck load of detergent to donate for families to use on site. Save the Children, Trace Creek Construction and local co-ops like the Kentucky Educational Development Corporation have delivered items such as campers and pallets of water for families.

Supportive lines of communication also came from across counties with the support of the state, such as the weekly Superintendent Huddle, which was started by the Kentucky Department of Education following the tornado catastrophe in western Kentucky. Weekly check-ins to report whats going on and share how others can assist has been a huge windfall.

Eastern region superintendents also communicate, brainstorm and collaborate with one another often. Knott County will use one of our gyms for volleyball. We have offered to enroll students until other districts are able to open and receive them back. We also will be busing kids from the state park in Floyd County to county lines to help them get to and from schools in their neighboring home counties each day as needed.

Floyd County is offering surplus desks, devices, books, tables, etc. to districts that had schools damaged. We have sent a technology team to Letcher County and a maintenance team to Knott County to assist with their recovery. We know no borders and are glad to get to lend a helping hand to our neighbors. Our passion for students and families all across eastern Kentucky unites us all.

Floyd County school technology staff Jason King and Josh Paige helped organize incoming donations following floods in eastern Kentucky. The districts nutrition director, Dale Pack, and local church members worked with Tyson to secure 45,000 pounds of meat that was provided to families with the help of volunteers. Photo submitted by Anna Shepherd.

We decided to push the first day of school back two weeks in Floyd County so that staff could focus on working to serve families and help meet the basic needs of staff, students and families first. A good Samaritan provided a car for a custodian who had lost his in the flood and a board member provided a generous monetary donation to every displaced member of our staff on opening day. The county judge and magistrates worked hard to get roads repaired for bus travel and we started hearing from families that they looked forward to students spending their days in school so that adults could work through FEMA processes and focus on beginning to rebuild.

I know from my more than 30 years of experience in education that when students are in school, we are able to better meet their needs. Students receive two meals and a snack each day, there are nurses and counselors on site and a whole team of people who love and want to serve them.

All students were provided with a device, backpack, and school supplies this year. I saw the joy at open houses and on the first day of school with my own eyes. Students were overwhelmingly glad to be back and are not afraid to tell us what they need. One student shared that they didnt have a refrigerator at home and a donation was arranged and delivered to the family.

FRYSC directors will continue to meet needs washer and dryer units are still available, showers are still available, this is ongoing and they have met to begin planning for the long term needs of the community. Families will need basic household items, furniture, mattresses, bedding, towels, and our staff is working with churches and others to get donations. We are grateful to groups like Samaritans Feet, who continue to show up to distribute shoes and other needed items. As we rebuild, my door is open to ideas, partnerships and opportunities for collaboration.

Our county and region are united in the effort to rebuild and move forward together. Teamwork and continuous communication remain essential in our ability to move mountains for students and families.

Anna Shepherd has been superintendent of Floyd County Schools since 2021.

More:

Floyd County Superintendent: Communication and teamwork key to recovery in eastern Kentucky - Kentucky Teacher

On Aug. 16, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA), which includes new and revised tax incentives for clean energy projects. The IRA extends and significantly modifies the federal tax credits available for wind energy projects. This alert provides a summary for the wind industry. Additional alerts will provide summaries of the IRA focused on other clean energy technologies.

Prior Law Production Tax Credit Phased Out for Wind Projects

Before the enactment of the IRA, the Section 45 production tax credit (PTC) for wind projects was available only to facilities that began construction before Jan. 1, 2022. The PTC rate for wind projects was subject to the phased reductions summarized below:

Extension of PTC for Wind Projects

The IRA extends the Section 45 PTC to wind projects that begin construction before the end of 2024. This three-year extension to the PTC for wind projects comes with other qualification requirements not previously included under Section 45. The wind industry will need to adapt and accommodate these new PTC qualification requirements. The PTC for wind projects is further extended through at least 2033 under a new Section 45Y (discussed below).

Restoration of 100% PTC for Wind Projects

The IRA eliminates the PTC phaseout for any wind project placed in service after Dec. 31, 2021; however, the current PTC phaseout would continue to apply for any wind project placed in service before Jan. 1, 2022. Accordingly, wind projects placed in service after Dec. 31, 2021, are eligible to receive tax credits at full value, rather than the reduced values under the old law.

The PTC extension comes at a price. The IRA introduces new prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements (discussed below) that must be satisfied to qualify for the full PTC for projects placed in service after Dec. 31, 2021. This is done by establishing a PTC base rate of 0.3 cents per kWh (adjusted annually for inflation after 1992) and then providing a 5x multiplier for those projects that satisfy the new prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements. The result is a restoration of the 100% PTC for projects that satisfy the new wage and labor rules and a 20% PTC for projects that do not satisfy these new wage and labor rules.

New Section 45Y Extends PTC Through at Least 2033

The IRA introduces a new Section 45Y that replaces the traditional Section 45 for projects placed in service during 2025 or later. Section 45Y mimics old Section 45 except for one key difference. Section 45Y is technology-neutral and allows 10 years of PTCs for any electric generation facility with a zero or less greenhouse emissions rate.

Section 45Y includes the new prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements to qualify for the full PTC (discussed below); otherwise, only a 20% PTC will be available. The two separate 10% credit adders discussed below for projects that satisfy the domestic-content requirement or are constructed in an energy community also apply under Section 45Y. The adder for projects built in low-income communities (discussed below) also apply, but those must be projects that are less than 5 MW.

The IRS eventually will publish emission rates for technologies so taxpayers can determine if their projects qualify for the PTC under new Section 45Y.

The PTC under 45Y is phased out after 2033. The phaseout is triggered when greenhouse gas emissions from the electric generation industry are reduced by at least 75% of the annual 2022 emission rate. Facilities that begin construction in the second year following the later of 2032 or the year the 75% emission reduction target is met, will qualify for a 75% PTC. A 50% PTC applies to projects that begin construction in the third year following the trigger of the phaseout, and no PTCs are allowed for projects beginning construction in the fourth calendar year or later.

Prevailing Wage and Apprenticeship Requirements

To qualify for the 100% PTC, a wind project must satisfy the prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements for all laborers and mechanics employed by the taxpayer or for any contractor or subcontractor in the construction, alteration or repair of the facility. If these requirements are not met, the wind project would be eligible only for the base rate (i.e., 20% PTC).

Specifically, a taxpayer must (1) pay prevailing wages at the local rate (as most recently determined by the secretary of labor, in accordance with Subchapter IV of Chapter 31 of Title 40 of the United States Code) for the construction of the facility and any repair or alteration of the facility during the entire 10-year PTC period, and (2) ensure that no less than the applicable percentage of total labor hours is performed by qualified apprentices. For purposes of the apprenticeship requirement, the applicable percentage is (i) 10% for projects that begin construction in 2022, (ii) 12.5% for projects that begin construction in 2023, and (iii) 15% for projects that begin construction in 2024 or later.

Section 45 does contain mechanics for correcting failures to comply with these new wage and labor rules, so the 100% PTC can be preserved. These corrective measures include payments to the laborer for the difference between the prevailing wage and the wage paid, plus interest, and a $5,000 per-laborer penalty to be paid to the IRS. The penalty is increased to $10,000 per laborer if the failure was an intentional disregard of the new rules. Failure to employ apprenticeship laborers has similar corrective provisions, including a $50 per-labor-hour penalty paid to the IRS, or $500 per-labor-hour penalty if the failure was an intentional disregard.

Notable Exceptions to Wage and Labor Requirements

There are two notable exceptions to the prevailing wage and apprentice labor requirements, thus allowing these projects to qualify for the 100% PTC regardless:

The apprenticeship labor requirements have a good-faith exemption that applies if the taxpayer requests qualified apprentices from a registered apprenticeship program and the request is denied or goes without response for more than five business days.

A key matter for the new PTC will be when a project begins construction for purposes of the prevailing wage and apprentice labor requirements. This could mean the difference between a 20% PTC and a 100% PTC. The wind industry should closely monitor the IRS publication of guidance on these new labor and wage requirements.

Refundable PTC for Tax-Exempt Entities

The PTC now is a refundable credit for tax-exempt entities, state and local governments, tribal governments, Alaska Native Corporations, the Tennessee Valley Authority and rural electric cooperatives. Projects that are 1 MW or larger must satisfy the domestic content requirements if they begin construction after 2023; otherwise, the refundable credit amount will be reduced by 10% for projects that begin construction in 2024 and by 15% for projects that begin construction in 2025. No refundable credit will be permitted for projects that begin construction in 2026 or later if they do not satisfy the domestic-content requirements.

An exception to the domestic-content requirement applies if those components are not produced in the United States in sufficient available quantities, or if the inclusion of domestic content would increase the overall project costs by more than 25 percent.

Wind projects owned by the tax-exempt entities described above and placed in service after 2022 can qualify for the refundable credit.

Wind projects owned by taxable entities are not eligible for a refundable PTC, but instead can take advantage of the new transferability rules (discussed below).

Direct Transfer of the Tax Credits

The IRA added a provision to permit project owners (other than tax-exempt entities) to make an election to transfer the PTC or the ITC to a third party. The amount the third party paid for the tax credit must be in cash, is not included in the gross income of the transferee and is not deductible to the transferor. An election to transfer the tax credits must be made on or before the due date for the tax return in the year the credits were determined, so credits that are carried forward cannot be later transferred. Also, once a credit is transferred, the credit cannot be further transferred by the transferee.

The election to transfer PTCs to a third party applies to credits determined after 2022, regardless of when the wind project was placed in service. This means operating wind farms with remaining years of PTC eligibility could take advantage of the PTC transfer rules for operating years 2023 and later.

These direct transfer rules likely will have a significant impact on wind project financing, as sponsors might elect to simply monetize the PTC each year rather than bringing in tax equity partners. The simplified transfer rules could avoid cumbersome governance and ongoing compliance matters that affect operating wind farms. However, the tax credit market may seek indemnities from sponsors and parent guaranties related to the tax credits original determination and qualification. This could have a separating effect in a tax credit market between creditworthy sponsors and the rest of the industry. Expect tax insurance to play a large role in the new tax credit transfer market.

10% PTC Adder for Wind Projects WithDomestic Content

A 10% PTC adder applies for wind projects placed in service after Dec. 31, 2022, that satisfy a new domestic-content requirement. To qualify for this new 10% bonus to the PTC for domestic content, the taxpayer must certify that any steel and iron, or any manufactured product that is a component of the facility, was produced in the United States.

For this purpose, construction material made primarily of steel or iron must be 100% produced in the United States. This does not apply to steel or iron used as components or subcomponents of other manufactured products. Manufactured products will be deemed to have been produced in the United States if not less than the adjusted percentage of the total costs of all such manufactured products is attributable to manufactured products (including components) that are mined, produced or manufactured in the United States.

The adjusted percentage is generally 40% for wind projects (or 20% in the case of offshore wind facilities).

10% PTC Adder for Wind Projects Located in Energy Communities

Another new 10% PTC adder is included for wind projects that are placed in service after Dec. 31, 2022, and located within an energy community.

An energy community is defined to include (i) a brownfield site; (ii) a census tract or any adjoining tract in which a coal mine closed after Dec. 31, 1999, or a coal-fired electric power plant was retired after Dec. 31, 2009; or (iii) a statistic area that has (or, at any time during the period beginning after Dec. 31, 1999, had) at least 0.17% direct employment or at least 25% local tax revenues related to the extraction, processing, transport or storage of coal, oil or natural gas, and currently has an unemployment rate at or above the national average.

Low-Income Communities

Certain qualified solar and wind facilities with a maximum output of less than 5 MW may be eligible for an additional credit if the facility received an allocation of environmental justice solar and wind capacity limitation. Stand-alone energy storage is not eligible for this credit, but energy storage associated with wind and solar projects may be eligible.

Projects receiving an allocation of environmental justice solar and wind capacity limitation can receive an additional 10% credit if located in a low-income community or on Indian land, or an additional 20% credit if such project is part of a qualified low-income residential building project or qualified low-income economic benefit project.

Election Into the Investment Tax Credit

The ability to elect the investment tax credit (ITC) in lieu of the PTC was extended to wind projects that begin construction before the end of 2024; however, the current ITC phaseout would continue to apply for any wind project placed in service before Jan. 1, 2022.

The ITC has similar domestic content and energy community adders; however, those are not percentage increases like the PTC. Alternatively, the adders under Section 48 are 10% basis point increases to the tax credit; thus, projects with domestic content that are also located in energy communities could be eligible for a 50% ITC.

Finally, the IRA introduces a new ITC under Section 48E that is technology-neutral and mimics old Section 48 for projects placed in service after 2024. The ITC under Section 48E includes the prevailing wage and apprenticeship labor requirements to receive the full ITC; otherwise, only a 20% ITC will be available. Wind projects will be able to elect into the ITC under new Section 48E in lieu of the PTC under new Section 48Y if they were placed in service after Dec. 31, 2024, thus extending the ITC for wind projects through at least 2033.

Reduction for Tax-Exempt Bond Financing

The rules for reducing the PTC for projects utilizing tax-exempt or subsidized financing are modified. First, the reduction to the PTC now applies only to tax-exempt financing utilized by the project. Federal, state and local grants are no longer a reduction to the PTC. Second, the maximum reduction to the PTC decreases, from 50% to 15%, if tax-exempt financing is used to finance a wind project.

Begin-Construction Requirements

The IRA did not codify any of the IRS begin-construction requirements relating to the 5% expenditure test, the physical work test or the continuous efforts continuity requirement. Those will continue to apply to wind projects unless updated by the IRS separately in further notices. Given the long extension of the PTC and ITC through at least 2033, these begin-construction rules will not have much impact until closer to the PTC and ITC phaseout under new Sections 45Y and 48E; however, the begin-construction requirements will become important for determining when projects must comply with the new wage and labor rules.

View post:

Inflation Reduction Act Extends and Modifies Tax Credits for Wind Projects - JD Supra

Submitted by: Jay Byers,president and CEO of the Greater Des MoinesPartnership, andSteve Gaer, former West Des Moines mayor and COO of R&R Realty Group

We live in a community experiencing significant momentum. Central Iowa continues to grow in both residents and amenities, and we are nationally recognized as a great place to live and work. This growth is intentional. It is the result of our collective ability to work together as one region. Whether you live in Des Moines or Waukee, Ankeny or Norwalk, or anyplace in between, we are one community. Our ability to think with a regional mindset has led to transformational success in our community.

This year marks one of the most important metro-area partnerships to date a regional drinking water entity called Central Iowa Water Works (CIWW). The collaboration for this initiative began in 2017 with all of the affected stakeholders participating in discussions. This will be one of the most important quality-of-life aspects to ensure adequate, affordable and safe drinking water for all of us, which will also provide an economic development advantage for our community.

Coming together as a region has long been part of the fabric of Central Iowa. Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) has provided drinking water to multiple communities across the metro for decades. In 1934, Urbandale entered into the first contract with DMWW, and since then many other communities have signed similar agreements.

Since that initial agreement for services almost 90 years ago, the Des Moines metro has changed significantly. In the past two decades, our community has been the fastest-growing major metro in the Midwest and is now home to more than 700,000 people. Countless businesses have expanded and relocated to the metro, including large data centers, manufacturers, insurance and financial services headquarters, warehouses and distribution centers, shopping complexes, and the list goes on.

Through it all, DMWW engineers worked with city officials in growing communities, developers, and its partner drinking water utilities and boards to appropriately lay out the water service grid and construct the water treatment and storage facilities that were needed and will be needed to provide water to new developments and our growing communities.

While this partnership has served all of us well, the time has come to create a regional drinking water production utility in order to ensure that we have the water we need at the lowest possible cost. The leaders of DMWW, West Des Moines Water Works and Urbandale Water Utility have demonstrated bold and thoughtful leadership in developing a framework and draft agreement to create CIWW. This drinking water production utility will be governed by a new board made up of representatives from each community and utility that chooses to join CIWW during this creation phase.

CIWW is designed to give every participating community a seat at the table in discussions, so we have the most cost-effective and efficient way to manage the production of drinking water. It is projected this regional model will provide the quantity of water needed while also minimizing future cost increases with collective purchasing and joint decision-making. This plan ensures protection of our water system in case of a power outage, flood at a treatment plant, during drought conditions or another natural disaster. Strategically locating treatment plants throughout the region provides a backup system that ensures our drinking water needs will be met where growth occurs.

To date, the following entities have passed a resolution supporting participation in the development of the CIWW Agreement: Altoona, Ankeny, Bondurant, Clive, DMWW, Grimes, Johnston, Norwalk, Polk City, Urbandale Water Utility, Waukee, West Des Moines Water Works and Xenia Rural Water District. Currently, these utilities and communities are reviewing the draft agreement and providing feedback and comments. The goal is to finalize the agreement this year and seat the new CIWW board in 2023.

We came together after the 1993 flood to make significant investments in the facilities that supply drinking water to all of us in this region. Now, almost 30 years later, we are again coming together to create a new framework, board and entity that will protect this critically important natural resource and ensure we meet the water demands of our rapidly growing region.

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Guest opinion: The time has come for Central Iowa Water Works - Business Record

By guest contributor Chiamaka Precious Ojiako

There is neither a universally accepted definition of global health expertise nor credentials, checklists, or guidelines on how to become a global health expert. However, the definitions of expertise provide useful hints. Swanson defines expertise as the optimal level at which a person is able and/or expected to perform within a specialized realm of human activity. According to Herling, human expertise is a displayed behavior within a specialized domain in the form of consistently demonstrated actions of an individual that are optimally efficient in their execution and effective in their results. From these definitions, optimal performance, consistency, competence, and execution are indispensable for becoming an expert.

The absence of established credentials for becoming a global health expert is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, global health is a beautifully interdisciplinary field, drawing on knowledge from communities, medicine, policy, and more this flexibility accommodates unique paths, contextual factors, and the evolving nature of global health practice.

On the other hand, the lack of consensus on what makes a global health expert has created global health experts by default, based on a health professionals nationality or country of residence, resulting in an uneven skew of global health experts from high-income countries. This skewed distribution perpetuates a history of colonialism and exploitation that elevates access to resources and branding as key factors for developing expertise rather than experience and competence. Furthermore, it has excluded health professionals in the Global South and caused them to be hesitant about declaring their expertise even when they are in the proper sense.

For those of us working in the field of global public health, it is therefore pertinent to understand that you are not a global health expert because you got a graduate degree from a prestigious college or university without prior experience; travelled to a village in an LMIC for a week or a year for an internship or project; worked with a nonprofit with a global health focus or a global health organisation for more than a decade; or are fluent in English. This has been the subject of many vibrant conversations regarding expertise, so I reached out to health professionals to get their perspective on what makes a global health expert.

Lazenya Weekes-Richemond, a global health practitioner, said that the traditional definition of a global health expert is a White Westerner who studied global health at a prestigious university in the West and is working on large-scale public health projects to improve the health of people in LMICs. This definition is problematic for me, as it erases and undermines the lived experiences and deep contextual knowledge of people living in LMICs. For me, the true global health experts are those with lived experiences of health inequalities and proximity to health issues affecting their communities. They are the unpaid community health workers who go from house to house to check up on their patients; the midwives at the rural health post who work round the clock to give care to laboring women; and the district health officer who drives hours on their motorbike to provide bedside care. These heroes may not have the academic degrees behind their name, but they are passionate and continue to serve their communities long after the donor project funding dries up and the Western global health experts move on to another flashy donor project.

Jonathan Ajah, a UK based Nigerian Academic, Physician & Health Tech Innovator, equally finds the recent trend of self-acclaimed global health expertise concerning and erroneous and believes that most true global health experts neither profess nor self-acclaim. In reality, global health expertise is really a journey of education, field experience, real-life problem solving and giving back in some meaningful shape or form.

Marie-Claire Wangari, a Kenyan General Practitioner, aptly explained the double standard in becoming a global health expert by stating that There is no one size fits all when defining who a global health expert is. Every health issue a person interacts with is a global health issue and the Global South houses most of the global health problems worldwide. The sad part is that if I, a young Global South thought leader, proffers a solution or insight on a solution for my people, based on things I have seen, I will most likely need to provide academic papers and evidence to substantiate my claim and prove my credibility. Conversely, if the same solution emanated from someone in the Global North, the person might not undergo the same level of scrutiny because their systems are more trusted. This is one reason so many brilliant research papers emanate from the African continent, albeit with little visibility. I think it is time to acknowledge that experts do not fit in one particular framework and that the Global South is indeed home to some of the top Global Health experts.

Ascribing global health expertise for unsubstantiated considerations has grave consequences on health outcomes and the attainment of global health goals. Highly qualified health experts in the Global South are sometimes subjected to lower paying roles with more workload, leading to low morale. Also, prioritizing showmanship over content by sidelining health professionals with ground experience and deep knowledge of communities equally jeopardizes peoples health.

So, this brings us to the question: what constitutes global health expertise, and how can one acquire it? I would argue that a way forward is to follow who know road as my fellow Nigerians say, which means mimic the success journey of others. Hence, if you desire to become a global health expert, focus on acquiring knowledge, developing skills and competence, creating value, and being visible.

Visibility is an area several professionals from LMICs fall short. Brenice Duroseau, an infectious disease nurse practitioner and emerging sexual reproductive health scholar, opined that structural systems of oppression, intentional gatekeeping, and power dynamics contribute to the limited construct of global health expertise. Many currently recognized global health experts continue to gatekeep by not extending community members publication opportunities, even though publications are social and professional currencies. By gatekeeping publication opportunities, these experts are securing their positions, while contributing to the marginalization of those most impacted and often exploited. Additionally, paternalistic approaches to research disempowers these communities and positions those from resource rich settings, as the ones who have all the answers to complex problems even when they are unaccustomed to the context. In the pursuit to decolonize global health, we need to be intentional about including and recognizing those from the communities as experts.

The visibility gap is rectifiable by publishing thought-leadership pieces, articles, leading panels, and networking actively and strategically. People can only know what you are doing and appreciate your contributions when you are on their radar. Be humble, prove your salt by solving difficult problems, remain a constant learner, and be open to feedback and dissenting opinions. Also, be comfortable being uncomfortable because the journey to developing expertise in global health may require walking lonely paths and being the odd voice in the room.

Expertise in global health is not attained by wishful thinking or declarations on social media headers or timelines. Aspiring to become a global health expert is a goal worth having and not everyone desires it, but if you do, be prepared to go beyond speaking it into existence by taking deliberate steps to build expertise.

About the author:

Chiamaka P. Ojiako is a lawyer and health policy professional with diverse work experience in the public, nonprofit and international development sectors. She has an MPA in Health Policy and Management from New York University. Her work is at the intersection of law, research, policy analysis and advocacy, with a focus on addressing health system governance gaps and fostering health equity. She can be found on Linkedin and Twitter @FavouredAmaka

Disclaimer: Views expressed by contributors are solely those of individual contributors, and not necessarily those of PLOS.

More:

How not to become a global health expert - Speaking of Medicine and Health - PLOS

A failing building with a leaky roof was the home of two schools in Allston: The Jackson Mann and the Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. On June 27th, the Jackson Mann was closed, but the Horace Mann will remain in the same structure for at least another year. This is a tale of two schools.

You might call it the tale of two schools. Because under one roof-- and a leaky one at that-- the Jackson Mann School was permanently shut down on June 27its students and staff dispersed, its supplies transported across the city. But, there is another school in the same failing building. The Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing will remain in the same structure for at least another year.

The Jackson Mann Horace Mann complex has the highest buildings needs score in the entire school system. Thats BPS-speak for the building in the worst shape that impacts the most students. Eventually, the building will be torn down. The plan is to build a new one at that location. But the Horace Mann school population is filled with students who are some of the most vulnerable, who require the most services. They need a very specialized learning environment. And the Boston Public Schools has nowhere else to put these learners until a swing space is retrofitted - hopefully in fall 2023.

The decision to keep the building open for one school while closing it for the other has left people confused and outraged.

Good planning, of which weve not had a lot in the Boston schools for a while, should have been able to figure out an alternative," Larry DiCara, a former Boston city councilor and author of a memoir on busing and the Boston Public Schools said.

Meanwhile, it is the families who pay the price.

Christian, a third-grade student with autism gets off the bus for one of the very last times as a Jackson Mann student.

Christian was a student at Jackson Mann until the shutdown at the end of the school year.

"I loved it for like years," Christian told NBC10 Boston. "Im working with my after-school teacher Miss Laura. Im going to miss her."

While the building was failing, what happened inside was a success, according to Christians mom and other families we spoke with.

Jenny Millien said her son thrived at Jackson Mann with its strong special ed program.

"Through Jackson Mann, hes had an amazing abundance of resources." And she was intentional in choosing it.

I get emotional thinking about it because it is so much upheaval.

"Jackson Mann is K -8. And that was the biggest thing for us, that he would be in a solid place. He's a kid who is, routine based. So it was just really devastating." Millien gets choked up talking about it. "Its overwhelming. We found our home."

For Millien it feels unfair to be pushed out until the building closes for everyone. "Im really upset at that. I get emotional thinking about it because it is so much upheaval."

Rising eighth graders wonder too. "I wish we could stay for another year so I can graduate," said Nushrath Ismail, while acknowledging some of the building flaws. "In one of my science classes, the ceiling was like falling apart and there was leakage and we had to use a garbage can to hold the water in."

NBC10 Boston was not allowed inside the building until after the Jackson Mann closed for good and then for only about an hour. In the spaces we saw, there were numerous signs of water damage and open classrooms without doors.

Water damage inside the Jackson Mann school building.

The building problems provided hints the school might close. But the messaging changed over the years.

"What we saw at the Jackson Mann previous to this year with the previous administration is a failure of planning and communication," said Will Austin, who runs the Boston Schools Fund, an organization aimed at delivering high quality education in every neighborhood of Boston.

"The way that it was closed resulted in a lot of disruption for families...these things are all knowable. Like we knew the Jackson Mann was in bad shape in 2016, and you should have known theyre going to close the building."

But plans to close Jackson Mann didnt become public until 2019. That April, a top BPS official wrote to Jean Powers, a Jackson Mann parent and activist "as of now we are planning to close the Jackson/Mann facility but not the school."

"A lot of us stayed here thinking that we would have more time here. I mean, we were told two years ago thinking that, you know, we would stay here until another place came for us. But that didn't happen," says Jackson Mann teacher Christine OKeefe.

A lot of us stayed here thinking that we would have more time here.

Later that April, Interim Superintendent Laura Perile wrote the school community to say the building was technically safe, but the "level of work is so extensive and time-consuming that the safest course of action, long-term, is to vacate the building."

But the exact plan and timeline were vague.

"If you know that a building is in bad shape, you have to communicate that clearly to the community and really clearly communicate a plan," argued Austin.

Instead, families didnt learn the school would shut down for good until this winter, dispersing the students to schools around the district.

"I think," explained Austin, "that when you dont bring people into the solutions, you cant have trust. If families feel like they werent engaged in the solutions, theyre going to feel like they dont have the full story."

The Boston public schools refused to make anyone available for an interview about the Horace Mann Jackson Mann plans. Instead, they offered a statement saying in part:

After two years of meetings and conversations with families, BPS decided to close the school because it was not a safe learning space for students.

"The City of Bostons Public Facilities Department (PFD) commissioned a full-scale external engineering review of all the building's systems in 2019. The engineering reports findings suggested that keeping the site open long-term is not a viable option. The district had enough seats in other schools in Allston-Brighton for students who live there and enough seats in other schools closer to home for non-Allston-Brighton students. About 50% of the students at the Jackson Mann live in the Allston Brighton Neighborhood and there were local seats at other schools available for them."

The Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing currently has fewer than 100 students. Ranging from K-12, they also serve children from beyond the City of Boston. And now they are staying put in a deficient building for at least another year. Earlier this year, Mayor Michelle Wu released her Green New Deal plan for the future of Boston Public Schools. As part of that, a wing of the Charles Edwards School in Charlestown will be retrofitted, at a cost of more than $31 million to be a swing space for the Horace Mann. The location is a former middle school that had been promised to the community of Charlestown for an early childhood center. Now they will share the building.

"That's why we had to fight literally the community to be able to move in there temporarily," said Charlie Kim, a Horace Mann parent and co-chair of the school's site council. "And by temporary, were talking seven or plus years. Thats the final place for a lot of these students."

Founded in 1869, Horace Mann has a rich legacy of innovation for the deaf and hard of hearing community. Kim is pleased about the upgraded facility.

Others we spoke with off camera raised concerns about the commute to Charlestown, six miles away. And through an interpreter, the first deaf principal of Horace Mann makes it clear where she wants to end up.

"We look forward to a permanent home back here in Allston/Brighton," said Dr. Michelle Eisan-Smith.

The journey to this swing space and the fact that this school community remains in this building is frustrating at best.

"They blamed COVID," said Kim. "They blamed budgeting, planning, all these things. But the bottom line is they just didn't move when they had to move. They were very indecisive. They were showing us sites, the Timilty. They showed us the Edwards facility. If you knew about how many times that was given to us, offered, then taken away, then offered again and then taken away," said Kim. "We should always assume that folks will advocate for their kids. They should," said Austin. "But it should be done in a way where the process is clear. Right? The rules are clear. The planning is clear. So people can all engage."

Last year, Horace Mann applied for school building assistance to get a new facility. The application notes "many building deficiencies" including leaks and obsolete equipment. It states the cost of ongoing "inspection maintenance, and repair is unsustainable." And yet, the City of Boston did not give the application the highest priority designation.

What is clear now is that a new facility for The Horace Mann School is part of the plan. The location and budget remain unclear. But as part of the Green New Deal, there is $150,000 in the budget to explore a permanent site for a new Horace Mann.

This is the statement we got from BPS about Horace Mann:

"Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is moving to a new swing space location beginning in the school year 2023-24. A swing space is a space that a school moves into while permanent space is being built or restructured to appropriately fit the program. Because the Horace Mann School services a special population of our students, we needed to find them a swing space. To support the needs of the HM students, renovations to the swing space (Edwards Building in Charlestown) needed to be made before the school could move location. Working with the City, it was determined that it was OK for the HM school to remain at its current location until their swing space was ready."

When Jackson Mann Horace Mann opened in 1975, the Boston Globe described a school where educators taught racially diverse classes of students, both mainstream and special needs, all together.

"The goal was to construct large school buildings in neighborhoods where Black children and white children could both walk to school," said DiCara.

But did the building itself interfere with that success?

"Buildings were built big and thick because there was urban rioting in the sixties and people were interested in being sure that buildings could be fortresses," explained DiCara.

More than 60% of the 120 buildings in the Boston Public Schools were built before 1950. Some are older than Fenway Park. But it is the facilities built in the 60s and 70s that have failed the most. The West Roxbury education complex which opened in 1976 was deemed unsafe and closed in 2019.

"The 1970s buildings in the district are really uniquely designed," said Austin, "and use a lot of materials we don't use anymore."

"In some cases, there were also efforts," said DiCara "to have open classrooms, which sounds really great at the Harvard School of Education, but doesnt really sound very good if you're a parent of a small child."

Austin agrees.

"That was a bad idea. And we spent a lot of money undoing all of that."

"We have as many buildings, even a little bit more than we did 20 years ago. And we have significantly less kids," said Austin.

In 2001-2002 more than 62,000 kids enrolled in BPS. Twenty years later it's just over 46,000. Thats a whopping 26% decline.

In 2015 then Boston Mayor Marty Walsh rolled out Build BPS" - $1 billion to upgrade schools, close some and build others.

"Construction involves timetables, specific projects, resource and implementation. Build BPS never produced that," said Austin.

"There was never a set process of saying over the next 10 to 15 years, this is what we are going to do. And so that resulted in school communities kind of wondering every year, are we going to get closed this year?"

This June at Jackson Mann, the answer was yes.

Its heartbreaking, said teacher Christine OKeefe. "Im devastated. Were leaving our families and all our friends."

And the families will deal with the stress of new transitions.

"Ive always been comfortable in knowing he's good where he's at so I can thrive where Im at," said Jenny Millien, whose resilience will be put to the test once again.

"We're going to make the best of this. And Christian has always thrived regardless. So Im just hopeful that we continue that streak," she added.

There are more than 20 grade configurations in the Boston Public Schools system. BPS is now working eliminate middle schools in order to cut down on confusion, align with exam schools and create fewer transitions for kids.

Guthries parents moved from Somerville to Mattapan so their son could start pre- kindergarten this fall in the Boston public schools.

"I'm excited for him to go to a school where probably, you know, as a white kid, he'll be in the minority. I think that that would be good for him and for us," said future BPS mom Andrea Wells.

We were there last spring when Guthries mom learned her son was assigned to the Haley Pilot school-- their second choice. When Boston parents pick schools for their children, they find all kinds of grade configurations. In fact, there are more than 20.

To limit these options, cut down on confusion, align with exam schools and create fewer transitions for kids, BPS is working to eliminate middle schools. Its one solid legacy from the Build BPS plan. Two middle schools closed for good this June: the James Timilty in Roxbury and the Washington Irving in Roslindale. On the other side of that equation, schools like the James Otis in East Boston recently expanded to include the sixth grade.

"Its been such a success and our parents couldn't be more thrilled," said Paula Goncalves, principal of the James Otis Elementary School in East Boston.

The goal is to move to a model where schools go from Pre-K to 6th grade and then 7th through 12th.

We want to make sure that every single kid in the City of Boston has access to high-quality schools," said Austin, "and we do that through supporting schools like the Otis to expand and serve more kids over time."

Right now, the Boston Schools Fund is working with 12 schools across the city to add sixth grades.

"The best way to have the city progress over time and reach educational equity is to send more and more kids to good schools, said Austin.

On a tour of the Otis, Principal Goncalves stops by a third-grade classroom and points to a sign on the door.

"This is the college of Class of 2035." At another door she tells us, We are a school of 415 students. Lots of us classrooms are half the size of this classroom, and they have 20 students in them."

As part of Boston Mayor Michelle Wus $2 billion Green New Deal, the Otis is expected to get a new, modern and much improved building just a couple of blocks away.

It will provide us with a state-of-the-art auditorium, hopefully a science lab for our students, a Spanish lab for our students, a music room, an art room, says Goncalves. We've also asked that it be a community space for families to gather if they need a place to go to utilize technology.

Wu said we need a large-scale shift in how we manage our school facilities. The city launched a website you can look at to see how upgrades and changes are going at your own school. Shes working with the city and BPS to hire 25 people to manage building projects. They are looking at creating new K-to-6 schools in Roxbury, Dorchester/Mattapan, and Allston/Brighton. Its a process that will involve merging school communities.

"School closures are traumatic for families, traumatic for educators. No one wants to do them. But our leaders also have to tell people the truth. And the simple truth is we have too many school buildings and most of them are old. And so it's going to take leadership to fix that problem and time to fix that problem," said Austin.

School closures are traumatic for families, traumatic for educators. No one wants to do them. But our leaders also have to tell pepople the truth.

The first step in the process, make sure that all the data collected is correct and accurate and relevant. After that, said Austin, "you need a real community process, where you hear directly from people. What do they want in their schools and why? So you're being responsive to the needs of students, families and educators. Then you have to look at the mechanics of all this. Where are kids? Where are they most densely populated? What schools are under-enrolled? Which schools are over enrolled? Which means that more families want to send their kids to them and then making a decision about how you put buildings in the right places for the right number of kids. That is the work."

Again, the BPS would not make anyone available for an interview for our story. This is what they shared about the Green New Deal.

Last spring in Mattapan, families, educators, and community leaders gathered for a celebration outside the P.A. Shaw, a neighborhood K- 3 school. After pressure from students, parents and teachers, the Shaw will expand in the fall to include two fourth grade classrooms

Amid chants of Hey Hey, Ho Ho we want the Shaw to grow, the community made it clear, they love this place and they want to see a fifth and sixth grade added in the years ahead. But the future remains unclear.

Will the building expand or merge with other school communities in a new facility? Its one of many hard questions the new superintendent Mary Skipper will have on her plate when she begins her job in the coming months. Meanwhile, families across the city await the fall and the challenge, promise and excitement of a new school year.

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A Tale of Two Schools: A Failing Boston School Building and the Impact on Two Communities - NBC10 Boston

In our new podcast, Unpacked by AFAR, we explore the world of ethical travel in a friendly, accessibleand dare we sayfun way. Every other Thursday join us as we answer your ethical conundrums from how to engage with animal tourism (I know I shouldnt ride an elephant, but can I swim with dolphins?) to travel that doesnt harm the Earth (What is zero-waste traveland is it even possible?). Heres the transcript from our July 28 episode.

Listen now. And be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

KRISTY DRUTMAN, HOST: Welcome to Unpacked by AFAR. Im Kristy Drutman, also known on the internet as Browngirl Green. I tell stories about how we can solve, or at least try to solve, the big environmental issues of our time, and today we are focusing on the travel industry. What exactly does sustainability in travel mean? Turns out, so much more than most of us think.

Travel is one of the most beautiful activities and privileges in the world. But unfortunately, it also comes with its own share of environmental and social impactsand we need to talk about that. As we know, the climate crisis is a huge issue, and yet for many of us, it can be so easy to set that aside in our excitement to get back out in the world. But given that travel is skyrocketing and has now even exceeded prepandemic levels, theres really no better time to figure out how we can make it better than right now.

Maybe you already think about sustainability when you travel. If so, youre not alone.

In 2021, Booking.com released a report on the state of sustainable travel around the world. According to their research, a whopping 87 percent of travelers want to travel more sustainably. So clearly a lot of people are talking about this.

But the reality is, only 39 percent of travelers actually manage to travel sustainably all the time. And 43 percent said that they sometimes, rarely or never manage to travel in a sustainable way.

Well, why is that? To begin with: Its difficult.

Look: Im an environmentalist, but I also love to travel. And for years, I struggled to reconcile the two. What does it mean to be an ecofriendly traveler? I felt guilty about traveling and the potential negative impact it has on the environment. There are carbon emissions to consider, single-use plastics on airplanes and hotels, and all the little items you bring along to use only for travel but throw away and never use again, like mini deodorant.

I tried to minimize my impact by doing things like trying out soap and conditioner bars, offsetting my flights by purchasing some carbon offsets, trying to eat less meat, and so forth.

But I had an inkling that there was more to it.

Lets get a little academic for a second. The International Labour Organization says that sustainable tourism is composed of three pillars: social justice, economic development, and environmental integrity.

Id spent a lot of time focusing on environmental integrity but hadnt considered the others as much.

So in this episode, well meet two travel experts who expanded my perspective on what sustainable travel truly means.

As I learned, sustainability goes beyond, say, choosing public transportation over a car, or choosing a metal straw over a plastic one. It is the framework we use to travel, the decisions we make before and during our trip, and interactions we have along the way that leave a far greater impact on the places that were visiting.

First, were going to hear my conversation with Amanda Ho, cofounder and CEO of Regenerative Travel. Amanda works with hotels to create experiences that involveand benefitlocal communities as much as possible, what she calls regenerative travel. Her whole mission is to figure out what a sustainable travel experience looks like. We started by talking about what exactly regenerative travel means.

KRISTY: For people who dont know, what are some of the ways travelers impact the environment and world negatively without realizing it?

AMANDA HO: Climate change is the most imminent threat to human well-being and the health of our planet. Tourism is actually the second fastest growing industry in the world as of 2019 and it [is] responsible for 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. In order to achieve the goal set forth in the Paris Climate Agreement, the travel sector has to implement far-reaching rapid efforts to reduce emissions to restore and protect our planet.

But I think what we are seeing, from our perspective, is really that theres a lot of mindless travel in terms of thats not intentional, not engaging with the local community. Travelers are really not taking the time to be more respectful and enjoying themselves and also more of an extractive mindset rather than looking at how they can contribute when they do travel.

So we really are championing this more intentional, non-extractive, inclusive, diverse, and equitable type of travel at our organization. We really believe that it has to go beyond just sustainability. We have to take it into account, everyone within the whole ecosystem. Travelers are an inherent part of how they contribute when they travel to a place. We really are trying to change the nature of how people are traveling.

KRISTY: I love that, and I love what you were saying about extractive versus non-extractive travel because I feel like thats at the root of rethinking the ways in which sustainability is done as youre participating in tourism. I wanted to know if you could dive a little bit more deep into what is extractive versus non-extractive tourism?

AMANDA: Starting from the basics of just the language and terminology, we say that being green or eco is just doing no harm. Sustainability is reaching net-zero, but regeneration is actually making something better. We really believe that being non-extractive is creating better conditions of life for everyone within the environment, within the community. This really looks at how all parts are connected through this concept of whole ecosystem thinking. Both humans, lands, animals, wildlife, everyone is really a part of this whole ecosystem. We really believe that as a traveler, you have to tap into that whole ecosystem.

We really believe that from a regenerative travel perspective, any type of experience you can have in a destination can really act as an inspiration to really connect you deeper with nature. So actually, returning home to yourself and being more mindful. I think first and foremost, we believe that regenerative travel starts with your own intentions and your mindset, and how you want to engage with the community, with the destination. Its not just coming into a place and seeing, OK, what boxes can I check off? I think we see a lot of this with cruising, for example, just going from jumping around from point A to point B, and just maybe having an hour or half a day, just come in.

It really just brings about this type of traveler that is not really deeply engaging with the community. The dollars that theyre spending and the port might really not be reaching back to local businesses because they dont have the time to really explore, take the time to get to know the locals, and really understand what makes the destination so special.

KRISTY: You mentioned earlier that regenerative travel thinks about benchmarks. How do you even develop benchmarks for that? Could you explain that a little bit more?

AMANDA: Yes, of course. This really came about because we realized that there was so much greenwashing within the travel industry. I think as sustainability became a trend, everyone was just saying theyre sustainable, theyre eco, youre green. It really goes beyond just not washing your towels every day and no plastic water bottles is great. That should be at the minimum, but we really realized that without any measurement or benchmarking, we really have no idea what youre doing. We realized that we had to mandate all the hotels to then actually measure what theyre doing across environmental and social impact.

We developed 29 metrics that connect to broader frameworks like the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals and also the B Corp certification where theyre customized for small hotels. We measure 29 data points looking at waste, water, energyon the social side, inclusion, education, and distribution, and then the last point is also legacy, but I think as a company, as an organization, we really are trying to champion social regenerations, so looking at how a hotel can build their operations and programming to support underrepresented groups.

Do they have upper management and underrepresented groups at the top? How much money is flowing back into the local community? How much money is being spent on educational outreach programs or skills training for staff? We really are trying to help hotels understand how theyre uplifting their locals, uplifting their staff, and really providing more opportunities for staff to be trained and rise within the organization rather than having to import GMs that are not based in the destination.

KRISTY: Do you have any specific examples you could offer of maybe a hotel or a travel experience that you felt really embodies what youre talking about?

AMANDA: I went to another one of our hotels last summer in Tuscany, its called Oasyhotel. I think most people dont think of forest or nature as part of a traditional Italian experience, but Oasy is definitely one that really honors that. Its located near Pistoia. Its about the northern region of Tuscany.

Again, being [a] European gastronomic experience, I ended up doing cheese making. You can do wolf tracking, the whole preserve has been well honored by WWF, so its in partnership with World Wildlife Fund to protect the land and theyre opening up other locations around Italy. Essentially when you go there, youre on these hectares of land, and you really are immersed in the most local northern Italian Tuscan experience.

Again, being [a] European gastronomic experience, I ended up doing cheese making. You can do wolf tracking, the whole preserve has been well honored by WWF, so its in partnership with World Wildlife Fund to protect the land and theyre opening up other locations around Italy. Essentially when you go there, youre on these hectares of land, and you really are immersed in the most local northern Italian Tuscan experience.

Oasy is also really incredible because at the base of the camp, they actually provide schooling and education for underprivileged disabled children. A lot of the funds generated from the hotel actually support that organization called Oasi Dynamo.

Theyre the beacon within the community. They also produce their own products, their own cheese and jams, and so forth that are from the local community. Its such an incredible gastronomic experience that I think people dont normally associate with Italy.

We really are trying to get people out to explore these destinations that arent traditionally associated with Italy or Portugalfor example, most people go to Lisbon and the cities. Were really trying to get people out of these areas that are highly trafficked and almost dealing with over-tourism, to get them to explore these places that are more under the radar.

KRISTY: I really like that. I wanted to know just because people who are going to be listening to this are maybe at the beginning of their sustainable travel journey, what are some tips that you have for people before, during, and after their trip?

AMANDA: That intentionality is first and foremost, but from some more practical measures its really looking at, what is your accommodation? How are you going to choose your hotel? Are you going to go with Airbnb? Maybe youre going to try and choose a more sustainable property.

I think one option, one of the most basic ones, is actually trying to maybe not go through a traditional OTA, like Booking.com or Expedia. These OTAs, they charge quite a high commission rate. Actually, if you go direct through the hotel, you actually give the hotel much more backthey dont pay a commission.

For example, if youre booking a property thats supporting conservation that allows up to 30 percent commission that would normally go to the OTA, maybe that can be then contributed back to conservation and their foundation. Anything that theyre supporting in terms of sustainability and regeneration. Thats just a basic one in terms of accommodation.

I would then look at, what type of tours are you going to do there and experiences? Can you choose experiences that are really integrating locals? I would say that one of the biggest parts of this is definitely doing your research. Are you supporting an organization thats a multinational or a big corporate brand, or are you supporting a local mom-and-pop independent shop that really is run and operated by locals?

Looking at transportation, can you take public transportation? Can you take the bus? Can you take a train? Do you have to fly? Can you rent a bike instead of maybe renting a car? Other more practical things are: Can you pack to reduce waste, like bringing your own reusable instead of plastic water bottles, a simple one? Can you bring your own conditioner and reduce use of single-use plastics at the properties?

Lastly, really essentially around its really just how you can immerse yourself back into local culture.

KRISTY: I love that. I think its about, like, when you are traveling, based on what youre saying, to travel sustainably or thinking in this regenerative mindset, youre ultimately thinking about what youre exchanging. Whether that be your energy, your money, your resources, the waste that you produce. Youre thinking constantly about that cycle as youre traveling, is what it sounds like. You realize that its going to leave some sort of impact and ideally you want it to be a positive one. Thats the mindset.

AMANDA: Yes. Thats exactly it. Obviously, theres more technical in terms of the environmental side of your carbon footprint and so forth. We really believe that it ultimately comes back toits an embodied experience ultimately, and yes, you can choose to support certain businesses, but again, whose lives are you impacting when youre traveling? Where is your money going?

I think thats everything that we try to preach in regenerative travel is, our hotels just act as that transformation opportunity because they have the experience on-site where they have you releasing baby turtles into the ocean or youre having this amazing sundowner looking at elephants and a pack of lions over the horizon. Youre like, Wow. This is incredible. How can I save this for kids in my future generation? How can I ensure that we protect this Earth?

I think really travel offers that moment of realization and transformation. But I think its then how to translate that realization into actionable steps not just when youre traveling, but when youre home. When you continue on your travels, how can you really embody that understanding into your own life?

KRISTY: You know, for some people, they may see that trying to find sustainable travel options, like you were saying, requires some more research and time and maybe some more money since it is going directly back to local people. For people who may see that it might be a little bit more expensive or time-intensive to invest in sustainable travelyouve already hinted at itbut could you explain a little bit more about the short- and the long-term benefits on both those local communities and the travelers, if they do make that investment?

AMANDA: I definitely get that at the end of the day price point can be a barrier to making some of your decisions and supporting certain businesses but ultimately, we really believe that travel, it should cost what it is. We are ultimately supporting, like you said, we are supporting local communities. We are paying people fair wages, we are looking at giving benefits to the people that are employed in tourism and all that has a cost. Ultimately, there is a cost [for] conservation and it shouldntit has to be sustainable and profitable.

For example, like we just mentioned with OTAs thats a very simple way. Like instead of looking at Booking.com and trying to get that cheapest rate, that $20 that you were trying to save on Booking.com, if you book directly with the hotel, that ultimately can go back to the property and enable them to do more of the work that theyre doing. I think its just trying to not think about this, but how much are you actually saving in terms of choosing one or the other. There are still so many things that you can do on the ground in terms of how youre being more sustainable, more regenerative.

Like I said, with the tourists, transportation, good businesses youre supporting. I think it really goes beyond accommodations. Definitely, I think people just have to ultimately realize that there is a cost to investing into these new types of businesses, and I think they should have more or have joy and appreciation for that because you should feel good about where your money is going.

KRISTY: Yeah, no, I think its also this idea of the kind of experience youre trying to have. Like you were saying, there is that very short-term Insta pic like consumerist mindset of like, Let me go in and just extract from this place basically, to show x, y, and z people that like, Hey, I got to experience this. Its like are you really present? Are you really engaging with the environment that youre in with your surroundings? Are you thinking about, you know, the impact youre leaving or is it just using this up, trashing it, and leaving. If you do care about the environment, its something worth investing into.

AMANDA: Its a way for you to really just to see how other people are living, appreciate their worldview and maybe that will shift yours to really be more in tune with our society or the global connection of the whole planet and realizing that we all have such a part to play in terms of saving our planet from climate change and just creating a more inclusive, equitable society, we can do that every day in how we interact with people.

I think travel offers that opportunity for us to see that outside of our own environments, I think that people are just a bit more at ease when theyre traveling and feel a little more open to experiencing. I think thats just such an important part of really helping us shift our mindset. I definitely hope that people will continue to seek out this type of regenerative travel experience because I really think it has to be the way forward in terms of how we are living our lives.

KRISTY: If you want to learn more about how Amandas work is helping change the travel industry, go to regenerativetravel.com. Amanda opened my eyes to how easy it is to opt-in to most mainstream travel experiences, without realizing the heavy environmental impact on areas that are often already over-extracted and over-visited. So regenerative travel in this way offers a simple alternative. This also made me realize how valuable travel can be in the future as a teaching tool to bring more people into the sustainability conversation.

Were going to take a break for a quick word from our sponsor. Well be back in a minute to look at a specific example of a place that has suffered from this type of nonsustainable traveland how we can instead apply a regenerative mindset to our future trips.

KRISTY: Welcome back to Unpacked by AFAR.

My conversation with Amanda made me think about my most recent trip. In May, I spent two weeks in the Philippinesa place I know really well. Its where my family is from, and Ive visited and lived there at different points in my life. Ive observed that many outsiders have a misconception of the Philippines as just a dirty and dangerous place, and because of that they overcrowd the most travel-friendly locations like Boracay or Palawan.

On this most recent trip, I even decided to be more of a tourist myself and visit Palawan, a highly sought out destination. I told my family I was traveling there and my aunt found an all-inclusive, pre-prepared travel package for me.

I was coming off of a long work trip in Cambodia, and I was all-in on an experience that would require a lot of enjoyment but little thought. I also assumed it was sustainable, because the experience seemed to be run entirely by locals.

During the trip, some of my online community members shared that there are a lot of Indigenous land protectors in Palawan whose land is threatened by mining and logging operations. They said that much of the tourism industry on Palawan actually covers up and, in some way, profits from this exploitation. I was so shocked. I knew that my trip benefited the local economy to some extent, but to be honest, I hadnt really done my research. When you grow up in a brown family and they tell you they just got the plug, you kind of just go for it. It felt too awkward and weird to challenge my family and demand an ecofriendly experience, when that wasnt something as readily known or accessible to them or myself.

I now know I didnt make the most sustainable or ecofriendly decision. But, Id like to make a better decision in the future for my next trip. So in this next segment, as a case study, I was able to talk to a travel expert and storyteller in the Philippines to get his advice.

PACO GUERRERO: For us, for myself and the team at Grid, the real crux of sustainable travel really is about engaging in a sustainable way with local communities so that they can develop their model of the travel industry and have it become an income for the community and have it last for a very long time.

KRISTY: Thats Paco Guerrero. Paco is one of the founders of Grid Magazine PH, which offers tips and advice about how to be a more intentional traveler within the Philippines, especially when it comes to different communities.

Paco shared that, one of the things that makes the Philippines so special is the number of Indigenous people who call the islands home. He wants to see more travelers seek these communities outand he wants to see more communities offer these travel experiences.

He used the island of Coron as an example. Coron happens to be in Palawan, where I was on my trip. But on Coron, the Indigenous Tagbanua people have full control. Paco explains more.

Travelers should aim to engage with a new destination in a way that is mindful and positively impactful on the local environment.

Illustration by Tara Anand

PACO: It was given over as an Indigenous territory by the Philippine government.

This means that any development or any tourism that happens in Coron is actually planned, controlled, monitored by the Indigenous group. Now that also means that the profits go directly to them, which is a big help to the community. Its an interesting model because it was a long fight to get to that point where they could control their own island, but now its one of the Philippiness best tourism destinations. To stress the fact, one of the reasons it is the best is because it is purposefully kept underdeveloped.

Basically Indigenous people have limited the access of travelers and developers to the island. You go to Coron on their terms, not on your terms. They give limited access to the beaches and the lagoons. Its controlled, as far as the number of people who are allowed every day. Also, there are no large hotels or big structures on the island. The Indigenous people have chosen to keep the structures there built with natural materials and in the local way of constructing, the very famous nipa huts that you see from around the Philippines.

Its one of the most photographed islands in the country because you have these beautiful limestone cliffs and then these really quiet, very beautiful, original nipa hut, which is just made out of bamboo and some weeds. Thats a good example of how this tourism can really succeed.

KRISTY: But its not like travelers have to choose Coron over, say, a more packaged experience in Palawan. The travel industry does support local communities.

PACO: The reality is the Philippines actually is a very densely populated country, so employment and economic development is definitely at the forefront of any push the government or the industry might have, and thats a good thing. I think we all agree on that. Certain areas necessarily will be what we would say overdeveloped.

But theres a lot left out there. Small communities that are trying to develop their own form of tourism. I think as a traveler, if when you book your trip, if you try and do a little bit of both. You know, yes, do the five-star resort, enjoy your time and then try and find something off the beaten path. Try and find something thats community-based. I dont think for the traveler, it should be an either-or situation.

KRISTY: When travelers look for, ask for, and book these experiences, it can create demand that also helps communities refocus on their natural resources. Paco shared that the Philippines has a problem with people using dynamite and cyanide to fish in the coral reefsbut outsiders supporting the tourism industry can help.

PACO: As a traveler, I think, what you can bring is yourself. The local communitythere are many stories like this around the Philippines, where local communities were poisoning the reefs with cyanide and dynamite, and discovering that theres a dive site nearby transforms them into tourism. They realize, Why throw dynamite into this water when I have these divers who are willing to come here, stay in a small hut or resort, open a dive shop, and theyll hire me as their boat guy?

The more they see these things happening, these success stories happening, the side effect is sustainability. I think in these rural communities that are struggling with poverty, struggling with access to resources, sustainability really isnt the primary goal, its always a side effect of sustainable development first.

KRISTY: Paco shared one of the ways the pandemicand the lack of tourismunexpectedly affected the Philippines negatively.

PACO: I heard, anecdotally, not the statistics yet, from several friends who are conservationist marine biologists, they were saying that, sadly, because of the COVID lockdowns, there were no tourists traveling around the Philippines. They were seeing more evidence of poaching in marine-protected areas just because the local communities had no money, they had no jobs, there was no tourism, and they needed to feed their families.

It sounds horrible, but thats the reality of it. Conversely, you can see that with tourism operations and with profits from the tourism industry, it does have a direct impact, it can have a direct impact on sustainable practices.

KRISTY: I shared my Palawan experience with Paco, and this tension that can exist between relaxing and enjoying a place and while also caring about being a good steward of it. Ive realized more and more that, in the face of the climate crisis, we must be active rather than passive observers.

PACO: To build on what you said, I think the strongest role the traveler has in this issue of sustainable travel is exactly where they spend their money on.

Thats the most powerful. You can pick up trash, you can travel with your own bottle, not use straws. Really, the power you have is in your pocket. If other businesses see that the resorts and the tours and the islands that are pushing sustainability are making a profit, then it becomes a logical choice.

KRISTY: Paco talked about how tourism in the Philippines really started in Boracay, an island thats become one of the countrys top destinations for travelers.

PACO: All the other islands and mayors and communities who wanted to start a tourism program, the only model they had to look at and to study and to emulate was Boracay, which had a lot of failings: sewage, energy, waste, very unsustainable, but those werent issues when the island started to develop. What happened?

Its a model thats been extrapolated to many other communities around the Philippines and tourism destinations, and now theyre suffering the same problems Boracay has. But there are resorts, resort developers, restaurant owners, and other communities that are showing a different model, showing a different way of doing it.

KRISTY: If you want to learn more about Paco and his team, visit gridmagazine.ph.

Now as we wrap up this episode, I want to share what I gathered from our guests.

First, yes, environmental protections are important. But sustainable travel comes down to acting with intentionality and honoring and respecting the places we visit. We can all aim to be the traveler who leaves the land, people, and waters better than they were before you arrived.

Second: Traveling sustainably can add more curiosity, joy, and connection to your travel experience. Thats because you are not just purchasing or buying into the first activity, item, or option you see. It might take a little more time, yes. But by being mindful, and evaluating the options in front of you, you can consider the ecosystem of the place and how to make a positive impact on it. That might mean buying locally made products and food or reading literature or watching movies about the treatment of land and Indigenous peoples in that area.

It doesnt have to be perfect. Even if your trip isnt 100 percent supporting the local economy, thats OK. As long as you intentionally try to invest some of your dollars, time, and effort into locally driven, sustainable tourism, you are ultimately shifting the tourist economy. Increased demand for these experiencesand increased efforts to protect local laborreally can make all the difference.

Thanks so much for joining me on this episode of Unpacked. If youd like to learn more about me and my workincluding my own show, Browngirl Greenhead over to browngirlgreen.com for podcasts, videos, and blog posts discussing a wide range of environmentally conscious topics. We also have a green jobs board if youre looking to build a career in the sustainability space. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Im @browngirlgreen.

Ready for more unpacking? Read more at afar.com/unpack, and be sure to follow AFAR on Instagram and Twitter. Were @afarmedia. If you enjoyed todays exploration, we hope youll come back for more great stories. Subscribing makes this easy! You can find Unpacked on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform. And please be sure to rate and review the podcast. It helps other travelers find the show.

This has been Unpacked, a production of AFAR Media and Boom Integrated. Our podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene, Adrien Glover, and Robin Lai. Postproduction was by John Marshall Media staff Jenn Grossman and Clint Rhoades. Music composition by Alan Carrescia.

And remember: The world is complicated. Being an ethical traveler doesnt have to be.

>> Next: Podcast: Is it Really Possible to Travel Like a Local?

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Unpacked by AFAR Podcast 4: All About Regenerative Travel - AFAR Media