22 Comments

Wow! Forest Man: What a story! I wrote about a reclamation on a much, much smaller scale - just a tiny hopeful story with a big, extravagant style, called "Stumps": https://open.substack.com/pub/enchantedinamerica/p/stumps?r=1mk0zn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web .

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And beautifully told it was! Thank you, Tara. I find stumps very interesting and appealing and like their ephemeral nature.

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I confess that I had no vision for stumps. I had to be educated. :-)

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Pun Pun does so much for Thailand and the wider world, all from very small, humble origins. It is a comfort to know that such people and such places exist, those who move at a different rhythm to that we are told we must follow, those who see a far bigger picture. I'm looking forward to checking out the other links in this post too.

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Oct 13, 2023·edited Oct 13, 2023Author

I'm sorry I didn't get to add it sooner, Alex. Your recommendation slipped from consciousness until I started working on a summary of the Food series commentary (coming next week). It looks amazing what they are doing there. There are quite a few projects in our neighbourhood too, from an animal sanctuary/hospital to permaculture and reforestation which I want to feature at some point in a 'what's happening where I live' post. Last time I toured or spent a volunteer day at different projects in West Yorkshire, I discovered so much inspirational work. At the time, I was 'if all this is happening here, the sum of what is happening world-wide must be HUGE.' I'm looking forward to repeating the tour, but here in the Coimbra region of Portugal. Thanks again, Alexander!

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I think that's a key point--so many small projects, so many inspirational people and groups which, together are strong and wonderful, but can likewise be overlooked, lacking the marketing reach of bigger, more mainstream projects. I love how you are bringing these together to share with us and I am very much looking forward to reading more.

When we lived in Cercal do Alentejo, we had only driven past Coimbra, but it is somewhere I would love to visit at some point. So much history in the area!

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The closest I've been to Cercal do Alentejo is Sines, we went there for the music festival last year, which was really fun and the selection of artists excellent. You're right about the history (and prehistory) in the region. I'm really trying to understand the history as that helps with cultural understanding.

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Very true! Understanding even a small part of the history (and, as you say, prehistory) of an area is so very useful. Sines is where we would do our bigger shops, using the bus and our backpacks. It is a strange little town, but with an odd charm. Before it was collected (much delayed due to Covid), we would buy lunch there on shopping days and go sit in the campervan overlooking the ridiculously beautiful beach to the north. In those days the music festival was Covid-affected, and we often consider how different our lives might have been if we'd managed to find 'our' Portugal people. Thanks, Covid! Still, there's still time to return one day, I hope.

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The coastline is extraordinary. The festival, I think, was the first since Covid. The festas returned tentatively, only showing their former life this year, I think.

If you do return, give us a shout!

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I certainly will do!

Covid changed so much, it is reassuring to hear things are getting back to normal (and I hope they remain that way).

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Dream wilder ♥ ☀ ★ 🌳 💜 💚 🌞 Earth film fest! ♡❥ https://vimeo.com/channels/639670 🐝

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These are wonderful, thank you!

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What a treasure trove! This one’s a keeper! Thank you.

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It's my alternative to using Chat which I found hard to manage. There are so many good recommendations, I thought it would be nice to share in a more accessible way.

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Thanks for the mention! A great roundup of hopeful things happening around the world

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Wow!!! What a great collection of newsletter gems!!! I'm honored to have mine included in your collection!! Thank you so much for the mention!!!! 💚💚💚💚💚💚

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Thank you, Safar.

Whidbey Institute, near me, has a meeting space called Thomas Berry Hall!

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I read the transcript for the introduction to the course I mentioned and it talks about how scientists following in his footsteps meet regularly at the Whidbey Institute. The coincidence raised a brow!

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It's a small world!

The architect is friend of mine: https://rosschapin.com/projects/conferenceretreat-centers/thomas-berry-hall/

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That's stunning!

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Thank you for mentioning me! Such a wonderful collecting of resources and writing :)

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