by Ma’ikwe Ludwig
In just about a week, I hit the road! Well, it would be more accurate to say I hit the “rails”, but that has a different meaning, and I hope that isn’t what will happen! In any event, I’ll be boarding an Amtrak train to begin my nationwide journey, talking everywhere I go about Dancing Rabbit, climate disruption, and creating cooperative culture.
I’m excited. (I love public speaking and teaching, and we’ve put together a really compelling talk and series of workshops.) And nervous. (I’ve never spent this long on the road before. How’s that gonna go?) And curious. (Who will I meet? What will the outcome be? Will I really manage to consume Ethiopian food everywhere I go? Because that’s my hidden agenda with all of this…)
Mariyam, our Speaking Tour Coordinator, has been pulling rabbits out of hats all over the place, making sure I have venues, places to stay, local hosts, publicity, transportation and everything else a wandering sustainability expert could need for her work. She’s awesome. ‘nuf said.
I’ve also been spending lots of time in the last few weeks with the Outreach Committee, a dedicated group of Dancing Rabbit volunteers, which has been helping me put together new handouts and displays for tabling, including a groovy thing I keep forgetting the name of and calling the “pullie downie thingie” much to Rae and Nik’s amusement. (Nik tells me it’s called a “roll-up banner” and surely by now must be wondering why it’s so hard for me to remember. Don’t worry, dude… the important thing is that I remember what I’m talking about!)
I’m also in love with my new gadget. It’s called a “pocket projector” and will allow me to give my talk nearly anywhere, even if the local tech breaks down. And it only weighs 2 pounds and can fit inside my suitcase. How cool is that?
And I’m very excited to be debuting a new workshop on this tour, called Encountering Climate Change. Inspired by the work of Naomi Klein, Joanna Macy and native and indigenous tribes all over North America, I’m venturing in to the important and timely work of helping people get real about climate disruption, in a supportive and emotionally safe environment.
I’m also offering four other workshops, all of them old standards I’ve been doing for years. And much as I’m excited about the new, on this big grand adventure, having some old friends along feels very comforting indeed.
So check out the speaking tour page to find out when I’ll be near you. Here’s hoping we meet along the way!
Ma’ikwe Schaub Ludwig is a pioneering sustainability educator, who, in addition to her work as DR, Inc.’s Executive Director, is head of Ecovillage Education US, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Fellowship for Intentional Community. Her work integrates ecological, economic, social, political and personal approaches, leading to a strongly holistic view of what it takes to truly be sustainable.
She is a regular writer for Communities magazine and the author of Passion as Big as a Planet: Evolving Eco-Activism in America. For more information you can visit her website: www.maikwe.net.