What were you doing before you applied to the Conway School?
Working as an elementary school garden educator.
What brought you to Conway?
Searching for a right path in the environmental sector that didn’t feel too narrow or specialized. I was drawn to design, planning, and whole-systems thinking as fields at the intersections of my environmental, social, and creative interests that have broad applications. The emphasis on process and methodology in the Conway model exemplified that, and it felt like a clear next step for me when the time came.
Imagine we just met, and recognized we had common interests. How would you describe Conway to me?
An intensive program where you work on real design projects and learn analysis-based design methodology that can be used for critical, well-informed, and ecologically responsible planning and problem solving at any scale.
What are you doing right now, and what do you love about it?
I’m working on a project funded by a MA climate preparedness grant to create a plan and toolkit for establishing public food forests in every town on Martha’s Vineyard, and I’m also the landscape manager at a non-profit farm. I love that I get a balance of outdoor hands-on work and more technical, headier planning work, that continued learning is a substantial part of my work, and that I get to help create spaces and systems that are more equitable, accessible, and ecologically considerate.
List one or more books that you find influential in the field of ecological design and/or planning.
A Pattern Language, of course! Botany of Empire by Bantu Subramaniam is more recent, interrogating the influence of colonialism in the plant sciences. I reference Edible Forest Gardens 1&2 all the time, and not just for designing forest gardens!
What book changed your life?
A poem – “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front” by Wendell Berry.
What is your favorite tool? E.g., a Dr of gardening tool, digital tool, etc.
Rolling ruler. A fresh sharpie. Steel “King of Spades”.
Which aspects of your Conway education do you use in your current work? Which aspects do you use to address urgent challenges related to climate change, environmental justice, etc.?
I use a similar analysis process we used at Conway for many projects, prioritizing thorough assessment and understanding of context to inform effective and just solutions. The education in organizing and clearly communicating information, public presentation, and concise, effective writing is relevant and useful for everything. My introduction to GIS, Adobe, and CAD was at Conway, and I use them all almost daily now. I’m now utilizing a combination of the whole-systems analysis process, community engagement, and technical GIS skills to identify locations where public perennial food production will most effectively improve community food access and support social and environmental climate resilience.
What blogs or podcasts do you recommend?
Particular posts or episodes? Podcasts: Throughline, Ologies, and 99% Invisible forever! The “Critical Ecology” episode of Ologies is so, so good. Mike Biltonen’s Radical Pomology! Newsletter is a fun read. I also earnestly enjoy the ESRI “ArcNews” newsletter.