Nadia Colburn in Conversation with Paul Hawken

It was such an honor to be in conversation with the visionary environmentalist, activist, author, and entrepreneur Paul Hawken, founder of Project Regeneration and Project Drawdown, two of the most significant projects to reverse climate change and environmental collapse. I have known and admired Paul's work for a long time, but being in conversation with him clarified many things for me and also gave me new inspiration.

You can watch the recording of our time together below. 

A few things that particularly resonated with me during my conversation with Paul:

• As a writer, I love what Paul said throughout the conversation about the importance of the language we use to talk about the environment–the difference between using a word like “component” to talk about the earth and using a word like “Mother” to talk about her.
• "Actions change our beliefs not the other way around"
• “The community brings the world to life”
• The importance of awe, wonder, possibility, seeing the living world as "a doorway" to inspiration and imagination
• Regeneration as a shift away from degeneration to solution-based rather than problem-based thinking.

Some ways to learn more about Paul and his work

• Visit Paul's website
• Get involved in Project Drawdown
• Get involved in Project Regeneration
• Order Paul's book, Drawdown
• Order Paul's book, Regeneration

The following were mentioned in our conversation: 

• Invent Wood
• Visit Robin Wall Kimmerer’s website
• Read Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants

Some concrete next steps for getting involved in environmental activism:

1. Go to https://regeneration.org/
2. Go to “Nexus” (or just go directly to the Nexus page: https://regeneration.org/nexus)
3. Find something that lights you up!

Don't hesitate to reach out with any thoughts or questions.

Looking forward to continuing this important conversation,

Nadia