In early October, I participated in the annual retreat of the Environmental Grantmakers Association , the professional association for environmental funders in the US. Each year, the retreat offers funders an opportunity to hear from big...
Once again it was thrilling exciting and fun to meet the new 2012 Switzer Fellows , and share leadership lessons, current topics and engage in a deep learning experience about communicating clear messages to different audiences. We are...
Like many of our workshops, our central message to the participants focused on the importance of understanding your audience when communicating your work. That includes formatting your work into clear and succinct messages, but it’s also about understanding the culture in which your audience exists, so as to make your work relevant to them and what they most care about… their “so what?”
Leadership grantee Sarah Reed (Associate Conservation Scientist, Wildlife Conservation Society) and her colleague Lindsay Ex (Environmental Planner, City of Fort Collins) discussed their effort to build a collaborative learning network for...
Many of us are keenly aware that to achieve positive outcomes on any complex, systemic, societal issue, whether it is environmental, economic or social in nature, we need to find ways to work collaboratively. This is by no means a new idea...
The World Resources Institute (WRI) and Advanced Conservation Strategies (ACS) have been working to develop a pilot conservation marketplace for the gopher tortoise in its non-federally-listed range of the Southeast United States. The pilot...
How do you develop consumer-oriented websites that both inform and inspire sustainable action? Find out from Switzer Fellow Elizabeth Farnsworth as she takes us inside Go Botany!, a new website designed to help you identify over 1,200 of...
How might your work fit into a larger picture in sustainable agriculture and food system reform? How can you link to ongoing efforts whether they are in the country or globally? And how can we foster more networking among Switzer Fellows...
I have just returned from another jam-packed Switzer Fellows retreat held in southern California the weekend of March 23-25, 2012. Over the last few years, as part of our ongoing outreach to Fellows and colleagues in the region, and our...
On March 26, 2012, we hosted a webinar on the topic of balancing work and life for Fellows. Margaret Rubega introduced the topic and moderated a panel that included Switzer Fellows Nancy Steele, Francisco Dóñez, Julia Ledewitz and Leslie...