Sponsored by: NYU Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS), North American COngress on latin America (NACLA), NYU Urban Democracy Lab, NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study, and NYU Gallatin Human Rights

Here are my notes from a panel on the fires in Brazil and Bolivia (full video at the NYU website below):

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I recently attended the NYC Green Roof Researchers Alliance’s first conference on “The State of Green Roofs in NYC.” Here’s a summary of some of the key takeaways from a session on “Green Roof Policy, Incentives, Management, and Education.” Speakers (1) Niki Jackson – NYC Audubon | “Kingsland Wildflowers: A case study of community outreach andRead more

What happens if you get sick?

Who would you contact if you have problems with your employer?

What’s the equivalent of 911 where you’re staying?

It’s impossible to plan for everything that can go wrong, but having some basic idea of what to do beforehand can bring a little bit of peace of mind! Here are some ideas for how to set yourself up to deal with whatever comes your way:Read more

Are you interested in working with your community to pass a new law in your town? Here are some ideas from FCWC’s Greening Our Towns event on how to do so (some of these are specific to single-use bags but can really be applied for any kind of law!):

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If you’re wondering “What can I do?” this post is for you, whether you’re doing TAPIF or back in your hometown.

One of the best things I ever did was starting up my own environmental club and recycling program in my high school, which set the stage for a lot of the work that I continued to do later. I didn’t have any leadership experience before that, but I figured things out as I went along with tons of trial and error.

This post was originally targeted towards students looking to start up an environmental club at school, but these ideas can be applied to whatever issue interests you. I’ve used the same basic concepts to start groups during my TAPIF lunch break and in my village, so they can also be used in a variety of settings.

Please note: This guide is intended for anyone who has the energy and space to be able to start something new but is unsure of how to get going. If you need to be focusing on your own well-being right now, this is not meant to guilt you into action! 

Starting up my own club did seem daunting at first, but I found that it was a lot less scary than I expected once I got started! Here are some of the things I did (or wish I had!):Read more

(Probably super obvious to anyone who’s not me, but just let me have this.)

I’ve had this bopping around my head for a while and was going to post it during that holiday week before the election (Sleepy Holloween? Diwaloween?), after taking a walk past the skeletons of the local haunted hayride. But somehow, this seems even more relevant now…

All photos credited to Lost Souls Alley in Krakow, Poland.

I hate scary things, ironically enough considering where I live. The last horror movie that I remember seeing was The Ring at a Girl Scouts slumber party.

So when my friend reaaaally wanted to visit a haunted house in Krakow, I reaaaally didn’t want to go.

But we’d spent most of the week hacking our lungs out, and it was conveniently right across the street, so we went. We were told that we couldn’t go in with just two people, so we’d have to wait for the next group. A bunch of guys were there, joking around, getting ready to go in.

We came back later to find the same group of guys, faces frozen with terror, muttering about how one of them had freaked out so badly he’d hit one of the monsters and they had to leave. Now I was definitely wondering what I’d gotten myself into.Read more

Below is every single thing that was on my TAPIF packing list. I managed to fit it into a small suitcase, a 46L backpack, a laptop-sized handbag, and a small purse:

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