On November 17th, we held a talk with nationally recognized author Robin Wall Kimmerer, of Braiding Sweetgrass fame, on how themes from it can offer lessons on moving towards a more just and sustainable future. How can we apply the concepts of reciprocity and humility both socially and ecologically? How can we change the lens through which we see the world to help ensure our collective survival and restore our relationship with the Earth and each other?

This event was in partnership with the Cottonwood School of Civics and Sciences, Friends of Tryon Creek, Columbia Land Trust, Metro, Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts, The High Desert Museum, The Gray Family Foundation, the Multnomah County Library, and the Oregon Cultural Trust.

Robin Wall Kimmerer is a mother, scientist, decorated professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She is the author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants, which has earned Kimmerer wide acclaim. Her first book, Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses, was awarded the John Burroughs Medal for outstanding nature writing, and her other work has appeared in Orion, Whole Terrain, and numerous scientific journals. She tours widely and has been featured on NPR’s On Being with Krista Tippett and in 2015 addressed the general assembly of the United Nations on the topic of “Healing Our Relationship with Nature.” Kimmerer lives in Syracuse, New York, where she is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology, and the founder and director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment.