Celebrating 10 Years of Sustainable Growth
During a panel discussion at the 10th anniversary celebration for the Omega Center for Sustainable Living (OCSL), internationlly recognized biologist John Todd and Omega CEO Robert “Skip” Backus reflected on their work—past, present, and future.
Todd, a lead designer of the 4,500-square-foot greenhouse and Eco Machine™, Omega's state-of-the art water reclamation system, believes in the power of biodiversity and the creative ideas that result from his students’ urgency around the climate crisis. They give him hope for the path ahead.
Backus, the visionary behind the OCSL—the first building ever to achieve both LEED® Platinum and Living Building Challenge™ certification—offered his perspective on the OCSL’s effect on the organization.
“I'm a different person because of this building and the Eco Machine than I was 10 years ago,” he said. “The OCSL has helped me feel more connected to the world and has given me a deeper sense of belonging. It has given Omega a foundational way to speak to that interconnected, interrelated reality, and helped the organization to step up to the responsibility of what we’ve learned.”
Acting Globally & Locally
OCSL director Laura Weiland returned from the June United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany, with new insights into the role we can play through education, training, public awareness and participation, access to information, and international cooperation. As a coordination team member of the Education, Communication, and Outreach Stakeholders (ECOS) Community, she advocates for a middle-out approach to sustainable climate solutions—where organizations can serve as the connective tissue between bottom-up, grassroots efforts and top-down regulatory strategies. Using this approach, the OCSL has begun to engage local Dutchess County partners in various efforts, including the second Drawdown Learn Conference, October 18-20, 2019, which is available in person and online.
Partnering with Youth & Taking to the Streets
Youth-led climate strikes are taking hold around the world and the OCSL continues to strengthen its commitment to the movement. On September 20, wearing OCSL-themed t-shirts with a "Climate Changes Everything" logo (also available in the Omega Bookstore), OCSL staff joined approximately 60,000 protesters in New York City. A frequent OCSL partner, Sachem HawkStorm, was one of the first to speak at the rally.
"It was great to see such a turnout and have the indigenous perspective integrated at the launch of the protest," said Weiland.
The OCSL is also incorporating youth climate activists more fully into Drawdown Learn. Two of the climate movement’s high-profile activists, Xiye Bastida, a lead organizer of the Fridays For Future movement, and Alexandria Villaseñor, the 14-year-old founder and executive director of EarthUprising.org, will take part as workshop leaders.
“Last year, young people from the youth panel clearly articulated their desire for a full seat at the table,” Weiland explained. “That changed our thinking profoundly and, as a result, they’ve been more powerfully integrated into the planning of this year’s event.”
Listening to Indigenous Partners
Over the past year, the OCSL has deepened its partnerships with indigenous tribes locally, regionally, and beyond, and has used those conversations to inform its direction and programming. As part of the Drawdown Learn conference later this month, attendees will learn how indigenous practices can inform the effort to reverse global warming, including carbon reduction, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystems maintenance.
“Drawdown has done the math—indigenous land management is a climate solution,” Weiland said. “Indigenous knowledge contains so many things that science is just catching up with.”
