Why Embracing Responsibility is Liberating, Joyful, and World-changing

Zoe Weil is a blogger for Psychology Today (PT), and twice a month we share her blog posts here. Enjoy! Take responsibility. When you read this command, how does it make you feel? If you’re like many people, your shoulders may slump. You may feel triggered by childhood memories of parents and teachers admonishing you with those…

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To Create Positive Change, Be a Campfire not a Forest Fire

Zoe Weil is a blogger for Psychology Today (PT), and twice a month we share her blog posts here. Enjoy! There’s a metaphor I like to use when talking to fellow activists and solutionaries. I ask them to imagine two fires. The first is a campfire. The fire is warm and bright, and people are drawn…

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Educator, Changemaker, Environmentalist, Lawyer: An Interview with Hans Hageman

Hans Hageman has worn many hats, among them school founder, educator, coach, lawyer, activist, and environmentalist. He’s a role model for youth and adults alike, and we are so grateful that among his significant volunteer choices (such as firefighter as seen in this photo), he serves on IHE’s Curriculum Advisory Board.  IHE: Hans, you were…

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blog post

How Greta Thunberg’s Unique Qualities Are Galvanizing the Climate Movement

Zoe Weil is a blogger for Psychology Today (PT), and twice a month we share her blog posts here. Enjoy! I have been teaching young people about climate change for 32 years. In 1987, I taught week-long summer courses to middle school students at the University of Pennsylvania. One of those courses was on environmental…

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False Dichotomies

Why False Dichotomies Impede Solutionary Thinking

Zoe is a blogger for Psychology Today (PT), and twice a month we share her blog posts here. Enjoy! The economic localization movement is growing, with adherents advocating “buy local” as the answer to our myriad problems. Author Helena Norberg-Hodge begins her TEDx talk, The Economics of Happiness, with this impassioned plea: “For all of us…

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Racializing the Lens: Race, Intersectionality and Veganism – A Conversation with Lawyer and IHE Alumna Dana McPhall

Dana McPhall is a lawyer, humane educator, anti-racism activist, and animal advocate who has led an IHE alumni working group looking at racial justice and white supremacy issues for the past three years. The working group is called “Racializing the Lens” and meets every month or so to discuss ways of embedding anti-racism frameworks more…

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solutionary

If You Want to Create Change, Focus on Systems

Zoe is a blogger for Psychology Today (PT), and each week we’ll be sharing her PT blog posts here. Enjoy! I became a humane educator more than 30 years ago, teaching about interconnected environmental, human rights, and animal protection issues in order to inspire deeper empathy, better critical thinking, and more ethical behavior among my students….

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