The Global Grit Experience

Adventures with dad.

Van and his wife Sue built a net-zero energy home 12 miles out of Alexandria, MN. As much as I wanted to know how they did it, it was why they did it that intrigued me. Dr. Van Gooch is a retired professor of Biology from the University of Minnesota at Morris, where he taught for 35 years. After retirement, he and Sue set themselves to this challenge.And, even if building a net-zero home isn’t in your cards, Van has good tips on what we can each do to save energy and money in where we live.... and how we live.

I find it interesting why we do the things we do. And, why we feel compelled to play nicey-nice when it comes to talking about the environment and climate action. I get it. No one, including myself, wants to be beaten over the head with anything, especially 'shoulds', 'coulds' or major ass guilt trips. But yet, we want to take action and action can sometimes be SO damn overwhelming and frustrating as 'f'. Especially when we don't see the results we want fast enough or even sometimes, at all.Today’s guest, Dr. Karen Branden, is going to give us a bit of an inside look from a sociologist’s perspective on how we work, especially when it comes to creating change and when, yep, sometimes, it's okay to be our fierce selves.Dr. Karen Branden has a PhD in Sociology, and has been a professor of Sociology for over 20 years. She’s taught at schools around the world and is currently a professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Minnesota State University Moorhead. One of the classes she teaches, that really piqued my interest, is Society and the Environment. Karen’s joining us from her home in Rochert, MN.

Today, we’re talking with Pastor Beth Monke. I wanted to talk with Beth to hear about climate action from a religious or spiritual perspective. Beth is a Pastor at the Grove Lake Lutheran Church in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota AND she’s a climate activist! Whoop! Whoop! Beth is the Citizen's Climate Lobby (CCL) co-leader for the Fergus Falls, MN chapter. Beth has a lot of depth and wisdom you'll love to hear.Citizen's Climate Lobby is a nonpartisan organization that empowers every day people (like you and me) to work together on climate policy. There are 420+ chapters across the US and 150+ international chapters on 6 continents. Pretty cool if you’re looking for ways to get involved in your own community. Beth is also a former outpatient mental health therapist.

Dacia Dauner built an outdoor nature school in Bemidji, MN. Picture a combo of a twenty something below winter and kids in cozy yurts for classrooms…. and you have Apple Blossom Nature School. She (and the kids and other teachers) have GRiT!Dacia Dauner is the founder of Apple Blossom Village, a micro-school that provides nature-based programs for kids, families and the community year round.

One of the biggest things we can do for the outdoor places we love and a world we want to see where nature is priority and not a commodity is vote. Speaking up, standing up and voting for nature takes GRiT… but like I say, nature deserves some of our grit, right? Let’s learn a few tips on what we can do without losing our wits in the process.Celeste Koppe is the Communications Officer on the Board of Directors for the Detroit Lakes Minnesota League of Women Voters. League of Women voters is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights and ensure everyone is represented in our democracy.

The Global Grit Experience is about having GRIT... passion and perseverance and an unwavering dedication to protecting nature despite challenges. And there are a lot of challenges out there right now, holy hell. Especially for the environment.But, having grit can sound exhausting, right? Especially when we’re worn out, overwhelmed and want to hide under the covers.So, I thought it would be good to kick this baby off with what I think is top tier important…your mental health. Because, without it, we burn out and drop out and that’s not good for you, for us, or for our precious outdoors. Because we each have something to contribute! Right? We’re amazing!My first guest...whoop whoop... is Dr. Aligada here in my hometown.Dr. Jonathan Aligada is an adult clinical psychologist at Sanford Health in Detroit Lakes, MN. I’ve interviewed Dr. Aligada before for a mental health video series and am SO grateful he’s able to join us for this podcast.Thanks for tuning in!