Episode 01: Welcome to Brym!

We’re happy you’ve made it here, one way or another. :) 

Brym is a dream, a mission, and molding itself into a new reality. It’s an organism that is growing deep roots and given the right nurturing, will flower into many manifestations of different shapes and sizes.

To start, we are excited to build a global community of changemakers at the intersection of climate innovation and justice - and hoping that this group can collaborate together to mold Brym in service of global equity and understanding. If you’re reading this, then you’re already a part of our growing community - Season 1 of our newsletter and interview podcast series will run through July 2022 - thank you for joining us. Feel free to check out our Website here and give us feedback on what makes sense and what needs work!

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Our Mission

Brym’s Mission Statement (Version 1) is as follows:

Brym seeks to support climate innovations that center environmental justice for

local communities affected by climate change. 

Coming from this, there stem more than a few questions! What types of innovative climate solutions do we need? What does environmental justice for local communities mean? Who are the communities most affected by climate change?

As the mission for Brym started to manifest, it became clear that we definitely did not have all the answers to the above questions. And that’s ok! We’re excited to collaborate with leaders who can help us navigate these issues while activating a network to not only brainstorm together, but to build solutions.

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Phase 1 - Brym’s Global Research Program

So... the first year of Brym will drive a heavy focus on research, centered around the question:

How can innovative climate solutions manifest through a lens of

 environmental justice for local communities?

The research program syllabus spans across 5 continents, if COVID19 will allow it, with the intention of listening and learning from the experience of organizations and individuals at the frontlines of climate change. Brym hopes to take you along for the journey - highlighting these experiences in different communities, offering initial insights and learnings, and encouraging avenues for engagement.

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Packaging the Research

Dialing into some more details, the research program will be released in a rolling fashion, packaged as a combination of: 

1. The Brym Podcast structured as an Interview Series, where Brym engages in interviews with a global network of organizations and individuals, uplifting their work and encouraging people to get involved! Cadence: Bi-weekly.

2. The Brym Newsletter highlighting the work of members of our global network and relaying research conducted, lessons learned, and helpful resources to engage within specific areas of focus. Cadence: Bi-Weekly

3.  A Culminating Thesis Report will present research and analysis, weaving together a narrative of learnings from multiple countries and sectors. Findings will inform and shape future evolutions for Brym’s work at the intersection of climate innovation, community empowerment, and global understanding. ETA: September 1, 2022

Please, please, please give us your feedback along the way... there will be things that we can be doing better and we are all ears.

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A sneak peak at the what’s coming your way:

To launch this research, I traveled to the UK and had the opportunity to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland. The highlights? Listening to panelists share their experiences from across the world and joining in the Climate Action March with 100,000 other young people fighting for a new world.

You will have the opportunity to hear directly from some of the brilliant minds that I met at COP26 along with collection of learnings from conference panel discussions. You will also hear stories from my travels in Wales (some of which I was lucky enough to do with my dad) and some inspirational figures I met along the way. 

To give y’all a more specific sense, you’ll hear from…

• A Local Football Club (not the NFL) partnering with the local community to implement a new green energy program in a former coal mining town.

• A Workplace Cooperative building community-owned and operated solar and wind projects in Swansea, Wales.

• A new Marine Energy company, building ‘Proof-of-Concept’ for a new Wave Energy Machine off the coast in Southwest Wales. 

• A Sri Lankan organization launching an accelerator/incubator program, supporting youth-led solutions to climate change in their local communities.

• A beauty brand re-shaping how we think about waste and the future of a ‘Circular Economy’.

• A food justice and educational organization in Zimbabwe - providing a great example of how to incorporate local communities into program planning and implementation processes.

• A South African organization fighting for climate justice through the lens of gender equity.

• A Middle Eastern faith-based advocacy group pushing for a new type of COP conference.

• A Global Buddhist Organization fighting for the protection of all sentient beings, hoping to impact our global food system.

These are just some of the conversations we’ve already had. Can’t wait to share more with all of you. Stay tuned! 

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A Call to Action

The ultimate goal of Brym is not only researching global solutions but activating groups of people to learn from these examples in a meaningful way. Brym will offer opportunities to plug into different organizations, partner with individuals and activist networks, and maybe even motivate you to start something of your own with a greater context for what is needed and how best to bring that idea to life. 

Personally, I hope along the way, I can get out of my ‘American bubble’ and grow from engaging with people different from myself. I hope to tell stories that cultivate a greater a sense of Global Understanding. Let’s start with listening and learning first, then see where we go from there.

I’m a huge JRR Tolkein fan. After quitting my job and diving whole-heartedly into Brym, sometimes I’ve felt a bit lost along the journey. But, as he says, ‘Not all who wander are lost’... I’m excited to take the time to get out of my normal bubble, meet new people, and wander a bit more than usual into new stories and experiences...

Welcome again! Please feel free to invite anyone else in your world that you think might like to join us along the journey.