The Returning Home Podcast

If we want to live in a healthy relationship with the places we call home, with each other and the rest of life, we have to understand what’s actually happening around us. No one person can ever see the whole picture. But what becomes visible when we weave our experiences and perspectives together?   What might be happening around you that you simply can’t see on your own? In the 1960s, the Governor of New York called the Hudson River “one great septic tank.” The living system was completely overwhelmed.  Everyone could see it. Everyone could smell it. Those who allowed themselves, could feel it. But the situation was complex and those who wanted to understand it were up against a culture that saw industrial grime as a necessary byproduct of progress and strength. As awareness of environmental issues were growing, a small group of mostly college students and fishermen set out to understand the river for themselves. This group soon became known as the People’s Pipewatch Program.  They formed a distributed network, each person observing a different patch of the river. This episode tells the story of how a group of people, coming together, were able to understand a complex system in a way no individual could alone, and in doing so, offer a much needed fuller picture. It’s also an exploration of an essential practice we’re learning to host within Returning Home, which asks the question: What becomes visible when we start weaving our experiences and perspectives together? Visit awakeninglands.com to start your own Returning Home Practice. Featured Sources: Hudson River Sloop Clearwater https://www.clearwater.org/ Hudson River Maritime Museum https://www.hrmm.org/history-blog/the-hudson-river-then-and-now-a-brief-history-of-water-quality Hudson River Valley Heritage https://omeka.hrvh.org/exhibits/show/rescuing-the-river/bagging-polluters/people-s-pipewatch   Updated Information: After publishing this episode, I sent it to the only student from the People's Pipewatch Program who's name was listed in one of the sources. I heard back from her and she shared that the effort was actually a small investigative team rather than a larger distributed group. Their monitoring began with what were called “permits to pollute.” Then they visited sites to see whether what companies reported matched what was actually entering the river. In doing so, they uncovered many additional, often unreported discharges. Her message left me even more impressed with what they were able to accomplish.  A clear lesson for me: rely as much as possible on primary sources.

What happens when a story of place reveals something we couldn't see before? In this episode of Returning Home, a conversation about migratory birds unexpectedly opens into a larger story about hidden patterns in living landscapes, the surprising power of story, and how people may begin seeing themselves as part of something larger by knowing more stories of the places they call home. Featuring the inspiring Western New York Wildways as one example of a story of place, this episode explores how stories can change how we relate to the living world around us… and perhaps even what becomes possible. As promised in the episode, here’s a link to the Western New York Wildways website, with “The Map” - https://www.wnylc.org/wnywildway    After listening to the episode… Does your home region feel different after hearing this story of place? Please feel welcome to come explore more of the Returning Home practice at https://awakeninglands.com/.

There’s an instinct we may all have, a feeling of home. In this episode, we explore that feeling as something already present, but often overlooked in a fast-moving, increasingly placeless world. In a world where many of us have lost the meaning of home, it can often be painful, too easy to ignore, or hard to name. But what if we just need to turn our heads to see it from a new angle? What if that can actually show us the way home? In this episode, you'll find out just what that means. Visit awakeninglands.com to start practicing Returning Home, alone, with a partner, with a group, as a place...

Our attention shapes our experience of the world… and who we become. In this episode, we explore what it means to pay attention in a different way, and what begins to happen when we do. What becomes possible when we notice small, meaningful details in the places we live? What changes when we begin to do that with others?   This episode invites you to reflect on your own attention: Can you see the life around you with fresh eyes? What might you not be noticing? What could become possible if others around you began to notice it too? This is part of an ongoing exploration of what it means to return home, and the practices that help us do that, together, where we live. If you’d like to explore further, visit awakeninglands.com. There, follow where it says to Begin and you'll find self-guided activities. There are opportunities to deepen a practice and invite others from there... See you soon.

Returning Home is an emerging practice exploring what it would mean for people in a place to learn from reality together, over time. This podcast exists as part of that process. It’s a practice in place-based listening, reflection, and action. In this first episode, we explore the breakdown the practice is responding to and what we're focused on next. If you’re already participating, this may help you situate yourself more clearly. Visit awakeninglands.com to learn more about our mission and methods. There, you'll also find a "Begin" page where you can access two self-led activities to begin practicing. From there, if you want to keep going, you'll discover how it deepens.