Category: creativity

creativity

Myth-busting: Canada is not to blame for wildfires impacting NYC, and these fires aren’t “natural”

Christa Avampato
Photo by Kym MacKinnon on Unsplash

The U.S. loves a good blame game. I’ve seen some journalists and talking heads blame Canada for New York City’s hideous air quality that is now migrating south, and others call these fires “natural”. Let’s debunk both these myths.

Don’t blame Canada
Canada is not the enemy, just the stage for this latest environmental tragedy. The wildfires were caused by years of extreme temperatures and drought, driven by climate change, drying out forests and making them hotter. This is a great recipe for kindling. Canada’s millions of acres of forest are tinderboxes. 

Dry, hot weather also creates more lightning. Lightning starts 50% of Canada’s wildfires that generate 85% of wildfire destruction. The other half of Canada’s wildfires are caused by human activity. Changing our collective behaviour to mitigate the impacts of humanity-driven climate change needs to be our collaborative focus. 

These Canadian wildfires are not “natural”
Climate deniers love to throw around the word “natural”. There is nothing natural about the fires except for the fact that they are impacting nature in profound ways that will, if left unchecked, leave this planet and us in jeopardy. There’s nothing natural about massive consumption far beyond our needs, our outrageous generation of trash and pollution, and the intense love affair we have with fossil fuel use. This wildfire season has started earlier, is already more fierce than any in history, and will last longer. All of these circumstances are driven by an accelerated rate of climate change, rate being the opportune word. 

Yes, climate changes over time, and so does weather. Another myth to debunk—climate and weather are not the same. Climate is a pattern over time; weather is an acute event. They are linked, but they are not the same. We expect weather to change. We expect, and need, climate to be stable.

For the past 12,000 years, the Earth’s climate has been stable with very little change. In the past 150 years, the change to our climate has been substantial, occurred at a rate at which nature cannot adjust and adapt to maintain quality of life, and is due to human activity. This is anything but natural. 

We still have time to fix this
As treacherous as this situation is now, all is not lost, yet. We can change our behaviours. We can change how we live on and with this planet, and all the species who call it home. We can eat more plants and fewer animal products. We can use less energy, and create more of it from sustainable sources. We can have honest conversations, and take more responsibility as individuals, communities, governments, and businesses. We can be alarmed, maintain hope, and use tragedy as fuel to turn pain and peril into power through our actions.

What we can’t do is lie, bury our heads in the sand, prey off of people’s fears, and be complacent. It’s time to rise together to protect the planet. Our own lives and livelihoods hang in the balance. 

creativity

New York wakes up to climate change

Christa Avampato
Picture I took this morning of the thick skies in upstate New York

Yesterday, Mayor Adams walked out of Gracie Mansion, smelled the air, looked at the sky, and asked, “What the hell is this?” This, Mr. Mayor, is climate change.

A truly stunning series of events is unfolding in New York. For the first time in recorded history, the AQI (air quality index) was over 200. 218 to be exact—a purple warning, the highest level of the AQI. Right now, it is the second worst air quality in the world. Canadian wildfires are mixing with ground level ozone to create a thick smoky gravy in the skies. 

It’s forcing New Yorkers indoors to protect their health. The city has asked that if they must go outdoors, they should dig out and wear those KN95 masks they thought were in their COVID-19 rearview mirrors. They are being encouraged to work from home is possible, and many events are being cancelled across the city, including after-school activities. 

To my knowledge, the 33-minute press conference that Mayor Adams and his collaborators and staff held this morning on the situation is the first time a New York Mayor has held such an event specifically because of climate change, with that being the dominant message at the event. It won’t be the last. The climate emergency is here, it’s impacting daily life, and it will get worse. 

During the War of 1812, Master Commandant Oliver Perry wrote to Major General William Henry Harrison, “We have met the enemy, and they are ours.” He could easily write the same line today with respect to climate change. We are the problem, and we are also the solution.

Synchronistically, I am in upstate New York taking a break as I wait for my new Brooklyn apartment to be ready and I am working my way through the climate segment of my Masters degree in Sustainability Leadership at University of Cambridge. For the record, I don’t like to be away from my city when there’s a crisis. As a proud and committed New Yorker, I feel responsible for my home, my neighbors, and our collective future, particularly when it comes to environmental sustainability. 

Some environmental facts about New York City may surprise you. New York has more trees than any other U.S. city has people, with 39.2% tree cover, the highest of any city in the world. New York City’s greenhouse gas emissions are 7.1 metric tons per person compared with the national average of 24.5. New Yorkers are collectively responsible for just 1% of the nation’s total greenhouse gas emissions though we comprise 2.7% of the nation’s population. We are the only city in the U.S. where well over half of households do not own a car, and most people regularly take public transit — the highest percentage to do so in the nation. 78% of New Yorkers are personally convinced climate change is happening, slightly higher than the 71% national average. 

Still, inequality in environmental impacts and health outcomes, often linked to environmental causes, is rampant in New York. It has the third highest cancer instance in the country, the old housing stock and lead paint are ongoing concerns, and pests are so rampant that we have a rat czar (her actual title), Kathleen Corradi, on the city payroll. Though the average New Yorker creates less trash than the national average, we are the largest city by population and collectively generate 14 million tons of trash every year, which is all shipped out of the city for processing.

The inequality in New York is also causing a disparity in impact with this latest air quality warning. I feel for the elderly, those with health challenges intensely impacted by this situation, those in neighborhoods who are already disproportionately impacted by climate change and health challenges, and essential workers such as sanitation workers who again are being asked to show up in our city for our sake. 

I also feel for the animals and natural landscapes who did nothing to precipitate this situation, and now have no protection from the fallout. New York is home to over 7,000 species of plants and animals, and we are in one of the 36 global biodiversity hotspots. We need this biodiversity in flora and fauna, and they need us to change our ways, now more than ever. 

My biggest goal in my life is to make New York the healthiest and most sustainable city on the planet. We have much to do, and a long way to go. This latest air quality warning proves we must go together. 

creativity

Canadian wildfires impacting New York City air quality

Christa Avampato
Imagine on Secret NYC by Gary Hershorn

Canadian wildfires are having a massive impact on NYC air quality today. Limit time outdoors and limit energy use when possible. The air quality is so poor that people will begin to feel health impacts from it. It is in place at least until midnight tonight.

This will be common throughout the summer as global warming and climate change have triggered an earlier and more intense start to wildfire season. More details, links, and information about this alert here: https://secretnyc.co/air-quality-health-advisory-nyc/

Stay up-to-date on this warning and other environmental notifications by following the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation twitter account at https://twitter.com/NYSDEC

creativity

Envision your new space

Christa Avampato
Photo by Spacejoy on Unsplash

One thing I’m spending time on while I’m out of the city is considering how I’m going to decorate my forever home in Brooklyn. I have never decorated a home before. I’ve moved far too often to make the investment of time and money worthwhile. But that’s changed now with this apartment. I don’t know a lot about interior design because I’ve never spent any time studying it. I’m poring over magazines, websites, and the social media feeds of designers.

One piece of advice that everyone seems to give is “start by imagining how you want your home to feel.” How do I want to feel when I open the front door? How do I want guests to feel? Now I have an answer—I want it to be a little jewel box of peace. I want to open the door and feel like I can take a deep breath. I want my home to feel like an oasis, a respite, and a place of relief. A place where joy can grow.

I can manifest that feeling in the colors, textures, selection and arrangement of the furniture, and art. I gave away nearly all my furniture from my old apartment. I get a chance to start fresh with this apartment, to make it exactly the home I want it to be, and I can’t wait to begin.

creativity

Goodbye to the Upper West Side

Christa Avampato
Photo of me in front of Milk Bar, Upper West Side

I’ve stopped and started this post several times because I wasn’t sure how I could ever put into words what living on the Upper West Side for the better part of 16 years has meant to me. It was my dream as a kid to live in the Sesame Street neighborhood, and then I was fortunate enough to work at Sesame Street while I was here!

This past week I’ve been racing around doing errands, packing, cleaning, taking care of my aging dog, working – of the employment and graduate school varieties. Every time I turned a corner, walked a block, or saw a familiar face, memories flooded into my mind – some were joyful, some were tragic, and many were ordinary moments that felt extraordinary, then and now. 

Here, I fell in love, and had my heart broken here, many times over. My novels were written and published. I started telling my stories, and helping others tell theirs. Jobs came and went, some were amazing opportunities and some I would like to forget. I started two businesses. I adopted my dog. I became a journalist. I was burned out of one apartment (and almost got trapped in the building), and kicked out of another when the building went co-op. I started therapy and put so many ghosts to rest that had haunted me for most of my life. I learned how to be fearless, or rather how to run right towards what scares me and not flinch. I faced health challenges, mental and physical. I rode out the pandemic. I was diagnosed with and treated for cancer—and nearly died from that treatment, twice, in this exact apartment I’m writing this post from right now. This apartment that I will leave tomorrow, never return to, and where I lived, where I really lived. Where I found out what I’m made of, why I’m here, and what my purpose is. Here I found the secret of life, and it’s love. To be ridiculously, foolishly, blindly, joyfully in love with every moment and interaction, and every single chance we get to just be. 

There are so many things I will miss—my friends and neighbors, Central Park, Riverside Park, the dogs, the shops, the good food, the familiarity. My friend, Jennifer, sent me a quote from Navin Amarasuriya of The Contentment Foundation that says, “Home is not a location, but a place where you are missed when you are gone.” For me, the Upper West Side has been all these things, a real home. I will miss it, and it will miss me. We meant something to each other, and we always will.  

This has been a long and winding chapter, and it’s rapidly coming to a close. There are new adventures and new places waiting for me, places that are not yet home but that I hope in time will be. No place will ever be exactly like this place, and for its special place in my heart I’m so grateful. I’m grateful for all it gave me and took from me, for all of it. 

End scene, curtain up, take a long, happy, thankful bow, smile, pause, and then on to the next show, tomorrow. 

creativity

Stories in and on walls

Christa Avampato
Art on one of the walls in my apartment

If you’ve ever been to one of my apartments, you know I paint my walls with art. In preparation for my move, I took down all my art today and packed it. Normally, this day is a sad one for me. Suddenly my home isn’t my home anymore without the art on the walls.

But today was not a sad day for me. Though I will miss my neighbors and my neighborhood, letting go of this apartment is part of turning the page and letting go of a lot of painful memories. The pandemic. Cancer treatment. Nearly dying from cancer treatment. Break-ups. Old jobs. The loss of friends. The loss of family members. Phineas getting sick multiple times. As I took down my art, I let go of all those difficulties, all that sadness and disappointment.

There were plenty of wonderful times in these walls, too. Visits with friends. Unpacking a box full of copies of my first Emerson novel. Selling my second and third Emerson novels to a new publisher. Getting into the biomimicry program at ASU. Getting into the sustainability leadership course at Cambridge. Healing – for me and for Phin. Here, finally, I found peace and I will take it with me.

I’ve lived in this apartment for 6 years, longer than I’ve lived anywhere else as an adult. It’s a funny thing to be a renter, to live in a place where so many other lives have played out of people I will never know and never meet. Everything that happened to me here will never be known by the people who will live here less than a month from now. They’ll make their own memories here, and I’ll never know those stories. Only the walls know it all, and they keep every secret.

creativity

Public Voices Fellowship on the Climate Crisis at Yale University

Christa Avampato

Really proud to be a finalist for the Public Voices Fellowship on the Climate Crisis with The OpEd Project at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. They had 445 applications this year and though I didn’t get one of the 20 fellowship slots, as a finalist I will have some incredible opportunities this coming year to sharpen and hone my climate change storytelling. Please join me in congratulating this year’s fellows. 

creativity

Thanks for the joy, James Corden

Christa Avampato
James Corden on The Late Late Show

You may know I’m a massive fan of James Corden and his edition of The Late Late Show. You may not know that he and the show were part of my care plan when I went through cancer treatment during the pandemic. In my efforts to find joy every day to get myself through one of the toughest times in my life, James, his staff, and his guests were often that source of joy for me. 

This has made saying goodbye to him in my own distant fangirl way especially difficult. I cried watching him sing his farewell song, “That’s Our Show.” I’m so grateful to him and his team for all they’ve done for eight years to make me laugh, to make us all laugh, especially during the challenging times. What a gift. 

Though his time on late night is done, at least for now, I’m hopeful that we will see him again soon in his next great role. He is a massive talent. His performance in the Amazon show, Mammals, is beautiful and haunting. His comedic work on stage in The History Boys and One Man, Two Guvnors is masterful. I can’t wait to see what he does next because after his incredibly successful late night run, he could do anything. Truly. The world of opportunities is open to him. And I imagine that could be frightening and daunting. What would you do if you could do anything? It’s an enormous, poignant question. 

My hope for him is he takes a long vacation, takes some time, takes a breath, takes in all the love and admiration fans like me have for him, and then does exactly what he wants to do. Maybe he’ll decide to do nothing. Maybe he’ll decide to do something. No matter what I will always be glad he chose to spend eight years of his life in the U.S. bringing his light to late night and making us smile every day. Thank you, James and the whole Late Late Show team, for everything. What a run. What a legacy. Congratulations. 

creativity

My dream New York City apartment

Christa Avampato
Photo by Julian Hochgesang on Unsplash

The search is on for my new apartment! I’ll be moving on May 31st, or slightly before. To manifest this new space for my new chapter in this city, I wrote out what where I’d love to live:

  • Dog-friendly
  • Filled with light
  • Good public transit
  • Private outdoor space
  • Modern kitchen and bathroom
  • Laundry in-unit or in-building
  • Elevator
  • Doorperson
  • Neighborhood feel with a green space nearby

Let’s see what I can find. All ideas and referrals welcomed!

creativity

Remembering Todd Haimes, President / CEO of New York’s Roundabout Theatre Company

Christa Avampato
In memoriam via https://www.roundabouttheatre.org/in-memoriam-todd-haimes

“I didn’t know if you’d seen this. I remember your reverence for him.”

My friend Trevin Cooper, himself a talented theater professional, wrote me this note when he sent me the news that Todd Haimes, President / CEO of New York’s Roundabout Theatre Company, where I got my first job in New York after college, passed away. I put my head down and let two big tears roll down my face.

When I first started at the Roundabout, Todd showed me what was possible when you bet on yourself. Fresh out of college and not sure where my life or career was going, his example gave me hope, and a roadmap.

Todd went to the University of Pennsylvania for undergrad, as did I. He got an MBA, which I would get 7 years later following his example. He knew his career was not on stage (he acted in only one play), but on the administrative side. The same was true for me as well. He often described himself as an orchestrator with a talent for getting the right people around the table and removing any roadblocks so they could create something incredible together. I think of myself that way, too.

Todd was the first person who helped me realize not only could I love business and the arts equally, but that the two benefit one another. It’s a lesson I’ve never forgotten in all the years since I worked at the Roundabout and it’s been the basis for my entire career and life—to use rock solid business principles to support creative endeavors.

When I found out Todd got cancer in his 40s, I was devastated. Then I was inspired because he kept going in spite of it — for 20 years! — and his star rose higher than ever. I also got cancer in my 40s during the pandemic, and again Todd’s example showed me what’s possible, even in the face of a difficult diagnosis. (I am thankfully now cancer-free.)

Though Todd physically left this world last week after his long battle with cancer, the energy, enthusiasm, and talent he wielded to completely transform Broadway theatre lives on in our beautiful city of New York, artistic communities all over the world, and the many people whom he inspired. Me included, of course.

They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway, wrote Weil and Mann. I say they shine brighter because Todd Haimes dedicated his life to making them so.