The wonders of nature amaze me every day, and today a piece of natural news left me in awe. A paper was just published in the journal Nature about an orangutan who was observed self-medicating with remarkable effects that even trained medical doctors would have trouble reproducing.
In Sumatra, a 35-year-old orangutan known to researchers as Rakus had a large, deep, open wound on his face close to his eye. To look at it even made me wince, and I’m not at all squeamish about medical issues! With his teeth, he ground yellow root, an herb he rarely ate that has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. He then applied the yellow root paste to his facial wound. In several days, it scabbed over. A little over a month later, it was barely noticeable with no sign of infection. (The images of Rakus above are from the paper in Nature.)
How could Rakus possibly act as his own doctor and healer? Where did he learn this yellow root technique? Scientists don’t know yet. While other animals have been observed in the wild tending to their injuries and the injuries of others, some even administering self-care and preventative-care, this was the first time an animal was observed medicinally treating a wound and with remarkable success.
There is so much we don’t know nor understand about the natural world. This is one of the many reasons why conservation is so vital for the health of people and our planet. Nature-based solutions to what ails us are everywhere, and to allow us to learn from them we must conserve the ecosystems where they occur. Perhaps Rakus has shown us a new medication that we could use to treat human wounds. He and his species are sentient, thoughtful beings who hurt and heal just as we do, deserve respect and concern, and have a right to survive and thrive.
Driven by the university student protests across the country, divestment is a top topic in U.S. media today. I’m currently getting my Masters in Sustainability Leadership at the University of Cambridge. At our December 2023 workshop, I learned about the complexities of the university’s divestment from fossil fuel companies.
I was particularly interested in this topic at my December workshop at Cambridge because in late 2022 at the start of my group project for my program, I tried to completely divest my personal retirement funds from fossil fuels. I had a clear goal of divestment from fossil fuels, and only a few funds at two financial institutions (one from my current job and another for my roll-over accounts from retirement funding I earned at previous jobs). I planned to talk to someone at the financial institutions, make a few changes to my investments, and have my portfolio free from fossil fuels.
Divesting my own small retirement fund from fossil fuels was anything but simple. 18 months, many phone calls, emails, and hours of research later, and I still have some investments in fossil fuel companies despite all my efforts and time. It’s fewer than I had when I started this process, which is progress, but it’s not the perfect change I hoped for. My personal work to divest from fossil fuels in ongoing.
While the divestment process is complex, I wanted to use this post to provide a few insights from the efforts at Cambridge along with links to those who want to dive deeper into this topic and case study. This case study helped me learn more about the divestment process and informs me about how it could be utilized by university administrators, faculty, students, and alumni who want to be actively engaged in the management of a university’s endowment, overall financials, and operations. Of course, this is just one case study at one university and other divestment processes at other universities may differ in their journey and the results.
The form(s) of activism best suited for any individual or organization has many considerations. Examples include organized protests, public letters and other media outreach, contact with elected and appointed officials and policy makers, local actions in a specific community (caring for a natural area through rewilding, replanting, regenerating, clean-ups, etc.), buying goods and services from companies that align with our values, running for elected or appointed office, having conversations with people in our community about our personal experiences, and starting, working, and volunteering for companies, organizations, and partners that align with our values. This is only a small list of possible actions.
One thing I’ve learned in this process is one form of activism is not better, nor more valid, than another. How, when, and why people engage in activism is impacted by many circumstances — our resources of time and money, where we feel we can best contribute and make an impact, personal and professional commitments, and our mental and physical health to name just a few.
Trade-offs, negotiations, and incremental progress Another consideration in all divestment conversations is the topic of trade-offs and negotiations because it is rare (though perhaps not impossible) to find a perfect solution or action to a challenge we want to solve. As an individual, I only have to consider my own trade-offs. A university like Cambridge has many stakeholders to consider so their trade-offs and negotiations are much more complicated than mine as an individual.
Divestment with a clear goal, an agreement on specific tactics and actions, an understanding of trade-offs, negotiations, and incremental progress is a journey. It takes continuous efforts by many people over a long period of time. Lasting change is a collective, collaborative process of coalitions.
Here are the links I refer to in this post for easy access. I hope they’re helpful for anyone interested in learning more about divestment:
This week, I had my first Brooklyn beach day of 2024 at Coney Island! Since moving from the Upper West Side to Brooklyn almost a year ago, I’ve discovered a number of new joys in New York City. One of the biggest has been Coney Island — named one of the best 25 beaches in the U.S. in 2024 by Travel+Leisure Magazine. Coney Island is a 20-minute subway ride from my apartment. In addition to the beach, there’s a boardwalk loaded with delicious food and drinks, rides, games, a minor league baseball stadium, fun street art, music, city park land, and a load of characters from every walk of life. I look forward to spending many days here this summer.
Fun Coney Island and NYC beach facts: – How Coney Island got its name is widely disputed. Some theories: (1) an Irish boat captain named Peter O’Connor sailed to New York from Ireland in the late 1700s, and named Coney Island after Ireland’s Coney Island, which was and remains a mile from O’Connor’s home in County Sligo and looks remarkably similar to Brooklyn’s Coney Island save for the fact that the island in Ireland is nearly deserted and Brooklyn’s Coney Island is a magnet for locals and tourists alike. (2) The Dutch settled Manhattan in 1624 and inhabited Coney Island soon afterward. It was home to a large population of wild rabbits and the Dutch word for rabbit is “konijn”. (3) The areas was once inhabited by the Konoh, or Bear, tribe. Records from all these times are spotty or non-existent so we may never know exactly how Coney Island got its name.
I talk about my five jobs as a writer: cartographer, painter, mason, tourist, and sculptor. I also discuss how I manage multiple writing projects and critique, my writing process, the relationship between my business experience and my writing, and advice for other writers. Thank you to Julie and Chapter Break for all you do for writers and readers.
Almost all my writing is re-writing. I write my first draft of a book in a month, and then spend many months re-writing and editing. This means a lot of content never makes it into the book. Now, for the first time, I’m sharing a few of these cut scenes with you!
Details: Author Christa Avampato will be in conversation with Matt Misetich, Senior Executive and Partner at Pipeline Media Group, in a reserved space to start the party. There will be delicious food-to-order, 2-for-1 drink specials until 8pm, cake with a bit of magic, raffle prizes, and free giveaways for all guests. Then enjoy the cozy and relaxed bar with a hidden outdoor patio, pool table, and Caribbean vibe.
Emerson and I send you love. Photo by Christa Avampato
Hello all – I’m popping in here to say a big thank you. Last week 1,202 people downloaded and bought my first novel, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters! World Book Night was the first special promotion I’ve ever done, and I had no expectation of how it would go. I’m so grateful to every one of you who downloaded and purchased the book.
It means so much to me, and I hope Emerson’s story brings you joy. If you feel inclined to write a review, you can do so here. Reviews help new readers discover the book.
Thank you again for all your wonderful support. I can’t wait to share the launch of my second book, Emerson Page and Where the Light Leads, in just two weeks on May 14th!
Me getting my recent Zometa infusion at Perlmutter Cancer Center
This is me at Perlmutter Cancer Center this week getting an infusion of Zometa, my own version of the Harry Potter Skele-Gro potion. The medications I take to prevent cancer recurrence have the unfortunate side-effect of decreasing my bone density. Zometa has the dual benefit of regrowing bone and reducing the risk of breast cancer recurrence. Isn’t that cool? The hope is I’ll only need 4 infusions (once every 6 months) so I’m halfway there! I also got all my annual bloodwork done and it’s perfect.
I get this infusion once every 6 months in the same chemo ward I went to during those dark days of active treatment in the midst of the pandemic before vaccines. I remember how sick and scared I was, how my dreams were on hold, and maybe out of reach. I’d flip through pictures of University of Cambridge and University of Oxford having put my graduate school applications to study environmental sustainability on hold, hoping I’d live to pursue those dreams.
Now I’m 3 months from finishing my degree at Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. The dream came true. It was a dream delayed but not a dream denied, thanks to the incredible care I received and the many people who made it possible for me to heal. Science and medicine are incredible. Better living through chemistry.
Managing through ongoing care can be exhausting. I’m also extraordinarily lucky to have access to the best medical care in the world. There are so many who don’t. And if this is what it takes to maintain my health and live the life I imagine, that’s fine with me. There is so much I’m learning on the journey, and I’m grateful to be able to use it to help others.
Get yourself a friend like this: Ashley painted my soul dog, not once but twice, and then on her day off from her intense job went with me to Central Park to commemorate him by taking photos under his favorite cherry trees in full bloom of the paintings she painted and the felt likeness of him given to me by another sweet friend.
The locket I’m wearing has a lock of Phin’s hair in it. Phinny was certainly with us as we saw 5 dachshunds on our visit. His way of saying, “Hi, Mom! Hi, Ashley! I love you.” A pair of them, Otto and Oliver, were just 7 months old. Their dads had lost their 13-year-old dachshund, Arthur, a year before getting Otto and Oliver. “Nothing can bring the joy of your dog back as much as another dog.”
It’s been 3 months since Phinny passed away in my arms. This visit to his favorite part of the park during his favorite time of year with my dear friend did my broken heart so much good. I realize now this grief will never leave me. I’m learning how to carry it while also finding joy every day. We contain multitudes. Phinny is still teaching me. He’s always teaching me. Our love story continues.
It’s World Book Night and the eBook for my first novel, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, is FREE on Amazon all over the world TODAY ONLY! Click this link to go right to the Amazon page for the eBook and download it.
I’m so happy to be able to offer the first book of Emerson’s story to everyone to support this wonderful cause. Happy reading!
Christa Avampato 