creativity

Enric Sala’s passion and advocacy for the ocean

Christa Avampato
Enric Sala, NationalGeographic Explorer in Residence and Pristine Seas Founder, is seen exploring the reefs in Palau. Manu San Félix — National Geographic Pristine Seas

Enric Sala is having a moment, and I hope it never ends. His passion for and commitment to the oceans inspires me. In addition to the gorgeous cover story of TIME this week about his work and explorations, the feature on 60 Minutes about his sperm whale research in Dominica’s Nature Island is a must-view. 

The stunning footage of these sperm whales instills a deep love and respect for these animals and the ecosystems they inhabit. To see these gentle giants is a spiritual experience. You can’t help but be in awe of their language and beauty. They have the largest known brains to ever exist, upwards of five times the size of a human brain.

“I left academia because one day I realized I was writing the obituary of the ocean,” said Sala. Now with his organization Pristine Seas, he’s offering the cure to heal the ocean, the only cure that has been proven to work: the creation of marine protected areas where all damaging human impacts are illegal and banned.

Oceans underpin our ways of life, our health, and the world economy. The science is proven. We know how to protect and regenerate healthy oceans—leave them alone. Do we have the will to do it? Once we see a sperm whale and all their majesty, how could we not?

creativity

My dream plan for summer 2024

Christa Avampato

As the sun begins to set on summer, I’m speaking plans for next summer into existence. I’ll be at University of Cambridge for my final Masters in Sustainability Leadership residency in early July 2024. I’d like to go a bit early to check out beautiful Brighton. Then after my residency, I would stay on in Cambridge to work remotely and finish my dissertation. After I turn it in at the end of July, I’d like to spend August in Scotland for the Edinburgh Fringe and Book Festivals. My dream summer 2024.💗

What are you dreaming of for next summer?

creativity

Life lessons from my house plants

Christa Avampato

I’m a bit ashamed about something: though I grew up on a farm, I’ve been unable to keep house plants alive. Until now! After moving in June to a new apartment with loads of natural light and a steady breeze, my house plants are thriving, sprouting new shoots, and happily reaching up and out. I literally danced around and clapped my hands at this new life growing on my windowsill this morning. What an incredible metaphor for life.

In the words of Taylor Swift, with plants, I always thought, “It’s me. Hi. I’m the problem. It’s me.” Turns out it was the environment the plants and I were in that needed to change. Sometimes, a change of scene is the key to a change of self.

I love new beginnings of all shapes and sizes—new jobs and projects, new adventures and travels, new relationships, new friendships. Even something small like these new shoots from my plants and learning to care for them, starting a new book, or walking through a part of town I’ve not been to in a while (or ever, as I’m learning with my new home in Brooklyn!) gives me a whole new lease on life. There’s energy and inspiration in the new. A beginner’s mindset is a wondrous thing.

To help my plants thrive, I let them tell me what they needed. Water. Lots of light and fresh air. Some music. Room to grow, change, and evolve. We’re not so different.

Perhaps the most important bit I’m thinking of today while looking at my plants is that new growth needs extra support. “The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends,” as Brad Bird wrote. I don’t know what it is about that new that’s so threatening that some will try their best to stamp it out. I’m always happy to befriend and learn from the new. We need the new now more than ever. In a world where we can be anything, let’s be kind, particularly to those just starting a new journey and especially the natural world. We need each other.

creativity

At Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery, the circle of life continues

Christa Avampato

Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery is much more than a final resting place for over 600,000 people. It’s also an arboretum, wildlife sanctuary, and a community resource to mitigate climate change where life and death exist side-by-side. A 30-minute walk from my apartment, it’s a place I visit often as I get to know my new borough.

With 478 acres, Green-Wood is home to over 7,000 trees from 690 different species, 216 species of birds (including the Argentinian monk parrots who make their home in the architecture of the entrance gates!), and dozens of species of mammals, fungi, and insects, especially pollinators thanks to their beehives and wildflower meadows. Each new planting is selected for its climate adaptiveness, wildlife value, enhancement of the beauty of the landscape, and resilience. Every year Green-Wood’s living collection is responsible for sequestering 264,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide, removing 12,000 lbs. of pollution from the air we breathe, and mitigating 2,620,000 gallons of stormwater from overwhelming Brooklyn’s sewage system.

Founded in 1838, Green-Wood was Brooklyn’s first public park during a period of rapid urbanization. It became so popular, that it inspired the competition to build both Central Park in Manhattan and nearby Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Olmsted and Vaux won both competitions and designed both parks. After designing Central Park, they said that “Prospect Park is everything we wanted Central Park to be.” How very Brooklyn of them!

Green-Wood is also filled with gorgeous art. Inside the chapel, there’s currently a beautiful art installation paying homage to the stories of lesser known souls who are buried on its grounds. I’ve been to classical music concerts inside the crypt, whiskey tastings on its many sprawling lawns, and a Halloween Party that felt like a New Orleans carnival. It is one of the city’s treasures. No wonder it attracts over 500,000 visitors every year.

I love cemeteries and seek them out when I travel. If you find yourself in New York and want to get a sense of our history, ecology, culture, Green-Wood should be high on your list.

All photos below were taken by me at Green-Wood. You’re welcome to use them as long as they are attributed to me. Thank you.

creativity

Mitigation and adaptation: How to prepare and protect our natural world in the age of climate change

Christa Avampato
Photo by Mike Newbry on Unsplash

My eyes started to fill up watching the footage from Maui, Hawaii. I’ve struggled to put my emotions into words as I poured over the coverage. Nearly 14 years to the day, I lost almost everything, including my life, to an apartment building fire on the Upper West Side of New York City. I know the fear of running for my life, away from flames and into the emptiness of the aftermath. The smell of that noxious smoke is still in my nose and memory. I think it always will be.

I wish I could be in Maui to help. Whether using my logistics and operations experience to get survivors supplies and basic needs, or just being there to comfort people knowing exactly how they feel to have lost everything, I can’t help but think that my life and career could be of use in the midst of this horrible tragedy.

Already Maui’s fires are prompting conversations in the sustainability community. When we talk about sustainability solutions, we look at mitigation (halting and reversing climate change and its impacts) and adaptation (preparing ourselves for the impacts of a warming world on our lives). Now in my second year at University of Cambridge studying sustainability, I’m beginning to formulate my career plans for what comes next. I’m using this mitigation and adaptation split as a frame for my future work:

  • What can I do to preserve the natural world we have now and rewild, restore, renew, and regenerate what’s been lost?
  • What can I do to prevent the devastation that will continue, and worsen, because of climate change so we protect lives and natural areas?
  • Can I do both, or do I have to choose where I think I can be the most value?

My Cambridge dissertation involves securing funding from the wealthiest people in the world to fill the climate finance gap. One thing I’ll test is which of these strategic objectives, mitigation or adaptation, resonates most with these funders. Maybe they’ll also see the value in both. I suspect this research will help me figure out where I fit into the puzzle, and how my skills can best be utilized as we begin the fight for and battle of our lives. I’m ready to take the journey, wherever it leads.

creativity

How climate change is impacting theater in Italy and around the globe

Christa Avampato
A performance of Rigoletto staged in Venice. From Italy Magazine.

Here is a fascinating, and incredibly sad, fallout from climate change that I had not previously considered. I manage the streaming movie channel for a world-class arts organization based in New York. We curate the finest concerts, dance, opera, and music-based documentaries from around the globe, and provide them to subscribers in 63 countries. 

Recently, we had to pull a performance of Rigoletto from our future lineup because the performance we were planning to record this summer cannot be staged in Italy. Climate change has made it too hot, and it would be unsafe health-wise for the performers, technicians, and audience. Further proof that climate change is having broad reaching impacts on every industry, everywhere. 

Over time, this will only grow unless we halt emissions. Even the art we love and look forward to experiencing, and the economic and cultural benefit the arts bring to so many communities around the world, is at risk of disappearing.

creativity

The genius of NYC’s London Plan trees that can help us thrive

Christa Avampato

I was worried about my trees. My block in Brooklyn, my whole neighborhood of Ditmas Park, is covered with gorgeous 100+-year-old, 100+-foot-tall London Plane trees. They’re a cross between oriental plane tree and the American sycamore, and so named because they were hardy enough to withstand London’s air pollution during the Industrial Revolution. Its leaf is the NYC Parks Department logo because Robert Moses loved these trees. The comprise 10% of NYC’s 592,130 street trees.

A few weeks ago, during an intense heatwave, they started shedding their bark. And I don’t mean a bit of peeling here and there. It was raining bark, with swaths so big that my dog, Phin, and I had to dodge them on our neighborhood walks. Was the heat, caused by climate change, killing my trees? Were they resilient enough to survive the Industrial Revolution only to be destroyed by the fallout of today’s emissions?

Mercifully, it appears not, for now at least. Thanks to the wonderful team at Madison Square Park I learned this adaptation of bark shedding was developed by London Planes to protect themselves and help them thrive. It happens when they detect some type of enemy invasion, for example by an insect or fungus, or when they are growing, similar to how a snake sheds their skin in order to grow.

Maybe there is something in your life that needs shedding, that is no longer serving you. Like the London Plane, let it go so you can grow and thrive. These trees are our elders, mentors, and guides. We have so much to learn from them about how to live through turbulent times.

I took the photos below of the London Plane trees on my Brooklyn block.

creativity

The danger of Texas school libraries becoming “discipline centers”

Christa Avampato
Photo by Joe Ciciarelli on Unsplash

“Libraries are about freedom. Freedom to read, freedom of ideas, freedom of communication. They are about education, about entertainment, about making safe spaces, and about access to information. We need libraries. We need books. We need literate citizens. I hope we can give our children a world in which they will read, and be read to, and imagine, and understand.” ~Neil Gaiman

When I was a kid, the school library was my refuge. I’d go there when I felt bullied, sad, and lost, and I wanted to escape. I would go to books to go into new worlds that weren’t my physical world. Through them I could travel, find adventure, and be anywhere except where I was when my world was not where I wanted to be. I returned stronger, wiser, and braver because of libraries. 

As I got older, I realized I was not alone in finding my haven in books and libraries. So many kids all over the country, and all over the world, did the same thing if they were fortunate enough to have a library. I also learned millions of children didn’t have libraries to escape to, and that broke my heart and opened my wallet to support libraries, books, authors, reading, writing, and creating in every way I could. When I became a journalist, then an essayist, and then a novelist, my dedication to libraries, books, readers, and writers grew even bigger.

So it’s with devastation that I learned last week about the dire state of school libraries in Houston, Texas that are part of the Houston independent school district (HISD). Superintendent Mike Miles will turn the city’s school libraries into “discipline centers”, and librarian and media-specialist positions will be eliminated. Teachers will be able to send “misbehaving students” to these centers to learn remotely. This is a state decision, not a city decision, and Miles was given this post by the Texas Education Agency. He thinks this will improve student performance in Texas’s largest school district and the 8th largest district in the country.

HISD has 276 schools and 196,943 students. 90% of students identify as ethnic minorities, and 59.4% are economically disadvantaged. They are students who need libraries, extra educational support, and places of refuge. I know this because I was an economically disadvantaged student. Libraries, librarians, and books saved me. They helped me dream of a better life than I had as a kid, and it’s largely because of libraries, librarians, and books that I have the life I have now, a life I love where I make a living through my creativity every day. 

I don’t live in Houston, but I care deeply about these students and what happens to them because they will eventually grow into adults who will go out into our shared world on their own. Without libraries and books, and with goodness knows what goes on in a “discipline center”, imagine how angry and deprived they will be. Imagine how deprived every student in these schools will be without libraries and librarians. What message are we sending all students by denying them free access to books, and the ideas and freedom they afford those who face an unjust uphill climb in our current society? 

Here’s my great hope for the HISD and the city of Houston: that the students, administrators, teachers, voters, politicians, and residents will rise up against Mike Miles. I hope they won’t allow students to be deprived of books, reading, and librarians, and I hope all of us outside of Houston will support them in every way they need. The students of HISD deserve better than this policy, and better than Mike Miles. We can’t allow one man to take their books and their futures from them.

creativity

A guide to find a New York City apartment

Christa Avampato
Photo by chris robert on Unsplash

Are you looking for a new New York City Apartment? Know someone who is? I wrote this guide for you.

In May 2023, I got a new apartment and I learned a lot in the search. After living on the Upper West Side for many years, I found an incredible place in Brooklyn despite the fact that the New York City rental market is the worst it’s ever been. If you or someone you know is searching for a new place to call home in this city, I hope the information I this guide is helpful. If you’ve recently done a search and have tips to share, please post them in the comments to help others.

Tip #1: Decide how much you can afford
Sit down and honestly assess your current finances. What can you afford to pay monthly? How much would you like to pay? How much money do you have upfront to get into a new apartment? Do not start a search until you have these questions answered. In a wild rental market, be clear about staying within your budget. Price trumps everything right now. Also recognize the gap between what you could afford to pay and what you’d like to pay. That distinction is important, and you don’t want a broker to talk you into something you can’t afford. 

Tip #2: Have all your paperwork and money ready to go

Before you begin your search, have all of your paperwork organized and ready to send at a moment’s notice. I kept mine in a Google Drive folder that I could easily share when I put in an application. In that folder, I had the following information:

  • My most recent tax filing
  • Paystubs
  • Letter from my employer saying I’m employed and my salary
  • Letter from current landlord saying I’m in good standing
  • Existing lease with dates and monthly rent listed
  • Credit rating (you can get these for free now without it impacting your credit score from many banks and credit card companies)
  • Bank statements
  • Investment fund statements
  • My dog’s headshot (yep, they asked for it!) and vaccination record
  • Personal references
  • Resume
  • If you’re self-employed, you may also need a letter from your accountant and / or attorney

Not every application requires all of this information but I wanted to have it all ready to go just in case.

Tip #3: Have your money ready to go

Make sure you have money for first month, last month, security deposit, and the broker fee in your bank account, ready to access when you want to make an offer. In this competitive market, you’ll need to jump at a deal as soon as you find one.

Tip #4: Make your peace with paying a broker fee because it might help you in the long run

I hate paying broker fees. I’ve rarely paid them in the past but in this market, fee-free apartments were much less common this time than they were in years past. Also, do the math. I found that the apartments with broker fees were less expensive than those that were fee-free and over the course of a year, the broker fee would be compensated for by a lower monthly rent. So yes, I needed more money up-front but after a year (or less) paying that money upfront would be worth it. I understand that this is a lot to ask of renters, and that I’m tremendously fortunate that I did have the money upfront. I never take that for granted for a moment. In years past, I was neither this lucky nor fortunate.

Tip #5: Streeteasy.com searches are your best resource right now

While there are many ways to find an apartment, I found that the best online resource is Streeteasy.com. It’s the most comprehensive, updated throughout the day, and easy to set up searches to be emailed to you that match your criteria. I tried many others, but ultimately everyone always lists on Streeteasy if they’re listing an apartment online.

Tip #6: Add a personal message to each Streeteasy.com apartment inquiry you send

Once you find an apartment that interests you on Streeteasy.com, don’t just send an anonymous inquiry. Add a personal note with your credit score, annual income, employer, profession, the rental price you want to pay, and the date you’re looking to move. Brokers read these and they often have other apartments that may match your criteria that they have not listed. This is because they pay per listing on Streeteasy.com. Often they’ll list a few, and then tell those that message them about others that they have that aren’t listed. 

Tip #7: Message Streeteasy.com brokers even if they don’t have a listing that matches what you’re looking for

Pursuant to Tip #6, on Streeteasy.com you may find the same brokers popping up in neighborhoods that interest you. Often, there are a few that seem to have a corner on the market of a specific neighborhood. That’s because many of them have deep ties to specific neighborhoods and the landlords, management companies, and property owners there. Streeteasy.com lists their email addresses and phone numbers. Message or call them, tell them what you’re looking for, and ask if they have anything available or coming available soon that might be a good match. 

Tip #8: Tell everyone you know you’re looking for an apartment

Some apartments are pure luck. A friend of a friend of a friend knows a place is about to open up. In case some of these gems are somewhere in your sphere of influence, tell everyone you know by every means you have that you’re looking for a new apartment. Be clear about what you want and tell them so they keep you top-of-mind in case they hear of something.

Tip #9: Be open to not getting everything you want
I hope you find everything you’re looking for in a new apartment. I found I needed a list of non-negotiables and nice-to-haves. There was no perfect apartment. That was pretty evident to me from the outset of my search. My new place does have all my non-negotiables and many of my nice-to-haves, so I knew it was the right fit as soon as I saw the description.

Tip #10: Be open to new neighborhoods

I loved living on the Upper West Side and lived there for many years. However, when I looked at my list of non-negotiables, I quickly realized that I would have to move to a new neighborhood. That was disappointing at first, but I quickly got over it and moved on with my search. And this means I didn’t waste too much time focused on a neighborhood that just didn’t match my needs anymore. Living in a new neighborhood in a borough I’ve never lived in before gave me a fresh and wonderful perspective on life and this city that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.

Tip #11: See the apartment in-person, and preferably at night

I went to see so many apartments that looked completely different than the photos online. Long shots can make them look bigger than they are. Sometimes the photos were old and the apartments were much more run-down than they looked online. I also went to see many of them at night to see if I’d feel comfortable coming home late at night. Nothing replaces an in-person look!

Tip #12: Show up looking professional and responsible
Brokers and property owners make a split-second decision when they see you. It’s not right, but I saw it happen again and again in this search, especially since a broker usually shows the apartment to multiple people at once. Sometimes I’d go to open houses and there were 30 people there to see it. When you go to see an apartment, look the part of a professional, responsible person. It goes a long way. 

Tip #13: Book movers early

I booked Piece of Cake Moving before I even knew where I would be moving because it was a local move. They were amazing through the whole process. With just a $50 deposit, I could secure my rate, date, and time, and that could be changed later as long as they had availability (and sometimes has a lower or higher fee). Remember that the earlier you book, the lower the rate and the more availability they have.

Tip #14: Be flexible on move date and putting your items in storage

Piece of Cake Moving offers a free month of storage with every rental. Yes, you have to pay to move things into storage and out of storage, but for the right deal that might be worth it to you. It was for me. There was a two-week gap between my old lease and new lease so I got an Airbnb out of town and put my things in storage. This is because it was an incredible deal. Yes, it was a hassle on some fronts, but it was absolutely worth it!

I hope this guide is helpful to you and anyone you know looking for an apartment in New York City. If you’ve got any questions, put them in the comments and I’ll share anything I know. Also, if you have other tips about moving in New York that I didn’t put in this guide, please share those, too. Let’s help each other find a great place to live!

creativity

Thoughts from the inaugural Games and SDG Summit at the UN

Christa Avampato
Me at the United Nations

“Go further than you think you can, or should. Push that boundary of what you could do into the uncomfortable zone because that’s where you know change is happening.” ~ Mathias Gredal Nørvig, CEO of SYBO

Being at the United Nations Games for Change Games and SDG (Strategic Development Goals) Summit to talk with attendees across government, academia, industry, and nonprofits about my sustainability in games research at University of Cambridge with ustwo Games, and learn more about the role of games in promoting sustainability, was nothing short of an honor. I know I was privileged to be in the room.

Because 1/3 of the world population plays games, games need to be a tool for every organization working in sustainability. If you’re interested in learning more about that, please get in touch! I’d love to share ideas of how you can get started! I also encourage anyone and everyone to look into Playing 4 The Planet, the UN’s inspiring games initiative with resources and data for every size of organization.

The summit was filled with incredible presentations about what’s already been done with games, projects that are underway, and the mountain of work ahead. There is one idea that I can’t shake, one perspective that completely changed my point-of-view about my work and my place in the world. It was from Mathias Gredal Nørvig, CEO of gaming company Sybo. He talked about how his company is pushing the boundaries in their communications and storytelling so far that there was a bit of backlash from their community. Rather than seeing this as a mistake or misstep, he saw this as a victory to be celebrated, a milestone that showcases progress. On this border, he saw evolution, change, and a provocative call-to-action. He closed his talk by saying he hopes all of us will have the courage to go further than we think we can, and to push our companies to do the same.

Over the next few weeks and months, I’m going to think about what that boundary is for me and how I can push past it to create breakthrough change. How can I extend myself beyond what I think I’m capable of doing? How can I take a bigger risk, step outside of my comfort zone to do something extraordinary that I’m not certain I can accomplish? How can I dare greatly?

I don’t know the answers to any of those questions right now, but I’m excited and eager to find them and share them. I hope you’ll join me in that quest to rise higher, to go further and faster together. The future of our planet, and all species with whom we share it, depends on it.