I’m really happy to have joined a new collective created by Climate Film Festival that’s bringing together sustainability professionals with filmmakers to raise the bar on and expand opportunities for climate storytelling. As someone who has one foot in each of these worlds, I’m so excited to be part of this new professional group and to help craft and fund these stories that drive action.
Yesterday I went to the Essex Market coffee hour for our first in-person event and attended an excellent panel about climate documentary making. As someone who studied how to use storytelling to drive more climate investment from family offices, I felt like I was in just the right place at just the right time because financing was a key part of the conversation. I heard a number of filmmakers talk about the challenge of finding financing for their climate films, especially with the current situation in D.C.
What filmmakers need to consider is that private funders don’t want to just fund a movie. They want to fund systemic change, especially when it comes to protecting and restoring the health of the planet. Filmmakers need to show how their films, and the platforms and supports they are building around their films, will get viewers to engage in creating meaningful change. That change needs to be measured and reported on.
Is that asking more from filmmakers? Yes. Is it asking them to be skilled business people, entrepreneurs, and community leaders on top of their filmmaking expertise and beyond the creation of the film? Yes. Isn’t making a movie already a Herculean task? Yes. Is that a challenge? Yes. It’s also today’s funding reality.
You aren’t just making a movie, not anymore. You’re building a movement, and that movement is what’s fundable with a movie being one cornerstone of many.
Our first photo together in the parking lot of the shelter. Taken by my mom.
Today would have been Phinny’s 15th Gotcha Day and 16th birthday.
Do you remember what it was like the very first time you saw your BFF (best furry friend)?
I remember taking the train to Harrison, NY that day to spring him from the shelter like it was yesterday. I remember walking into that dark and dank lobby that smelled like mildew. I remember the very first time I saw him wiggle his little self out into the lobby.
I remember the first time I picked him up and held him. I remember the first time he looked at me with his beautiful marble eyes. It was the only instance in my life of love at first sight. I knew he was for me and I was for him. I found my boy and he found his mom.
Phineas was adventurous and fun-loving, always up for anything. He was my constant companion, through thick and thin. Loyal to a fault. Curious, funny, and playful. As long as he was with me, he was happy. It didn’t matter where we were or what he was doing. He just wanted to be along for the ride.
He taught me how to be brave and how to trust myself and others. After all the difficulties he faced during the first year of his life, he still left his heart wide open for the possibility of a new chapter. When I find myself facing difficulties, I embrace my inner Phinny. I try to be as brave as he always was.
Happy birthday and happy Gotcha Day over the rainbow bridge, Phinny. Though you’re no longer here physically, I feel your spirit with me everywhere I go and in everything I do. Together forever, buddy.
I was saddened to hear about the passing of Robert Redford this morning. When I was an undergrad at the University of Pennsylvania, he came to campus to explore a film and storytelling partnership between the university, the West Philadelphia community, and his Sundance Institute. I remember seeing him from a distance and immediately noticing that there was a light about him, a kind of magical aura that emanated from his smile and ease of being.
In addition to championing filmmaking and storytelling, he was also incredibly passionate about the environment. He was a lifelong advocate for nature, beginning his activism in the 1970s by using his celebrity to promote causes like protecting air and water, and later founding the Redford Center to use storytelling to expand environmentalism. He spoke at the United Nations about climate change, was recognized by TIME magazine as a “Hero of the Environment” in 2007, and served for decades on the board of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The NRDC’s Southern California headquarters in Santa Monica is named The Robert Redford Building to honor his long-standing support for the organization as a board member and environmental activist.
While we remember his outstanding career as an actor, director, writer, and producer, I’ll continue to hold him up as an example of someone who knew early on that storytelling was the key to protecting our planet and used his talents to further that mission. May we all carry forward his remarkable and beautiful legacy.
Friday, September 5th, was my Alive Day – many years ago on that day I ran out of a burning building to save my life. I’ve written about that event many times, here, here, and here for example.
It was a wild ride to recover from that and from past traumas that had piled up. It prepared me for everything that came after: becoming a novelist, the pandemic, cancer, and helping my soul dog, Phineas, cross the rainbow bridge when it was his time. Now with all this perspective, what was once one of the worst days of my life became a turning point that changed my life in ways I never imagined were possible. Yes, that fire took almost everything from me. It also gave me everything I needed.
A special thanks always to Brian McCormack who helped me embrace my darkness and my light in equal measure by walking the path to wellness with me every step of the way. I’m forever grateful to be here, to be well, and to be whole.
Meet Fifi, the calmest, sweetest girl you could ever ask for. She’s my 9th foster and came to us through the ASPCA here in NYC. I had planned to take a bit more time between fosters because work is busy. Then I saw Fifi’s frosted face and I couldn’t resist.
A police case, Fifi has had a difficult past. This time she was found abandoned in an empty apartment with another dog when her family moved and left her behind. That’s all in her rearview mirror now and we’ll make sure she finds a loving forever home.
Fifi has settled right into my home with no adjustment issues. She’s eating healthy food, enjoying slow strolls around my tree-lined neighborhood, and loving lots of pets and hugs, toys, and soft cozy doggie beds. She’s housetrained, loves people and dogs, is quiet at home and while on walks, and sleeps through the night. Nothing phases her. In addition to her gentle, laid-back personality, she still has some slow senior zoomies and playfulness in her!
What an honor to see a dog take a deep breath and relax knowing she’s safe and loved in my home. Only happy days from now on, Fifi.
If you’d like to meet her, she’ll be at the Muddy Paws adoption event at Pier 57 on Sunday, September 7th in the morning. Come on by at 11am and say hi!
One of my great joys is to uncover stories about abandoned places sustainably retrofitted to get a new lease on life. This transformation made my heart sing: a former coal mine in Kentucky, once a symbol of industrial might and negative environmental impacts, is now gleaming with thousands of solar panels, powering a cleaner tomorrow. It offers a powerful beacon of hope for a sustainable future.
For generations, communities in places like Martin County, Kentucky, built their lives around coal. It was the “black gold” that fueled homes and industries across the nation while also degrading the land and human health. As the energy landscape shifted, so did these communities, often leaving behind economic hardship and vast, altered landscapes stripped bare of the nature they once harbored. The Martiki coal mine, closed in the 1990s, stood as a stark reminder of this past complicated, painful past.
A Phoenix Rising: The Martin County Solar Project
Today, that same landscape is being reborn. The Martin County Solar Project (MCSP) is transforming 900 acres of reclaimed mine land into a massive 111-megawatt solar farm. Picture this: over 214,000 bifacial solar panels, designed to capture sunlight from both sides, now stretch across the terrain where heavy machinery once toiled.
The Martin County Solar Project’s website shares that it began commercial operation in December 2024. It will generate enough quiet, clean renewable energy each year to power approximately 18,529 Kentucky homes.
This isn’t just about replacing one energy source with another; it’s about intelligent, hopeful repurposing. The beauty of this project lies not only in its clean energy output but also in its clever use of existing infrastructure. The former mine site, already flattened and with clear access to sunlight, still retained its transmission lines and substations. This meant less new construction, lower costs, and a faster path to bringing clean energy onto the grid—a truly smart way to leverage the past for the future.
Beyond Energy: A Boost for the Community
The benefits extend far beyond power generation. This project is a successful example of how the transition to a green economy can revitalize communities. The MCSP created hundreds of good-paying construction jobs, bringing much-needed employment to a region that had experienced significant job losses as coal production declined. Looking ahead, the solar farm will provide ongoing maintenance jobs and generate stable tax revenue for Martin County, helping to diversify its economy and build a more resilient future.
The Martin County Solar Project is more than just a power plant; it’s a testament to human ingenuity and our ability to adapt and innovate while reconciling with a difficult past. It’s a story of turning a painful environmental legacy into a vibrant, job-creating clean energy future. It shows us that even the most challenging landscapes can be repurposed for the good of both people and the planet. It’s an inspiring vision of what’s possible when we embrace sustainable solutions, proving that a green future is also a prosperous future.
I finally went to see Hadestown on Broadway. I know, I know. What took me so long?! After seeing it, I truly have no idea because it’s a transformative theater experience. A huge thank you to my dear friend, Dan Fortune, for taking me.
This was a very special performance because all 5 of the leads are brand new to the show. Music legend Kurt Elling, Jack Wolfe, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Morgan Dudley, and Paulo Szot knocked it out of the park, and the audience literally shouted with delight.
Yes, it’s all the things you’ve heard. It’s beautiful in every way, heart-filled, and filled with fascinating twists and turns woven between mythology and present day.
It’s also an incredibly effective climate story – the call to protect nature to reverse the harmful impacts of climate change on the food supply, mental and physical health, politics, and the economy.
It’s an immigration story, a migration story, a working class story about the power of generosity, community, and our own voices to lead change, to create a world where all beings are happy, healthy, and free. It’s a story of hope found in difficult, dark times and turning that hope into empowerment that leads to action. And art, specifically music, as a lever for all of that change.
Reminiscent of the call and response of spirituals with the essence of New Orleans, it’s a show that is of-the-moment even though it’s been on Broadway since 2019. Go see it. Cheer, clap, sing, get swept up in the beauty. And then carry all of it out into our world that is crying out for change. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.
In the sun-drenched vineyards of Provence, France, where winemaking is an age-old tradition, a new kind of harvest is taking place. Instead of producing bottles of Rosé, one innovative company is collecting the leftover grape skins, seeds, and stems — known as “grape marc” — to create a revolutionary biomaterial. This is the story of Planet of the Grapes, a company proving that the solution to fashion’s waste problem might just be found at the bottom of a wine barrel.
Founded by Samantha Mureau, a fashion industry veteran, Planet of the Grapes was born out of her desire to counteract the devastating environmental and social impacts of fast fashion. She found her inspiration close to home when she realized the abundant grape marc left over from winemaking could be given a second life. Instead of being discarded or composted, it could be transformed into a high-performance, eco-friendly alternative to traditional leather and textiles.
The process is as fascinating as it is sustainable. Planet of the Grapes sources its grape marc from local, organic vineyards in Provence, fostering a low-carbon, community-driven supply chain. The grape waste is then dried, ground into a powder, and mixed with other natural ingredients to create a paste. This paste is spread out to create a supple, leather-like material. The entire process is designed to be as animal-free and petroleum plastic-free as possible, adhering to strict EU regulations.
The resulting biomaterial is not just a sustainable substitute; it’s a new material with its own unique character. Designers who have worked with it say you can feel the subtle texture of the broken-down grape marc, a tangible reminder of its natural origin. This “grape leather” can be colored using a palette inspired by different wine shades, from a rich merlot to a crisp chardonnay, making it a beautiful and versatile material for fashion and lifestyle products.
Planet of the Grapes is a prime example of the growing “biomaterials” movement, where companies are finding creative ways to turn agricultural waste into valuable resources. By valorizing what was once considered waste, they are creating a more circular economy and reducing the fashion industry’s reliance on harmful materials. It shows how innovation can be a powerful force for change, proving that a more beautiful, responsible, and nature-friendly future is within reach.
Copenhagen, the vibrant capital of Denmark, is renowned for its design, cycling culture, and high quality of life. But beneath the charming canals and green spaces, a pressing challenge looms: managing increasingly intense rainfall due to climate change. Rather than relying solely on traditional infrastructure like pipes and sewers, Copenhagen is embracing nature-based solutions, transforming itself into a “sponge city.”
The sponge city concept, originating in China, focuses on absorbing and retaining rainwater where it falls, mimicking how nature manages water. This involves integrating nature-based solutions into the urban landscape to capture, filter, and slowly release stormwater to mitigate flooding.
“If you want to survive, you have to be spongy,” says Yu Kongjian, dean of Peking University’s College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, and founder of Turenscape, one of China’s largest landscape architecture firms. “Trying to protect cities with hard, gray infrastructure made of concrete is doomed to fail.”
Copenhagen is a frontrunner in the spongey revolution, and its journey offers valuable lessons for cities worldwide grappling with similar climate-related challenges. My dear archipelago home city of New York, I’m looking at you!
One of the key elements of Copenhagen’s sponge city transformation is the creation of what’s known as green infrastructure. Parks and green spaces are being redesigned to function as rainwater retention basins during heavy downpours. These areas, often featuring sunken lawns and permeable surfaces, can temporarily store significant volumes of water, reducing the strain on the city’s human-made drainage system and reducing the risk of flooding. For example, Enghaveparken has been renovated to include a large underground reservoir capable of holding approximately 22,700 cubic meters of water. This dual-purpose space serves as a recreational area for residents while providing crucial stormwater management capacity.
Beyond parks, Copenhagen is incorporating blue infrastructure into its urban fabric, giving water a place to flow. The city’s numerous canals and harbors are being leveraged to manage excess water. Innovative solutions like floating wetlands and constructed ponds not only enhance biodiversity but also help to filter and retain stormwater. Furthermore, permeable pavements are being increasingly adopted in streets and public squares, allowing rainwater to seep into the ground rather than running off into drains. This reduces surface runoff and helps to replenish groundwater levels.
The driving force behind Copenhagen’s commitment to becoming a sponge city is its ambitious Cloudburst Management Plan, developed after a severe storm in 2011 caused widespread flooding. This comprehensive plan outlines a series of long-term projects aimed at making the city more resilient to extreme weather events. It emphasizes a collaborative approach involving the municipality, utility companies, businesses, and citizens in implementing nature-based solutions across the urban landscape.
The benefits of Copenhagen’s sponge city approach are manifold. Beyond reducing flood risk and alleviating pressure on drainage systems, these green and blue infrastructure initiatives enhance the city’s livability. They create more green spaces for recreation, improve air quality, support biodiversity, and even help to cool urban heat islands during hot summer months.
Copenhagen’s journey to becoming a sponge city is not without its challenges. Retrofitting existing urban areas with green and blue infrastructure requires careful planning, investment, and community engagement. However, the city’s proactive and integrated approach serves as an inspiring model for how other cities can adapt to the increasing impacts of climate change by working with nature, rather than against it. As extreme weather events become more frequent, the lessons learned in Copenhagen offer valuable insights for building more resilient and sustainable cities for the future.
Italians have their priorities straight. I had the privilege to be in Rome for a week with my sister. It’s her favorite city and I see why. (Also huge thanks to her for arranging our entire trip and for taking this photo of St. Peter’s through Rome’s Aventine Keyhole with a line of ornery, inpatient teenagers behind her!) It was so fun to see dear friends, Julie and Brian, who were also in Rome. And Julie was one of the people who encouraged me to take this whole trip!
Rome is a thriving, livable city. It feels comfortable and easy. Forgiving. It takes its time because it knows it has time. Weathering thousands of years of history, often brutal and bloody, gives Romans perspective. People don’t rush in a place that’s eternal. They go out late. They linger. They rest.
Art is everywhere. Everything is art – a statue, the way the water runs through a fountain, a twirl of spaghetti, the language, the winding of a road, a sculpted scoop of gelato, a swirl of rich balsamic vinegar in green-tinted, earthy olive oil. A Roman life is a masterpiece that goes on and on.
Only take what you need. Just enough food. Just enough water. Your salad doesn’t need to drown in dressing. Your house doesn’t need to make a statement. Your tiny car is parked sideways to make room for more people traveling via different modes of transport. Take what you need and leave the rest for others. It’s a minimalist life, not a maximalist one, that offers a greater reward – freedom from the weight of physical things and knowing that neighbors have what they need because you didn’t overindulge.
Walk the streets at any time and be entertained, be joyful, be at ease. It’s not about spectacle. It’s just about living every simple, singular moment. That’s all there is. That’s all there needs to be.
There’s fresh spring water from fountains available to everyone all over the city. More hydration, less plastic bottle trash. Laughter and live music provide the soundtrack for the streets. On these days of simple microjoys, I wanted for nothing. Everything I needed was here. In a city of abundance, I found it made me want less because I wasn’t worried about having enough. What a gift.
Now back home in America, I’m going to keep Roman living top of mind and close to my heart. It has much to teach us about living well and sustainably, thriving in hard times, and caring for our neighbors.
Christa Avampato 