Nostalgic memories of dorms set for demolition. Multi-use trails connecting a diverse and beautiful region on the Mexican border. Electric buses taking over transit across North America. These are a few of the projects I’ve been working on since my first e-newsletter announcing my freelancing gig last spring.

It’s been a blast so far. Here are some quick reads on what I’ve been up to and where I’ll be this fall. Thanks to all for the words of encouragement and to my clients. Y’all please keep me in mind for your communications gigs. Have a great fall, and Hook ‘Em Horns!

I’ve never been a fan of “zero waste” and “zero emissions” environmental goals. They seem more aspirational than real, provide fuel to the foes, and can seem so ambitious they cause people to tune out.

However, recent news related to the Green New Deal has forced me to rethink my position. Yes, this progressive concept to take on climate change once and for all has brought out the skeptics in full force. But new analytics from Brandwatch reveal this zero-emissions concept has sparked millions of conversations on social media. This suggests that people are not tuning out, and that, hopefully, there is time to turn this new conversation into advocacy for climate protection.

I hate shopping.

So you sure won’t find me in line at Best Buy, Target or Toys R Us this week on Black Friday. In fact, I’ll do anything to avoid going inside a store any day of the year, and if I can buy it online I will. In the past six months I’ve bought everything from patio furniture to a rubber chicken via the Internets. (Yes, a rubber chicken — for my nieces in West Virginia who were envious of mine.)

This is why it’s more than fitting that my company, EnviroMedia, has joined 475 other businesses to #OptOutside this Black Friday. #OptOutside is REI’s way of giving their 12,000 employees a true break over the holiday – on the day retailers traditionally recoup tepid sales for the year thanks to a massive holiday shopping free-for-all.