Hurricane-resistant Homes, Natural Disaster Preparedness and Your Next Cup of Coffee: What I’m Reading This Week

For the past few weeks, I’ve noticed something odd at my gym. In the women’s locker room, there's a growing number of lockers out of order. I finally remembered to ask an employee. She launched into a detailed explanation of what's wrong and how they’re trying to remedy it over the next several weeks.

Calmly, and without sarcasm or malice, I said that it would have been nice if there was a note to explain what's going on. The employee’s face lit up, and I believed her when she said she never thought of that. She said she would put something up.

I wanted to share this exchange for a few reasons. First, because I learned I was not alone in my wonderings about what the heck is going on even though I hadn’t spoken to anyone else about the matter. Second, because I appreciated the employee's receptiveness to my suggestion. I felt like I had been heard. Third, because our exchange reinforced the importance of getting a fresh perspective and talking to others about our problems. Even if the problem is complicated, and a solution will take a long time, communicating that will go a long way to diffusing tensions.

I hope this has helped or inspired you to look at your current workplace challenges a little differently.

Until next time, stay safe, be well and be kind.

Hurricane-resistant Homes

I saw this video and knew I had to share. The video profiles one company and their circular home designs. The director of engineering explains how circular framing creates more touchpoints to withstand strong winds than rectangular houses.

It’s difficult to see the destruction in the wake of a natural disaster, which is why innovative designs and materials pique my interest.

I have heard of sports cars being described as aerodynamic, but I’ve never heard of a house described that way. And yet, it makes sense because wind is wind.

I forgot that round houses are nothing new; in fact, they’ve been around for millennia. It’s all too easy to forget our history, our connection to nature. It reminded me of something else I had written about: biodesign, the idea of using living materials in our buildings.

We can’t really tame hurricane-strength winds, so it’s not an effective way to of framing our relationship with nature. After all, we are not fighting nature but a part of it. Our goal should be to live in harmony with nature and, for that matter, one another.

Watch the video here.

Natural Disaster Preparedness

I’m sure we’ve all read about how to prepare for a natural disaster. Usually, there’s a mention about having a few days’ worth of food and medications in the house, some kind of battery-operated radio and so forth. I tend to find those types of pieces more overwhelming than helpful.

Finally, I found an article that was helpful. Colleen Hagerty spoke with nine people who have survived different extreme weather disasters. They shared what helped them survive and what they have done since. Since then, one woman has worked with a local nonprofit to be a resource for her neighbors in case another disaster strikes.

Hagerty profiled people across the country who are facing different possible disasters, but they all felt empowering. It’s easy for me to feel helpless against something like a wildfire, but getting another garden hose and high-pressure nozzle? Yeah, I can do that.

I hope you read this article and feel that same sense of “I got this.” A shift in mindset can make all the difference. That’s especially important when homes and lives are on the line.

Your Next Cup of Coffee

We know that a changing climate, natural disasters, and pests and diseases are making coffee beans more vulnerable. That can, and will, pose challenges for coffee bean farmers who are trying to maintain their yields and profitability.

But it can also pose opportunities.

Sam Mednick, writing for the Associated Press, shares how one woman is planting coffee trees in South Sudan. Mednick explains that excelsa coffee is drawing interest because it is able to dry in hotter, drier climates and is resistant to many common coffee pets and diseases.

The female farmer says she wants to help escape poverty and help her children get an education. There’s a once-in-a-generation potential for opportunity, but many experts are concerned about long-term sustainability and stability.

It’s a story about coffee—and so much more. I encourage you to read it here.