Roberts’ Green Letter: Connecting the heart’s intuition with your work.
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Dear friends and colleagues,

I took a trip last month to grieve the brutal murder of George Floyd at E 38th and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis.

I didn’t know I was doing that until I went there. I’m afraid it sounds presumptuous. I didn’t know him. I’m not Black. Is his death mine to grieve?

With the two-year anniversary the murder coming up on May 25, a chance to reflect...

Tristan Roberts and Genevieve Hansen at the burned-out 3rd Precinct in Minneapolis, last month.

Myself and many of my colleagues at the Health Product Declaration Collaborative (HPDC) were galvanized by the Black Lives Matter movement to make social equity a formal part of our mission to provide transparency on what makes a building product "healthy."

Responsible manufacturers cannot ignore the wellbeing of all communities touched by their products and supply chain.

Despite all the action in the last two years (of which the work I’ve just mentioned is a small sampling), we're far, far from being done in creating a just and equitable world. Russia's war on Ukraine and the crackdown on abortion rights are two monumental issues that highlight this.

These issues also highlight an uncomfortable truth. I’m privileged enough to not be directly affected by any of them! The same is true for many, and disproportionately those in positions of power.

Yet to achieve real and lasting change for an equitable world, we all need to take part. We also need to bring more voices to the table. I don’t think this is the case, and I doubt most would say this out loud. But it is the case that making that table bigger, or making room for new voices, can feel to those in power like they are being asked to give something up.

This means going outside our comfort zone. I’ve long believed that your values aren’t values if you only uphold them when it’s convenient.

Do you mind one stereotype in this post? Sometimes—and this seems to correlate at times with being a dude—I’m reminded to just listen. Not to jump to a solution.

So while I continue to work on actions for a just world, I’ve decided to spend more time listening and reflecting. Listening to personal heroes of mine like Genevieve Hansen and Jay Webb. Reflecting on my own privilege. Recognizing and putting down unconscious biases. Putting myself in the picture.

I can feel this will lead to more actions, and that it will do so with a clarity and sense of purpose and responsibility that I might not otherwise have gained.

Thanks for reading! I hope you’re curious to learn more. If you are, any of the following blog posts are a great start:

I’d love to hear your reflections! And I’d love to listen to your story. Please contact me at tristan@thispotonearth.com to say hi.

With love,

Tristan
Quill Nook Farm

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Roberts' Green Letter

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