“Summer of Solutions” – I first heard these words from my friend Ashley Trull, from across the table in the Clark University dining hall in late April, over plates piled high with mediocre vegan cafeteria food. Summer of Solutions sounded like an amazing program, designed by and for students, working on exciting, real projects for community-based solutions to climate change. She eagerly described to me the project descriptions she had seen on the website and promised to forward the email she had received with the application info attached. But she didn’t need to forward the email. By the end of the meal, it was decided.
“We’re going!” I said, so adamantly and with such force and intention that I surprised even myself, grabbing Ashley’s hand in excitement as we rose from the table, shouldering heavy backpacks and precariously balancing our dirty dishes. “We’re going! We will go! We will raise the money and make this happen. We can make this happen – we’re going to Minnesota!” I am not one to make impulsive decisions. Neither of us had ever been to anywhere that could qualify as the Midwest, and we didn’t know anyone organizing or participating in Summer of Solutions. We barely knew what we were getting ourselves into, but it was happening – we were making it happen.
Continue reading ‘Making it Happen – the Summer of Solutions’
