Brym Labs

July 3rd was the hottest day recorded in the history of humankind (since we started measuring). Yet, The Global Political Economy seems to constantly ebb and flow between progression and regression when it comes to climate action. One country that has stood out from the rest in the last year (in a great way) is Brazil. A home for our precious Amazon Rainforest, which absorbs 25% of the CO2 in our atmosphere, so much of our global efforts on climate change hinge on the Brazilian activists, entrepreneurs, and political leaders dreaming of a new system.

Thomas met Andréia Coutinho Louback at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. She spoke on an incredible panel - Watch here at 1:47:55 - focused on climate action, justice, and unlocking capital for youth who want to launch their own initiatives. The panel, full of young women from across Africa and Central/South America spoke about the need for patient, flexible capital, distributed by donors who are youth themselves and can connect with our approach. Many times, established funders are from the generation before us and don’t quite align with or understand our approach to solution building - Andréia calls this our ‘Trust-Based Problem’.

In our conversation together (interview above!) we dive into an analysis of this panel ^, the Loss & Damage Fund, the sentiment and feeling in Brazil now that leftist President Lula da Silva is back in power for the third time with a focus on protecting the Amazon, and how young people across the world can access resources like:

* Global Climate Justice Map that can be a ‘common source of truth’ resource for:

* Youth activists looking for inspiration on a new project

* Youth Activists hoping to share their work with a larger audience

* Funders looking for amazing projects to support!

* HERO portal:

* Youth Activists can take 5-7 minutes to fill out THIS FORM to be matched with relevant funding and operational support opportunities.

* This Podcast shares more on the HERO process:

* Community Climate Justice Guidelines: Andréia is currently building, along with a collective group of youth from the Global South, a guideline for projects and programs that hope to engage community based organizations in their deployment.

This is the Season 2 Finale… so what’s next!!?? Thomas will be traveling to South Africa in July, Brym will be launching the flagship programs of our ‘Social Action Lab’ in August and we’ll re-launch our storytelling platform for Season 3 in September! Onwards…

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this fun ride so far. Excited to see where this goes alongside all of you.

Thomas Guest, Brym Founder

Hello, Everyone! Welcome back to Brym - it’s Season 2, Episode 12! After this morning, Only 1 more episode left in Season 2 after this before we unveil the next chapter of Brym. We can’t wait to share more… a new Website, Storytelling Form, Social Action Lab, Sustainable Business Model… we’ve got a lot in the works!

Today we focus on building a life as an activist. Hint: It’s really hard, especially in our world today that doesn’t value work located outside the classic capitalist system. How do you build something from scratch? How do you organize your initial community? How do you develop that group into a movement that exists on a platform? How do you tell your story through multiple art forms? How do you do this all while paying for a roof over your head!??

Marla Louissaint, producer, actor, artist, model, entrepreneur, Marla-verse, is accomplishing all the above as we speak. Her interview attached and resource collection below provides a blueprint I hope we can all try to follow. I’ve learned so much from her personally and Brym would not be where we are today without her guidance and wisdom as a member of the Brym Global Working Group. Take the time to enter into a space of learning… open the links below and work through them at your own pace. I’ll be doing the same over the coming weeks.

Title: A Goddess Reborn: Black Panthers in the 21st Century

Author: Marla Louissaint, June 2, 2023

Real Utopias! They're hard to imagine and even harder to create. But that's the work of the artist, to make the movement irresistible. At Claim Our Space Now, we are building a creative library of resources and a plan for action to dismantle white supremacy, colonialism, and global capitalism. As we imagine what new versions of what our world could look like, please enjoy this bounty and engage. 

AfroMarxist Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2xX2FI6s4i9xz3t9qjayhg

Black Panther Party Survival programs: Real examples of anti-capitalist programs and operational details for how to execute community movements focused on food, healthcare, housing, clothing, and a LOT more:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/18qytrqD_aJlG3m6gjK44qE1DhtV1SuOh/view?usp=sharingclaimourspacenow.org for National Resources and organizations liberating black lives.

marlalou.com for Marla's individual site - book time with me to brainstorm projects you're working on!

Pull up and connect! If you’re trying to build solidarity movements in your community, hit me up and let’s build together.

Only one more episode left this season! Keep a look out and have a safe weekend!

Hello, Everyone! Welcome back to Brym - it’s Season 2, Episode 11! This has been such an amazing season so far with people sharing their stories from all over the world! If you want to take a look back at all the amazing work being done, check it out here! We will be producing 1-2 more stories in Season 2 before regrouping over the Summer to think about the next evolution of our Storytelling Platform. Hint: Video? Short Films? Documentaries? We’ll see :) Thank you for being here and a part of this exciting ride that’s just getting started!

After almost two seasons of collecting stories from around the world, Food, Water, and Energy have emerged as constant points of community focus. Motifs and trends throughout these stories inform what Brym is working towards and how, especially as we move towards translating stories into projects through our upcoming Innovation Lab launching this Summer!

Today, we dig into on of those focus areas: the world of Community Energy with two amazing leaders in the space, Crystal Huang (who writes her story below) and Julius Mujuni!! There are a ton of great resources below shared by Crystal if your community is thinking about building decentralized systems of energy! That’s a huge focus of Brym as well, so feel free to reach out with any questions moving forward!

If you’re not already subscribed, we’d love to have you along for the journey!!

‘Reimaging Energy for Our Communities’

Author Crystal Huang, People Power Solar Cooperative, May 11 2023

About the Author: Crystal Huang

Crystal Huang is a Co-Founder and Worker Owner of People Power Solar Cooperative - a movement cooperative that aims to enable everyone to own and shape our energy future. She is a grassroots community-builder and a 2020 Roddenberry Fellow with more than 10 years of experience deploying climate solution technologies. For her work building popular education on energy and power, she serves on the Resilience Hubs Advisory Council for “Toward Resilient California Communities” Initiative funded by the Strategic Growth Council. Nationally, she also leads the Energy Democracy Project, a collaboration of close to 40 geographically and racially diverse organizations working to democratize the energy sector in the US. She is the Board Treasurer of the People’s Solar Energy Fund. Check out her story featured by Seventh Generation here. 

Hello, Everyone! Welcome back to Brym - it’s Season 2, Episode 10! We will be producing 2-3 more stories in Season 2 before regrouping over the Summer to think about the next evolution of our Storytelling Platform. Thank you for being here and a part of this exciting ride that’s just getting started!

Today’s Climate Story is a core inspiration for how we hope Brym’s storytelling can make a jump to the next level… diving into the power of short film and documentaries with Cathleen Dean. We dive deep into her new short film, ‘Wade in the Water’ and how it intersects with the amazing work of Dr. Miriam Lynch and Diversity in Aquatics.

After the trailer, Cathleen has also been kind enough to share a ‘Step-by-Step Guide to Making a Documentary Film’!! So if you have a story you want to tell - feel free to learn from her guide and connect directly!

Diving Deep: The Power of Documentary Storytelling & Water Activism

Author: Cathleen Dean, April 26, 2023

Documentary films have the power to move, inspire, and educate audiences in ways that traditional Hollywood blockbusters cannot. They are a form of storytelling that allows filmmakers to shed light on important issues, and to share perspectives that are often overlooked or ignored. 'Wade in the Water' is one such documentary that has captured the hearts and minds of audiences around the world. Directed by Cathleen Dean, the film explores Black Florida’s fight for the right to swim. The film brings to life the 1960s Civil Rights protests that desegregated the state’s beaches and swimming pools and sheds light on the historical, cultural and spiritual connection BIPOC communities’ have with the water.

Hello, Everyone! Happy Sunday and welcome back to Brym - it’s Season 2, Episode 9! Today’s Climate Story focuses on re-imagining our global food system and comes from the amazing Henry Obispo: Website + Linkedin. This conversation couldn’t be more timely as the US rolls back Emergency Allotments of Food Stamps across the country… leaving low income communities scrambling for other options.

Seeding the Future: Re-Imagining our Food System

Author: Henry Obispo, March 31, 2023

Hey, Everyone! Welcome back to Brym - it’s Season 2, Episode 8! Before diving into our next Climate Story from the amazing Kavindu Ediriweera, here’s a quick update on how Brym is doing as an organization and what’s coming on the horizon.

* On March 16th, the Brym Global Working Group (of which Kavindu is a part) will have our third Session! We have 12 members planning to attend from 7 countries, with the intention of sharing experiences and brainstorming potential projects we can work on together. This next meeting will be led by Arijit Reeves, Daniel Wildman, and Jen Cole, focusing on the themes of Community Energy & Water.

* Brym will be launching our first ever Community Climate Lab in Q2 (April/May)! This has not been formally announced yet but we wanted to share with all of you who are reading as a sneak peak. The Lab will focus on translating the amazing stories we’ve heard through this platform into actionable projects happening in the world. Common Project Themes include: Community Energy, Water, Food & Land. Hint: Arijit, Daniel and Jen will be leading the next Global Working Group meeting to share a bit about a new potential project that will be launching in the Lab!

* Keep an eye out for our Year 1 Thesis Report - pulling together common themes and lessons from our research & development over the first year of Brym! This Thesis Report is informing the direction and model of Brym as an organization moving forward - can’t wait to share it with all of you.

As always, feel free to follow along on Apple Podcasts as well! Hope you enjoy…

A Sri Lankan ‘Think-and-do-Tank’

Author: Kavindu Ediriweera, February 23, 2023

My Past

I used to have a carefree life, full of dreams in my hometown of Matara, in the deep South of Sri Lanka.

When asked who I wanted to be when I grew up, I’d nonchalantly say - an ambulance driver! Probably I instinctively felt that I needed to be at the centre-stage of saving the dying man.

As I was growing up, Sri Lanka was going through a brutal civil war and we were in the midst of several political developments. As this was all going on, I fervently felt the need to challenge the mainstream thinking which had divisive undertones, and busied myself following political discussions whenever I could.

This passion of mine became more honed as I gained more opportunities to contribute to the discourse, through various internships and by contributing as an op-ed journalist on politics for one of the leading newspapers in the country.

Starting to study law was one of the key turning points in my life. This is where I met the Executive Director of SLYCAN Trust - Vositha Wijenayake (Back then as a tutor in law) where she got me to watch a speech she conducted at a TEDx show on youth and climate change. 

That is where I started exploring more on climate action and started to read and learn more on technical matters related to climate change with her guidance. 

Starting from the passion that developed by reading - I had the opportunity to engage with thousands of young people, policy makers and sector experts over the past ten years while building my career with SLYCAN Trust.

My Present

SLYCAN Trust functions as a think-tank based in Asia, Africa and Europe and carry out evidence-based research work, policy analysis work and a lot of capacity-building on climate action at many levels, starting from grassroots communities to young people to different stakeholders in multiple disciplines. Our studies are incorporated into wide range of national policy documents and recognized by many stakeholders in Sri Lanka and worldwide.

We also have recently launched EthicalX - Climate and Innovation Hubs, working with local entrepreneurs who are building solutions in the realm of food systems, fashion, tourism and the circular economy. In that way, we’re almost like a ‘Think-and-do-Tank’, helping to turn policy and research into action.

Key multi-stakeholder groups that I have had the opportunity to interact with include:

* Local farmers,

* Policy-makers,

* Youth,

* Private-sector leaders,

* Civil society organizations,

* Community-based organizations and

* Mainstream media.

These stakeholders came under a multitude of key thematic areas that includes:

* Climate resilience,

* Risk management and risk finance,

* Youth and Action for Climate Empowerment,

* Entrepreneurship and innovation (Through EthicalX-Climate and Innovation Hubs),

* Ethical, Sustainable & Climate-friendly food systems,

* Climate-induced  loss and damage,

* Just Transition and transformative solutions (With a special focus on Renewable Energy),

* Ecosystems and biodiversity conservation (With a special focus on mangroves restoration) and

* Law, governance and multilateral processes that includes national and international processes including UNFCCC negotiations. 

Our Future 

I’ve always envisioned a life that would be dedicated towards working in radical, visionary projects, geared towards enabling a meaningful tomorrow for the world.

Working towards that future requires concrete reflection and multi-stakeholder engagement, across multiple spheres including education and institution-led initiatives.

However, I fervently believe in the inherent goodness of human beings and believe we can tackle the challenge of climate change together!

Huge thank you to Kavindu for sharing his awesome story! Up next, look out for our next Climate Story on March 9th from Artist & Entrepreneur, Marla Louissaint! Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more exciting updates…

Have a great rest of the week everyone and a safe weekend.

Hey, Everyone! Welcome back to Brym - it’s Season 2, Episode 7! A quick note before we dive in about this new Season and how it’s a bit different than Season 1 (if you haven’t already caught our drift)…

* In Season 2 of Brym Labs, we will be highlighting stories directly from changemakers across the world - inviting them to tell their own stories in their own ways in the spirit of Citizen Journalism! In addition to a written piece in their own words, we’ll also be doing interviews so you get to hear from their own voice as well!

* In this week’s Climate Story and Interview, we hear from Daniel Collins-Wildman! Daniel got his PhD in Chemistry from Emory University and now is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab working on battery technology and renewable energy! Daniel is also a member of Brym’s Global Working Group working on a few projects we’ll be able to share soon!

* Keep an eye out for our Year 1 Thesis Report and keep your eyes peeled for some other exciting announcements coming soon on Brym initiatives heading into Q2!

As always, feel free to follow along on Apple Podcasts as well! Hope you enjoy…

Evolution of a Battery Chemist

Author: Daniel Collins-Wildman, February 9, 2023

Hey, Everyone! Welcome back to Brym - it’s Season 2, Episode 6! And it’s 2023! A quick note before we dive in about this new Season and how it’s a bit different than Season 1 (if you haven’t already caught our drift)…

* First of all, we are still working on our Year 1 Thesis Report. We have gathered some great feedback and will be distributing to everyone in February… keep your eyes peeled for that and some other exciting announcements coming soon!

* In Season 2 of Brym Labs, we will be highlighting stories directly from changemakers across the world - inviting them to tell their own stories in their own ways in the spirit of Citizen Journalism! In addition to a written piece that they write themselves, we’ll also be doing interviews so you get to hear from their own voice as well!

* In this week’s Climate Story and Interview, we hear from Ahmad Hamwi! Ahmad is the Founder and CEO of Ignitos Space. We met in person at COP27 in Egypt when Ahmad was winning the Africa Grows Green Awards for his work with Ignitos Space! So excited to share Ahmad’s story and please feel free to reach out to the ‘Astropreneur’ as you learn more!

As always, feel free to follow along on Apple Podcasts as well! Hope you enjoy…

Reborn - The Zambian Astropreneur

Author: Ahmad Hamwi, January 26, 2023

Hey, Everyone! Welcome back to Brym - it’s Season 2, Episode 5! And it’s almost the Holidays! A quick note before we dive in about this new Season and how it’s a bit different than Season 1 (if you haven’t already caught our drift)…

* First of all, huge thanks to my friend Nicolas Vivas Nikonorow for his genius music in our podcast episode!!!

* In Season 2 of Brym, we will be highlighting stories directly from changemakers across the world - inviting them to tell their own stories in their own ways in the spirit of Citizen Journalism! In addition to a written piece that they write themselves, we’ll also be doing interviews so you get to hear from their own voice as well!

* In this week’s Climate Story and Interview, we hear from Imani Cenac! Imani is the Resiliency Organizer with NQ - Nos Quedamos (English Translation: We Stay). The work happening in the South Bronx through NQ, see: Community Land Trusts, Community Gardens, Multi-Family Housing, and upcoming Resiliency Hubs (read on) - has all been hugely inspirational to Brym. So excited to share Imani’s story and hopefully everyone can learn from their unique model!!

You can read the full story here: brym.substack.com!

Resilience in the Bronx

Author: Imani Cenac, December 15, 2022

Hey, Everyone! Welcome back to Brym - it’s Season 2, Episode 4! And it’s December! A quick note before we dive into this new Season and how it’s a bit different…

* First of all, huge thanks to my friend Nicolas Vivas Nikonorow for his genius music in our podcast episode!!!

* In Season 2 of Brym, we will be highlighting stories directly from changemakers across the world - inviting those folks to tell their own stories in their own ways in the spirit of Citizen Journalism! In addition to a written piece that they write themselves, we’ll also be doing interviews so you get to hear from their own voice as well!

* In this week’s podcast episode, we interviewed Steve Chiu! Steve and I recently attended COP27 in Egypt together and you’ll hear some of our reflections on the conference at the beginning of the interview! Steve is the UN Representative for the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation and also a part of Brym’s new Global Working Group, an advisory team dedicated to re-imagining our world systems and building global climate solutions together.

As always, feel free to follow along on Apple Podcasts as well! Hope you enjoy…

Hello this is Steve’s Climate Story!

Author: Steve Chiu, December 1, 2022

Growing up in Ohio, I was always reminded by my mother that we were deeply lucky to be able to experience all four seasons of weather, and that we should use the changing of seasons as a reminder of the passage of time, and the ever shifting nature of our lives. It is with this lens that I spent my childhood, savoring the preciousness of each season, cherishing every day spent outdoors, knowing that in time, the season would pass and something new would come forth. From the fluffy snow that would fall in the wintertime, to the late summer nights spent chasing fireflies in the forest, and the rainy spring days where flowers would magically appear from the ground overnight, each season had its unique texture to experience as a child, filling my life with wonder, adventure, and joy. 

Of all the four seasons, autumn was by far my favorite. As summer gave way to winter, the trees that were once so lush and green, became adorn with brilliant and vivid colors of red, yellow and orange. Hiking and camping in parks and mountains, I fell in love with the natural world, in how through its mere existence, I could witness so much beauty, wisdom and life while being reminded that nothing lasts forever: change was the eternal constant. 

In 1999, the Taiwanese community in Ohio bore witness to the second most deadly earthquake in Taiwan’s recorded history, which killed thousands of people, displaced tens of thousands, caused billions of dollars in damages, and left Taiwanese expats engulfed with concern for those they loved back home. In the wake of this destruction, one of the first organizations to respond was the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, arriving at the scene of the disaster with hot food, stations for medical care, and a space for emotional and spiritual care. Touched by the rapid response and thoughtful ways that Tzu Chi’s volunteers served the disaster survivors, our family took to the streets of Ohio to fundraise for Tzu Chi’s efforts. What resulted was an unexpected outpouring of love, showing me the good that can emerge when we create opportunities for people to give, serve, and be in community with each other for a shared cause.

In the following years, we created a local chapter of Tzu Chi in Columbus, building a community to host local service programs, while responding to disasters in the midwest region. From tornadoes and hurricanes, to floods and fires, many of my weekends became immersed in working with disaster survivors to rebuild from the devastation brought forth by natural causes; the natural world was not only a beautiful creator of life, but a force of destruction, capable of erasing the accumulated efforts of human beings in a swift sharp instant, leaving behind in its wake, sorrow and suffering for all those it touches. 

Recognizing the impermanence that underpins our relationship with the natural world, it became important for me to ask, what does a meaningful life look like if the accumulation of material achievements alone could be erased in an instant. If the very life I had could be taken away by natural forces beyond my control, how should I spend my time? I want to leave behind a better world for those to come after me. One where future generations can continue to experience the bounty that the natural world provides for us while also having stronger frameworks in place that protect us from the impacts of disasters and climate change. Societies and systems rooted in values of love, regeneration, and interdependence, as opposed to our current values of extraction, exploitation, and a disconnect from the true impacts of our actions on the natural world. To create this future, I serve as Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation’s Representative to the United Nations, where I work to build relationships, share best practices and develop programs with the international community, highlighting the holistic approaches that can build resilience and tackle the complex challenges created by our triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. In this position, over the past eight years, I’ve come to truly appreciate the unique role that each and every person has to play in addressing the climate crisis. From building coalitions of concerned citizens to create change within local communities, to advocating in international spaces to shift global consciousness, there is a space for you, utilizing your talents and skills, to contribute towards modeling the future we wish to inhabit. 

Life is short. I hope that in addition to consuming content related to the climate crisis, that you seek out opportunities to take action, in your own unique way, and that you find a community of like minded individuals to walk along this journey of creating change with you. If you’d like to connect, you can find me: 

* In person, meandering about New York City parks, and probably at the Tzu Chi Center

* Monthly, reflecting on life and art, in my zine: “I Love You And I Wish We Saw Each Other More”

* Persistently on my website

* Interviewing friends on issues related to the United Nations here

* Reflecting on holistic solutions to the climate crisis here

* Sign of Hope / Case Study we discuss in the interview: The Green Hospital Initiative - Article + Video

Huge thank you to Steve for sharing his beautiful story! Our next Climate Autobiography will come on December 15th!!

Have a great rest of the week everyone and a safe weekend.