January 31, 2025

Hi and welcome to newsletter #50 of OneBeautifulPlanet.org! The newsletter archive starts in June 2023, and you are one of our 264 subscribers.

January Update

With January apparently the coldest in more than ten years here in the Greater Philadelphia area, and snowfall right over the Martin Luther King Junior holiday, unfortunately we had to cancel our second annual MLK Day cleanup event.

Thank you to everyone who offered to help and we’ll be in touch with the next opportunity once the weather gets a bit better!

Mindset

“I gave as many classes personally as I could, not only for the benefit of the troops, but for myself. I found that the teacher learns as much as, if not more than, his students, and it also kept my own skills sharpened to a fine edge. It’s easy to lose touch with the basics, and you become less inclined to get them back once you’ve moved up the ladder; I had seen too many high-ranking officers who’d stopped trying, having decided, I guessed, that they were above all that”

- Col. David Hackworth, “About Face": The Odyssey of An American Warrior” - 1989

Write for OneBeautifulPlanet.org

Have you thought about writing online? Would you like to help build our website and write for us? Remember our mission, which is to inspire, perform, and support restorative environmental action. What stories or insights can you contribute that we can publish on our growing website? Our readership is slowly increasing, so why not contribute and make your voice heard. Let me know if you are interested!

Master in Environmental Studies? Not Now

Ever since I started the OneBeautifulPlanet.org publishing and volunteering initiative, I had my eye on advancing my environmental education. So in September last year I applied for a Master in Environmental Studies (MES) program at the University of Pennsylvania, and in December learned that I was accepted!

The euphoria lasted about two weeks, and led to a thorough assessment of what my life would look like if I returned to school in 2025. Attending evening classes over a three- or four-year period in order to earn masters degree from a world-class academic institution would no doubt have been a fantastic opportunity. However, other key areas in my life, such as my banking career, family, children, plus the buildout of OneBeautifulPlanet.org itself as a hobby, would be negatively affected by my going back to school at this time. So after a long deliberation, I decided not to pursue it.

I also realized that to have an impact as an environmental entrepreneur and volunteer, I don’t necessarily need a new degree. I love learning, the pursuit of education, and I am deeply thankful for the the encouragement and recommendations I received (some of them from readers of this newsletter!). So see you another time, UPenn!

Joshua Tree, California

Earlier in January, we received a lovely message from Amber King, a community member and volunteer from the small town of Joshua Tree, California.

Amber and a few other folks were organizing a cleanup event in their small town on January 11th, and we were able to send as support several litter grabbers! Given that this was a family event, we sent a few pairs of the RMS 32” and 19” grabbers, which make for a great parent-child combination of tools! (see numbers 7. and 8. in our article, which is currently a top page on Google!).

When I found event pictures on Instagram, it made my day to see the tools we sent being used! They immediately filled my heart: “That’s the litter grabber we sent! Go, kids , go!!“

From what we can tell, the event was a success and Amber and team gathered more than 1,100 lbs. of litter from their community in Joshua Tree, California. We are so thankful we were able to support them!

Please share this newsletter if you found it helpful or interesting. And if you would like to collaborate in some way, whether in writing, or volunteering together at a cleanup, get in touch!

Razvan