How can I be in better relationship with the land and ecosystems around me? How can I connect to my own agency and power by partnering with the landscapes right where I am?

Hello my name is Allison Houghton, and I am fascinated by landscapes! I work with people who are tired of being depressed, anxious + overwhelmed about the environment + future to get connected with amazing regenerative stories, real-world inspiring examples + step-by-step actions anyone can take to build greater ecological resilience starting right where we are. I do this through a blog, newsletter, teaching, consulting and online resources. 

I like to break down my process in 3 steps:

FIRST, I do believe we must break the strangling grip that depair or depression has on so many of us. As Robin Wall Kimmer argues in her book Braiding Sweetgrass, this kind of despair can rob us of our own sense of agency. The work of ecosystem regeneration and restoration, in this sense, heals us just as much as it can heal the land around us. That's why I've created a .pdf of 31 amazing ecosystem restoration stories happening around the globe! We need to hear more of these stories everyday! The ones listed here are just a few of the THOUSANDS of stories out there. 

SECOND,  I think we need to realize we are not alone. This is where The Sparrow Underground comes in. Sparrows are those who, like the little brown birds we hardly notice in our landscapes, exist all around us. They the people who are quietly growing soil, coaxing rivers back to life, planting trees, remediating degraded lands, and cleaning up our watersheds while working alongside the countless ecological partners already doing this work in the natural world. We are surrounded by Sparrows. They exist in all types of landscapes. If we only knew where to look! What kind of Sparrow might you be?

THIRD, we need concrete, small and achievable actions we can all take to make meaningful ecological change right where we are. Each one of us has enormous agency thrumming just below the surface. I think that having a relationship with the land near you is a way to tap into that potential. To start seeing whole systems and leverage points where tiny actions make huge impacts. One way I start this process is first by looking at the soil near me. Then water and where it goes. Next I get to know the plants ... even the weeds have a story! And finally, I get to know insects because they can give us direct feedback on what is working and what is not. For a deeper dive into building these skills, check out the Skill Building and Resources pages or consider joining my monthly newsletter.

Check out the Latest from The Sparrow Underground:

What can we do to grow resilience right where we are?  I strive to gather practical tips on growing soil, restoring water cycles, fostering abundance and biodiversity right where we are, while simultanesouly tapping into a community of people working to imagine what is truly possible if we set an intention to our best possible future.