TRANSFERABLE SOLUTIONS

 
The Sociology Around Asking & Applying it to 
Careers in EE 
Dear Friend,
 
Are the skills that make you an effective environmental educator working against you when it comes to advocating for the professional and economic value you bring to a project?
 
Funding in environmental education typically revolves around grants, donations, and event fees. Leadership positions can take the form of seasonal, part-time, or low-paying roles. Often, leadership takes the form of a dedicated volunteer. In this, the signal I hear is a call to be generous with your knowledge and time.
 
To apply one's EE experience outside of the field requires a different kind of thinking. The freelance and consulting worlds operate differently. Freelancers can't work for free and can't get by charging a few dollars per person for their services. It's tempting to follow the familiar path of doing what nonprofits typically do and producing traditional EE deliverables.
 
You can't do this. You need to pay for your own insurance policies, manage your own healthcare, cover monthly expenses, and save a little something of your income each month.
 
To work with partners outside the field or to apply your experience in an entirely different sector, I am hearing two things that need to happen. The first is a shift in thinking. There needs to be a shift from "I do nature programs" to "I design systems."
 
The second shift is a shift away from accepting what's offered to you (e.g., the entry-level pay of an advertised pay range) to asking for what you need. By accepting less, people (especially women) unknowingly put into motion a chain of events that impact their professional growth and financial stability.
 
So let's talk about this.
 
Over the next four weeks, I will launch an asynchronous book club through this newsletter and host a group discussion about the book "Women Don't Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide." I look forward to the conversation. 
 
In the meantime, let's enjoy some good news. 
 
Have a good weekend,
Tania
Photo by shahabudin-ibragimov on Unsplash

New Ways Forward 
This section features creative and community-based approaches to environmental work, highlighting freelance environmental educators and alternative career models that break from traditional environmental education.

Christina Carter is the creative force behind Gumnut Trails, a collection of adventure guides for kids and families in Melbourne, Australia. Recently, Gumnut Trails received a bronze medal in the Clean + Conscious 2025. The Clean + Conscious Awards celebrate safe and socially responsible products in Australia and New Zealand. Congratulations, Christina!

The How-To 
A practical section dedicated to explaining methods for environmental learning and public engagement. Featuring resources for environmental educators and community leaders.

How can you join the conversation about negotiating?
Consider reading Women Don't Ask.
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Sold wherever you buy books and at TALATERRA's store at Bookshop.org.

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Making Connections 
This section identifies and explores potential partnerships between environmental professionals, community groups, businesses, and other unexpected collaborators to create new opportunities.

EE Forward Community Calendar
Black Voice News is hosting an important conversation about wildfire preparedness for residents of the Inland Empire in Southern California. (Download flyer)
Location: Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California in Riverside, CA

EE Forward Community Calendar
​Join Camille Simone Edwards and Dan Kriesberg, creators of Diversity Education in Nature (DEIN), for an introduction to their innovative approach to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) efforts that combines outdoor education with reflective practices and group discussions. 
Location: The George School in Newtown, PA

EE Forward Community Calendar
JUST ADDED
Join Camille Simone Edwards and Dan Kriesberg, creators of Diversity Education in Nature (DEIN), for an introduction to using the nature awareness skills of attending wonderfulling. Participants will gain a toolkit of actions they can apply to create communities of belonging through better connections and understanding of each other and the more-than-human world.
Location: Online

Cross-sector Opportunity
A section focused on diverse environmental career paths, including interviews and information for those seeking meaningful work in environmental-related fields.

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Event Schedule Now Available
Session descriptions are now up!
We are pleased to be a Community Partner in the Science Journalism Forum 2025 (October 27 to 30). Sessions will be conducted in five languages (Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish). 
 
Here's a look at some of the sessions. Click through to read the description for each session.
 

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Transferable Solutions is a publication by TALATERRA
Editor: Tania Marien
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