Kim Allen

Sustainable Business consultant

Today’s Date: July 16, 2008

1. What interaction with an animal and/or nature in your life has had the biggest impact on you?

During a period of a few weeks, a pair of crows lived near my house. When I went out for walks or was returning along my street, one would follow me along, cawing. First landing on a branch, then on a lightpost, as I walked up the street. Over time, the crow became bolder and began swooping down close to my head. Watching my own response was fascinating. I resisted believing that the crow's behavior was different toward me than toward other people, but observation showed it to be true. I felt some uneasy, ungrounded feeling in my heart: What is this? Is it threatening? Is there something I'm supposed to understand here, and am I just missing it? One day, as the crow dogged me along the street, I just sat down on the sidewalk and waited. I turned and looked at the crow, screeching on a branch, and said, "Well, all right, here I am. Come on down and sit with me. Tell me what's up." We looked at each other for a while. The crow did not come down. A few days later, the pair departed.

2. Did you have a favorite place in the great outdoors during your childhood?

Redwood forests.
And soccer fields (do those count? :-))

Now? Ryo-anji in Kyoto. And I still love the forest.

3. As a former zookeeper, I would love to know what your favorite animal is and why?

Cats (of all stripes!) for their attitude of non-striving.

4. What do you think is the greatest environmental challenge facing us now, and what do you think will be the greatest challenge in the future?

Our profligate use of oil and other petroleum resources. I suspect we will burn it all. In the future, our challenges will be more culturally and community-based, as we work on the social networks that have thinned out through the technological age.

5. If you could give one piece of advice regarding the environment and our natural resources, what would it be?

Look for the ways that you are part of the larger system. Try to contribute in a way that helps.