
Bicherío, Chi no parakuya, Durga, Farafara, Guruni, Isong, Kasem, Koya, Nanda Devi, Nisarg, Njuzu, Parisara, Paryavaran, Psocodea, Prakriti, Pull of nature, Sankofa, Sango, Sasia, Tekoha, Teguala, Tutulegbte, Ubuntu, Ykua Ñe’e, Zumbani.
These words and phrases are some of the ways that communities across Africa, India, and Latin America speak about nature—gathered by Alejo di Risio, María Belén Felix, and Mauro Fernández through their recent research into narratives of nature and social change.
As part of Commonweal’s Omega Resilience Awards‘ narrative research initiative, the Ecology Team set out to document emerging stories of resilience grounded in environmental stewardship, land connection, and sustainable practices across the Global South. Working with a spirit of collaboration, they listened for ecological imagination as a political force, and they documented how people articulate visions of desirable futures and translate local wisdom into movements for change.
In this conversation, Host Susan Grelock-Yusem will talk with Alejo di Risio—journalist, environmental consultant, and cultural strategist—to explore their journey and what they learned about ecological imagination, narrative as resistance, local wisdom at global scale, and the power of community. Following the conversation join us for a live interactive dialogue with the full Ecology Research Team—Alejo, María Belén, and Mauro Fernandez. | Art credit: Jon Marro
Tuesday, August 4
1 pm – 2:30 pm PDT
Virtual event only; join us on Zoom
$15 suggested donation, no one turned away
Tuesday, August 4
1 pm – 2:30 pm PDT
Virtual event only; join us on Zoom
$15 suggested donation, no one turned away
Tuesday, August 4
1 pm – 2:30 pm PDT
Virtual event only; join us on Zoom
$15 suggested donation, no one turned away


Political ecologist, cultural strategist, and filmmaker working across rivers, energy systems and narrative in Latin America. MOTH Fellow, founder of elSur.Global and member of environmental networks. He develops communication, research, and public pedagogy projects that advance ecological justice, energy democracy, and watershed-based futures, expanding relational imaginaries between human communities and the more-than-human world.

Belén Felix is a communicator with a taste for translating complex ideas into narratives that support collective action and social change. Her work has focused on projects and organizations addressing some of the most pressing issues related to education, social protection, and the ecological crisis. She currently leads the Communications team at Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN), an Argentine NGO working to advance environmental human rights. She holds a BA in Education from Universidad de San Andrés and is an MA candidate in Narrative Journalism at Universidad Nacional de General San Martín.

Mauro Fernández is a campaign strategist, researcher and communicator navigating the fragile terrain where ecological collapse meets social inequality. He led climate and energy campaigns in Argentina and internationally for Greenpeace. He is a Senior Fellow on Social and Economic Equity at LSE’s International Inequalities Institute and founder of Sociedad y Naturaleza. He’s currently undergoing studies in Psychology and exploring the philosophical and cognitive roots of human behavior to reimagine our shared future. | Photo credit: Luiza Cavalcante

Susan Grelock Yusem, PhD leads strategy and innovation at Commonweal, where she’s part of the stewardship team guiding the organization and supporting the 30+ programs that call Commonweal home. A trained depth psychologist and community psychologist with a doctorate from Pacifica Graduate Institute, Susan’s career has unfolded at the forefront of the organic and regenerative food movement, including leadership roles at Patagonia’s regenerative food division and Amy’s Kitchen. She brings together strategic communication, psychological depth, and collaborative leadership, with deep interests in narrative design, radical hospitality, and bringing the sensibilities of depth psychology into everyday life and group settings. Susan lives in Point Reyes Station, California, where you’ll often find her hiking, trail running, writing, cooking, and celebrating the ways we gather and create meaning together.



Let us know how to get back to you.