Join Host Kristin Schafer for a conversation with Susan Kaplan, an environmental health lawyer and professor, and Sarah Doll, longtime leader of the Safer States coalition, for a discussion on rollbacks in federal regulation of chemicals and how the potential for state action offers hope.
Part of the CHE Café Series
Part of the CHE Café Series
At a time when strong, independent science is more important than ever, corporations are ramping up attacks on scientists in the environmental health field. In this conversation, Dr. Lisa Bero and Dr. Lariah Edwards will share their own stories of industry intimidation, and reflect on steps needed to protect researchers and maintain scientific integrity. Hosted by CHE Director Kristin Schafer.
Part of the CHE Café Series
In this CHE Café discussion, join Host Kristin Schafer to explore the topic of toxic byproducts of the gas and oil industry with author Justin Noble, Dr. Larysa Dyrszka, and James Brugh, a tribal member of Fort Berthold in western North Dakota.
Part of the CHE Café Series
Join Host Kristin Schafer with biologist and systems thinker Dr. Elizabeth Sawin and chemicals expert and clean production advocate Beverley Thorpe as they explore opportunities to prioritize solutions that concurrently address climate change and the global crisis of chemical contamination—while also improving public health, equity, and economic vitality.
Part of the CHE Café Series
In this CHE Café conversation, we explore the power of storytelling as a tool for communicating complex scientific issues, and reaching people in ways that motivate action for change.
Part of the CHE Café Series
Bringing with her the traditional Aboriginal practices of dadirri—a sacred practice of deep listening, reflection, stillness and connection to the land—and yarning—a conversational practice used by indigenous Australians to share knowledge, stories, and culture, Dr. Catherine Olweny offers another pathway to Mastering the Art of Being. Cultivating this presence is a gift she found in her own life, one she shares with other clinicians, and one we can learn from as well. Follow along with Commonweal New School’s Summer 2026 Visiting Scholar Catherine Olweny journey as resident through her writings, podcasts, and exercises gathered during her visit.

Throughout our 50 years of work healing people and the Earth, Commonweal has always embraced the power of arts and creativity in bringing inspiration, vision, and healing in our bodies, souls, and communities. In this course, join in our exploration of how art and creativity bring healing, connection, and hope—through conversation, writing, poetry, music and sound, film, visual arts, and more.
One of our most beloved voices, Rachel Naomi Remen, died August 8, 2026. We offer this course in honor of her presence, which will be greatly missed. Rachel spent a lifetime at the threshold between medicine and mystery. This course gathers recordings from her decades at Commonweal New School, inviting you to sit with her not as a distant authority but as a companion—someone who spent her life listening closely to what it means to be human.
Jeanine M. Canty is a visionary scholar whose groundbreaking work illuminates the profound connections between consciousness, thought, and our relationship with the natural world. Her teaching weaves together social justice, ecological wisdom, and transformation. By reading her writings and watching or listening to recordings of her time in residence, you can explore how mind and spirit intersect with ecological healing in your own life.
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