2026 Archives
In this edition of Ecotopia, we spoke with Paul Kirk, the coordinator of this year's Snow Goose Festival and a member of the board of Alta-Cal Bird Alliance, which sponsors this annual event. To celebrate the arrival in the Northstate of a gazillion snow geese, who settle in rice fields and ponds, the Festival sponsors a four-day festival including field trips, workshops, and a grand banquet. Paul filled us in on the amazing range of workshops and other events and, off the cuff and drawing on his own experience as a birder, told us what people might expect to see on the field trips. Listen to the program. Click on the link.
Multisolving
with Elizabeth Salwin
Eco 823 January 9, 2026
Beth has dedicated her career to the theory and practice of creating change in complex systems. She trained in system dynamics computer simulation with Donella Meadows at Sustainability Institute. At the Institute, she also supported sustainability leaders from around the world as they used system approaches to conserve land, enact climate policy, restore rivers, promote healthy communities, and more.
Prior to founding Multisolving Institute, Beth co-founded the think tank Climate Interactive to develop tools for grappling with the complexity of the climate system. She led Climate Interactive’s efforts to integrate measures of equity, health, and well-being into decision-support computer simulations.
Beth writes and speaks about multisolving and leadership in complex systems for both national and international audiences. Her writing has been published in Non-Profit Quarterly, The Stanford Social Innovation Review, U. S. News, The Daily Climate, and System Dynamics Review. Her work has been widely covered including in the New York Times and the Washington Post. Her book Multisolving: Creating Systems Change in a Fractured World was published by Island Press in late 2024.
She has two adult daughters and lives in rural Vermont where she and her husband grow as much of their food as they can manage.