The US building sector accounts for almost half (45%) of our greenhouse gas emissions and three-quarters (75%) of our electricity use. That makes the stakes of optimizing energy performance in the building sector roughly as high as the transportation or industrial sectors combined. Beyond the physical plant, energy use in buildings is largely determined by the choices and behaviors of…
A leading neuroscientist, psychiatrist and New York Times bestselling author, Dan Siegel, M. D. is a member of our board and a key advisor and presenter for our education and climate change initiatives. Siegel’s work advances the evidence-based view that the human mind is not just embodied inside the skull. Transcending the delusion that Einstein called the “skin encapsulated self,”…
Daniel Goleman at the Rubin Museum of Art Last week a sold-out crowd attended our panel on “Mindfulness at Work” featuring Daniel Goleman, Sharon Salzberg, and Janice Marturano, moderated by David Gelles. The panel explored the many dimensions of mindfulness in the workplace. A video of the event, which was co-presented by the Garrison Institute and the Rubin Museum of…
CBRT Program Manager Teri Sivilli Contemplative practices are creating a culture shift and the Garrison Institute works to bring it to the professional fields that need it most. Recent articles highlight how aid workers are at risk for PTSD and how mindfulness-based approaches can benefit them. The Institute brings these benefits to aid workers through its Contemplative-Based Resilience Training…
Visual mapping of compassionate pro-social behavior Researchers at Stanford University’s Center for Compassion, Altruism Research and Education used an open-source mapping tool to see how pro-social behaviors and acts of compassion and kindness affected people who witnessed them in a controlled experiment. After five days participants reported lower levels of depression, anger and stress, and higher levels of…
Thomas Moore Please join us March 31 for a free public talk with Thomas Moore. Moore is the author of the bestselling Care of the Soul and 15 other books on deepening spirituality and cultivating soul in every aspect of life. Moore’s new book A Religion of One’s Own is about creating a personal, authentic spiritual path that bridges the…
Thoughts recorded at a Climate, Mindand Behavior symposium. This spring the Climate Mind and Behavior (CMB) program of the Garrison Institute, in partnership with the Kresge Foundation, will convene a three-day by-invitation summit of local government service providers from around the country. The meeting will address how they can be most effective at helping municipalities take action on climate change.…
Can contemplative practice support culture shifts in key social change fields like education and climate change? Our Climate, Mind and Behavior (CMB) and Contemplative Teaching and Learning (CTL) programs offer thoughtful monthly updates that connect the latest research and news from the field to the big-picture questions we’re all pondering. CMB director John McIlwain asked in a recent issue, “Is…