Every week in the climate, science, social justice, and environmental spaces is as diverse as Uproot’s membership. Field Notes, our week-in-the-life blog posts, are snapshots of the varied experiences that make our community so vibrant. 

A Week in the Life

This week was a good blend of work, rest, and fun — plus an opportunity to practice self-care. By the end of the week, I felt like I’d nurtured lots of different parts of myself: the professional, the creative, the social, and the physical.

Monday:

I usually reserve Mondays for more admin-related tasks, so once I finish breakfast and morning farm chores (I live on a small farm in Maine!), I sit down to go through my inbox, organize the week, and make sure we’re up-to-date on prepping for Uproot’s upcoming events. I spend the afternoon editing audio for the Journey of a Story gallery exhibit. I really enjoy the blend of creativity and technicality that goes into editing — audio or text!

Tuesday:

I thought today was going to be a really meeting-heavy day, but a few things got moved around, so I can concentrate more on content development. I spend most of the day on Canva, editing the social media posts for Journey of a Story. In the evening, I moderate a virtual Uproot panel, Covering My Community. The conversation is so good! I love listening to Uprooters discuss the ethics and care that go into journalism. I feel inspired and energized after the roundtable. You can watch the recorded roundtable HERE.

Wednesday:

All those meetings I was supposed to have yesterday? Yup, I have them today. When I’m not in a meeting, I’m working on scheduling posts for Bluesky, Threads, and X (the artist formerly known as Twitter). It can be time-consuming, so I usually devote Wednesdays to this task. The best part is getting to share so many incredible stories written by Uprooters. Hyping up our members and highlighting their fantastic environmental reporting is one of my favorite parts of my job.

Thursday:

I had a migraine last night, so I take a sick day to recover. I’ll admit to checking email and occasionally popping in to check Uproot’s socials a few times (I can’t help myself!), but I’m super grateful that the Uproot team is so supportive and makes me feel empowered to take a day for self-care. I spend a lot of the day in bed resting, then go to therapy and pick up straw from the feed store because #farmlife.

Friday:

Wooo, it’s Friday! I wrap up any loose ends from the week and keep an eye on how our Journey of a Story announcements are doing on social media. We’ve spent months working on this event series and I am excited to share it with everyone. I also have to clean up around the farm because Hurricane Lee is headed our way tomorrow. I want to make sure anything that could blow away is secure and that the animals will be dry and cozy in the barn tomorrow during the storm. We’re heading to a Portland Sea Dogs game tonight if the storm doesn’t come in early!

Saturday and Sunday:

It was very windy from the tropical storm all day Saturday, so I stayed snug as a bug in the house, reading and making blanket forts with my toddler. On Sunday, we enjoyed a visit from friends. It’s finally starting to feel like fall. Even a hurricane can’t keep us down!

From the Wild:

What is one thing you always do when visiting somewhere new?

Go for a long, wandering walk until I find the perfect spot to settle down with a good book and people-watch.

Hobby you keep thinking about but haven’t picked up yet?

I’ve always wanted to learn how to play the piano!

Audiobook, ebook, hardback, or paperback?

All of the above? But if I have to pick — paperback.

Interested in writing for Uproot’s Field Notes blog? Send us an email at info@uprootproject.org!