Climate Grief Conversations

GWI and Jenny Bates are holding ongoing climate grief conversations. This group will meet on the first Thursdays of the month, (though this one is on the second Thursday) at The Greenhouse 65 St. James St. on the corner of Clinton street and St. James Street in Uptown Kingston. This group is free and open to anyone who has concerns about the climate, about our City of Kingston, and who are stressed about an uncertain future.

“We are picking up distress signals, as living beings on this planet” – Jenny Bates.


Grief is not easily processed alone. The grief felt, consciously or unconsciously regarding the planet is on a scale previously unknown to our species. This series of conversations is an opportunity to share and verbalize what is felt in the context of group that will be facilitated with care, support and a sense of belonging in a confidential and fully respectful manner.


You can listen to Micah and Jenny speak on The Good Work Hour about this topic.
If you have any questions, email [email protected] or [email protected]

Climate Grief Conversations

GWI and Jenny Bates are holding ongoing climate grief conversations. This group will meet on the first Thursdays of the month, (though this one is on the second Thursday) at The Greenhouse 65 St. James St. on the corner of Clinton street and St. James Street in Uptown Kingston. This group is free and open to anyone who has concerns about the climate, about our City of Kingston, and who are stressed about an uncertain future.

“We are picking up distress signals, as living beings on this planet” – Jenny Bates.


Grief is not easily processed alone. The grief felt, consciously or unconsciously regarding the planet is on a scale previously unknown to our species. This series of conversations is an opportunity to share and verbalize what is felt in the context of group that will be facilitated with care, support and a sense of belonging in a confidential and fully respectful manner.


You can listen to Micah and Jenny speak on The Good Work Hour about this topic.
If you have any questions, email [email protected] or [email protected]

Climate Grief Conversations

GWI and Jenny Bates are holding ongoing climate grief conversations. This group will meet on the first Thursdays of the month, (though this one is on the second Thursday) at The Greenhouse 65 St. James St. on the corner of Clinton street and St. James Street in Uptown Kingston. This group is free and open to anyone who has concerns about the climate, about our City of Kingston, and who are stressed about an uncertain future.

“We are picking up distress signals, as living beings on this planet” – Jenny Bates.


Grief is not easily processed alone. The grief felt, consciously or unconsciously regarding the planet is on a scale previously unknown to our species. This series of conversations is an opportunity to share and verbalize what is felt in the context of group that will be facilitated with care, support and a sense of belonging in a confidential and fully respectful manner.


You can listen to Micah and Jenny speak on The Good Work Hour about this topic.
If you have any questions, email [email protected] or [email protected]

Climate Grief Conversations

GWI and Jenny Bates are holding ongoing climate grief conversations. This group will meet on the first Thursdays of the month, (though this one is on the second Thursday) at The Greenhouse 65 St. James St. on the corner of Clinton street and St. James Street in Uptown Kingston. This group is free and open to anyone who has concerns about the climate, about our City of Kingston, and who are stressed about an uncertain future.

“We are picking up distress signals, as living beings on this planet” – Jenny Bates.


Grief is not easily processed alone. The grief felt, consciously or unconsciously regarding the planet is on a scale previously unknown to our species. This series of conversations is an opportunity to share and verbalize what is felt in the context of group that will be facilitated with care, support and a sense of belonging in a confidential and fully respectful manner.


You can listen to Micah and Jenny speak on The Good Work Hour about this topic.
If you have any questions, email [email protected] or [email protected]

At Work in the Ruins with Dougald Hine

“Let [Hine’s] song of loss and longing, his call to fugitivity, dispossess you of your steady gait and poise. Perhaps then we, collectively infected, might together witness the incomprehensible.”—Bayo Akomolafe, author of These Wilds Beyond Our Fences

GWI is excited to welcome writer and social thinker Dougald Hine to Kingston for a talk highlighting his book, At Work in the Ruins: Finding Our Place in the Time of Climate Crisis and Other Emergencies. Join us at the GWI Greenhouse, where we will gather to hear reflections on the consequences of our over-reliance on the single lens of science while inviting us to collectively explore paths beyond panic and polarization. Registration for this event includes a copy of the book and will be available on the evening of the event. The talk will be followed by a Q&A.

Event Overview:

5:45-6:15pm Check-in, pick up your book, grab a drink/snack, and settle in!

6:15-7:15pm Dougald, in conversation with David Brownstein, will discuss At Work in the Ruins. They will then open it up to the audience for a Q&A

7:15-8:00pm Book-signing + mingling!

About Dougald Hine:

Dougald Hine is a social thinker, writer and speaker. After an early career as a BBC journalist, he co-founded organizations including the Dark Mountain Project and a school called HOME. He has collaborated with scientists, artists and activists, serving as a leader of artistic development at Riksteatern (Sweden’s national theater) and as an associate of the Centre for Environment and Development Studies at Uppsala University. His latest book is At Work in the Ruins: Finding Our Place in the Time of Science, Climate Change, Pandemics & All the Other Emergencies (2023). He co-hosts The Great Humbling podcast and publishes a Substack called Writing Home. https://dougald.nu/

Democratizing Work: Ways of Sharing Power, Leadership and Decision Making (3 of 3)

Join the Good Work Institute and Co-op Hudson Valley as we explore the tools, policies, practices, culture, frameworks, and models of shared leadership and democratic decision making.

In this three-part series, we will get into the nuts and bolts of tools, policies and practices that support democratic decision making, and discuss the kinds of  relational shifts that facilitate a culture of shared leadership. We will explore the broader context of shared leadership, including motivations, frameworks and models applicable to different types of organizations, both businesses and nonprofits. 

In 2019, the Good Work Institute team made the collective decision to move from a hierarchical organization to a Worker Self-Directed Nonprofit. Together, we built a system of shared governance that serves the needs of our organization while honoring our unique individual contributions. Since 2021, Co-op Hudson Valley has been supporting worker-owned cooperative businesses to start and grow. This series draws on the direct experience of these two organizations that have coached, facilitated and supported workers in a wide variety of contexts to navigate the challenges and experience the benefits of bringing democratic values into the way we work and building deeper connections to our impact, purpose, and each other. 

Here’s what a couple of participants from our most recent series had to say about the workshops:

These workshops have been a wonderful team-learning experience and a very timely response to our ongoing questions/inquiries into moving into a worker-directed collective. The resources, technical tools, frameworks, and approaches are truly invaluable and an incredible value-add. Through these workshops, our team has been introduced to and challenged to build shared language around power, leadership, structure, and decision-making. SOOOOOO good!  – Shawn W.

I came into this process totally green to the idea of democratized work, but now feel I have a good grasp of the potential for our company, as well as great practical tools and resources, and clear next steps for how to approach these changes. – Lauren M. 

Rather than provide a specific template approach, this series is designed to support participating organizations to see opportunities to evolve their own structure and processes. Together, we will explore:

  • Frameworks and Models of Shared Leadership
  • GWI Case Study: Policies, Practices and Culture of a Worker Self-Directed Nonprofit
  • Tools that Support Democratic Ways of Working and Making Decisions Together

We request that participating organizations send a minimum of two workers, and that participants attend all three workshops. Shared leadership is a collaborative practice, and we believe that the more workers present, the easier it will be for an organization to engage with this work. Our recommended best practice is to send a delegation of workers that represent different professional backgrounds and different levels of authority within the organization. 

Democratizing Work: Ways of Sharing Power, Leadership and Decision Making (2 of 3)

Join the Good Work Institute and Co-op Hudson Valley as we explore the tools, policies, practices, culture, frameworks, and models of shared leadership and democratic decision making.

In this three-part series, we will get into the nuts and bolts of tools, policies and practices that support democratic decision making, and discuss the kinds of  relational shifts that facilitate a culture of shared leadership. We will explore the broader context of shared leadership, including motivations, frameworks and models applicable to different types of organizations, both businesses and nonprofits. 

In 2019, the Good Work Institute team made the collective decision to move from a hierarchical organization to a Worker Self-Directed Nonprofit. Together, we built a system of shared governance that serves the needs of our organization while honoring our unique individual contributions. Since 2021, Co-op Hudson Valley has been supporting worker-owned cooperative businesses to start and grow. This series draws on the direct experience of these two organizations that have coached, facilitated and supported workers in a wide variety of contexts to navigate the challenges and experience the benefits of bringing democratic values into the way we work and building deeper connections to our impact, purpose, and each other. 

Here’s what a couple of participants from our most recent series had to say about the workshops:

These workshops have been a wonderful team-learning experience and a very timely response to our ongoing questions/inquiries into moving into a worker-directed collective. The resources, technical tools, frameworks, and approaches are truly invaluable and an incredible value-add. Through these workshops, our team has been introduced to and challenged to build shared language around power, leadership, structure, and decision-making. SOOOOOO good!  – Shawn W.

I came into this process totally green to the idea of democratized work, but now feel I have a good grasp of the potential for our company, as well as great practical tools and resources, and clear next steps for how to approach these changes. – Lauren M. 

Rather than provide a specific template approach, this series is designed to support participating organizations to see opportunities to evolve their own structure and processes. Together, we will explore:

  • Frameworks and Models of Shared Leadership
  • GWI Case Study: Policies, Practices and Culture of a Worker Self-Directed Nonprofit
  • Tools that Support Democratic Ways of Working and Making Decisions Together

We request that participating organizations send a minimum of two workers, and that participants attend all three workshops. Shared leadership is a collaborative practice, and we believe that the more workers present, the easier it will be for an organization to engage with this work. Our recommended best practice is to send a delegation of workers that represent different professional backgrounds and different levels of authority within the organization. 

Democratizing Work: Ways of Sharing Power, Leadership and Decision Making (1 of 3)

Join the Good Work Institute and Co-op Hudson Valley as we explore the tools, policies, practices, culture, frameworks, and models of shared leadership and democratic decision making.

In this three-part series, we will get into the nuts and bolts of tools, policies and practices that support democratic decision making, and discuss the kinds of  relational shifts that facilitate a culture of shared leadership. We will explore the broader context of shared leadership, including motivations, frameworks and models applicable to different types of organizations, both businesses and nonprofits. 

In 2019, the Good Work Institute team made the collective decision to move from a hierarchical organization to a Worker Self-Directed Nonprofit. Together, we built a system of shared governance that serves the needs of our organization while honoring our unique individual contributions. Since 2021, Co-op Hudson Valley has been supporting worker-owned cooperative businesses to start and grow. This series draws on the direct experience of these two organizations that have coached, facilitated and supported workers in a wide variety of contexts to navigate the challenges and experience the benefits of bringing democratic values into the way we work and building deeper connections to our impact, purpose, and each other. 

Here’s what a couple of participants from our most recent series had to say about the workshops:

These workshops have been a wonderful team-learning experience and a very timely response to our ongoing questions/inquiries into moving into a worker-directed collective. The resources, technical tools, frameworks, and approaches are truly invaluable and an incredible value-add. Through these workshops, our team has been introduced to and challenged to build shared language around power, leadership, structure, and decision-making. SOOOOOO good!  – Shawn W.

I came into this process totally green to the idea of democratized work, but now feel I have a good grasp of the potential for our company, as well as great practical tools and resources, and clear next steps for how to approach these changes. – Lauren M. 

Rather than provide a specific template approach, this series is designed to support participating organizations to see opportunities to evolve their own structure and processes. Together, we will explore:

  • Frameworks and Models of Shared Leadership
  • GWI Case Study: Policies, Practices and Culture of a Worker Self-Directed Nonprofit
  • Tools that Support Democratic Ways of Working and Making Decisions Together

We request that participating organizations send a minimum of two workers, and that participants attend all three workshops. Shared leadership is a collaborative practice, and we believe that the more workers present, the easier it will be for an organization to engage with this work. Our recommended best practice is to send a delegation of workers that represent different professional backgrounds and different levels of authority within the organization. 

We’re excited to offer this opportunity for learning and support alongside free weekly discovery calls focused on org-specific challenges and a quarterly community of practice to connect, discuss, and offer mutual encouragement.

(TH)Empower Monthly Co-op Networking Mixer

Join us Thursday, May 9th from 6-8pm for our monthly networking event! This month we will be meeting at the GWI Greenhouse!

At (Th)Empower Coop, we believe that together, we can achieve greatness. This event is your opportunity to network with like-minded cooperative champions, exchange insights, and learn from one another’s triumphs in the realm of worker ownership.

At (Th)Empower, our mission is to catalyze the growth and success of worker cooperatives, empowering individuals to shape a more equitable and cooperative future.

 We are committed to holding these monthly networking events with the hopes of fostering a vibrant community of cooperative enthusiasts, leaders, and visionaries, bringing them together to connect, learn, and collaborate.

This event is sponsored by Co-op Hudson Valley, Good Work Institute, LIFT Economy and Mi Oh My Hydroponic Farms. For more info, click the registration link.

Climate Grief Conversations

GWI and Jenny Bates are holding ongoing climate grief conversations. This group will meet on the first Thursdays of the month, (though this one is on the second Thursday) at The Greenhouse 65 St. James St. on the corner of Clinton street and St. James Street in Uptown Kingston. This group is free and open to anyone who has concerns about the climate, about our City of Kingston, and who are stressed about an uncertain future.

“We are picking up distress signals, as living beings on this planet” – Jenny Bates.


Grief is not easily processed alone. The grief felt, consciously or unconsciously regarding the planet is on a scale previously unknown to our species. This series of conversations is an opportunity to share and verbalize what is felt in the context of group that will be facilitated with care, support and a sense of belonging in a confidential and fully respectful manner.


You can listen to Micah and Jenny speak on The Good Work Hour about this topic.
If you have any questions, email [email protected] or [email protected]

Climate Grief Conversations

GWI and Jenny Bates are holding ongoing climate grief conversations. This group will meet on the first Thursdays of the month, (though this one is on the second Thursday) at The Greenhouse 65 St. James St. on the corner of Clinton street and St. James Street in Uptown Kingston. This group is free and open to anyone who has concerns about the climate, about our City of Kingston, and who are stressed about an uncertain future.

“We are picking up distress signals, as living beings on this planet” – Jenny Bates.


Grief is not easily processed alone. The grief felt, consciously or unconsciously regarding the planet is on a scale previously unknown to our species. This series of conversations is an opportunity to share and verbalize what is felt in the context of group that will be facilitated with care, support and a sense of belonging in a confidential and fully respectful manner.


You can listen to Micah and Jenny speak on The Good Work Hour about this topic.
If you have any questions, email [email protected] or [email protected]

Climate Grief Conversations

GWI and Jenny Bates are holding ongoing climate grief conversations. This group will meet on the first Thursdays of the month, (though this one is on the second Thursday) at The Greenhouse 65 St. James St. on the corner of Clinton street and St. James Street in Uptown Kingston. This group is free and open to anyone who has concerns about the climate, about our City of Kingston, and who are stressed about an uncertain future.

“We are picking up distress signals, as living beings on this planet” – Jenny Bates.


Grief is not easily processed alone. The grief felt, consciously or unconsciously regarding the planet is on a scale previously unknown to our species. This series of conversations is an opportunity to share and verbalize what is felt in the context of group that will be facilitated with care, support and a sense of belonging in a confidential and fully respectful manner.


You can listen to Micah and Jenny speak on The Good Work Hour about this topic.
If you have any questions, email [email protected] or [email protected]