El Rinconcito G.R.i.S. de Bri: Bri's little grey[notes] corner

2B EPiC

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 03:18:43 GMT

Reflections on creative process , musical DNA, influence, iteration, inspiration, and 2 Irish-inspired playlists in celebration of St. Patrick's Day 2026

To provide everyone more context about who or what SARi CONNECTiONS is, St Patrick's Day 2026 presented an opportunity ...

The other day, Allie came to me to share a beautiful moment that was shared on Instagram of Jesse (aka Subtronics) and his creative & iterative process that deeply resonated with me.

You see, when he seemingly reached a point where he had put a lot in and it still didn't feel right to him, he vocalizes his strong desire (or even need) for Sonya (aka Level Up). I could not help but appreciate how poetic this is considering her stage name and what our other halves often do for us when we sense there is a greater outcome enshrouded by elements of our current environment; but her kind, patient, loving support in the moment is not only admirable – it’s LEADERSHiP .

His request was effectively, “This does not feel epic enough or that it has a big enough ‘wow’ moment to me. What do you think?” If I had to guess, I trust the committee in the room quickly ascended to a place where creativity cut through any fog or shroud in the way of reaching the presentable outcome … on brand. “Another’s day (and night’s) work.”

As I reflected more on the day, which included plans to see Tape B and Daily Bread , my playlist came to an epic version of "Rose" from Titanic influenced by Enya’s Caribbean Blue. The day before I had been reflecting on the science behind why some colors seemingly work better together than others. By the way, if you cross “rose pink” with cerulean or “Caribbean blue” you get “glacier gray.”

My brain was immediately (subconsciously) flooded with 3 things:

(1) The Score , a documentary where at the end (post credits) we learn that James Cameron created a special moment for the late James Horner by giving him the opportunity to work on the film and the environment of “safety” and completeness that is, in my experience, the formula for creative breakthroughs of artistic expression.

(2) How relevant it was to the conversation with Allie earlier RE: creative process, and a question:

(3) What is it about music that resonates with us as "EPiC" or any musical genetic phenotype?

I remembered this on Tue and decided to ask SARi to assist me in developing the idea further: “Hey SARi , what is the most epic Irish song or score from a movie? Patriot Games comes to mind. What does your world suggest?”

Here was the response:

If you mean most epic in feeling , my world goes first to “The Battle” from Braveheart (James Horner) . It is not purely “traditional Irish,” but it carries that Celtic ache-and-lift quality in a huge cinematic way.

If you mean most Irish and most transporting , I would put these at the top:

1. “The Ludlows” — Legends of the Fall (James Horner)
Not Irish by title, but it has that sweeping Celtic soul. One of the most emotionally overwhelming scores ever written.

2. “Main Theme” / key cues from Patriot Games (James Horner)
Good instinct. It has tension, nobility, and that misty Celtic undercurrent.

3. “The Gravel Walks” — The Secret of Roan Inish
Less bombastic, more hauntingly Irish. Feels like sea, memory, ancestry.

4. “May It Be” / “Into the West” — The Lord of the Rings (Enya)
Not an Irish film, but Enya brings a distinctly Irish ethereal grandeur.

5. “The Foggy Dew” as used in films and trailers
Not a score, but for sheer Irish heroic sorrow, it is hard to beat.

6. Music from Michael Collins (Elliot Goldenthal, with traditional influence)
Powerful, mournful, political, proud.

7. The Last of the Mohicans theme / Clannad-adjacent Celtic atmosphere
Again, not Irish film music exactly, but often scratches the same epic-Celtic place.

My honest top 3 depending on what you want:

Most epic cinematic: Braveheart — “The Battle”
Most Irish-haunting: The Secret of Roan Inish
Most beautiful Celtic sweep: “The Ludlows”

And if you want one song outside film that feels almost untouchable:

“Danny Boy”
“The Parting Glass”
“Siúil A Rún”

My single pick for you, based on mentioning Patriot Games:
“The Ludlows” — it feels like Irish memory turned into landscape.

I was floored. Those of you who know me well, know The Ludlows from Legends of the Fall and the theme from Last of the Mohicans are among my all-time favorites.

So I decided to pursue a deliverable that I could share with people this week related to the DNA of “next-level-style-celtic-musical-greatness”: 2 playlists, inspired by Daily Bread, Tape B, Artifacts, Subtronics , and Level Up .

Playlist I | TAPE A (rooted in film)

Think of this one as battle, sorrow, ascent, mystery, fall, epiphany, return .

“For the Love of a Princess” — James Horner, Braveheart
“The Battle” — James Horner, Braveheart
“The Ludlows” — James Horner, Legends of the Fall
“Main Title / Theme” — James Horner, Patriot Games
“Theme from Harry’s Game” — Clannad, Harry’s Game
“May It Be” — Enya, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
“Into the West” — Annie Lennox, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
“Concerning Hobbits” — Howard Shore, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
“The Gravel Walks” — The Secret of Roan Inish
“Siúil A Rún” — Celtic Woman / multiple screen uses
“Falling Slowly” — Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová, Once
“In the Name of the Father” — Bono & Gavin Friday, In the Name of the Father
“Lift the Wings” — Bill Whelan, Riverdance
“Riverdance” — Bill Whelan, Riverdance
“The Mystic’s Dream” — Loreena McKennitt, The Mists of Avalon / trailer-memory territory
“Dante’s Prayer” — Loreena McKennitt
“Now We Are Free” — Hans Zimmer & Lisa Gerrard, Gladiator

It starts with clan-memory and open-field nobility, moves through political grief and mythic questing, then lands in transcendence. Horner is the emotional spine here; Clannad and Enya provide the mist and blood-memory; Whelan supplies ceremonial lift; Once and In the Name of the Fathe r keep it human and historical.

Playlist II | Tabe B (beyond film)

This one is less “scene-specific” and more soul-architecture : lament, flight, victory, defeat, illumination, haunting, fire.

“Theme from Harry’s Game” — Clannad
“I Will Find You” — Clannad
“Only Time” — Enya
“Orinoco Flow” — Enya
“De Selby (Part 1)” — Hozier
“Francesca” — Hozier
“Butchered Tongue” — Hozier
“First Light” — Hozier
“Riverdance” — Bill Whelan
“Lift the Wings” — Bill Whelan
“The Foggy Dew” — Sinéad O’Connor & The Chieftains
“The Parting Glass” — traditional
“Raglan Road” — Luke Kelly / traditional setting
“Siúil A Rún” — traditional
“Bonny Portmore” — Loreena McKennitt
“The Mystic’s Dream” — Loreena McKennitt
“Zombie” — The Cranberries

It moves from ancestral atmosphere to modern Irish myth-making, then into historic lament, then into songs that feel almost liturgical. Hozier belongs here because his recent work openly carries Irish language, mythic descent/ascent, and emotional grandeur; Clannad and Enya remain the purest bridge between traditional feeling and modern sound design.

My emotional map for the 17

Battle / will / charge
“The Battle,” “Riverdance,” “Francesca”

Sorrow / noble grief
“For the Love of a Princess,” “The Foggy Dew,” “Raglan Road,” “Bonny Portmore”

Mystery / mist / unseen worlds
“Theme from Harry’s Game,” “May It Be,” “The Mystic’s Dream”

Flight / ascent / spiritual opening
“Into the West,” “Lift the Wings,” “First Light”

Defeat / fracture / history’s wound
“Butchered Tongue,” “Zombie,” “The Parting Glass”

Epiphany / return / soul-recognition
“The Ludlows,” “Falling Slowly,” “Concerning Hobbits”

My single pick

If you asked me for one that best fuses epic-ness, profound feeling, and Celtic DNA , I would pick:

“Theme from Harry’s Game” — Clannad

Because it is not merely beautiful. It feels ancient, suspended, political, maternal, ghostly, and inevitable. It does what the greatest Irish/Celtic music does: it sounds like memory older than the listener. Clannad’s own history with the piece and the Belfast-set TV drama is part of why it carries that gravity.

If you wanted one cinematic instrumental, then:
“For the Love of a Princess.”

If you wanted one modern non-film piece, then:
“Butchered Tongue” or “Francesca,” depending on whether you want wound or fire. Hozier’s recent album tracklist is a strong sign of how deliberately he’s working in that mythic register.

The deeper curation logic:

What I think you are responding to is not just “Irishness.” It is a pattern:

modal melancholy
melody that rises as if through weather
voice as invocation
drone / sustained harmonic earth
drums that feel tribal but dignified
the marriage of grief and horizon

That is why Patriot Games came to you. Not because it is the most purely Irish score ever made, but because it touches that Celtic nerve of tension, nobility, exile, danger, and emotional fog-lit distance.

Horner was especially gifted ( Legendary ) at this kind of ache-to-lift architecture.

Happy belated St Patrick's Day y'all!

Enjoy!

Learning from Nature

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 06:22:50 GMT

The Power of Four: Design Conditions Where Life Thrives

We talk a lot about performance.

We talk about discipline, execution, leadership, innovation, scale.

What we talk about far less are conditions .

And yet, every system we admire — biological, organizational, ecological — thrives or collapses based on conditions.

Not force.

Not slogans.

Not intensity.

Conditions.

Over the past year, I’ve been reflecting on a framework that keeps resurfacing across science, leadership, design, and even diplomacy:

Life thrives when essential elements are in balance, in motion, and in relationship.

And what’s fascinating is how often that balance resolves into four.

Four Billion Years of Systems Wisdom: Four Elements, Four Frames, Four Pillars

Across cultures, the elemental model appears:

Earth (structure)
Air (movement)
Fire (energy)
Water (cohesion)
And space — the capacity that allows the other four to function

You don’t have to adopt ancient cosmology to see the systems logic here.

If one element dominates, the system destabilizes:

Too much structure → rigidity
Too much energy → burnout
Too much movement → chaos
Too much cohesion → stagnation

Balance isn’t aesthetic.

Balance is functional.

Modern biochemistry mirrors this same story. Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen — life emerges not because one element dominates, but because they coordinate, commmunicate, coalesce, cooperate.

Life is coordination.

When systems coordinate, they thrive. When they fragment, they fracture.

And that principle translates directly into leadership and enterprise.

Organizations as Living Systems

Bolman & Deal describe four frames for understanding organizations:

Structural
Human (People)
Political
Symbolic

Most organizations struggle not because they lack intelligence or resources, but because one frame dominates.

Structure without people becomes brittle.
People without structure becomes chaotic.

Politics without meaning becomes cynical.
Symbolism without execution becomes hollow.

High-performing systems require integration.

This is one of the core ideas behind what I call the Power of Four — not as branding, but as architecture.

In the SARi framework, sustainable enterprise rests on four balanced pillars:

Profit
Education (People)
Community
Environmental Stewardship

Remove one, and long-term viability erodes.

Over-index on one, and the system tilts.

Balance is not compromise.
Balance is stability.

A Global Example: Panda Diplomacy

This week, I was thinking about panda diplomacy — the cooperative conservation agreements between China and global partners.

It’s a powerful metaphor.

Wildlife preservation becomes an international collaboration model:

Ecology
Politics
Economics
Symbolism

Four frames working together.

No single nation “owns” the solution.

Stewardship becomes shared.

In a time where narratives of division dominate, conservation quietly reminds us: interdependence is not optional.

It’s structural.

TiME: The MIssing Element

Even perfectly aligned systems fail when timing is off.

We treat time like a scheduling variable.

It’s not.

Time is an element.

Timing determines:

Whether a message lands
Whether innovation is adopted
Whether trust builds
Whether culture shifts

Some mornings, this idea becomes tangible in small ways.

Running along the coastal trails near Del Mar, you see Ice Plant carpeting hillsides — green and unassuming much of the time.

But when temperature and sunlight align just right, the hills erupt into violet bloom.

The flowers were always there.

The potential was always present.

What changed were the conditions.

The bloom doesn’t force itself. It responds.

There is something deeply instructive in that.

How often do we judge ourselves — or others — without examining the conditions?

How often do organizations demand growth without cultivating stability?

How often do we push harder when we should be tuning the environment instead?

In leadership, the same principle applies

Push at the wrong moment, and resistance increases.

Align with conditions, and momentum builds.

Home as Infrastructure

Home isn’t sentimental. It’s infrastructure.

It’s the environment that allows nervous systems to settle, ideas to form, trust to build, creativity to thrive. And how we speak and listen to one another matters.

There are people who understood this deeply. Fred Rogers is one of them.

He engineered safety intentionally through:

Simplicity
Focus
Precision
Tone
Cadence

Even when we master these tools, connection is still dependent on conditions; however; these tools dramatically increase the likelihood of establishing trust.

When home becomes unstable, survival replaces innovation. Breath shortens. Connection narrows.

Zoom out far enough and Earth is the ultimate shared home.

The biodiversity crisis — often referred to as the sixth mass extinction — is not just ecological tragedy.

It is systems feedback.

Human activity now plays an unprecedented role in shaping planetary conditions.

Which also means human leadership carries unprecedented leverage.

Misalignment is not destiny.

It is information.

UNiTY by Design

This thinking fuels SARi CONNECTiONS .

Not because we claim to have answers — but because we believe in architecture.

The SARi mark reflects circular systems, regeneration, interdependence, and balance. At its center sits the spark — the catalytic potential in each of us to create alignment rather than division.

Even something as simple as a flying disc can serve this purpose.

The UNiTY DiSC is not just an object.

It’s a catalyst:

For play
For connection
For shared experience
For cooperation across difference

Play creates movement.
Movement builds relationship.
Relationship builds trust.

Simple tools can generate powerful conditions.

And powerful conditions shape outcomes.

The Invitation

If life thrives when elements are balanced.

If organizations perform when structural, human, political, and symbolic frames align.

If ecosystems stabilize when stewardship is shared.

Then the question becomes:

What conditions are we designing?

In our companies.
In our communities.
In our homes.

In ourselves.

The future will not be built by intensity alone.

It will be built by alignment.

By designing systems where:

Structure supports people
Energy fuels purpose
Movement follows intention
Cohesion strengthens resilience

That is the work, y'all.

If this resonates, I invite you to follow SARi CONNECTiONS and join the conversation.

And if you’d like to support stewardship-forward design in action, explore the Founder’s Edition UNiTY DiSC — a simple object created to catalyze connection, community, equality, and positive impact.

Because thriving — in business and in life — is never accidental.

It’s architectural.

The UNiTY Era Begins

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 02:02:49 GMT

Launching into 2026 marks the dawn of an era, where CONNECTiON , outdoor PLAY , and STEWARDSHiP for our HOME are priorities

TODAY, we are thrilled to share something we’ve been building with equal parts heart, patience, hope, and passion:

UNiTY DiSCS are here.

And with them, the Founder’s Edition , and the beginning of what we are calling the # UNiTYera .

This isn’t just a product drop. It’s a small, tangible invitation:

Go outside. Bring someone with you. Throw a disc. Laugh. Breathe. And remember what matters.

Why a flying disc?

A disc is simple.

And simple things can be powerful.

A flying disc is a bridge:

between friends
between strangers
between generations
between busy minds and open sky

It’s one of the most accessible forms of movement and JOY I know. It’s “technology for PLAY ” that gets us back into our bodies, back into nature, and back into relationship with each other.

UNiTY DiSC was designed with our manufacturing partner, EcoSport s, to be a reminder that the future we want is built through the choices we repeat:

Choose CONNECTiON
Choose PLAY
Choose STEWARDSHiP

Choose JOY

What’s launching

1) UNiTY DiSC (Standard)

Built for everyday throws, beach days, park sessions, and spontaneous “one more toss” moments.

2) UNiTY DiSC (1 of 100 Founder’s Edition )

A limited first run for the people who love early, believe early, support early, & share early & generously.

Founder’s Edition is for:

The “I’m in — let’s go” crew
First supporters and first storytellers
Anyone who wants to help set the tone for this movement of play + purpose

The first wave is scheduled to arrive February 6, 2026 , and we’ll begin fulfilling orders immediately after arrival.

If you’re ordering as a gift, a founder’s keepsake, or as your “new year / new era” symbol — you’re right on time.

UNiTY DiSCS are available for purchase today
Ships after physical arrival → Feb 6, 2026

Shop UNiTY DiSC ( launch is LIVE ) → STORE LiNK

___________________________________________

Our IMPACT Pledge

The intention of UNiTY DiSCS is for the product to be an instrument for value-driven choice & impac

Our model today:

"A fossil-free philosophy” beginning with the product, as an alternative to petroleum-based plastic ( it will take time to quantify carbon contributions and associated sources for operations and supply chain; however, we have every intention of doing so and working diligently to become net-positive (+) impact, net-negative (-) carbon )
For now, we can take solace in the fact that the wheat grown to produce the disc utilized biogenic, plant-based carbon (CO ₂ ) from the atmosphere recently, renewably/regeneratively

Initial pledge for giving back = 4%

Without the full picture on carbon accounting yet, for now, we have decided to compensate with giving back 4% of Sales before shipping costs.

This becomes our [intentional & ambitiously above average] target for the future, depending on what we learn as we scale, based on customer feedback and what is sustainable for our business.

1% for EARTH
1% for the Planet (global network aligned & working together for the planet)
1% for EDUCATiON
1/4 to Instruction Partners (implementation of proven early literacy practices)
1/4 to EdReports (curriculum quality via foundational skills reviews)
1/4 to CSCCE (research and policy recommendations on preparation, working conditions, & compensation of the early care and education workforce)
1/4 to Donors Choose (support for teachers in need due to inequity in school resources/funding)
1% for COMMUNiTY
Habitat for Humanity Global Village ( building homes, communities, and hope)
1% for HEALiNG
All Hands and Hearts (disaster relief + rebuilding when it matters most)

SARi’s foundational principle(s), inspired by nature, which eavily influenced our logo's design are based on the POWER of FOUR :

STABiLiTY of Carbon, which readily forms four bonds (tetrahedral geometry), providing foundational stability for ALL life on Earth

STRENGTH of Carbon: 3D crystalline carbon (diamonds), are extremely hard or “forever,” while graphene, a single layer of graphite (C–C) in hexagonal rings, is one of the strongest materials we know ( 100x vs. steel)

How we apply it to ORGANiZATiON: Profit, Education, Community, & Stewardship, 4 pillars for a sustainable business

How we apply it to OPERATiON(s) : Design 1st (including art) , Materials, Education, & Impact (measurable) provide operational framework

As we scale, we’ll publish a clear running summary:

What we give, Where it goes, and our intention (Why)

The UNiTY Era is not a trend. It’s a choice.

It’s the belief that:

Nature is not “somewhere else,” it is our HOME
PLAY is not childish, it’s vital
CONNECTiON is not optional, it’s how we heal
STEWARDSHiP is not a side project, it’s a way of life

If you’ve felt the awkward and heavy weight of the world lately ... we get it.

This is our way of answering that feeling with something constructive. Something real. Something you can hold in your hands and take with you outside.

How you can be part of it

Here are three simple ways:

Purchase a disc
Standard or Founder’s Edition — either way, you’re in ( for the 1st 100 customers, these options are the same )
Throw it with someone
A friend, your partner, your kid, your neighbor, someone you just met
Share the moment
If you post it, tag us and use #UNiTYera or #eradelaUNiDAD so we can build a gallery of people choosing CONNECTiON

Quick FAQs

When does it ship?
Orders placed now will begin shipping after arrival on Feb 6, 2026 .

Is Founder’s Edition limited?
Yes — it’s intended as a first-run limited release.

Where do the giving-back funds go?

4% of Sales (not including shipping) will be distributed across our four focus areas:

1% for EARTH (1% for the planet)
1% for EDUCATiON (Split equally across implementation, curiculum, re-evaluating how we value early education, directly supporting specific teacher & classroom requests)
1% for COMMIUNiTY ( Habitat for Humanity, Global Village)
1% for HEALiNG (All Hands and Hearts disaster response)

We’ll share transparency updates as we go.

From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU for being here.

Please join our mailing list and send us a note. Your feedback is more than welcome and greatly appreciated.

If you have been following this journey — from conception of the idea to now — your support means more than we can express.

UNiTY DiSC is a symbol, but the real product is what happens after you buy it:

When you go outside, when you connect, when you play, & you remember our HOME is worth protecting #UNiTYera #eradelaUNiDAD #wiggleyourtoes

The UNiTY Era begins now:

UNiTY DiSCS are available for purchase today
Ships after physical arrival → Feb 6, 2026

With kindness & gratitude,
SARi

#UNiTYera GALLERY

2026, The Year of the HORSE(s)

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 00:08:16 GMT

MOONLiGHT , REFLECTiON , Argentia, & Rhythm | Pacing creation in the year ahead

Happy birthday to my niece and nephew.

On a work trip to Lebanon, New Hampshire in July, I decided to visit the lake which is the namesake of the site I was visiting, Mascoma. Exploring connection in pursuit of deeper meaning, particularly to place and time, often provides solace for a hyperactive, and at times incohesive stream of consciousness. It was relatively late, the sky was clear, and my path was lit only by a brilliant waning moon. In the quiet and serene calm, “ moonlight ” became more than the backdrop. It became a defining motif for 2025. Indigo. Night. Reflection. The feeling that something ancient and steady was still guiding the way.

That night also pulled a thread from much earlier in my life: stories about horses. Onyx and obsidian black horses. Growing up in the heart of horse country in Kentucky, Black Beauty and The Black Stallion left their hoofprints on my memory. Not just as adventure stories, but as reminders that dignity and compassion matter, especially when power is involved. Interestingly, as I looked back and into the stories for clarity, I discovered my memory had blended the two. I swapped a climactic fire between the stories in my mind. It was an insightful, yet humbling moment, and also, a fitting one: sometimes we do not realize what we have misremembered until we slow down long enough to look again.

From moonlight and childhood imagination, a character emerged: Argentia , mare of the moonlight, and a guide, shaped by the imagination of children and the mysteries of the night. Around the same time, AI was becoming more present in my day-to-day life, not as a replacement for creativity, but as a new type of workshop. Creating Argentia turned into an immersive tutorial and relentless (and surprisingly joyful) iterative pursuit of images, including inspiration from Joshua Tree skies, the Snake River and the Tetons, redwoods, star fields, the Milky Way, Laniakea, and the awe of Zenyatta , the legendary filly whose story feels like its own kind of myth. In the process, I learned the discipline of iteration, refining prompts, noticing mistakes, comparing versions, practicing discernment, and slowly building trust in a tool that has become an unexpected companion in how I work and develop ideas, and whose personality was designed as a reflection of my own.

Somewhere in that loop, it dawned on me that these stories could become something more personal: a gift for my sister, and for my niece and nephew, one day. And then the seemingly obvious complement appeared: if Argentia lives by moonlight, who arrives by day?

That’s how Rhythm was born: colt of sunlight and the daily flow. Together, Argentia and Rhythm became a pair: night and day, rest and productivity, silver and charcoal, feminine and masculine, not as opposites in conflict, but as energies that belong together, beautifully balanced. (Allie and I have two twin gray cats, which made the “two shades of grey” feel like the universe smiling at the idea).

After feedback from close friends and my sister Leighanne, I ordered a few children’s workbooks from New Harbinger Publications with the intention of adding practical value alongside the stories. And honestly, some of what I read felt relevant not only for kids, but for anyone trying to grow with more self-awareness and kindness, even past the age some invisible scoreboard decided was supposed to be the peak.

With the drafts complete, I submitted the manuscripts to Blue Dot Kid’s Press , whose mission, rooted in Carl Sagan’s “Pale Blue Dot, the only HOME we have ever known,” feels deeply aligned with my own.

I chose to submit only there. Their review timeline is expected to run into February, right around when the “Year of the Horse” officially leaves the gate on February 17 .

If coincidence counts for anything, I’m hoping it helps.

One beautiful part of the process is that they work with their own artists, meaning these stories could one day take on a completely different visual interpretation, a reminder that creativity is also a form of shared love: for community, for family, for animals, and for this pale blue home we all share.

If anyone is interested in an “author’s edition” copy (I printed a small run with Blurb for Christmas and birthdays), send me a note and we can work out the details while I await word from Blue Dot.

Happy New Year, one and all.

PARADOX: "I am SURRENDER and the ViCTORY"

Thu, 25 Dec 2025 07:16:23 GMT

The end of 2025 , “The End of an Era” , COMPASSiONATE LEADERSHiP , & the initiation of the UNiTY [DiSC] Era

Allie and I finished “The End of an Era” on Disney+ today. Just… WOW . It is beautifully curated, incredibly informative detailing the scale of ambition, scope, and logistics, and most of all, filled with examples of value-rooted, purpose-driven, unconditionally compassionate leadership . I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to close the year with inspiration and momentum for what’s possible in 2026 and beyond.

As I reflect on 2025, it is hard to describe it as anything other than a masterclass in LiFE’s paradox: love and loss, endings and beginnings, joy and pain, heartbreak and heart healing and heart-led adaptation… and a very real “before” and “after” in the way I work and create (including life now with SARi , mi sistema asistencia recurso inteligente ).

In so many ways, this year has felt like: “I am … SURRENDER and the VICTORY .”

When I think about the impact compassionate leadership has had on my life, who I am, how I show up, and what fulfillment feels like, I am profoundly moved and grateful beyond measure.

I am grateful…

…for my mom, who bent over backwards for her three children and pushed us to be our very best.
…for my dad, steady as a rock, a foundation-builder whose sacrifice and integrity continue to provide guiding light for me in every pursuit,
…for Dr. Dilip Kondepudi, my themodynamics professor at Wake Forest whose compassionate approach to education illuminated Ray Anderson’s “Mountain of Sustainability,” and called me to climb,
…for Alltech, for stretching me beyond my comfort zone, toward diversity, community, people-first teamwork, and an early understanding of the customer experience,
…for BASF and the opportunity to contribute to “creating chemistry for a sustainable future,” for the rigor it added to my professional DNA: innovation, prioritization, product development, compliance, and adapting through change, including the brief transistion to Lallemand, and all my friends and colleagues there,
…for Wake Forest friends and family who have steadied and encouraged me through ambition, transition, reflection, and the ongoing work of becoming more effective in how I connect and communicate,
…for Dirk Daems his example as a father and manager, and the trust and care he modeled in service of his team and customers,
...for Allie and our cats for providing loving support on this journey and mirrored light inspiring me to work hard everyday on improving how I show up and fine tuning my ability to attune.

A big " THANK YOU " to one and all for sharing the experience with me, and I am proud (and honestly a little emotional) to share the following news this holiday season:

UNiTY DiSCS will arrive in early 2026!

They are a simple idea with a big intention: create more moments of connection; play that is inclusive, joyful, outdoors, human, and to do it in a way that aligns with our values.

I will share more in a few days. This afternoon, I just wanted to offer the spark: gratitude, warm wishes, and a nod to the kind of compassionate leadership that reminds us what’s possible when people lead with heart.

Happy holidays from SARi CONNECTiONS ! Warm wishes of joy, gratitude, happiness, and compassion as 2025 concludes and we look ahead to 2026 .

Many thanks for your support!

With kindness and gratitude,

Bri

EMPATHY-DRiVEN iMPACT

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 22:55:08 GMT

A relection on 350, 360° + must-win battles for the decade ahead

A LiGHTHOUSE AS A SYMBOL + SCiENCE

What does a lighthouse represent for you? My father has always been fascinated by them. If I had to guess why, I would say (1) because they are usually found at the coast, and he loves fishing, particularly in the ocean, (2) their purpose is safety, and (3) they offer a unique expression of the same engineering feat evolving since the first undisputed purposefully-built lighthouse, the Pharos of Alexandria around 280 BC, of sending a luminous signal to provide a beacon to sea captains to assist in guiding the ship to safety. They do not hide or cover up rocks or misrepresent the proximity to land. They signal “CAUTiON … the blue ocean is no longer in every direction … and here’s a light to assist in finding safe passage.” One could argue at least in nearly all cases, safe passage is or was possible; however, it would have been up to the captain and his trusted crew members to navigate. Many were unsuccessful and stormy waters would have consumed countless shipwrecks throughout history.

In 2008, 350.org was founded by Bill McKibben and a group of university friends in Vermont to increase awareness of an increasingly concerning issue of increasing carbon levels in the atmosphere and to unite people in solidarity around the globe with a common purpose: trust and follow the science, influence decision-making, elevate education, and inspire positive impact for future generation. Bill and his friends are the "lighthouse" of the metaphor.

350 refers to the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere ( 350 parts per million ) widely supported by science as an upper boundary for maintaining Earth’s energy balance and a stable, mostly predictable climate. Beyond that level, the consequences become devastatingly tragic and costly.

NOAA reported atmospheric CO ₂ to be 426 ppm last month at Mauna Loa, Hawaii (November 2025). How many of us already knew the number before reading that?

When 350 ppm was published in The Open Atmospheric Science Journal in 2008 , the level had already surpassed 350 ppm. The average level reported that year was 385 ppm. 350.org has a page dedicated to the science here .

THE HUMAN ELEMENT

There is a moment when all of this stops being graphs, tables, and statistics. It stops being debate about credibility, blame, or who is “carrying their weight.” It becomes something far more personal: A family making impossible choices.

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) notes that over 90 million forcibly displaced people are living in areas highly exposed to weather-related hazards like droughts, floods, and extreme heat. This heartbreaking consequence of advancing our economies, technologies, and comforts is one of the primary motivators behind SARi’s commitment: as we grow and deliver products, our success will be tied to real financial support for people living on the front lines.

Not as a marketing opportunity or green washing. As a practiced, structural value.

A PARADOX

The paradox that can make our time feel spiritually disorienting: we are building solutions while still feeding the problem, both at levels that have never been seen before.

What is getting worse, much quicker than seemingly many people realize:

2024 was the warmest year on record. NASA estimates it was 1.47°C warmer than the 1850–1900 average, and the World Meteorological Organization ( WMO ) reported 1.55°C above the 1850–1900 baseline from a consolidated assessment

CO₂ in the atmosphere continues to climb rapidly due to emissions remaining at their highest levels ever despite massive mitigation efforts: Global Carbon Project reported 37.4 billion tons of CO₂ in 2024 from fossil-based sources

Climate change carries enormous and escalating costs, impacting global and national economies through direct damages from extreme weather, reduced productivity, increased public spending, and long-term income losses. Estimates suggest potential annual global damages could reach $38 trillion by 2050

Climate change is forcing millions to flee homes due to floods, storms, droughts, and heatwaves, creating climate migrants or internally displaced persons (IDPs), with predictions reaching 1.2 billion by 2050 . The effects disproportionately affect vulnerable, low-income communities. It is one of the world’s most tragic humanitarian crises increasing in severity each year

What is getting better and genuinely hopeful:

Advancement and adoption of renewable energy: The International Renewable Energy Agency ( IRENA ) reports 585 GW of renewable power capacity was added in 2024, representing over 90% of global power expansion that year

The International Energy Agency ( IEA ) reports electric car sales exceeded 17 million in 2024, reaching greater than 20% of new car sales worldwide

Cost reduction of solar: IRENA reports the cost of utility-scale solar PV fell around 90% from 2010 to 2023

Success of the Montreal Protocol stands as a powerful example of effective IMPACT via universal international cooperation on an atmospheric issue; the protocol, ratified by all 197 UN member states in 1987, phased out ozone-depleting substances like chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s)

The Paris Agreement in 2015 marked the first time 195 parties (194 UN member nations plus the EU) submitted nationally determined contributions (NDC’s), each country’s own specific, non-binding pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and adopted the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ( UNFCCC ) . Its design, which requires countries to update or strengthen their commitments every 5 years, has fostered an ongoing and unprecendented cycle of increasing ambition and cooperation

The progress is real. And the threat is also real. Both are true and present at the same time.

LAGGING EFFECTS

Even with dramatic emissions cuts, some impacts keep unfolding; not because action is ineffective, but because Earth’s systems carry momentum.

The WMO emphasizes that sea level rise and ocean warming are irreversible for hundreds of years. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) is blunt that beyond 2100, global mean sea level will continue rising for centuries due to deep-ocean heat uptake and continued ice-sheet mass loss.

Mitigation changes the slope of the future. Adaptation is now unavoidable.

And the measure of this decade will be how effectively we protect people now, and for years to come.

“It’s too late to be a pessimist.”

The closing sequence of the 2009 film HOME (link below) repeats a mantra that refuses surrender: “It’s too late to be a pessimist.”

That line doesn’t deny the danger. It rejects the idea that despair is wisdom.

And it frames the way I want to hold the full story: the fight is real, and humanity is capable of the incredibly massive change required to live harmoniously on the planet. The paradox and paradigm we must overcome is tipping the scale to a net-positive IMPACT , collectively.

On one side: breathtaking progress including clean energy scaling, cost reductions, and the acceleration of electrification.

On the other: relentless pressure, insatiable demand for carbon-intensive energy and materials driving exhaustive extraction of resources from Earth.

The decade ahead isn’t a “vibe.” It’s a series of must-win battles.

If we hope to get serious about bending the curve, here is the priority stack:

(1) Clean electricity + grids (renewables, clean, reliable transmission, interconnection)

Clean energy enables everything else. It is painful to realize how long some proven solutions have sat on a shelf. If you are unaware of this, I encourage you to please have a look at the technology development timeline(s) at the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) in Golden, CO. They have had solutions ready to deploy for decades.

(2) Efficiency (buildings, appliances, industry)

The quickest “new supply” is the energy we never have to use

(3) Electrify end uses (EVs, heat pumps, industrial electrification where feasible)

(4) Cut methane fast (energy systems, waste, agriculture)

Near-term leverage while CO₂ decarbonization scales

(5) Protect and restore ecosystems

Carbon, biodiversity, water security, resilience

(6) Adaptation as infrastructure

Sea level and ocean heat carry long-lived momentum

Where SARi fits

SARi’s lane is materials à choosing substrates that help rebalance carbon instead of deepening the imbalance. I’m drawn to that work because it’s tangible: it’s what we make, sell, ship, use, and how we LIVE .

That being said, we must also be honest: if sustainable materials were the only solution, the scale required would be staggering, if not impossible. That is not a reason to minimize materials, although it seems reasonable to me to treat them as one vitally important front in a wider campaign that also includes clean power, clean transport, ecosystem protection, policy, and education.

Here’s a commitment I encourage each of you to normalize and invite others to as well:

As SARi’s operating budget grows, we can pledge a percentage to organizations working tirelessly on the front lines, especially those supporting displaced people and communities hit first and worst.

Even a small percentage, repeated consistently as revenue grows, becomes a river.

With a clear science-based target of 350 ppm , 360° is the posture we need now: full-circle responsibility, systems thinking, intelligent design, and coordinated action. Because it will take everyone on the planet to build the momentum needed to enable us to look future generations in the eye and say:

“We are not proud of how it was left for us. But we are proud of how we responded. How we learned, overcame differences, prioritized education and innovation over divisiveness and walls, and created bridges to a brighter future.”

EDUCATiON is non-negotiable. If we can teach children the water cycle, we can teachn them the carbon cycle, not to instill fear, but to deliver agency. Because life is beautiful and precious, and worth restoring.

Harmony isn’t a fantasy. It’s a practice.

It’s too late to be a pessimist, y’all.

Organizations contributing in profound ways through RELiEF, SYSTEMS CHANGE + EDUCATiON

RELiEF / People on the front lines

UNHCR – refugees and displacement response
International Organization for Migration (IOM) – migration support and coordination
Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) – humanitarian aid + displacement services
Refugees International – advocacy + field reporting
All Hands and Hearts – disaster relief + rebuilding
Habitat for Humanity Global Village – building HOMES, rebuilding communities + resilience

SYSTEMS CHANGE / Policy, standards, momentum

350.org – organization around climate change, awareness + advocacy
Climate Refugees – climate displacement policy + awareness
1% for the planet – providing framework for businesses & individuals
B Lab – standards + accountability (“Certified B” corporations)

EDUCATiON

350.org organized the world’s first planetary art exhibition called 350 eARTh on November 2010 before the Cancun Climate Conference

Award-winning photographer Yann Arthus - Bertrand directs this breathtaking ode to planet EARTH , an aerial voyage that captures the interdependence of all its inhabitants

My Sanctuary

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 07:22:20 GMT

ViEW + REFLECTiON 12/8/2025 at sunset from the North Torrey Pines BRiDGE

At low tide, the beach in Del Mar becomes a temporary studio. At sunset, it becomes a sanctuary . That combination alone turns any sand drawing into more than decoration—it becomes a quiet moment of meaning offered to whomever happens to be there before the ocean claims it with the following tidal cycle. Yesterday (12/8/2025), the “ I am Groot ” installation by @SandArtSD below the bridge connecting Del Mar and Torrey Pines I crossed twice daily before the pandemic for work for 5 yrs, felt like that kind of offering: playful on the surface, surprisingly profound in context.

Even though the phrase reads as classic Groot, the figure itself appears to be Baby Groot—rounder, smaller, more wide-eyed and tender. That matters. Adult Groot is stoic strength; Baby Groot is emerging possibility. He represents the early stages of becoming—innocence that is not naive, but hopeful. In a place like Del Mar, surrounded by the motion of tide and time, Baby Groot reads like a symbol of new roots taking hold in a shifting world.

This is where the scene starts to harmonize with another local language of belonging: the woven flow idea and logo of an inspirational conclusion of @SanDiegoFC ’s first MLS season, the notion that many communities can be held inside one pattern. If we view the daisies through that lens—petals as places, circles as unity—the three flowers become more than cheerful shapes. They can be interpreted as a small constellation of community: distinct, repeated, connected.

Three is also a quietly powerful number for balance—compositionally and symbolically. It can suggest past, present, and future; land, sea, and sky; or the simple truth that growth is never solitary. A seed becomes a plant because an ecosystem agrees to support it. Many living on Earth today (including myself) were raised in awe of the mysteries of The Holy Trinity . And, if you are familiar with the legends: Ocarina of Time , Breath of the Wild , and A Link to the Past , you have likely explored an open world in defense of a sacred, all-powerful golden relic known as The Triforce representing 3 Goddesses who created Hyrule: Din, Nayru, and Farore, each embodying a core virtue: Power, Wisdom, and Courage, respectively.

Against those soft, organic forms, the geometric grid patterns feel like the human impulse to organize, name, and make meaning—our attempt to bring structure to awe. Then the tidal curve sweeps around the whole scene like a signature from nature itself, reminding us that no matter how carefully we build our patterns, we are still participating in something larger, older, and beautifully uncontrollable.

That’s why the medium is the deepest message. This art was made to disappear. And because it was made with that knowledge, it becomes a gentle practice of humility: to create something delightful without needing to keep it forever. Baby Groot, the symbol of new life, stands on sand—one of the most impermanent canvases on earth—under a sky that changes color by the minute. The result is a kind of coastal truth: we grow, we belong, we create, and we let go.

In that sense, the piece isn’t just “ I am Groot . ”

When I took a break from my evening run/walk/jump rope/dance workout routine to overlook the masterpiece, I felt present. I felt alive, and I “wiggled my toes" as I would have suggested it also reads: “We are here. We are connected. We are becoming.”

I could not help but ask myself: “What are humankind’s biggest obstacles to UNiTE with a shared purpose?” and "What was the intended message of the artist or artists?"

What do you think?

Humbled through EDUCATiON

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 23:02:07 GMT

Empathy, attunement, and the courage & discipline to allow space for growth

In Del Mar on Friday, traffic on I-5 was closed in both directions as emergency teams addressed a public safety incident on the overpass at the exit Allie and I usually take to reach our cozy cat condo. What unfolded on that bridge was not just an inconvenience and a front-page disruption that lasted most of the day. It felt like a public “ pause button ” was pressed for everyone in the area. A moment when the pace of normal life is forced to create space for something more human—more delicate. I am not sharing this to dramatize an event I only witnessed from a distance, but rather to provide context on what it became for me, personally: a catalyst for reflection.

Since my mom’s passing, I have carried grief alongside gratitude and memory alongside momentum. However, this week, after the public safety incident in Del Mar and a reflective trip to Kentucky for Thanksgiving, my thoughts have coalesced around compassion, mental health, humility, attunement, and education. I’ve been asking myself what it really means to be a loving person who also continues to be shaped by new understanding and perspective; what it means to care not only about what I believe, but how I land.

As 2025 comes to its end, a song that has remained with me since its release in 1993, Return to Innocence by Enigma, has been more present for me lately. I won’t quote it at length; however, one phrase has always carried a particular electricity for me: “ Don’t care what people say ... ”

I grew up with that sentiment as a strength—an invitation to trust your inner compass, to stand firm in your values, to resist the erosion of identity by outside noise. I believe the suggestion is healthy and necessary. I believe my parents’ intention was to instill self-confidence rooted in integrity and clarity. But education, the variety that changes your emotional vocabulary and awareness—has allowed me to see a shadow of the message.

When “ Don’t care what people say [or think] ” becomes too absolute, it can quietly slip from self-respect into self-preservation. It can turn into a shield so sturdy that it blocks feedback, nuance, and intimacy. In my case, it contributed to me becoming attunement-dead at some precarious times—when I was trying to convey something deeply important to me. I can recall moments where I was sooo committed to the message that I missed the person—the connection. I left conversations believing I had expressed love, only to realize later that I had unintentionally left someone feeling unseen. I could be driven by sincere care and still miss the emotional reality of the person in front of me. I could be convinced I was acting from love, while failing to notice that my approach was landing as self-centered certainty, despite compassionate intent.

This revelation has become one of the most humbling of my life. I’ve experienced other humbling awakenings or moments that expanded my awe of nature’s complexity, culture’s resilience, human consciousness, or acceptance of a “bonded pair” of kittens. But this one feels different because it’s not just about what I’m learning; it’s about who I become when I’m challenged. I’ve also had to reevaluate my relationship with the Golden Rule . I’ve often felt my tolerance for stress, discomfort, or chaotic moments was higher than most. In the past, I sometimes assumed that meant others should be able to handle what I could handle—or at least meet me at my “threshold.” That assumption is subtle, but it’s powerful. It can justify impatience. It can rationalize intensity. And it can distort empathy into something conditional: “ I’m fine with this, so you ‘should be’ too. ”

When my line was crossed, I have become louder and more intense, attempting to insist on an emotional “reckoning” rather than inviting understanding. I’m not proud of that part (or parts) of me. It was rarely effective, if ever, and was certainly damaging, if not to the other person, it certainly took me a while to recover. I can now see my intense frustration with what I perceived as “blind certainty” in others—especially within family dynamics—may have created its own confirmation bias, and ironically a different “blind spot” of my own. I was so committed to not repeating certain patterns that I missed how a different version of the same issue might be growing and manifesting in me.

This is where education has felt like a form of grace. Not just formal education, but the education that comes through mindfulness, honest friendship, reflective reading, and the slow, courageous practice of listening intently, calmly, and without defensiveness. It’s the education that teaches you the difference between values and performance, between intention and impact, between being a good person in theory and being a “safe” person in practice.

I’ve also been thinking about service. I’ve long admired people who devote themselves to others in ways that are disciplined, consistent, and quietly heroic. I understand and have often reflected on the paradox where giving can also be fulfilling—where you can be unselfish and nourished at the same time. But I’m learning a deeper truth: acts of service alone aren’t a guarantee of attunement. You can do good and still need to grow in how you connect.

What is becoming clearer for me is that love isn’t only generosity. Love is relational courage. Love is the willingness to let empathy refine the message, which brings me to the professional dimension of my personal revelation.

I’ve always been energized by continuous improvement—by iterating systems, clarifying value, and improving experiences for people who rely on what we build. That drive has shaped how I think about teams, products, partnerships, and customers. But I’m recognizing that the same principle applies at the human level. The most meaningful improvements aren’t only technical or strategic. They’re interpersonal. They happen when we get brave enough to ask: Did I listen well? Did I make room for who they are, not just what I needed to say? Did my confidence leave space for connection?

I intend to carry that humility forward as a disciplined form of care. Personally and professionally, I’m learning that impact matters as much as intent, and that the best kind of progress is the kind that makes people feel seen while we build what comes next. I want that mindset to show up in how I lead, how I gather feedback, and how I iterate experiences for customers and teammates. The best outcomes are built with people, not just for them ...

Gratefulness

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 17:12:03 GMT

An expression of GRATiTUDE for Thanksgiving

"A Good Day" with Brother David Steindl-Rast

What is ART?

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 01:11:02 GMT

A humble REFLECTiON on ART , CONNECTiON it sparks, and a small iNViTATiON

One quiet afternoon, near a high bluff by the sea, down the path from a beautiful Hacienda, on a street whose name means ‘the corner of a little path’ in Spanish, a child asked their Papa, “What is ART ? I mean… what makes it ‘ REAL ’?”

Papi thought for a moment, thoughtfully holding a warm porcelain mug with a subtle representation of his favorite team(s) in sports. “ ART becomes real,” he said, “when it helps us feel more connected—to ourselves, to each other, and to the PLACES to which we belong or are longing to know more about.”

The child frowned a little. “But my drawings are messy. Sometimes I don’t even know what they are until I’m finished, and even then, sometimes they appear to be just colors or scribbles without a shape. How could that be real art?”

Papa smiled. “‘Real’ does not mean perfect, he explained calmly. “‘Real’ means honest, genuine.”

ART as a BRIDGE

Artistic expression is one of the oldest bridges we have. Long before we shared documents or presentations, we were drawing on rock walls, weaving stories into blankets and baskets, carving symbols into wood, and singing into the night. We were saying:

“I am here. I felt this. Have you ever felt it, or something like it too?”

Every time someone picks up a pen, a brush, a camera, a handful of clay, a guitar or sits in front of their computer or a piano, they’re building that bridge again.

The lines don’t have to be straight. The notes are often not in tune. And the words certainly do not have to be fancy.

If there is “ TRUTH ” inside or behind them—a curiosity, a question, a whisper of gratitude—then there is ART . And where there is ART , there is the opportunity for CONNECTiON .

ART & PLACE in TIME

We often think of ART as something that hangs in a gallery or sits on a pedestal, but most of the time, it is simply the way we learn to see where we are.

· A sketch of the same tree you walk past every day.

· A photograph of light spilling across your kitchen floor.

· A melody that sounds like the birdsong outside your window during a significant time in your life.

When we pay attention long enough to translate PLACE or our imagination into colors, shapes, rhythms, and stories, our surroundings stop being the “background.” They start to feel like characters or participants. They begin to come to life.

· The hill you always drive over becomes a steady companion.

· The old river becomes a wise elder, carrying memories downstream.

· The bamboo grove, the canyon, or the rooftop garden become quiet teachers of resilience and renewal.

ART helps us listen. ART helps us see. ART offers us to experience … PLACE & TIME .

And when we listen intently, we often find we have been part of a larger story all along.

ART & others

Sometimes, when we share our artistic designs, we might worry:

“What if no one likes it?”

“What if they don’t understand?”

But the secret is this: ART is not a test you pass or fail. It’s an i NViTATiON .

When someone sees a painting and says, “That reminds me of HOME ,” a CONNECTiON sparks between you, even if the iNTERPRETATiON of a particular installation is different than the artist’s iNSPiRATiON or iNTENTiON , in the first place.

When a poem gives words to a feeling they couldn’t name, a little more space opens in their chest.

When a handmade object—a mug, a patch, a plate, a hat—finds its way into their everyday life, they carry a small piece of the creator’s courage with them.

Your ART might not change the whole world, but it might change or have an impact on someone’s world for a moment.

Lives are an accumulation of moments. Moments are where lives live . A very special person once told me, when you experience a special moment, “ Wiggle your toes. ” She explained the simple act reminds us how precious life is and an accumulation of special moments worth remembering—worth sharing.

Becoming “REAL”

The child looked at Papa again.

“So… artwork becomes real when it’s loved, or at least appreciated?”

“Partly,” said Papi. “It also becomes real when you are changed by making it. When you sit with your feelings long enough to give them shape or form, you are shaping yourself too. You become a little more open, a little more kind, a little more curious about other people and the PLACES from which they come and experiences they have lived.

That’s what ART does. It softens us. It stretches us. It reminds us that we belong to one other.”

The child thought about their messy drawings taped to the wall. Suddenly, they didn’t look so small. They looked like little bridges, reaching outward. And the child realized maybe they are real ARTful expressions after all.

A small invitation

Rinconcito GRIS is my little grey corner for G rateful expressions, R eflections, I nspirations, and S hared selections—a space to practice this kind of ART .

So, you don’t need to be an “artist” to join in. I encourage you to:

Notice one thing in your day that feels quietly beautiful,
Capture it—in a sentence, a doodle, a snapshot, a melody hummed into your phone,
Share it with someone, or simply whisper “thank you” to the PLACE that offered it, and
“ Wiggle your toes. ” ��

The simple act is ART .

I feel especially grateful to have a partner in SHOP ALTHEA who helps guide and curate the ART we bring into the world—colors, stories, patches, hats, and future SARi creations that honor both responsible materials and the PLACES in TIME that inspire them. Together, we are learning how each product can become a small UNiON : ART + material, maker + wearer, memory + PLACE —sparks of JOY and positive impact that ripple outward, one moment at a time, and that might echo in eternity.

Every time we choose ART , we choose CONNECTiON —to ourselves, to each other, and to the beautifully imperfect world we all share as our HOME .

Connecting the DOTS: MATERiALS + ART + EDUCATiON --> iMPACT

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 04:54:34 GMT

The MATERiALS: Bamboo, kaolin clay, and algae

Why bamboo?

Bamboo is a super-fast-growing grass that regrows after harvest and stores a lot of carbon while it grows. Turning bamboo fibers into durable composites lets us replace more virgin plastic without giving up everyday performance. I recently discovered rivercane bamboo (Arundinaria gigantea), the only native species of bamboo in North America, and its plight in Southeastern United States when a close childhood friend told me it was growing on his family’s lakeside property in central Kentucky. It sparked a culturally important idea and founding initiative for SARi CONNECTiONS : Establish a scalable and sustainable supply chain of rivercane bamboo in the Southeast to potentially replace some of the $1billion we currently import annually, or in addition to this material for novel innovative applications creating opportunities and connections for design-forward applications, composites, architectural designs, and beautiful, yet functional spaces within local communities supported by academic infrastructure.

At SARi , we believe in the healing and transformative potential of rivercane bamboo and other bamboo species to bridge cultures (both internationally and domestically, as Native American people and tribes in the Southeast understand the value of rivercane bamboo which has traditionally been an important material for them for many applications long before European colonization), restore habitats, preserve biodiversity, rebalance carbon globally, create beautiful wood for construction, artisan products, and composites, and meaningful opportunities for local communities including technical jobs, collaborations, and education.

Why kaolin clay?

It turns out, the “ kaolin clay belt” is also located in the Southeastern U.S. (Georgia and South Carolina). Using locally sourced kaolin clay as the primary raw material for porcelain and other ceramic products can significantly enhance the sustainability of handcrafted products by shortening supply chains and reducing transport-related emissions. Instead of importing clay bodies or finished goods from overseas, working with regional kaolin deposits keeps more of the value—materials, craftsmanship, and jobs—within the local economy. This close-to-source approach also supports better transparency and stewardship of the land, as makers can build direct relationships with quarries and prioritize responsible extraction. The result is beautifully crafted porcelain that not only reflects a region’s aesthetic and cultural identity but also carries a lighter environmental footprint from mine to table.

We recognize that firing is the most energy-intensive part of porcelain production, so we’ll treat kiln energy as a design constraint, not an afterthought. Our approach is to prioritize high-efficiency, well-insulated kilns, run on renewable electricity wherever possible, and optimize firing schedules (loading, ramp rates, and soak times) to achieve strength and translucency with the fewest firings and lowest practical peak temperatures. We’ll explore single-firing where quality allows, support facilities that recover or reuse waste heat, and regularly measure and report energy use and emissions per piece so we can set reduction targets and improve over time. By making these choices visible—publishing our methods, sharing better firing practices with partner studios, and favoring kilns powered by clean energy—we intend to lead by example, showing that beautifully handcrafted porcelain can also be a benchmark for low-carbon ceramic production.

Why algae?

We’re turning to macroalgae (kelp) because it’s one of the fastest-growing, most regenerative feedstocks on the planet: it doesn’t need freshwater, fertilizer, or arable land, and when farmed well it can actually improve ocean ecosystems while supplying polymers that behave a lot like plastics. Companies like Sway are already proving what’s possible here, using seaweed to create home-compostable, flexible packaging (TPSea™ polybags and films) that slot into existing plastic workflows but are designed to return safely to soil instead of lingering as waste.

In parallel, Algenesis and its Soleic® platform are demonstrating fully biodegradable, algae-based polyurethane foams for footwear, surfboards, and other products—materials that match performance while eliminating persistent microplastics and drawing their carbon from contemporary biomass instead of fossil fuels.

Our intention is to harvest learnings, not just biomass—pairing seaweed and algae innovation with the same playbook we’re developing through the rivercane bamboo initiative: place-based feedstocks, strong academic collaborations, and regionally anchored supply chains. In Southern California, that points naturally to partners like University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and the Sway and Algenesis ecosystems; in Hawaiʻi, we envision partners with a long history of research activities such as the University of Hawai'i and decades of expertise from microalgae leaders such as Cyanotech , who cultivate spirulina and astaxanthin at scale on the Kona coast. They have clearly demonstrated what’s possible when algae, sunlight, and seawater are integrated into a long-term production platform.

Over time, we see microalgae (for pigments, binders, and specialty bio-resins) and macroalgae (for films, foams, and flexible bioplastics) feeding a pipeline of next-gen, design-forward materials—tested first in Southern California and Hawaiʻi, then scaled outward as models of climate-smart, ocean-positive production.

We are confident these materials will offer better end-of-life options, energy profiles, material aesthetics, cultural and ecological significance, potential for artistic design and expression (my next journal entry), and products than those from processing crude oil from a fossil-based fluid catalytic CRACKER (FCC), which will, in turn, contribute to an overall improved CUSTOMER EXPERiENCE and a positive i MPACT for leaving a place, our HOME , better than we found it ...

Recent reports indicate there are approximately 600-700 fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) units in operation, with the number fluctuating as new ones are built and old ones are retired. For example, one source states that as of 2014, over 300 refineries had FCC units, and another source suggests there are about 646 total refineries in the world today, meaning a significant portion of them have FCC technology.

Number of units : While a precise figure is elusive, estimates place the number of FCC units in the hundreds, likely between 600 and 700, according to GlobeNewswire
Location : The United States, China, and India are major hubs for FCC capacity
Capacity : The global FCCU capacity was approximately 13,987 thousand barrels per day in 2022 and is projected to reach 16,944 thousand barrels per day by 2027, according to Yahoo Finance and GlobeNewswire .
Function : FCC units are a core technology in oil refineries, used to break down heavier crude oil into lighter, more valuable products like high-octane gasoline

Anoth er important book I mistakenly omitted from the list last week:

Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution , Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, L. Hunter Lovins , 1999

Continuing on foundational themes presented in Ecology of Commerce , Hawken and Lovins outline a new business strategy that integrates ecological principles with economic profitability, proposing a " Next Industrial Revolution ". The book argues that traditional capitalism fails by not valuing natural capital (natural resources) and calls for a new approach based on four shifts: drastically increasing resource productivity, shifting to closed-loop manufacturing to eliminate waste, changing business models to selling services instead of products, and investing in the restoration and expansion of natural capital. This new model is presented as not only environmentally necessary but also a source of competitive advantage, differentiation, job creation, and employee satisfaction and fulfillment

Little Grey Beginnings: A Culm-ination for "Tomorrow’s Child"

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 11:38:31 GMT

How small notes and courageous mentors culm-inated clarity—and a promise to Tomorrow’s Child

It started with a book. Well—two, really.

In the summer of 1998 , my professor of thermodynamics at Wake Forest, Dr. Dilip Kondepudi, introduced me to Interface, Inc. and the approach they were taking to design and innovation centered on Sustainability. The following spring of 1999, I wrote to Ray C. Anderson to inquire about a job . On April 6th , he replied with a signed copy of his book, Mid-Course Correction , and a note that changed my life.

26 years later, on April 6, 2025 , I shared it and a copy of Tomorrow’s Child (reprinted with permissions) with Joe Kudla , Vuori ’s Founder & CEO, at their 10-year anniversary in Encinitas. I later discovered that 52 years earlier, on the very same date, Ray founded Interface, Inc. in LaGrange, Georgia on April 6, 1973 . Interface is now headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, and is a global leader in design, innovation, environmental stewardship, and creating a better world for Tomorrow’s Child and supplier of modular carpet, Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT), and rubber flooring. You see, in 1994 , Ray re-set the course (or mission) of Interface to " Climbing Mount Sustainability. " That day, soon after I discovered Vuori means "mountain" in Finnish, it was my intention to bring awareness to Joe and his team after their first 10 years in business of Ray's mountainous and courageous ambition, 26 yrs after Iterface's inception.

Vuori had already won my loyal business soon after I arrived in San Diego in 2015 as a result of the Quality of their product(s), exceptional customer service, Leadership in a category that was gaining momentum and seemingly cultivating a culture of active lifestyles, health-mindedness, hapiness, and mindfulness while cognizant of their impact with leaders tasked with evaluating their footprint and community involvement cenetered on stewarship of local communities and the environment.

It is this ethos of education, entrepreneurship, courageous leadership, intentional design, innovation, social responsibility, environmental stewardship, and connection, that laid a foundation for and inspired the formation of SARi CONNECTiONS .

A bookshelf that built a compass:

Below are titles that contrinute to our work and prioritiztion—each a waypoint toward materials and systems that serve people, our communities, and our HOME , Planet EARTH .

1. Mid-Course Correction: Revisited

The original book by Ray C. Anderson , relaunched in 2019 as Mid-Course Correction Revisited , is both a how-to and a why-to on the future for green business. A fresh look at Ray 's original telling of his spear-in-the-chest epiphany features new updates, six new chapters by John A. Lanier, and a new foreword from Paul Hawken . This book offers an undeniable vision of how a prototypical company in the 21 ^st century needs to and will look.

2. The Ecology of Commerce Revised Edition: A Declaration of Sustainability , Paul Hawken , 2010

The book that started it all. Hawken 's words became Ray's epiphany, and they continue to show that business and industry must take the lead in advancing environmental sustainability. I am just the “ John Lewis ” in this story (although less prolific, so far), carrying a torch that defined a career and life of public service in a struggle for EQUALITY inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

3. Business Lessons from a Radical Industrialist , Ray C. Anderson , 2009

Ray was indeed a radical industrialist. This book shows why that's a good thing. Ray lays out the full business case for sustainability, providing evidence in support of the company’s commitment and revised strategy and the outcomes proving that for Interface, “Sustainability Centered” was an overwhelmingly intelligent design.

4. Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature , Janine M. Benyus , 1997

Nature is awesome. How awesome? This book will answer that question. Benyus shows her readers just ho w amazing na ture is and how vastly important our education from nature is for biodiversity on Planet Earth , our HOME .

5. Thinking in Systems: A Primer , Donella Meadows , 2009

An introductory book for anyone who doesn't yet know how to be a systems thinker. This book will change how you see the world, and Meadows will give you the tools you need to make a meaningful impact on any and every environmental and social issue.

6. Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Social Movement in History Is Restoring Grace, Justice and Beauty to the World , Paul Hawken, 2007

Across the world, people and organizations are dedicating themselves to solving our most pressing environmental and social challenges. Hawken tells their stories, and in doing so, proves that we really can have a positive impact and heal ourselves, collectively, while healing the planet.

7. Ishmael: A Novel , Daniel Quinn , 1992

Quinn will make you think hard about what it means to be human and how we interact with nature, the environment, and the planet. It might also inspire you to look for non-traditional teachers among us. #myOCTOPUSteacher #myPANDAprofessor

8. All We Can Save: Truth, Courage and Solutions for the Climate Crisis , Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine K. Wilkinson , 2020

As Dr. Wilkinson is fond of saying, the climate crisis is a leadership crisis. She and Dr. Johnson lift the women who are trying to solve both, and this edited volume of essays and poems by feminist leaders in the climate space is a breath of fresh air for the climate movement.

9. Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take , Paul Polman and Andrew Winston , 2021

Winston is back with more brilliance, this time telling the story of Unilever's trailblazing sustainability work under the leadership of the green business icon, and his fellow author, Paul Polman . If Ray was still with us today, he would be insisting every businessperson he knew read this one. This is a message I am doing my best to present, while also appreciating the origin and intention of “NET ZERO."

10. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History , Elizabeth Kolbert , 2014

Biodiversity loss is occurring at an alarming rate today, and we are primary contributors to that problem in surprising ways. Kolbert does a brilliant job of highlighting how sensitive nearly all species are to how we Homo sapiens are living.

11. Introduction to Modern Climate Change, Third Edition , Andrew Dessler , 2021

This book is the best we have found at explaining the science of climate change in full, ranging from the physics of how our climate changes to how humanity is driving that change to the policy decisions that could help limit our impact.

12. Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage , Daniel Esty and Andrew Winston , 2009

Esty and Winston provide an easy-to-read and detailed playbook on why it’s smart to make business green, what steps to take, and what pitfalls to avoid along the way.

13. Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman , Yvon Chouinard , 2016

The story of Patagonia and its legendary founder. As seen in this book, Patagonia's corporate values align closely with those of Ray and Interface .

14. What’s Mine Is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption , Rachel Botsman and Roo Rogers , 2010

A brilliant book exploring "Collaborative Consumption," or what is often called the "Sharing Economy," which will be a significant accelerant to the development of the “Circular Economy.”

15. Doughnut Economics: 7 Ways to Think Like a 21st Century Economist , Kate Raworth , 2017

It's time to rethink the field of economics, and Raworth shows just how refreshing new thinking can be. She envisions a world where our economic systems are in service to humanity and natural systems, not any other way.

16. The Big Pivot: Radically Practical Strategies for a Hotter, Scarcer, and More Open World, Andrew Winston , 2014

Another green business must-read from Winston , this time with an eye to the present and the future. We know the most significant macro trends that are unfurling across the world right now, and this book beats the drum for what businesses should be doing now to respond to them.

17. The New Grand Strategy: Restoring America's Prosperity, Security, and Sustainability in the 21st Century , Patrick Doherty, Joel Makower, and Mark Mykleby , 2016

Ray Anderson turned heads by proving that sustainability was a strategic imperative for the world of business and industry. Doherty, Makower , and Mykleby successfully show that sustainability should be THE strategic imperative for the United States.

18. Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth , Buckminster Fuller , 1969

It has been suggested to read this book as if it were poetry. Though small in stature, this little book is a foray into the mind of one of America's most brilliant thinkers. Fuller couldn't have chosen a more perfect title for this important book.

19. The New Carbon Architecture: Building to Cool the Climate , Bruce King, 2017

For far too long, how we construct buildings has been part of the climate problem. Can we reinvent construction to become part of the climate solution? The answer is a resounding yes, and King and his co-authors will show you how.

20. Design for a radically changing world , Andy Cohen and Diane Hoskins , 2025

This book and Gensler show the reader the impact of design on our everyday lives and offers innovative ways design can address global challenges.

21. Bali Mystique , Elora Hardy , 2022

Surf mecca, tropical paradise, bamboo architecture hub, “Island of the Gods”— Bali contains multitudes. The magnetism of this Indonesian island is unmatched, drawing millions of visitors each year. A balance of spiritual meditation and indulgent amusement, there is an energy in Bali that defies the stereotype of a serene oasis. The local culture permeates daily life, encounter offerings, temples and ceremonies at every corner. On the other hand, Bali also provides luxury beachside resorts and wild nightlife.

With black sand beaches, dramatic volcanos and countless waterfalls, the natural abundance found in Bali is inspiring. The plethora of bamboo on the island encouraged the development of bamboo architecture which is now widespread. Cliffside villas, endless rice terraces and the lively surfing community come together to create a vibrant portrait of Bali , complete with the kindness and warmth of its people.

22. End of Oil , Paul Roberts , 2004

Petroleum is now so deeply entrenched in our economy, our politics, and our personal expectations that even modest efforts to phase it out are fought tooth and nail by the most powerful forces in the companies and governments that depend on oil revenues; the developing nations that see oil as the only means to industrial success; and a Western middle class that refuses to modify its energy-dependent lifestyle. But within thirty years, by even conservative estimates, we will have burned our way through most of the oil that is easily accessible. And well before then, the side effects of an oil-based society—economic volatility, geopolitical conflict, and the climate-changing impact of hydrocarbon pollution—will render fossil fuels an all but unacceptable solution. How will we break our addiction to oil? And what will we use in its place to maintain a global economy and political system that are entirely reliant on cheap, readily available energy?

Brilliantly reported from around the globe, End of Oil brings the world situation into fresh and dramatic focus for business and general readers alike. Roberts talks to both oil optimists and oil pessimists, delves deep into the economics and politics of oil, considers the promises and pitfalls of alternatives, and shows that, although the world energy system has begun its epoch-defining transition, disruption and violent dislocation are almost assured if we do not take a more proactive stance. With the topicality and readability of Fast-Food Nation and the scope and trenchant analysis of G uns, Germs, and Steel , this is a vitally important book for the new century.

Where this is going?

Rinconcito G.R.I.S .— G rateful expressions, R eflections, I nspirations, S hared selections—will be my regualr #greynotes journal and our shared sapce. It’s where ideas become pilots, partners, and products: rivercane bamboo that holds a riverbank and becomes tableware; kelp that calms a coastline and becomes flying discs; designs that connect people to place. If this resonates, please subscribe, say "hello," and help steer what we design and create next!

With immeasurable kindess and gratitude,

Bri