The Loka Initiative

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The Loka Initiative

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UW Madison based, supporting faith-led environmental & climate efforts locally and around the world.

10/06/2026

Take a breath with us this Tuesday. As we begin October, we invite you to express gratitude this harvest season.

In “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer, she writes: “...we all know the power of gratitude to incite a cycle of reciprocity...We know that appreciation begets abundance. Why should it not be so for Mother Earth, who packs us a lunch every single day?"

We invite you to visualize a time the Earth gave something to you, or you gave something to the Earth. This could be something physical, like fruit or fertilizer; it could be emotional, like contentment or awe.

Reflect on the reciprocal nature of our relationship with land. How will you continue to strengthen it this autumn?

10/01/2026

The September issue of our monthly newsletter is now available for viewing!

This month’s offering includes a brief history of the Indigenous American Three Sisters agriculture method, and what it has to teach us about interdependence, resilience, and forging new beginnings.

Read the full letter here: https://explore.wisc.edu/lokanewsletterSeptember2026

and follow along with upcoming stories and events from the Loka community by subscribing here: https://explore.wisc.edu/loka

09/30/2026

Every Child Matters Day, also called National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, or National Day of Remembrance, is observed yearly on September 30th in Canada and the United States.

Every Child Matters day honors Indigenous children who were forcibly removed from their homes in the 19th and 20th century by the US and Canadian governments, and placed in government-run boarding schools. These schools severed Indigenous children’s ties with their cultural heritage, violently forcing assimilation.

One of Loka’s core guiding values is our commitment to the planet, and this commitment prioritizes Indigenous and Nature-based knowledge and sovereignty. On this day, we reaffirm our belief in Indigenization rather than decolonization.

To learn more information about the importance of this day, visit this link: https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/every-child-matters-september-30-orange-shirt-day

(Pictured left to right: Guy Reiter, Alejandro Miranda, Roxanne DeLille, Brian McInnes, Mark Denning, Dekila Chungyalpa)

09/29/2026

Take a breath with us this Tuesday.

Enjoy this Langston Hughes poem, which on its face seems to lament the passing of summer, but ultimately offers the reader a celebration of rebirth. Yes, the flowers are dying, drying, and withering, but in that process, they are becoming something else: little butterflies in wind, ornamenting the air. Nature, even as it dies, nourishes the spirit with reminders of life. Plants continue on their cycles and prepare, like us, for the weather to come.

Here is "Autumn Thought" by Langston Hughes (1921):
"Flowers are happy in summer;
In autumn they die and are blown away.
Dry and withered,
Their petals dance on the wind,
Like little brown butterflies."

09/22/2026

Today, on the year’s first official day of autumn, Loka invites you to take a breath.

Though the leaves have not yet begun to turn in earnest, the rhythm of the school year has steadied and the air has chilled. Squirrels are fattening and birds are migrating. Soon, your favorite walking trails will be blanketed by yellows and reds.

How different the air feels already. What a wonderful time to wander outside and breathe. Allow your breath to orient you in this moment of change.

Let this excerpt from Mary Oliver’s “Song for Autumn” accompany you:

“Don’t you imagine the leaves dream now
how comfortable it will be to touch
the earth instead of the
nothingness of the air and the endless
freshets of wind? And don’t you think
the trees, especially those with
mossy hollows, are beginning to look for
the birds that will come–six, a dozen–to sleep
inside their bodies?...”

We hope the rest of this week meets you comfortably and gently 🌾

09/17/2026

On September 20, 2026, from 8:30 am – 5:30 pm, the Fetzer Institute Environment Collaborative will convene at Columbia University’s Lee Bollinger Forum.

Loka is thrilled to highlight Fetzer’s Environment Collaborative, one member being Loka’s own Founder and Director Dekila Chungyalpa.

The Collaborative is a growing network of leaders and organizations who understand that our environmental challenges are deeply spiritual in nature. They bring together diverse faith traditions, Indigenous wisdom, contemplative practices, ecological science, and systems thinking. They are united by a commitment to re-centering our relationship with Earth as a sacred connection.

Dekila will lead a session at 10:25am titled “Reflecting and Connecting.” The session invites participants to discuss and explore questions related to their inner world, their relationship with spirituality and the Sacred, and their ability to address global challenges together to creatively envision the future. The session will culminate with a spiritual practice.

You won’t want to miss the rest of the sessions either, which will be led by an illustrious group of changemakers.

Reserve your spot now! Find registration links to either the in person or livestreamed virtual event here: https://fetzer.org/climate-week/

09/15/2026

Take a breath with us on this last official Tuesday of summer.

We prepare to welcome the new season by honoring the beautiful landscapes around us here at Loka, much of which was shaped by continental glaciation.

The Ice Age Trail formed about 12,000 years ago as glacial ice flowed and retreated within the land. The 1200 mile trail is located entirely in Wisconsin, and contains forests, prairies, and rocky terrains.

Step outside and feel the earth under you. Breathe in gratitude for the geological forces that shaped your landscape, and breathe out to celebrate the miracle of changing seasons.

09/10/2026

Today, Loka is thrilled to highlight Sturgeon Protectors Milwaukee. Read along to see how you can get involved in their efforts!

Sturgeon—a formerly abundant species now considered endangered—is the oldest native fish species in the Great Lakes, and has appeared in fossil records more than 200 million years old. One of our esteemed Sacred Wisdom Sacred Earth culture keepers, Mark Denning, is a member of Sturgeon Protectors, which continue to protect and reintroduce sturgeon to Wisconsin’s waterways.

Sturgeon Protectors MKE has two incredibly exciting events coming up this September, and the first will feature Mark Denning with the Riveredge Nature Center! You can learn more and find the registration links below 🔗

→ One Watershed: Community Conversation in Port Washington (W.J. Niederkorn Library)

This event will be a community conversation about watershed health, infrastructure and habitat reintroduction, and the Return the Sturgeon project.

Monday, September 14, 2026
6pm - 7:30pm

https://riveredgenaturecenter.org/event/one-watershed-community-conversation-in-port-washington/

→ Sturgeon Fest! (Harbor District)

Riveredge Nature Center’s annual Sturgeon Fest - a FREE eco-celebration focused on reintroducing and protecting native lake Sturgeon, featuring a live baby Sturgeon release, educational exhibits, and family activities!

Sunday, September 27, 2026
11am - 2pm

https://riveredgenaturecenter.org/program/sturgeon-fest/

09/08/2026

Loka invites you to take a breath with us this Tuesday.

It has been a rainy day in Madison, Wisconsin, and the rain is forecasted to continue intermittently until tomorrow.

We offer the below Joy Harjo poem in praise of rain. Use its lines as a pacer for your breath, inhaling and exhaling in rhythm with the lines:

“Praise the rain; the seagull dive
The curl of plant, the raven talk—
Praise the hurt, the house slack
The stand of trees, the dignity—
Praise the dark, the moon cradle
The sky fall, the bear sleep—
Praise the mist, the warrior name
The earth eclipse, the fired leap—
Praise the backwards, upward sky
The baby cry, the spirit food—
Praise canoe, the fish rush
The hole for frog, the upside-down—
Praise the day, the cloud cup
The mind flat, forget it all—

Praise crazy. Praise sad.
Praise the path on which we're led.
Praise the roads on earth and water.
Praise the eater and the eaten.
Praise beginnings; praise the end.
Praise the song and praise the singer.

Praise the rain; it brings more rain.
Praise the rain; it brings more rain.”

09/03/2026

The August issue of our monthly newsletter is now available for viewing! Check it out here: https://explore.wisc.edu/lokanewsletterAugust2026

This month’s offering includes: the launch of an exciting new project and a diverse array of upcoming events hosted by our partners!

Be sure to subscribe to read the full letter and follow along with upcoming stories and events from the Loka community - https://explore.wisc.edu/loka

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Madison, WI

Website

https://www.lokainitiative.org/, https://linktr.ee/LokaInitiative

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