Stories
I paid someone to drop me in the middle of the mountains for eight days with no phone or map
Last month, I paid someone to drop my daughter and me in the middle of the mountains for eight days with no phone or map. It was an exhilarating international adventure where we wouldn’t even know where in the world - or which mountains we’d be dropped in - until we...
Robyn Metcalfe Featured on NPR’s This Green Earth Podcast
This Green Earth is a weekly, hour-long program that focuses on the environment and environmentalism. Co-hosts Christopher Cherniak and Nell Larson explore the science, politics, economics and ethics behind the environment, natural resources and sustainability. The...
That time I had dinner with FBI agents and Soviet defectors
During the ‘80s, I continued to accompany my husband to tech conferences and continued to always see a row of Soviet “scientists” furiously taking notes in the back. To satisfy my curiosity, I began to learn about how the Soviets developed their own technology and how...
What’s Earth Day Got To Do With Anything?
Photo by: University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability The problem with old people is that they act as if they’ve seen it all. I see that, too. Earth Day is upon us and social media fills our screens with calls to action against all sorts of...
Humans in Our Food Book Press Release
“Robyn Metcalfe—one of the world’s leading experts on food supply chains—shines a bright light on the humanity that is often invisible in our food system. As delicious as it is detailed, Humans in Our Food is a must-read for anyone who cares about the past, present,...
Stories from Past Invasions
Stories From Past Invasions - August 1968. In 1968, I arrived in Prague on the same day as Russian tanks filled the city square. As I watched Russian tanks invade Ukraine, I couldn’t help remembering the faces of the Czech families in the streets the day the Russians...
Who will tell your story?
My February began in Guatemala, a country I first visited in 1958 when the country was on the verge of civil war. Decades of war and unrest followed and it wasn’t until 1996 that Guatemala returned to a peaceful, civilian government. During my visit, I visited a Mayan...
Quarantined in Barbados
While quarantined in Barbados as the country’s health officials considered the multiple COVID tests we took to pass just one night in transit in the country…I discovered this wall with a dazzling display of lighting options. Flipping those switches must punctuate the...
Coming Together For Good
Are you familiar with the origins of Parmesan cheese? In the 17th century, Samuel Pepys buried his cheese in the ground surrounding his house, perhaps in his garden, as a way to protect a precious asset. Parmesan cheese was and still is considered a valuable...
Making Sense of Senses
After a quick visit back to Maine this month, I felt the seasonal transition through the sights and smells along my morning run. It was cold: 30 degrees feels bitter cold when you arrive from Austin, Texas where the morning temperatures plummet to 50 degrees. The cold...