Marta Berbés
@mberbes.bsky.social
Prof at University of Waterloo
Resilience, transformation, justice, futures, not necessarily in that order.
Co Editor-in-chief Ecosystems and People @esandpeople.bsky.social
Resilience, transformation, justice, futures, not necessarily in that order.
Co Editor-in-chief Ecosystems and People @esandpeople.bsky.social
We are kicking off the ‘Blackwards’ to the Future project in Phoenix with these powerhouses. I’m trying not to get too excited because we have had false starts before but the energy in the room is palpable. Actually, too late, I am super excited to be working with this group.
November 6, 2025 at 9:37 PM
We are kicking off the ‘Blackwards’ to the Future project in Phoenix with these powerhouses. I’m trying not to get too excited because we have had false starts before but the energy in the room is palpable. Actually, too late, I am super excited to be working with this group.
Just the essentials for spending the afternoon reviewing a student’s thesis: highlighter, pens, stickies. Cheese platter.
July 11, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Just the essentials for spending the afternoon reviewing a student’s thesis: highlighter, pens, stickies. Cheese platter.
Didn’t think I needed another dystopian sci-fi to kick off my summer reading, but Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah's “Chain-Gang All-Stars” proved me wrong. Gladiator fights for prisoner freedom in a privatised US prison system? Uncomfortably plausible.
July 9, 2025 at 12:36 AM
Didn’t think I needed another dystopian sci-fi to kick off my summer reading, but Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah's “Chain-Gang All-Stars” proved me wrong. Gladiator fights for prisoner freedom in a privatised US prison system? Uncomfortably plausible.
In 1823, during his Black Painting series, Goya painted "Duelo a garrotazos", translated as "Duel with Cudgels". The painting depicts two men violently striking each other with cudgels while seemingly trapped in a muddy or barren landscape, often interpreted as an allegory of civil strife.
June 6, 2025 at 1:11 AM
In 1823, during his Black Painting series, Goya painted "Duelo a garrotazos", translated as "Duel with Cudgels". The painting depicts two men violently striking each other with cudgels while seemingly trapped in a muddy or barren landscape, often interpreted as an allegory of civil strife.
When in doubt, plant some more native plants.
May 27, 2025 at 12:43 AM
When in doubt, plant some more native plants.
Four SF/F/H books by women writers that I’ve recently enjoyed
March 10, 2025 at 11:22 AM
Four SF/F/H books by women writers that I’ve recently enjoyed
ArizonaForward recognized our arts-science collaboration AMBIENTE with the Environmental Excellence award. Working with these folks has fed my soul in so many ways and it's just wonderful to watch, even from a distance, the accolades roll in. Find out more: www.thesagrado.org/ambiente-pub...
March 9, 2025 at 11:16 AM
ArizonaForward recognized our arts-science collaboration AMBIENTE with the Environmental Excellence award. Working with these folks has fed my soul in so many ways and it's just wonderful to watch, even from a distance, the accolades roll in. Find out more: www.thesagrado.org/ambiente-pub...
Thanks to whoever made this labyrinth next to my campus building. It was a gift to take 10 minutes to walk through it and disconnect from whatever stage of late capitalism we are in. 🤍❄️
January 15, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Thanks to whoever made this labyrinth next to my campus building. It was a gift to take 10 minutes to walk through it and disconnect from whatever stage of late capitalism we are in. 🤍❄️
It’s a wrap! My Future Cities undergraduate class is done for the term. In our last session we tested the students’ final assignments: each group designed a board game that could help decision-makers think in anticipatory ways.
December 4, 2024 at 10:59 AM
It’s a wrap! My Future Cities undergraduate class is done for the term. In our last session we tested the students’ final assignments: each group designed a board game that could help decision-makers think in anticipatory ways.
I watched the sunrise from the Superstition Mountains this morning. It was a nice way to say goodbye to the Sonoran desert for now.
November 22, 2024 at 3:32 PM
I watched the sunrise from the Superstition Mountains this morning. It was a nice way to say goodbye to the Sonoran desert for now.
Proud moment: many moons ago, a group of researchers and community organizers dreamed building an art piece that would display air quality to catalyze conversations about health equity in South Phoenix. Today we finally lit it up!!
November 19, 2024 at 2:39 AM
Proud moment: many moons ago, a group of researchers and community organizers dreamed building an art piece that would display air quality to catalyze conversations about health equity in South Phoenix. Today we finally lit it up!!
Morning at Spaces of Opportunity, one of the nicest community gardens in the South of Phoenix. We spent time reconnecting and celebrating the work of organizers.
November 18, 2024 at 1:04 PM
Morning at Spaces of Opportunity, one of the nicest community gardens in the South of Phoenix. We spent time reconnecting and celebrating the work of organizers.
I'm feeling this one HARD this morning. In the third round of revisions, a brand new, third (!) reviewer suggests major changes to the manuscript.
November 14, 2024 at 12:28 PM
I'm feeling this one HARD this morning. In the third round of revisions, a brand new, third (!) reviewer suggests major changes to the manuscript.
Wrapping up a week in beautiful Xishuangbanna talking with ecologists about the possibilities of transdisciplinary and futures research for sustainability science.
October 17, 2024 at 10:10 PM
Wrapping up a week in beautiful Xishuangbanna talking with ecologists about the possibilities of transdisciplinary and futures research for sustainability science.
New pub from #IPBES comparing values of nature embedded in future scenarios found in grey vs. academic literature. Gray lit holds more transformative visions. But, it's hard to do systematic searches of gray lit so here's a custom, open-access search process:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
October 4, 2024 at 10:56 AM
New pub from #IPBES comparing values of nature embedded in future scenarios found in grey vs. academic literature. Gray lit holds more transformative visions. But, it's hard to do systematic searches of gray lit so here's a custom, open-access search process:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
In the coldest day of winter, this piece by Indigenous artist JJ Valley arrived from Guadalupe, AZ. I feel like I have got a bit of desert in my living room.
January 16, 2024 at 1:39 AM
In the coldest day of winter, this piece by Indigenous artist JJ Valley arrived from Guadalupe, AZ. I feel like I have got a bit of desert in my living room.
My favorite thing about living in Kitchener has to be walking to the market every Saturday. The vendors, the produce, the music, and you are always bound to run into someone you know.
September 30, 2023 at 1:52 PM
My favorite thing about living in Kitchener has to be walking to the market every Saturday. The vendors, the produce, the music, and you are always bound to run into someone you know.
Beautiful Sunrise Ceremony today on campus to honor the children who never returned home and the survivors of the Canadian residential school system.
September 29, 2023 at 2:48 PM
Beautiful Sunrise Ceremony today on campus to honor the children who never returned home and the survivors of the Canadian residential school system.
Spending the day at the Indigenous Governance and the Future of Leadership conference. First presentation: Indigenous data sovereignty.
September 22, 2023 at 2:15 PM
Spending the day at the Indigenous Governance and the Future of Leadership conference. First presentation: Indigenous data sovereignty.
This week in my Future Cities class, I used arts methods to compare two city visions based on Thomas More’s Utopia and Royeka Hossain’s Sultana’s Dream.
September 20, 2023 at 11:29 PM
This week in my Future Cities class, I used arts methods to compare two city visions based on Thomas More’s Utopia and Royeka Hossain’s Sultana’s Dream.
May you spend some time outdoors this weekend
September 17, 2023 at 4:39 PM
May you spend some time outdoors this weekend
My husband went to the liquor store and chose violence #whyWHY?
September 15, 2023 at 12:28 PM
My husband went to the liquor store and chose violence #whyWHY?
A lot of my signing up for yet another social media platform has to do with having a large grant due Monday. I want to tell my 9 followers that NFRF instructions are driving me bonkers and that no one has a rule next to their computer screen to measure how many lines per inch we are typing.
September 8, 2023 at 2:04 PM
A lot of my signing up for yet another social media platform has to do with having a large grant due Monday. I want to tell my 9 followers that NFRF instructions are driving me bonkers and that no one has a rule next to their computer screen to measure how many lines per inch we are typing.