Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Joanne Louis-Paul of Spring Valley

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Joanne Louis-Paul. Check out our conversation below.

Joanne, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
I’d say I’m walking a path that I sometimes wander off of, but I think that’s all part of the journey. I will say that I veer off the trail less often. My burgeoning career in environmental entrepreneurism is something that found me. I continue to come across breadcrumbs that keep me moving forward and signs that let me know I’m going the right way. It’s been a lot of fun and I hope to never lose this sense of wonder and adventure!

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hey, y’all! My name is Joanne Louis-Paul and I was born and raised, and am still living in, Rockland County. I did an interview for CanvasRebel a little over a year ago and it’s fascinating to see how I’ve evolved since then. I’ve definitely become more focused and clear on what I do.

I am an environmental entrepreneur specializing in community engagement. I am currently involved in three ongoing projects: I’m still the Chief Communications Officer of Hudson Valley Sustainable Fashion Week. We are a recently incorporated 501(c)3 (!!!) on a mission to promote a thriving circular fashion economy in our beautiful region. Our third annual Organic Runway Show at Rose Hill Farm landed on my 40th birthday this year and I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day.

More locally, I am the founder of the Spring Valley Placemakers, a working group formed in January of this year determined to bring social and ecological restoration to our village through placemaking. We have chosen to focus our efforts on Memorial Park, the village’s largest greenspace. It has been systematically neglected and deteriorating for several years now, and is a reflection of what happens when local leadership ignores the majority of their constituents.

Lastly, a separate but related project I’m working on is the reimagining of a 3.5-mile stretch of unused train tracks into a rail trail that would connect the Village of Spring Valley to the Village of Airmont. I teamed up with a local resident and visionary to help bring his idea to life nearly a year ago and, though nothing is official yet, we recently received exciting news that makes the actualization of this project far more probable.

What I realized in doing this work is that my superpower is reaching out to the right people and getting them energized to act on great ideas. I have a knack for communications strategy, and my deeply relational and curious nature have been my greatest assets.

The coolest thing about what I do is the freedom I have to explore new ideas with other big picture thinkers and then go out and try to make them happen. I’m finding that I really love the early stages of a thing, before anyone really knows what it is or will become. It’s been rewarding to see a dream get legs and take on a life of its own.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
I love this question! At the root, I believe what breaks the bonds between people is fear, and what restores them is love. That may sound cliche, but only because it’s true.

Relationships usually end because someone lied out of fear of how the truth might impact them. Or someone put their needs before another’s one too many times out of fear that they wouldn’t be taken care of otherwise. And sometimes our anger destroys our closest ties because the people we thought we could trust failed us, and that’s scary.

I am a Christian and my faith is at the core of who I am. It guides everything I do and how I see the world. There’s a biblical proverb that states “Perfect love casts out all fear.” We humans have souls so large, nothing in this world can actually fill them. Only God can. But when we think we are cosmically alone and have to fend for ourselves, we get scared easily at the uncertainties of life and hurt each other.

But if we know that the truth will always set us free, we won’t lie as often. If we know that all of our needs will always be provided for, we’ll be more inclined to put others before ourselves. And if we know that, no matter who may hurt us, we will always have a perfect relationship with the One who matters most, we won’t lash out when people are just people.

I’m not sure how to secularize this because I don’t think I can. I hope this message reaches whomever it needs to.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Ooo, another banger! I think suffering is one of the best teachers and can be a pathway to peace if we let it. I’m grateful for every struggle I’ve had and continue to have.

My depression has taught me that I am separate from it. Though it can carry real weight, I am not my moods. And the times I’ve had to show up even when I really didn’t want to have taught me that it’s more than okay for me to come as I am. Every step forward is a win and I don’t have to go at anyone else’s speed but my own.

I’ve learned that I am just as loved at my lows as I am at my highs, though far fewer people can sit with me in the valley. However, those are the real ones and I am blessed to have every single one of them.

Most importantly, my suffering has taught me that my value does not lie in my work or level of productivity, and that has been the most liberating revelation ever.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
This question makes me think of the sustainability and environmental sector. It’s been my observation and belief for a while now that my peers, though incredibly smart, need to lead with curiosity instead of facts and data points.

Yes, the ocean’s rising. Yes, everything is contaminated with plastic. Yes, there are landfills the size of countries that will never break down. But people don’t do what we know we should do. We do what we feel like doing. The pre-frontal cortex developed way after our amygdalas did. All that to say that yes, we are rational beings, but we are fundamentally emotional.

It would behoove experts in my field to listen more and teach less. Don’t think you’re so different from others, cause you’re not. The planet matters to all of us. It is our greatest common denominator. It’s unfortunate how politicized the topic has become, but if we can meet people where they’re at and reserve correction or judgement a little longer, we may just get through to more people.

Fishing enthusiasts have the same vested interest in the health of the ocean as marine biologists do. Let’s seek similarities, enter into others’ perspectives, and be more compassionate.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
I suspect the work I’ve started to do in my hometown of Spring Valley won’t begin to show real results for at least that long. We have been under an oppressive thumb for over 20 years now, so reversing the impacts of that won’t be a quick fix.

I’d like to see the built and natural environments repaired and regenerated. But the spiritual transformation required to have that happen and, more importantly, last will take a long time.

True change comes from the inside out and the unrest and distrust raging inside of me and my neighbors from years of being mistreated will not be easily tamed. And the hard rocks that have formed inside the hearts of our government leaders will not be easily broken down. But I do believe faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains and will.

I want to help build my community back up brick by brick and am in no rush.

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