Share your smiles, compliments, time, talents, money, and energy with those around you. We must truly be the change that we want to see. And we can do it. We are doing it. Believe that the future is full of mindfulness where hearts mean more than our accounts.
The Love Initiative.
Notes From the Road – Bright Lights Blog
http://troubadourofpeace.blogspot.com/
Book a house concert or music for a yoga class today!!
TOUR DATES
| Date | Time | Venue | Location | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3/22/18 | 3:00 PM | Choices | Akron, OH | |
| 3/22/18 | 6:00 PM | Tea Time for Peace | Kent, OH | |
| 3/23/18 | 5:00 PM | Friends of the Metro Parks Benefit w/ the Bright Lights | Akron, OH | |
| 3/27/18 | 7:00 PM | Brother’s Lounge | Cleveland, OH | |
| 3/30/18 | 6:30 PM | 330 Day @ Akron Civic Theatre | Akron, OH | |
| 3/31/18 | 10:30 AM | Celebration of Life for Marilyn Stroud | Cuyahoga Falls, OH | |
| 4/3/18 | 6:30 PM | MLK Kirtan | Akron, OH | Donations |
| 4/4/18 | 6:30 PM | Nonviolent Communication Circle | Akron, OH | Donations |
| 4/6/18 | 7:00 PM | Big Love Night @ Live Music Now w/ Rhodes St Rude Boys | Akron, OH | $5-10 |
| 4/7/18 | 8:30 PM | Mustard Seed Highland Square w/ Bright Lights! | Akron, OH | |
| 4/10/18 | 7:00 PM | Brother Lounge | Cleveland, OH | |
| 4/16/18 | 7:00 PM | Wolf Creek Winery | Norton, OH | |
| 4/21/18 | 6:30 PM | Bright Lights @ the Rialto | Akron, OH | $5 |
| 4/22/18 | 4:00 PM | Yoga Central | Canton, OH | |
| 4/28/18 | 7:00 PM | Wine Mill | Peninsula, OH | |
| 5/2/18 | 6:30 PM | Nonviolent Communication Series | Akron, OH | Donations |
| 5/4/18 | 7:00 PM | Big Love Night @ Live Music Now w/ Gretchen Pleuss | Akron, OH | $5-10 |
| 5/5/18 | 12:00 PM | Cleveland VegFest | Cleveland, OH | |
| 5/5/18 | 6:00 PM | Bent Ladder winery | Doylestown , OH | |
| 5/8/18 | 7:00 PM | Brother’s Lounge | Cleveland, OH |
Women’s Environmental Institute presents:
September 29 @ 8:00 am – September 30 @ 3:30 pm
The New Will Allen Farmer Training Weekend –
Farm, Eat, Sleep: All Four Seasons
Overview:
The weekend workshops will provide participants with hands-on knowledge for building a low-cost hoop house, growing microgreens, growing mushrooms, herbalism workshops, soil building through composting and vermiculture, keeping bees, and growing fish and greens together through aquaponics. The Saturday night bonfire discussion with Will Allen will focus on cold climate farming, community sustainability and climate change – a very popular capstone event which brings environmental, agricultural and food justice together.
CLICK THIS LINK FOR COMPLETE DESCRIPTION
Registration Info: $275/person
Deadline is September 19, 2018 at 12:00pm
Meals: All meals, snacks and beverages included.
Overnight Accommodations at WEI: Limited camping space is available, please reserve your camp space upon registration.
Instructor Name: Will Allen, Will Allen Farms, LCC Milwaukee, Former Founder Growing Power, Inc., Urban Farmer Hero
REGISTER HERE or SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION
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THE WOMEN’S ENVIRONMENTAL INSTITUTE
The Women’s Environmental Institute (WEI) is an environmental research, renewal and retreat center designed to create and share knowledge about environmental issues and policies relevant to women, children and identified communities affected by environmental injustice; to promote agricultural justice, organic and sustainable agriculture and ecological awareness; and to support activism that influences public policy and promotes social change.
Our mission brings together agricultural, food and environmental justice, one community at a time; one farm at a time, one person at a time and all of us together.
Amador Hill Farm and Orchard
15715 River Road
North Branch, MN 55056
Mailing Address:
WEI
P.O. Box 128 (55056)
St Paul Office –
550 Rice St
St Paul, MN 55103
Email: wei@w-e-i.org
For over 25 years, we’ve inspired, educated and activated thousands of communities and organizations through our solutions-focused programs and ready-to-use social and digital tools. Together, they provide the launchpad for emerging generations and sustainability leaders to experience “ah-ha” moments that lead to extraordinary environmental and social change.
Drawdown EcoChallenge is:
- a 21-day engagement program focused on carbon reduction;
- a challenge taking place April 3-24 and;
- following actions highlighted in Drawdown, a book based on meticulous research that maps, measures, models, and describes solutions to global warming that already exists and;
- where participants track and share their progress online in a robust platform and earn points for taking action and;
- the combination of collective action, camaraderie, and friendly competition makes change a little easier — and a lot more fun and;
- providing tools and inspiration to turn intention into action, and
- giving participants a fun and social way to think about and act on proven solutions to reverse global warming!
Over eighty actions within seven challenge categories
provide participants with diverse options to reduce carbon usage.
The EcoChallenge Platform is a signature offering of EcoChallenge.org (formerly Northwest Earth Institute), a sustainability organization that provides innovative social and digital tools designed to be a launchpad for emerging generations and sustainability leaders to experience “ah-ha” moments that lead to extraordinary environmental and social change. EcoChallenge.org also hosts a global October EcoChallenge which is free and open to everyone, everywhere. Over 73,500 people from 101 countries have used the EcoChallenge Platform and the organization has engaged over 250,000 people throughout its 25-year history. The EcoChallenge Platform can also be used to create custom Challenges that meet the engagement and action goals of your workplace, college, or community.
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 227 2807
Welcome to the Self-Study version of Living the New Story Series 1
Our live journey ran from August 2017 to March 2018 and each of the 8 videoconferencing sessions were recorded.
and
Welcome to the Self-Study version of Living the New Story Series 2 !
Our live journey ran from September 2018 to April 2019 and each of the 8 videoconferencing sessions were recorded.
Throughout the eight sessions, we are inviting you to take an experiential journey into what needs to change in us, and in the human story. Each session will explore, at increasing levels of depth, what it is to live the new story personally, and accelerate it collectively, through:
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Understanding our own personal journey inside of our larger, collective story of human evolution.
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Awakening to ourselves as dynamic, inspired agents of change and learning how to powerfully cocreate the future of our world in a way that is uniquely ours.
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Catalysing our growth and evolution beyond the patterns and core beliefs of our past to make way for the new story to unfold.
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Honouring the best of the old story and integrating it into the new.
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Connecting with, and beginning to harness, the power of the collective field to carry the new story forward.
As we change our story, we change our world
We humans find our way by story. Our stories shape us, hold us and give meaning to our lives. Every so often it becomes clear that a prevailing story is no longer serving. Now is such a time. Humanity needs a new, inspiring picture of the future to live into.
This website is designed to support the emergence of a coherent new story for humanity and the production of practical, collaborative ways to live this new story.
We invite you to help us accelerate our collective understanding of what the ‘world in waiting’ holds for us, what is already emerging and what needs to change, both in us and in the human story.
As a first step in this journey already begun by others, the Findhorn Foundation gifted to the world – The New Story Summit: Inspiring Pathways for our Planetary Future –which was held from 27 September to 3 October 2014…a gift economy gathering of the human family to experience planetary community, draw on our collective intelligence and co-create a story to inspire us all.
The Summit was more than full so we know there is huge support and longing for a new way to live together – a way which honours ancient wisdom and the interconnected whole living system of which we, the Earth and the cosmos are all part. It’s all connected and we are all accountable. To find out more, visit our Summit page.
This online hub will continue to be just that – a hub for people from all over the world to meet, engage, collaborate, share information, dream, synergise and inspire each other to live a new story.
If you would like to join this wave of collaborative action to shift consciousness and build on the threads of a new story already being lived and experimented with, you are very welcome. We invite your engagement, transparency, trust, compassion, innovation, entrepreneurship and generosity of spirit
You can also contact us by post:
Visitors Centre
Findhorn Foundation
The Park
Findhorn
Forres, IV36 3TZ
Scotland, UK
For general enquiries tel: +44 (0)1309 690311
Email: enquiries@findhorn.org
Bookings office contact details:
Bookings
Findhorn Foundation
The Park
Findhorn
Forres, IV36 3TZ
Scotland, UK
For booking and workshop information tel: +44 (0)1309 691653
Email: bookings@findhorn.org
Media and Public Relations
Public Relations
Findhorn Foundation
The Park
Findhorn
Forres, IV36 3TZ
Scotland, UK
For media enquiries tel: +44 (0)1309 690605
Email: pr@findhorn.org
Scottish charity No. SC007233, registered offices at the address above.
VAT registration No. 0957.68.506B01
The Findhorn Foundation is a Non-Governmental Organisation associated with the Department of Public Information of the United Nations.
Take Action with Creation Justice Ministries This September
Check out these different ways for you and your congregation to get involved. Come back every month for new ways to take action!
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#CareForCreation: September 2019
Share the Word
September 1, 2019
Online Prayer Service for Creation Day/World Day of Prayer for Creation
Creation Day, also called the World Day of Prayer for Creation, opens the Season each year. Pope Francis, Patriarch Bartholomew, the World Council of Churches, and many other leaders have called the faithful to celebrate it. Christians from around the world are invited to join an online prayer service to come together in a joyful celebration of our common cause.
September 16, 2019
Webinar
Learn more
10:00 Eastern US / 15:00 London / 21:00 Manila
Please join us for a webinar to explore the connection between biodiversity and Christian spirituality. Speakers include Rev. Dr. Dave Bookless or A Rocha International / Lausanne Catalyst for Creation Care, Rev. Dra. Neddy Astudillo of GreenFaith Latino America, and Celia Deane Drummond of the University of Oxford. The conversation will be moderated by Rev. Rachel Mash, Environmental coordinator for the Anglican Church of Southern Africa and Green Anglicans.
September 20, 2019
Global Climate Strike
Young people from around the world will come together for a remarkable day of strikes from school to demand urgent action on the climate crisis. Their parents, neighbors, teachers, and families will stand alongside them. The climate strikes were galvanized by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, and each strike to date has sent more than a million people into the streets. Learn more at Laudato Si’ Generation, the climate initiative by and for young Catholics.
September 21, 2019
International Coastal Cleanup Day
For over 30 years, communities have come together to remove trash from coastlines and waterways including ponds, lakes, and rivers. Together, these volunteers remove and catalogue mountains of litter every year. Your community is invited to join. To learn more, please visit the Ocean Conservancy.
September 23, 2019
United Nations Climate Action Summit
The UN Secretary General is hosting a summit devoted to climate change, with the aim of calling the world’s attention to the urgent need to implement the Paris Agreement. The Paris pact has been agreed to by every country–only the United States has said it intends to leave it. But countries have not made policies to meet its goals. Of the 197 countries in the agreement, only seven are on track to keep warming below 2 degrees celsius, and only two are on track to keep warming below 1.5 degrees celsius. Science tells us that every fraction of a degree in warming means more hunger, more sickness, more conflict. The UN Secretary General’s summit is a chance for the people of the world to rally around real, ambitious policies to solve this crisis.
September 23, 2019
6th International Conference on Ecological Theology and Environmental Ethics, Orthodox Academy of Crete Chania, Crete, Greece
Learn more
This conference will engage theology on key ecological concerns from a variety of religious traditions and perspectives. This year’s theme is “Ecological racism and prophetical voices for ecological crisis.” The conference will be a blend of learning and discussion, while attending to the magnificent Earth and cultural context of this region of Crete.
Guide 2019 – Season of Creation Theme – Web of Life
October 4, 2019 St. Francis Day Many traditions view St. Francis as an inspiration and guide for those who protect creation. October 4 is his feast day and the last day in the Season of Creation. Faith leaders from around the world will come together to reflect on how St. Francis has informed their spiritual journey and to celebrate our month-long journey together.
21 DAYS OF ACTION:
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SUPPORTING FOOD SECURITY AND SEED DIVERSITY SINCE 2009
Sow True Seed has a collection of over 500 varieties of vegetable, herb and flower seeds. We are proud to carry heirloom, organic and small-farmer grown varieties. It is central to our social mission to support and encourage a seed saving community for resilience in agriculture and our food systems.
OUR SEED DONATION PROGRAM OFFERS UP OUR LEFTOVER SEED AT THE END OF EACH SELLING YEAR UP TO PUBLIC & PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY GARDENS AND ORGANIZATIONS WHO USE THE SEED DIRECTLY TO FEED AND EDUCATE THEIR COMMUNITY.
Who we are: Sow True Seed provides open-pollinated, heirloom, and organic vegetable, herb, and flower seeds to home gardeners and small market farmers.
We ask that all of our growers fill out the Grower Questionnaire.
You can do so here
.For more information, contact: Angie Lavezzo, Agriculture Manager
E-mail: Ag@sowtrue.com Phone: (828) 254-0708
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Location: Sow True Seed, 243 Haywood St, Asheville NC 28801
Date: Tue Sept 10 2019 from 6 -7:30 PM
Cost: $10 class (includes a milkweed plant and your choice of flower seed packet!). $5 of each ticket will be donated to the “Bring the Hive Alive” initiative to raise awareness of pollinators by painting a bee mural in downtown Hendersonville – http://handsonwnc.org/hive.
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Need additional income on your farm? Sow True Seed is always looking for more farmers to grow seed for us!
WE, THE FUTURE GENERATION, ASK YOU TO CHOOSE US
On September 20, three days before the UN Climate Summit in NYC, young people and adults will strike all across the US and world to demand transformative action be taken to address the climate crisis. Millions of us will take the streets to demand a right to a future, and we’re inviting you to
#strikewithus
Whether you’re 7 or 77, you’re invited to join the movement.
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From Bill McKibben:
Dear Friends,
“Last week I ended up in jail for a little while, because I’d sat down in a Congress member’s office to protest the deadly confluence of climate and immigration policy. You can read about my day in the New Yorker1 story shared on the bottom of this email, but my point in sharing it with you is not to say that I acted nobly or that it was a big deal.
Instead, my point is simply that sometimes you have to act even if you’re not entirely sure what the effect will be. We’re coming up on the next great moment in the climate movement, the global all-ages climate strike on Sept. 20. Years of sustained resistance from Standing Rock to the school strikes and beyond, particularly from youth of color, have led us to this moment. So let’s make the most of it.
Whatever you do that day — whether you walk out of work or school, close down your business, or join a protest, it will help build the groundswell that is now clearly rising.
When you strike, you’ll be striking for justice above all — it’s one thing you can do on behalf of those who are incarcerated at the border, or who are living so close to the margin that taking a day off is not possible. If you have some flexibility in your life, it’s time to put it to work. If you don’t, sign up anyway, we’ll find other ways for you to participate and show your support.
The UN’s best guess is that unchecked climate change could produce a billion climate refugees this century. Think about that for a moment — a billion people whose lives would be utterly, permanently, devastatingly upended. Then think about whether you can take a day to do something real about it, even without knowing exactly what change it will produce.
Together we build movements, and when those movements get big enough they change history. You change history. Thank you for being a big part of it –
Let’s make change, “
Bill McKibben
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For more information, please visit strikewithus.org.
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ABOUT
We, as a global society, are at a crossroads. We have a decision to make. Are we going to choose money or power or are we going to choose the future? The September 20 strike is an invitation to everyone to choose us. Choose the kids, choose humanity, choose the future.
Led by a diverse coalition of youth-led and adult-led organizations,
September 20 is an intergenerational day of striking
that will launch an entire week of climate action across the world.
September 20 is only the beginning. We must carry this energy to the 2020 elections, and beyond to ensure real, bold action is taken to address the climate crises. This is history in the making, and it’s time we take back the narrative to save our futures.
The demands set forth by the youth coalition will be released soon.
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MEET THE STRIKE TEAM
YOUTH COALITION
ADULT COALITION
STRIKE SPONSORS
MOVEMENT PARTNERS
Blue Deer Center 1155 County Route 6 Margaretville, NY 12455
(845) 586-3225
September 20 – 22, 2019
Fall Mushroom Retreat Fungi for food, health, cultivation and restoration
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This 3-day mushroom retreat will cover how Fungi can help people and regenerate the planet. We will immerse ourselves in identification, life cycle and ecology, medicinal properties & preparations, & mushroom cultivation.
Whether you are a beginner or expert mycologist there is much to learn about the world of Fungi. This retreat is relevant to teachers, wilderness educators, farmers, chefs, gardeners, homesteaders, hobbyists, DIY-ers or anyone excited to learn about fungi.
All participants will leave with:
• A deeper appreciation & understanding of fungi
• A self-made mushroom tincture
• A self-made oyster mushroom inoculation
• A self-made Wine-cap Stropharia mushroom inoculation
Teacher
John is the owner of Catskill Fungi whose mission is to empower people through Fungi via outdoor guided mushroom classes, cultivation courses, educational talks, private consultations, mushroom art, and mushroom health supplements which he makes from mushrooms he grows on his family farm in the Catskill Mountains.
Friday, 9/20, 6 pm to Sunday, 9/22 12 pm
Cost: $385 (includes lodging on Friday and Saturday, plus dinner on Friday through breakfast on Sunday)
A commuter rate of $225 per person includes meals as above and no lodging.
Please contact Linda at lindafelch@bluedeer.org with any questions about this program or registration.
Please plan to arrive at the Blue Deer Center between 4 and 6 pm on September 20th.
Transportation options can be found by clicking on the link on your registration confirmation or by clicking here.
We offer the option of special meals for those with certain dietary restrictions (gluten-free, dairy-free, gluten- and dairy-free). If you have other dietary restrictions, please email catering@bluedeer.org to discuss your needs.
Cancellation Policy: Cancellation of your reservation more than 14 days prior to arrival entitles you to a full refund of tuition less a $25 processing fee. If you cancel 8 to 14 days prior to arrival, your program fee, less a $25 processing fee, will be held for you to use in another future program up to a year. If you cancel 2 to 7 days prior to arrival, your program fee, less a $25 processing fee and food costs, will be held for you to use in another future program up to a year. No refunds or credits will be issued for cancellations received less than 48 hours before a program’s start date. Refunds will be processed within 2 weeks of cancellation.
Learn About Our Center
The first North American Day of Sustainable Communities will be held on September 21, 2019. All individuals and communities who are catalyzing transformation in the face of ecological and climate breakdown are invited to host an event on the day.
Learn more and register your event at https://www.sustainablecommunitiesday.net/
ECOLISE
The European Network for Community-led Initiatives on Climate Change and Sustainability, is the initiator and main organiser of the European Day of Sustainable Communities. We have 46 member networks and organisations across Europe
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A celebration of local communities taking action for a zero-carbon, regenerative and inclusive Europe.
This is an ECOLISE flagship event. #EDSC19 #SustainableCommunity
Become a co-creator of the day! For details see https://www.sustainable-communities.net/
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Our mission is to protect the environmental, recreational and commercial integrity of the Hudson River and its tributaries, and safeguard the drinking water of 9 million New Yorkers. –
Riverkeeper
Restore & Protect NYC Waterways
NYC at a Glance
Over the coming years, New York City’s population growth will present both a challenge and an opportunity. The number of people living alongside the city’s waterfront is expected to continue to grow, so too will the risks those residents will face; from climate change, legacy toxins, and ongoing sewage pollution.
Meanwhile, New Yorkers are increasingly taking to the water, whether for fishing, kayaking, biking, and swimming. As more people play in or near our waterways, public concern and awareness grow, leading to increased community advocacy.
Around the city, Riverkeeper has been working to engage and activate communities along diverse waterfronts. We actively support and strengthen the work of organizations like the Guardians of Flushing Bay, Gowanus Canal Conservancy and Newtown Creek Alliance.
In the 50 years since Riverkeeper’s founding, we’ve been glad to see a sea of change in the way the city approaches clean water. Public access points, triathlons, ferry services, green infrastructure, esplanades, education centers, and restoration work has bridged the pollution-based divide that once separated New Yorkers from their Sixth Borough – the waters around them.
Much work remains, however — and Riverkeeper looks forward to helping steward the next 50 years of change in New York City.
Contact Us
Riverkeeper Address
20 Secor Road
Ossining, New York 10562
Directions
Phone:800-21-RIVER
Fax: 914-478-4527
Email: info@riverkeeper.org
To Report a Polluter
Phone: 800-21-RIVER ext 231
Submit a report online
Membership Inquiries
Monica Dietrich
Phone: 914-478-4501 ext. 222
Email: mdietrich@riverkeeper.org
For Journalists
Leah Rae
Staff Writer and Media Specialist
Phone: 914-478-4501 ext. 238
Email: lrae@riverkeeper.org
Request a Speaker
To request a speaker from Riverkeeper, please please contact Jen Benson at jbenson@riverkeeper.org
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September 21, 2019: 1:00PM to 10:00PM
Factoria at Charles Point, 5 John Walsh Blvd, Peekskill, NY 10566 map
Join us for Rally on the River, a brand new event to bring our community together for a common cause: The Hudson River. Run, paddle, revel and recreate on the banks of the River at the Factoria at Charles Point. This daylong festival will feature something for everyone including the Surf and Turf Challenge!
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Basics
The Hudson River is not your typical river. In fact, most of the Hudson is actually a tidal estuary where salt water from the ocean combines with freshwater from northern tributaries. This “brackish”, or mixing, water extends from the mouth of the Hudson in NY Harbor to the Federal Dam in Troy, approximately 153 miles.
The salt front of the estuary, where the freshwater runoff meets the saline water, can range from the Tappan Zee Bay near Tarrytown/Nyack in the spring to Newburgh Bay in Poughkeepsie/Newburgh in the late summer or during droughts.
Because the Hudson River is a tidal estuary, meaning it ebbs and flows with the ocean tide, it supports a biologically rich environment, making it an important ecosystem for various species of aquatic life. For many key species, it provides critical habitats and essential spawning and breeding grounds.
To learn more about the unique regions of the Hudson River take A Hudson River Journey.
History
More than nine million people living in New York City, Westchester, Putnam, Orange and Ulster Counties enjoy clean, unfiltered drinking water from the Croton, Catskill and Delaware Watersheds. The 6,000-mile network of pipes, shafts and subterranean aqueducts carries approximately 1.2 billion gallons of pristine water each day from 19 upstate reservoirs.
It is a remarkable engineering achievement and the single largest man-made financial asset in New York State. But, today the city’s reservoir infrastructure is in serious trouble, as is its ability to continue supplying New Yorkers with water.
Many of the nation’s water systems are over 100 years old and in a state of grave neglect. Between 23,000 and 75,000 combined sewage overflows occur each year as a result of failing infrastructure, spilling out 1.26 trillion gallons of untreated sewage annually and incurring $50.6 billion in clean up costs.
Protection
Photo: Leah Rae / Riverkeeper
Riverkeeper believes that access to clean, affordable drinking water must be a human right. In the interest of protecting human health and preserving freshwater ecosystems, filtration of public drinking water supplies should be considered as a last resort to be employed only when an unfiltered water supply poses an imminent threat to public health. Sound watershed protection programs not only safeguard human health and aquatic life but also are vastly more economical than filtration.
Public Access
Riverkeeper generally supports expanded opportunities for low-impact, passive recreation that is compatible with watershed protection goals on water supply lands. It is through use and enjoyment of our shared resources that people become invested in their long-term protection.
Our Story
In 1966, the Hudson River was dying from pollution and neglect. Run-down factories choked it with hazardous waste, poisoning fish, threatening drinking water supplies, and ruining world-class havens for boating and swimming. Sadly, America’s “First River” had become little more than an industrial sewer.
At that time, the Hudson River fishermen decided they had enough. Because their catch reeked from oil spilled daily into the river, they banded together to use a decades-old federal law to the tide from ruin to recovery.
This was the founding of the Hudson River Fishermen’s Association – now Riverkeeper. Today, Riverkeeper continues its fight, seeking out polluters and teaming with citizen scientists and activists to reclaim the Hudson River. And, we also work to ensure that over nine million New Yorkers have clean, safe drinking water. Today, pollution levels are down, and swimming and boating are back.
But the Hudson’s recovery is still fragile, still incomplete. Some fish species have not recovered, and many remain too toxic to eat; pollution levels spike with every rainfall. Mammoth cuts in government spending threaten to reverse a half-century of water quality gains, and we face the challenges of antiquated power plants, climate change, and emerging, harmful pollutants.
Riverkeeper’s vision is of a Hudson teeming with life, with engaged communities boating, fishing and swimming throughout its watershed.
Here’s what Riverkeeper stands for:
- Guarding your waterways. Riverkeeper holds polluters accountable, making the Hudson safer and cleaner each year. We patrol the river, inform the public, and go to court whenever it’s necessary, to eliminate illegal contamination.
- Defending clean drinking water. Community water supplies are increasingly threatened by pollution and shortage. Riverkeeper empowers citizens to make their voices heard and assure that their precious drinking water resources stay clean and plentiful. Our locally-based “water democracy” approach gets results.
- Finding solutions. Riverkeeper fights threats to clean water like destructive power plants, reckless development and decrepit infrastructure. We also specialize in solutions: we improve wildlife habitat, foster sustainable energy, increase investment in water supply/sewer systems, and rally thousands of volunteers to restore their local river fronts.
“Our strategy for success hasn’t changed much since we started out as the Hudson River Fishermen’s Association in 1966: Support the grassroots. Be data driven. Don’t flinch when the going gets tough.” – Paul Gallay, President and Hudson Riverkeeper
Transition Thrive Online Training
Thursday, September 26, 2019 – 11:00am – Thursday, November 21, 2019 – 12:30pm
All times Pacific. We are currently offering two registration options through this page: a $120 Standard Ticket to cover the basic costs of producing this course and a $180 Sponsor Ticket to help subsidize scholarships. If you would like to request a need-based scholarship or group discount, please contact don@transitionus.org
Transition Thrive can be thought of as the sequel to Transition Launch Training. While Launch focuses on the first few steps of the Transition process – understanding the global context, forming an initiating group, raising awareness, and cultivating partnerships with like-minded organizations – Thrive builds upon this foundation to provide answers to how to broaden, deepen, and scale up the impacts of local community resilience-building initiatives over time.
Over the course of eight weekly sessions, you will form mutually-supportive relationships with other participants, develop new abilities and knowledge, receive guidance for overcoming the specific challenges you are facing, and create a robust action plan to take your work to the next level.
Prior participation in a Transition Launch Training is recommended, but not required. This course is open to social change activists from all over the world, but is currently only available in English.
Sessions at a Glance
1. Maps for the Transition Journey (October 3): Identify your initiative’s current strengths and weaknesses using the Transition Healthcheck and explore how The Five Stages of Transition can provide an achievable path to thriving.
2. Cultivating the Collective Genius (October 10): In this session, we will look closely at our individual wholeness and unique collaboration styles while exploring ways of cultivating these so that the collective genius in our groups is more likely to emerge.
3. Running Successful, Practical Projects (October 17): This session will share design ideas for projects that bring tangible benefits to your community, engage and energize volunteers, and support working groups to be effective and rewarding.
4. Reaching Beyond the Choir (October 24): Learn how to create a tipping point of support for your initiative and cultivate strategic partnerships by telling your best stories, harvesting metrics, and designing value propositions.
5. Building Momentum and Capacity (October 31): In this session, we will cover running larger campaigns, forming diverse coalitions, taking a multi-faceted approach to fundraising, and establishing a healthy formal organization.
6. System-Changing Strategies (November 7): This session will explore the mindsets, practices, and structures that support community-wide and whole systems strategies, such as creating localized food systems or transforming local economies.
7. In It for Life (November 14): Here, we will discuss some of the unique challenges we encounter as long-term change-makers, and will suggest tools, mindsets, inner postures, and practices that help us stay inspired and prevent burnout.
8. Bringing It All Back Home (November 21): In this final session, we will circle back to the Transition Healthcheck to harvest key insights from this course, address major challenges, and create an action plan for your group to thrive!
How Does It Work?
Thrive Online consists of a series of eight pre-recorded presentations that will be made available for you to watch before engaging in weekly 90-minute live videoconferences exploring each of these topics in greater depth. We will also provide you with access to a private discussion forum that you can use to share resources and continue conversations in between sessions.
Please don’t worry if you don’t consider yourself to be tech-savvy. The platforms we use are designed to be easy to navigate, and we will provide personalized technical assistance throughout the course to ensure that your experience is as enjoyable as humanly possible.
While this online format enables you to participate in an international learning cohort from the comfort of your own home – at a lower cost and with a smaller carbon footprint than traditional face-to-face offerings – if you’d prefer to host a Thrive Training in your local community, please click here to learn more about how to do that.
Facilitation Team
Don Hall has had the good fortune to participate in the Transition Movement in a variety of capacities for more than a decade. Initially serving for two years as the Education and Outreach Coordinator for Transition Colorado, he went on to found and direct Transition Sarasota (Florida) from 2010 to 2016. Don was named Co-Director of Transition US in 2017. He holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Leadership from Naropa University.
Michelle Colussi has worked in community and economic development for over 20 years with a focus on community resilience and organizational capacity-building and planning. She was a co-founder of Transition Victoria (BC) and their flagship programs: Building Resilient Neighbourhoods and Resilient Streets. She has delivered Launch Training since 2009 and chaired the University of Toronto’s Transition Emerging Research Advisory Group.
Rebecca Blanco completed a Master’s and a Doctorate and has been a psychotherapist for 40 years. Her interest in eco-psychology sparked her conviction that personal transformation within an ecological-social context is crucial for a regenerative world. She’s participated in a mentorship with Dr. Andy Fisher and The Work That Reconnects Training. Rebecca is a workshop facilitator at Forest Center.
Sally Ludwig is a co-founding member of Transition Guelph, with particular interests in inner dimensions of personal and community resilience, ecological and climate justice, effective collaboration, and social applications of Permaculture. She is a trainer for Transition and facilitator of the Work that Reconnects, educator, mentor and consultant. Secretly, she throws seed bombs and does guerilla planting of fruit trees and raspberry bushes.
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Our annual People’s Ecochallenge is back to invite you to do more environmental + social good.From October 2 – October 23,create more environmental + social good alongside your peersand thousands of global changemakers.Connect the dots between your values and the impact of your actions.The People’s Ecochallenge harmonizes individual and collective action,camaraderie, and friendly competitionto create significant collective impact.Over 100 actions within nineChallenge categories await you. Register today! |
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Connect the dots between your values + the impact of your actions during The People’s Ecochallenge!
Ecochallenge.org’s social change platform + curriculum connect a global community of advocates and changemakers, each doing what we can, in ways that are most relevant to us, to make this great spinning dot we call home a healthier, more equitable, more sustainable place. Welcome to The People’s Ecochallenge!
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This training programme seeks to enhance young people’s skills and knowledge to be ethical and effective sustainability leaders and implement Earth Charter-inspired projects, contributing towards a more sustainable and peaceful world.
Participants of this programme will receive an Earth Charter International certificate as recognition of their successful completion of the “Leadership, Sustainability and Ethics” training and an invitation to become an Earth Charter Young Leader.
Join the next group of exceptional change makers and deepen your knowledge and skills in sustainability leadership. Become part of our global network and support your fellow participants as you explore your role as a leader in your own community. This 10-week programme is open to participants ages 18-30 and begins on 7 October 2019.
Led by Starhawk, Charles Williams and friends.
Dates: January 5 – January 19, 2020: two-week intensive residential course
Location: Black Mountain Preserve and Golden Rabbit Ranch, Western Sonoma County, CA
Sliding scale:$1800-2300*
*includes all instruction, lodging, meals, and materials
WORK TRADE positions are currently full. Please feel free to apply for a spot on our waiting list ~ Limited Diversity Scholarships still available
Who is this training for?
We firmly believe that everyone can benefit from learning the tools and insights of permaculture to apply toward the broad goal of earth regeneration. Permaculture has solutions not just for landscapes and agricultural systems, but also for social design, public policy and survival strategies for these challenging times.
Topic and Projects Covered:
Hands-on projects vary with weather and needs, but may include mapping, water harvesting structures, graywater or roof catchment, compost, compost teas, sheet mulch, plant propagation, planting trees and shrubs, seed-starting, introductions to natural building concepts (including cob, straw-clay or plastering) and a collaborative design project. Our projects can be tailored to students of varied levels of physical ability and diverse ages and previous experience.
Our students include:
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- Young people looking for a career oriented around sustainability
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- People in mid-life looking for a new direction for existing or new work
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- Retirees wanting new fields to explore
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- Established professionals wanting to broaden and deepen their knowledge of sustainable alternatives
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- People involved with intentional communities, co-housing and eco-villages, or those who want to start or join one
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- Gardeners, farmers, ranchers, and land stewards of all kinds
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- Green business entrepreneurs who want to have a broader understanding of the possibilities
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- Teachers, environmental educators, and youth workers
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- Anyone involved in gardening, especially school gardens and community gardens
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- Architects and landscape designers
- Artists, musicians, poets, writers and dancers, and anyone who collaborates creatively
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- Community organizers and activists from many movements, including environmental justice, food justice, global justice, anti-oppression, human rights workers, and others
- Dreamers, visionaries, and more…
The climate crisis is the greatest challenge we face – already excacerbating injustices and environmental health disparities.
The good news? Leading medical journals and experts confirm that climate change poses the “greatest health opportunity of the 21st century.” Taking action to reduce fossil fuel pollution and address the crisis can save lives, improve our air quality, and address inequality.
Health professionals are essential messengers to inspire action.
Will you join us in Vancouver, WA on March 22nd for this
free education and advocacy training event
focusing on the latest on climate change and health,
and how to effectively promote solutions?
The climate crisis is big, but we know we can achieve meaningful solutions through dedicated advocacy. To do so, we need to build upon our movement and engage more health professionals to drive action. Join us in Vancouver to learn more and get plugged in!
Featured speakers include Dianne Glover, MD, a WPSR Climate & Health Task Force pediatrician, Don and Alona Steinke, RN, of Southwest Washington Climate Action, and Lluvia Merello, Energy Justice Organizer for Oregon PSR.
Vancouver Public Library, 901 C Street, Vancouver WA
RSVP: Vancouver Climate Change & Health Event
This is a FREE event, and lunch will be provided.
See you there!
Sarah Cornett
WPSR Climate Program & Advocacy Manager
sarah@wpsr.org
206-547-2630
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Pittsburgh Earth Day 2020
APR22
24-Hour Youth Climate Strike on Instagram
Public:
Hosted by Pittsburgh Earth Day 2020
MissionPittsburgh is marking the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day by reigniting our dedication to our planet, to each other and to our collective future here on Earth. We call on everyone to unite, stand and act for a healthier, safer, more just and sustainable world. |
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THE STORY OF STUFF PROJECT
THE STORY OF PLASTIC takes a sweeping look at the man-made crisis of plastic pollution and the worldwide effect it has on the health of our planet and the people who inhabit it. Spanning three continents, the film illustrates the ongoing catastrophe: fields full of garbage, veritable mountains of trash, rivers and seas clogged with waste, and skies choked with the poisonous emissions from plastic production and processing.
THE STORY OF PLASTIC features interviews with experts and activists on the front lines of the fight, revealing the disastrous consequences of the flood of plastic smothering ecosystems and poisoning communities around the world, and the global movement that is rising up in response. With engaging original animation, archival industry footage beginning in the 1930s, and first-person accounts of the unfolding emergency, the film distills a complex problem that is increasingly affecting the planet’s and its residents’ well-being.
Mission
Donations to The Story of Stuff Project are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law in the United States.
The Story of Plastic, our first feature-length documentary,
has been years in the making.
Now, we’re just weeks away from its global premiere.
Learn about the three ways to watch the film – including
virtual community screenings.
Finally, action items for you, and
what to expect from us!
Let’s get down to it!
THREE WAYS TO WATCH
Here’s how you can watch The Story of Plastic, whether you’re an individual viewer or a group interested in organizing around the film:
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- BROADCAST (US) – Tune in on Earth Day, April 22, at 2:00 pm on Discovery Channel (same local time on both coasts).
BROADCAST (International) – The Story of Plastic will be broadcast on Discovery network affiliates in 134 countries and territories. Each of those affiliates makes independent programming decisions and announcements. We are working with Discovery to compile those programming details, and will publish them at storyofplastic.org/watch as they come in. You can also check your local Discovery Channel’s programming schedule directly. - DIGITAL – The Story of Plastic will pre-premiere on the DiscoveryGo subscription streaming service on April 15. It will also be available to rent on video-on-demand services like iTunes and Amazon following the April 22 television broadcast.
- VIRTUAL COMMUNITY SCREENINGS – We hope and expect that many members of The Story of Stuff Project community will watch the film by JOINING a virtual screening organized by a group in their region or by HOSTING a virtual screening for your own community. Keep reading for more details about these online events!
- BROADCAST (US) – Tune in on Earth Day, April 22, at 2:00 pm on Discovery Channel (same local time on both coasts).
VIRTUAL COMMUNITY SCREENINGS
Why virtual? The coronavirus pandemic has halted in-person gatherings for most of the world. However, it hasn’t put a stop to our work as a movement to shift the narrative about plastic pollution and work for solutions to this crisis. Virtual screenings will make it possible to achieve both reach and impact while staying home.
How do virtual screenings work? Virtual screenings will be free to organize and attend. Screening hosts register their event and will be provided with a secure link to stream the film online. This secure link will expire at the end of the viewing window set by the host, or after a maximum of 200 views. Subtitles will be available in Arabic, Bulgarian, Cantonese, Croatian, Danish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Korean, Mandarin (simplified and traditional), Polish, Portuguese (European and Brazilian), Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Tamil, Thai, Turkish, and Vietnamese. To volunteer to create subtitles in a language not listed here, please contact Brett at <brett@storyofstuff.org>.
Screening hosts will manage invitations and RSVPs for their event, and will provide the streaming link to “attendees.” We also ask that hosts also facilitate a discussion, panel, Q&A, or call to action via a group video platform like Zoom. We’ll provide hosts with a more detailed virtual screening organizing guide after they register their event – plus additional resources including Promotional Graphics, an Action Guide, FAQ & Industry Myths, Social Media Toolkit, and Press Kit.
Who can organize a virtual screening? Virtual community screenings are open to everyone! Individuals can organize a virtual screening for their friends and family. Groups can hold a virtual screening for supporters and stakeholders. Teachers can create a virtual screening for their students.Together, we can spread this film’s important messages far and wide!
When will these occur?
Virtual community screenings begin on Earth Day, April 22.
We are focusing our efforts around a “push period”
from Earth Day until World Oceans Day on June 8.
Community screenings will also continue after that date.
What are my next steps?
If you are interested in HOSTING a virtual screening, please fill out *this form*. You’ll get a response with more info and next steps from our partners at PictureMotion, a documentary impact agency helping us with the logistics of these virtual events.
If you want to JOIN a public, virtual screening organized by another group, stay tuned! We’ll be publishing a directory of virtual events that you can tune in to at storyofplastic.org/watch before April 22!
ACTION ITEMS
What you can do
- WATCH AND SHARE the brand-new trailer, featuring a new single by Jackson Browne! It’s on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
- Start making plans to HOST a virtual community screening and fill out the intake form when you’re ready to move on to the next step!
- STAY TUNED for more updates via email, on our social media channels, and at storyofplastic.org
What to expect from us
- More details about international broadcasts as soon as we receive them
- Invitations to JOIN a community screening in your region
- Remote learning curriculum for educators from our partners at Algalita
JOIN THE CONVERSATION!
The Story of Stuff Project runs on donations from people like you. Please make a one-time contribution, or better yet, sustain our work by signing up to be a monthly donor. Any amount makes a difference!
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Global Online Release
INNER CLIMATE CHANGE documentary
Friday 24th April 2020
Watch the trailer
About INNER CLIMATE CHANGE
How do we navigate the intensity of emotions and reactions stirred up by climate change, or COVID-19 for that matter? How do we come to a place of peace, compassion, forgiveness and life-affirming action?
Both leading edge science and ancient wisdom traditions point us inwards for the answer.
In this documentary you will go with us on a journey to see how our inner climate relates to the topic of climate change. And how changing from within will create the change we need.
The INNER CLIMATE CHANGE documentary focuses on the very personal experiences, insights and responses to the climate crisis, of people who participated in the Climate Change and Consciousness conference (CCC19) held in 2019 at the Findhorn Ecovillage in the northeast of Scotland. Conference participants included 350 youngers and elders of multiple ethnicities and diverse genders from 45 countries.
Watch Parties and Sharing Circles via Zoom
We invite you to join us to watch the film together (60 minutes) followed by a post film sharing with break out groups to explore your inner response evoked by the film. Experience yourself in – and offer your listening to – a community of like-minded people all around the world.
Submit your email address to receive a reminder when the film is released and the Zoom link through which you can access the Watch Party and Sharing Circle of your choice.
You can also contact us by post:
Visitors Centre
Findhorn Foundation
The Park
Findhorn
Forres, IV36 3TZ
Scotland, UK
For general enquiries tel: +44 (0)1309 690311
Email: enquiries@findhorn.org
There are three opportunities to join a viewing party and 100 places available on each. You need to sign up to receive the Zoom link. You will be able to enter the Zoom room later if you have seen the film already before and don’t want to watch it twice.
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- 24th April 2020 6pm-8.30pm BST
Hosted by Robin Alfred and Kosha Joubert, hosts of the CCC19 conference
7pm CET / 1pm EDT / 10am PDT / 3am AET (25th)
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- 25th April 2020 10am-12.30am BST
Hosted by Sue Miles, long term community member of the Findhorn Foundation.
11am CET / 5am EDT / 2am PDT / 7pm AET
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- 25th April 2020 7pm-9.30pm BST
Hosted by the film director Lorenz Gramann and Lucy Thomas: Findhorn community member and facilitator
8pm CET / 2pm EDT / 11am PDT / 4am AET (26th)
About the filmmaker
The man behind the INNER CLIMATE CHANGE documentary is the independent filmmaker Lorenz Gramann. This is Lorenz’s third feature-length documentary. His last one A New Story for Humanity has been seen over 200.000 times.
Lorenz’s background includes a variety of healing and psychotherapy modalities. He brings the sensitivity garnered in these fields to his film making. Since 2014 he has offered his skills in the northeast of Scotland and currently lives in the Findhorn Foundation Community.
Select a date and time
This weekly call is for those of us who are terrified of the climate emergency and determined to be part of a movement to claw back our future from the jaws of extinction.
You will learn about The Climate Mobilization’s strategy for transforming our economy in the next ten years, and how you can take action locally and be part of this plan.
You will make contact with an excellent team of organizers who will offer support and coaching in your journey to push back and win a just and inclusive future.
- In 2020, the climate emergency threatens to take our future away from us.
- YOU
- The solution is to organize.
- YOU
- This session is designed to show you how.
The session is open to anyone, whether you are part of an organization or not, whether you have experience of organizing or not. We support over 100 different campaigns!
To Join the Call:
SIGN UP HERE –> https://secure.everyaction.com/dSlTBlrtZUWt8okpc256ig
You will learn:
- What YOU can do to respond to the Climate Emergency
- How to get plugged in to a team or a Climate Emergency campaign in YOUR community
- How we’re planning to make the Climate Emergency the key issue of the 2020 election
Structuring an Economy for People and Planet
In the Time of Climate Crisis and COVID-19
Thursday, May 28, 2020
11:00 am PST/ 2:00 pm EST USA time
Please check your own time zone to coordinate!
Registration is required – register at this link
This webinar is part of WECAN’s Advocacy and Solutions Series: A Just and Healthy World is Possible, an ongoing dialogue series lifting up women’s leadership as we continue to collectively build a powerful movement founded on principles of justice, love, and a fierce dedication to our planet and each other.
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The 8th Annual Children’s Global Wave Of Love
June 21 at 1:11 pm in your heart and time zone.
We collectively come together to cultivate and
send forth our mission
“Children Across the Planet in Love, Care, and Respect.”
Since everyday is children’s day, we create a year-long, free, activity platform for children, families, communities, schools, organizations and YOU to empower
heart space and help transform the world!
Our Mission Statement: Our mission is to provide complete and total support to all children with an entire month of activities that enhance all aspects of a child’s life.
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Plus three more workshops are offered end of June and two in July
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