Calendar

Sep
29
Sat
2018
Will Allen Farmer Training Weekend @ The Women's Environmental Institute - Amador Hill Farm
Sep 29 @ 8:00 am – Sep 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.

The Women’s Environmental Institute
651-583-0705
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

 

Aug
21
Wed
2019
Welcome to the Self-Study Version of Living the New Story Series 1 and 2 @ Online
Aug 21 @ 12:00 am

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:

  • Understanding our own personal journey inside of our larger, collective story of human evolution.

  • 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.

  • Catalysing our growth and evolution beyond the patterns and core beliefs of our past to make way for the new story to unfold.

  • Honouring the best of the old story and integrating it into the new.

  • 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.

Sep
10
Tue
2019
SOW TRUE SEED – Monarchs, Milkweed and More! @ Sow True Seed
Sep 10 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

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

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.

**************************************************************************************************

Need additional income on your farm? Sow True Seed is always looking for more farmers to grow seed for us!

Growing Seed Seed=Food

 

 

 

Sep
26
Thu
2019
Transition Thrive Online Training @ Online
Sep 26 @ 11:00 am – Nov 21 @ 12:30 am

Transition Thrive Online Training

Date:

Thursday, September 26, 2019 – 11:00am – Thursday, November 21, 2019 – 12:30pm

Registration:

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

Thrive Circle

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.

Transition Manifesto3. 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 HallDon 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 ColussiMichelle 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 BlancoRebecca 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 LudwigSally 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.

Jan
5
Sun
2020
Permaculture Design Course
Jan 5 – Jan 19 all-day

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:

    • Young people looking for a career oriented around sustainability
    • People in mid-life looking for a new direction for existing or new work
    • Retirees wanting new fields to explore
    • Established professionals wanting to broaden and deepen their knowledge of sustainable alternatives
    • People involved with intentional communities, co-housing and eco-villages, or those who want to start or join one
    • Gardeners, farmers, ranchers, and land stewards of all kinds
    • Green business entrepreneurs who want to have a broader understanding of the possibilities
    • Teachers, environmental educators, and youth workers
    • Anyone involved in gardening, especially school gardens and community gardens
    • Architects and landscape designers
    • Artists, musicians, poets, writers and dancers, and anyone who collaborates creatively
      • 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…
Jan
14
Tue
2020
Webinar – Climate Emergency – with Transition @ Online
Jan 14 @ 11:00 am – 12:15 pm

Transition Declares a Climate Emergency

What: In more than 90 communities throughout the US, people and are coming together to build powerful coalitions that can push local governments to respond to the Climate Emergency. Join Ezra Silk and Rebecca Harris from The Climate Mobilization to learn more about this growing movement and how you can start a Climate Emergency push in your neighborhood, city, or county.

When: Tuesday, January 14, 2020 –

11:00am – 12:15pm, Pacific Standard Time

Where: Free Online Event

Please click here to register for this free webinar and receive a personalized link to join.

Climate Emergency Toolkit

In more than 90 communities throughout the US, people and are coming together to build powerful coalitions that can push local governments to respond to the Climate Emergency. Join Laura Berry and Rebecca Harris from The Climate Mobilization, along with our friends at Post Carbon Institute, to learn more about this growing movement and how you can start a Climate Emergency push in your neighborhood, city, or county.

Presenters:

Laura BerryLaura Berry brings over a decade of experience in climate advocacy, organizing, and policy to her role as Research and Publications Director of The Climate Mobilization. Her previous work with groups including the Stockholm Environment Institute and 350.org has spanned international environmental politics, local climate change planning, and democratic public engagement, and she has published research on the intersections of activism and public engagement in facilitating environmental policy change. Laura now works to research and facilitate the development of emergency-speed climate policy and governance frameworks in support of TCM’s vision of WWII-scale Climate Mobilization.

Rebecca HarrisClimate Mobilization Organizing Director Rebecca Harris is a dynamic organizer who has been working for social justice since the age of 15, when she became involved in the peace movement in her hometown of Salem, Oregon. Rebecca joined The Climate Mobilization in February 2018, bringing a background in facilitation, fundraising, and strategic communications. Most recently, Rebecca worked as Development and Communications Manager at Latino Union of Chicago, an immigrant’s and worker’s rights organization.

Organizer:

Don Hall

Apr
19
Sun
2020
EARTH WEEK Pittsburgh – Virtual Teach-in & Youth Climate Strike @ Online and Instagram
Apr 19 @ 1:00 pm – Apr 23 @ 12:00 pm

Pittsburgh Earth Day 2020
Tune in tomorrow, Sunday, April 19 at 1:00 P.M. for the Pittsburgh Earth Week Teach-In! Watch live http://earthweekpgh.org #VoteEarthPG#VoteClimatePGH
WWW.EARTHWEEKPGH.ORG
Pittsburgh Earth Day 2020's photo.

APR22

24-Hour Youth Climate Strike on Instagram

Public:

Hosted by Pittsburgh Earth Day 2020

Join Fridays for Future for a 24-Hour Climate Strike on Instagram.
Details on Facebook https://bit.ly/3bFTkR1
Apr 22 at 12 PM – Apr 23 at 12 PM

Mission

Pittsburgh 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.

CONTACT INFO
pghearthday2020@gmail.com
http://www.earthweekpgh.org
MORE INFO
About
Pittsburgh will mark the 50th Anniversary of Earth Week by reigniting our dedication to the planet, to each other and to our collective future. We call on everyone to be part of a healthier, safer, more just and sustainable world.
Founding Date
April 22, 2020

 

When the first Earth Week took place on April 16-22, 1970, it was a moment that captured the hearts of many Americans who were moved to dedicate themselves to the fight for clean water, land and air. Fifty years later, people and the planet face a far greater threat in the form of climate change.
The climate emergency requires urgent and immediate action.
The 50th Anniversary of Earth Day must reignite that dedication to our planet, each other and to our collective future on Earth. It must extend the fire and passion for change of that first Earth Day to marginalized communities in SWPA and beyond who are most deeply harmed by environmental assaults and climate change. We are calling on everyone to unite – on this day and every day – to stand and act for a healthy, safe, just and sustainable world that protects and supports us all.
We the people Unite Under these Values:
We declare a climate emergency and call on our leaders to address that emergency NOW. Fossil fuel-based energy and petrochemical production will push our planet toward climate collapse.
We honor Mother Earth, the supporter of all life, who provides us with sustenance, clean air and clean water. We honor our Ancestors who blessed us with reverence for life. We embrace the Rights of Nature and recognize that we are a part of its interconnected Web of Life.
We value our responsibility to care for our planet and all people now and for the future.
We seek Environmental Justice for all. Environmental work must not perpetuate economic, social, gender and racial inequalities or health and environmental burdens. We respect historic communities and land rights. We support Indigenous self-determination, anti-racism and oppose disinvestment in marginalized communities. We especially value the voices and wisdom of communities of color including African American and Native communities and support their demands for environmental and social justice.
We unite with frontline communities to break down barriers that prevent all people from creating and benefiting from a just transition for those workers displaced as a result of the disinvestment in and closing of fossil fuel companies. We turn to the people in communities most harmed by environmental injustice for their leadership, their voices and their wisdom.
We call for a new kind of reinvestment in community systems that promote ongoing community education and investment. This reinvestment must emphasize renewable energy; maintain poison-free, fertile soil for safe, local food production; and recycle, reuse and re-purpose non-fossil based materials in circular manufacturing.
We value our inherent and legal rights to clean air and water as guaranteed by federal and state laws. We support the creation of laws that reject putting corporate profits above the health of people and non-human relatives, that ensure workers’ safety and that protect the health of our ecosystems and environment.
We hold that fracking, pipelines, plastics, synthetic chemicals and nuclear waste are poisoning our bodies and the whole planet. We oppose spending taxpayer money for these industries.
We value economic systems and community development projects that will be people-focused, community-driven and inclusive of the next Seven Generations*.
We are pro-union and pro-living wage. We value reliance on local resources and clean jobs that do no harm.
We hold all government officials accountable as stewards for healthy people and a healthy society. We believe that our environment and our climate must be protected, and that our land and natural resources cannot be exploited for corporate gain or greed – especially at the risk of public safety and health.
*Seventh Generation Principle is a key element in The Great Law of Peace of the Hodinoshoni (Iroquois) Confederacy. It is an intentional statement of purpose, accountability and to acknowledge that the actions and decisions we make today should result in a peaceful and sustainable world seven generations into the future.
Pittsburgh Earth Day Demands of Pennsylvania’s Governor and Elected Leaders
Declare a state-wide Climate Emergency NOW. Ask all levels of government to adopt a Climate Action Plan as part of State/County/Municipal Codes.
Stop use of public tax dollars to support fracked gas, oil, coal and nuclear industries on the state and federal level. Invest in renewable industries and in jobs that do not harm workers, communities and people.
Support 100% renewable energy by 2030.
Divest all State Pension funding from fossil fuel investments.
We must honor our constitutional right to clean air and water (Pennsylvania Constitution Article 1 Section 27). Restore strong regulatory protections for air, water and land to protect all citizens from pollution.
Children in Western Pennsylvania are being poisoned by lead in our water and industrial pollutants in our air. We must upgrade infrastructure, aging industrial plants and the region’s wastewater treatment facilities to reduce additional greenhouse gases and pollution, including raising our water-testing standards.
Along with stronger regulations, we must ensure that polluting industries pay fines for pollution that reflect the harm done to people.
Reallocate funding for communities harmed by gas, oil and coal industries. Support community green union and non-union jobs and clean economic development initiatives, ensuring social support and job training for former fossil fuel workers.
Promote local and sustainable agriculture that does not depend on using poisons and chemical fertilizers. Support safe agricultural practices on local, state and federal levels. Protect sources of drinking water and agriculture from contamination by fracking.
Ban single-use plastics immediately and establish viable substitutes and markets for the re-use of recycled materials to reduce the market for fracked-gas plastics.
Adopt State Building Codes that require all new construction to reduce additional greenhouse gases by incorporating passive solar design and renewable energy systems in residential and commercial buildings.
Increase access, equity and sustainability in the transportation sector. Improve public and alternative transportation infrastructure to increase fuel efficiency, reduce pollution/carbon emissions and ensure safe and convenient routes for cyclists and pedestrians. Ensure affordable public transit fares and accessible public transit routes for all communities.
The Pittsburgh Earth Day 2020 coalition invites groups in SWPA and beyond to join us in planning in our Earth Week events. We welcome all participating organizations to provide feedback on these statements which may be amended to reflect those concerns.

 

May
21
Thu
2020
People’s Hub Workshops: Getting Through Economic Downturns Together @ Online
May 21 @ 1:00 pm – Jun 11 @ 1:00 pm

TODAY.

Where have we been?

Where are we going?

What might be possible together? 

https://peopleshub.org/project/getting-through-economic-downturns-together-workshops-and-circle/

https://www.facebook.com/PeoplesHub-1695905997109684/

The Circle may be over but the workshops are coming up! 

It’s time to sign up!!

This has been a time of organizing. We are moving from our deep roots in community to challenge the status quo. We are building systems that work for our people. We are imagining a different way. 
 

It has been a time of reckoning. 

Covid-19 has magnified the disparities and injustices of our world. Specifically, the ways that Black, Indigenous, People of Color, chronically ill and disabled people experience higher levels of violence, housing insecurity, and job discrimination. We continue to lose people to white supremacy: 

Nina Pop

Breonna Taylor

Ahmaud Arbey

There is a missing and murdered indigenous women’s epidemic. 

Capitalism and white supremacy will attempt to make us forget this time and return to a disconnection from each other and the earth. 

We cannot and will not return to a normal that devalues people and planet. 

“We can impose beauty on our future.”
–Lorraine Hansberry 

Instead, let’s make a promise, a commitment to honor community. For those of us with privileges it’s a time to risk comfort,  #share your check.

Together, we can be a part of community-based solutions, be a part of the radical imagination. As Lorraine Hansberry stated, we can impose beauty on our future.

Join us for a deepened understanding of economic downturns and solidarity economy. What we do now matters. 

Jun
25
Thu
2020
Speaker Series: We are What We Buy–How to make purchasing choices that regenerate the planet  @ online
Jun 25 @ 8:00 pm

 

We are What We Buy:
How to make purchasing choices that regenerate the planet 

Thursday, June 25, 2020 at 5pm PST/8pm EST – Online

How do you know that one product is better for you and the planet than another? What identifiers should you look for when using your purchasing power? Join us for a dynamic conversation with four leaders driving the future of certifications for Regenerative standards, including:

  • The Land to Market Program from Savory Institute
  • The Chief Innovation Officer at How Good
  • Representative from the Regenerative Organic Alliance
  • Representative from the Soil Carbon Initiative

Explore with us how informed consumers and regenerative agriculture can work together to build positive ecological and community health.

RSVP TODAY

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