What Are You Working On?

[Kim Ridley]

What are you working on, at home or in your community, to help make life more sustainable, joyful, better in some small way? How is it going?

[John S]

Sarah:

Just about any book by Dan Chiras is a great reference on natural building. Dan hosts many workshops around the country each year, also. Check on his resources at www.danchiras.com.

[Jeanette McDermott]

I'm working with members from a whole lot of networks to cook up a poster campaign to draw awareness to bear bile farming, which will lead to ending a horrible practice that should never have begun. The idea is to launch a series of awareness posters that will culminate in a global action day to focus on ending the horrible practice of bear bile farming. This requires working across networks to save the bears.

We will launch the poster campaign on March 20 (Vernal Equinox) when Ursa Major makes her way east in the sky. Then we would run a new poster each month with the idea of catapulting the whole globe into action by the time the action day arrives on June 21 (Summer Solstice), when Big Bear Ursa is prominent overhead by the time the sun fades. The advantage of setting an event to significant astronomical turning points would be that folks in the Southern Hemisphere could feel connected to the same sky even if the constellation they would focus on would be different.

You can read about bear bile farming on the main page of ecopaparazzi or http://endbearbilefarming.blogspot.com.

We are looking for people to help us go viral once we design the posters. We will need for folks to upload the posters on Ning networks, Facebook, MySpace, WiserEarth, Care2, post blogs and send to other media sites like radio, TV and newspapers. We need a massive "street team," with each person uploading to as many sites as they can commit to. Wanna help? Are you able to be part of the cyber street team?

I'm dedicating myself to ending the suffering of these magnificent creatures in crush cages and hope you will be part of my team of Ursa Saviors.

XOXO!
Jeanette

[Jeanette McDermott]

I'm working to end the practice of bile bear farming through an awareness campaign that leads to a global action day.

[Instituto Conexiones]

Amazing opportunity to raise the bar on U.S. "Sustainable Business" Guidelines!

Instituto Conexiones has recently been invited to U.S. Capitol on Earth Day by the Sustainable Business Institute, to advance the message that the Gold 'Seal of Sustainable Business,' as adopted by U.S. Congress, include evaluation of a recipient company's operations in other countries.

We call this the "International Perspective on Sustainability" and as logical as it seems to us that true sustainability must be assessed from a global perspective, there is a chance that U.S. Government will grant this special "sustainable business" award to U.S. companies based only on their activities within the U.S. and with U.S. Citizens - even if the company's operations/factories in other countries are counterproductive to sustainability.

We feel this is shortsighted and not what U.S. conscious consumers expect from seeing a U.S. government endorsed logo of "Sustainable Business" on a company's website or products.

Would anyone like to be involved in this campaign?

If anything, please take our 1 question poll as these results will be shared with Congress to back up our argument that they include the international perspective when defining "sustainability." Go to: www.institutoconexiones.org to voice your opinion on this.

We need help to make this happen as it should!

1. Putting together a Position Statement Letter/Petition that can be signed by consumers & relevant stakeholder groups.

2. Identifying who those consumer and stakeholder groups are and outreaching to them. Please send your ideas.

3. Raising $2,500 to help fund the trip to D.C. for our delegation and for the creation of the educational materials to give to the government, thought-leaders, media, and CEOs we will be rubbing shoulders with.

If a company, group or individual contributes or raises $500 or more I can get you entrance to attend the historic Earth Day events at U.S. Capitol on April 21 and 22nd (as part of our delegation) and a chance to network with the media, high end officials, thought-leaders, corporate CEO's, etc. This includes a Congressional Briefing & the Sustainable Business Institute's Seal of Sustainability Awards Ceremony and the Seal of Sustainability Awards Dinner. Sponsors will also receive logo placement on the educational materials.

To learn more, please see attachment or IC_Position-Communication_DC_Event_final.doc or visit: http://www.institutoconexiones.org/

More about Instituto Conexiones: http://www.connectionsintitue.net

About the Sustainable Business Institute (our partner that is ushuring us into the conversation):

http://www.sustainablebusiness.org/

Contact me at:

Kimberly Newton de Klootwyk
U.S. Director &
Latin American-U.S. Relations Specialist
Instituto Conexiones

[e-mail]
Tel. 415.367.396

[Barry Benjamin]

A TV show that tells a sustainable story, yours and mine! I am on a quest to find your story of living sustainably. How you are doing it today and tomorrow?
Each of us can create a life that is sustainable, some of us don't have a clue on how to do that. I want to show, experience, tell and listen to people who are being sustainable NOW. Their stories are examples for others who are frustrated and desperate. There is hope all around us if we look, listen and feel the solutions that nature is providing us. I need you. We need to collect our stories and bring them to as wide an audience as possible. Send me your story. Can I show the world what you are doing? I believe you are the examples that we all need to see and learn from because we can teach you something too. I ask you to show me the way KNOWING that I have a light to give to you too. I am not afraid of standing up and asking you to help me tell all these stories. I believe we all want to sit or stand around the campfire and here everyone's story. Start talking!!!

[Don]

ICEEVO Internal Engine Evolution Inc---- Working toward and achieving near zero hydro carbon emissions. But most importantly DO NOT ALLOW POWERS THAT BE TO INSTITUTE MANDATORY FLU VACCINES. http://republicbroadcasting.org/?p=2773 . 16 years in live microbiology study have shown me that the answer is not in vaccines. www.tetrahedron.org. This is one to get active on.

[Guy McGowen]

Hi Don. You are right on the mark with the flu comment. I have worked with Dr Carl Oppenheimer for 10 years developing the ARCHAEA microbial products. To date there are no micro-organisms that can compete for nutrients in their matrix. Bringing the immune systems of plants and animals to their maximum seems to fight off all known pathogens. So far we can clean any oil or toxic spill, increase crop yield and crop quality, and now assist the human immune system with our human probiotic formula. As the saying goes "no brag, just fact. basic info see www.biozome.com. technical www.obio.com I am very active in this field. Looking for other likeminded associates. Guy

[Carolyn Scott]

I am making a film on the forced spraying of pesticides/herbicides all over California and specifically in Ojai Valley. Looking for fellow filmmakers who live in or near that area to work on this as well.

I live in the wine country in Northern California and need a producing partner in Southern California.

We are telling a real story about activists who have been fighting the spraying but we are using humor and
some crazy ideas to fight the biggest chemical corporation on the planet...

if you want to find out more email me at: [e-mail]

For more information about my work go to Reel Community Action http://www.reelcommunityaction.org

[Radmila Rakas]

I am developing ESL teaching material around the topic of the environment and presenting it to ESL teachers. Check my two blogs if you are an ESL teacher and please send me your comments/suggestions.

[LizM - Hyperlocavore.com]

Thank you Kim!

I've started a website called hyperlocavore.com - a free yard sharing community - because everyon...

My purpose in life is to help neighbors, friends and family start growing together today. To build resilient community, to help people make ends meet, eat well and have more joy in their lives. Good food and gardens are HEALING. People know this. Community garden wait lists are filling up fast, CSAs are too expensive for some families. Starting a group garden in a yard or on church land helps people immediately. Long term connected people survive and thrive. Often elders have space, but not strength. How wonderful to share the harvest with younger community members in exchange for help!

For more information please join us - it's free!