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For you! Mendocino Moon Dance...
Dec 17, 2009

Moon Bath

Julie Higgins
Moon Bath
Pastel on Paper
artistjuliehiggins.com

**
Honey Moon

Marry me moon
and I will wrap myself around you
like a gown of sun
love your shadow
as much as your pearled mirror
never forget you when the sky
grows tired of your glory
and calls out the clouds

I long for a lover
who isn't afraid of my howling
sees my waxing and waning
with equal eyes
a mate who lays with me some nights
leaves me alone on others
always offers a sliver to hold onto
the changing tide
my womb

Marry me moon
and I will never be lonely again.

~Blake More
www.snakelyone.com/tocframetop2.htm
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Posted: Dec 17, 2009 12:02pm
Women worldwide connect to solve global problems at interactive PulseWire.net
Dec 11, 2009


Bioneers Plenary: Jensine Larsen
Jensine Larsen, formerly a freelance journalist covering indigenous movements in South America and Southeast Asia, is the founder of World Pulse Media, a global media source covering world issues through women's eyes, and its flagship, World Pulse magazine, as well as PulseWire.net, an interactive website that enables women worldwide to speak for themselves and to connect to solve global problems. Watch Jensine's talk from the 2009 Bioneers conference on our Youtube channel.
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Posted: Dec 11, 2009 6:25pm
Bioregional Climate Report #1 from Copenhagen - Planet Drum Foundation
Dec 11, 2009
PD logo Climate Report #1 from Copenhagen
David Simpson is a long-time Northern California bioregional pioneer and community leader based in the deeply rural Mattole River Valley of Humboldt County. Having written about and performed theater pieces with his partner Jane Lapiner on the subject of climate change in many places for several decades, David went to the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark to participate in whatever ways seem appropriate. It's "Mr. Bioregion Goes to Copenhagen" judging from the following first account.

Planet Drum will distribute all of David's impressions and welcomes your reactions. Sign up at mail@planetdrum.org.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

En Route to Copenhagen

Report #1

December 7, 2009


By David Simpson


 
The first challenge to our sortie out into the world, for which the intention is to be present at the higher councils where the climate crisis might be diminished, came before we'd even gotten out of Humboldt County. It was during the security check at the Arcata Airport. A friendly TSA guard, while waving his wand over our persons, asked where we were going. When we told him Copenhagen for the U.N.Climate Conference. he blurted out that global warming was all "a con job". I suggested to him that it would be truly great if he were right.
We had no choice but to proceed into the ignominy of modern economy grade plane travel, strapped for long hours into seating spaces designed to be comfortable for legless pygmies with no more than one arm while our craft spewed large amounts of toxic emissions into the once-pure atmosphere 3700 feet above the earth. (There is a powerful but twisted sense of exaltation that sometimes emerges
for the contemplative while perched, even in mild discomfort, tens of thousands of feet above the earth flying to or from some event of cultural or political importance. The perspective that such elevation and speed offers seems indeed higher, Godlike. If it weren't for the damned jet fuel, the emissions the biological and cultural bastardization and homogenization that air travel causes, it would be terrific.)
  
  And to add insult, the guy whose sleeping self filled the seat on the aisle obstructing easy access to the bathrooms turned out to be a mildly phlegmatic German business man who, in a brief moment of
wakefulness, turned out to be an adherent of the "Natural  Cycles" theory of greenhouse generation; the earth has always been  changing and all that. His position fell to pieces, by his own admission when
challenged with a bare smidgeon of real information about how CO2 emissions increases correlated closely to industrial growth, but what made it worse is that he still didn't care.
 
  A last informal poll taken on the short hop between Frankfurt and Copenhagen from another middle seat proved more encouraging. On my right was a man from Madras, India who was part of India's formal
delegation, His mission was to seek financing so poor Indian farmers could afford not to trash their little patches of forest and ag lands. I made him happy by knowing who Rajendra Pachauri and Arandati Roy were-one the head of the IPCC, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and the other the novelist who has emerged as India's greatest anti-free trade voice in defense of the rural Indian poor. We became as fast friends as people can when each other's spoken words were largely incomprehensible. The guy to my right was a Dane who was welcoming to the hordes of strangers invading his land He was returning from war exercises in a far place where weapons systems his company manufactures were being tested. He, an arms peddler, was a total believer in the dangers of climate change and the need to deal with them quickly and efficiently. Go figure.
  
 The Copenhagen airport is a sparkling delight, especially if you've just come from the one in Frankfurt, Germany which is quite a bit less lovely. It was bustling and festive while outside the early darkness of this northern place approaching the winter solstice had spread. There were many delegates and others who came less formally trying to orient themselves with the help of friendly airport officials. A number of
pamphleteers were handing our reading materials which seemed as a whole to lean in the 'greenwashing' direction, often colorful brochures announcing products or processes that promised to help reduce
emissions and challenge global warming with little or no sacrifice to comfortable, consumer driven ways of life. 
  
 A brief update on context. There were two current news events that would have impact on the events that were to start with the conference opening tomorrow. One was the announcement that Obama would come at the end of the conference rather than his original commitment to get there in the middle and leave early well before any decisions with other heads of state might be made. This in its turn had come only after weeks of seemingly arrogant foot-dragging by the US administration as to whether Obama would come at all. It had angered many, especially insofar as the President had appeared in Copenhagen in early October accompanied by vast hoopla and the full Presidential security chaseri (Yiddish for clutter, sort of)  to support
the heady mission of winning the 2016 Olympics for Chicago (which he failed to do). There were signs held up that day by demonstrators along the route his entourage sped through which said "Right City, Wrong Time." But it's important that now he's coming at the right time when it might count the most. (Keep in mind, though, that he has as of yet no formal support from the US legislature which he must ultimately have in order to commit America to binding greenhouse gas reductions at any level. This might produce a legilative battle that will make the one for health reform seem like a walk in the park.)  
  
  A second piece of news, while less dramatic, offered the potential to rock the climate change responders even more. A bit of apparent foolishness on the parts of a couple of climate scientists has opened the doors through which the ever-eager climate change deniers, mostly conservative, have rushed with alacrity. Phil Jones, Director of East Anglia University's important Climate Research Unit in England sent a series of e mails, it seems, mostly to another climate scientist, Michael Mann at Penn State University suggesting that Dr.Mann should try to keep research by scientists who questioned the human causation of global warming out of scientific journals.
The dogs are in full throat. The Wall Street Journal, a publication favored by the greenhouse skeptics has taken it up with a vengeance, publishing not one but two editorials yesterday suggesting that the whole IPCC is compromised and that this single limited event had raised central questions about science in general. One of the editorials was entitled "Climategate: Science is Dying' More like when science stands in the way of profit, shoot the bastard. This is no doubt an effort to take the wind out of the sails of the climate conference. The fact that these messages were basically purloined, taken and exposed by a hacker, is likely a greater malfeasance than any the e mails actually indicate. The juggernaut of COP 15 likely has sufficient momentum to leave this episode in its wake like so much decomposing flotsam. If humanity's effort to unmire itself from a toxic swamp of its own making is to be rendered ineffectual, it will only be by its own hand.
 
____________________________________________________________________________
 
Search the Internet and help fund Planet Drum Foundation's projects at the same time!  PDF is registered with Good Search: www.goodsearch.com  To begin, type "Planet Drum Foundation" in the box next to "Verify" then click on "Verify."  Planet Drum's full registration will appear in the box. You only have to do this once as a cookie will be put on your computer that will activate "Planet Drum Foundation" for all future use. Then begin your search. It's that easy and another way to support our work!
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Posted: Dec 11, 2009 2:11pm
"Transition to Green" Community Clubs - December 09 LA Events
Dec 5, 2009
"TRANSITION TO GREEN" COMMUNITY CLUBS

"Transition To Green" Community Clubs
New Meetup: 350 THE COPENHAGEN COUNTDOWN, CANDLELIGHT VIGIL
http://www.meetup.com/Transition-To-Green-Community-Clubs/boards/view/viewthread?thread=8180540

**

"Transition To Green" Community Clubs
New Meetup: BIKE NIGHT, HOLIDAY LIGHT FESTIVAL
http://www.meetup.com/Transition-To-Green-Community-Clubs/boards/view/viewthread?thread=8180800
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Posted: Dec 5, 2009 8:54am
Tennessee town becomes first locality in the nation to pass groundbreaking Green Food Resolution
Dec 4, 2009

Message to Care 2'ers...

In a historic move, a small Tennessee town appropriately named Signal Mountain has beat New York City to the punch to become the first city in the nation to pass a Green Food Resolution. This legislation is a formal commitment to support environmentally-friendly farming practices, such as the production of organic, locally-grown and plant-based foods (the cultivation of which is much less detrimental to the environment than is animal agriculture). Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization, is leading a campaign to pass Green Food Resolutions in cities and towns all across the U.S.— but not even we saw this coming! Note: New York City’s resolution was introduced on June 30, 2009 and is still pending.

Please see below for the press release and let me know if you are interested in sharing this great American story about the power of the individual to think globally and act locally with your audience. I would love to set up interviews for you with David Cook (the local Signal Mt. newspaper columnist who planted the seed), Signal Mountain Councilman Paul Hendricks who led the charge and Farm Sanctuary President and Co-founder Gene Baur.

All the best,
Meredith

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:                                            

Meredith Turner, Farm Sanctuary, 646-369-6212, mturner@farmsanctuary.org

 

Signal Mountain, Tennessee Beats New York to Become First City in the Nation to Pass Groundbreaking Green Food Resolution

Small Southern Town Sends Signal to the Rest of the Nation with Historic Passage of Sustainable Food and Climate Legislation

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – December 2, 2009 – In a surprising move, a small Tennessee town, appropriately named Signal Mountain, beat New York to the punch to become the first town in the nation to pass a groundbreaking Green Food Resolution, an ordinance designed to counteract the massive health and environmental damage created by large-scale factory farms and the meat industry, by encouraging local farms, plant-based diets, ecological sustainability and nutritious eating habits. New York currently has a Green Food Resolution pending.

Inspired by Farm Sanctuary’s Green Foods Resolution Campaign, David Cook, a columnist for Signal Mountain’s Mountain Mirror newspaper, penned a column suggesting the small Tennessee town should consider passing a Green Food Resolution of its own. The column caught the attention of City Councilman Paul M. Hendricks who immediately took action and presented the groundbreaking resolution before the five member Signal Mountain Town Council, who made national history when they voted unanimously to adopt the Green Food Resolution ordinance.

“Playing an integral role in the passage of the nation’s first Green Food Resolution reminded me of the power of true democracy,” said Cook. “Behind this resolution are countless others who are doing the same work in restoring the balance, in creating a right relationship once again between people and the land. I am proud of Signal Mountain and believe this is just the beginning.’’

The historic passage of the U.S.’s first Green Food Resolution in Signal Mountain, Tennessee marks a major milestone in the country’s effort to reduce its national climate “foodprint” — a more significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions than all transportation systems combined — by proactively addressing the impact food choices have on the numerous health and environmental problems plaguing the nation. The passage also marks an important milestone for Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization, which recently launched a campaign to introduce Green Food Resolutions in cities and towns throughout the country.

“I was proud to introduce a resolution that is consistent with the values and principles I have long believed in,” said Councilman Hendricks. “As a physician, I know well the value of a good diet. As a long-time environmentalist, I understand the importance of decreasing the amounts of chemicals and especially antibiotics and hormones put into our food sources. As a community leader, I understand the value of keeping our food production at the local level. This initiative is a winning combination at all levels — personal, local and global.”

Future planning and sustainability are not new concepts in this Tennessee town. Signal Mountain signed onto the Mayor's Agreement on Climate Change two years ago while Hendricks was Mayor. There are also several small farms on Signal Mountain and many mountain residents already participate in plant-based Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs. The ordinance will complement these actions, as well as work that is currently being done to restore streams to healthy levels and resolve current and future traffic and transportation issues in a sustainable way.

“We applaud Councilman Hendricks and the town of Signal Mountain for taking visionary action to protect the health of their citizens, the environment and the billions of animals raised for food in deplorable conditions on factory farms each year,” said Gene Baur, president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary. “By promoting access to healthy, plant-based food, Signal Mountain will indeed send a signal to the rest of the nation about the critical importance of thoughtful eating.”

Through Farm Sanctuary’s Green Food Resolutions Campaign, advocates just like Cook are reaching out to their local city governments to introduce resolutions similar to the one passed in Signal Mountain, and seeking wide support for the expansion of farmers markets, community supported CSA programs, community gardens and other venues that provide healthful plant-based foods.

On June 30, New York City Council Member Bill de Blasio introduced a similar groundbreaking resolution for New York City calling for a citywide FoodprintNYC initiative to reduce the city’s climate foodprint and create greater access to local, fresh, healthy plant-based food, especially in low-income communities, as well as city-run institutions. So far, 24 City Council members have signed on as co-sponsors.

Earlier this year, President Obama showed support of local gardens to promote healthy food by announcing the establishment of an edible garden on the South Lawn of the White House. In addition, the new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced his intention to create community gardens at every USDA facility around the world, starting with the “People’s Garden,” located on the grounds of the USDA.


If you would like to receive a copy of the Signal Mountain Green Food Resolution, or speak with Farm Sanctuary President and Co-founder Gene Baur, please contact Meredith Turner at 646-369-6212 or mturner@farmsanctuary.org.

**

About Farm Sanctuary

Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.
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Posted: Dec 4, 2009 5:24pm
Women's Earth Alliance - Matching Grant Opportunity - Please Consider Helping!
Nov 24, 2009
Women's Earth Alliance

Dear Friends,

We have some very exciting news to share!  This Season, a generous anonymous donor gave WEA an incredible opportunity:  for every dollar donated to Women's Earth Alliance by December 31, our donor will match it up to $100,000. And it gets even better: our donor will offer this match in 2010 and 2011 as well!

This could not come at a better time for WEA. Our team recently completed a 3-year strategic planning process, mapping a clear vision for the next 3 years. This match offers WEA the opportunity to create the sustained and reliable support we need to connect women environmental leaders with the tools they need to bring clean water, healthy food, and environmental justice to their communities for generations to come.

There has never been a more powerful moment to step forward and make a contribution to Women's Earth Alliance. Every dollar is matched, and every dollar brings us closer to reaching this new height.

Here is how you can weave yourself in:

1.  Join the Women's Earth Alliance Giving Circle, a group of visionaries who donate $1,500, $5,000, $20,000 or $100,000 each year for 3 years. Remember, your pledge will be matched for 3 years!

2.  Give your loved ones the perfect holiday gift this season. They will appreciate it more than stuff--we promise!

3.  Make a one-time contribution or a 3-year pledge today.  Gifts of any size make a huge difference. 

We joyfully invite you to take the next step with Women's Earth Alliance. Together we can ensure that an international network of women leaders working toward a sustainable, just world will flourish.  Your donation supports this crucial, world-healing work. And regardless of whether or not you donate this Season, we are grateful to have you a part of Women's Earth Alliance.  Thank you for all that you give. Thank you for who you are.

With respect,

               

 

Amira Diamond                                                Melinda Kramer

Co-Director                                                      Founder, Co-Director

 

"The oppression of women worldwide is the human rights cause of our time. And their liberation could help solve many of the world's problems from poverty to child mortality to terrorism."
-Nicholas D. Kristof, author of "Half the Sky"

Women's Earth Alliance
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Posted: Nov 24, 2009 1:31pm
Rebecca Kress - 'The River Lady'
Nov 22, 2009
Name: Rebecca Kress
Type: Tribute (for the living)
To Honor: Individual(s)
Location: Hopland / Mendocino County, California United States

Rebecca Kress receives Storm Water Proclamation from Supervisor McCowen
Rebecca Kress receives a Storm Water Proclamation from Supervisor McCowen

The Mendocino County Water Agency (MCWA) has developed an educational program for local schools, t o preserve and protect the Mendocino County’s water resources for current and future generations.

MCWA provides fun and interactive environments to teach students about water science, water management, and stormdrain practices.

Our goal is to increase the awareness within our community of how important one person's actions can be. By making informed decisions concerning state and local water resources, we can protect our environment.

Our education specialist brings to the classroom: games, videos, demonstrations, and many more activities that teach the students about the water cycle, water facts, and various methods to protect our water resources. The educational experiences and materials that MCWA can bring to the classroom are free of charge.

Public Education Specialist, Rebecca Kress

 
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Posted: Nov 22, 2009 12:47pm
Ecopalooza Launches new site! Check it out!
Nov 15, 2009
Hi friends!

Just wanted to share with you that the new Ecopalooza website has been launched (YAY!). Designed and created by Ecopalooza's awesome web person Ida (along with being the originator of Ecopalooza - the event, and co-founder of Ecopalooza - the green event networking website and calendar), the new site offers many new features for your green event searching and posting pleasure. Check it out! Just follow one of the pretty blue arrows:

Welcome!

Ecopalooza Green Events Network lets you post or find green events in your area and across the US and Canada. It's free and simple and is run by folks who genuinely care about all things green.

Is there a green event happening in your area? Need volunteers or vendors? Post it and spread the word!

You're not alone in your efforts to Green your homes, neighborhoods, communities, cities, watersheds, bioregions and the planet!

Now that you've found us why don't you:

  Add a green event...

  Search for a green event...

  Learn more about ecopalooza...

And, you can   Follow Ecopalooza on Twitter...
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Posted: Nov 15, 2009 6:28pm
Bioneers Newsletter - November 2009
Nov 13, 2009

Bioneers Banner Brock Dolman's All Wet
If you were at the Bioneers Conference last month, you probably got your Friday morning wake-up call courtesy of Brock Dolman, Director of the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center's WATER Institute. Brock is a wizard of water, a permaculture prince who tells us how to build watershed "lifeboats" that will survive the escalating H20 crises. His address was a big hit, and we've had a ton of requests from our members to post it online. Check out Brock's powerful presentation on the Bioneers YouTube channel, Part One, Part Two, Part Three.
 
What We're Reading
Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization
Lester Brown is the dean of environmentalists, a dynamo of ideas and passion about preserving the planet. In the latest update to his Plan B blueprint, he sums up the problems succinctly and then moves into detailed solutions.

Brown makes the convincing case for 80/20, the need to reduce carbon emissions 80% by 2020. It's a goal and a mission that Bioneers has joined. We'll be laying out the details at the State of the World Forum this coming February.
 
Be The Change: How to Get What You Want in Your Community
Anneke Campbell and Thomas Linzey of Democracy Schoolbring you five true case studies of communities that beat the powers that be. They lay out a blueprint for how to be a positive disruptive force in your own hometown. Thomas joined his colleague and 2009 conference speaker Mari Margil for a brief interview about their work that we've made available online. Anneke will also be working with Bioneers co-founder Nina Simons on her upcoming book on women's leadership (Inner Traditions, Fall 2010).
 
Down to the Wire: Confronting Climate Collapse
David Orr's new book is all about the need for leadership in the long emergency:

"We are now engaged in a global conversation about the issues of human longevity on Earth, but no national leader has yet done what Lincoln did for slavery and placed the issue of sustainability in its larger moral context."

We've just posted an interview with David where he talks about the Green Campus Initiative, the sustainability of self-replicating technologies, and his experiences at Bioneers.
 
Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work
Matthew Crawford quit his job at a Washington D.C. think tank and opened a motorcycle repair shop. In his book he lays out why working with your hands is often more intellectually stimulating then white-collar work, and what price society has paid in happiness and satisfaction with the rise of the assembly line and the cubicle.
 
What Scares Nick Kristof?
In his career as a journalist, Nick Kristof has had "unpleasant experiences with malaria, wars, an Indonesian mob carrying heads on pikes, and an African airplane crash". So what gives this Indiana Jones of the reporting set the willies? Bisphenol A.

He recently wrote an editorial about this synthetic estrogen and its potential consequences in the New York Times. 92% of Americans now have measurable BPA in their bodies, and a recent Consumer Reports study found it in practically every foodstuff they tested. Kristof points out that we're essentially conducting a huge unintended experiment with a substance whose effects we aren't really sure of, and that's scary. Scarier then heads on pikes? Yikes.
 
We've been talking about endocrine disruptors like BPA for years at Bioneers. Check out our board member Charlotte Brody's presentation from 2007, and join Charlotte in her continuing work at Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families.
 
Offering Ourselves as Medicine in This Turning-Point Time
Bioneers Co-Founder Nina Simons wrote recently about contributions we can make at this pivotal moment:
 
"Bad news splashes constantly across the news - policymakers stuck in logjams, beholden to lobbyists, rape and brutality in the Congo, occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan, Gaza, Israel and the Palestinians on a hair trigger - not to mention the increasingly rapid melting of the polar ice caps, extinction of species and decimation of indigenous cultures. It's enough to make me wonder if we have enough time to transform, and if so, how?"

 Nina offers up some solutions on the Bioneers Blog.

Are Cell Phones Safe?
Everyone has heard rumors of links between cell phones and cancer, but it's still a field of research in its infancy. What's true and what's still speculation? The Science and Environmental Health Network tackled that question in their latest newsletter. Devra Davis summed up the state of the debate and Nancy Myers laid our the classic case for the precautionary principle (watch Caroline Raffensperger explaining the precautionary principle at Bioneers).

 Check out what they have to say and then join us in a discussion. And just to be safe, if you're reading this on your phone, don't hold it too close!
  
Challenge Grant
Help Bioneers Reach the Goal!
Thanks to all of you who've supported the 20th anniversary challenge grant.

We're almost there, but there's still $25,000 to go. We need your help to reach the goal of $100,000!  Every gift will be doubled! Make your tax-deductible donation or membership contribution today. In appreciation for your partnership, you'll receive one free download from this year's conference. We send heartfelt thanks to you, and to the generous donors behind the grant.
Bioneers. Catalysts for change.
Bioneers Banner
 1607 Paseo de Peralta #3, Santa Fe, NM 87501 | 1-877-246-6337 |  www.bioneers.org
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Posted: Nov 13, 2009 8:19pm
Ukiah teens plant trees with a Common Vision
Nov 12, 2009
Ukiah teens plant trees with a Common Vision
By CAROLE Brodsky
11/12/2009
For the Ukiah Daily Journal

"Working Together, We Can Make the Future Better"

So goes the motto of Common Vision, the Emmy Award-winning creators of the Fruit Tree Tour. The group began their seventh annual statewide tree-planting event in Mendocino County this week.

With rooftop solar arrays and hand-painted murals, Common Vision's bio-powered buses and trucks carried 15 modern day Johnny Appleseeds to four schools and two community centers in Mendocino County. Two hundred fruit trees were planted by students and community members.

Miles Gordon, director of the NCO Gardens Project and member of Ukiah ReLeaf, says the tour is a perfect fit for schools, local food groups and community organizations.

"We all have the common vision - to repopulate urban forests, engage our youth and teach the community about food accessibility," notes Gordon. "This is the natural next step in developing school gardens and local food systems."

Tree plantings were held at Covelo High School and the Round Valley Indian Health Center. Following a benefit concert at the Philo Grange, the group worked with the Noyo Food Forest planting fruit trees at Fort Bragg High School's Learning Garden. The Willits Integrated Service Center had trees planted with support from the Mendocino Environmental Learning Project. On Tuesday, the Common Vision team assisted high school students attending MCOE's Alternative Education Program with the planting of 14 fruit trees surrounding their Youth Enterprise Garden.

ReLeaf member Gregg Young and Gordon determined which trees would be suitable for the sites.

"We focused on dwarf trees to start small and make sure we can maintain them," explains Gordon.

Common Vision founder Blair Phillips says the tour stemmed from his desire to create an educational model that had not been available to him.

"We started out eight years ago, touring farms and sites that were physical models of sustainability," says Phillips. They created a mobile permaculture design course for college students. "In order to receive certification and credits, students had to transfer their knowledge to at-risk high school kids by creating a garden at their school," explains Phillips. From that model, the Fruit Tree Tour blossomed.

Beginning in February of 2010, the Fruit Tree Tour will visit schools throughout the state. Three veggie-oil powered buses, a refrigerated truck storing dormant fruit trees, a truck for hauling soil, a fuel truck and runner vehicles will carry 25 to 30 volunteers to primarily inner-city, at-risk schools, where kids will have hands-on experience planting trees.

"In our chaotic and confusing world, planting trees with youth is a reminder of the simplicity of life and a positive action toward making a difference," notes Phillips.

At MCOE on Old River Road, students broke into small groups led by a Common Vision tree planter. While students dug holes and prepared the ground for planting, the volunteers educated kids on the importance of having a part in producing one's own food.

Each tree was carefully planted. Volunteers explained the purpose of mixing native soil with compost and oyster shell, demonstrated techniques and allowed students to work on their own.

One student said, "If we use oyster shell are we putting mercury into the ground?" Another asked, "Why wouldn't the tree's roots fill up an air pocket if we didn't tamp the soil?"

Stakes were driven into the ground. Students were asked to determine the wind direction in order to properly position the stakes. Most had little or no prior gardening experience, aside from what they had learned in their Youth Enterprise Garden.

For tenth grade student Kelsey Pierce, the tree planting was a first.

"It was a lot of fun but it smelled kind of bad," smiled Pierce. "It was interesting. I'd never done anything like this until I came to this school." Pierce now helps her boyfriend with his garden. "I can definitely imagine gardening in my future."

"Our hope is that students will have a better appreciation for working together, and that they will see their actions do have consequences. Gardens get people together, and local food equals community growth," says tree-planter Chris Masterson of Hopland.

According to spokeswoman Megan Watson, the Fruit Tree Tour has impacted 45,000 students. Nearly 4,000 trees have been planted at 150 schools, many in low-income communities.

Gordon is hoping to procure a rainwater catchment system to water the trees.

"The North Coast Resource Conservation and Development Council has been very supportive," says Gordon, noting that MCOE's Peter Costas and the staff have taken to heart the interrelated concepts of water, construction, and food, offering students marketable skills and community interaction.

Meanwhile, the Gardens Project continues to flourish. Gordon has two Americorps VISTA staff who organize volunteers and solidify individual gardens.

"We're putting in winter gardens with the help of Master Gardeners and completing our infrastructure on other gardens," he said. "Our goal is to create as many model gardens and experiences as we can, so people can view them, see how they work and talk to the people who are caring for them," Gordon explains.

"By teaching children how to plant, care for, and eat from the fruit trees growing at our public schools, we are empowering the next generation with the tools, appreciation and pride of growing food," notes Gordon.

The Gardens Project: www.gardensproject.org/index.php

Common Vision: www.commonvision.org (pic below)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/197/442872521_21ffdca9e8.jpg


**
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Posted: Nov 12, 2009 11:17pm

 
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Larry Sheehy
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by Lo A.
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DandelionSalads: A New World War for a New World Order: The Origins of World War III, Part 3 by Andrew Gavin Marshall: http://wp.me/p5qmX-gQD
by Lo A.
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DandelionSalads: President Hugo Chavez Lambasts Capitalism at COP15: http://wp.me/p5qmX-gQe
by Lo A.
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DandelionSalads: Obama Speaks of Evil By Ed Ciaccio: http://wp.me/p5qmX-gQr
by Lo A.
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DandelionSalads: US Media & the Coverage of the Israel-Palestine Conflict by Sibel Edmonds: http://wp.me/p5qmX-gQk
by Kat Y.
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PLEASE PASS THIS FORWARD - DECEMBER 16, 2009Once again, we are being threatened with a forced eviction due to the Department of the Interior/Bureau of Indian Affairs ineptness of actions to do anything to assist or protect our Tribe. The governments&...
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Sea Turtle Restoration Project : Press Room Source: salsa.democracyinact... DENOUNCE THE U.S. DECISION TO INCREASE SEA TURTLE DEATHS IN HAWAII SWORDFISH FISHERYTell President Obama and NOAA Chief Jane Lubchenco to reverse their decision to remove a...
by Lo A.
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DandelionSalads: Delay this Health Care Bill By Timothy V. Gatto: http://wp.me/p5qmX-gQd
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Wild animals in circuses - an update: Born Free Foundation Source: www.bornfree.org.uk The Minister for Animal Welfare, Jim Fitzpatrick MP, fielded questions on this issue at the AGM of APGAW (Associate Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare) on Tues...
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Happy Holidays from Tiffany Moon, the Academy of Music and the Institute of Arts and Letters! Academy of MusicInstitute of Arts and Letterswww.instituteofart sandletters.org (858) 683-3603 Offering the Only Private Music Immersion Program in Southern C...
by Lo A.
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DandelionSalads: UK Court Orders Release Of Torture Evidence In The Case Of Shaker Aamer, The Last British Resident In Guantánamo by … http://wp.me/p5qmX-gQ8

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