Black Alliance & Social Empowerment (BASE) has announced a partnership with Unite Oregon on climate change. On July 28, 2022, at 6-8 p.m., PT BASE will be having a virtual meeting on an environmental mapping tool, and your input matters. Only 20 spaces are available. and those who decide to participate will also receive $200. Register Here Black Alliance & Social Empowerment (BASE) is a volunteer nonprofit community organization that provides events, community information-sharing, connection, support, and resources that work towards the well-being and advancement of Black residents living in Southern Oregon. They are located at 325 S. Riverside, Suite 4435, Medford, OR 97501 Community@baseoregon.org | www.baseoregon.org "Unite Oregon, Rogue Valley is an independent chapter of Unite Oregon and a newly merged organization from Oregon Action and the Center for Intercultural Organizing. They provide the organizational base for participatory democracy, just communities, and a fair economy. They dig into issues including raising wages for workers; continuing racial justice work like ending police profiling; fighting for justice and dignity for our immigrant neighbors; addressing the affordable housing crisis in the Rogue Valley; and expanding access to quality, affordable healthcare. Other issues include the student debt crisis and college affordability, transportation access and affordability, economic justice for working women, and civic engagement. All of their work is approached through a racial justice lens and with a focus on developing the leaders of tomorrow as they build a powerful movement for justice."

Rogue Climate urges us to take time this Earth Day 2022 to celebrate the recent incredible victories in our region. "From defeating Jordan Cove LNG to passing historic laws that move forward a just transition to clean energy, Rogue Climate communities have a lot to celebrate this Earth Day! People across Southern Oregon and the South Coast have shown up, again and again, to fight for climate justice -- and keep winning." "At the same time, our communities are facing unprecedented heat, wildfires, drought, and more. This month, the world’s top scientists released a report that urges the world to act fast if we want to avoid the worst consequences of climate change." Rogue Climate communities will continue to fight for climate justice, while also building a future where we can thrive despite the impacts of climate change we are already experiencing." South Coast - working to ensure that the Coos Bay estuary continues to be protected against impacts similar to those of Jordan Cove LNG. Rogue Valley - continuing to support Almeda fire survivors while pushing for local solutions to transition away from fossil fuels. Statewide - continues to advocate for policies that ensure Oregon’s energy systems are clean, reliable, and affordable. This Earth Day you can help fight for climate justice by making a donation to Rogue Climate. Join the movement by becoming a Rogue Climate volunteer by signing up here! P.S. You can also celebrate the victory against Jordan Cove LNG by buying a victory t-shirt, sweatshirt, mug, and more online here! Image Credit: From Allie and the Rogue Climate Team

Heather Cox Richardson @HC_Richardson has just tweeted "The Supreme Court has gone rogue. We are in a full-blown Constitutional crisis. Congress must act. And we must pressure Congress to act, while it still can." Today June 30, 2022 the Supreme Court of the U.S. voted to restrict the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to mandate heat-trapping gas emissions reductions, specifically those related to the power sector. The High Court ruled in West Virginia v. EPA (20-1530) " Congress did not grant the Environmental Protection Agency in Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act the authority to devise emissions caps based on the generation shifting approach the Agency took in the Clean Power Plan." Electricity is currently responsible for a quarter of U.S. emissions and the Biden administration has set a goal to eliminate these emissions entirely by 2035. Today’s ruling doesn’t stop climate action in the U.S.; but it does make it a lot harder to address the climate crisis at a time when we need to be doing all we can. Climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe articulates the stakes during this segment with MSNBC's José Díaz-Balart. "If we don't fix climate change, it will fix us." Bill McKibben @billmckibben tweeted: "Understand that today's EPA ruling is the culmination of decades of careful and patient work by big business using dark money... The Supreme Court to Physics: Drop Dead." Contact your Congressman today. Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss Read Climate Brief: Can Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss Be Tackled Together? What is Your Carbon Footprint? Does your congregation, small business, or nonprofit want to step on the carbon scale, measure your carbon footprint, and see what you can do together to reduce it? Climate Stewards USA has developed a new, free carbon footprint calculator called 360carbon that lets organizations measure their carbon footprints and figure out how to start cutting them.. More than two dozen churches across America are already using this tool. Talk to your organizations about using 360carbon today!

On July 5, 2022 thirty-five faith groups from seven countries today announced their divestment from fossil fuel companies. They have called for no new fossil fuels as 20 oil and gas companies plan to spend nearly $1 trillion on new projects in violation of UN and IEA warnings. "Organized by the World Council of Churches, Operation Noah, Laudato Si’ Movement, Green Anglicans, and GreenFaith, this latest divestment announcement comes from faith institutions in Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Italy, the UK, and the US. It comes just three weeks before Anglican bishops from around the world gather for the once-a-decade Lambeth Conference in Canterbury, UK" The World Council of Churches is "a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism." Operation Noah was set up in 2004 to provide a Christian response to the climate crisis, is a small charity with big ambitions. The Laudato Si’ Movement (founded as Global Catholic Climate Movement 2015) is "a community of Catholics, responding to the Pope’s call to action in the Laudato Si’ encyclical. We are lay people, priests, religious, bishops, and a global network of member organizations working together on the climate change crisis." Anglican Communion Environmental Network is" a network for those who care for God’s creation - Anglicans and Episcopalians worldwide concerned with environmental issues. The Anglican Communion Environment Network strives to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the earth." "GreenFaith is building a worldwide, multi-faith climate and the environmental movement. Together our members create communities to transform ourselves, our spiritual institutions, and society to protect the planet and create a compassionate, loving, and just world." "We envision a world transformed, in which humanity in all its diversity has developed a shared reverence for life on Earth. Religious and spiritual communities everywhere generate a moral awakening to the sacredness of Earth and the dignity of all people. Together, we are building resilient, caring communities and economies that meet everyone’s needs and protect the planet. The era of conquest, extraction, and exploitation has given way to cooperation and community." ~ Greenfaith

Addressing the challenge to stop and reverse global warming is not just a matter of facts and convincing verbal arguments - motivation to change our economic and political systems as well as corporate and individual behaviors must also speak to our hearts and our worldview. Stories and ideas are often best communicated through essays, art, interviews, poems, reviews, books, questions, and videos. Center for Humans and Nature (CHN) is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization with "a mission to explore and promote human responsibilities in relation to nature." CHN's online digital publications are housed under Stories & Ideas. These “Stories & Ideas” are featured in a diversity of forms - essays, art, interviews, poems, reviews, and videos. A variety of contributors share their diverse perspectives on themes such as Animals & Plants, Care, Climate Change, Community, Cosmos, Culture, Healing, Justice, Land & Water, Language, Practice, Reciprocity, Sacred, Sovereignty, and Urban Nature. CHN contributors have included Rebecca Solnit, Adrienne Maree Brown, Tommy Orange, Mary Midgley, David Sloan Wilson, Benjamin Barber, Robin Kimmerer, David Abram, Maude Barlow, Herman Daly, Bill McKibben, Sharon Olds, Nalini Nadkarni, Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, Vandana Shiva, and James Gustave Speth, among others. CHN also publishes Minding Nature, currently, an annual journal that “explores ecological responsibilities, values, and practices.” You may also subscribe to their weekly newsletter for the latest stories and ideas. Photo Credit (above): Bobtail Squid, by NOAA

The United States military is one of the world’s biggest polluters. As an institution, it leads the world in oil consumption and emits enormous amounts of greenhouse gases! To grasp the environmental impact of the U.S. military, however, requires us to go beyond statistics and numbers. One must listen to those from the communities directly affected. UCC Environmental Justice Ministries is having a webinar on Wednesday, March 9, 2022, at 10 a.m. PST to provide an overview of environmental justice concerns pertaining to the U.S. military. Register here. The webinar will feature the voices of those engaged in the struggle to stop the pollution of the Navy’s Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility on the island of Oahu. Faith communities will not only learn about the issues but also how they can take action for justice. Featured panelists will include: Wayne Tanaka, Executive Director of the Sierra Club in Hawaiʻi Danny Tengan, Disaster Coordinator for Hawaiʻi Conference of the United Church of Christ Lorah Steichen, Outreach Coordinator for the National Priorities Project Even if you cannot make the webinar at its scheduled time, still sign-up, and they will send you a link to a recording of it. This monthly installment of Creation Justice webinars is co-hosted by the Rev. Dr. Brooks Berndt who serves as the Minister of Environmental Justice for the United Church of Christ and the Rev. Michael Malcolm who serves as the Executive Director for Alabama Interfaith Power & Light and the People's Justice Council. The Just Peace Network of the United Church of Christ is a co-sponsor of this event. #CreationJustice #JustPeace #ClimateChange #Pollution #EnvironmentalJustice #UCC

Senator Tom Udall and Dr. Enric Sala explain why Americans must protect 30x30 in this YouTube video. A May 2019 United Nations report says that the world is currently facing an extinction crisis, with over one million species endangered globally. 1,300 species are threatened or endangered in the U.S. today. Some experts estimate that one-third of all species could be extinct by 2070. The U. N. report says this is due to human activities. These culprits are, in descending order: (1) changes in land and sea use (2) direct exploitation of organisms (3) climate change (4) pollution (5) invasive alien species Why does this matter? The Hall of Biodiversity in New York’s American Museum of Natural History notes: “In the past, natural events caused large-scale transformations of the environment and five global mass extinctions. Now, ecosystems are again undergoing a massive loss of biodiversity. This time, the changes are caused mainly by human activity… following the invention of agriculture around 10,000 years ago and the resulting population boom, our impact has intensified.” The world’s five prior extinctions were brought about by a variety of factors including glaciation (Ordovician extinction); global warming and change in ocean chemistry (Permian extinction); asteroid impact (Cretaceous extinction). On January 27, 2021, President Biden signed an Executive Order Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. Section 214 of this order is to “protect America’s natural treasures, increase reforestation, improve access to recreation, and increase resilience to wildfires and storms, referred to as #30 x 30. 450 state and Local officials support this. This matches one of Biden’s campaign promises of “Protecting biodiversity, slowing extinction rates, and helping leverage natural climate solutions by conserving 30% of America’s lands and waters by 2030.”

Oregon Just Transition Alliance and its member organizations are encouraging Oregon State Legislators to pass three key policies in 2022 to advance environmental, racial, and economic justice in our state: Farmworker Overtime - HB 4002 Farmworkers in Oregon have extremely tough jobs and often work long hours in dangerous conditions. In the past year alone, roughly 80,000 Oregon farmworkers worked to feed families through the pandemic, wildfires, hazardous air quality conditions, and deadly heat waves. Yet farmworkers have been unfairly excluded from overtime pay due to an outdated law that has perpetuated institutional racism in our state and our country for generations. Fair pay is a key step to increasing community resilience as Oregonians face more and more climate crisis-fueled disasters and extreme weather events. Oregon legislators must take action to ensure our field and hand-harvest farmworkers are no longer excluded from overtime laws. Long-term and Emergency Heat Relief - SB 1536 During the record heat wave last year, at least 96 Oregonians died and countless others suffered without access to life-saving cooling devices such as air conditioning or heat pumps in their home. As climate change fuels more extreme weather, it is essential that Oregonians are protected from the deadly impacts of heat waves and storms. Oregonians deserve access to affordable, efficient, and safe heating and cooling during extreme weather events. Health professionals, energy advocates, and environmental justice organizations worked together to craft thoughtful heat relief policies to protect vulnerable Oregonians and build more resilient communities. Environmental Justice Council Mapping - HB 4077 People of color, low-income, and rural and tribal communities have been at the front line of environmental and climate injustice in Oregon. Equitable environmental strategies offer more support, resources, and capacity to communities that carry a bigger burden of environmental problems. Oregon’s Environmental Justice Task Force (EJTF) works to design collaborative, data-driven solutions to environmental threats and inequities in our state. HB 4077 provides the EJTF new tools to help identify patterns of pollution and climate burdens, identify disadvantaged and vulnerable communities, and assess environmental vulnerabilities. #EJTF #Farmworkers #HeatRelief #Mapping

Siskiyou Permaculture is offering a Permaculture Design Course (PDC) beginning February 26, 2022 meeting every other weekend until May 8th. It meets in the spacious community room at the Jackson Wellsprings, 2253 OR-99 N, Ashland, OR 97520, allowing for some physical distancing. This 72-hour certificate course is based on a curriculum developed by Australian founders, Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, with lots of local stories and examples from our Southern Oregon bioregions. Instructors Hazel Ward, Melanie Mindlin and Karen Taylor have over 60 years of combined experience teaching, consulting and coaching people on the principles and practices of Permaculture, and are passionate about sharing their knowledge. They will be joined by guest teachers, Lion Waxman, Dan Wahpepah, and Rhianna Simes. Permaculture is a whole systems design philosophy used for the creation of regenerative human habitats and food production systems. It has been applied worldwide at every level, from the inner city to urban and suburban developments, homesteading and agriculture to community planning and national policy. Permaculture offers tangible solutions to the many pressing ecological issues of our time, such as how to sustainably meet the basic needs of food, water, energy, and shelter, how to vitalize our communities and restore our watersheds. It is both a land use ethic and community building movement which strives for the integration of human dwellings, energy systems, micro-climate, horticulture, micro livestock and animals, soils, and water into stable, productive systems. The course price is $800. Register here. #permaculture #sustainability #systemsdesign

On February 10, 2022 Matt Brinkley, AICP CFM Planning Director for the City of Medford, OR presented an informational update to the Climate Change Adaptation and Resiliency Plan (CCARP) to the Mayor and City Council. This study process started two years ago. The 2022 document drafted by staff is "a preliminary evaluation of the climate factors that may impact Medford. The report focuses on city-wide, and in some instances, region-wide vulnerabilities under five key categories: Natural Systems, Economy, Built Environment, Public Health, and Community." Various documents were studied, which indicate that "the Southern Oregon region will become more prone to extreme heat events and drought, ultimately becoming more Mediterranean... This plan focuses on building community resilience through adaptation to changes that are inevitable." The report draws upon the following resources; Fifth Oregon Climate Assessment January 5, 2021 Climate Change and Adaptation in Southwest Oregon Preparing For Climate Change in the Rogue River Basin of Southwest Oregon

March 20th is the first day of Spring (the Spring Solstice and Equinox) – the start of a new season in the annual cycle of blossoming and growth after one of decline and darkness. The Jewish Passover seder is April 15, 2022. Easter is April 17, 2022, with its message of death, resurrection, and renewal. Origins of practices of unleavened bread and paschal lamb had little to do with the notion of substitutionary atonement. *[see note below] The Jesuit’s practical interpretation of Easter is that “new life can come from death; that we can find meaning in tough times; and that there really is light in the darkness.” Richard Rohr interprets the paschal mystery story in a broader Hebrew biblical context as “the pattern of down and up, loss and renewal, enslavement and liberation, exile and return, transformation through darkness…” But Matthew Fox’s interpretation of the pascal mystery story “may be considered the most comprehensive outline of the Christian paradigm shift of our age.” In his 1988 book, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ Fox offers “a paschal mystery story for the third millennium… and for a new era of religious belief” – the crucifixion of Mother Earth; the resurrection of the human psyche by way of an awakened mysticism; and the coming of the Cosmic Christ, ushering in a global renaissance that can heal Mother Earth and save her by changing human hearts and ways. Put in other words, its a pascal mystery story of the divine cycle of death, rebirth, and sending of the Spirit in our time: matricide, mysticism, a new living cosmology. By using the term “cosmology” Fox means three things: A scientific story about the origins of our universe The mysticism that is a psychic response to our being in a universe Art, which translates science and mysticism into images that awakens body, soul, and society “A cosmology needs all three elements to come alive; it is our joyful response (mysticism) to the awesome fact of our being in the universe (science) and our expression of that response by the art of our lives and citizenship (art).” Matthew Fox is offering a “new wineskin with which to grasp and live out the paschal mystery for the third millennium” by proposing that “Mother Earth can be understood as Jesus Christ crucified.” “Uniting mysticism and spiritual development with ethical and prophetic witness, the creation spirituality articulated by Matthew Fox presents an inspiring vision of an alternative Christology. The Cosmic Christ is the incarnation of God in the universe and especially in Mother Earth.” Spring is a season of letting go – “We need to let go of the Enlightenment and its worldview that denies mysticism and lacks a cosmology. We need to let go of a religious worldview that bores the young, trivializes Jesus Christ, and renders our spiritual heritage almost impotent.” Mystical awakening is about the awe, wonder, and “radical amazement” (Rabbi Abraham Heschel’s phrase) and this leads to “a morality of reverence for all creation.” So as we celebrate the Spring Solstice, can we let go; open ourselves to the mystery of all of creation; and embrace a new paradigm of this divine cycle of the coming Cosmic Christ? “The cosmos is fundamentally and primarily living… Christ through his Incarnation, is internal to the world,… rooted in the world, even in the very heart of the tiniest atom… Nothing seems to me more vital, from the point of view of human energy, than the appearance and eventually, the systematic cultivation of such a ‘cosmic sense’.” ~ Teilhard de Chardin *Note: Notker Fuglister argues that “both Passover and matzot were of pre-Israelite origin.” Sacrificial practices associated with the killing of animals for food were widespread in primitive cultures throughout the world. The killing of animals for food is not a trivial thing – its life is somehow related to divinity, hence elevated to worship. “The Passover was originally a rite of shepherds, performed in the night of the full moon at the spring equinox for the protection and well-being of themselves and their flocks… The matzot belonged to the culture of a farming population, who marked the break between old and new at the beginning of the harvest by eating unleavened bread which contained no flour from the crops of the previous year. Hence Passover and matzot were two nature feasts that were “historicized” by the Israelites.” Similarly, the notion of original sin was alien to Judaism, Jesus, and first-century Christianity, but was introduced by Augustine in the 4th century, embraced by Constantine as an effective doctrine to help control citizens in a waining Roman empire, and historicized by the Roman Catholic church." Marcus Borg, in Convictions says “a major historical problem that negates the notion that Jesus’s death as a payment for sin is the only correct understanding is this: it is not central to the first thousand years of Christian belief.” Borg attributes the idea to the archbishop of Canterbury, Anselm in 1098. “It is not part of ancient Christianity and so not part of biblical and traditional Christianity. Tags: Cosmic Christ, Mysticism, Cosmology, MotherEarth, Pashcal Mystery Story, Matthew Fox, Richard Rohr, Marcus Borg Spring, Renewal, Spring Solstice, Easter, Passover

WECAN International is organizing and hosting Women’s Assembly for Climate Justice: Women Leading Solutions on the Frontlines of Climate Change on Tuesday, September 11, 2018 from 1:00 to 8:30 p.m. at The Green Room (second floor), 401 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA. This event will also be available for allies worldwide via Facebook Livestream. This will be “an extraordinary gathering of women leaders from across the United States and around the world, joined in solidarity to speak out against environmental and social injustice, draw attention to root causes of the climate crisis, and present the diverse array of visions and strategies with which they are working to shape a healthy and equitable world.” “International advocates, grassroots, Indigenous, and frontline women leaders, and policy-makers, will discuss topics including the intersectionality of gender and environment; Indigenous rights; a just transition to renewable energy; women and forest protection and regeneration; fossil fuel resistance efforts; women and agroecology/soils; environmental racism; and women’s leadership and calls for action within a climate justice framework.” This dynamic public Forum is to be presented the day before the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS) in California. A list of collective key Calls to Action from the Women’s Assembly for Climate Justice will be presented to the leadership of the GCAS the following day. Details and tools to share are available via the WECAN International webpage. Art by Christi Belcourt On Saturday, September 8, 2018, at 10 a.m. Women For Climate Justice Contingents at ‘Rise For Climate, Jobs, Justice‘ will be marching in San Francisco. Rise up and join them to build a fossil-free world.

In some circles, science and mysticism are merging. In the 2004 movie What the Bleep Do We Know?  fourteen scientists and mystics share their ideas about the interconnectedness of all things. The film is now available streaming on Amazon Prime. Click here to watch the trailer. Although the film has its critics, it does make one think. Here are a few memorable quotes: “Knowing that we are all interconnected in the universe is at its fundamental level as good an explanation of spirituality as there is.” ~ Stuart Hameroff M.D. “It is my belief that our purpose here is to develop our gifts and intentionality and to learn how to be effective creators.” ~ William Tiller, Ph.D. “We are here to be creators. We are here to infiltrate space with ideas and mansions of thought. We are here to make something of this life… We must pursue knowledge without any interference from our addictions. And if we can manifest knowledge and reality in our body, we will experience this in new ways, in new holograms, in new ‘elsewheres of thought’ beyond our wildest dreams.” ~ Ramtha The only answer that is both satisfactory and meaningful is that consciousness is the Ground of all Being. ~ Ramtha “Quantum mechanics allows for the intangible phenomenon – the freedom to be ‘woven into human nature.’ Quantum physics is the physics of possibilities. “There is really no such thing as good or bad… there are things that I do that I know will evolve me and there are other things that will not evolve me.” ~ Micael Ledwith, Ph.D. “Welcome to the kingdom of heaven, without judgment, without hate, without testing, without anything – we simply are.” ~ Ramtha

Our friend Jan Magarigal is a local artist, concerned about what humans are doing to our environment, and is a lover of frogs. Her artistic interest is “to create beautiful, gentle and thoughtful designs for all people wanting to help move the world toward a kinder, gentler, compassionate and peaceful world whereby respect and dignity of all is a given, including our relationship with all sentient beings and Earth too.” She has T-shirts, mugs and buttons for sale on her Earth and World Peace website. Jane recently introduced us to a 1st grader named Justin and ForTheLoveOfFrogs.com  Jane describes Justin as “a young Jane Goodall – he is destined to be amongst the great environmentalists of the future.” You might enjoy watching Jane’s fun YouTube video or Justin’s inspiring YouTube video.

Brian D McLaren's 2021 book Faith After Doubt sets a framework for understanding faith development in four stages: Simplicity, Complexity, Perplexity, and Harmony. Spirituality is evolving from dualistic to pragmatic, then critical, and ultimately into non-dual thinking, McLaren gives people permission to doubt beliefs made obsolete with new science, scholarship, and an expanding worldview. The book may be particularly helpful for evangelical Christians who have moved from certainty into the deconstruction of traditional beliefs and are "lost in reconstruction," looking for a system that brings integration and harmony. What I find most interesting is the implications for how the Christian religion, particularly in the United States, is likely to evolve in the future. For many years church membership has been in a steady decline with a rise in "nones," particularly among younger generations. Few churches actually aim to help people navigate through their doubts. Faith communities that are quite progressive in their methodology may be rigidly conservative and regressive in their theology. On the other hand faith communities that are progressive in their theology may be rigidly institutional in their methodology - "Big on committees. Big on vestments and keeping the liturgy just so. A little low on action and energy. Really nice people... of my grandparent's generation." The result is that "nones" and those with doubts have fewer places to go to resolve these concerns and just give up on being part of a congregation. Observers have noted that politics has replaced religion in terms of the fervor of beliefs. People are still looking for purpose and belonging, but instead of meeting in building with stained glass windows, people are looking for meaning through podcasts and TED Talks. They are getting together and finding belonging by starting reading groups in living rooms and pub theology groups in bars and restaurants. Instead of attending church "52 times a year," they meet less frequently "for 52 hours" in festivals, retreats, excursions into the wilderness, and conferences. Churches are facing an "open-source revolution." "Doubt prepares the way for a new kind of faith after and with doubt, a humbled and harmonious faith, a faith that expresses itself in love..... "We need churches that are big on action and big on love, but small on beliefs and bureaucracy." ~ Brian McLaren This all reminds me of Living The Questions that I participated in several years. ago. Their curriculum "explores the biblical foundations, theological grounding, and spiritual practices at the heart of Progressive Christianity."

Making the best choice as consumers is not just about price and the quality of the product itself, but also the business practices of the company that makes it. The Better World Shopping Guide which grades companies according to five criteria (human rights, the environment, animal protection, community involvement, and social justice) is now in its 6th edition. They “provide our users with a comprehensive database of over 2,000 companies.” Among the A graded companies are: Tweezerman, Vancity, Wholesome Sweeteners, Wholesoy, Working Assets, Recycline, Seeds Green Print, Straus Family, Straus Family Creamery, Sunrise Banks, SweetRiot, TAP / FILTERED, TerraCycle, TerraPass, Theo, OnePacificCoast, Only Natural Pet Store, Organic Pastures, Organic Prairie, Oxo Brite, Pangea Organics, Peace Coffee, Pete & Gerry’s, Plum Organics, Preserve, Pura Vida, local farmers markets, local vineyards, Lotus Foods, Luna, Wolaver’s, World’s Best Eggs, Zhena’s Gypsy, Zia, Turtle Island, Vegenaise, Vital Choice, Vital Farms, Wikipedia, Wild Pacific, Wild Planet, Wildcatch, Wildwood, Swheat Scoop, Teva, Thanksgiving, The Green Office, The Honest Company, The Keeper, Therafit, Timberland, Tofurkey, Tofurky, Tulsi, Simply Organic, Sjaak’s, Sole Rebels, St. John Family, Steaz, Striped Bass,Weleda, WestSoy, Whole Foods, Woodstock Farms, Working Assets CC, Xerox, Xyliwhite, YouTube, Yves, Zola, Stonyfield Farm, Sun Flour Baking Co, Tender Care, Think, TofuTown, Twin Oaks, Unisoy, Vermont Bread Co., Vermont Soy, Rudi’s Organic, Shelton’s, Silk Road, Sipp, Small Planet, So Delicious, Speakeasy, Spectrum and Spicely. Those with an F grade are: Chevron-Texaco, Walmart, Kraft Heinz, Exxon-Mobil, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Verizon, Dow Chemical, Citibank, Nestle, Pfizer, General Electric, General Motors, Zee, Zephyr Hills, Zest, Abbott Laboratories, Koch Industries, Comcast, Monsanto, Ford, Coca-Cola, AT&T, Microsoft, Walgreens, Warner Brothers, Whiskas, Window, Windows Mobile, Winn-Dixie and Wonka. Their research is based on 76 reliable sources (linked) with 30+ years of data. Dr. Ellis Jones is the author of two books and an app is available for free download through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. The Shopping Guide identifies corporate heroes and villains by-product with a brief list of buying tips and what you need to know. #socialjustice #animalprotection #communityinvolvement #environment #HumanRights

The film Walk With Me is about Zen Buddhist Master Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village. It is being shown on Saturday, January 27, 2018 at 7 p.m. in the Sanctuary of the Center for Spiritual Living. The film is about a community of Zen Buddhist monks and nuns who have dedicated their lives to mastering the art of mindfulness under the wisdom ways of Thich Nhat Hanh. River Oak Sangha meets Wednesdays from 6:30-8 p.m. in the Meditation Pavilion art Center for Spiritual Living to practice mindfulness in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. They welcome everyone with an interest in mindfulness practice, including first-time visitors and guests. A sangha is a community that supports people in the practice of meditation, ethical living, and the development of wisdom. They aspire to apply mindfulness to everyday life while balancing practice and study. Such a path can decrease suffering, increase happiness and ultimately lead to the natural development of compassion and wisdom. There is no dogma to believe in. Instead, practicing mindfulness with a sangha is an opportunity to explore our own life experiences using the tools of meditation and reflection in the context of a supportive community of fellow practitioners. River Oak Sangha includes Buddhists and non-Buddhists.

The 7th Parliament of the World’s Religions was held from November 1-7, 2018, in Toronto, Canada. The theme was The Promise of Inclusion & the Power of Love. The Parliament of the World’s Religions creates the opportunity for people of faith and conscience from around the world to assemble and to hear from wisdom leaders, which in the past have included His Holiness the Dalai Lama, President Nelson Mandela, President Jimmy Carter, and UN Messenger of Peace Dr. Jane Goodall. Over the years more than 50,000 participants from 200 unique spiritual backgrounds have traveled from more than 80 nations around the world to past Parliament conferences, bringing their attention and action together to dialogue, forge solutions and build networks of action. “Open to anyone interested in experiencing a fresh and sometimes boundary-pushing multi-faith encounter, the Parliament leaves a lasting legacy of cooperation in its hosting cities and changes the lives of all who are drawn into attendance— this extends into the spheres that are also represented in the Parliament, including academia, government, media, business, NGO leadership, and grassroots activism.” The world’s oldest and most diverse global interfaith event marks its 125-year anniversary in 2018 by bringing together leaders and followers of more than 200 spiritual and secular traditions to “pursue global understanding, reconciliation, and change” in the world’s most culturally diverse city. More than 12,000 delegates are expected to convene in Toronto later this year. “The Parliament of the World’s Religions is an international, non-sectarian, non-profit organization, established in 1988 to host the 1993 Parliament of the World’s Religions. The international office of the Parliament of the World’s Religions is located in Chicago, Illinois. Its periodic Parliaments and ongoing initiatives cultivate harmony among the world’s religious and spiritual communities and foster engagement with the world and its guiding institutions in order to achieve a just, peaceful, and sustainable world.” Image Credit: Photo of Basilica de Notre Dame, Montreal, Canada by Diego Delso, delso.photo, License CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikipedia #harmony #sustainableworld #justice #WorldReligions #engegement #peace #interfaith

from: https://www.womensmarch.com On January 21st thousands of women, femmes, and allies came together to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Women’s March and to launch our collective 2018 Women’s March agenda: #PowerToThePolls. This anniversary event in Las Vegas was the kick off a national voter registration and mobilization tour targeting swing states to register new voters, engage impacted communities, harness our collective energy to advocate for policies and candidates that reflect our values, and collaborate with our partners to elect more women and progressives candidates to office. Where will you be to make your voice heard?