vision and practice for transformative social change
Original article posted in Vermont Commons July 31, 2006 and written by Peter Forbes of Center for Whole Communities. Not all that long ago, our ancestors drew their identities from the land that they lived on, whether they were farmers or sharecroppers or laborers who came in seasonally to harvest wheat, corn, soybeans, or strawberries. Even [...]
WEST COAST fearlessMeditation I | Practice of the Body CXC | Center for Transformative Change | Berkeley, CA Friday | October 14, 2011 | 7:00-9:30pm Register 22nd Annual Bioneers Conference Marin Center | San Rafael, CA Friday – Sunday | October 14 – 16, 2011 Register 3rd Annual Bay Area Leadership and Social [...]
I met Leah Pearlman at Wednesdays, a meditation sangha, that meets (you guessed it!) every Wednesday in Santa Clara, California. During one of our shares, or maybe even after dinner conversations, I learned that she co-created a space in San Francisco called the Happiness Institute. Six months after Leah began to develop the idea, Jordan [...]
As social change agents, we try to do too much because there is so much to do, and the need to get things done never seems to stop. But that endless action of doing, doing, doing begins to create imbalance in our lives and unsustainable work, action, etc. quickly follows. This dharma talk will remind [...]
“God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools.” –John Muir, Naturalist & Author
Fetzer Institute provides funds for projects that support forgiveness, love, and compassion and that make a profound impact on people’s lives. “[They] seek to understand the motivations and preconditions of exemplary cases of love and forgiveness in the world. From these examples, [they] develop projects to grow an even greater awareness of love and forgiveness in [...]
How can we sustain balance with practice? What is it about the word practice that makes us turn away from activities that promote our well being? I often experience the thought of practicing yoga as something I have to do. Not only do I have to do it but I have to do it well. [...]
Thirty-three people from around the world participated in the 27 Days of Change | Fall 2011 Practice Period. There were a number of local Bay Area participants, many on the East Coast, and one as far away as Thailand. Some were veteran participants, and some were brand new. All folks committed to making significant 360-degree [...]
As humans–being extremely complex, very intelligent, and oftentimes, narcissistic creatures–we often forget that we are animals. Looking back at a time in which survival of the fittest meant that humans competed against each other, we are now beginning to realize and PRACTICE that species (in order to survive) must cooperate with each other. In this [...]
Sustainability and Sustenance in the American Agri-food System Author Patricia Allen discusses the efforts of two movements, sustainable agriculture and community food security, in her book Together At The Table. Allen examines the two movements involved in reconstructing the agri-food system from the growing of crops to production and distribution so that we can [...]
“In the process of helping the earth to heal, we help ourselves.” ~ Wangari Maathai In India, banyan trees are called trees of knowledge and trees of life, a fitting symbol for our October theme, sustainability, which by definition is “the capacity to endure.” In a world out of balance we have to rediscover equilibrium [...]
Original article, “Bus stops that became homes overnight,” by Anna Edwards appeared August 24, 2011 in the UK’s Daily Mail Not all protest is about marching or boycotting, there is also protest through art. Some protesters vent their fury with angry banners, others boycott, while some create petitions.But two artists came up with a far [...]
