All Posts Tagged With: "Collaboration"

“Partners for Open Space is a statewide coalition of groups seeking to secure, save, and protect Maryland’s land conservation programs. They are leading an effort to educate citizens, mobilize conservation groups and their members, and expand the coalition to influence Maryland decision makers to restore funding for land conservation and park development.” “Polls show 89% of Marylanders support Open Space” but since “2002 over $480 million has been diverted from Program Open Space”. Go to their resource page and find tools for grass roots organizing. Write to your legislators, find out how you can help, and read and exchange stories.

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between 2 wolves.” One is Evil. It is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed”.

Community Conferencing relies on the brilliantly simple idea of shifting the focus from who did what and how can they be punished, to who has been affected and how to repair the harm. When people come together in a conference, they don’t even have to agree on what happened. The conversation draws out ways to work together to make it better. The facilitator is something of a magician, subtly guiding the process and creating the setting for the group’s compassion and wisdom to blossom.

I love the stories. Continued

Baltimore Bioneers is the regional branch of the overarching Bioneers community, a “forum for connecting the environment, health, social justice, and spirit within a broad progressive framework.” Combining both the social justice and environmental movements, Baltimore Bioneers works to foster new opportunities for creating solutions for restoring the earth and healing communities. Along with other satellite locations throughout North America, Baltimore Bioneers hosts an annual conference that features local speakers, panels, and workshops, while also broadcasting the plenary talks of the Bioneers Conference in San Rafael, CA. Their website features history of the organization, information on the conference, and ways to get involved.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nwkgbm-2P8k[/youtube]

Megaphone Project is a non-profit organization that “produces low-cost documentaries that amplify voices for social and economic justice in Maryland.” They specialize in making “short, inexpensive, issue-based productions for advocates to show to community members, decision makers, and opinion leaders as part of organized campaigns for change.” Their productions have “helped advocate for reform in the criminal justice system, public housing, predatory lending, real estate development, public transit, and day labor.”

Permaforest Trust is a not-for-profit organization specializing in sustainability education, networking and creating open source resources for ecological, cultural and personal transition to a lower carbon future. Providing you with skills and strategies for peak oil, climate change and other challenges associated with limits to growth, Permaforest Trust, in partnership with National Environment Center Campus of Riverina Institute of TAFE, offers Certificate IV and Diploma level Accredited Permaculture Training (TM) with a focus on training post-carbon professionals. Our approach combines traditional training in hands-on permaculture skills and design techniques with the latest in community development and project management. We focus on post carbon strategies such as Energy Descent Action Planning, relocalisation and bioregional planning, community sustainability initiatives, food security and community gardens.

Study amongst the spectacular surrounds of the Byron Bay and hinterland bioregion in lush, subtropical Northern NSW, Australia. For more information about the work of the Permaforest Trust, and for free multimedia talks and presentations from the Trust’s Accredited Permaculture please visit our website.