All Posts Tagged With: "Inspiration"

Week 4

The best way to give ourselves to the future is to give ourselves totally to the present moment. ~ Albert Camus

I love to play with the delicate balance of having goals, yet living each moment in the here and now. This is one of the miraculous aspects of being human. There is a discipline to living in the present, to avoid hashing over the past or fantasizing too much about the future. Yet, it’s not workable to ignore our desires and dreams. How can you tap your power of vision this week by noticing your present state?

More: Meditation is excellent practice to be in the present moment. Learn how from Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, the spiritual leader of Shambhala.

Read the Weekly Green from Week 3 here.

We always love to hear from you! How juicy is this quote for you?

Week 2

The eyes of the future are looking back at us and they are praying that we might see beyond our own time. ~ Terry Tempest Williams

Today begins a NEW weekly feature on GOforChange.

The great strawbale building pioneer Matts Mhyrman has said, “The road to good intentions is paved with hell,” and that feels about right to me. The journey of someone who cares deeply about the earth and is working like hell to do something about it can be a bumpy one indeed.

We each have our coping techniques. The very talented David Eisenberg, founder of the Development Center for Appropriate Technologies (DCAT) writes poetry and arranges it artfully on his gorgeous photographs of wild places. I know many folks unplug and spend weeks at a time in those wild places.

One of my ways is to collect quotes. It hasn’t been a conscious practice until very recently. I just appreciate the way a good quote or aphorism sums up the entire world so elegantly.

Each week, I will offer one of my favorites as inspiration to support you through the challenges you are bound to encounter along your path as an advocate for the earth. I’ll include a brief meditation on what the quote means to me, and a question to take into your week. Now, let’s get started!

Week 1

You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new reality that makes the existing reality obsolete. ~ R. Buckminster Fuller

This has long been on my touchstone. It’s an elegant way of saying, “don’t curse the darkness; light a candle.” In many ways, the green building movement demonstrates the truth of this. We have all the technology and know-how we need to create zero-energy buildings, so let’s just get going and do that. What can you do this week to build a new reality?

More: Buckminster Fuller Institute

We always love to hear from you! How juicy is this quote for you?

On New Year’s Day, we received an email from our good friend, Michael Furbish, who owns the Furbish Company , a green builder whose work we have profiled recently . They are clear about their mission on their website: "Furbish Company designs, sells, installs, and maintains plant-based building systems. We view plants as living machines. Set up properly, they enhance building performance while providing aesthetic beauty." In other words, they are change agents.

In our first post for the New Year, I wanted to welcome our new visitors, and remind our regulars about our purpose here. Since Michael says it so well, I’ll just use his words:

"Your site is absolutely wonderful. Every time I visit, it is deeper and richer. My one regret is that I spend too little time enjoying this space. As you articulate so well, appreciating the empty space . In many ways, your site is just that. It is the space that invites thinking about what can be."

I love that – we not only create space to think about what can be, we highlight what is, already. There are so many businesses and organizations that are doing wonderful, thoughtful, meaningful work around here. We intend to continue presenting their great work. We are the go-to resource for change agents to learn about each other and to refuel on inspiration when they are feeling drained by the challenges of being on the cutting edge of change.

We will also post more often about general, universal themes. Julie’s work as a green design and sustainability consultant, as well as her involvement in the community, provides much material. Alyssa will write more about her urban gardening and DIY projects. As an artist, her hands-on creative urges are boundless!

So, sit back and enjoy. Subscribe to our RSS. Tell your friends, especially your change-agent friends. Find us on Facebook , Twitter , Flickr , and Virb .

Founder and Director Sarah Ittmann teaches Bikram yoga . A series of 26 poses derived from Hatha principles, each one is done twice to help the body open up and come into openness and alignment. Bikram Choudhury designed these poses in his native India after a weightlifting accident to restore his health. Performed in a heated room for 90 minutes, anyone at any age can feel the benefits of this healing art. Julie practiced Bikram Yoga for almost 5 years and was an avid devotee of Sarah’s. This studio is HIGHLY recommended — a beautiful space with great facilities. With an 8,000 square foot studio, the wellness spa also offers hot stone massage, acupuncture, and salon services.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM[/youtube]

Take 5 minutes in your day to watch this. It is one of the most beautiful and hopeful things I’ve seen in a while. What an amazing group of people. As their website says, Playing for Change is a multimedia movement created to connect, inspire, and bring peace to the world through music. One listen and you will be hooked! This world needs our artists and musicians!

Solar Publishing is located in Owing Mills, MD and is a multi-media production company. “We utilize print, video, animation and web-based media to encourage humanity to embrace our connection with the environment.” “Solar Publishing promotes cultural awareness, planetary responsibility and holistic living.” Their books help teach kids about the environment and the diverse peoples around them ultimately giving a stronger sense of themselves and the world around them.