Empowering committed individuals and organizations to sustain life on the planet
28February2010
Posted by Admin under: Emergency; Events; Forum; Haiti; Permaculture; Resiliency; Sustainability.
For information on joining the call see Guidelines and Agenda for the Sustainable Haiti Call and Haiti – A Way Forward.
The following groups and individuals have indicated an interest in collaborating or joining the conversation: Read the rest of this entry »
28February2010
Posted by Admin under: Emergency; Events; Forum; Haiti; Resiliency; Sustainability.
25February2010
Posted by jcloud under: Emergency; Events; Forum; Haiti; Permaculture; Resiliency; Sustainability.
On Wednesday, along with close to a thousand people, I attended the UNA-Haiti conference at the UN, and the follow-on conversation at the Turkish Mission. The stated aim of the conference was to foster partnerships to allow the re-building of Haiti “against all odds.” “Controlled chaos” is the way one person described it. For the most part the audience was willing to let the moderators and the panelists get their views out, but as soon as there was an opportunity for public comment, a number of individuals expressed impassioned views.
22February2010
Posted by jcloud under: Creation; Evolution; Future; Global; Resiliency; Science; Story; Sustainability.
Victoria and I attended the new “global” version of the Pachamama Symposium, “Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream,” last Sunday. While none of the information was new to me, the presentation was compelling and visually stunning, and the Symposium continues to evolve and be more impactful.
There was also an important new addition to the event, which was a networking segment at the end designed to help the participants connect to each and get into action around the issues of most concern to them.
21February2010
Posted by jcloud under: Emergency; Events; Future; Haiti; Permaculture; Resiliency; Sustainability.
The “Working Group for a Sustainable Future for Haiti,” which was convened at the Institute for Sustainable Enterprise at Fairleigh Dickinson University, has released “Haiti – A Way Forward,” an 8-page discussion paper intended as the basis for a conference call scheduled for Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 6 p.m. EST, and you are invited to join us.
Conference Dial-in number: (507) 726-4253
Participant Passcode: 100039#
17February2010
Posted by Admin under: Events; Organization; Sustainability; Transportation.
Our next meeting is Saturday, March 13, from 1:00 – 4:00 pm, at the Wayne Public Library in Wayne, NJ (see below for directions).
Presentations will include:
Please let us know if you can join us on March 13th. Your first Sustainable Leadership Forum meeting is free. If you have attended before, our membership fees for a year’s worth of meetings range between $25 and $195, depending on volunteer contributions. More information elsewhere in this site.
For directions to the Wayne Public Library, 461 Valley Rd, Wayne, NJ 07470, see http://www.waynepubliclibrary.org/locations_hours.html.
16February2010
Posted by Admin under: Events; Organization; Permaculture; Sustainability.
On February 13, Wanda Knapik and Paul Nick presented Permaculture Network of NJ to an audience of about 20 SLF members.
Definition: Permaculture (permanent agriculture) is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems. It is the harmonious integration of landscape and people providing their food, energy, shelter, and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way. Without permanent agriculture there is no possibility of a stable social order.
Philosophy: The philosophy behind permaculture is one of working with, rather than against, nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless action; of looking at systems in all their functions, rather than asking only one yield of them; and allowing systems to demonstrate their own evolutions.
Contact information:
Wanda Knapik, Mylocalgarden@gmail.com, 908-432-2198, www.mylocalgarden.com
Paul Nick, Pnick3000@yahoo.com, 732-236-5972
14February2010
Posted by jcloud under: Emergency; Forum; Future; Haiti; Resiliency; Sustainability.
Just following what appear to be the next logical steps in terms of “convening a conversation around a sustainable future for Haiti,” it seems clear we need to define some further specifics. As other groups decide what they want to focus on, we can collaborate more effectively if we know what we want to focus on. (If you are interested in contributing to this dialogue, please see my specific questions at the end of this posting.) Read the rest of this entry »
6February2010
Posted by jcloud under: Events; Forum; Future; Haiti; Organization; Permaculture; Sustainability.
We have two very special Sustainable Leadership Forum meetings coming up: this weekend and March 13th. We’d love to see you there.
The agenda includes networking, member updates around sustainability projects and interests, and a presentation on Spreading an Awareness of Permaculture Principles. Read the rest of this entry »
5February2010
Posted by jcloud under: Emergency; Events; Forum; Future; Resiliency; Sustainability.
The earthquake in Haiti has been many things – including both a wakeup call for Americans, and an opportunity to demonstrate our compassion – but it has above all been a human tragedy that has revealed the weaknesses and deficiencies that were there before. A magnitude 7.0 earthquake will no doubt cause some damage no matter where it occurs, but it does not always need to cause the extent of devastation that has occurred in Haiti, or to leave the population as unaided. (Here are some photos from Google Earth of the physical extent of the damage. According to CNN, “The 7.0-magnitude quake of January 12 leveled most of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, killing more than 212,000 people and injuring 300,000, according to Haitian government estimates. It left more than a million homeless.” Read the rest of this entry »
23January2010
Posted by jcloud under: Forum.
SLF Co-Founder Victoria Zelin has been presenting on sustainability topics to a variety of groups. Here’s a video from her recent presentation to the OD Network on how you can re-position your past work experience to help companies go green: Read the rest of this entry »
11January2010
Posted by jcloud under: Creation; Evolution; Forum; Future; History; Science; Sustainability.
Those of us who have long been working in the field of sustainable development have, I think, a definite ambivalence around our current situation. Read the rest of this entry »