Join us Saturday, May 19, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., as we get our hands into the earth and continue to spread beauty across the campus.  We will spruce up the vegetable beds, plant seeds and starts, turn the compost, gather flowers and vegetables, and tend the fruit orchard.

Why plant summer crops so late in spring?  In earlier years, we planted at the “right time,” making our harvest abundant from July through August, while the students were away on vacation.  By planting now, we leave a richer harvest experience for the Garden Club this coming fall.

Address:  280 Woodland Avenue, San Rafael.  The Garden is in the back of the campus, right next to a wooden bridge over the Riparian Zone.

Contact:  Stuart Moody, Green Schoolyard Coordinator (stuart@greensangha.org; phone 459-0176)

Remember to bring a hat and other sun protection, and to wear close-tied shoes and layers for changeable weather.  Bring your gardening gloves and a favorite tool (clippers, trowel, handpick) if you have.  A water fountain is nearby.  No single-use plastic water bottles, please!

FOR MORE INFORMATION about the Garden project, click here to see our listing with the Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership, or call CVNL and ask for Ashley Kelly (415) 479-5710.

Gardening together brings out the best in us

Tonight!  Come hear Carol Misseldine make the case for a plant-based diet and an end to Confined Animal Feeding Operations.  Eating lower on the food chain is better for the body, better for the earth, and bestows so many aesthetic delights!  Few can tell the story better than Carol, last month’s recipient of the Huffman Environmental Hero Award (you can read her nomination here).

Date:  Monday, May 14
Time: 7:30-9:00 pm
Place:  San Rafael City Council chambers, 1400 Fifth Avenue

Then, this Sunday May 20:  EcoBirth!  Explore the story of our embodiment of the toxic stuff of the industrial world, pre-polluting our children through mindless tainting of our food, air, and water.  Molly Arthur, founder of EcoBirth, will share her personal environmental story, with an emphasis on feminine leadership, oneness, and compassion.  We will discuss how to live a faithful, nurturing life by looking at our lineage of love and putting that love into action.

Date: Sunday, May 20
Time: 10 am – 1 pm
Place: Sita Khufu’s home in San Anselmo. Call (510) 532-6574 for directions; or write info@greensangha.org. We respond quickly!

Early summer highlight
AWAKENED ACTION TEA WITH BETH TERRY & JONATHAN GUSTIN!
Beth, professional accountant and author of the soon-to-be released book, Plastic Free, will describe her personal campaign for near-zero plastic consumption, why this effort is vital for the planet’s life-support systems, and how you can easily adopt a plastic-free lifestyle.  Green Sangha founder Jonathan Gustin will open the afternoon with meditation and sage words on awakened activism. Tasty organic, vegetarian snacks and beverages will be served.

Date: Sunday, July 1
Time: 4-6 pm
Place: Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto
Donation: $75 pays for Green Sangha’s programs of environmental restoration and an afternoon of joyful inter-being.  To purchase your ticket, click here, enter ticket amount in the “Other” line, select “Event Registration” under the Program Designation menu, and you’re on your way.

Beth Terry in her award-winning Bay-to-Breakers costume

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
Gratitude Gathering at the Permaculture Paradise of Trathen & Mary Heckman. Two hours of Garden service, followed by meditation, inspirational Garden talk, volunteer awards, and delicious refreshments.

Date:  Saturday, July 28
Time:  1:00 – 4:30 pm
Place:  Old Town Petaluma. Call (510) 532-6574 for directions; or write info@greensangha.org. Space is limited, so reservations required!

Trathen at home with the earth

Come to the Awakened Action Tea on Sunday, July 1, 2012 at the Mill Valley Community Center!  Our featured speaker is Beth Terry, author of Plastic Free, How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too.

Beth will tell us about her personal journey to near-zero plastic consumption, why this effort is vital for the planet’s life-support systems, and how you can easily adopt a lower-plastic lifestyle.  The program also includes a meditation and short talk by Green Sangha’s founder Jonathan Gustin.  Tasty organic, vegetarian snacks and beverages will be served.

Beth Terry, accountant and awakened activist, on the cover of Eastbay Express

This is our annual fund-raising event, supporting programs such as Less Carbon & More Compassion, Mindful Activism training, Rethinking Plastics and the Teen Environmental Leadership Academy.

Date:  Sunday, July 1
Time:  4-6 pm
Location:  The Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto, close to Highway 101, with easy parking and access to public transit as well as a marshland walking-biking trail.
Tickets:  $75 pays for Green Sangha’s programs of awakened activism, and an afternoon of inspiration

To see Beth’s home video of her 2009 plastic trash collection (she discarded less than 4 pounds in the whole year!), click here. You can also visit her website at:  www.myplasticfreelife.com.

On our way to plastic-free shopping . . .

Could your initiative or organization use tools for the following?

• Inner Support for Change
• Trust Building
• Visioning
• Meeting Facilitation Techniques
• Fun and Laughter
• Recharging

May 19th at beautiful InterPlayce in Oakland and experience a variety of “Inner Transition”* tools led by facilitators from Green Sangha (mindful practice and awakened action), Joanna Macy’s Work that Reconnects, Non-Violent Communication, Theatre of the Oppressed, and InterPlay (creative, fun theatre tools to unlock the wisdom within).

Gain effective tools to take with you and use in your Transition Initiatives/Workgroups and organizations. Recharge and connect to others in your area.

Date/time: Saturday, May 19th, 9:45 am-4:30 pm

Location: InterPlayce, 2273 Telegraph Avenue (corner of 23rd St.), Oakland, CA, close to 19th St. BART station, also served by several bus lines.

Particulars: Lunch provided by Canticle Farm, bring your own dish/utensils, wear comfortable clothing

Cost: self-determined, $20-$40 suggested

To sign up or for more info: Kristina Benett at kristinabridget@hotmail.com or (805) 540-1942

Event Sponsors: Transition Berkeley, Transition Albany, Green Sangha, Canticle Farm, Interplay, East Bay Cohousing

Carol Misseldine has been an environmental luminary for years.  Trained in the comprehensive framework of the Natural Step, she has been a strong and clear voice for constructing our lives and our society with understanding and respect for both the abundance and the limits of nature.

Carol began her career of environmental leadership with the Michigan Environmental Council.  When she took the post of Executive Director there, the annual budget was about $70,000.  When she left four years later, the budget had grown to nearly $1 million, with a commensurate increase in the agency’s effectiveness.

As Sustainability Director in the office of Oakland mayor Jerry Brown, Carol initiated one of the state’s first municipal single-use bag ordinances as well as a foam food-ware ban.  Later, as Sustainability Coordinator for Mill Valley, she catalyzed the City’s adoption of a similar foam ban and the elimination of plastic water bottles from City offices, parks, and functions.

When the State budget crisis cut short the plan of the Ocean Protection Council to fund a Master Environmental Assessment (MEA) on single-use bags, Carol personally raised over $100,000 to fund the completion of this pivotal report.  The MEA has influenced dozens of California municipalities as they have contemplated and, in many cases, passed plastic bag bans.

Carol combines her passion for the health of the planet with careful study and the ability to see broad patterns side by side with the particulars.  Her combination of deep caring with deep mastery of ecological principles has made her a much loved and sought-after speaker in the Bay Area and beyond.  Leaders in the field, from elected officials to city planners to nonprofit advocates, listen to Carol and seek her opinion on issues of sustainable practice.

Ever searching for new ways to restore the environment, she leads the community in ever-new initiatives.  The first recipient of the Humane Society University’s Animal Policy and Advocacy Graduate Certification, Carol has embarked on her latest campaign – Less Carbon, More Compassion – promoting an end to Confined Animal Feeding Operations and inspiring citizens to adopt a plant-based diet.  These two steps together represent one of the most important ways we can save the climate, improve our health, and affirm our fellowship with other creatures.

We are fortunate to have Carol Misseldine as a leader in the community, reminding us to look deep in our hearts and to imagine a truly healthy and compassionate world.

Sat Apr 21, 9:30 am – noon.  GARDEN WORK PARTY!  Beautify the Green Schoolyard and plant summer crops at Davidson Middle School in San Rafael.  Fresh air, fellowship, and fun.  More info here.

Fri Apr 27-Sun Apr 29.  WEEKEND RETREAT.  Immerse yourself in the peace of the redwoods with yoga, meditation, Dances of Universal Peace, and reflection.  Includes a tour of award-winning Monterey Regional Waste Management facility and the Land of Medicine Buddha.  Cost $350 for two nights and all eight delicious vegetarian meals.  Details here.

Three Thursdays:  May 3, 17, 31, 7-9 pm.  RETHINKING PLASTICS TRAINING.  Learn practical tools for inspiring plastics reduction and a healthy economy, led by Stuart Moody, MA, campaign director.  Click here for more information.

And a fourth!
WEB MANAGER.  Fulfill your wish to support awakened action through your technical skills:  manage, upgrade, and periodically polish our website, using WordPress.  Tutorial support available.  If this is not for you, let us know if you can recommend someone for this 1-3 hrs/wk volunteer opportunity.  Contact Elizabeth:  info@greensangha.org.

SAVE THE DATE!  Monday, May 14, 7:30-9:00 pm
LESS CARBON, MORE COMPASSION is our latest campaign, and the title of Carol Misseldine’s fact-filled, heart-touching presentation on how we can reduce our carbon footprint while improving our compassion footprint.  In the San Rafael City Council chambers, 1400 Fifth Street.  More info.

 Celebrate Earth Day by getting your hands in the earth!
Saturday, April 21, 2012, 9:30 a.m. to noon
Davidson Middle School Garden, 280 Woodland Avenue, San Rafael

Spruce up the vegetable beds, plant summer crops, and tend the urban forest and wetlands.  Projects vary from light to vigorous, as you wish.  Projects include:  planting seeds, removing weeds, turning compost, upgrading fences around fruit trees, and other acts of care.

Remember to bring a hat and other sun protection, and to wear close-tied shoes and layers for changeable weather.  Bring your gardening gloves and a favorite tool (clippers, trowel, handpick) if you have.  A water fountain is nearby.  No single-use plastic water bottles, please!

CONTACT:  Stuart Moody, Green Schoolyard Coordinator (stuart@greensangha.org; phone 459-0176)

Address:  280 Woodland Avenue, San Rafael.  The Garden is in the back of the campus, right next to a wooden bridge over the Riparian Zone.

MORE DETAILS
Weather:  A light drizzle would be no impediment, but sunny skies are forecast.
Bring:
* Gardening gloves if you can
* Dandelion digger and/or hand pick, if you have
* Water bottle if you like (no throw-away plastic!)

FOR MORE INFORMATION about the Garden project, click here to see our listing with the Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership, or call CVNL and ask for Ashley Kelly (415) 479-5710.

COME TO VENTURE VALLEY
Imagine a world where worn-out resources are reused and recycled instead of dumped, where legacy methane is harvested from old landfills, and waste management agencies promote zero waste.

Imagine a world where activists recharge their inner batteries with yoga in the redwoods, contemplative walks in the afternoon, and singing under the stars.

Imagine a world where the inner practices of awakening are integrated with the outer work of gardening, community-building, and environmental activism.

This is the vision of Green Sangha, and it’s coming true already.  For a full glimpse and a rich taste of this new world, join us for our Monterey County retreat on April 27-29.

Highlights of the weekend include:

1)  A guided tour of the Monterey Regional Waste Management facility with environmental educator Jeff Lindenthal

2)  Yoga classes with certified yoga instructor and Green Sangha President Stuart Moody

3)  Incredible, amazing, and delicious organic food, much of it grown on site

4)  Dances of Universal Peace with Marcia Rayene

All in a peaceful, hospitable, and comfortable mountain retreat at Venture Valley.

For more information and to register, click here.

MINDFUL ACTIVISM TRAINING:  Sustainability from Within
Saturday, April 14, 2:00-5:30 pm
A deep exploration of somatic principles and spiritual practices to restore calm, inner balance, and clarity.  Instructor:  Stuart Moody, M.A., Board President.  $30 for the workshop; $20 for Green Sangha members.  Location:  United Church of Christ, 825 Middlefield Drive Petaluma, CA 94952.  For more info and to register, click here.

WHO’S RESPONSIBLE?  Going Upstream for Real Solutions to Our Waste and Toxicity Crisis.  Thursday, April 19, 7-9 pm.
An introduction to waste history, the limitations of recycling, and the promise of Extended Producer Responsibility.  With Heidi Sanborn, executive director of the California Product Stewardship Council.   Kreps Conference Center, Redwood High School, Larkspur.  $10 suggested donation (Green Sangha members $5).

MONTEREY COUNTY RETREAT
April 27-29, 11 am Friday to 3 pm Sunday
Take refuge in the mountains of Santa Cruz for yoga, meditation, walking in the redwoods, and evening song.  Our host site, Venture Valley, is a serene and secluded conference center in the woods above Aptos.  In the spirit of activism, we will offer two hours of quiet service in the garden. We will also visit the award-winning Monterey Regional Waste Management facility, ending the retreat with lunch, meditation, and a dharma talk at the Land of Medicine Buddha.   For information and to register, click here.

LESS CARBON, MORE COMPASSION

With Carol Misseldine, Director of Green Cities California

If there were one thing that you could do to reduce your carbon footprint, improve your health, and reduce suffering, at little or no cost, would you like to try it?  You can!  Come hear Carol Misseldine describe the benefits of the plant-based diet, for planet, for heart, and our fellow creatures.

Date:  Monday, May 14, 2012
Time:  7:30-9:00 pm
Place:  San Rafael City Hall, Council Chambers, 1400 Fifth Avenue

In the U.S., 95% of the meat, eggs and dairy we eat comes from animals confined on factory farms, centers of pollution and suffering that represent the worst of the industrial economic model.  Carol will highlight not only the extraordinary leverage we each have to reduce our carbon footprint dramatically but also the spiritual implications of eating lower on the food chain.

Our speaker
Carol Misseldine has been professionally engaged in promoting environmental and animal protection initiatives for over thirty years.  She currently directs Green Cities California and serves on the Advisory Board of Green Sangha and Kinship Circle.

Previous positions include Sustainability Director for then-Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, Director of The Natural Step’s Great Lakes Office, and Executive Director for the Michigan Environmental Council.

Misseldine was awarded her B.S. and M.S. in Natural Resources from Michigan State University, and received her US Green Building LEED accreditation in 2005.  In October 2010, she completed a Graduate Certification in Animal Advocacy and Policy from the Humane Society University.

Sponsored by city councilwoman Barbara Heller, Green Sangha, the City of San Rafael, and Resilient Neighborhoods.