2010 saw more global CO2 emissions than ever before in history.  Polar icecaps are melting, glaciers are receding, sea levels are rising.  In our own corner of the world, January opened with no snow on Tioga Pass.  Scientists say that global warming is happening faster than expected.  Amazingly, in Washington certain elected leaders proclaim their doubt about the relationship between industrial pollution, atmospheric carbon levels, and global climate shifts.

Clearly this is madness.  How can we reverse this trend?  Not by getting mad ourselves.  That would only mean more madness in the world.  Raising collective consciousness is the way to accomplish what we need to restore balance to our climate and the global ecosystem.

“Less Carbon, More Compassion” is Green Sangha’s theme for 2012.  There are so many things that we can do as individuals to reduce our personal carbon footprints. Doing so with love and dedication has a power that reaches far beyond our own homes and offices.  We are building a constituency of consciousness, a network of commitment, a groundswell of support for the kinds of political and commercial actions needed to bring these changes “to scale.”

Green Sangha has been a joyful partner with 350.org and countless other organizations in raising the call for carbon sanity.  We have built gardens, planted trees, transformed front lawns into food forests, reduced plastic pollution by the ton, and inspired thousands of others to do the same.  This year, we are putting our resources behind the most effective social change tools that we can identify, supporting Resilient Neighborhoods and Low Carbon Diet groups and expanding the community of sustainably-oriented citizens, businesses, and civic leaders.

Our inaugural event was Saturday, January 21 in Berkeley. Nancy Roberts gave us an update on climate change and its impacts on the ocean, the weather, our cities, and our farms. Then Carol Misseldine, Director of Green Cities California, described a simple way that we each can reduce our carbon footprint significantly: eat less meat and less dairy.