Category Archives: Green Sangha Chapter News

Awakened Action Tea, November 16, 2013: Detailed Directions

Awakened Action Tea

Celebrate sustainable activism with delicious organic vegan delights, warm fellowship, and an inspirational hour with Joanna Macy.  With Trathen Heckman, founder and director of Daily Acts.

Saturday, November 16, 4-6 pm, Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, 1330 Lakeshore Avenue, Oakland, 94606.  Tickets:  $20.

DIRECTIONS to Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, Oakland

Main Entrance: 1330 Lakeshore Ave.

Second Entrance 1255 First Ave. @ E. 14th

Lake Merritt United Methodist Church is located at the southeast end of Lake Merritt. Situated next to a 25-story apartment complex, not far from the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center. Our main entrance is on Lakeshore Avenue where there is street parking. Our second entrance is at the rear of the building at 1255 First Avenue, where there is a small parking lot and street parking.

Interstate 580 from SF/Berkeley and points north:

Take the Grand Avenue exit and go to the second light, which is Lakeshore Avenue. Turn right stay on Lakeshore Ave. In .9 miles turn right to stay on Lakeshore. In about one block the church will be on your left where there is street parking. Our second entrance is at the rear of the building at 1255 First Ave. where there is a small parking lot and street parking.

Interstate 580 from the south or east:

Take Lakeshore Exit and merge onto Lake Park Avenue .1 mile. Turn left on Lakeshore Ave. In 1 mile turn right to stay on Lakeshore. In about one block the church will be on your left where there is street parking. Our second entrance is at the rear of the building at 1255 First Ave. where there is a small parking lot and street parking.

Interstate 80 from San Jose or the south:

Take the Embarcadero exit toward Fifth Ave. .2 miles. Turn right onto Embarcadero .1 mile. Take the first right onto Fifth Avenue .5 mile. Turn left onto International Blvd. .3 mile. Turn right onto 1st Ave. Turn left onto Lakeshore Ave. In about one block the church will be on your left. Our second entrance is at the rear of the building at 1255 First Ave. where there is a small parking lot and street parking.

Downtown Oakland:

Take 14th Street southeast toward Broadway .6 mile. Continue onto Lake Merritt Blvd. .4 mile. Continue onto 1st Avenue .2 mile. Turn left onto Lakeshore Ave. In about one block the church will be on your left where there is street parking. Our second entrance is at the rear of the building at 1255 1st Ave. where there is a small parking lot and street parking.

Public Transportation: 

The Lake Merritt BART station is an easy ½ mile walk to/from the church. From BART, walk in a northerly direction on Oak Street. You will pass the Oakland Museum and the County Courthouse on your right. Cross 14th Street then turn right, following the perimeter ofthe lake around to Lakeshore Avenue. At the marked crosswalk, you will be directly across from the main entrance to the church. (It is not safe to cut through Laney College and the Oakland Kaiser Convention center to cross 11th, 12th  or 13th  Streets to get to the lake.) AC Transit buses run to a stop at the intersection of E. 14th Street/International Blvd and First Avenue, near our entrance at 1255 First Avenue. For current bus and BART info, call Travel Info at 511 or go to www.511.org.

Special retreat: Green Gulch, Sun 10-13-13

Pumpkin madonna  IIRefresh yourself, inside and out!

Come to Green Gulch Farm on Sun, Oct 13, for an afternoon of fresh air, fellowship, and fun. This day will take the place of our regular East Bay & Marin County monthly retreats.

Schedule
12:15  Lunch in the dining hall – vegetarian, organic, delicious
1:10 Gather at the stop sign for orientation. To the fields!
3:30 Clean up. Muffins & tea.
4:00 Green Sangha meeting, led by Maeve Murphy.
5:00 Meditation in the Zendo.
5:45 Return home.

You can choose work that suits your interest and energy.  Sample tasks:

  • Removing the fence next to the old farm road in the 6th field
  • Taking out cape ivy
  • Splitting wood

What to wear: layers for changeable weather; sturdy, close-toed shoes; hat and other sun protection
What to bring: bottle for your water; gloves if you have them; favorite gardening tool if you like.

Site manager Sukey says: “There is now a new farm road that swings out into the field in a slight meander . . . to allow the creek to swing out next summer in a more elaborate meander. Come see it!”

Reservations required for lunch.  RSVP:  info@greensangha.org or (510) 532-6574.

AWAKENED ACTION TEA!
Saturday, November 16, 4-6 pm
Lake Merritt United Methodist Church
1330 Lakeshore Avenue, Oakland 94606

Joanna close smilingEnjoy the company of mindful activists at our 6th Annual Fund-raiser, with meditation, music, vegan treats and tea, and a keynote address by Joanna Macy (photo credit:  Adam Shemper).

For more information, go to Awakened Action Tea.  Tickets are $20.  Send your check to Green Sangha, PO Box 20261, Oakland, 94620, or buy online here.

 

POSITION OPENINGBoard of Directors
Do you have a deep desire to restore the earth? Are you inspired by the mission of integrating mindful practice and awakened action? Do you enjoy cooperative planning, leading by listening, and the art of governance? Green Sangha is accepting applications for our board of directors, a close-knit team of dedicated, creative, collaborative professionals with a love of mother earth. Details here.

 

 

Activating hope with Joanna Macy

AWAKENED ACTION TEA
Sat Nov 16, 4-6 pm

Macy, Joanna standing“Suspicion of power leads people to be reluctant to act authoritatively . . . . Fortunately the power-over model isn’t the only way to understand power.  When we see with new eyes, a more attractive and capacity-building alternative comes into view.”

– Joanna Macy & Christopher Johnstone, Active Hope (2012, p. 108)

Green Sangha is dedicated to empowering community leaders and citizen activists with practices that restore our sense of connection and inner peace.  Joanna Macy will be the keynote speaker at our Awakened Action Tea:

  • Saturday, November 16, 4-6 pm
  • Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, 1330 Lakeshore Avenue, Oakland, 94606

Reserve your place now. Tickets are $20. Send your check to Green Sangha, PO Box 20261, Oakland, 94620, or purchase tickets online here.

“Thinking of courage and determination as things we do rather than things we have helps us to develop these qualities.  They emerge out of our engagement with actual situations and the dynamics that arise from our interactions.  This approach is relational, and we call it power-with.

Joanna Macy & Christopher Johnstone (2012, p. 109)

 

March for the Climate August 3

Climate March
Moving Planet Day, Sept 24, 2011

For months we have been happily planning and looking forward to the Green Sangha Gratitude Gathering scheduled for Saturday August 3 in Point Reyes Station. In the meanwhile, a major Climate Action demonstration was organized by 350.org for the same day in Richmond. We have decided to postpone the Gratitude Gathering and instead put our mindfulness into action at this important gathering of earth stewards and climate protectors.

Please join us in marching peacefully for climate sanity and a speedy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. The organizers are hoping for 1,000  to 2,000 participants.  Our experience on other 350-organized events is that the crowd is positive and upbeat, and that bystanders are often interested and even vocally supportive.  It is a moment for inspiring awakened action.

Here’s the overall plan:

Gather:  Richmond BART station

Time: 10 am, Saturday August 3

March: From Richmond BART to Chevron refinery (approximately 2.4 miles)

Rally: Chevron refinery, S. Castro St. gate, approx. 12 noon

Adjourn:  1 pm or so

Bus transit is available back to BART from the refinery

A shorter March & Kids’ Event will begin at 10:30 am, George Carroll (aka Washington) Park, Pt Richmond.

Green Sangha’s role

Have you been reluctant to participate in demonstrations because the energy feels negative?  Our goal is to contribute to the loving, joyful atmosphere of this event.  To maximize the coherence-creating effect, our group will begin with a circle in the nice grassy area just west of the Richmond BART station.  It is the area bounded by Metrowalk Way.  See this map.

Green Sangha board member and yoga teacher Bet Muth will lead us in a standing meditation and invocation.  We’ll have our banner in hand, or hanging nearby; just look for a circle doing gentle stretches or standing in silence.  The circle will be open to all who want to join, so please invite friends and family.  When the time comes, we will join the larger group at the BART station and set forth for the refinery, sometime between 10:30 and 11:00.

If you want to participate in the Green Sangha circle and prefer a shorter walk, there is bus transit from Richmond BART to either Washington Park or the rally site.

Practical reminders from the organizing team

  1. Bring your own water bottle.
  2. We’ll have porta-potties at the rally site, and possibly near the start (assuming we can either use BART or the Bobbie Bowen Center).
  3. Remember to bring sunscreen and a hat.
  4. Wear comfortable shoes and clothing!
  5. This is a family friendly event. (Children are encouraged to join the kids’ march from Judge George Carroll Park, formerly Washington Park).
  6. Non-violence includes no verbal abuse or threatening motions (although spirited chants are a big part of our demonstration).  No weapons, no alcohol, no non-prescribed drugs.  Be respectful of all participants and on-lookers.

If you have additional questions about Green Sangha’s participation, please e-mail Bet Muth, bet.muth [a] gmail.com

We look forward to participating in this awakened action with you on Saturday, August 3!

For More information on the March:

Saturday, August 3rd

Richmond Chevron Convergenc– No Tar Sands, No Fracking, No Dangerous Refineries, Save the Rainforest

350.org and the 2013 Summer Heat Coalition

Learn more here and here.

 

A call to teachers – speak on climate change!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA“Just as we need to keep our bodies healthy and pure as we seek enlightenment, while we dwell on this planet we have a duty to cherish and protect it.” – Thich Nhat Hanh, The World We Have (2008).

Teachers of meditation have long promoted mindful living for mental development, physical health, and more harmonious social relations.  Mindful living extends even further, though, into the realm of lifestyle choices, business decisions, and government policies.  All of these have a profound effect on our communities and our collective body, the earth.

With atmospheric CO2 levels still climbing, we need dharma teachers to join actively in the movement for climate protection, through their teaching and through their organizations.  This spring, we joined James Baraz in calling on all meditation leaders to teach on climate protection as a vital part of mindful living.  Members signed a petition on the website of Oxford Gaia House Retreats, organized by a number of Sangha members.  Then, in early June, Spirit Rock hosted a gathering of teachers who discussed this call with James, Jack Kornfield, and other Spirit Rock leaders.

Climate protection is the immediate and personal requirement of every one of us, and it cannot wait any longer.  While dharma teachers begin to take up the issue with the same seriousness that they give to regular meditation practice, let your voice continue to be heard, in conversations with neighbors, before elected officials, and at your place of work.

Buddha in fieldLet your actions seen!  Sign up for Green Sangha’s Sustainable Living Training with Linda Currie, to become a Climate Leader yourself!  Call (510) 532-6574 or write info@greensangha.org.

 

 

 

Tell the President: no Keystone XL pipeline!

We have just a few days left to stop the Keystone pipeline project.  Climate experts tell us that all of our good work will be undone if this project is approved.  Your voice makes a difference.  Here is a sample letter, adapted from Bill Carney and Sustainable San Rafael.  Please take a few minutes to copy this letter into a Word document, edit to suit your style, and send to the addressees by Earth Day!

Then, please tell us that you sent the letter.  We want to know how many Green Sangha members and friends have responded.

With heartfelt gratitude,

All of our team at Green Sangha

April, 2013

President Barack Obama, The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Obama:

History will remember your Presidency for what you do on climate. Now is the time for bold climate leadership. I join millions of Americans in calling on you to support immediate and decisive climate-saving actions.

Climate disasters such as Hurricane Sandy and the heartland drought have made this crisis real to most Americans.  A unique ‘teachable moment’ is at hand.  Please make good on your Inaugural pledge “to respond to the threat of climate change” by laying out a practical plan to achieve what science demands, including these key elements:

  • Climate is an energy issue:  To solve the climate crisis, we must move rapidly from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy.  Climate can’t wait.
  • Climate is an economic issue:  We can solve this crisis by creating satisfying American jobs building a clean energy economy and re-building climate-resilient homes, businesses, and infrastructure.
  • Climate is a fiscal issue:  We can pay for the transition off fossil fuels and for the damages done by fossil fuel through carefully stepped-up fees on carbon – which will also help incentivize the switch to cleaner fuels.  Otherwise, the escalating costs of      climate disasters and adaptations will swamp future budgets and drown future opportunities.

I’ve already acted to reduce my carbon use.  Now I need your action to support and amplify the efforts of every citizen on the scale needed to solve this crisis.  You have the power to take Executive action now to demonstrate that climate is a national priority by rejecting the Keystone Pipeline.  Then, inspire us with a comprehensive, can-do climate vision to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050.  If Americans can travel to the moon, a “mission to Earth” is possible, too.  Not only is it possible, it is vital to the health of our people and our home planet.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

 cc:          

Representative Jared Huffman/999 Fifth Ave., #290/San Rafael, CA 94901

Senator Barbara Boxer/112 Hart Senate Office Building/Washington, DC 20510

Senator Dianne Feinstein/331 Hart Senate Office Building/Washington, DC 20510

Secretary of State John Kerry/2201 C Street NW/Washington, DC 20520

For your vision

A simple treat.  Do your eyes ever get tired after a spell of reading?  Any close work for an extended period can create fatigue, even eyestrain.  Computer work can be especially hard on the eyes.  One blogger reported that when she works too long on the computer, “I can’t see any more.  Everything is blurry, and it takes a few hours for my vision to return.”

Relief is at your fingertips, and is something you probably do spontaneously from time to time.  It’s called Palming.  Dr. William Bates taught it, and its roots appear to reach back to eastern healing traditions such as yoga and Tibetan medicine.  Meir Schneider, PhD, of the School for Self-Healing in San Francisco, puts palming at the center of his self-care recommendation.  Here’s how:

Palming.  Place your cupped hands over your eyes so that the heel of each hand rests on the cheekbone and the fingertips point up.  With your eyes closed, look at the darkness.  Breathe deeply and comfortably.  When you take your hands away, notice any colors that appear before you slowly open your eyes.

How long should you palm?  Usually individuals do this for a few breaths.  For certain needs, though, Schneider recommends palming 5, 10, even 30 minutes a day.  (Would you like to hear how one man answered this question?  Read the story below.)

Workshop
Come learn the basic principles of natural eye care at Improving Your Vision:  Inner and Outer, Saturday, March 9, 2-4 pm at the Stress Management Center of Marin, 1165 Magnolia Avenue, Larkspur.

Cost:  $20 ($10 for current Green Sangha members).  Advance registration strongly recommended.  Call (510) 532-6574, or write info@greensangha.org.

Instructor:  Stuart Moody, registered yoga teacher and president of Green Sangha

Zoe palmingYoung children need support in many ways.  Here, the grand-daughter of Melissa Moody, former Director of Education for the School for Self-Healing, enjoys a special board for palming.

One man’s experience with palming Greg Marsh, a Certified Natural Vision Teacher in Fort Collins, Colorado, and producer of the 6-CD program, Secrets of Regaining Your Vision Naturally (www.visionimprovementcenter.com), tells this story:

“Ophthalmologist William Bates concluded from his study and treatment of thousands of eyes that tight muscles actually contort the eyes and restrict circulation.  He found that palming helps those muscles relax and let go.  Even Dr. Bates was surprised at what one man in his late 60’s accomplished with palming.  This man had worn glasses for forty years for distance, and twenty years for reading.  He was also developing cataracts.  When he asked how long he could palm, Dr. Bates told him he could not overdo it.  At his next appointment the man reported ‘It was tedious, very tedious, but I did it.’  He had palmed from 4 am to midnight, eating nothing and drinking lots of water.  He could now see perfectly both in the distance and for reading, and his cataract had cleared up significantly.  Two years later there was no relapse.”

Bill Carney – sustaining personal creativity

Marin chapter retreat:  Saturday, January 20, 10 am – 1 pm

Our guest speaker this month is Bill Carney, president of Sustainable San Rafael (SSR).  Bill has been a leading force behind the conception, drafting, and implementation of San Rafael’s Climate Change Action Plan.  Knowing the scale of climate change, touching every ecosystem around the Earth, Bill understands the need for both decisive action and conscious self-care.

Back to camera, Bill instructs fellow demonstrators on Moving Planet Day in SF, Sep 24, 2011

Bill will reflect on sustaining personal creativity while cultivating change within the community.  He served for 25 years as landscape architect and project manager for the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency.  He is the author of Cities, A Nuclear Peace Poem, and the forthcoming Mountain, An Evolutionary Epic.

The meeting takes place in San Anselmo, Sun Jan 20, 10 am to 1 pm.  Donation requested.  For address and directions, write to info@greensangha.org or call (510) 532-6574.  We respond quickly!

Renewing energy from within

Restore your energy for the New Year on Sun Jan 6, 2-4 pm, at the Stress Management Center, 1165 Magnolia Avenue, Larkspur.

With President Obama speaking again of climate change, and Congress discussing, however tentatively, a carbon tax, we have a golden opportunity to shift the direction of our country toward real sustainability. This opportunity means work at every level of society, from checking our home energy usage to developing renewable forms of energy to sequestering carbon in living systems of field and forest.

How do we renew our own energy as we imagine, plan, and implement these earth-saving actions?  Yoga techniques of self-massage, mindful movement, and conscious breathing can renew your life energy and revitalize your mind day after day.

Join us for a hands-on workshop, Renewing Energy from Within, to set the pace for a New Year full of resilience, optimism, and grace.  The Stress Management Center is on Magnolia Avenue near the College of Marin.  Cost: $20. No charge for Green Sangha members (annual membership $25 available at the door)

Advance registration is strongly recommended.  Call Elizabeth Little (510) 532-6574 or write info@greensangha.org. To join Green Sangha or to renew your membership, go to www.greensangha.org and click on the Donate tab.

“This is a gift to yourself.  Leaders feel such heavy burdens with so much to accomplish and with such little time and money to do vital work. Mindfulness for leaders helps us go to our strong and calm center and let go of the burden.  It nourishes the soul and frees the spirit.”

– Maureen Parton, County Supervisor’s aide

 

 

SAVE THE DATE: Falling in Love with Nature, Sat Jan 12, 7 pm

Start the New Year with a thought-provoking, activating conversation on what we can do to save the Earth.  Scott Sampson, evolutionary paleotonologist and science educator, will be our featured speaker at our 2nd Annual Members’ Night:

Sat, Jan 12, 7 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Marin, 240 Channing Way, San Rafael.

Scott’s topic:  Falling in Love with Nature.  So many of our environmental ills spring from a lack of loving relationship with the world.  In Green Sangha, we see the connectedness of all life as the foundation of activism:  “Of course we love the planet.  It is us!”

But is loving the planet enough?  Can ancient principles and practices of mindfulness be used strategically to restore the Earth?  Join Scott Sampson, PhD, for meditation, slide show, and lively dialogue.  Green Sangha leaders will briefly describe current actions in which anyone can participate, including Less Carbon & More Compassion, the Low Carbon Diet, Rethinking Plastics, and the Teen Environmental Leadership Academy.

Here you can find reviews of Dr. Scott’s new book, Dinosaur Odyssey: Fossil Threads in the Web of Life, and his blog, The Whirlpool of Life.

OTHER EVENTS
World Toilet Day was Mon, Nov 19, but there’s still time to give a sit!  Click here to read Marianna Tubman’s article on this global issue, see her Gratitude Meditation, and join her pledge to support SOIL, a nonprofit actively helping Haiti recover from Superstorm Sandy, protect public health, and restore fertility.

December retreats.  Relax, refresh, and renew at our monthly chapter retreats.  East Bay:  Sun, Dec 9, 10-1 in Berkeley.  Marin:  Sun, Dec 16, 10-1 at the Nonprofit Resource Center, 555 Northgate Drive.  Contact Elizabeth for information or directions.

Renew your membership, renew your energy!
Mindful Yoga for Eco-Activists, Sun Jan 6, 2-4 pm
With President Obama speaking again of climate change, and the Congress discussing, however tentatively, a carbon tax, we have a golden opportunity to shift our country toward real sustainability.  This opportunity requires work at every level, from checking our home energy usage to developing renewable energy sources to sequestering carbon in field and forest.  How do we renew our own energy as we imagine, plan, and implement these earth-saving actions?

Yoga techniques of self-massage, mindful movement, and conscious breathing can renew your life energy and revitalize your mind day after day.  Join Stuart Moody for a hands-on workshop, Renewing Energy from Within, to set the pace for a New Year full of resilience, optimism, and grace.

Sunday, January 6, 2-4 pm at the Stress Management Center, 1185 Magnolia Avenue, Larkspur
Cost: $20.  Free for Green Sangha members (annual membership $25 available at the door)

Advance registration is strongly recommended. Call Elizabeth Little (510) 532-6574 or write info@greensangha.org.  To join Green Sangha or to renew your membership, go to www.greensangha.org and click on the Donate tab.