Charting our course of action for 2016
Year-end retreat in Berkeley: turning within for quiet and clarity, turning without for environmental restoration.

Green Sangha began in 2000 with individuals coming together to meditate, educate, and support one another as they explored ways to live more sustainably.  The group developed plans for personal action such as Saving Electricity at Home, Simplifying Gift-Giving, Saving Water, and Purchasing Recycled Paper.  Then we started giving talks on these issues at churches and schools.  By 2005 we joined the national Magazine Project.  Through our outreach, the Buddhist magazine Turning Wheel increased their recycled content, offices at Stanford University and Spirit Rock switched to 100% recycled content paper.

Rethinking Plastics was born from a series of discussions at chapter retreats, and led to numerous waste-reducing practices and policies in schools, businesses, and government agencies.  For example, letter-writing at East Bay chapter meetings led to Clover Milk removing the plastic caps that they had started affixing to their cartons.  A talk on plastics in Fairfax led to the town passing the county’s first single-use bag ordinance.  In Berkeley and Cotati, our talks catalyzed creek and beach clean-ups.

Now, with issues such as climate protection, neighborhood resilience, protection of SB 270 (the plastic shopping bag ban), and enhancement of the East Bay Regional Parks on our minds, the time is ripe to think together on where we want to concentrate our activist efforts in 2016.  Come take part in planning and visioning at our December 13th East Bay Retreat.  We’ll propose and discuss projects that we have the most interest in doing.  We’ll consider what type of support and processes we would need to achieve our goals.  We’ll also look at our meeting structure and consider ways to streamline and improve our processes.

And, as always, we will have ample time for yoga and meditation, potluck refreshments, and fellowship.  Join us on Sunday December 13, 4-7 pm!  RSVP:  info@greensangha.org (we respond quickly with address and directions).

Before you come, please give some thought to actions that you would like to be involved with, and any suggestions you have so that we can improve our efforts. By our January 10th meeting, we will be ready to review, revise, and adopt our plans.

See you there!