As we look to 2017, many of us who work for environmental healing and social justice have deep concerns about the appointments and policies of the incoming administration.
But take heart. Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes reminds us that we were "made for these times."
Together we hold Thomas Berry's vision of a Human-Earth Relationship that is "mutually enhancing." Holding this vision and translating it into action has never been more critical...
On the Winter Solstice, we gathered at The Eco-Institute to share warmth, light, and prayers
for our world at this time...
Over the past several months, we have been sending funds to our brothers and sisters of the Standing Rock Sioux and 280 other tribes to protect drinking water, indigenous rights and sacred burial grounds in North Dakota. Recently, the Council of Elders put out a call for people and provisions at Standing Rock. The Eco-Institute has agreed to bring both on November 25th, 2016.
On September 13th, 2016, 30 members of our Eco-Institute community rented a BioDiesel bus (because we couldn't drive to a pipeline protest on fossil fuels!) and joined 350.org, Senator Bernie Sanders, Honor the Earth lawyer Tara Houska, DreamCorps Founder Van Jones, Chase IronEyes, and other representatives of the Standing Rock Sioux in opposition to the pipeline construction. Lakota Sioux Youth Leader Jasilyn Charger ran 2,000 miles from North Dakota to Washington, DC to deliver the message to President Obama that the native youth will no longer tolerate the marginalization of their people and sacrifice of their land and water.
We know the era of fossil fuels must end, if our planet is to thrive. Burning oil, coal and gas have caused catastrophic ecological damage. It's time to hospice out the old pipelines, coal plants, and fracking wells and devote our vast intellectual and financial resources to installing renewable energy systems that are safe, reliable, and efficient and powering countries around the world.
The Fall 2016 cohort of Odyssey Fellows arrived on Monday to begin their epic 10-week journey. They were welcomed by staff, residents and graduate fellows who shared food and stories and invited them into sacred ceremony as the sun set by the pond. For ten weeks, they will live in canvas yurts...
Read more!
The Council of All Beings is a communal ritual in which participants step aside from their human identity and speak on behalf of another life-form. A simple structure for spontaneous expression, it aims to heighten awareness of our interdependence in the living body of Earth, and to strengthen our commitment to defend it. -- Joanna Macy
The Eco-Institute is offering many Natural Building workshops in 2016! Join us to learn more about natural building methods such as Straw Bale and Slip Straw, Natural Plastering, Building with Cob, and more. Some courses include tours of the Mud Dauber School of Natural Building and local, permitted natural homes!
In this 8-week Permaculture Course, we will follow the teachings of the originators of Permaculture, Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, as we learn the basics of designing regenerative landscapes that mimic natural patterns. We will discover how to become resilient beings by building natural homes, creating healthy water systems, yielding an abundance of food, fiber and energy, and fostering community life.
