I was privileged to enjoy an exciting picnik with a gorgeous new friend, Yasmeen, today in Nelspruit (pics to come)
That, she’s a most eligible single lady that I’ve come across for a while, and we had a fun time connecting is an exhilarating natural setting with aromas of paradise is good news of my romantic life but being the geek that I am, this post is really about Picnik, and online image editor that connects to all your social networks. http://www.picnik.com/
The future of green is local — and entrepreneurial. At TEDxMidwest, Majora Carter brings us the stories of three people who are saving their own communities while saving the planet. Call it “hometown security.”
We are looking for an Operations Manager to grow our national schools program. We need someone who has:
Commitment, Integrity, Self-motivation, High efficiency and attention to detail, Experience Managing people, Networking skills, Permaculture Design Experience. The position is based in Cape Town.
Please send short CV and a cover letter that explains why you fit the job to leigh@seed.org.za fax 086 670 6695 by 20 January 2011. For more info see http://www.seed.org.za
This community consists of 85 households, around 200 residents and is widely considered one of the most successful Australian Intentional Communities. It is located North of Brisbane and holds ties in trade and spirit to it’s nearest town of Maleny. Crystal Waters boasts it’s own bakery, Permaculture veggie patch, swimming dams, bamboo and wood plantations, general store, fire brigade, cemetery, communal dvd collection, cinema, venues for courses and health retreats, market day and pub night.
Many residents here are strongly connected to world beyond community as they utilise the internet to run various small businesses selling a plethora of ethical products. The Eco-village is focused on outreach and education so it’s quite easy to explore Wwoofing, staying in luxury or budget accommodation or by taking a guided tour. The eco-friendly houses here are a sight to behold and vary from the most simple ‘circle-on-a-page’ design to elaborate masterpieces of green architecture.
I noticed that in some Intentional Communities there was a strong expectation to participate in community but the large population base here means the energetic residents can become highly involved and others feel free to step back. There are some communal commitments such as the annual levy for weed control on communal land which can be paid by weeding! Bi-laws prohibit the use of chemicals being used on the land to protect their organic certification.
There is a no cats/dogs agreement here and 30km/h speed limits around the village means kangaroos lope everywhere, bird life abounds and it’s hard not relax. Crystal Waters is a great example of how Eco-Villages can work well!
please please donate what you can even if its only a little -its vital this land is bought otherwise the canned hunting industry will buy it so that more precious lions will be slaughtered
White Lions | Save the White Lions www.whitelionshomeland.org
Only 7 White Lions have been successfully reintroduced to their natural habitat of Timbavati. More land is now urgently needed for reproduction and securing future generations—we found the land, and you are our only hope to secure this new land. Please contribute in any way you can.
How many new pairs of socks does dad need? Does Aunt Sue really need another Bonsai tree? This year, show your love with a gift that really matters. Give a Gift of Water in the name of family and friends and help us bring clean, safe drinking water to 3,410 people in Wakiso District, Uganda. Together, one gift at a time, we can reach our goal!
Us Jozi people experienced a magnificent site today and everyone's talking about the rainbow in the sky around the sun. Everyone's got an opinion and I like the one that I've convinced myself to believe, and if you'd like to help me test my theory, then please read on and see if you can help
Some urban shaman did a profoundly healing and cleansing sifutu (African sweat hut) last and prayed for the cleansing of the environment. Their humbleness in being being chosen to do this important work is inspiring them to put a call out to anyone who feels called to purify our land to step forward and join us in this prayer vigil.
Here's a video of a water cleansing ceremony that was done on the full moon of August, which added to the energy of the sweatlodge of last night.
My theory is that the group event that happened last night, the circle around the fire, and the circle of people within the sweatlodge, singing their prayers, and focussing on personal and group cleansing, caused the water molecules in the storm system that was passing over (remember that there was a thunderstorm during the afternoon yesterday) to take on a very harmonious sacred geometric pattern.
Check this video out on the effects of prayer on water,
WATER – The most common substance on earth. It is with us every moment of everyday, but do we know the secrets of this amazing element? From agriculture, to factories and hydropower, we put water to work in a million different ways, and yet water acts outside all known physical laws of nature. At a time of global climate change, understanding the mysteries of water is critical. Every living thing needs it to survive. Our ignorance of its function and capacities has lead us to abuse its quality and forget its potential.
Witness WATER challenge long-standing assumptions and reveal enlightened new discoveries about the unending potential for water. Examine cutting-edge technology that suggests our thoughts affect the structure of water. These new discoveries go beyond human reckoning – beyond the solar systems and galaxies to the source of life itself.
I'd like to test my theory(actually I'd like to just heal the world, I know deep inside that this theory is absolutely true, and nothing you can tell me will change my mind, hehe) that this is so and invite you to be part of similar rainbow creating events like this.
Leave a message here, if you're interested, sign up to my newsletter, where I'll announce when next we're working on a group consciousness.
Please share this message on with those you know have a calling to change the world for the better
This is my pic of it taken from Oriental Plaza at around 10:30am
“A New We” is a documentary about ecological communities and ecovillages in Europe. Enjoy two hours of insight into 10 European eco-communities from 8 European countries, created by Austrian documentary filmmaker Stefan Wolf. Stefan’s aim: to explore a variety of ecovillages in order to present a broad spectrum of lifestyle possibilities to many people.
“A New We” is a unique and important film event that will lead you through the fascinating and varied worlds of these 10 communities.
Buy this documentary with free shipping anywhere in South Africa, for just R347
“A New We” is a unique and important film event that will lead you through the fascinating and varied worlds of these 10 communities.
How are these communities organized?
What decision-making processes do they use?
How they finance themselves?
What food choices do they make?
How much of the food and energy that they need do they produce?
Is spirituality important?
How do adults and children interact?
Are there schools?
These and other questions are addressed in this unique and important film event. The variety of situations and voices in A New We inspires hope for the future of humanity and all life on the planet. The lives shown here are more motivated by imagination, vision, respect and cooperation than by economic forces and social expectations. In these 10 communities, the creative solutions to many social, environmental and economic challenges exemplify the nearly infinite capacity for human-, community- and self-development. It’s a film that enlightens, encourages and spreads hope – for a new world and A New We.
I've written previously about the Long Valley Farm eco-village. I'm interested in taking Pritam up on the offer of investing in this eco-village. Who's keen to go into it in partnership with me?
Check the details out here, and get in touch if you're interested.
This is the email she sent me
"The Breevlei Trust offers spaces at Long Valley, a farm with its own crystal clear perennial river running through, 6 kms outside Robertson.
The trustees/ shareholders can build their earth-friendly house on the 90 hectares and share off-grid wind and solar energy as well as permaculture vegetable gardens. The project envisions a retreat centre for learning/ studying and outreach into the community. Shares are offered at R500.000 or 1mil.
The past two months have been somewhat frustrating due to the extended holidays which were closely followed by the strike, which finally came to an end on Tuesday. Although it was sad for the children and disruptive to our programmes, we did what we could and luckily the Lavender Hill and Retreat schools remained open.
When going to open the school gate to check on the garden and worm farm last week, our facilitator Nokuphiwo was very touched to see three little Grade 1 girls, dressed in their uniforms, sitting outside the gates eating their school lunch. When she asked what they were doing there they replied “waiting for our teacher miss”… very dedicated students indeed!
We’d like to thank Michael Carnegie for taking the Saku hiking club on quite an adventure in the Cape Point nature reserve. We learnt about the coastal marine life, saw zebras and other game, and finished off with an arts and crafts session where each child got to make their very own kelp vuvuzela
Thank you to everyone who came to see the Earthchild Documentary screenings at the recent Encounters Film Festival. They were very well attended and there was lots of interest during the Q&A discussions after the film as well as much positive feedback. Thank you to Encounters for helping us to share this special film.
Our Earthchild Heroes for the month are Tamasea and her team of volunteers who came and planted 40 trees at Sakumlandela. Helped by a Grade 8 class, they dug holes and planted a variety of indigenous trees around the periphery of the school grounds and ended with a special prayer ceremony. The trees are doing well and are being taken care of by their Grade 8 custodians
There is much in the way of tree planting happening and we have joined forces with an exciting new initiative called Green POP. They have been planting away and will shortly be coming to our cluster of schools in the greater Retreat area to plant some more. To find out more and support this initiative please visitwww.greenpop.org
It can be hard not to get disillusioned by what is happening and what we read in the newspapers about the education system and South Africa in general. But, as an anonymous graffiti artist once tagged (see photo on group), “there is always hope”. There are so many people who with their words and actions are helping to make a difference… and if you have read this far in our newsletter, we’d like to thank you for following what we are doing and supporting us to make our small contribution Thank you, enkosi, dankie!
The Green Power House is a cool healing and green centre i n Jozi’s leafy Linden suburb. In their latest newsletter this pricked my interest:
This month we showing the movie “Food Inc”.
It truly is an awakening as to what is happening in the food industry.
Food, Inc. lifts the veil on the world’s food industry, exposing how the food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. Food, Inc. reveals surprising and often shocking truths about what we eat, how it’s produced. It’s mostly told from an American perspective but this model is used around the world.
When: Thursday 30th September. Where: The Green Power House; 43 2nd Ave, Linden. Time:   6.30 to start movie at 7pm. Cost: R40.00/person.
If you would like to bring a camping chair instead of the ones I have here (that are not too comfy to watch a movie) please feel free to do so. If you don’t have one we will just grab some from the lounge for you. RSVP: please email or phone me if you interested in watching this movie just so I have an idea of how many are coming.
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