Builders of the Arks's topics - tribe.net

Beware of Rich Friends

Zen — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 01:32:30 GMT

Aloha friends of the Eco-Ark Project. I will be heading back to the Eco-Ark soon, and will again enjoy the peace and serenity that only being cut off from civilization can provide. I would like to thank all of you who have supported out efforts over the last few years, and especially those who have been inspired to carry a part of our vision into your own local communities. our work will never truly be completed until the world comes together in re-establishing sustainable resource developments around the globe.

I am happy to announce the publication of two new E-book downloads that are now available. They chronicle the development of the vision that led to the establishing of the Eco-Ark in the Puna Rain Forest on the island of Hawaii. A long, strange, and mystical journey that began on The Great Peace March from Los Angeles, CA. to Washington D.C. in 1986. Sharing the inspiration I received at the '86 national Gathering of the Rainbow Family in Pennsylvania.
www.welcomehome.org/rainbow/main.html
And the mysterious happenings in the vortex region of Sedona AZ. Where I was recruited as a bodyguard for an heiress to one of America's Wealthiest families. They are full of tales of Mysterious, Humorous, and sometimes horrific occurrences and the people we met along the way.

"Beware of Rich Friends", and the sequel "It's How The Rich Stay Rich" continues the adventure five years later. With remembrances from the '95 gathering in Taos N.M. Living in an Earthship there. Then carrying the vision to the tropical island of Maui. And further struggles and victories in our attempt to create Sustainable Eco-communities in our island paradise. Culminating in the a final battle between the powers of light and darkness, and the grounding of the Eco-Ark vision.

Article from The Great Peace March 21st reunion
www.ojaipost.com/2007/11/g...in_d.shtml

You can find the downloads as well as links to sample pages at:
http://stores.lulu.com/jwbush

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Breakthrough to a New You

Zen — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 01:54:31 GMT

I was introduced to Michael Benner by way of KLOS radio in Los Angeles in the early 80's. He had such an open minded and well rounded approach to problem solving and opportunities in life, that it had a profound effect on the direction I chose to take with my own life. My first trip to the Hawaiian Islands was to take an accelerated learning course taught by his (then) room-mate, Steven Snyder. Steven later became my hypnosis teacher and personal development mentor. Though I managed to move on to Maui first, as described in my books http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=2563481 they eventually worked their way to paradise as well. Now Michael does a weekly webcast from Maui, which anyone can listen in on for free. Also, on Sunday September 5, 2009 you can join Michael Benner, Steve Snyder, and Larry Czerwonka in beautiful Hilo, Hawaii for "Breakthrough to a New You!"

Throughout life, everyone plays various roles and characters, mostly to please or influence others. It begs the question, who’s the Real You?

* Why do you think, feel and behave the way you do?
* When you speak without thinking, who’s speaking?
* And, if you’re fooling yourself, who’s fooling who?

Join Michael Benner, Steve Snyder, and Larry Czerwonka in beautiful Hilo, Hawaii for a fascinating adventure into self-discovery and life management.

To register or for more information visit:
http://bit.ly/3qGnOC

Price: $60
If you join them on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=48022990043&ref=nf#/event.php?eid=120697284845
you can get a 25% Friends discount.

Date: Saturday, September 5, 2009
Time: 9:00am - 1:00pm
Location: Hilo Woman's Club
Street: 7 Lele Street
City/Town: Hilo, HI

Phone: (818) 569-3017
Email: MB@TheAgelessWisdom.com

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Free download from our neighbors reggae band

Zen — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 01:21:56 GMT

Anyone out there who likes reggae music might want to take advantage of my neighbors free offer. Their bands name is "Ras Sparrow" and at least for a limited time (if not forever), they are offering a free download of their latest recording "Zion Town". Ras Sparrow is one of the hottest up and coming reggae acts on the Big Island of Hawaii. Their first publically released recording "Good Seed" has gone up to #1 on island radio, and they are gaining quite a following locally. Radio stations on the other islands have discovered "Good Seed" as well, and they have been invited to play on Maui and Oahu later this year. So check them out and get your free download now while the offer still lasts.

http://www.myspace.com/rassparrowdailybread

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Ship shape

Sun — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:23:47 GMT

Stumbled upon this little tidbit ,of info and thought it vital to share . In this video I really appreciated ,that the narrator said,"Grow food."Id say now would be a great time to get ones pantries stocked up if you havent been already .http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXATSV8S3-M

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INTERDEPENDENT PROJECT LAUNCHED

Dandarius — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 08:13:29 GMT

Giving new meaning to the term "G" force the Interdependent Project has officially launched and we invite you to come and "Declare Your Interdependence" in the guaranteed "Fear Free Solution Sphere" Sustainable Matrix! The project got off the ground with just a 1k grant from Ashoka's Youth Venture and a whole lot of persistence and perseverance in the face of ridiculous odds! Please be sure to invite your friends & Tribes! http://www.interdependentproject.org

In Sustainable Solidarity

Dandarius

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Fruit Tree Tour Wins Emmy Award !!!

Zen — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 17:59:17 GMT

The Fruit Tree Tour episode of the show Natural Heroes, has won an emmy! The award-winning show was based on their DVD Planting the Vision. The special episode aired on PBS across the nation. This award is a huge tribute to programs like Natural Heroes and the featured groups that are working for positive change. We hope many more people will see the show and be inspired to plant a tree in their community!

Watch a 6-minute trailer for the DVD "Planting the Vision" below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KChQMBjvtqw&eurl=http://www.commonvision.org/harvestrhythm/harvestrhythm.php?id=6740798932974661482

Be sure to check out commonvision.org's Harvest Rhythm newletter to read about all their great works. And check out the other videos the have compiled during their service to the planet and its people.

We Love Common Vision!!!

http://www.commonvision.org/harvestrhythm/harvestrhythm.php

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A Father's Day Tribute

Zen — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 20:11:03 GMT

Looking back, one might ask what it takes to go that extra mile. To do more than you have to, because you know it’s the right thing to do. For myself, I guess, I have always been "Green". Not so much because of some deep seated religious or philosophical belief. At least not at first. As a kid in the late sixties, I recall the small square stickers with the ecology symbol printed on them. We got them from the recycling station, when we took in our newspapers and aluminum cans.

These weren’t only OUR papers and cans. As a kid, somewhere between seven and nine years old, my father suggested it as a way to make some money for myself. I took the little red wagon, or later the old grannies collapsible grocery cart, an collected newspapers from all the neighbors, for blocks. Recycling was practically unheard of back then. But we kept the neighbors news recycled, as well.

Now, I do have my own strong philosophical and religious reasons, for the "Green" path I have chosen to follow with my life. And my father, even in his semi-retirement, continued to express his concern for the environment by working with the Aquarium of the Pacific, in Long Beach, CA. An incredible educational experience for school kids, and the general public. Sharing the experience of witnessing some of the incredibly diverse life forms, that exist within the worlds oceans. As well as fostering an understanding of our need to preserve their natural habitat. In the most recent Zagat guide for family travel, it ranked as the No. 2 family destination in the Los Angeles area after Disneyland. Good going Dad! It’s great to have a father you can be proud of.

Here is the article: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/aquarium-ocean-visitors-2068600-ways-exhibit

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Builders on Hawaii

Zen — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 01:42:26 GMT

This is a thread for those wishing to join us on Hawaii Island and help build the Eco-Ark in the Puna rain forest. Everyone interested should click the links on the Group page for "Rainbow Waystation" and the "Human/Nature Foundation" just to get up to speed. From there you can use this thread to ask questions and reserve space. For those who would rather purchase a neighboring lot and do your own thing along with us, we are in the "Hawaiian Acres" sub division near Kurtistown, Hawaii. We do not own any neighboring lots and you DO NOT need our permission. Send me a personal message an I will get the details to you. Then you can talk to the real estate agent of your choice for more info on what is available in our area.

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Bringing back the Victory Gardens

Zen — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 01:13:20 GMT

I was just thinking about these old time practices of self sufficiency and sustainability. Then I found this posting in another group and decided to share it that way. We might need to update the name for them though. http://tribes.tribe.net/fallenfruit/thread/3e92d07f-71e9-4f85-92d8-dce0fd6a44aa

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RAS SPARROW CD RELEASE PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Zen — Mon, 19 May 2008 23:09:30 GMT

The Daily Bread is the official band of the Eco-Ark Project. Support local indepentdent music.

COME GET IRIE WITH RAS SPARROW & DAILY BREAD AT THEIR CD RELEASE REGGAE PARTY AT SHAKA’S IN PAHOA ON SATURDAY, MAY 31ST!!!!!
$7 COVER @ THE DOOR. MUSIC STARTS @ 9:30PM.

Check out a sample at http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=87599736

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(Living Green) Why Bother?

Zen — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 22:16:30 GMT

The following article by Michael Pollan appeared in the New York Times "Green Issue". Here is an excerpt, or follow the link to the complete (4 page) article... http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/magazine/20wwln-lede-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

...If you do bother, you will set an example for other people. If enough other people bother, each one influencing yet another in a chain reaction of behavioral change, markets for all manner of green products and alternative technologies will prosper and expand. (Just look at the market for hybrid cars.) Consciousness will be raised, perhaps even changed: new moral imperatives and new taboos might take root in the culture. Driving an S.U.V. or eating a 24-ounce steak or illuminating your McMansion like an airport runway at night might come to be regarded as outrages to human conscience. Not having things might become cooler than having them. And those who did change the way they live would acquire the moral standing to demand changes in behavior from others — from other people, other corporations, even other countries.

All of this could, theoretically, happen. What I’m describing (imagining would probably be more accurate) is a process of viral social change, and change of this kind, which is nonlinear, is never something anyone can plan or predict or count on. Who knows, maybe the virus will reach all the way to (edit) and infect (edit) my evil twin. Or not. Maybe going green will prove a passing fad and will lose steam after a few years, just as it did in the 1980s, when Ronald Reagan took down Jimmy Carter’s solar panels from the roof of the White House.

Going personally green is a bet, nothing more or less, though it’s one we probably all should make, even if the odds of it paying off aren’t great. Sometimes you have to act as if acting will make a difference, even when you can’t prove that it will. That, after all, was precisely what happened in Communist Czechoslovakia and Poland, when a handful of individuals like Vaclav Havel and Adam Michnik resolved that they would simply conduct their lives “as if” they lived in a free society. That improbable bet created a tiny space of liberty that, in time, expanded to take in, and then help take down, the whole of the Eastern bloc.

So what would be a comparable bet that the individual might make in the case of the environmental crisis? Havel himself has suggested that people begin to “conduct themselves as if they were to live on this earth forever and be answerable for its condition one day.” Fair enough, but let me propose a slightly less abstract and daunting wager. The idea is to find one thing to do in your life that doesn’t involve spending or voting, that may or may not virally rock the world but is real and particular (as well as symbolic) and that, come what may, will offer its own rewards. ...

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A Common Vision

Zen — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:30:41 GMT

I consider these people kindred spirits who are already doing what my intention for the "Green Ribbon Project" is. Bringing the food to the people. Check out their video page and explore the rest of their site if you have a mind to.

http://www.commonvision.org/news/multimedia/multimedia.html

They also have a tribe at

http://tribes.tribe.net/commonvision

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Filmmaker Researching The Struggles Native Hawaiians,..

morning star — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 19:20:45 GMT

(previous post did not work properly)

Body: Hello,

I am a filmmaker who has been researching the struggles Native Hawaiians are experiencing due to the ever increasing rise in housing costs, the rising cost of living and the rising numbers of Native Hawaiians who are homeless. I have heard stories of several Native Hawaiian families who have had to leave the islands because they could no longer afford to stay.

I will be visiting the Big Island within the next couple of months and I would love to be able to meet with as many Native Hawaiians who are having the difficulties I have mentioned above. It is my goal to highlight the problems they are facing in a documentary film.

I have created approximately 300 films and videos in the past eighteen years. I have formed teams of video professionals and I have performed as a producer, editor, cinematographer, writer and graphics artist to produce each project. It is my goal to also utilize talented Hawaiian professionals and also Hawaiian volunteers to complete my project.

If you could provide me with a list of people who would want to share their experiences with me during my upcoming visit to the Big Island I would greatly appreciate your help. I would also appreciate any information or locations where I can obtain such information relating to Native Hawaiians leaving the islands.

You can either email or call me using the contact information listed below. Thank you for your assistance.

I greatly appreciate any help you can provide!

Sincerely;

Larry S.

Rolirad
Producer, Editor, Writer, Photographer
LSR Films
9743 Rocky Hollow Road
LaPorte, Texas 77571
LRolirad@aol.com
Cell: 281 543 7017

P.S. posting for a friend ~ contact Rolirad directly if interested.

Alohas<3

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Just say No to GMO

Zen — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 23:44:57 GMT

You tube videos concerning the GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) problem on Hawaii and elsewhere...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P29nhSR1l30

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Hdfds8yoAY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qgf-yyp9fEw

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What's Growing On?

Zen — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 02:01:09 GMT

One of our missions is to encourage people around the world to form similar projects in their areas. The Eco-Ark Project on Hawaii will do little to solve our problems on a global scale. Many useful plants require different environments in order to thrive and reproduce. Even with our "optimal" conditions and extended growing seasons, some of the earths most useful plants require drier climates or winter chilling in order to complete their reproductive cycles. For this reason it is necessary for people around the world to follow our inspiration and "make it happen" in their local communities.

This thread is intended for all of you to share information about what is being done in your communities to further the goal of providing food, preserving botanical species and converting carbon dioxide (A greenhouse gas) back to oxygen through the perpetuation and nurturing of our treasured members of the plant kingdom.

Please list any links you have to other positive actions being taken to help re-green the planet.

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Thoughts from within - Woody Harrelson

Zen — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 22:30:22 GMT

Thoughts from within - Woody Harrelson

http://www.voiceyourself.com/03_thoughtsfromwithin/03_movie.php

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On Permaculture

Zen — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 02:46:17 GMT

What Is Permaculture http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X0H7V6dDi8

"The Permaculture Concept" - Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUr4uPe9WBk

"The Permaculture Concept" - Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g2mmqqEn08

"The Permaculture Concept" - Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye90FxJmuw0

"The Permaculture Concept" - Part 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlPZKggxZ0E

"The Permaculture Concept" - Part 5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPokZm_z9zM

"The Permaculture Concept" - Part 6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bda8TbW9MrQ

Greening the Desert http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sohI6vnWZmk

An Experiment in Back Yard Sustainability http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOaPFt_ajvU

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Medicinal plants from the Amazon to be grown at the Eco-Ark

Zen — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 23:15:45 GMT

While in Tucson on February 10th, My friend Osalina Berman, Author of the upcoming e-book, "Amazon Herbs, A - Z" asked me to attend a company presentation with her and her husband. There I connected with the ( http://abcpeace.amazonherb.net/RS_3_1_treasure_house.aspx ) Amazon Herb group, including Olivia Newton John and her Man-friend, "Amazon John Easterling" as well as Mike Adams, "The Health Ranger". We are working on a plan to get some of these valuable and threatened Amazon medicinal plants to our preserve on Hawaii. There is much already planted and growing over there. But still much more to do. I will be getting back to that in late July, when the other volunteer builders and I return.

A major element of the Eco-Arks mission is to create pockets of living, reproducing bio-diversity around the planet. With the intention of insuring their survival by the fact that not every environment will be hit by natural or environmental disaster at the same time. As long as we can keep these unique species alive somewhere, the potential for their re-establishment anywhere else can be strengthened.

You can find out more about Osalina http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=327203525&MyToken=629cac91-37ce-4ce0-849d-3e8393c28d52

The Health Ranger's page http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=327006670

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New Reggae Music from the Puna Rain Forest

Zen — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 23:57:39 GMT

If you have never heard of Ras Sparrow and the Daily Bread, then you must not live in the jungles of Hawaii Island. As my neighbors, I have the unequaled pleasure of getting to hear them rehearse from The Eco-Ark grounds. They are the "unofficial" band of the Eco-Ark project, besides being great people and strong supporters of the Eco-Arks ideals. Please give a listen to their sample clips and support independent artists.

Find their myspace page at: http://www.myspace.com/rassparrowdailybread

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Strength through diversity

Zen — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 01:06:23 GMT

A while back, I went into the appropriate governmental office to file the necessary paperwork for the Eco-Ark's agricultural designation. I got a hard time from the department head for a number of reasons. First, he expected me to bulldoze the three acres of rain forest before planting. I had to actually get him to come out to the property to see for himself that the inconsistent and shallow soil would be entirely removed, leaving nothing but ripped and broken lava rock that would be as useful as a growing medium as a poured concrete slab. Another point of contention was that I had no intent to mono crop. My intent was instead to succeed.

There have been a few different blights on farmers on the islands over the last few years. Ring Spot virus attacked papaya orchards. Bunchy Top virus attacked banana plantations. And GMO papaya trees spread their pollen to fertilize organic papayas and many infiltrated organic farms were forced to rip out there contaminated trees for ethical reasons (Truth in advertising).

When you put "all your eggs in one basket" as the saying goes, It only takes one stroke of misfortune to wipe out everything you have been working toward. The more diverse and dispersed your palette, the slower a disease or infestation can spread.

Also, many food producing plants and trees limit their fruiting / harvest period to certain seasons of the year. Unless you plan on fasting, or eating canned peaches for six months per year, poly (many) cropping is by far the wisest choice. It also provides a variety of foods spread over a number of overlapping harvest periods. This allows us greater variety of fresh produce, more days in the year to enjoy the variety, and less chance that any one misfortune can wipe out everything.

The age of factory farming and shipping of food items over vast distances, has had a devastating effect on our awareness of our relationship to the natural world. Ask a child where their food comes from, and few will tell you "my back yard or farm". Most will say "The grocery store" and not think any further beyond that. Canned products are consumed for convenience, rather than surviving the off season.

But in an age of peak oil leading to higher shipping costs, and the possibility of Earth changes or political terrorism causing a breakdown in the transportation system, It appears the age of the NIMBY is over. It is time for the age of the FIMBY to be reborn. My (Foods In My Back Yard).

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Greetings

Shawn — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 03:14:09 GMT

I am just creating a post to introduce myself and 'place my mark' on this forum. I have come here with an interest in this project that has been introduced to me by Zen; but not sure if this is something for me to pursue yet. Till then,
Namaste!

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Communities on the Islands

Zen — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 23:21:56 GMT

This thread is being started due to my intention of helping new (and old ) arrivals to the islands to find the optimum community living situation for their lifestyle and goals. We don't all need to fit in the same box, And we are all stronger by helping each other succeed. So if you have a forming or functioning community project in motion, tell people about it on this thread. Also describe your intent and focus as well. (Kinky sex, religious focus, dietary restrictions, etc.) so individuals can select the theme that suits them best. Be sure to mention which island you are on. And remember that many first timers think incorrectly that the big island is Oahu, rather than Hawaii Island.

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I Need You To Remember...

Zen — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 00:21:34 GMT

I recieved this from a myspace sister and was so impressed with it that I am sending it out to all I can reach. Awesome! A recentering for these times of chaos. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DH35qC1D34

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Found in an internet search

Zen — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 02:37:36 GMT

I Googled our group name, and checked a listing that did not lead to "OUR" Builders of the Arks. I don't know the guy who wrote it, nor had I read any of his writings previously. But he seems to capture the essence of our mission quite well, however varied in expression it may be. Its nice to know we are not the only ones.

Society : Scott Russell Sanders

A FLEET OF ARKS

The builders of arks are those working to protect and restore wild lands.

from Resurgence issue 217

AT DAWN ONE morning in July, police showed up with bulldozers, chainsaws and guns to force a band of protesters out of a twenty-hectare wood in my hometown of Bloomington, Indiana. The sheriff and his deputies were upholding a ruling by the county council, which gave a developer the right to turn these woods into an apartment complex. The protesters were upholding the right of the woods to remain as woods, one of the last parcels of big trees left within the noose of roads encircling our city. A few protesters had lived for months up in the trees on temporary platforms, while local people took turns bringing them food and drink. The tree-sitters were arrested along with a number of their supporters, sixteen in all, and they are now awaiting trial. As I write, the trees are falling, and a private security firm guards the perimeter of the vanishing woods.

The police had the law on their side, of course, but they also had the banks, building contractors, real-estate agents, merchants, utility companies, fast-food vendors, newspaper owners, and countless other boosters that stood to make money from the development. The protesters set against that power their unarmed bodies and their unfashionable convictions. They believe there are values more important than money. They believe that red oaks and red foxes and all the creatures of the woods deserve a home. They believe that a civilised community must show restraint by leaving some land alone, to remind ourselves of the wild world on which our lives depend and to keep ourselves humble and sane.

Similar conflicts are taking place around the globe. By and large the developers are winning. Yet it's plain to many people that the Earth cannot long support the extravagant way of life so common in rich countries, nor can it support the spreading of that extravagance to poor countries. Sooner or later we'll burn up all the cheap oil, we'll pump the aquifers dry, carve up the last big forests and fish out the seas, plough up the last arable land and taint the last clean air. Endless consumption is ruinous to the planet and bound to fail. The question is not whether it will fail but when, and how the end of our spree will come - by choice, or by catastrophe.

Knowing all this, how should we act? We might shrug off the knowledge, pretend we can go on building houses, driving cars, shopping around the clock, wiping out other species, fouling the atmosphere, polluting water, and squandering soil forever. We might admit the gravity of our situation, while counting on scientists and engineers to come up with a technical fix. We might place our faith in the free market, believing it will somehow furnish a second, unspoiled Earth for our use, once the price is right. We might concede that neither economics nor technology will enable us to pursue infinite growth on a finite globe, and so decide to live it up while we can, leaving future generations to figure out how to survive on a ransacked planet. Or we might seek to live more lightly, reducing our demands on the Earth, devising or recovering simple, elegant, durable practices that could serve our descendants long after the current binge of consumption has withered away.

The first four responses to Earth's limits are by far the most visible. Those who strive to live more simply are harder to see. They don't crowd the malls or fast-food shops. Occasionally they make news by defending trees from bulldozers, but they rarely show up on talk shows or the covers of magazines. Instead, largely invisible except to one another, they go about learning the skills and mastering the tools necessary for meeting basic human needs. They grow food. They build shelters. They make clothes. They draw energy from sun and wind and wood. They get by with fewer possessions, and learn to repair the ones they have. They create much of their own entertainment, and derive pleasure from good work, human company, and the perennial show of Nature. As far as possible, they rear their children away from television and advertising. They buy as little as they can from the global economy, and instead support local economies based on co-operation, barter and sharing. They protect and restore woods, prairies, rivers and swamps, making room for wildness.

I think of these people as builders of arks, for their ways and works are vessels designed to preserve from extinction not merely our fellow creatures, as on Noah's legendary ark, but also the wisdom necessary for dwelling in place generation after generation without diminishing either the place or the planet. In their efforts to conserve skilful means and wild lands, they point the way beyond the rising flood of extinction - the ecological cataclysm precipitated by growth in human population and consumption - toward a new, durable civilisation.

THE FOREST THAT the tree-sitters were trying to save is called Brown's Woods, after the local speculator who owned it. Bill Brown - who is by all accounts a decent, prosperous man - could have sold or even donated the woods to a land trust or the city of Bloomington, but he stood to make a tidy sum by selling it to the developer, so that is what he did. The arguments for turning Brown's Woods into the Canterbury House Apartments are familiar: people need somewhere to live; people need jobs; investors deserve a return on their capital; the city must grow. We can always think of reasons for subduing land to our desires.

Whatever the arguments, the upshot is that the felling of Brown's Woods has diminished our commonwealth, and those who live here after us will inherit a grimmer, grimier place. We are not the only ones hurt. The hawks, coyotes, toads and salamanders, the butterflies and beetles will all have to leave, if they can outrun the bulldozers, and if they can find another haven anywhere near the sprawling city. The red oaks and shagbark hickories have no such chance, nor do the trout lilies and dogtooth violets, the bloodroot and chanterelles. These neighbours have no say over the future of the neighbourhood. They write no cheques, cast no votes. They have no voice in how we use the land - unless some of us speak up for them.

YOU MAY RECALL that God sends the Biblical flood in punishment for human corruption, sparing only the upright Noah, Noah's family, and a breeding pair of "every living thing" (Genesis 6:19). God instructs Noah to build an ark and take refuge there along with a male and female of each species. Then come forty days and forty nights of rain. "And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, birds, cattle, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm upon the earth, and every man; everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life". You might wonder why all the crows and crickets and other innocent breathers must drown for sins committed by humans, but the Bible does not say.

When the skies clear, Noah sends forth a dove to search for dry land. The dove comes back empty-billed on its first flight, returns bearing an olive leaf on the second flight, and after the third flight does not return at all. Reassured, Noah and his fellow passengers drift to shore and step onto solid earth. Pleased by Noah's obedience, God vows, "I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease". It's a beautiful promise, one that softens considerably the image of the tyrant who sent the flood.

But the promise has a dark side, from which we are still suffering. For God says to Noah, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every bird of the air, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything". The passage may be read as merely stating the plain truth: all beasts do live in dread of us, because we are clever enough to displace, capture, or kill every other species. Understood in this light, God's charge to Noah may be taken as a warning not to abuse our power. But the same words may also be read as justifying our utter dominion over Nature. If every animal and plant was created to serve our needs, if everything has been given into our hands, then we may use the Earth as we see fit. Read in this way, the passage becomes a licence to loot the planet.

While such a reading might appeal to the most reckless of developers, it is firmly contradicted by the rest of Noah's story. A few verses later, we find a third variation on the promise, one that clearly limits our dominion. "Behold," God tells Noah, "I establish my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth". The God who speaks here sounds chastened, as if regretting the slaughter of so many innocent beings. This God is the creator and protector of crickets and crows, rattlesnakes and rotifers. This God cherishes all creatures, whether or not they go about on two legs, and by implication Noah is being told to cherish them as well.

The lesson we draw from the Biblical flood depends on which part of this story we embrace. One tradition blesses humans alone, conveying the whole Earth to our use; the other blesses all creatures alike, granting to each species its own right to survive and flourish. The first view instructs us to fill the Earth with our kind and to impose our will on all living things; the second instructs us to honour our fellow creatures, to show restraint in our uses of the Earth, and to take our place modestly in the household of Nature.

By and large, those who wield the levers of power in the global economy hold the first view. They insist on the sovereignty of human appetite. Nothing has value in their eyes except insofar as it can be bought or sold or otherwise used. They scorn the idea that animals or plants could have rights, even the right to survive. While they fight against protections for endangered species - mocking those who defend rare fish or birds - they support the engineering and patenting of new life forms, which can more conveniently be turned into cash. They resist every effort to preserve wilderness; they regard public land as an arena for private plunder; they reject any limits to growth; they seek to overthrow every barrier to drilling, mining, logging, road-building, polluting, or profit-making. By largely controlling the delivery of news, advertising and entertainment, they tell us what to believe and what to buy, and they force-feed us a lethal vision of the good life.

Clearly, humans could not have survived without making use of the Earth. Our ancestors hunted and fished, they gathered berries and seeds and roots, they fashioned clothing from skins and fibres, they cleared fields and planted grains, they domesticated animals, they cut down trees and dug up rocks and baked clay into bricks to build shelters, they harnessed fire and smelted ore into metal. The question is not whether we should use the Earth, but to what degree and to what end. With only stone-tipped weapons, our ancestors drove many species of large animals to extinction; with hand-tools, they felled enough trees to create deserts. Our need for prudence has grown along with the power of our technology, as stone points have given way to nuclear weapons, as bone hooks on fishing lines have given way to ocean-going trawlers pulling miles-long seines, as digging sticks have given way to draglines capable of stripping the tops from mountains in the search for coal. Likewise, as our population has grown from the few million people alive at Noah's time to the more than six billion today, so has our need for an ethic of restraint.

Noah's story offers us such an ethic in the call to protect all creatures on the ark. Those who hear this call insist that human beings are not the sovereign rulers. They insist that we belong to the community of soil, water, air, and all living things, and they seek to live in such a way as to preserve and enhance the health of this greater community. They accept limits to growth and limits to human population. Whether or not they've read the Bible, their actions are in keeping with God's command to Noah, which was to save not only those species that would be useful to humans, but everything - the creepers and crawlers, the stingers and biters, the predators and parasites. From a religious perspective, this abundance is all the handiwork of God, who loves the Creation and wishes to preserve it. From an ecological perspective, each species is vital because it embodies an irreplaceable store of knowledge accumulated over millions of years, and it interacts with other species in ways far more intricate than we could ever fathom, let alone recreate. Religion and ecology alike instruct us to honour all life. And so, recognising that the Earth has suffered great damage because of our carelessness, and realising that many other species besides our own are in danger, those who believe in the solidarity of living things have set about building arks.

A BOOK MAY be an ark, as Walden and Small Is Beautiful and The One-Straw Revolution clearly are, ferrying an ethical vision through stormy times. Organic farming, solar designing and other practices that protect the fertility and abundance of Earth may be arks. A co-op for sharing food or housing or tools might be an ark, and so might be a community chorus, an arts centre, a backyard garden, a children's science museum, a yoga class, a school - any human structure, invention or gathering that conserves the wisdom necessary for meeting our needs without despoiling the planet.

Among the builders and tenders of arks, the ones who come closest to fulfilling Noah's task are the people who work at protecting and restoring wild lands. Some devote a portion or even the whole of their own land to providing habitat for other creatures. Others join together to protect land through legal restrictions, donation, or outright purchase. In my own county, the Sycamore Land Trust has combined gifts, grants and federal and state funds to protect a 136-hectare parcel of wet forest along Beanblossom Creek, which is home to a colony of great blue herons. Every time I see one of these magisterial birds wading in a nearby lake or flying overhead with long legs trailing, I realise they might not be here at all without the Beanblossom Refuge.

Whether protected by government, trusts, or individuals, natural lands offer the last resort for other species as well as for those of our own species who crave contact with wildness. These preserves need not be large to be valuable: every scrap of ground can serve as an ark. Quite a few people in my city have dug up their lawns and planted their gardens with native flowers, shrubs and ferns. As one garden after another goes native, the roar and stink of mowers give way to the songs of birds and the smell of flowers. In summer, monarch butterflies on migration stop to nectar on blossoms, and in winter raccoons leave their tracks in the snow. All year, people walking by these exuberant yards pause on the sidewalks to gaze and listen, caught by a feral scent, a startling shape, a flash of life.

Every unsprayed garden and unkempt yard, every meadow, marsh and woods may become a reservoir for biological possibilities, keeping alive creatures who bear in their genes a wealth of evolutionary discoveries. Every such refuge may also become a reservoir for spiritual possibilities, keeping alive our connection with the land, reminding us of our origins in the green world.

Ark-builders realise, however, that nothing is gained by creating refuges in one place, if we behave in such a way as to contribute to the pillaging of land somewhere else. If we're going to build arks, we should do everything we can to avoid swelling the flood. This means living more lightly, and it means nurturing local economies, since the global economy cares neither for the fate of the Earth nor for the health of particular places. By protecting wild land, the ark-builders are helping to preserve the biological heritage - the seed stock, the diversity of species, the intricate web of fertility - that we will need to replenish the Earth after the flood recedes.

WHEN THE TREE-sitters were arrested in Brown's Woods, the sheriff was quoted in the paper as saying, "We want to do this slow and easy, so no one gets injured - so everybody has their say and can get on with their lives." What he didn't seem to grasp was that the protesters were getting on with their lives. They were expressing their love for a piece of the Earth. In this dispute over Brown's Woods, one side has its say by sending in police and bulldozers, and by throwing the protesters in jail; the other side has its say by weaving yarn among the trees and speaking plain words on behalf of the community of all beings.

If I were in the dock - as by rights I should be, given my sympathies - I would testify that we must protect the remaining wild lands, especially in our cities, because we desperately need the companionship of other species. We need them for pleasure, for instruction, for inspiration. We need them to recall us from the frenzy of our lives. We need the birds, butterflies, frogs and snakes to help us monitor the health of our home places. We need the trees and other plants to purify our water and air. We need wild lands as reminders of the natural cycles and deep time out of which we have evolved and on which we depend. These untrammelled spaces offer us relief from the hard, temporary, sometimes ugly shapes of human constructions. They serve as reservoirs from which other parts of the city and countryside might be repopulated with wild creatures. They give us a chance to glimpse the shaping intelligence in Nature, to sense the ultimate mystery from which all things rise, and to align our lives with that power.

The defenders of Brown's Woods and the other people I am calling ark-builders don't belong to a single political party. They don't follow one particular religion, or perhaps any religion at all. They don't come from one age bracket, ethnic group, or educational background. They don't obey a master plan, nor do they pretend to have a remedy for all the ills of our day. Instead, they're bound together by a certain joy and boldness in seeking to preserve the diversity of living things and the essentials of human knowledge and art. What they share is a moral vision, one informed by an understanding of ecology and a reverence for life.

Building an ark when the floodwaters are rising is not an act of despair: it's an act of hope. To build an ark is to create a space within which life in its abundance may continue. But no refuge can be sealed off entirely from the worldwide flood. Acid rain may leach it; ultraviolet radiation pouring through the ozone hole may bleach it; invasive insects or viruses may attack it; pollution from adjoining land may wash over it. In any case, no single refuge is large enough to contain the full array of species. The big predators, such as lions and wolves, need more space, as do grazing animals such as bison. And the animals that migrate, from caribou to cranes, need sanctuaries stretching across entire continents for feeding, resting, and bearing young. Even thousands of sanctuaries, blooming across our cities and countryside, will not be spacious enough if the rest of the planet becomes an industrial wasteland.

Ultimately, there will be no security for life on Earth unless we see the whole planet as an ark. We are not the captains of this vessel, although we may flatter ourselves by thinking so. We are common passengers, and yet because we are both clever and numerous, we bear a unique responsibility to do everything we can to assure that this one precious ark will stay afloat, with all the least and greatest of our fellow-travellers safely on board. o

Scott Russell Sanders is the author of eighteen books, including, most recently, Hunting for Hope, The Country of Language, and The Force of Spirit.

from Resurgence issue 217

http://www.resurgence.org/resurgence/issues/sanders217.htm

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Save the green and growing ones

Zen — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 19:31:37 GMT

My motivation, my heart's song, is to do my best to prevent the extinction of the green and growing ones. Be they the usefuls, (food, medicine, fiber) or just so close to being wiped out that we have not had the chance to find out why the Great Spirit created them. They need to be saved until we can hear what they are trying to teach us. There is so much beauty on this planet (including us two leggeds) that is so close to being lost forever that we must do something.

My focus is saving the plant life that we humans / animals depend upon to survive. Some Scientists expect to loose 15% - 36% of all plant life on this planet in the next generation. http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-bali-animals-in-flux,0,965119.story THIS IS WHY I AM FOCUSED ON GROWING AS MUCH FOOD AS POSSIBLE EVERYWHERE IT WILL GROW. http://members.fortunecity.com/fbush2/hnf.html

But I can't do it all myself. Plant food in your back yard. Start extra plants and give them away (about 1/3 of what I am growing were give backs of plants I didn't have, just because I gave my neighbors something first. It creates competition in people as they try to catch up or out do the first giver. Before you know it everyone is growing everything they can get their hands on. If you eat food with seeds in it, plant the seeds. Or at least throw them on the ground and let God do what it will. Plant in wild areas that have sufficient rainfall to nurture the plants unassisted. Donate plants and or seeds to community gardens, or start one in your community. Together we can turn this beautiful planet back into the Garden of Eden.

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The Green Ribbon project

Zen — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 00:27:45 GMT

This idea is still in it's formative stages:

The Green Ribbon project is intended as a model for a sustainable future. It involves the planting of useful plants (food/medicine/fibers) in publicly accessible areas ( with appropriate permission granted ). These resources can provide a healthy snack for a passerby. Provide a natural food source in times of disaster or infrastructure breakdown. Or be periodically harvested for local food banks. They will also provide a lineage for future propagation.

This can be done in city, suburban, or rural locations. Located at a site that already has automated irrigation, (a public park or greenway) or near a reliable ground water source. You can even plant on the street side of your yard, close enough that people don't have to invade "your space" in order to make use of the resource you are providing (and hopefully making use of yourself). Plantings should be marked with a green ribbon ( tied from green plastic "flagging tape" available at your local garden/nursery supply store ) to signify that this resource is being made available to any that wish to partake.

One consideration that officials for public (city/county/state) lands may have is fallen and rotting fruits attracting pests and breeding flies. If you intend to ask for permission to plant on lands other than your own, coordinate efforts with your local food bank volunteers to periodically harvest ripened fruits ( leaving underdeveloped ones for future harvests) and burying (composting) rotting or seriously damaged produce, to prevent infestations and fertilize the surrounding soil. This can be done even if you are growing them on your own lands.

It is my belief that food is not something that should be held hostage for a profit. A child that goes hungry over a wealthy persons greed is an atrocity. And would we not feel better telling a homeless and hungry person where to find free food, rather than giving them money? Hoping they eat, rather than buying alcohol or drugs with your donation?

This appears to be a good idea. Even when looked at from a variety different positions. What do the rest of you think? Any more alternatives you can add?

posted in Builders of the Arks - 1 reply

Creating a fram for kids in Uganda.

solomax — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 01:01:21 GMT

I have not been working on the Tribal sailing ship collective this summer, but have been planning a trip to Uganda to create a huge bamboo dome on a farm for 150 child-headed families, and filling it with hammocks. 20 years of war and AIDS have killed many parents, so we'll have a good time making play spaces and workshops for these kids: http://www.ned.com/group/opokfarms/news/2/

I'm currently making hammocks to fund the project. See http//:www.actionheronetwork.net

All are welcome to take part... any way you see fit. Please!

Thanks for the invite!

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Companion planting

Zen — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:11:03 GMT

In an attempt to eliminate the need for chemical pesticides to protect our food resources, few alternatives seem to be at our disposal. One of the more effective ones is referred to as companion planting. No, I am not referring to burying your spouse under your gardening plot, no matter how full of B.S. you may happen to think they are at the moment.

Companion planting refers to the practice of poly cropping using certain plants that provide benefits that aid other species by invigorating and nourishing the soil, and repelling their pests. For instance legumes ability to fix nitrogen in the soil, to the benefit of it's neighbors. Or the tendency of strongly aromatic herbs to repel pests away from their tasty neighbors. Or deeply rooting plants to draw nutrients up toward the surface, for their more shallow rooted neighbors to enjoy.

At the same time, there are other combinations of plants that, due to their similar traits, compete with or antagonize their neighbors. These combinations are also helpful to be aware of, so that your garden is not hindered by unnecessary competition. Following are some links (or do an Internet search for more) that can teach us which combinations work well, or poorly with each other. Either way, they can save us a lot of extra work in the garden.

Quite extensive but not in chart form:
http://www.ghorganics.com/page2.html

Most common / short list in chart form:
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/complant.html#traditional

Long list and in chart form:
http://www.seedsofchange.com/enewsletter/issue_55/companion_planting.asp

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Is greed in our own self interest?

Zen — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 00:58:21 GMT

In looking toward the future of a changing world, this question, that we have been trained to answer "yes" to, takes on a new light. The hoarding mentality, in times of scarcity has served us well, to some extent. It has gotten us through short term periods such as frozen winters when food plants could no longer provide enough for us to eat. But when it becomes so all encompassing that the motivation is not simply having enough for our needs, but to have more than everyone else or even have it all, that is a sign of imbalance.

In a changing world, we need to look beyond the right here and right now. We need a plan B, and a plan C, and so on. The more alternatives the better. Be it hurricane, flood, fire, or earthquake, things that can alter the status quo are potential factors in the equation at all times. Not preparing for their eventual possibility is short sighted. This does not mean you have to go overboard with it. But small, inexpensive steps can be taken to move in a more balanced direction.

If you live in a high population area with limited food and water resources, Moving on may be wiser than staying put. you don't need a years food and water in a bunker underground unless you are going to fight for it. and if it ends up under water or a blanket of plutonium residue, is it worth having at all?

On the Hawaiian Islands, the Kanaka Maoli (Native people) learned through the hardships of life, that things came easier if they worked together. That everyone working for the betterment of their friends and neighbors, as well as their family, meant that more help was there when they needed it as well. It is simply a matter of your neighbor killing you to get something to eat, or helping you to get something to eat. The choice is yours.

I personally think that food should not be a commodity. Hunger often has a direct correlation to war. Fat and happy people don't tend to pick up guns. That is why you see so few of them serving in the military. Why should they? But do people ever get around to thinking that if they have it all, they will be the ones most likely to be targeted. Do you want the big juicy apple, or the small dried out apple?
I have lived on streets and beaches in some pretty rough areas. No one ever tried to mug me. What could they get? But if you came driving by in your Lexus or Humvee, blinding passers by with all your "Bling", you might as well be oozing sweet nectar. You are going to get picked.

I learned a valuable lesson, perhaps a few, in trying to get as much food as possible planted on the Eco-Ark grounds. Even though my goal is to grow far more than I need for my self, I can still do one better. Perhaps I can feed a small tribe out there in the Hawaiian rain forest. But there will always be more mouths to feed. And those that feel, or even are left out can quickly turn in to your most immediate threat.

That led me to make best use of all the excess plant starts that came during propagation efforts. It is wise to start more seeds and cuttings than you can actually use. The best of the best can be planted in your garden. The rest can be given to your neighbors. Right there you have less mouths in your immediate zone needing food. Now they have their own, and you have more "for you".

But what happened next was beyond my expectation. All those neighbors, who I was supposedly being generous to (in my own self interest) more often than not showed up at my door with gifts as well. Many food and fruit bearing plants that I neither had access to, nor in some cases even heard of, came back my way. As it turned out, in giving away my unneeded excess, I got valuable (to me) commodities in return. And that is not to mention a lot of good will and assistance from neighbors that came to be like extended family to me. After all, when it is your turn to be the one helping out, are you not going to show preference to your family and friends over all others.

If you do not have land of your own to plant on, Consider starting a community garden. Talk to your local parks dept. city council or church group about providing a planting site. Talk with groups that already work to end hunger in your community about starting a project along the lines of The Green Ribbon Project as a resource to aid in their goals as well. One tree will not feed the world. One tree every so many feet...Will!

Even if we never get to the point that we need it for our own personal survival, it will do a lot of good for our world. Plants and trees convert carbon dioxide to oxygen, filter impurities from water, shade the ground and other plants from overheating, attract and hold moisture. All this as well as possibly preventing a crime of desperation by providing food.

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Documentary on the Earthships

Zen — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 22:58:31 GMT

Check out this You Tube movie trailer for the Garbage Warrior. Mike Reynolds fight to get sustainable building practices accepted by the mainstream.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KYJ0dsd-x0

posted in Builders of the Arks - 2 replies

Temperate Zone Seed Exchange

Zen — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 22:49:08 GMT

This thread is for members who seek or have seed of rare, exotic, or endangered plants suited to these climates. Due to laws limiting or prohibiting transfer of living plant materials over State lines, this is the most expedient way to spread the wealth. Click members photo and send them a message to arrange the exchanges "Off board".

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Sub/Tropical seed exchange

Zen — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 22:47:48 GMT

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What can one person do to make a difference?

Zen — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 00:29:46 GMT

Eat a piece of fruit.

OLD WAY: Select a desirable piece of fruit. Eat what you like. Throw the remains in the garbage.

NEW / OLDER WAY: Select a desirable piece of fruit. Eat what you like. Remove the seeds. Place the seed(s) in a pot full of soil. Add water. Compost the remains of the fruit. Allow germination to take place and nurture the young sprout to a reasonable size. Transplant in an appropriate location close to a sustainable water source. (Rinse and repeat)

Don't worry about planting more than you can use. Give extras as gifts to anyone that can find a place for them to grow. You'll be surprised how much more will come back to you.

Any other ideas?

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