Environmentalism

Joanne Rand overcame her shyness because of her need to sing people together in care for the Earth. Having lived way off the grid, in a tree house, she's walked the walk, from growing up in Georgia to parenthood in Northern California, where she listens to the song of the stars.

Mark Kastel is co-founder and senior farm policy analyst for The Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-originated organization serving as a watchdog for "good food" - organics, family farms, environmental and economic justice issues, all around food. With careful research and attention to the oft-missing integrity of our food system, Cornucopia helps plug the holes in our national organic food standards.

When building relationship with Earth, the best advice may be "don't just do something, sit there!", and 3 participants of a weeklong workshop did something like that, sharing their process, experience, and fruits in this program. eric maya joy, Mary Jo Klingel, and Mary Conrow Coelho speak of roots & fruits of a Quaker Earthcare Witness (QEW) experiment.

Jeremy Gragert tackles the climate/environment crisis at home by working on the ways we travel, including his activism with the Chippewa Valley Transit Alliance, Eau Claire Climate Action Now, and the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin (WisconsinBikeFed.org).

Ken Lonnquist is change-making, environmental activist, humorous & serious type of singer/songwriter. Ken produces a wide array of musical styles, though folkish is sort of home base for him. You'll find a spirit of deep connection with the Earth and a musical talent to add riches to your musical experience in Madison, Wisconsin, with Ken.

Sandy Bishop & Rhea Miller were the 2012 Lopez Spirit Award winners for many of their works, including very notably their work with the Lopez Community Land Trust which nurtures the island in myriad ways, like producing net-zero-energy housing developments and the Seed Library. Rhea hosts a home church, drawing on, and continuing beyond, her training in Episcopal seminary.

The KXL Pipeline Truthforce and their 3/24/13 Educational Forum & Concert in Norman Oklahoma will bring together great speakers plus music by Buffy Sainte-Marie and Indigenous.

The Biodynamic Farming & Gardening Association is holding their North American conference in Madison, Wisconsin, on November 14-18, 2012. Executive director, Robert Karp, speaks about the organization, biodynamics, and the conference, while keynoter & workshop leader Dennis Klocek shares about Sacred Agriculture and alchemy.

Singer/songwriter Tracy Feldman is one of the many rewards I got for going to this year's MREA Clean Energy & Sustainable Living Fair. While there's a clear and powerful passion in his guitar, violin & lyrics, teaching biology at UW-Stevens Point is also a major calling of his life.

Joe Reilly is a singer, a songwriter, an environmental educator, and a man on a spiritual quest. His spirit journey has taken him from Catholic to Native American to Buddhist and back to Catholic, all the while deeply connected to the Earth.

NOTE: Photo of Joe Reilly by Mary Kerney