RCC Bioswale Maintenance Event – Friday June 25, 10 am – noon

Posted on by Barb Allen

Friday, June 25, we will be mulching and pulling weeds at the RCC raingarden/bioswale from 10:00 am – noon. Chas will bring a truckload of mulch, and we will be joined by EARTH Club students. Plan to get your feet wet and your hands dirty — it should be great fun! Below you will find a map of the RCC Grants Pass campus showing the location of the bioswale near the Josephine Building.

Where the Horses Sing

Posted on by Barb Allen

WhereTheHorsesSingThis Article and Photo by Bear Guerra courtesy of Emergence Magazine

Where the Horses Sing
by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee
“If we are to become partners with the Earth, living our shared journey, we have to once again speak the same language, listen with our senses attuned not just to the physical world but also to its inner dimension.”
Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee is a writer and Sufi teacher whose work focuses on spiritual responsibility in our present time of transition. In this essay, Llewellyn witnesses a growing wasteland that parallels our increasing detachment from the reality that spirit and matter are united.

Recalling the deep knowledge of land and water that was once interwoven into the lives of all of our ancestors—and the ways in which Western civilization has marginalized those who continue to maintain this deep relationship—he seeks the threshold that could bring us back to the place where the land sings: to a deep ecology of consciousness that returns our awareness to a fully animate world.
OPEN ESSAY

Climate Solutions 101

Posted on by Barb Allen

Presented by Project Drawdown

New Online Course

Presented by Project Drawdown, this six-unit video series is filled with the latest need-to-know science and fascinating insights from global thought leaders. Free, full of hope, and streaming now.

Watch Now

https://drawdown.org/climate-solutions-101

Your climate solutions journey begins now. Filled with the latest need-to-know science and fascinating insights from global leaders in climate policy, research, investment, and beyond, this video series is a brain-shift toward a brighter climate reality.

Climate Solutions 101 is the world’s first major educational effort focused solely on solutions. Rather than rehashing well-known climate challenges, Project Drawdown centers game-changing climate action based on its own rigorous scientific research and analysis. This course, presented in video units and in-depth conversations, combines Project Drawdown’s trusted resources with the expertise of several inspiring voices from around the world. Climate solutions become attainable with increased access to free, science-based educational resources, elevated public discourse, and tangible examples of real-world action. Continue your climate solutions journey, today.

The Need To Grow – Special Screening

Posted on by Barb Allen

Special March 2021 Event:

Can we feed the world without destroying the planet? That depends – on what we do NOW.

Join us for this FREE screening of Conscious Earth Films’ award-winning documentary:

The Need to Grow  –  

by Zoom on Sunday, March 21, 2021, from 1:00-3:00 pm.

Here is the Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83446772362?pwd=Rk9kdHJyeDRxTlJONWZlWEgvS2w5Zz09

History Shows That Sustained, Disruptive Protests Work

Posted on by Barb Allen

Courtesy of Yes! Magazine

Kevin A. Young

Kevin A. Young teaches history at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is a co-author, with Tarun Banerjee and Michael Schwartz, of Levers of Power: How the 1% Rules and What the 99% Can Do About It (Verso, July 2020).

Protesters march against racism and police brutality in Amityville, New York, on July 5, 2020. Photo by Thomas A. Ferrara / Newsday RM / Getty Images

All disruptive social movements are met with stern warnings from people who think they know better. The current movement to “Defund the Police” is no exception.

Thus an editor of the Detroit Free Press professes sympathy for the protesters’ aims but says their “awful slogan” is “alienating” to the public, including to “White people who feel more reassured than threatened” by the police. Other pundits insist that “activists who are demanding radical change” are paving the way for Trump’s reelection: “Defund the Police” is “music to Trump’s ears” because it baits the Democrats into endorsing this presumably unpopular demand.

These critics share an assumption about how change happens: Movements must win over the majority of the public; once they do so, that sentiment soon finds its way into policy changes.  

This argument has several problems. One is that government so frequently disobeys the will of the majority. Statistical analyses that compare public preferences and policy find that the opinions of non-wealthy people “have little or no independent influence on policy.” Having the support of the majority is no guarantee of change, to say the least.

Also problematic is the assumption that radical demands or actions scare away the public. The empirical evidence is mixed, but the 54% support for the recent burning of the Minneapolis police precinct should make us skeptical of conventional wisdom.

But the biggest problem with the We-Must-Persuade-the-Majority argument is that most progressive victories in U.S. history did not enjoy majority support when they were won. In case after case, a radical minority disrupted the functioning of businesses and state institutions, which sought to restore stability by granting concessions and ordering politicians to do the same.

Read the rest of this interesting and illuminating article here.

Other Side of the Hill

Posted on by Barb Allen

Free Zoom Screening of New Film on Rural Oregon Renewable Energy Initiatives

“Other Side of the Hill” shows how rural communities in Eastern Oregon are reaping economic rewards now by transcending the toxic partisan rhetoric of climate change

On Thursday, October 29, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m., the SOCAN-Ashland Climate Action Project will host a free private Zoom screening of “Other Side of the Hill,” a new film about renewable energy initiatives underway in Eastern Oregon. The film is presented in partnership with Ashland Works, Climate Reality Project-Southwestern Oregon Chapter, McCloud Watershed Council, Pollinator Project Rogue Valley, Rogue Community College Earth Club, Southern Oregon Pachamama Alliance, Sustainable Rogue Valley, and Sustainability at Southern Oregon University.  

Directed by James Parker and Juliet Grable of Synchronous Pictures and Executive Produced by local and regional climate activists Julian Bell, Deb Evans, Ron Schaaf, and Tom Bowerman, “Other Side of the Hill”  explores the impacts of a changing climate in rural Eastern Oregon as seen through the eyes of local leaders on the ground. From innovative timber operations in Wallowa County to large scale solar in Lakeview, the film amplifies the voices of rural communities often left unheard. In a time of cultural divide between rural and urban Oregon–and toxic partisan politics around climate action–it’s inspiring to learn about communities that have found common ground in an urgency to address a changing landscape.  

The 30-minute film will be followed by Q&A with the filmmakers, visionaries, and “stars,” as well as leaders in Rogue Valley renewable energy initiatives. 

You must RSVP to attend. To join us, email carmen@socan.eco.  

Attendance is limited–RSVP now!

Trailer | Film website | Film Facebook page

Heal the Trauma of 2020

Posted on by Barb Allen

Saturday, October 10, 2020 – 10:30 AM

Let’s Begin to Heal the Trauma of 2020: You are invited to a Zoom meeting with the UU Trauma Response Ministry on Saturday, Oct 10, 2020 at 10:30 am Pacific

Please join members of the UU Trauma Ministry Team and other members and friends of the Southern Oregon UU Partnership (including UU Fellowship of Klamath County, UUs of Grants Pass and Rogue Valley UU Fellowship) on Saturday, October 10 @ 10:30 am via ZOOM for an opportunity to explore the ways in which the recent wildfires have been and are affecting each of us and how we can support each other and those around us during this important time.

Many of us have experienced trauma upon trauma this year, with COVID-19 and the intensity of our national political divides exacerbating the pain of watching wildfire sweep through our region. Whether or not you feel you personally experienced trauma this year, your supportive presence can help our community begin to heal. Board Co-Chair Constance and Intern Minister Alison have been spearheading this project for the SOUUP community, because both of us have experienced finding healing we didn’t even know we needed at this type of event. We hope you’ll consider joining in.

You must register in advance for this meeting!
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

The UU Trauma Response Ministry was established in 2002 and has for the past 18 years worked with congregations across the country who have faced a variety of difficult and tragic circumstances including wildfires in southern California, Hurricanes Charlie, Katrina and Maria; the shootings at Tennessee Valley UU Church as well as many other incidents of natural and human made disaster and trauma. Those who have benefited in the past from the presence of UUTRM report that their work helped greatly, especially through the initial stages of their experiences. Even those participants who didn’t personally feel as though they needed to talk found that their presence was helpful for others who did. Please join us for this important conversation.

Question? Email Intern Minister Alison: intern.minister@rvuuf.org..

SRV’s Black Lives Matter Statement

Posted on by Barb Allen

Sustainable Rogue Valley affirms and supports Black Lives Matter.

We stand in solidarity with all people working for racial justice.

We believe that environmental and economic sustainability are inextricably linked with racial justice.

We shall educate ourselves, confront our own racism, and dedicate ourselves to undoing all patterns of discrimination.

We shall act courageously to dismantle white supremacy so that we can contribute to a better world for the generations that follow us.

Next SRV meeting this weekend Sunday 9/13 at 12:30

Posted on by Barb Allen


Save the Pipe Fork forest

Dear Sustainable Rogue Valley,

     We are meeting by Zoom this weekend Sunday, September 13 at 12:30 pm. You can click on the link in the invitation pasted below or use the meeting ID.

     I have been thinking a lot about racism, the environment and solidarity lately, and the attached agenda contains a proposed statement for our web site. This six-minute video provides a good perspective on the connection between environmental and social justice. If you have feedback about the proposed statement and cannot attend the meeting, please send your feedback to me by email.
     An agenda for the meeting is attached, along with minutes from our last meeting. Please let me know if you have items that you would like me to add to the agenda.
     We had a rich conversation last month, and I look forward to connecting on Sunday. Please join us!

Dorothy

Sustainable Rogue Valley is a group of southern Oregonians who have come together to foster a vibrant and resilient community that makes use of sustainable practices, empowers us to share our skills and gifts, and confronts environmental and economic instability with determination to create a better life for all.

Dorothy Swain is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Sustainable Rogue Valley
Time: Sep 13, 2020 12:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://roguecc.zoom.us/j/93761185026

Meeting ID: 937 6118 5026
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