| walking lightly on the earth | May 2008 | ||||||
Walking More Lightly on the Earth There is a quiet little revolution taking place in Albuquerque. In fact, I suspect this grass-roots movement is creeping across the United States, drawing very little attention. In homes, churches and meeting halls people are gathering to learn more about what they can do as individuals and families to hold back the tide of bad environmental news, to take back a little of the control of energy resources from the massive coal, petroleum and nuclear power industries that dominate us. I went to a “solar house party” a few weeks ago, and came away so motivated and inspired that I haven’t been able to talk about much else since. In fact, I think this method of education is so powerful that we’ve decided to use our resources at Body, Mind & Spirit to reach other young families looking to make some positive (but not too painful) changes. The house party I attended is the brainchild of Andrea Plaza and Angela Sylvestre, a single mother and friend of mine who lives in a modest Albuquerque house, and made the decision to go solar. She found that the education she received in the process was so powerful it had to be shared, and now she has hosted three such house parties, packing 20 or so people into her small living room to hear how and why she did what she did and short presentations from a few other speakers. These parties, though small, have sent a ripple through Albuquerque, and organizations and groups are taking notice. Sierra Club has begun to attend, handing out compact flurescent light bulbs to attendees. These parties are getting people talking, and more importantly, they are getting people to ACT. If this sounds like something you’re interested in, come to the next free solar party (really, we should call these energy independence parties, as solar is only one - the last one, actually - of many possible steps), hosted by Body, Mind & Spirit at The Source on June 28th. We are requesting that, if you are married or partnered, both partners attend. This was a critical part of the house party I attended: couples were told to come together and childcare was provided free. If either my husband or I had gone alone (as we usually do, to try to maximize time efficiency during busy weekends...), only one of us would have been informed and motivated, and the project would have died there. As it happened, both John and I had lots of misinformation and incorrect assumptions that we carried to the houseparty. To counter that, we had to hear the same information at the same time. Here is a summary of the information received: |
In this issue: |
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It was wonderful to see so many of you at La Montanita's Earth Day celebration! For those of you who haven't visited our website in awhile, check out a few new website additions. We recently added:
Take a look around and enjoy! Please note there is NO SIGNING PLAYGROUP this month. Instead, enjoy your Memorial Day weekend. And we want to wish a fond farewell to Lauren Morgan-Smith. Lauren has taught our breastfeeding classes and is preparing for nursing school. We will miss her greatly and wish her very few all-nighters! Thanks for your dedication, Lauren. Erika Harding - Body, Mind & Spirit Owner and Director
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RESOURCES LIST
Fun, Family-friendly Events Celebrating the Earth and Helping us Walk Lightly Upon It: *Saturday, May 17 11am-3pm - 2008 Local Food Festival and Field Day at the Guterrez-Hubbell House and Demonstration Farm (6029 Isleta SW - Isleta Blvd. 3 miles south of Rio Bravo) *Sunday, May 18, 10am - Community Gardens Cyclebration - a free bike tour of local organic gardens and farms throughout Albuquerque, from the University area to the South Valley... (contact cyclebration@riseup.net for more info or visit www.cyclebration.wordpress.com) *May 30-June 1, 2008 - The Art of Community Southwest: Cooperative culture - Synergy at the edges - Sustainability and Intentional Community conference at UNM (contact Ma’ikwe, 505-514-8180 maikwe@solspace.net) *June 25 6pm - Green Building Chapter NM - Presentation Green Your Home (at the UNM Continuing Education building on University) *Jun 27-29 - Taos Solar Music Festival in Kit Carson Park, Taos - www.solarmusicfest.com *September 20 and 21 - Solar Fiesta 2008 at Highland High School |
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Dr. Karen A. Genter Obstetricians and Midwives refer their patients to Dr. Genter for many reasons:
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MAY 2008 CALENDAR *Doula Tea - Saturday, May 10 (2nd Saturday of each
month) at The Source, 10-11 am, FREE! |
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| Doulas of the Southwest Providing childbirth & postpartum Doula support to families of Albuquerque, New Mexico Meet Our Doulas at our regular Teas held everysecond Saturday of each month at 10 a.m.at The Source located at 1111 Carlisle S.E. (right next to Michael Thomas Coffeehouse) Dads/partners are always welcome! You can meet each of us and get answers to your questions about Doulas, Birth, and Pregnancy |
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Recommended ResourceWe've always got our eyes out for useful links and information for you. If you have any links about birthing, parenting or green living you think other families would enjoy, please send them along. This issue's link is... www.cleanenergynm.org www.positiveenergysolar.com |
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Mom Told to Stop Breastfeeding in NYS Museum WANT TO TAKE ACTION? THE LOWDOWN ON THE BREASTFEEDING PROMOTION ACT: Representative Carolyn Maloney's Breastfeeding Promotion Act (H.R. 3799) would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to protect breastfeeding by new mothers by providing tax credits to employers who provide a place to breastfeed and/or provide breast pumps. This makes it a lot easier for women who want to give their babies breastmilk and keep their jobs. As you may know, 82% of American women become mothers by the time they are forty-four years old, so this issue is critically important to a large portion of our nation. To read the bill, visit The Library of Congress Website. |
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Calendar Highlights
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