Defend Indigenous People and the Amazon from Oil ‘Development’ of 10 Million Acres of Rainforest
Biodiversity, Deforestation, Global Warming/Climate Change, Soil Erosion & Contamination, Water Contaminaton & Loss, peak oil — by Ryan Harb October 24, 2012
I have an urgent message to share — it is extremely important that you all know this. Our brothers and sisters in the Ecuadorian rainforest are under significant pressure from the oil companies. The government of Ecuador is planning to auction off 10 million acres of pristine rainforest for oil extraction. This is the same place that I visited in Ecuador just two months ago, so it really hits home for me.
The 10 million acres is part of the largest contiguous rainforest left on Earth — and one of the most biodiverse and culturally diverse places on the planet. If this happens, the majority of people will be left with a much lower quality of life — health problems, polluted water, poverty — with only a few getting rich off the suffering of others. Please join us in signing this letter and sharing this message widely. This is a very important battle that could set a precedent for keeping oil below ground and respecting indigenous rights across the world. It means literal life or death for them. Thank you everyone — the people of the Amazon appreciate your help enormously.
Comments (1)Growing a Model Sustainable Campus – Help UMass Permaculture Documentary Part 3 of 3 Go Viral
Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Education Centres, Urban Projects, Village Development — by Ryan Harb September 4, 2012
What does a model sustainable campus actually look like?
 A single action that sends a ripple effect into the world. And each day we throw thousands of stones into the vast sea around us. |
Many people I talk with are well aware that we live in a time of enormous global transformation. It may feel scary or depressing at times, especially with the constant messages we receive from the media, education system, and our peers about the tragic state of the world. But it is also a time to be extremely hopeful and positive about the direction that we are heading.
We live in a time when there are an unprecedented number of non-for-profit and for-profit organizations whose central mission is ecological, social, financial, and cultural regeneration. More people are working to heal the Earth and our human-designed systems than ever before in the history of the planet. There is more money and energy being directed into remediation and positive transformation every single day, and this trend is only speeding up. Countless individuals and groups from all over are ‘waking up’ and beginning to shift their ways. How can you not be hopeful?
Comments (3)Reflections on Bringing Permaculture to the White House and Meeting President Obama
Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Society, Urban Projects, Village Development — by Ryan Harb March 24, 2012
Editor’s Note: I want to congratulate Ryan and the UMass team on this significant milestone, and also wish to thank all of our readers who took a moment to vote to help ensure it came to pass. Onwards!
The White House honors five young leaders as Champions of Change for outstanding leadership on their college campuses, chosen by the public for their projects that embody the President’s goal to win the future.
The past few weeks have been life changing for me, and for many others who are part of the permaculture community at UMass Amherst. Possibly others from around the world, too. Together, we successfully brought permaculture to the national stage, and by we I mean the entire global network of permaculturists who live by the ethics “Earth Care”, “People Care”, “Share of Surplus”.
Comments (6)White House Event to Be Live Streamed – Watch Permaculture on the U.S. National Stage!
Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Education Centres, Presentations/Demonstrations, Society, Urban Projects — by Ryan Harb March 13, 2012
Hi All. We’re heading to Washington, DC in less than 48 hours and just found out the following: The White House Campus Champions of Change event will be live streamed on Thursday, March 15 from 2:50pm — 4:20pm (EST)! This means anyone can watch permaculture being talked about at The White House by tuning in here during that time.
I just wanted to share the good news!
Comments (1)UMass Permaculture Wins White House Campus Champions of Change Challenge!
Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Education, Education Centres, News, Society, Urban Projects — by Ryan Harb March 7, 2012
We did it everyone! It is now official. The UMass Permaculture team will be heading to the White House on March 15! This has been an amazing and inspiring week to see the voting results unfold and be in the center of it all. I can’t thank everyone enough for the support you’ve provided us with.
I’d like to share some reflections for how this week has been for me personally.
Comments (7)Permaculture to the White House – Please Take Three Seconds to Vote!
Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Urban Projects — by Ryan Harb March 3, 2012
Further to the last post on our UMass Amherst Permaculture project potentially being spotlighted by the White House and MTV, here’s the latest — we were leading the race but another project unexpectedly gained 20,000 votes today and has taken over first place due to their project being featured in USA Today. We are thus making a big final push to get permaculture back on top and I think we can do it!
Please take three seconds to vote here — make your vote for "UMASS Amherst Permaculture Initiative – Ryan Harb, University of Massachusetts at Amherst"
Please also note:
Comments (5)Permaculture Goes to the White House… With Your Vote!
Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Education, Education Centres, News, Urban Projects — by Ryan Harb February 25, 2012
I’ve got some incredible news to share with you! The permaculture initiative that I facilitate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (USA) has been selected by the White House as a finalist for the Campus Champions of Change Challenge award! This means we are in the final round and the general public is now voting for which teams will get a trip to the White House (judges selected 15 projects from more than 1000 applications!) The top 5 winners also get featured on a television program called ‘The Deans List’ on MTV.
Imagine the potential this has! This is by far the most important thing that I can be doing for the world right now — I truly feel that in my heart.
We have only 1 week to tally as many votes as we can – voting ends Saturday, March 3 at 11:59PM est (New York time!) Here’s a short description about the student group that I oversee, and how to vote:
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