Everyone is invited to SOPA’s first virtual gathering this year when we’ll talk about what we want to “bring forth” in the coming year. With this gathering we’ll switch from just being a “first Saturday Drawdown solutions share” to exploring all aspects of the Pachamama Alliance vision. At the upcomng gathering – from noon to 1:30 pm Saturday, Feb. 6 – we’ll create a collective vision board of “new dream” possibilities. Your dream for the upcoming year may be related to climate solutions or environmental issues, social justice, or spiritual fulfillment.
If you have an image that reflects a vision of an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, and socially just human presence on this planet that you’d like to go on our digital vision board, or you would like the link for the zoom gathering on Feb. 6, please contact us at in**@**uthernoregonpachamama.org.
Our Pachamama Alliance partners Sandi Goldie and Jim Bronson are currently up in Vancouver hosting a popular series about climate solutions called Saturday Solutions Synergy Sessions. They welcome Rogue Valley Drawdown graduates and others interested in hearing about community level climate solutions or to share information on your current projects. The idea is to share ideas so that we are all working together with action to reverse global warming. The next two sessions are from noon to 2 pm Feb. 13 and March 20. Contact Sandi for the link to attend either of those free gatherings.
If you missed registering for the last Pachamama Alliance Game Changer Intensive – an 8-week interactive, online course designed to educate, inspire, and equip participants to be game changers in their communities – you can now register for the next series. The Intensive is about both personal and planetary transformation: who we need to be and what we need to do at this momentous time in human history. While you are waiting, we’ll feature some course highlights here for the next few weeks so that you can have a tiny taste of what the course has to offer. This week’s highlights are:
- 10 Qualities of a Game Changer
- Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich explaining how the game is rigged.
Finally, some timely actions to consider:
- Message from SOPA core team member and local activist Catie Faryl: Please ask our Oregon Senators in Washington D.C. to vote “No” on appointing Tom Vilsack as Secretary of Agriculture. Concerns are that his long term connections with Monsanto, genetic engineering and chemical/factory farming will limit our ability to proceed with better systems, such as, regenerative agriculture, carbon sequestration, organic seeds and crops, and safety for forests, fields, water and lands. Also, please share this with your Climate Action groups, friends and family. We need to stop this appointment by engaging people across America.
- SOCAN’s Master Climate Protector – A Primer for Action will be offered via Zoom beginning February 8, 2021.This is a 10-week course, held weekly on Mondays from 6-9 pm. The course is limited to 20 participants and costs $100, however, scholarships are available. Get more information or contact ellie@socan.eco
And here is another view to consider: It’s worthwhile to read what Vilsack has to say about climate action through agriculture: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/27/opinion/biden-vilsack-agriculture-climate-change.html
From Catie Faryl:
In Art Cullen’s article there is no mention of how genetic engineering, CRISPR and other genetic modifying technologies fit in to the big picture. Seems to me the questions to be asked Vilsack are: Is Mr. Vilsack ready to turn his back on biotechnology, chemical fertilizers, and factory farming? Will he support the small family farms and undo much of the substandard nutrition that is made cheap by use of chemicals, resource extraction and forced growing? Just saying things are going to change doesn’t make it so.
Recently in conversations about regenerative agriculture, seed growing and land use discussions, there’s talk of “co-existence” with biotechnology and factory farms. In past experience Monsanto, Syngenta and other biotech companies were never willing to negotiate with organic farmers and proponents – they simply walked out of the first meeting to discuss banning gmos in Jackson and Josephine Counties. I hope you are right that Mr. Vilsack is serious about addressing climate change through land practices that don’t feed the fossil fuel derivative industries. Trying to sequester carbon, build a carbon market place, build healthy soil and protect water sources in order to address the climate crisis will be easier to accomplish if chemicals and biotech are eliminated and people return to treating our farms, forests and water ways as essential parts of nature and our existence. We will see if, when questioned, Mr. Vilsack addresses these doubts and reassures us that he’s convinced of the past follies of genetic engineering and that he understands how antithetical those practices are to achieving a healthy and survivable world for humans and all sentient beings.
So my key point here is someone more connected than me should these questions and clarify Tom Vilsack’s current views and future plans for abandoning genetic engineering, resource extraction practices and the heavy use of chemical fertilizers and inputs in agriculture.
Sincerely, Catie Faryl