Touching the Earth Boulder
Touching the Earth Boulder is the local chapter of Shambhala International’s Touching the Earth Collective.
Published: 31 May 2021
On June 5-8, Indigenous leaders in Minnesota are holding an action on the ground to call on President Biden to Stop Line 3 Pipeline, a massive fossil fuel project that threatens Indigenous communities, over 300 waterways, and the climate.
Members of faith communities are invited to lend support to this important action, and delegations are going to Minnesota to stand with indigenous elders. For those who cannot attend in person but would like to help support this important action, Touching the Earth Collective and GreenFaith are partnering together to offer a daily on-line meditation session in solidarity with those gathering in Minnesota.
Join us daily, 5-6 pm MT, for brief updates of what is happening on the ground, for guided compassion practice, and to create virtual community in support of the Indigenous leaders who are calling for our help. Together we can open our hearts to further strengthen the experience of those on the ground, to touch the pain of all that is at stake, and generate the space for compassion and generosity from which fresh visions for how to care effectively for our earth and its inhabitants may emerge.
Come once, come each day, come as you are. Here is the zoom link to join June 5-8, 5-6 MT:
https://greenfaith.zoom.us/j/92912230515?pwd=RGFMQTM0TERpaTd5djJLWEFSc2ozZz09
Published: 19 May, 2021
Stop Line 3 in Minnesota
Beloved Community,
Our friends at GreenFaith are partnering with Indigenous leaders in Minnesota, Honor the Earth, 350.org, and Water Protectors everywhere to bring you this invitation:
As many of you were made aware during the Sacred People Sacred Earth presentations in March, the Line 3 Pipeline is a massive fossil fuel project that threatens Indigenous communities, over 300 waterways, and the climate. On June 5-8, Indigenous leaders are holding an action on the ground to call on President Biden to stop this destructive project.
Green Faith International is organizing an interfaith delegation to go to Northern Minnesota to join in solidarity. And because of the strength of our interfaith community in Boulder our local circle has specifically been asked if we could participate.
It is a tall ask, on short notice. But sometimes such actions are called for, and this is one of those times. People who attended the Standing Rock gathering found it life-changing. Might you, or anyone in your faith community, be moved to join this effort?
The Indigenous leaders want 1000 people total, 100 of whom are people of faith.
Please respond to [email protected] if you are interested in supporting this effort in any capacity. And please forward this email to your circles who may want to know about this opportunity.
Yours in solidarity,
The GreenFaith Boulder County organizing committee
PS – Here are some further links with additional information:
and a wonderful video of Indigenous leader Winona LaDuke and others speaking to the situation:
Honor the Earth Line 3 Film
Published: 27 April, 2021
Kiss the Ground: Panel and Community Discussion
Please join the local GreenFaith community (of which Shambhala is a founding member) for a panel and community discussion on the inspiring film, Kiss the Ground (trailer here) on Sunday, May 2, 1-2:30. We will be exploring how the healing potential of soil, food, and waste is already happening in our local community.
Here is the link for the panel and discussion May 2 1-2:30p.
We are excited to welcome panelists Brett KenCairn, Senior Policy Advisor for Climate and Environment for the City of Boulder, author Hunter Lovins, President and Founder of Natural Capitalism Solutions, and Phil Taylor, Executive Director and co-founder of MAD Agriculture (short bios are below).
Kiss the Ground is an award winning movie of hope. It discusses the regenerative agriculture solutions so necessary to reverse our climate trajectory. Narrated by Woody Harrelson and featuring music from Jason Mraz, the star-studded film explains why transitioning to regenerative agriculture could be key in rehabilitating the planet.
You can find the film on Netflix.
Whether you’ve watched the film or not, please join us virtually Sunday, May 2, 1-2:30 for our panel and discussion about what is happening and what we can do locally to help our soils.
We look forward to seeing you on May 2, celebrating our Mother Earth, and our communities!
If you are interested in knowing about future events, email [email protected] to join our mailing list.
Sincerely,
The GreenFaith Boulder County organizing committee
About the Panelists:
Brett KenCairn serves as the City of Boulder’s Senior Policy Advisor for Climate and Environment. A systems change practitioner with extensive experience in regenerative ecosystems and economic design and implementation, Brett is currently focused on developing carbon management strategies that create climate stabilization and resilience through equity-based regenerative enterprises. He has an extensive background in community-based sustainable development, working in both rural, Native American, and other disadvantaged communities across the western U.S.
L. Hunter Lovins is the President and Founder of Natural Capitalism Solutions (NCS), a non-profit formed in 2002 in Longmont, CO. A renowned author and champion of sustainable development for over 35 years, Hunter has consulted on business, economic development, sustainable agriculture, energy, water, security, and climate policies for scores of governments, communities, and companies worldwide.
Phil Taylor is the Executive Director and co-founder of MAD Agriculture and a fellow at the University of Colorado, where he teaches The Future of Food in the Masters of the Environment Food Systems program. MAD Agriculture describes itself as “on a mission to reimagine and restore our relationship with Earth through agriculture.”
Published: 11 February, 2021
Being Brave in the Iron Ox Year
by Emily Takahashi and Irene Woodard
A few weeks ago, a new president was inaugurated, and we witnessed a ceremony, ritual, and some longed for peace and calm.
The ceremony offered a spot to the youngest poet laureate in history, 22-year-old Amanda Gorman. The last lines of her poem, The Hill We Climb, are,
“For there is always light
if only we are brave enough to see it.
If only we are brave enough to be it.”
These lines bring to mind Ghandi’s memorable words, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Gorman’s instructions include what it will take. It takes bravery. In our tradition this person is pawo, warrior, one who is brave.
Our practices provoke bravery. Bravery forces us to change habits. Not just to see what is wrong, but to change the recipe midway, if necessary. This bravery embodied will help us establish the society we long for. With the world on a trajectory of unrestrained carbon use, we as earth dwellers realize our own participation, and respond by being part of the light that Gorman points to.
This upcoming March 11th has been designated as a global day of climate action.
On this day in places of prayer and in households around the globe, grassroots people of diverse religious and spiritual backgrounds are joining together to call for climate leadership in compassion, love and justice. Sacred People, Sacred Earth
The Boulder Shambhala Center is an active member of GreenFaith International, the interfaith organization that is sponsoring this event. Here is an opportunity for each of us to engage safely from our homes, or wherever we are. On March 11, you can find local events, including the 11th Hour Calling, and/or tune into events elsewhere around the globe. Sacred People, Sacred Earth
Throughout history, peoples of faith have helped break down the social norms and barriers to effect the change that was needed for humankind to evolve into a species that not only hunts but helps. By participating in global events we share in the collective, and are inspired by the wisdom and actions of others.
As we enter into the Iron Ox year, we can commit to being brave. The Jan. 20 inauguration offered a fresh start, in the middle of absolute chaos. A bright sunny day in the middle of a cold winter day. A stunning young poet in a bright yellow coat, saying words that would, if followed, bring a storm of sanity to a planet in peril. It is time for bravery. Ki Ki So So!
The Boulder Shambhala Center is an active member of GreenFaith International, the interfaith organization that is sponsoring this event. Here is an opportunity for each of us to engage safely from our homes, or wherever we are. On March 11, you can find local events, including the 11th Hour Calling and/or tune into events elsewhere around the globe.
Click HERE to get started!
