Great Turning Times August 2009
 

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ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER

The Great Turning Times is a free email newsletter offering insights, news and resources to support the shift towards a life sustaining society. It brings together ecology, psychology, spirituality and world issues; it explores how we can participate in a deep-level collective transition (or Great Turning) towards a sustainable future for our world. If you'd like to receive it by email,you can subscribe on our homepage at http://www.GreatTurningTimes.org.

  

HIGHLIGHTS

Editorial – The power of circles

(2) Joanna Macy at The Eden Project

(3) GTT Readers Forum / Survey 

(5) Earth Circles

 

Dear Readers,

I had a very moving evening recently when my local sustainability group arranged a screening of The Age of Stupid. The film presents a disturbing picture of how our world could be if we fail to act on Climate Change; it portrays someone in the year 2055 looking back at our time, at what we did to create this problem. The film has been described as powerful, tender, funny and wise, and I’d strongly recommend it. However, for me, the most moving part of the evening wasn’t the film; it was what happened afterwards.

We’d arranged some time to chew over and digest what had come up in the film, and we did this by first dividing into pairs, hearing each other’s response to the following two questions:

             1.) What parts of the film were most memorable for me?

2.) How’s it left me afterwards?

After some minutes in pairs, we gathered as a large group. There were about fifty of us, and we arranged ourselves in one big circle, this being two people deep in places. We then went round and heard each other describe our responses to the film. We were gripped. Everyone had something to say – and hearing our memorable moments was like having an action replay that reinforced key messages in the film. Seeing a community listening to itself talk about climate change, I remembered a section from Joanna Macy’s book World as Lover, World as Self (p.98, 2nd ed.), where someone described her workshop as like the kiss that broke the spell of the slumbering princess in Sleeping Beauty.

“What broke the spell was not an informative lecture. I had delivered no diagnosis of the world’s ills or prescriptions for action. The workshops offered a more distinctive and rare opportunity: the chance to hear from others, and especially from oneself. The one we most need to listen to, I believe, is the person inside, for only she or he can break the censorship we impose upon ourselves.”

If we don’t hear ourselves voicing our alarm, it is easy to carry on in the sleepy trance of business as usual. To break the spell of complacency, we need times and spaces to chew over and digest the disturbing information available to us. That evening offered us that – and workshops in the Work That Reconnects offer this too. Just recently, I’ve found out about another approach that also provides this sort of opportunity. It is called Earth Circles (see item 5 below). Here’s how they describe it on their website at http://www.earth-circles.org

Earth Circles are designed to help us move from feelings of despair and denial to positive action, using the power we gain from sharing concerns, learning together and acting in community. They are small groups of people who meet together to acknowledge their concerns and fears around climate change and the environmental, social, and economic destruction that may lie ahead, and to support one another in discovering and carrying out effective action, as we shift toward a more sustainable way of life.

The idea is that you gather as a small group, and work through the programme they’ve mapped out in their workbook. They offer exercises and suggested session plans for a course of seven meetings. This would be ideal for Transition Heart and Soul groups, though looking through their materials, I find them so accessible that I’d encourage any of you to gather a group around you and follow the journey they describe. Please let me know how you get on if you try this.

Part of the adventure of the Great Turning involves finding allies, and useful questions to ask ourselves are “Who’s alongside me in rising to the challenge of addressing our global crisis? And where’s my circle of support and fellowship in the journey of transition towards a life-sustaining society?” If we ever feel overwhelmed when facing planetary issues, remember the motto of self-help recovery groups: “I can’t, we can”. There is a great power in circles, as they possess emergent properties not found by separated parts. What I mean by that is something different happens when we join together to face our concerns – knowing we’re not alone is just the starting point. Beyond that is the realm of possible happenings that can grow out of our supporting each other.

There is a sea change happening in our times, as more and more people are becoming roused by their alarm at what they see happening in our world. Yet at the same time there are powerful blocks in the way of the active response that is needed. If you’re reading this now, you possess important information about this – about the obstacles you face in addressing your concerns, and also about some of things that help you through these. For over a year now, Joanna Macy and I have been working together on a book about rising to the challenge of addressing our global crisis, and we’d like to ask for your help in telling us what helps you do this. While the book isn’t likely to come out till early 2011, it will feature stories, strategies, processes and insights that help people take part in the Great Turning. It would be wonderful to include some of those you’re able to share with us, so we’re launching The Great Turning Times Readers Survey and you can respond either by email or by contributing to the discussion group we’ve set up on WiserEarth. See item 3 below for more information about this.

As the unravelling in our world deepens, so also can the power of our response. That is what the story of the Great Turning, and this newsletter, is about.

With you in this great adventure of our time.

Chris.

Chris Johnstone

Editor, The Great Turning Times

Web: http://www.GreatTurningTimes.org

Email: chris (at) chrisjohnstone.info

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(1) Events listings at GreatTurningTimes.org

Please see the events page of our website at 

http://www.greatturningtimes.org/ShowEvents.asp for more complete and up to date information about workshops, conferences and other events. You can also enter events so that other people can find out about them. The events page has five geographical fields (UK, North America, Australia, Europe and Other). Choose your part of the world to find out about workshops on The Work That Reconnects, Deep Ecology, Eco-psychology and other events supporting the shift towards a life sustaining society. There are currently loads of workshops and other events listed for the UK. The events listings outside the UK have been a bit slower to take off, but as this facility gets known about, its use will increase. If there aren’t many events currently listed for your part of the world, then please do enter some! Here’s how to do this.

 

To publicise an event that contributes to The Great Turning, go to Events in the top bar at http://www.greatturningtimes.org and then select 'Add New Event' from the pull down menu. Choose the part of the world the event is in, (banded to UK, North America, Australia, Europe and Other), and then fill in the details, according to the fields given. Please put the duration of the event in the details bit. When it is complete, click on 'Save Details' at the bottom. All that you've written should then disappear without a trace. Then if you email me (chris (at) chrisjohnstone.info) to let me know you've entered something, I can authorise it so that it goes up on the site. There may be a bit of a time delay before this happens. If you have any problems with this, let me know. 

 

One of the purposes of this events listings is to publicise workshops in The Work That Reconnects, the empowerment approach developed by Joanna Macy and colleagues. I get emails from people all over the world asking how to find out about local workshops, so if you’re offering these or similar trainings, please use this events pages to let people know about them. 

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NEWS

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(2) Joanna Macy at The Eden Project, Sept 25th-27th.

 

Joanna Macy is the keynote speaker at an international ecopsychology conference taking place at the Eden Project in Cornwall, UK, over the weekend of Sept 25th to 27th. Entitled Landscapes of the Mind, the conference explores how our psychological wellbeing is linked to relationship with nature, and how a model of positive mental health needs to include an engaged response to our global crisis of sustainability. 

For details, contact Jane Ryan at info (at) confer.uk.com

or see the conference brochure at http://www.confer.uk.com/progs/landscapes_prog.pdf

 

There is an interesting on-line discussion on themes explored by the conference at http://blogs.confer.uk.com/landscapes/

with a lead paper from Mary-Jayne Rust.

 

Joanna Macy will also be offering a 7-Day Intensive in The Work that Reconnects at Findhorn, Scotland over September 12th - 19th,                  

For more details, contact Adele (at) findhorn.org, or see http://www.findhorn.org/programmes/programme360.php for more information.

 

You can find more details of Joanna Macy's workshop and speaking schedule on her website at http://www.joannamacy.net/html/schedule.html

 

And if you can't make any of these events, you can check out over four hours of video footage of Joanna teaching about The Work That Reconnects for free on-line at http://www.turntowardlife.tv/joanna_macy_workshop_video/about.htm

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(3) The Great Turning Times Readers Forum and Survey

 

Thanks to the wonderful resource of WiserEarth.org (which is like a Great Turning version of Facebook), we now have a Great Turning Times Readers web-page at http://www.wiserearth.org/groups/GTTreaders 

 

This offers a forum for discussion and resource sharing - anyone is free to view the webpage, and you can also download articles placed there (see item 12 for more here). You need to sign up to Wiserearth (which is free at www.wiserearth.org) and join the GTT readers group (which is open to anyone) in order to be able to add content or contribute to the discussions. 

 

As mentioned in the editorial above, Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone are working together on a new book exploring what helps us rise to the challenge of addressing our global crisis and take part in the Great Turning. We'd love to hear what has helped you. Please send us responses to any of the following questions:

1) How did you become alerted to our global crisis?

2) What has helped you develop an active response?

3) What obstacles have you faced in this process, and how have you found ways through them?

4) Has the Work That Reconnects, similar workshops or the story of the Great Turning, played a role? If so, how?

5) What helps keep you going?

You can either post your responses to the GTT Readers Survey discussion at http://www.wiserearth.org/groups/GTTreaders or you can email Chris at chris (at) chrisjohnstone.info 

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(4) Two UK Facilitator Trainings for The Work That Reconnects

 

Following on from the very successful WTR gathering in London in April, which drew about 60 people, Maitrisara, Guhyapati and Claire Carre are offering a Work That Reconnects Facilitator Training at Braziers Park in Oxfordshire, UK from Jan 18th to 22nd 2010.

For more information, see flyer details below or email Maitrisara at maitrisara (at) tiscali.co.uk 

 

Larry Butler and Jenny Mackewn will be offering a Work That Reconnects Facilitator Training as a four day residential event in Scotland from Feb 4th to 8th 2010. Larry has been working closely with Transition Scotland in setting up this training, and it will be particularly suitable for those involved in Transition Heart and Soul groups. For more information, see flyer details below or Larry Butler at info (at) bodhi-eco-project.org.uk

 

You can download a flyer giving details of both the above courses from the file library at http://www.wiserearth.org/group/GTTreaders 

This includes an application form, which you need to complete and return by October if you'd like to attend.

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(5) Earth Circles

Here's some information about how this approach works.

 

The backbone of Earth Circles is people who come together in small self-facilitated groups (ideally eight to twelve people) in their neighborhoods, schools, community organizations, non-profits, workplaces, faith groups and public agencies. The exact focus of and actions taken by each Earth Circle will vary according to their composition and the environmental challenges of their geographic location, as will the frequency of the meetings.  In this work there is no beginning and no end. That is why we offer this workbook as a guide rather than as a set curriculum. This workbook is meant to offer a simple structure for exploring the impact of climate change on our lives and communities, and to assist you in focusing on activities to meaningfully address this issue.  

 

For more information, see their website at http://www.earth-circles.org

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(6) The Work That Reconnects with Young People

Kathleen Rude is setting up a page on Joanna Macy's website about the use of The Work That Reconnects with young people, including elementary school age and high school/college age youth. She hopes this page will be used in several ways: (1) share specific exercises designed/adapted for youth that serve to "reconnect" with all life and that can fit into the spiral of the WTR; (2) share ideas,  questions and advice related to working with youth and (3) share contact information for the people who are offering these programs/ experiences. 

 

If you have exercises or adaptions for youth that you’d like to share for posting on the webpage, please send a detailed description to kathleenrude (at) mac.com . Please include: a step-by-step description of the exercise; age of children; number of participants; venue; time allotted; feedback on experience. 

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(7) Transition Podcast of The Bristol Happiness Lectures on Resilience 

April's Great Turning Times mentioned the Bristol Happiness Lectures this year on the theme of Resilience in a time of Recession. You can now hear, or download, this talk by Chris Johnstone as a Transition Podcast (in two parts of about 30 mins each), as well as see a summary of the resilience principles he introduced. Take a look and listen at:

http://www.traydio.com/UserConsole/ViewArticle.aspx?Title=Bristol_Happiness_Lectures_2009_pt_1%3a_Resilience_in_a_time_of_Recession&ArticleID=2369

and 

http://www.traydio.com/UserConsole/ViewArticle.aspx?Title=Bristol_Happiness_Lectures_2009_pt_2%3a_Resilience_in_a_time_of_Recession&ArticleID=2370

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(8) Climate Update - Oceans the warmest on record

On July 25th 2009, Science Daily reported "The world’s ocean surface temperature was the warmest on record for June, breaking the previous high mark set in 2005, according to a preliminary analysis by NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. Additionally, the combined average global land and ocean surface temperature for June was second-warmest on record. The global records began in 1880." For more, see the article at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090725120303.htm

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(9) Oxfam report on climate impacts

Climate change used to be thought of as something that might happen in the future. 'Suffering the Science' combines the latest scientific observations with evidence from the communities Oxfam works with in almost 100 countries around the world, to reveal how the changing climate is here now and hitting poor people hard. One of the most worrying trends highlighted in the report is the impact of erratic weather on agriculture. Poor farmers, who can no longer rely on seasons, are losing crop after crop because of sudden heat waves or heavy rains.

 

You can download the full report or a summary at http://www.oxfam.org/en/policy/bp130-suffering-the-science

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(10) Taking action on climate change

If you find yourself feeling disturbed about climate change bad news, here's three websites worth exploring:

 

http://www.fairsharesfairchoice.com invites you to take the first steps towards rationing your carbon emissions, working on a contraction and convergence model that initially allocates 3.9 tonnes per person emissions as a first step. That is higher than is sustainable, but quite a bit lower than the average in many industrialized countries. You'll need to know your fuel usage and miles travelled for the last year for the carbon counter, which is easy to use and helps you identify where most of your emissions comes from.

 

http://www.notstupid.org aims to turn 250 millions viewers of the film The Age of Stupid into activists

 

http://transitionculture.org this regular blog from Rob Hopkins provides welcome refreshment and inspiration

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(11) Identity Campaigning from Tom Crompton and Tim Kasser

One approach to tackling climate change is to campaign for change at the level of political structures and organisations. Another is to focus on promoting lifestyle change in individuals. While both are necessary, between these two lies an area described by Tom Cromptom and Tim Kasser as 'identity campaigning'. In their new book, which is available for free download from http://www.wwf.org.uk/strategiesforchange

they describe this in more detail, cite supporting research and write:

Identity refers to people’s sense of themselves, or who they think of themselves as being. In this publication, we highlight three aspects of human identity that empirical research has shown are associated with decisions that often serve to frustrate optimal responses to environmental challenges. These are: people’s values and life goals; their differentiation of others into in-groups and out-groups; and the ways they cope with fear and threats.

 

For more information, see the website at http://www.identitycampaigning.org 

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(12) Seeing with new eyes - The Lens of Deep Ecology

 

A core aspect of the Work That Reconnects is seeing with new eyes, where we recognise ourselves as intimately connected with a larger web of life, with an identity that is broader and deeper than just our narrow self. This is the consciousness shift aspect of the work. In the 1990's, Chris Johnstone wrote a booklet called The Lens of Deep Ecology to introduce some of the core concepts informing Deep Ecology workshops, including systems thinking, feedback loops, despairwork and the ecological self. It has been used by study groups and distance learning courses in several countries, but went out of print some years ago. It is now available as a free download (at about 3.2mb) from the file library at the Great Turning Times Readers page at http://www.wiserearth.org/group/GTTreaders

Please help yourself, and feel welcome to pass it on if you find it useful.

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(13) Ecotherapy - healing with nature in mind

Edited by Linda Buzzell and Craig Chalquist, this new book has been published as a follow-up to the influential Ecopsychology: Restoring the Earth, Healing the Mind. Here's what Lester Brown had to say:

This groundbreaking volume is must reading for therapists seeking guidance in navigating the new frontiers of ecopsychology, or for anyone who has ever wondered why we continue to abuse the planet even though we know better. Reaching a sustainable future means reinventing psychological healing as if the human–nature relationship matters — as it profoundly does.

To find out more, see http://www.ecotherapyheals.com

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FILMS ON THE WEB

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(14) Home - the movie from Yann Arthus-Bertrand 

Through the landscapes of 54 countries captured from above, Yann Arthus-Bertrand takes us on an unique journey all around the planet, to contemplate it and to understand it. This film bring remarkable photography and stunning images in connecting climate change, peak oil and the impact of humans on our planet.

 

The film HOME intends to shift people's perceptions, to make us aware of the tectonic movements at work and to incite us to act.

 

It's free to view via youtube:

For a brief trailer (2.27 mins): http://www.youtube.com/homeproject

For the full length (about 90 mins) feature: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU

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(15) John Seed video

In this hour-long video, filmed in the spring of 2005, John Seed performs songs, raps and poems and offers detailed introductions to some of the Deep Ecology-based processes he has developed and taken around the world. It includes the raps "Universe Jam" & "Word to the Mother.

You can watch or download this at

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4821461964157967638&ei=2nkSSpSiN4b2-AaBrtnNBQ&q=Wild+Earth%2C+Wild+Mind%2C+Wild+Heart

There's a whole load more films from John and colleagues at the Rainforest Information Centre's Video Activist Project, available to watch or buy at http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/video/

This is a fantastic and much recommended resource to delve into.

 

To catch up with John's schedule of talks and workshops, see http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/deep-eco/schedule.htm

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THE GREAT TURNING IS HAPPENING - here's some aspects of it

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16) The Abundance Handbook

Over the last eight years, over two thousand fruit trees have taken root in Bristol as a result of an ambitious tree planting project started by Bristol Permaculture Group and continued by Transition Bristol. By bulk buying trees, they've been made available at a much reduced price, and by selling trees cheaply for people to plant in their gardens and communities, the project has been self-funded and maintained.

 

The leading example of urban food production is Havana is Cuba, which after the energy famine of the early 1990's, developed over 26,000 food growing areas, and now produces over 50% of its fresh food.

 

Urban fruit growing in temperate climates is a small step in this direction, and to help this process, Grow Sheffield have produced The Abundance Handbook - a free guide to urban Fruit harvesting. It is available to view on-line or download via the following link:

http://www.growsheffield.com/pages/groshefhandb.html

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17) Loaves of Love - building community through baking circles

The idea is simple: to inspire people to host baking circles in their homes with friends, old and new. Everyone who comes along, and learns to bake, then passes the skill on by hosting a circle of their own within a month, and in this way we get the whole nation baking. Launched in early July, and linked with Transition initiatives and Resurgence magazine, this project aims to support the rebuilding of community and development of life-sustaining culture. See http://www.loavesoflove.co.uk for more information.

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(18) justfortheloveofit and Freelender

The Freeconomy Community's aim is to help reconnect people in their local communities through the simple act of sharing. Not only is sharing our resources better for the environment, it saves you money and builds friendships with those people who live closest to you. To find out more about this alternative non-money economy, see the websites at http://www.justfortheloveofit.org and http://www.freelender.org

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(19) Rob Hopkins speaking at TED talks

Take a look at http://blog.ted.com/2009/07/rob_hopkins_at.php

The video is likely to follow soon - keep an eye out at http://www.transitionculture.org

For an update on how the Transition approach is developing internationally, see http://www.transitiontowns.org/

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THE WORK THAT RECONNECTS UPDATE 

see the events page at www.GreatTurningTimes.org for more information on events

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(20) What is the Work that Reconnects?

For background information and resources, see Joanna Macy's website at http://www.joannamacy.net/html/work.html

For over four hours of video footage of Joanna teaching about The Work That Reconnects for free on-line at http://www.turntowardlife.tv/joanna_macy_workshop_video/about.htm

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(21) The Work That Reconnects in France

To find out what's happening here, take a look at this website www.roseaux-dansants.org

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(22) The Work That Reconnects near Bath, 17th October 2009

A one day workshop with Jenny Mackewn And Jenni Horsfall at Radford Mill Farm, Bristol/bath

Set in a stunning location with opportunities to be outside, we will explore how to use our concerns for the earth as a source of inspiration to take action for a sustainably society. Cost £40 (£20). For information and booking, contact Jenni at powerforplanet (at) aol.co.uk

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(23) The Work That Reconnects in Ohio, 25th/26th September 2009

Friday evening and Saturday in the day, with Christa Hein at the Stratford Ecological Center,

For information, contact Christa at treebeing (at) aol.com

or see www.StratfordEcologicalCenter.org

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(24) The Work That Reconnects with Joanna Macy in California, 

Residential Intensive from Oct 29th to Nov 4th at the Ojai Foundation.  This workshop-in partnership with Generation Waking Up and The Ojai Foundation-will have a special intergenerational focus, exploring the ways in which generations can reconnect to bring healing and wholeness to our communities, and can work together to create the change our world is calling for. For information,  

see http://www.ojaifoundation.org/event/work-reconnects-joanna-macy or email registration (at) ojaifoundation.org

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OTHER EVENTS

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25) Earth Stewards: a programme for change 

with Annie Spencer and Cathy Shea, Robert Estrup, Anne Lynn

Becoming an earth steward means:

- Being able to say to your grandchildren  I did everything I could.

- Taking responsibility for the guardianship of the land and community in which we live

- Learning to dream our dreams in harmony with the great dream of life itself.

- Trusting that if we make a small move then, like the butterfly, we too can summon up a tornado of change.

Dates: 16 – 18 October, 20 – 22 November 2009, 15 – 17 January,

 12 – 14 March, 12 – 16 May 2010. All weekends start Friday evening.

All modules are residential. For information, email: info (at) hartwell.eu.com

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(26) Positive Energy Conference at Findhorn: 3rd - 9th October

Featuring Rob Hopkins, David Whyte, Judy Wicks, Richard Olivier, Peter Harper, So Hie Kim-Hellström and others, 

this one week conference brings together pioneers who have been developing tangible and replicable models for community economic resilience over many years. This is a conference that will engage head, heart and hands. We will explore experientially how to awaken and heighten our sensitivity to the specificities of our own distinct places. Lectures, workshops, debates and open space sessions through the week will explore how in practical ways we can build resilience back into our communities and economies. For more details, see http://www.findhorn.org/workshops/resources/PosEng2.pdf

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Big thanks to Cindy Barnes and Suzi McGhee of Greener Consulting and Lynn Hyde for help producing this newsletter.

Next newsletter is due in Nov/Dec 2009. 

With you in this Great Turning adventure!

Chris Johnstone.

 
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