We are hosting a Conversation Cafe Event in Boulder for Converation week.

Conversation Café and
Gaia Gathering Boulder
Join Us in a Global Conversation celebrating Conversation Week 2008.  Get together and meet each other in person, share your passions for connection and community.

 
When:
Wednesday, March 26th
7:00 – 8:45 pm

Where:
Boulder Public Library
George Reynolds Branch
3595 Table Mesa Dr.

Our Question:
How do we shift from "Me" to "We" on both the local and global levels? (From “me” to “we”)
 
Where do you see a need to shift from “me” to “we”? What can a “we” approach give us that a “me” approach doesn't, and vice versa? What needs to change to have people used to “me” engaged in “we” solutions? In your family and community, where have you seen collaboration work wonders when competition and confrontation failed? How can 6.6 billion people work together?

We are hold space for fun, casual conversations and co-creating an opportunity for conscious networking.  If you are interested in attending please send Mark (me) or Kelly an email here at Gaia or directly at mark@gaia.com

What is Conversation Week about?
Promoting community, democracy and wisdom world-wide through generating millions of open, respectful public conversations.

Conversation Cafés are lively hosted conversations among small groups of people with diverse views but a shared passion for engaging with others. Held in public spaces like cafés, restaurants and bookstores.

Conversation Cafés provide an open forum to talk about important topics over a cup of coffee or tea. People of every philosophical, political and personality stripe circle up around tables and steaming beverages to earnestly shift from small talk to BIG talk. Everyone is welcome. There's nothing to join. Anyone can come, just once or many times. There are no books to read, no assignments, and no dues (except a bite to eat at the café).

Conversation Cafés can not only provide closer communities, they can also be a conduit to providing additional local business exposure. Read more...

At Conversation Cafés, we will learn together how to create a culture of conversation-which is a culture of intelligence, peace, and political awareness. We are the media. We are the talk shows. We are America, waking up and tuning in.

more at the Conversation Cafe Website

If you're interested in hosting your own Conversation Cafe check out our Gaia Team Blog and our Gaia Gathering pod here at Gaia.

We would love to see you in person.  Please send Mark (me) or Kelly an email here at Gaia or directly at mark@gaia.com and let us know you will be attending.

We look forward to meeting more of our Gaia friends around Boulder!

Dear Friends of the Center - 

You are invited!  to a free presentation I am giving on Thursday evening from 7 to 8:30 pm through Boulder County Going Local's lecture series "The Great Reskilling".  The topic of my presentation is "The Ethics of Sustainable Culture" and it will be held at Boulder Meadows Community Center at the corner of 19th and Violet. Topic description from the BCGL website: 

THE ETHICS OF SUSTAINABLE CULTURE: Feb 28 (Thurs) What would a sustainable human culture look like? What ethics are needed to support human culture indefinitely within a healthy ecosystem? What are the ethics we've been living so far, and what impact has that had on our world? How do we repair the damage and more towards a positive future? How do we change? These and other questions on creating healthy sustainable human culture will be explored in this hopeful, positive talk. 

Run, don't walk.... to get the latest copy of Yes! Magazine (dedicated to building a just and sustainable world).  The latest edition focuses on Stopping Global Warming Cold and it's well worth your time with articles by Bill McKibben and more. There a host of POSITIVE solutions and steps we can all take.   

Upcoming classes:  
•Fruit Tree Grafting with Marco Lam and Dave Carlson - Saturday, Mar 2 10-4 pm $100... a few spots still open!
•Succession Planting for Continuous Veggies with Rich Pecoraro of Abbondanza - Saturday Mar. 8 pm, 1-5 pm $45...3 spots still open!
•Backyard Chickens with Jamie Furstoss and Kelly Simmons - Sunday, Mar. 16, 1-5 pm $50....filling up fast!
•Secrets of Building Soil with Sandy Cruz and friends - Saturday, Apr 5, 10-4:30 pm $65.... sign up now for Spring planting
•Organic Backyard Beekeeping with Corwin Bell and Kelly Simmons - Saturday, May 3 10-2pm $50.....You can do this!
 
To register for classes visit the website at www.bouldersustainability.org and click on the Programs link.  Once registered for classes you will receive a confirmation notice with details of where to go, what to bring and more.  

There are a few spots still open in the upcoming "Permaculture through the Seasons" course with Sandy Cruz and Becky Elder. 

We hope this finds you well.  Best wishes for a bountiful Spring!

Kelly Simmons, Director
Boulder Sustainability Education Center
www.bouldersustainability.org

Carlos Cedillo

www.Cosmicjaguar.com

Author of

Cosmicjaguar’s Soul Kin Journal: A Personal Guide to Navigating the End Times Using the Mayan Calendar

 

Sync Up With Sacred Time

Mayan Calendar workshops and readings

Tuesday March 11 (13 Jaguar) 7 to 9pm

CHAC – Chicano Humanities and Arts Center

772 Santa Fe Drive     Denver, CO 80204

303-571-0440

Overview and practical uses of the Mayan sacred calendar. $40

Wednesday March 12 (1 Eagle) and Friday March 14 (3 Earth)

IX CHEL Healing Arts Inc.

7323 W. 38th Ave.  www.Ixchelhealingarts.com

303 422-1242

Private readings of Mayan “Horoscopes”

Call and sign up today!  $60 -$100

March 13 (2 Owl)

SOLSTICE CENTER in Boulder 6 to 8 pm

302 Pearl St.

303-939-8463 or 303-818-9532 (cell).

Deeper context and prophecies of the Mayan calendar $40

March 16 (5 Rainstorm)

METAPHYSICAL BOOKSTORE  2 to 4 pm

2178 S. Colorado Blvd.

303-758-9113

Booksigning and discussion (donation)

 

Peace Together presents:

a Visionboard Workshop:  Saturday, February 2nd  --  Noon to 5pm

for more information or to reserve a spot in the limited space, call or email fellow Gaia member, Joseph Bernard, at 720-519-0743 or 303-320-6123 //  email:  jbernard@peace-together.com

Cost of workshop (with all materials and snacks/drinks included):  $35

Jonathan and Friends will be co-creating a FREE toning ceremony from 5 pm to 6pm on February 14th in celebration of World Sound Healing Day.  This is sure to be a harmonious event.

Zaangha Time When:  Saturday, January 12th 2008  from Noon to 3pm Where:  Folsom Street Coffee 1795 Folsom St Boulder, CO 80302 (303) 440-8808 Get directions - View larger map  zDETAILS:  What a wonderful opportunity we have to get together, meet each other in person and get a feel for the passion that our community has and the changes they want to create in the world!  I've spoken with Rick, the owner of Folsom Street Coffee, and he has reserved space for Zaadzsters to meet in their roomy establishment!  Folsom Street Coffee also has wireless internet access, so if you'd like to bring your laptops - you are more than welcome to do so!  I figure that we will be sharing many aspects of ourselves with the people that we meet!  I highly encourage bringing any pamphlets or business cards to hand out to people that you will be meeting … the idea here is to make some local connections and get the network moving offline concurrently with the online connections. If you know you will be attending please email me here on Zaadz, or directly at kelly@zaadz.com … that way I can better prepare the space (and surprises) for the number of people attending.  I also assumed that this would be a great place to mix, mingle, come & go, and network quite casually … while also making some really great friendship connections.  There will be a couple of interactive pieces to play with … that will be brought back to the online experience to share with everyone!  So, the one hint I'd like to give:  Think about what you are most passionate about and how you are sharing that with the world - or your community. Beverages are obviously purchasable at the Folsom Street Coffee establishment, they serve (well, clearly…) Espresso Drinks, Coffee & Tea, and ”Everything Else” … as well as Goodies to Eat!! I am SO looking forward to meeting up with many of my virtual friends… finally in person!!!  LET'S ZAANGHA BOULDER!!!!

Backyard Chickens
source: Daily Camera

Last year about this time, Kelly Simmons was perusing hatchery catalogs, looking at various types of chickens with an eye to raising them at her home in Martin Acres-- a city neighborhood characterized by '50s-style ranch homes and small yards.

A year later, she's collecting eggs, although not as many as she did last summer when she was gathering as many as 19 a day from her nine chickens and four ducks. Simmons, who teaches classes through the nonprofit Boulder Sustainability Education Center, says keeping the chickens is a logical extension of her large garden, a way to be closely involved in the food she and her family eat.

Read more of this article on  the Daily Camera website

"Permaculture offers a radical approach to food production and urban renewal, water, energy and pollution. It integrates ecology, landscape, organic gardening, architecture and agro-forestry in creating a rich and sustainable way of living. It uses appropriate technology giving high yields for low energy inputs, achieving a resource of great diversity and stability. The design principles are equally applicable to both urban and rural dwellers. " --Bill Mollison

 

Dear friends of BVR and the BOULDER COUNTY GOING LOCAL! Campaign,
 
As you know, Richard Heinberg and others have pointed to the urgent need for millions of new farmers in this country over the next several years, and one of the best ways of helping to achieve this goal is to get as many people as possible trained in Permaculture principles and methods. Fortunately, interest in Permaculture is booming in Boulder County, which will help stimulate the expansion of our local foodshed.
 
On January 7 (Mon.), 7:00 p.m., Sandy Cruz of High Altitude Permaculture Institute will be teaching INTRODUCTION TO PERMACULTURE PRINCIPLES. The class will be free for those who register (call 303-459-3494), and will be held at Boulder Meadows Community Room, 4500 19th Street (Violet & 19th in North Boulder).
 
Following a dynamic conclusion to the PERMACULTURE THROUGH THE SEASONS! Design Certification Course last month (with 35 graduates), we are pleased to announce that Sandy Cruz will be teaching another eight-month course in 2008, along with Becky Elder, a permaculture activist and gardener from Manitou Springs. Guest teachers will include Marco Chung-Shu Lam and Jerome Osentowski. The course, sponsored by Boulder County Going Local, will be held the second weekend of each month, March 8 through October 12. A descriptive flyer is available here. Register soon, because this course will sell out quickly! Sandy says, "Please think about joining us this year, and let your friends know, too. We expect the course to fill, so if you're considering signing up or applying for a scholarship, be sure to request a registration form soon. Our super-early-bird discount will be in effect until January 8th, followed by our early-bird discount until February 8th." To register, call Sandy at 303-459-3494.
 
Sandy and Becky will also be offering the first locally-based course for PERMACULTURE TEACHER'S CERTIFICATION, providing ongoing support for new teachers and opportunities to assist experienced instructors at workshops. Winter classroom work will focus on developing teaching and organizational skills, with hands-on exercises to build confidence and ease. Participants will then assist at diverse Permaculture workshops offered along the Front Range, and have an individual conference with the instructor. Dates of the course are February 9, 16, 23 and July 26. The closing day of the course will focus on future collaboration among participants by developing teaching teams and designing a local workshop curriculum for Fall 2008-2009. Details available here.
 
Planning for other Permaculture Design Courses in 2008 is underway. Pikes Peak Permaculture in Colorado Springs will hold a Design Certification Course in the eight-month format beginning in April. In the Boulder area, Sandy will teach a variety of one and two-day permaculture workshops on specific subjects beginning in the spring. She will also be training new instructors this winter to help meet the soaring demand for Permaculture education.
 
Meanwhile, Bill Wilson, the "permaculture evangelist" of Midwest Permaculture, will host a Design Certification Course in a different format in April. This is a 72-hour course, with 12 hours of webinar instruction, and eight consecutive days of on-site work in Boulder County (April 19-26). Details available soon.
 
We hope you will take advantage of some of the incredible Permaculture instruction that is becoming available!
 
 

From:  Eat Local Guide

The Guide is the result of months of effort by many people. It was originally inspired by the Eat Local Food Map produced as part of the Ft. Collins Be Local Coupon Book published last September, the inspiration of Gailmarie Kimmel of the Rocky Mountain Sustainable Living Association. When we saw that map, we knew instantly that we needed to create something similar for Boulder County.

 A team of Boulder Valley Relocalization volunteers ("foodies" to the core) jumped in to do the initial legwork. We quickly found that no comprehensive lists of growers and other food sources had ever been developed here, and went to work contacting farmers and restaurateurs directly to get their information. It became an overwhelming task, and the list grew to immense proportions-way too many sources to fit on a map! That ultimately led to our decision to publish the list in a magazine format. An EAT LOCAL! website will soon follow (www.eatlocalguide.com).

 There were many unexpected challenges we encountered along the way. For instance, how could we tell whether a restaurant was really serving locally-grown produce? How much of their food had to be local to include them in the list? To help make the tough decisions, we asked chefs to tell us what growers they bought their produce from. And we coordinated with the Boulder County Farmers' Market "Restaurant Fresh Connection" program to find out which restaurants were actually acknowledged by growers and got their "farm vote."

It's inevitable that we've left some sources off the list who should be here and have included others who might be questionable. And that's part of why this is the "fall preview edition." We know that the first annual edition, which we plan to publish in early spring, will naturally be more comprehensive and accurate. For that, we depend on your feedback. If you know of someone who should be listed in the guide, please email us (info@bouldergoinglocal.com).

--Michael Brownlee, publisher
Boulder County Going Local

from Eat Local Guide

The Guide is the result of months of effort by many people. It was originally inspired by the Eat Local Food Map produced as part of the Ft. Collins Be Local Coupon Book published last September, the inspiration of Gailmarie Kimmel of the Rocky Mountain Sustainable Living Association. When we saw that map, we knew instantly that we needed to create something similar for Boulder County.

 A team of Boulder Valley Relocalization volunteers ("foodies" to the core) jumped in to do the initial legwork. We quickly found that no comprehensive lists of growers and other food sources had ever been developed here, and went to work contacting farmers and restaurateurs directly to get their information. It became an overwhelming task, and the list grew to immense proportions-way too many sources to fit on a map! That ultimately led to our decision to publish the list in a magazine format. An EAT LOCAL! website will soon follow (www.eatlocalguide.com).

 There were many unexpected challenges we encountered along the way. For instance, how could we tell whether a restaurant was really serving locally-grown produce? How much of their food had to be local to include them in the list? To help make the tough decisions, we asked chefs to tell us what growers they bought their produce from. And we coordinated with the Boulder County Farmers' Market "Restaurant Fresh Connection" program to find out which restaurants were actually acknowledged by growers and got their "farm vote."

It's inevitable that we've left some sources off the list who should be here and have included others who might be questionable. And that's part of why this is the "fall preview edition." We know that the first annual edition, which we plan to publish in early spring, will naturally be more comprehensive and accurate. For that, we depend on your feedback. If you know of someone who should be listed in the guide, please email us (info@bouldergoinglocal.com).

--Michael Brownlee, publisher
Boulder County Going Local

Check out the Eat Local Guide