The Cycling for a Sustainable Future tour
Wesley Roe and Marjorie Lakin Erickson
lakinroe at silcom.com
Wed Mar 1 20:11:46 PST 2000
Greetings, Friends!
Well, it is that time of year again. The snow is beginning to melt in small
patches on Popou Rd. and there are the voices of migrant birds returning
ringing through the forest - clear signs that it is time to hit the road!
The Cycling for a Sustainable Future tour is gearing up for it's 3rd annual
adventure to the west coast of B.C. and Washington. On March 20, rain or
shine, we will head over 7 mountain passes toward Vancouver. We will be
meeting with university classes and community groups to look deeper into our
lifestyles and how we can move toward a sustainable culture. Our schedule
is as follows:
Vancouver, B.C.: March 29 - April1
Victoria, B.C.: April 2 - 5
Bellingham, WA: April 6 -7
Whidbey Island, WA: April 9
Seattle, WA: April 10 - 18
Bellingham,WA: April 20 - 21
If you or a group you know is interested in hosting an event, please let us
know. You can also contact us for specific events in your city. Detailed
information on the tour and the programs we offer is included below.
We're hoping this finds you clear and joyous in your work and play.
Sustainably,
Erica, Jimi and Ivan
CYCLING FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE 2000
The Global Living Project is in the midst of planning the year 2000 Cycling
for
a Sustainable Future bike tour leaving the interior of BC in late March.
Mathis Wackernagel, co-author of "Our Ecological Footprint" and Jimi Merkel
and Erica Sherwood a.k.a. "the Wiseacres" of the Global Living Project are
getting ready to hit the road again! Last years tour was a huge success,
talking with thousands of people about the advantage of living
simply, equitably and harmoniously within the means of nature. This year we
hope to take the discussion further with students, educators, community
groups, activists and individuals committed to finding creative solutions to
pressing global issues. The tour will pass through Vancouver, B.C. in the
beginning of April and travel down the coast to Seattle, Washington offering
presentations, practical skills and inspiration to walk lightly in the new
millennium.
Using ecological footprinting as a yardstick and incorporating the household
accounting principles of the national best seller "Your Money or Your Life"
we will explore a myriad of ways to meet the current situation on earth.
With thought and creativity, lets seek ways to embody joyous, meaningful
lifestyles that are truly "sustainable".
Below is a summary of the workshops that will be offered. If you or your
organization are interested in hosting an event, arranging a media interview
(newspaper, radio, TV), or putting up this team of 3 please contact Erica
Sherwood at the Global Living Project
THE PROGRAMS
SHRINKING YOUR ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT doesn't have to be painful - actually
building a sustainable future can add a lot of thrill to your life.
Downshifters, overworked teachers, cynical pessimists, skeptical
scientists, worried activists, gloom and doomers, 9 to 5 ers, come and get
some inspiration - we can do it!
Mathis Wackernagel, Jimi Merkel and Erica Sherwood, of the Global Living
Project are cycling down the west coast, meeting with educators, students,
community groups, policy makers and interested
individuals sharing hot new research and the practical "how to's" of
sustainability. They will explore fun and fulfilling ways to greet the new
millennium. The programs will be high energy, intelligent, action-based and
with a heart.
SEVERAL WORKSHOPS ARE BEING OFFERED:
1. QUANTUM LEAP - INTO A SUSTAINABLE NEW MILLENIUM
EXCITING NEW INSIGHTS - EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL - AND WHY THE
TRANSITION
MAY BE FUN
(primarily for universities and community groups)
Shrinking our ecological footprint - a workshop highlighting the newest
ecological footprint research from all over the globe and practical
inspiration on the transition to a sustainable culture. Both citizens and
students are invited to explore their callings while contributing to
solving humanity's most pressing social and ecological challenges. Is it
possible in North America to live a life that is equitable with other
humans as well as with other species? The trends of accelerating population
growth and consumerism on a finite planet are a recipe for disaster that
could play out in our lifetimes. Could our material abundance, education and
creativity be harnessed in this new millennium to create an equitable,
peaceful and sustainable planet? Examples of sustainable lifestyles in
Kerala, India, the Himalayas, and the Global Living Project of British
Columbia will offer a dose of hope for the new millennium.
2. CREATING A VIRTUAL HOMESTEAD
(particularly for community and youth groups)
The morning alarm rings. You take a hot shower, brew up a cup of coffee,
read a bit from the morning newspaper and hop in the car to get to work on
time. Every step in this process has an environmental impact. And it has
impacts on people, particularly you. In many cases it can drain the
planet's life energy, and the life energy of ourselves. Why do we get
caught in the fast lane, buying things we do not even want with money we do
not have, in an attempt to keep up with the Jones's? In an interactive
workshop using ecological footprinting and some life-planning skills as
posed in the national best seller "Your Money or Your Life", we will design
possible homesteads that can advance sustainability. They won't be so
entangled with global markets and technological systems vulnerable to
collapse. They won't drain the Earth's resources; and they won't drain us
either. We will explore a strong foundation of simple living strategies able
to build a secure and constructive life.
3 a) TEACHING ABOUT GLOBAL CHALLENGES WITH THE ECOLOGICAL
FOOTPRINT
3b) PUTTING VALUES INTO ACTION WITH GAMES AND EXERCISES
(particularly for high school, college and university teachers)
What is the advantage for educators to not only talk the talk but also walk
the walk? In these workshops we will explore the connections between the
most critical issues facing our planet and the way we, students and
educators, live as humans on the planet. Let us reflect upon the costs of
consumerism and benefits of many other possible lifestyles. As educators or
parents, our actions are more important than our words in the eyes of youth.
An interactive introduction will establish a baseline of common
understanding and assess how familiar participants are with the global state
of affairs, footprinting and voluntary simplicity. We will present tools,
exercises and games, that can create in playful interactions a greater
global understanding and inspire commitment to social justice. They allow us
also to evaluate how equitable our relationships are to other cultures and
other species. Is it possible for humans to live equitably and harmoniously
within the means of nature? And how can we translate such questions into
solid activities for all levels of education?
4. YOUR MONEY OR YOUR LIFE
A workshop based on the best seller "Your Money or Your Life" led by Jim
Merkel, a young man who left a high-paying position and
fast-paced life ten years ago to live simply and follow his calling. This
workshop will examine strategies on how to get off the treadmill and chart a
path toward thriving into the new millennium. By following the practical
steps outlined, it is possible to obtain financial freedom and live a more
meaningful life knowing you are contributing toward healing the planet.
5. SUSTAINABILITY IN KERALA
A slide show with poems, research and adventure by Jim Merkel on
sustainable lifestyles in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Kerala
provides inspiration and insight into human possibilities as well as a
wealth of information on alternative - often radical - approaches to
achieving excellent life quality (education, health care, replacement
fertility, food distribution, democratic access to local, and small scale
income producing opportunities). Jim Merkel is the founder of the Global
Living Project and the Alternative Transportation Task Force, has led
hundreds of workshops and was the recipient of the Gaia Fellowship to
research resource use in Kerala India.
6. FOOTPRINT APPLICATIONS FOR GOVERNMENTS AND COMMUNITY
GROUPS
In order to live, people consume what nature offers. So, every one of us
has an impact on our planet. This is not bad as long as we don't take more
from the Earth than it has to offer. But do we? This is what the
"ecological footprint" measures: how much nature we consume. The tool
documents how much bio-productive land and water we occupy to produce our
resources and to absorb our waste. It shows the area required to support our
current lifestyle.
Dr. Mathis Wackernagel from Redefining Progress in San Francisco, and the
Centre for Sustainability Studies in Xalapa (Mexico) explains with the
ecological footprint how we can monitor human impact at the household,
municipal and regional level, and how to compare it to the biosphere's
capacity to regenerate itself. With focus on either methodological and
technical aspects of footprints or on strategies to make this tool policy
relevant for governments and NGOs, the seminar will be spiced with hands-on
exercises and examples on how to use this tool for building a sustainable
future in our lives, communities and regions.
WHO IS ON THE TEAM?
* Jim Merkel has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and has worked 12 years in
industry designing and marketing industrial and military systems. At 30, Jim
realized the earths problems were too serious to wait until retirement.
After spending a weekend with his engineering economics text books open, he
analyzed his situation. "Instead of asking how much can I make, I asked,
how much do I need?" He gave his months notice on Monday, took his car off
the road, rented his spare room and planted a garden. For the past 10 years
Jim has mostly volunteered his time in community environmental projects.
He founded the Global Living Project, now in it's 4th year and the
Alternative Transportation Task Force and held an elected position on the
ECOSLO board and the Sierra Club Executive committee. Jim is a member of the
New Road Map Foundation Speakers Bureau and has led hundreds of workshops on
"Your Money or Your Life" and sustainable
lifestyles. In 1994 he was the recipient of the Gaia Fellowship to research
resource use in Kerala, India and has since given over 300 slide shows on
his experience. Currently, the Global Living Project's "wiseacre
challenge" keeps Jim busy learning from the wilds and simplifying the
homestead with his partner Erica Sherwood.
* Mathis Wackernagel is the Director of the Indicators Program at
Redefining Progress in San Francisco and the Coordinator of the Centre for
Sustainability Studies at Anáhuac University of Xalapa, Mexico. After
receiving a degree in mechanical engineering from the Swiss Federal
Institute of Technology, he developed the "ecological footprint" concept as
his doctoral dissertation in Community and Regional Planning under Prof.
William Rees at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.
Born and raised in Switzerland, he has worked on sustainability issues for a
number of organizations in France, Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, Sweden and
the United States and has lectured at over 70 Universities and many
government institutions in 17 countries. He has published more than a dozen
academic articles and, with William Rees, a book called "Our Ecological
Footprint". His research on how to secure everybody's quality of life within
the means of nature is being used by decision makers, planners, schools,
universities and individuals around the world.
* Erica Sherwood is trained as a speech-language pathologist. She earned a
B.S. from Ithaca college and was pursuing a masters degree until she
realized that she couldn't be at peace until she was working for the earth.
She has worked in education and human services while exploring her deeper
interests in ecology, poetry and earth based spirituality. As an activist
Erica has worked
on a variety of womens issues and volunteered with Buy Nothing Day campaigns.
Erica recently left her life of simple urban living in Seattle to join the
Global Living Project, where she is deepening her skills and offering her
organizational and creative experience. This is her second year organizing
the Cycling for a Sustainable Future Tour and spent most of 1999 on her
bike, crossing the continent with her partner Jimi Merkel with a message of
peace through simplicity. On her days off she can be seen flying through
the Slocan Valley on a bike with Jimi chasing behind out of breath.
We do not charge a speakers fee but gladly accept donations or honorariums
to help offset the costs of the tour and to continue our research and
projects.
A GIFT TO THE FUTURE:
Learning to Live Better
on a Smaller Footprint
oooO
( )
\ (
\_) Oooo
( )
) /
(_/
"To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts" H.D.
Thoreau
For more information, contact:
Erica Sherwood
Global Living Project
GR4 C.17 RR#1
Winlaw B.C. VOG 2JO
(250) 355-2585
e-mail: jmerkel at netidea.com
Web site: http://www.netidea.com/~jmerkel/
Our prayers go out for this miraculous earth - that she finally gets the
love and respect she deserves.
That we will live simply, so that other peoples, beings, mountains and
rivers can simply live.
A GIFT TO THE FUTURE:
Learning to Live Better
on a Smaller Footprint
oooO
( )
\ (
\_) Oooo
( )
) /
(_/
"To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts" H.D. Thoreau
James Merkel and Erica Sherwood
Global Living Project
GR4 C.17 RR#1
Winlaw B.C. VOG 2JO
(250)355-2585
Web site http://www.netidea.com/~jmerkel/
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