“To bring forth an Environmentally Sustainable, Socially Just, Spiritually Fulfilling human presence on this planet “ The Pachamama Alliance A Quarterly Newsletter Renewable Energy Clyde Griffiths
gives us the heads up and history on what could be considered the primary environmental and political issue for Barbados today Page 2
Issue no.2 October 2012 Social Justice Leah Odle-Benson from UN Women writes about social Justice and explains it’s fundamental importance to our success as a race and planet Page 3
Dear Community,
The Slow Food revolution - Ian McNeel tells what we need to know about Slow Food Page 4 Let them lead the way! Yuri Scutt tells us why he wanted to start a garden in his backyard. Page 5
Sustainability Fraser Young explains the incredible opportunity we have to make Barbados truly sustainably and oil independent Page 6 ALex Jordan Speaks to Christy Punnett Page 7
They are listening and responding personally and collectively. They in their own way appreciate that they are part of the tipping point individually, so their voices are clear, their actions clearer and they don’ t give up!
We change nappies, experience a change of life, a change of hands in business and a change of heart in love. We change tune when we have a change of mind There is a story we tell often of a young boy and we receive change when there is who finding a chrysalis and seeing the struggles of the poor creature inside starts to money left over. Everything changes. In fact it’s the one thing that we can be certain of. Francois de la Rochefoucaulde said ‘the only thing constant in life is change.’
tear away the skin of the cocoon. Sadly the butterfly emerges but a shadow of its possibility, a fragment of it’s potential. It is the journey that makes us and how we respond that defines us.
Change is difficult and some people spend their lives trying to avoid change, to avoid what is inevitable; loss, decay and death. Change is uncertain and fearful, especially a change that alters the way we live our lives. Every cell in the human body regenerates on average every seven years. Our whole structure rejuvenated cell by cell…… Sometimes change is unseen, but it’s happening all the same. To accept change is to accept the one known constant. To delight in it, to redesign and transform ourselves and evolve, well, that is courageous. In our current newsletter you’ll hear the voices of our community who are taking part in a metamorphic process.
October 2012
‘In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.’ "
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Albert Einstein
New “to be regular” features including green tips and inspirations Pages 8 and 9 Letter from the Heart From Bishop Anthony Dickson Page 11
can honor anyone who is actively doing so already. Be the Change is an organization dedicated to honoring the revision that is occurring as we learn about a transition that is inevitable. Our role to connect like-minded people with the same goals, working for the same purpose of adaptation and to inspire each other to do the same. Come and share your ideas, your skills, your willingness with us. Lets see how we together can create a collaboration of strength and resilience to respond to the changes that are occurring in our world. You are, most of all a keeper of the future, holding possibility and potential for a Change that serves us all. To be a part of this change please join us at our regular CIRCLE meetings.
For each of us change is possible. It will just take willingness and continuous effort. We can start with small actions at home, then we can share with others what we have discovered. We can create a project or an initiative to press forward a way of sustainable, resilient thought and we
Blessings,
Christy
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"The real problem is that we use too much oil. It's that simple and that difficult. If we truly want to reduce our vulnerability to high prices, the best way to do so is to reduce consumption." — Richard Heinberg, author of Peak Everything
Clyde Griffith recalls the past with an eye on our future ...I am not aware of
In 1981, the then Prime Minister of Barbados, J.M.G.M. “Tom” Adams, appointed me to take responsibility
how many of you were around in 1973 when the price of oil jumped from U.S. $1.00 per barrel to U.S $2.00. That 100% increase came after the first oil shortages. I would invite you to reflect on what ensued: shortages; rapid increases in the cost of goods and services; economic chaos! for the Energy Sector. Barbados, like all oil importing countries subject to the vagaries of the international decision making process, saw its inflation rate increase 40% in less than a year. The government of the day had no real answer to the crisis. I was serving the country as a senior diplomat in New York when a second shortage hit the international community in 1979 thanks to the Iranian Revolution.
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With oil at U.S. $ 13.00 per barrel, my mandate was to pursue the introduction of an Alternative to the importation of fossil fuel as our source of energy. This instruction was informed by two major considerations: the drainage of foreign exchange and the reality that, as a small economy, we had no control over the price of imported oil.
My mission therefore, was to seek to protect Barbados from the decisions made outside of our orbit and control.
over 250 tons of garbage per day, the study supported the construction of a plant which Canada offered to build through a soft loan.
And we took some steps which the government believed had some promise.
Prior to these steps, the Adams administration had provided tax incentives for the introduction of Solar Water heating. This initiative bore fruit and still continues to bear fruit.
In 1982, the c o u n t r y received a grant from the Inter-American Development Bank to test whether Barbados and its Caricom partners experienced the appropriate wind speeds necessary to place our region on the road to development of wind energy. The studies showed that we could! A 250 kilowatt wind mill built in Scotland was procured against expert advice. That machine failed!
Sad to say, those ‘80s initiatives died with the death of Tom Adams in March 1985. Successive administrations dropped the ball! More than ever our leaders require a vision of the future that is sustainable.
In 1983, the Canadian government provided funding to test the feasibility of converting Solid Waste to energy. With the generation of
October 2012
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Social justice is by no means a new concept, with it’s historical underpinnings in religious principles, philosophy, and political theory. BY Leah Odle-Benson Over time and with the support and visibility of both international institutions and transnational social movements, it has come to represent one of the key approaches to social development. Inherent to this approach are the notions of equal opportunity, freedom, and human rights; including access to justice, equality, dignity, and self-determination. Social justice is also holistic, in that it supports the cultivation of societies that operate and grow in a manner that benefits human
I treat people with the respect that I readily ask them to show me? How can I work to become
And, does the enjoyment of my rights encroach upon the rights of others? more authentic in my personal truths?
beings, animals, and our natural environment. That being said, for many people social justice remains nothing more than a utopic ideal wrapped up in theory, politics, and grass-roots activism. It is criticised as being a lofty concept that is nice to contemplate but difficult to apply when wider, socio-economic, political, and cultural realities are taken into account. Interestingly, the recent economic collapse in the United States exemplifies the fact that the above mentioned sentiment rest in both “developed” and “developing” countries alike. Therefore, while recognising and understanding cultural nuances is imperative to the idea of social justice, a relativistic perspective that highlights “particular” socioeconomic and cultural traditions fails to put ALL people at the centre of the development process. More specifically, the suffering of people and places is relegated to isolated spaces and activities instead of more systematic failures. So the question for all of us who are upset by gross exploitation, repression, and environmental degradation follows: how can we, in our own way, move social justice from the conceptual and intangible to the practical and tangible? How can we transplant social justice from the bodies of political science and history books and into our hearts, our minds and our action? One way to do this is to start by cultivating some practical steps for the development of a strong foundation for action. Authenticity: We have all been in situations where we have felt disrespected or devalued, and no doubt we can vividly recall our corresponding emotions (guilt, victimisation, anger, rage, voicelessness). Tap into that moment one more time in the recognition that all human beings fundamentally want to be treated with respect and dignity and use this recollection to build empathy for others. Acknowledge that our judgements, actions, inactions, and words—whether we really mean them or not—can have tremendous impacts upon those around us, on our environments, and on our own psyche. In this regard, lobbing for social justice is not simply about blaming them out there but about YOU and ME right here asking: do
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Look beyond the surface to the root cause: So often, especially in a world that is constrained by time and space, we fail to look at underlying problems and the “WHY.” In fact, it is all too easy to find ourselves embroiled by the specific ways various problems come to manifest themselves; including where these problems occur. In this way we are able to create enough distance between the problem and ourselves. It is a little harder, however, to really drill down deep in an attempt to understand where social problems stem from or the various contexts through which they occur. The questions that emerge from such inquiry include: Power: how does it manifest itself, how is it used, who benefits from it and who does not? Access to resources: who has access and who does not, why? Where do variables like race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and ethnicity intersect with realities like poverty, resources, education & conservation? Where does this product come from, who makes it, what is it made from and under what conditions is it produced? It is not an easy exercise to undertake, in fact, after doing it we may realise that we are the ones with the power. Our actions or inactions may prevent equal access and opportunity. If that is the case then we need to recognise social privilege and instead of feeling bad about ourselves perhaps ask how we came to possess it. If we have power then who does not and what is their context? How can we share our power and resources to make positive and sustainable changes for those who
presently do not while simultaneously maintaining respect for their dignity, autonomy, and freedom? Moving out of paralysis: Allowing the world’s realities to bring on a state of paralysis is counterproductive but recognising the fact that we all have our spheres of influence is powerful. Even though it may be our end goal to change the world, we do not need to try to do so all at once. We all have spaces where we can support or ignite change processes that can have long term effects. It can start in our homes, relationships, communities, jobs, religious institutions, et cetera. So if we come across situations that we fundamentally feel are unjust, ask how we can act and in what capacity or small space can we begin to enable change. Once we have done that, we can look forward to making incremental changes outside our comfort zone. Ego: Detach the ego from our actions. The ego represents a socialised need to lay claim to a result, to have our own way, or to generate the feeling of being unappreciated. According to the Bhagavad Gitta “we have the right to the work only but not to the fruit thereof, let not the fruit of your action be your object not let your attachment be to inaction”. Feeling pride in our actions is important but expecting recognition, publicity, and accreditation for things we do to better our communities removes the heart and personal reward from what should be a natural inclination. Creating big changes in geographically small spaces is one of the many challenges that come from living in a small island developing state (SIDS) with extremely interconnected communities. The reality is that supporting a change process may have positive and negative effects for ourselves and those around us. There is no comforting answer on how to circumvent the reactions of others; however, it is critical that our actions have integrity, are strategic, well placed, and timely. Seeking social change requires working with other people who, regardless of their position, also have a social context. Therefore, skills like listening and affirmative inquiry are most important because they are not only participatory but also prepare the foundation for meaningful change that is inclusive.
Leah Odle-Benson works for UN Women in Barbados
October 2012
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE SLOW FOOD MOVEMENT . By Ian McNeel We all know fast food, but what about Slow Food? Slow Food is an idea about a way of living and a way of eating. It is a global, grassroots movement that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment. Slow Food has a strong belief that everyone should be able to enjoy clean food that has been created with care from healthy plants and animals, and that food should help build community, health, local economies, celebrate culture and promote diversity. Slow Food began in Italy in 1986 to resist the opening of a McDonalds near the Spanish steps in Rome.in 1989, the founding Manifesto of the international Slow Food movement was signed in Paris, France by delegates from 15 countries. Today, Slow Food has over 100,000 members and a network of 2,000 food communities worldwide who practice small-scale and sustainable production of quality foods. Slow Food believes that food is tied to many aspects of our life, including culture, politics, agriculture, human health, health care and the health of our environment. The domination of our food and food producing systems by corporations and governments that place profits before people, health and the environment must stop. Dumping of food at prices below the cost of production in the global economy must stop. Every one of us should have access to clean, quality, affordable, healthy, culturally and regionally appropriate food; Slow Food promotes local food that is good, clean, fair and available to communities on a regular basis with the practice of small-scale and sustainable farms that promote ecologically
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sustainable management of land, soils, water, seas, seeds, livestock and all other biodiversity; We need to reconnect Barbados with where our food comes from and how it is produced so we can understand the implications of the choices we make about the food we put on our plates and encourage people to choose nutritious food, from sustainable and local sources. As consumers, producers, chefs, retailers, writers, gardeners, teachers‌.we can influence great change on how our food is cultivated and produced, bringing good, clean, healthy and fair food to Barbados. Vote with your pocket and support our local farmers. Ian McNeel Social Entrepreneur and avid supporter of slow food.
Holders Organic Farmers Market, Holders House, St James - Sundays 9am 2pm
Brighton Farmers Market, Brighton, St George - Saturdays 6am - 10am
Redlands Farm Shop, Redlands, St Joseph -Open Monday, Thursday & Friday: 7am 3:30pm; Saturday: 6:30am - noon.
Cheapside Market, Bridgetown - Monday to Saturday from 6am
Hastings Farmers Market , Artsplash Hastings - 1st Saturday of every month 8am - 1pm.
Are we missing something? Send us an email at Connect@bethechangebarbados.org
October 2012
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Welcome to The Projects Page. Every edition we will be sharing some of the amazing work already being done here in Barbados by individuals, Charities and NGOs . If you would like more information about any of the projects you read about please get in touch at
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connect@bethechangebarbados.org
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My Garden My name is Yuri. I am 12 years old. I started my own backyard garden with help from my mum and friends. I wanted to start a garden because I wanted to eat fresh food with no chemicals. I also wanted to reduce waste from metal cans and plastic. First we got some barrels and James cut them in half for me. Kenneth mixed some topsoil and potting mix and we filled the barrels. Then we planted some seeds and some seedlings. Everyday I water my garden, depending on the weather, I may do it twice a day. I have planted tomatoes, sweet peppers, basil, garlic, onion, lettuce, thyme, dill, marjoram, corriander, sage, parsley, aloe and a plantain tree. Aloe helped my bad sunburn from when I went surfing. It helps with many other things. I hope to add more to my garden like papaya, cucumber and carrots. I am looking forward to eating the stuff I grew. I love making pesto. I love putting basil on my pizza and chicken. As my garden grows I have learnt to prune, to keep it naturally safe from pests and the health benefits of the herbs and vegetables. If I can do it you can do it too. It is lots of fun to wake up everyday and see the changes.
Yuri Scutt
Please tell us about the projects you are starting or have been working on. We’d love to share it with the community and inspire others connect@bethechangebarbados.org
The Story Club Everyone loves to hear stories. While they entertain us, they help us understand ourselves, each other, and the world. Hearing stories read aloud is a soothing, therapeutic activity that supports both the desire and ability to read. Reading is vital for positive educational experiences. Without it, we learn less. Reading gives pleasure, and develops the imagination.
Bags of Recycling We are getting ready to launch 3 new School Community Recycling Centres, The CoRe programme (or Community Recycling Programme) The three new schools will bring to 17 the number of formal recycling centres/ programmes we have started.
The most exciting part of the next phase of our programme is that the 3 schools we are supporting with the help of the Peter Moore’s Business Trust all have a very small portion of school children arriving by private vehicle. Most children (about Reading helps to empower us to achieve our full 90%) arrive on foot or by public transportation. potential. A story is a door to a new world. How then do we ask these children to bring recycling items such as plastic and metal Open it. containers from home to place in their school Through “THE STORY CLUB” we seek to support recycling centre? We have developed a special and enhance children’s comprehension and equip carry bag – decorated with the help of the children with much motivational information on the them with the tools for lifelong development. outside of the bag – and with the help of dedicated We encourage all children to: Join and participate teachers and principals, and lots of communication by attending the club and to assist in sensitising between the schools and the parents, we hope to others to read more. We hope they build make bringing your recycling to school as common meaningful relationships through the experience and easy as bringing your school bag to school!It and encourage them to take time to listen and seems strange that a small bag, carried by a small child to school once or twice a week could be the connect. start of a revolution. Usually revolutions are Ivor Belgrave started as a result of something the society are so fed up about that they will do almost anything to change it. We at the Future Centre Trust are proud to be raising up junior environmental “revolutionists”, in the hopes that the next generation will be more aware and take better care of their communities and environments in the future.
Vicki Merrick, Future Centre Trust 5
Be The Change
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A Sustainable Bajan Only when we gain our food and energy independence will we know what it is to be a truly wealthy nation, only then will we have the control to create a sustainable economy and environment for future generations to enjoy
By Fraser Young
We have created an economy on this island that we have little control over. As the world economic situation flounders with mixed messages of recovery and recession it is time that we take control of our future. We have all the tools to create a sustainable Barbados that not only alleviates our current financial and environmental problems but if done correctly can create an example for the world to follow. We have a small population, with financial resources to drastically change Barbados within a decade. We need a plan. In order to create a green and sustainable economy we must have a comprehensive plan. Understanding that the decisions we make in regards to agriculture and energy will affect our country for generations to come. We need to look at the problems that we face and create solutions, too many assessments have been done, we know what the problems are, it is time for action. Agriculture is the key. As long as we are dependent on others for food we are not independent as a nation. We are at the mercy of the price of oil for both the production of our food abroad and its
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transportation costs to get it here. We have no control over the quantity or quality of what we receive. We have a sense of food security because our store shelves are always full, this is a false sense of security. What happens when the countries we import from no longer send us food? The countries that we import from will always take care of their needs first. All we have to do is look at the wild fires in Russia and how this created an instant policy of no wheat exports outside of Russian borders. What will it take before we realize that we need to feed ourselves. When we produce our food locally we will create jobs, reduce the food import bill, stabilize and control the cost of food, control the quantity and quality of our food, reduce our carbon footprint from imports, reduce the stress on our foreign currency reserves. All of this adds to an economy that creates wealth and keeps it in Barbados. This is how we get back to a stable economy. This is how we regain our international status asa stable economy that will be attractive to investors. Alternative energy creation is important to our future growth and stability. We need to have a more aggressive energy policy as it relates to addressing our dependency on oil. As we get to peak oil we will notice that the cost of everything increases. Local manufacturing becomes cost prohibitive, households can no longer afford power bills, imports become more expensive. We need to create an energy policy that insulates us from global oil fluctuations. We need large scale alternative energy power plants now. There are
investors waiting, the government is on board what is taking so long? In my life I have a house that runs off grid producing and storing all of its power needs, I always have reusable bags for shopping, my vehicle runs on recycled cooking oil, the organic farmers at Holders farmers market feed me, I grow food at home, I strive to produce 100% of my families food needs, I strive for sustainability. The idea of sustainability can be overwhelming so start small. Next time you go to buy imported grapes buy a local mango instead, when shopping take your own bag, plant a fruit tree in your yard, start a kitchen garden, turn off lights when you leave the room, recycle. The key to a sustainable Barbados is you, it is time we decide that it’s ok to leave something behind for future generations to enjoy. Are you ready to live a sustainable life? Fraser Young is Green Build specialist and consultant
For any help or ideas on how you become more environmentally responsible or help please check out these free local sustainability resources on Facebook
October 2012
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In Conversation with Alex Jordan... What does Oneness mean to you?
What do you believe it means to be an ambassador of change? Ahhm, an ambassador of change is I imagine, more of a responsibility than being an ambassador of a brand. It's easy to front a brand. Being an ambassador of change is about embodying an attitude of change. It is behavioral and attitudinal - political and personal. What would you say to future generations about this time in history? I will say that like every other time in history, we said that this was the most amazing time to be alive! But future generations: understand that this really WAS the most amazing time because it was the age of the internet. Our social interaction and our ability to connect across the globe, has changed everything. Never has so much information been available to so many people at one time. It has changed the game. It is an extraordinary time to be alive.
Oh! Oneness is the inevitable connection of us all. Togetherness. One action affects everyone. The idea is that the nuclear family, is in fact neighborhood, community, country, world! We don’t have to think other worldly to see a connection to each other, or how our actions affect each other; it's pretty basic stuff. Gated communities is a good example. If you are trying to protect your lifestyle from what lies outside your gates, I put it to you that is no lifestyle at all. If we are not all okay none of us are okay. Before we looked after each other more, looked out for each other. The separation that is happening now means a more individualistic society and it also means an increased distance between those with and those without. What would you personally change in your life today? I would like to really start throwing things away better... ‘ away’, yeah I know, there is no such place as ‘away’. I don’t have enough good routines with that; bottles, cans papers, I am here to tell you I am not doing it, (quietly voice trails off) I am composting….
What belief do we have as a society that we could change to create a better future?
If you could change one thing in the world what would it be?
I think we have an idea of re-use, recycle and reduce now, but as a Barbadian society, I still despair. They think; (stupes) I can’t be the change, one person can’t make the change. Barbadians don’t feel they can change things. They have been disempowered by a government that is inactive in areas of importance like social justice and the environment. They've also been disempowered by growing up in a society that has traditionally relied too heavily on government for action - which is a mistake.
Silence……the nature of democracy. (Sighs) Yeah religion has proven itself to be too important to change, people need to believe, to have faith in something. But how a country is governed, what people call the free and civilized world, what people call free, is inherently unjust. In order to have supreme wealth there must be supreme deprivation. There is a carrying capacity in all things and we have to share it. Share the energy, the food, the resources and the responsibility to clean up.
What leader inspires you to Be the Change?
Alex Jordan is a radio presenter and sports woman. The first face of Be the Change Barbados, she is an empowered woman with a degree from McGill University in Third World Politics and Modern Languages. She worked in London for Polydor Records before returning to her native Barbados and presents The Alex Jordan morning show on Slam FM.
Oh, great one, oh god who!? Maya Angelou is inspiring, Bobby Clarke he’s inspiring; of the people, for the people, by the people, Roberta Clarke, head of UN women, women’s rights, humans rights activist, an incredible brain. Christy Punnett inspires me in the area of personal change.
“I am the Change”
Alex Jordan, Empowered Woman
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Check yourself - Our new regular feature offering
Diary
tips and advice to change the small stuff for big impact, this issue “9 Great Ways To Reduce The Amount Of Plastic We Use�
24th October CIRCLE at Staplegrove
Use a re-usable water bottle and stop buying Save glass Jars and use them instead of tupperware
Take reusable coffee tumbler with you Compost so you use fewer garbage bags
Purchase wooden
Buy grocery items packaged in
toys
glass rather than plastic
Bring cloth bags to the
Use only metal or
supermarket and say no to the plastic bag
25th October Official Launch - The Story Club
Biodegradable plates
Keep a real (metal or wooden ) fork and spoon in your car and at your desk
1st - 5th November - Jon Symes Be the Change / Pachamama Alliance Event 15th November - Slow Food Farm to Table Dinner at Cin Cin
How many did you score?
BTC Global update The stories you need to know from around the world. Be Inspired... Be Aware..... Be part of the global community New york
New York City's Board of Health voted to ban the sale of sugary drinks in containers larger than 16 ounces in a move meant to combat obesity and encourage residents to live healthier lifestyles.
Libya
US ambassador to Libya and three other consulate employees were reportedly killed by local militia in an attack on the American consulate in Benghazi. The US diplomatic facility in eastern Libya was India An estimated 100,000 evacuated following violent clashes, and landless poor people from across India will an enraged crowd of militia members this month march 350km from Gwalior in stormed the building and set it on fire. Madhya Pradesh to the capital, Delhi, to demand a fairer share of land and resources.
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Arctic
Shell's muchprotested plans for Arctic oil exploration off Alaska have already come to a halt for the year. After initial technical mishaps, including a ship breaking free of its mooring and potentially running aground, apparently a dome designed to help clean up any potential oil spills was damaged.
China
China is building more eco-cities designed to be low-carbon and energy-saving than any other country, according to a survey by the University of Westminster in London.
Australia
A controversial super trawler will be banned from fishing in Australian waters for at least two years under proposed changes to national environmental laws.
Nigeria Gunmen opened fire on students in a northeast Nigerian college, shooting some of them dead and stabbing others. Police say an Islamist extremist group could be behind the attack, but are also looking into possible links with student union elections.
September 2012
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Happiness is a Butterfly which, when pursued is just beyond your grasp... but if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." - Nathaniel Hawthorne, novelist.
"I know pessimism is very fashionable. Hundreds of books, newspaper articles and magazine articles are full of it, and people are driven by doom and gloom and disaster. I feel pessimism is disempowering. I want to be an optimist because that is empowering. When you are an optimist, you can do something about the bad situation. If we are poisoning the soil, we can transform that through organic farming and local food and fresh food. If we are destroying our rivers and oceans, we can redesign our economic system so that we don't. Because this industrial system is designed by humans, it can be changes by humans. This is what gives me hope. The problems we face today are not given by God, they are man-made, only in the last 200 years. What's 200 years in the history of evolution, billion of years of history? If what was designed by humans has gone wrong; we can redesign it."
Satish Kumar
Beautiful Barbados Our Island is unique in so many ways, a coral island “grown” from the ocean bed - set apart from it’s volcanic cousins. This section is dedicated to the wonder that is Barbados and our responsibility to protect it. Please send us your pictures and we will share them with the community. This picture, by Maddy Murphy, was taken at the Animal Flower caves in St Lucy “It was the first time I had even visited the caves and I was busy looking down to be sure I had my footing; when I looked up I was completely in awe--I was looking through a window into the wide-open world!” Maddy Murphy
Be the Change
October 2012
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Save the Date...... Be the Change Barbados and the Pachamama Alliance are proud to present a Five Day Community Gathering to Inspire, Inform and Connect. We invite you to join us on a transformative journey and enrole in Being the Change.....
Jon Symes
DAY ONE Be the Change Symposium
PROGRAM DIRECTOR – INTERNATIONAL AND ALLIANCES
November 1st, 2012 9 - 5 p.m.
Jon is accountable for the success of the Awakening the Dreamer Program, inspiring citizens to become active in fulfilling its mission, bringing
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sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, socially just human presence on this planet. “I was at the first Symposium in the UK in 2006 and saw immediately how this message aligned with my just published book, Your Planet Needs You. I dived in, as a volunteer in the UK, and was surprised, delighted and challenged by the invitation to join the Pachamama Alliance team here in San Francisco. There is no more fulfilling place for me to provide my energy and skills than this worldchanging work.” Jon Symes Jon set up and ran a number of companies in the UK, including a training and development consultancy working with major blue-chip corporations across Europe, and in so doing gained valuable experience in consultancy, training, coaching and public speaking. His own awakening had him step away from that work, finding in its stead a call to communicate the problems and opportunities of this time.
Empowered to Change November 2 & 3, 2012 9 - 5 p.m. DAY FOUR Be the Change Barbados Family Day and BBQ November 4th, 2012 9 - 1 p.m. DAY FIVE Share the Vision A Be the Change Facilitators Workshop November 5th, 2012 10 - 4 p.m. For more information and to register please contact us at; connect@bethechangebarbados.org
Be the Change
October 2012
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In Appreciation Thank you to all our contributors for this edition, without your passion and time we would have no newsletter, and this edition has doubled since our first issue. Our aim is to produce something that is informative, entertaining and serving of its community, so please let us have your comments and feedback Letter From The Heart I look forward with great anticipation to our herb garden. I look forward to stepping into it and moving around with light steps. If I could I would take my shoes off as I shall be standing on sacred ground. It is in diversity that the divine is more easily encountered. No one plant in this garden can fully reflect the divine. So as I move around in our garden I see the divine in the diversity of plants. Long before the Sacred Books were written ancient and original peoples encountered the divine in the creatures around them. I bend to feel the texture of this plant. I have already admired the colour and form of the plant and recognized that this plant is unique, different from the others. This plant has its own inner principle of being, has its own identity. It has its own unique qualities and innate worth and is a true symbol of the divine. Our planet Earth is self generating and self healing. It is forever becoming new, producing new species. Left to itself, without the destructive
Contributors Christy Punnett Clyde Griffith Leah Odle-Benson Ian McNeel Yuri Scutt Ivor Belgrave Vicky Merrick Fraser Young Alex Jordan Maddy Murphy Tory Miell Bishop Dickson Katalyst Creative With very special thanks and immense gratitude to Tory Miell for her incredible support!
influence of the human species, our planet Earth will heal itself. Hence the presence of so many different herbs in our garden. Each plant has its own capacity to contribute to the healing of other species. Power exudes from each plant. Each plant is indeed sacred. Ignorant humans have contributed to the slow elimination of herbs from our country. They throw away what they thing are useless weeds. In our garden we plan to preserve as many native herbs as possible. They are too precious to be allowed to disappear. Pharmaceutical companies have for years been using herbs to produce pills and liquid medicines. We have been paying fortunes for these medications without being sure of what is going into our bodies. Why not try to use the herbs themselves - they are nature’s gift to us. Come walk with me through our garden. Each plant indicates its name and
Alex Jordan is the first “face of Be the Change” The first of many we hope. If you would like to suggest someone from our community who is a strong ambassador for change please write us at connect@bethechangebarbados.org
Be The Change Newsletter, in Association with Be the Change Barbados Be The Change Barbados is a registered Non Profit, volunteer lead organization committed to realising an Environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just Barbados.
its healing qualities. Gaze lovingly upon each plant, encounter the divine, and learn how each plant can contribute to your health.
What a treasure we have in our medicinal herb garden! Anthony H. Dickson
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