Body And Soil The Maui Way

Just in case you need an "excuse" to go to Hawaii. Conference is: January 14-16th.

Since 2001 our educational events (visit History of MA‘A) have informed and inspired!

Our Mission: To promote life nurturing practices for Body & Soil through education and outreach.

We have been holding educational/experiential conferences since 2001 on Body and Soil health and have actively been involved in supporting our small organic and transitioning conventional family farmers in their practice to honor their body’s well being and the soils vitality as a living organism while producing nutrient rich food for the community.

 

January 2011 Body & Soil Conference informationwww.mauigrown.com

Our conferences have been on an Organic farm outdoors under a big top tent. Our next event in January 14,15,16, 2011 is up at Kumulani Organic Vegetable Farm in Olinda.The presenters at our conferences are leaders in the field of eco-logical land and holistic body care. The outdoor ambiance carries over into their presentations. Our experts do a great job of weaving their presentations as a magical story of connecting the dots of how nature works to support us and our well being.
Organic Health FoodAlong with the main conference area, there is an organic food tent, supplying “ono local grinds” throughout the day. Conference attendees will be fed a diverse local meal at lunch like no other experienced at a conference.  Attendees will have many opportunities to network with one another, cruise our extensive trade show, while feasting on nutrient dense local organic foods.
It is the intention of Ma‘a to hold these experiential events and bring together folks who value what it means to grow and eat nutrient dense foods, while fostering biological diversity in their gardens and farms.

We welcome the creative minds and spirits, of all who wish to share their gifts of knowledge and experience. What makes up the spirit of Ma’a is acknowledging the relationship of the body to the soil, in our being well.

If your not already on our mailing list register your e-mail todayhttp://www.mauialohaaina.org/articles-by-email/ to receive updates regarding this years event and other news from Ma‘a.


A 501c3 organization.

 

 

Ma’a recently held a five day agricultural design conference for Maui County. Forty Two individuals from across the agricultural sector convened to design an agricultural system that invigorates the local economy through regenerative agriculture for a variety of reasons including: Food Security, Economic Opportunity,  Leveraging Interest in Alternative Approaches, Health,Soil & Skills Depletion,.

 

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The Few, The Proud, The Green

This whole blog post is excerpted from Thomas L. Friedman's "The U.S.S. Prius" article that ran in the International Herald Tribune, Dec. 20, 2010 in the OP Ed section.

 

Bio Fuels For a Future of Good Green Christmases

..."out-greening" Al Qaeda, "out-greening" the Taliban, "out-greening" the world's Petro dictators...

...What could save America's energy future - at a time when a fraudulent, anti-science campaign funded largely by Big Oil and Big Coal has blocked Congress from passing any clean energy/climate bill - is the fact that the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps just didn't get the word...

The Navy will use only "third-generation biofuels." That means no ethanol made from corn...

 

Ray Mabus, U.S. Secretary of Navy for "Great Green Fleet"

...Mabus's [Ray, Sec. of U.S. Navy] argument is that if the U.S. Navy and Marines could replace those generators with renewable power and more energy efficient buildings, and run its ships on nuclear energy, biofuels, and hybrid engines, and fly its jets with bio-fuels, then it could out-green the Taliban - the best way to avoid a roadside bomb is to not have vehicles on the roads - and out-green all the petro-dictators now telling the world what to do..."

On April 22, Earth Day, the Navy flew a F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet powered by a 50-50 blend of conventional jet fuel and camelina aviation biofuel made from pressed mustard seeds...since been tested on biofuels at Mach 1.7...

The Navy plans in 2012 to put out to sea a "Great Green Fleet," a 13-ship carrier battle group powered either by nuclear energy or 50-50 blends of biofuels and with aircraft flying on 50-50 blends of biofuels.

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Paris Announces Autolib' Car Service On Demand




Modeling itself after the successful Autolib' service already in practice in Lyon, France, Paris announced earlier this week that by March 2012, at the latest, their Autolib' service will be fully in play.

AutoLib', the electric car rental program, is modelled after the wildly popular Velib' program, whereby citizens, tourists and visitors alike can pick up a bicycle at numerous points around the city, use it for a half an hour, half a day or longer, and then drop it off at another station when they're finished with it. The pick-up and drop-off stations, which function as one and the same, are nearly as numerous as Metro stations.
The program is designed for short-term use for both the bicycle and Auto usage. They're available 24/7. And it is ridiculously cheap. To use an Autolib' car in Lyon prices start at 2,10 Euro for basic car models from Citroen, Peugeot, Toyota. You first purchase a membership for a minimum of one year and on top of that you pay a deposit to cover any possible damages. But you can even take a car between the hours of 11pm and 7 am for free.
On this program, Paris is worlds ahead of, for example, Santa Monica, a city in California, the nation's greenest state, that prides itself on its green transportation policies.
On December 16th the California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted in favor of California's nation leading Cap-and-Trade program under AB 32.
Here is what California's Governor had to say about it: 
And I'm so proud of this team here because it's one thing when the legislators get together and say AB 32  and here's the bill  and they give you these documents that are 1,000 pages long and all this stuff. And then the governor goes out and talks about it and I sign it and we have bill signing ceremonies and all of those things that we had. But then someone has to follow through and make it become a reality  and the people you see in front of you here are the people that make this become a reality. I know today, even though we are 10 years away from 2020 but I know today that we will have a reduction of 25 percent of greenhouse gases by the year 2020, only because I have such an excellent team here.
I am thinking that California may just need to take some pages from Paris's playbook on public transportation policy. Especially in cities such as San Francisco, Santa Monica, Pasadena and other such coastal cities that are already readily adaptable to something like the Autolib' and the Velib'.


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Agriculture and the Green Revolution

In case you missed it, the following is a summation of some of the topics included in the recent Conference that took place in the "Salad Bowl of the Nation," Salinas, California.

Read More About The Food Economy on Local Food And Wine

 

Another Drop In the Bucket: The Use of Hydroponics in Commercial Agriculture
View Presentation.

Deborah Walliser, Executive Director, Solsustech Inc. - View Bio.

As the world population increases, natural resources such as land, water and food become increasingly valuable.  The industry that feels the effect of all three is also charged with providing safe, healthy and sustainable food  for its consumers while battling natural disasters and changes in the political landscape.  One way to generate fresh healthy food, while using less water and resources is found in age old systems combined with today's technology.  Through this partnership, simple fast food production centers can be set-up all over the globe providing increased revenue and jobs for US business. The use of hydroponics  in the fresh produce industry can change the landscape of global food production while putting the US at the forefront of the industry.

Urban Green Agriculture
View Presentation.

William Butler, Chairman, GIT-Green Innovational Technologies- View Bio.

This talk will focus on the uses of Multi-Technologies in the many fields of Water Treatment, Solar Energy, Fish Farming, Hydroponics and the raising of Food both Meat and Vegetables within the Water Environment, and the use of “Green” as a conduit of sustainable technologies, which are at hand right now to produce a viable and sustainable, yet simple solution to many of our problems today. Having experienced many tours and travels around the world, I have been able to cross pollinate many technologies to become more then what they were. Case in point was a tour of the Waste Water Treatment of the City of Shen Zhen. 

We saw 10 different types of treatment, but one stands out as useful for the sustainability of Human Life and would be able to contribute to a higher Quality of Standard Lifestyle in the future. This was the Mei Shanyaun Apartments in which I saw an Aquarium with a fish inside being fed by the Bacterialogically treated Waste Water from these apartments and this caused me to think and research what could be a next breakthrough in Water Treatment. So by using this technology and others to come up with a sustainable Ecosystem within the Environment of the Urban Culture, we can provide a better life for all; both the Urban and Rural Communities.

Growing Energy with the Sun, Becoming a Solar Farm
View Presentation.

Michael Gumm, Executive VP & Co-Founder,SunPods Inc. -View Bio.

In California with plenty of sun and land, going solar in the agri-world makes perfect sense to drive down your energy cost and to create a greener business image. The agricultural community with large plots of land and operations that require large amounts of energy is starting to embrace Solar whole-heartedly.  Large, grid-tied photovoltaic systems harvest the power of the sun and save any unused energy for later through net metering, creating a cushion of kilowatt-hours for future use. 

Some examples solar energy in agriculture can power include:
·         lighting and heating
·         crop and grain drying
·         greenhouse heating
·         Irrigation
·         Fruit, nut and vegetable processing and packaging
·         Grape and wine processing
·         Remote electrical supply 

Going solar is not difficult and today there are a number of ways to install and finance solar that we will explain.

Advances in Technology to Lower Cost of Waste Water Compliance while Producing Renewable Energy
View Presentation.

John W. Kuhry, Business Development, Real Green Power, Inc. View Bio.

Confined Animal Feeding Operations generate millions of tons of manure and billions of gallons of wastewater every year.  Uncontrolled greenhouse gas emissions and associated stench from the waste contribute heavily to global warming.

Methane is 25 times more harmful to the atmosphere than CO2.  A number of energy efficiency improvements recently developed can significantly lower the cost of compliance with the clean water act. By capturing and processing the methane produced in the treatment of  wastewater, a huge renewable energy resource is created. Anaerobic Digestion is the only viable solution that produces, rather than consumes energy. It is a solution  for farms of a few hundred to millions of animals, from many different animals including pigs, cows, chickens, ducks and geese separately or together.

For the Full Agenda Click HERE. 

 

Wednesday December 01, 2010, 03:30PM PST
Event Type: Conference
Location: The Fox Theater
241 S Main St
Salinas, CA 93901 US

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Clean Energy Transmission Lines - California Report

Audio:

 

The 3-minute, 37-second address is available at:

.

The file is 1.24 MB.

 

YouTube:

 

The 3-minute, 39-second address is available at:

.

 

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger:

 

Hello, this is Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with another California Report.

This week, I was in San Diego for the groundbreaking of a new transmission line, the Sunrise Powerlink.

 

This line will carry 1,000 megawatts of clean energy from the Imperial Valley to San Diego—enough to power 650,000 homes....

In just the last year we have approved 5,000 megawatts of renewable projects like wind, solar and geothermal.


Many are in areas with vast open space like the Mojave Desert and Imperial Valley.

The challenge is moving that power to where people live and work. Because you can have all the power in the world out in the desert, but if you can’t bring it in, you have nothing.

For that, of course, we need transmission lines. Right now only one transmission line connects the Imperial Valley to San Diego. And it is near capacity.

 

That line is tired. It’s exhausted. It cannot handle anymore.

That is why this week’s groundbreaking is so important. Not only will the Sunrise Powerlink carry enough renewable energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by one million tons a year, but it will also create thousands of jobs at a time that we need those jobs the most.

This all sounds great, doesn’t it?

Great for our economy, great for jobs and great for our environment.

 

As I’ve always said, you can protect both the environment and the economy.

But you will be surprised to learn that it took five years to get this transmission line through the permitting process.

 

There were obstacles at every turn.

 

There is no reason for that.

 

It is inexcusable that it takes five years to build a transmission line, or 10 years to build an extra lane on the freeway, or 20 years to build a new airport runway.

 

In China, those things get built in four years.

 

You see, infrastructure is so important.

 

We have a growing population so, therefore, we have to upgrade our infrastructure.

 

So it is very important for environmentalists, businesses, Democrats and Republicans, for everyone to get together and get the permitting done quicker...

LISTEN TO THE ENTIRE Broadcast on either or both links ABOVE

 

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Happy Sustainable Holidays From Sen. Pavley

Snowflake Sustainability Award Snowflake
Pavley staffer Stephanie Molen presents Sustainability Award to Toyota Santa Monica GM Bill Rinker
Pavley staffer Stephanie Molen presents Sustainability Award to Toyota Santa Monica GM Bill Rinker

Each month I recognize a business, person or organization in my district that is dedicated to preserving our environment by living and working responsibly. This month I'm proud to announce that I presented an Environmental Sustainability Award to Toyota Santa Monica.

Bill Rinker, the General Manager of Toyota Santa Monica has shown forward thinking by installing the first open access electrical vehicle charging station in the nation. Anyone with a plug-in or hybrid vehicle manufactured in 2010 and beyond, will be able to drive up to Toyota Santa Monica to get charged. 

As the #1 Hybrid Dealer in the World Toyota Santa Monica has continued to accommodate and promote a sustainable environment. The dealership's dedication and commitment to resource conservation by purchasing policies, recycling, implementing operation changes that eliminate toxic chemicals, energy efficiency and water conservation is remarkable and an inspiration to other businesses in the 23rd Senate District.

Snowflake Help for the Holidays Snowflake
Weside Food Bank
 

If your family is one of the many struggling this holiday season, I would urge you to research the non-profits in your area that can help meet your needs. I have listed just a few of the many valuable organizations serving the residents of the 23rd Senate District.

Snowflake Inclusive Teaching at Chime Institute Snowflake
Sen. Pavley with Governor Schwarzenegger
Sen. Pavley with Governor Schwarzenegger

I had a wonderful time with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, first Lady Maria Shriver, Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, and other dignitaries at Chime Charter School in Woodland Hills recently as they announced that the new combined elementary and middle school will be renamed the CHIME Institute's Schwarzenegger Community School.

CHIME implements a unique co-teaching model where general and special education teachers plan, assess and instruct all students to provide targeted curriculum and learning experiences that meet the needs of all students. This co-teaching and collaborative related service model ensures these layers of instructional support benefit all students. CHIME Charter Elementary School was named "Charter School of the Year" by the California Charter School Association in 2005 and in the same year was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a leading model of inclusive education.

Snowflake Celebrating 10 Years of Green Entrepreneurial Leadership Snowflake
Sen. Pavley with E2 Co-Founder Nicole Lederer, Peter Lehner, Frances Beinecke, E2 Co-Founder Bob Epstein and NRDC Founder John Adams at the E2 10th anniversary gala
Sen. Pavley with E2 Co-Founder Nicole Lederer, Peter Lehner, Frances Beinecke, E2 Co-Founder Bob Epstein and NRDC Founder John Adams at the E2 10th anniversary gala

I was thrilled to take part in the 10th Anniversary celebration of Environmental Entrepreneurs, or E2, which is an organization affiliated with the Natural Resources Defense Council. E2's mission is to unite business leaders to advocate for good environmental policy. E2 was started in California by co-founders Bob Epstein and Nicole Lederer with a goal of driving environmental policies that make good economic sense. It was a visionary idea – promote environmental laws that are good for business. Bob and Nicole worked with me on my Clean Cars Bill (AB 1493) in 2002 and on my landmark Clean Energy Law (AB 32) in 2006. They also worked with me on my Alternative Fuels bill (AB 1007), and most recently on my Energy Improvement Financing Bill (SB 77). Congratulations on 10 productive years and many more to come!

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86 Year Old Vancouver Island Resident Tweeting to Save Mary Lake


Submitted by Rebecca Peters
“If Obama could raise $500 million via social media for his presidential campaign then I
figured why couldn’t we try and raise $5 million to Save Mary Lake” says Bob McMinn,
one of the small group of residents from Vancouver Island, Canada, that are attempting to raise this ambitious sum of money to save a rare ecosystem from development. The dry Coastal Douglas fir ecosystem is one of the most endangered ecosystems in Canada. Large Douglas-firs dominate the land, along with Arbutus, Western Red-cedar, Garry oak, Aspen and Grand fir.

While they may not have the president of the US on board just yet, Elizabeth May, the leader of the national political party Green Party Canada has bought square metres and environmental legend David Suzuki has picked them as one of his favourite pages to support on Facebook. 86-year-old McMinn has been a resident of the District of Highlands (the region encompassing Mary Lake) for 57 years. He’s a true advocate of conservation, and as the first mayor of the region, he has been a tireless crusader to save land from development, and has been instrumental in helping the region maintain 40% parkland.
McMinn believes that it is the ‘wow’ factor that is inspiring people from close by, and as far away as Japan, Denmark and Australia to support Save Mary Lake. “When I first saw Mary Lake, I couldn’t help but exclaim ‘wow’” says McMinn. “I delight in taking people to see the land, and every time their reaction to the astounding beauty mimics my first reaction.”

Water trickles through the streamside riparian habitat. More than 80% of this region's riparian ecosystems have been lost to development, the same risk that faces Mary Lake today. Launching just over a month ago, the Save Mary Lake campaign has already connected with an international environmental audience to help save this valuable piece of ecological property. The Save Mary Lake group created a website www.savemarylake.com where people can choose square metres to buy on a digital map of Mary Lake, essentially saving those squares, and leaving their environmental name-stamp for all to see. To date over 12,000 square metres have been saved.

The 107-acre Mary Lake property is part of an imperiled dry coastal Douglas fir ecosystem that connects two already preserved pieces of parkland. It provides an important corridor between these pieces of parkland, especially for the many types of wildlife. The seven-acre lake on the property also provides refuge to wildlife including some that are endangered. Mary Lake also acts as a natural carbon sink removing CO2 from the atmosphere.
Save Mary Lake champion Bob McMinn enjoys the view at Mary Lake.

The group has taken to Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to try and engage people but they still need help if they are to meet the first goal of their fundraising campaign, to sell 65,000 squares by the end of January 2011. Although the goal is lofty, the Save Mary Lake crew believes it is achievable. Bob looks forward to seeing who will share the squares beside him and hopes to one day shake the hand of the people whose digital squares border his. For now, a digital handshake in the form of a tweet will have to do-after all a trip to Japan may have to wait as this 86-year-old has a busier schedule than most people half his age as he continues the crusade to Save Mary Lake.

Rebecca Peters is a Vancouver resident, deeply committed to her community.
Recycle, Reuse, Rejoice!

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Global Green Sustainable Design Awards, NYC

By: Alisa Ahmadian 

Global Green held its 11th Annual Sustainable Design Awards Ceremony on the picturesque Hudson River at Pier 60 in New York City.

eBay's John Donahoe

The event honored innovative leaders in bold environmental design that is transforming our international infrastructure for a greener future.Global Green is known for its pioneering policy and green building efforts in New Orleans post-Katrina. 


The night began with an intimate cocktail reception where guests mingled, enjoyed organic spirits and perused displays ranging from green building supplies to exotic vacations. Aside from event honorees, other attendees included Entourage star and environmental activist Adrien Grenier and actor Edward Norton, who told us that he supported Global Green’s work because “no one has done more than Global Green to re-build New Orleans sustainably.” Heatherette designer Richie Richalso attended the event as well as former Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Judith Light.

Global Green USA Sustainable Design Awards, Dec. 6th, 2010, NYC.

The evening moved on to the main event: a formal dinner, with tables beautifully decorated with potted plants and herbs and a delicious organic dinner.

Global Green CEO & President Matt Petersen served as the Master of Ceremonies for the night, introducing honorees including: 

• eBay Inc., John Donahoe, President & CEO – Organizational Design Award

• Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, Sue Cischke, Group Vice President, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering, Ford Motor Company – Product Design Award

• Sophia Bush and Austin Nichols– Entertainment Design Award

• Arianna Huffington, Co-founder & Editor-in-chief of Huffington Post – Media Design Award

• Wade Greene, Philanthropic Advisor to the Rockefeller Foundation- Policy Design Award

Sophia Bush and Austin Nichols
 Speaking about the successful launch of Huffington Post Green [of which Greening Hollywood was one of the foundational contributing columns], Arianna Huffington underlined the urgency of the launch, saying that “green is more important now than ever. Washington is full of ‘flat-earthers’ that are waging a war on science, evolution, everything.” Sam Champion of Good Morning America broke up the night with jokes, saying that he was “here to support Global Green, but I’m leaving soon to go to bed!” due to his 5 AM call time. 
Adrian Grenier


One Tree Hill co-stars Sophia Bush and Austin Nichols re-hashed their eye-opening trip to Louisiana following the BP oil spill this spring, telling us about the anger they felt when visiting beaches “that were totally controlled by BP-we felt like BP completely took over, and we wanted to do something about it.” Other honorees voiced similar passion and inspiration to make change, including Wade Green, a longtime anti-arms political advocate. Wade said that “after thirty years, I am still committed to working for solutions for peace on local, state and federal levels.” John Donahoe of eBay echoed the sentiment, stating that he is “constantly amazed by the power of the global community.”

Rounding out the inspiring evening, Matt Petersen took the stage once again to announce that over $400,000 had been raised during the event to benefit Global Green’s widespread international campaigns.

Sponsors of the event included Hotel Gavarni, Paris's first independent hotel to be European Ecolabel certified.

To learn more about Global Green, please visit http://www.globalgreen.org

Alisa Ahmadian works for Cook + Fox in environmental building and architecture in New York City. All photos credited to Alisa Ahmadian

 

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Event Alert! Charity:Water December 13 NYC

VIP RECEPTION.

Join John Slattery of Mad Men and founder Scott Harrison as they host an exclusive sneak peek at charity: ball 2010.

Specialty cocktails mixed by Master Alchemist Alex Ott. Whisky tasting offered by The Macallan. 


WHEN: December 13, 6:00 - 7:00
WHERE: Metropolitan Pavilion. 125 West 18th Street 

For Tickets:

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International Environmental Film Festival, 28th Annual, Paris


Over the past few years, a number of films on ecology and the climate have been awarded prizes and have succeeded in attracting a significant turnout in cinemas. The 28th International Festival of Environmental Film, held from 24th to 30th November in the La Pagode cinema, presents a unique panorama of this new genre which is inspiring filmmakers from around the world.
Sponsored by Isabelle Giordano, this year will focus in particular on the issues linked to biodiversity and climate change, with the spotlight on Mexican documentaries.
You can attend screenings of documentaries, dramas and short films from around the world, attend previews, cartes blanches and thematic programmes, all for free.
In their own way, each of these films address a variety of subjects such as the protection of nature, the rational management of resources, the greenhouse effect, the quality of agriculture and the environment, the fight against poverty, participative democracy, north-south and east-west relations, the influx of immigrants and integration etc...
Reader Contest! Send in your Translations for The Cartoons and you will be eligible to Win one of The Gifts and Giveaways on Greening Hollywood.  Post your entry as a Comment!

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