All Posts Tagged With: "Inspiration"

Week 7

When you turn to the Sun all shadows fall behind you. ~ African proverb

What does turning toward the sun look like in practical terms? Sure, it’s easy to despise and rail against a company like BP for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. But what happens when we look inside and honestly see our own complicity in this disaster – and others? Blame is a form of domination, and it prevents us from shedding light on our own truth. Where are you judging, and how can you transform that into compassion this week?

More: Cultivate compassion daily with these 7 practices.

Read the Weekly Green from Week 6 here.

We always love to hear from you! How juicy is this quote for you?

Week 6

There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still. ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

When faced with so many challenges – or even choices – we can become paralyzed. This reminds me that there is no one right answer. The important thing is to keep moving, trying new things, and adjust course when necessary. Where are you standing still, and what small step forward can you take this week?

More: Franklin D. Roosevelt entry in the Encyclopedia of Earth.

Read the Weekly Green from Week 5 here.

We always love to hear from you! How juicy is this quote for you?

Week 5

It is impossible to care for each other more or differently than we care for the earth. ~ Wendell Berry

In our modern world, the importance of care is undervalued, ignored, considered irrelevant. While this is slowly changing, we are yet part of a culture that sees people and the earth as objects to be conquered, subdued, and used for our own ends. Our fate is intertwined with that of the earth – whether positively or negatively. How can you contribute to this cultural shift by practicing care and respect this week?

More: Watch Riane Eisler speak about a caring economics and leverage points for the shift from domination to partnership.

Read the Weekly Green from Week 4 here.

We always love to hear from you! How juicy is this quote for you?

Week 4

The best way to give ourselves to the future is to give ourselves totally to the present moment. ~ Albert Camus

I love to play with the delicate balance of having goals, yet living each moment in the here and now. This is one of the miraculous aspects of being human. There is a discipline to living in the present, to avoid hashing over the past or fantasizing too much about the future. Yet, it’s not workable to ignore our desires and dreams. How can you tap your power of vision this week by noticing your present state?

More: Meditation is excellent practice to be in the present moment. Learn how from Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, the spiritual leader of Shambhala.

Read the Weekly Green from Week 3 here.

We always love to hear from you! How juicy is this quote for you?

Week 2

The eyes of the future are looking back at us and they are praying that we might see beyond our own time. ~ Terry Tempest Williams

Today begins a NEW weekly feature on GOforChange.

The great strawbale building pioneer Matts Mhyrman has said, “The road to good intentions is paved with hell,” and that feels about right to me. The journey of someone who cares deeply about the earth and is working like hell to do something about it can be a bumpy one indeed.

We each have our coping techniques. The very talented David Eisenberg, founder of the Development Center for Appropriate Technologies (DCAT) writes poetry and arranges it artfully on his gorgeous photographs of wild places. I know many folks unplug and spend weeks at a time in those wild places.

One of my ways is to collect quotes. It hasn’t been a conscious practice until very recently. I just appreciate the way a good quote or aphorism sums up the entire world so elegantly.

Each week, I will offer one of my favorites as inspiration to support you through the challenges you are bound to encounter along your path as an advocate for the earth. I’ll include a brief meditation on what the quote means to me, and a question to take into your week. Now, let’s get started!

Week 1

You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new reality that makes the existing reality obsolete. ~ R. Buckminster Fuller

This has long been on my touchstone. It’s an elegant way of saying, “don’t curse the darkness; light a candle.” In many ways, the green building movement demonstrates the truth of this. We have all the technology and know-how we need to create zero-energy buildings, so let’s just get going and do that. What can you do this week to build a new reality?

More: Buckminster Fuller Institute

We always love to hear from you! How juicy is this quote for you?

On New Year’s Day, we received an email from our good friend, Michael Furbish, who owns the Furbish Company , a green builder whose work we have profiled recently . They are clear about their mission on their website: "Furbish Company designs, sells, installs, and maintains plant-based building systems. We view plants as living machines. Set up properly, they enhance building performance while providing aesthetic beauty." In other words, they are change agents.

In our first post for the New Year, I wanted to welcome our new visitors, and remind our regulars about our purpose here. Since Michael says it so well, I’ll just use his words:

"Your site is absolutely wonderful. Every time I visit, it is deeper and richer. My one regret is that I spend too little time enjoying this space. As you articulate so well, appreciating the empty space . In many ways, your site is just that. It is the space that invites thinking about what can be."

I love that – we not only create space to think about what can be, we highlight what is, already. There are so many businesses and organizations that are doing wonderful, thoughtful, meaningful work around here. We intend to continue presenting their great work. We are the go-to resource for change agents to learn about each other and to refuel on inspiration when they are feeling drained by the challenges of being on the cutting edge of change.

We will also post more often about general, universal themes. Julie’s work as a green design and sustainability consultant, as well as her involvement in the community, provides much material. Alyssa will write more about her urban gardening and DIY projects. As an artist, her hands-on creative urges are boundless!

So, sit back and enjoy. Subscribe to our RSS. Tell your friends, especially your change-agent friends. Find us on Facebook , Twitter , Flickr , and Virb .