Tuesday, August 30, 2005

[Scroll down for the photo-essay.]

Energy Bulletin turned me on to HopeDance, a magazine whose mission is "to report on the outrageous, pioneering and inspiring activities of outstanding individuals and organizations who are creating a new world--regardless of their spiritual tradition or political agenda."

This month's issue has eight yummy articles that will intrigue anyone interested in sustainable communities. Two are about Portland's City Repair that takes over intersections to make them more friendly by "an all-volunteer grassroots organization helping people reclaim their urban spaces to create community-oriented places." These local transformations are facilitated by activitst who believe "The only way to subvert people is to have more fun than they do."

Diane Leaf Christian, author of Creating a Life Together, has an article about Starting a Successful Urban Ecovillage that makes a compelling article for making a difference in the city.

Bob Banner gives a review of the Third Annual Reverential Ecology Retreat. He got a boost of hope from it and does a good job of capturing the feeling.

Kathleen Walsh speaks on the importance of Taking Back Your Time, and offers this recipe for happiness: "pleasure plus engagement plus meaning.." She claims that "[v]illage life returns time to us with big dividends. The first is happiness, immediate and heartfelt. Happy time is time well spent."

James Howard Kunstler weighs in with his belief that "[a]ll indications are that American life will have to be reconstituted along the lines of traditional towns, villages, and cities much reduced in their current scale. These will be the most successful places once we are gripped by the profound challenge of a permanent reduced energy supply."

These are some of the articles covered. Take a look and be inspired.

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