http://legacyla.net/transformation Hope for a Time of Environmental Transformation Mon, 17 May 2010 17:41:08 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en One Saturday morning in February, a small group of people huddled together beneath crisp morning skies in the Westchester area of Los Angeles. They focused on the words of an 85 year old man as he fingered the burgundy colored branches of a bare-limbed peach tree. He spoke gruffly of ... http://legacyla.net/transformation/?p=283 The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) were created by the United Nations as a way of explaining in simple fashion the progress needed, particularly in third-world countries, to end poverty.  The UN is aspiring to realize the MDG by 2015.  Many social justice groups (including faith communities) recognize and embrace the ... http://legacyla.net/transformation/?p=282 [Originally published on Transition United States in October 2009] Myrto wrote about Raising Funds for Transition.  Several months ago, here in Los Angeles, we were discussing similar issues.  But thoughts which began with "how do we get money" soon ventured into a different realm:  "What does a sustainable service organization look ... http://legacyla.net/transformation/?p=281 [Originally published on Transition United States in December 2009] Solidarity union or fellowship arising from common responsibilities and interests, as between members of a group or between classes, peoples, etc.: to promote solidarity among union members. community of feelings, purposes, etc. It's so foreign to our American experience that I had to look it ... http://legacyla.net/transformation/?p=279 [Originally published on Transition United States in October 2009] Climate change says we should change whereas peak oil says we will be forced to change. -- Rob Hopkins Here in the U.S., the film "An Inconvenient Truth" made awesome strides in informing the general public about the reality of global warming.  The April ... http://legacyla.net/transformation/?p=278 [Originally published on Transition United States in November 2009] One of the most brilliant, well-written pieces I have read about the economy is "The Wrong Tree" (as in "Barking up the ..."). Written by Jerry Mander of the International Forum on Globalization, it is found as part of the introduction to ... http://legacyla.net/transformation/?p=277 Murders, political scandals, celebrity escapades ... mainstream media feeds a willing public a steady diet of it.  The American public spends hours on the stuff, immersed in the horror tales and vapid sagas all played out on bigger-bigger-still-bigger plasma screens. But in the early 1990s I figured it out:  you don't ... http://legacyla.net/transformation/?p=276 As the economic contraction gets underway, there has been increasing interest in local currencies.  Local currencies made the pages of the Los Angeles Times last month, and within the Transition communities we make a great deal about the Totnes pound.  But there are many additional ways of sharing finances within ... http://legacyla.net/transformation/?p=274 That was exciting news on the phone Monday! You said you were contemplating what you felt were the most important issues of the day and formulating your platform.   Here is some background and my personal opinion. Background Obviously ECM has been working climate change since our group’s very inception.  And at ECM meetings ... http://legacyla.net/transformation/?p=273 Last week, at the national convention in Anaheim, the Episcopal Church of the United States embraced the Genesis Covenant. THE PROMISE The Genesis Covenant is a multi-faith invitation to join the action in curtailing global warming: We will reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from every facility that we maintain by 50% in 10 ... http://legacyla.net/transformation/?p=272