Fall discounts on Reality Tours!

Yes, you heard that right. We are offering $200 off select trips this fall using the discount codes listed below.

From Fair Trade in Palestine, to indigenous rights in Mexico, to the Rights of Nature movement in India, this fall we have several great trips that will highlight important issues around the world. Join us as we meet with local leaders and movements to learn about the innovative ways communities and individuals are organizing for social change. Return with a new understanding of the issues and, perhaps most importantly, new ways to engage and support these inspiring movements from home.

But don’t miss out – discount codes expire September 1st!

Cuba: Sustainability and Community
October 10 – 17, 2015
$2,450
Promo Code: CubaGXfall15

During this historic time of change between the US and Cuba, we invite you to join us for a week-long People-to-People trip to learn from Cubans of the amazing work they are doing in and around Havana to create sustainable communities for all. This unique itinerary will look at sustainability via development, restoration, community programing and programs in the arts for the people.

Palestine: Fair Olive Harvest
October 24 – November 3, 2015
$2,500
Promo Code: PalGXfall15

Learn how Fair Trade cooperatives are restoring hope and providing economic alternatives to the Palestinian people. Stay with a local farming family and then harvest olives with farmers who use organic practices. Witness community-building traditions and cultivate a greater appreciation and understanding of Palestinian culture and pride. More importantly, you will learn first-hand from Palestinians about the impact of the occupation on farm lands, the economy, tourism and day-to-day life.

Oaxaca, Mexico: Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos
October 28 – November 5, 2015
$1,450
Promo Code: OxGXfall15

If you’ve never been to Oaxaca during its famous Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos celebrations, you really should. Join us as we make our annual pilgrimage to Oaxaca at the end of October. Dating back to the Aztecs, this celebration is a family event to remember departed souls and to celebrate the resurrection of their spirits. In addition, explore Oaxaca’s rich culture through excursions to historical archeological ruins, mezcal palenques, and artisan workshops. Meet with local social organizations and indigenous leaders, and learn about fair trade/free trade and globalization in Oaxaca.

India: Rights of Nature

November 1-11, 2015
$2,550
Promo Code: IndiaGXfall15

Travel to and stay at renowned activist and author Dr. Vandana Shiva’s Navdanya Biodiversity and Conservation Farm while learning about rights of nature in India and the power of the seed. While many over the past decades have explored the idea of living in balance with the planet and limiting the role of unfettered corporate power in all aspects of life, the rights-based movement that seeks to change fundamental law and culture is both relatively new and rapidly growing. It has kept pace with the realization that the current corporate-led global economic framework has brought us to the brink of economic and ecological disaster, and that true change will only come from the grassroots.

Venezuela: Community Development ​​

​November 21 – 30, 2015
$1,900
Promo Code: VzGXfall15

Travel with Global Exchange to dig past the headlines and explore the changes occurring in Venezuela, Latin America and the hemisphere as a whole. You will meet with human rights activists, rural agricultural workers, labor unions, community activists, journalists, government officials and opposition figures, and see for yourself the unprecedented social change that is occurring at this historic time in Venezuela and the region.

We hope you can take advantage of this great opportunity and travel with us this fall!

Check out our full list of travel opportunities

www.globalexchange.org/reality-tours

Yes, you heard that right. We are offering $200 off select trips this fall using the discount codes listed below.

From Fair Trade in Palestine, to indigenous rights in Mexico, to the Rights of Nature movement in India, this fall we have several great trips that will highlight important issues around the world. Join us as we meet with local leaders and movements to learn about the innovative ways communities and individuals are organizing for social change. Return with a new understanding of the issues and, perhaps most importantly, new ways to engage and support these inspiring movements from home.

But don’t miss out – discount codes expire September 1st!

Cuba: Sustainability and Community
October 10 – 17, 2015
$2,450
Promo Code: CubaGXfall15

During this historic time of change between the US and Cuba, we invite you to join us for a week-long People-to-People trip to learn from Cubans of the amazing work they are doing in and around Havana to create sustainable communities for all. This unique itinerary will look at sustainability via development, restoration, community programing and programs in the arts for the people.

Palestine: Fair Olive Harvest
October 24 – November 3, 2015
$2,500
Promo Code: PalGXfall15

Learn how Fair Trade cooperatives are restoring hope and providing economic alternatives to the Palestinian people. Stay with a local farming family and then harvest olives with farmers who use organic practices. Witness community-building traditions and cultivate a greater appreciation and understanding of Palestinian culture and pride. More importantly, you will learn first-hand from Palestinians about the impact of the occupation on farm lands, the economy, tourism and day-to-day life.

Oaxaca, Mexico: Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos
October 28 – November 5, 2015
$1,450
Promo Code: OxGXfall15

If you’ve never been to Oaxaca during its famous Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos celebrations, you really should. Join us as we make our annual pilgrimage to Oaxaca at the end of October. Dating back to the Aztecs, this celebration is a family event to remember departed souls and to celebrate the resurrection of their spirits. In addition, explore Oaxaca’s rich culture through excursions to historical archeological ruins, mezcal palenques, and artisan workshops. Meet with local social organizations and indigenous leaders, and learn about fair trade/free trade and globalization in Oaxaca.

India: Rights of Nature

November 1-11, 2015
$2,550
Promo Code: IndiaGXfall15

Travel to and stay at renowned activist and author Dr. Vandana Shiva’s Navdanya Biodiversity and Conservation Farm while learning about rights of nature in India and the power of the seed. While many over the past decades have explored the idea of living in balance with the planet and limiting the role of unfettered corporate power in all aspects of life, the rights-based movement that seeks to change fundamental law and culture is both relatively new and rapidly growing. It has kept pace with the realization that the current corporate-led global economic framework has brought us to the brink of economic and ecological disaster, and that true change will only come from the grassroots.

Venezuela: Community Development ​​

​November 21 – 30, 2015
$1,900
Promo Code: VzGXfall15

Travel with Global Exchange to dig past the headlines and explore the changes occurring in Venezuela, Latin America and the hemisphere as a whole. You will meet with human rights activists, rural agricultural workers, labor unions, community activists, journalists, government officials and opposition figures, and see for yourself the unprecedented social change that is occurring at this historic time in Venezuela and the region.

We hope you can take advantage of this great opportunity and travel with us this fall!

 Check out our full list of travel opportunities

www.globalexchange.org/reality-tours

In 2013, Shannon Biggs traveled with Global Exchange to India with Dr. Vandana Shiva, and got a surprise visit from His Royal Highness, Prince Charles. In preparation for our next trip to India this November, we are re-posting Shannon’s report-back here.

Prince Charles and Vandana Shiva, Global Exchange delegation, other visitors and Navdanya staff.

Prince Charles and Vandana Shiva, Global Exchange delegation, other visitors and Navdanya staff.

Arriving in Delhi (or nearly anywhere in India), can be a bit of a cultural hard landing for those not from the country. As my friend and Rights of Nature Reality Tour participant, Suzanne York said, “The sights — cows in the road, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, trucks, auto rickshaws, bicycle rickshaws, begging mothers, horse and cart, dogs, goats, pedestrians; I’m sure I’m leaving one or two things out.  The sounds – car horns, truck horns, rickshaw horns, firecrackers, dogs barking…did I mention the horns?” Yet despite the pollution and the crowded chaos of the city streets, there is a magic and a poetry that keeps travelers like Suzanne coming back to India time and again (this marked her 5th India trek).

Over a billion people live in India. High levels of poverty and pollution met us in the cities, just as environmental degradation is visible on farms, dried riverbeds, and throughout the countryside. Yet India is equally a land of peaceful, transformative revolution and a cultural and spiritual legacy of dignity for people and sacred respect for the Earth.

Along with spending time with world renowned anti-globalization movement leader, physicist, and eco-feminist, Vandana Shiva, founder of the seed-saving and Earth learning farm, Navdanya, it is this dichotomy that we came to explore in the age of climate chaos, corporate globalization and its quest for endless growth on a finite planet. Rights of Nature, which, as put forward in the Constitutions of Ecuador, national laws in Bolivia and New Zealand, and a growing number of U.S. communities—defines legal rights for ecosystems to “exist, flourish, and regenerate their natural capacities.” 

What is the promise of Rights of Nature in a place like this?

Did you know there are more NGOs in India than anywhere else? 

While our Reality Tour tour visited a few big cities, the focus of the trip was on India’s growing work for Rights of Nature and how that fits with Gandhi’s legacy of peaceful revolution for change.

Children and cows picking through the trash on the streets of Agra.

It is here we learn that there are more NGO’s—whether advocacy groups or direct service providers—than hospitals or schools in India. Here non-profits provide support in formal and informal settings. Many are very small, connecting people in rural settings and big cities with very localized support.

In Delhi, near the railway station, we walked the troubled street life of homeless youth with our guide, a young man whophoto[10] figures he’s about 22, having been discarded by his father when he was around 5. Now college-bound, he works for the famed Salaam Baalak Trust, an organization that helps homeless children find  safety and alternatives to drugs (which are commonly introduced to kids as young as 5 years of age on the streets), and possibly a new future. Our group also met with scholars and activists in the movement against the Korean-based POSCO corporation’s dangerous and deadly project to build a 12 million-tons-per-year steel plant in Orissa, with a captive port and iron ore mines. According to the India Times, more than 250 international human rights organizations, comprising social workers, scientists, legal luminary activists, academics among others, have strongly criticized the Orissa government for using forces to acquire fertile lands on behalf of the corporation, a practice also know as “land grabs.”

photo[16]

In Jaipur, better known as the ‘Pink City,’ we celebrated Diwali, the Festival of Lights, and participated in an entrancing ceremony at the temple of Birla Mandir, honoring Lakshmi, Goddess of both material and spiritual prosperity, for whom Diwali is celebrated, as fireworks and firecrackers and light displays illuminated the skyline. By day we also met with a large group of women empowered through a community micro lending project. From there it was a quick 6 hours by bus to Agra, a city of stark contradictions. The streets are barely able to contain the carpeting of trash and piles of garbage bags, all in the midst of luxury hotels surrounding the Taj Majal. The haze of pollution and the sheer volume of Diwali firework smoke still hanging in the air made it hard to see the Taj from any distance, but stepping closer to this world wonder it is a palpable marvel of architecture and cultural history.

 What the Earth tells us if we listen

Dr. Vandana Shiva at Navdanya

Next stop, a working farm called Navdanya, which promotes biodiversity conservation, organic farming, seed saving, the rights of farmers and the rights of nature.  The farm sits a quiet distance back from the bustle of Dehra Dun and its mere 600,000 inhabitants. As the bus pulls up to the gravel road marked with newly laid chalk, we walk the last 1/2 mile to the open gate of the learning farm. After settling in to our appropriately spartan rooms, equipped with solar showers distilling rain catchment water from the roof, we sit in the gazebo for a conversation with Vandana Shiva before taking a tour of the farm.

Navdanya’s Soil Ecology Lab and Bija Vidyapeeth (Earth University) draws inspiration from India’s first Nobel poet (1917), Tagore, who created a university based on living in and learning from the Earth.  “We must stop living as owners of the Earth, because it is a fallacy that we can continue that path. Here on the farm, we can first begin to learn to be a member of the Earth community,” says Vandana. Circled around her, we speak to Vandana for an hour or more, as she explains the farm, the library, the community activities, and invites us to get our hands dirty while we are there. As the sun gets lower in the sky, she encourages us to walk the grounds, we will meet again tomorrow.

It smells good here, energizing. It feels good here, with the crunch of the Earth beneath our feet. We walk the grounds as our guide, Anna, an intern from France staying on for 6 months, explains that all the food prepared each day for upwards of 50 people, comes from the bounty grown in the humble fields before us. Despite the expertise of the staff and its transient population of interns, scientists, researchers and farmers who have come from around the world—it is the land that is the true teacher here. The rows of plantings are tidy, but not uniform. Anna explains that plants with shallow root systems are placed next to compatible plantings that take their nutrients at deeper levels of soil. Dotted around those are marigolds and other natural insecticides, and crops that replace nutrients the others remove. These acre plots are surrounded by fruit bearing trees and quick growing bamboo. There is a healthful pharmacy planted as well, providing ingredients for the soap used, and natural remedies to treat “Delhi Belly”and other ailments.

Our guide points to another series of single-acre plots, part of a project dedicated to teaching farmers how to grow organic, regionally and nutritionally rich food for a family of 6 on only one acre of land.  As Vandana says, “the idea that we need corporate farming to feed a hungry planet is a destructive notion that contributes to the breakdown of the farming system. We demonstrate the viability of self-sufficient farming that relies only on the relationship between farmer and the land. No chemicals, no GMOs, no seed patenting. Here we plant in right relationship with the land.”

As the sun goes down bringing a chill to the air, it is too dark to finish the tour so we pass the barn, and say hello to the new calf and the two cows that provide milk for the chai tea we are about to enjoy back at the dining hall. That night in the lecture hall, in preparation for tomorrow’s Royal visitor, the lecture on permaculture was postponed in favor of watching the film “Harmony”, a collaboration with Vandana Shiva and outspoken advocate for organic farming, His Royal Highness, Prince Charles who first converted his Scottish home, Highgrove Castle to organic in 1986, to great public ridicule.

Rights of Nature: A gift fit for a prince

photo[7]

By sheer coincidence, Prince Charles and his wife the Dutchess were in India on a general tour, and while Camilla was off making pottery in Debra Dun, the prince walked the farm with Vandana, the same tour we had taken with Anna, ultimately visiting the seed bank where Navdanya conserves 1,500 seed varieties. There he planted two varieties of barley, and ultimately made his way to the gazebo, where the rest of the staff and visitors were drinking chai.

Accompanied by Vandana, he spent about 15 minutes with our delegation, readily making jokes and asking questions about our journey, Green party politics in Texas, the state of the US anti-GMO movement. Introducing our group, I described the delegation’s purpose, and shared our understanding that currently, law treats nature as property, and that our legal systems are aimed at controlling and dominating nature. (So far he seemed interested, so I continued): unless we begin to use law to drive rights for communities and ecosystems, the natural and organic farms that he championed were all under threat from agribusiness, GMOs, and industrial activities like fracking. I wrapped up my sermon by giving him a copy of our Rights of Nature book, which I mentioned was written by people he knew, including Vandana Shiva, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Bolivian President Evo Morales, and others.

Once the caravan departed and the Royal dust settled, our group sat down with Vandana Shiva for a discussion on Rights of Mother Earth, water and seed saving. “The seed, for the farmer, is not merely the source of future plant  food, it is the storage place of culture, of history,” as Vandana has said. “Seed is the first link in the food chain. It is also the source of life itself, the ultimate symbol of food security.” Through patents on seeds, Monsanto has become the “Life Lord” on the planet, collecting rents from life’s renewal and from farmers, the original breeders. Patents on seed are illegitimate because putting a toxic gene into a plant cell is not the “creation” or invention of the plant.

photo 3

When seeds are no longer the bounty of the Earth, but corporate property, the farmer enters the cycle of being forced to purchase Monsanto corporation’s seeds, which do not produce as promised, take more water to grow, and require expensive pesticides—putting farmers into debt they cannot repay. This is the leading cause of farmer suicides in India, and a growing phenomenon in the United States, as corporations like Monsanto gain control over farmers everywhere. “That is why we have started Fibres of Freedom in the heart of Monsanto’s Bt (GMO) cotton/suicide belt in Vidharba. We have created community seed banks with indigenous seeds and helped farmers go organic. No GMO seeds, no debt, no suicides.” Before we left Navdanya we gave a presentation to the community on Rights of Nature, speaking about communities in the United States, and the movement around the world. (Watch Shannon Biggs and Vandana Shiva speak on the Global Exchange panel at the UN Rio + 20 summit in 2012.)

Floating candles, flowers and prayers for the Rights of the Ganga

photo[18]

Despite the undrinkable nature of tap water for visitors, or the toxins and pollution that flow freely into the waterways from homes and industry—water in India is sacred, and nowhere more so than the Ganges, or the Ganga, as she is called.  We left the farm for Rishikesh, a hilly village that is as famous for its role in the making of the Beatles’ White Album as it is for its stunning landscape, built around the Ganga and framed by the Himalayas. It provides about 40% of India’s water, though the entire watershed is breaking down under the intense strains of use and abuse.

The widespread Save Ganga movement follows the Gandhian model for peaceful change.  A powerful component of that broad coalition is the National Ganga Rights Movement, led by the charismatic Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji. We met with him and his staff, sitting cross legged on the ground in a small quiet garden oasis behind their office. “Welcome Home,” Swami greeted us.  As he would explain, we breathe the same air that our ancestors did, drink the same water and are connected to one another by the web of life. So we are always home.

They are working to pass a national Ganges Rights Act to protect the entire river watershed with our allies at CELDF.   Some of the language included in the Act can also be found in a chapter we wrote with Mari Margil, for our book, Rights of Nature: The Case for A Universal Declaration on the Rights of Mother Earth.  It was exciting to see it being used in actual legislation:

Under a rights-based system of law, a river may be recognized as having the right to flow, fish and other species in a river may be recognized as having the right to exist and evolve, and the flora and fauna that depend on a river may be recognized as having the right to thrive. This legal framework seeks to protect the natural ecological balance of that habitat. Just as the lion hunts the antelope as part of the natural cycle of life, recognizing Rights of Nature does not put an end to fishing or other human activities. Rather, it places them in the context of a healthy relationship where our actions do not threaten the balance of the system upon which we depend. Further, these laws do not stop all development, rather they halt only those activities that interfere with the existence and vitality of the ecosystems dependent upon that land.

Today, the Ganga River Basin is right-less, mere property to be used at will. The proposed legislation would:

• Establish the basin’s right to exist, thrive, regenerate, and evolve;
• Establish the rights of the people, as well as other ecosystems and natural communities, to a healthy river basin;
• Provide that any activity that interferes with the basin’s rights is prohibited;
• Provide that any damages that may be awarded for violations of the basin’s rights are to be awarded for the purpose of, and in the amount necessary to, restore the ecosystem to its pre-damaged state;
• Establish enforcement mechanisms to protect and defend the basin’s rights, including establishing governmental offices responsible for defending those rights; and
• Empower people, communities, civil society, and governments within India to protect and defend the basin’s rights.

One of the ways the Ganga Rights movement is spreading education is through the Aartis, a devotional ritual that uses fire as an offering, held daily at 6 pm in the three most spiritual parts of the Ganges, including Rishikesh. Each night thousands come to the river to participate in this beautiful ceremony. The Priests say a prayer using lanterns, and the people float flowers and candles down the river in tiny boats made of woven leaves. The offering is made to the Goddess Ganga, goddess of the most holy river in India.  With prayer, it is believed the holy Ganga can cleanse the sins of the devoted. “The problem is,” says Swami Saraswatiji, “people believe that in addition to washing away sins, many believe the river can clean the toxins.  We use the aarti each night to educate people about the rights of the Ganga, and what is needed from us to protect her.” The swami is one of the priests who preside over the Rishikesh aarti, which Prince Charles and Camilla had attended the night before.

photo[9]

Our last stop on the Ganges was in Hardiwar, considered the holiest of places on the river Ganges and where we would take in an Aarti.  Thousands came, prayed and left. It is not a long ceremony.  As I stood with my feet in the river Ganges, I said a quiet prayer for the rights of this river, and for the people that would come together to defend those rights, and sent my flowers and my thoughts  floating quietly into the night.

Prince Charles Vandana

Shannon Biggs explaining Rights of Nature to Prince Charles, with Vandana Shiva

Click here to learn about our next trip to India, November 1-11, 2015!

treesThis summer, we will feature the words from enthusiastic winners of What About Peace? contest and we’ll share their thoughts behind the incredible art they presented and what this big win means to them. These anecdotes not only showcases their art pieces but also encourages fellow students to come up with great entries for the new school session.

The following is the second installment of our What About Peace? winner story series.

You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”

The above quote by Ansel Adams falls so true when we spoke with our visual art winner- Afshin Valani from Tennessee, United States.

Afshin who believes that books teach a greater lesson whether it be about redemption, loss, faith, or death came up with idea to click ‘The Story of Peace’ by putting together a collection of books.

She says “I decided to focus on the more positive effects of war rather than the destruction it leaves behind. All the books in my photograph are direct derivatives of the events occurring in the authors’ lifetimes. It’s interesting to see how some authors use their experiences to write funny, satirical pieces of literature while others compose sullen, tragic stories.”

10264483_10152024243546548_8605060233026359083_n-1Her contemporary visual art characterizes her as a talented photographer but she claims that she is an amateur in photography and doesn’t call it as her hobby. For her, its an art that she doesn’t practice much but enjoy doing. Let’s get her talking…

Congratulations on your great win! How does it feel to win the first position in the Visual Arts category and that too competing with so many international array of entries?
Thank you so much! It’s an unexpected honor to win, especially against so many other great pieces of art.

How did you find about the contest? Were you confident of winning the contest?
I found out about the contest through one of my teachers, Mrs. Coe. She showed my entire class the Global Exchange website and several of us thought it was a great organization. I wasn’t confident in winning because I only dabble in photography, but I decided to give it a shot anyway. It was well worth it and for a worthy cause!
profpic

Who do you most admire in your life/ Who or what inspires you the most?
I admire my father the most in my life. He’s got the best work ethic I’ve ever seen and he’s a man with a ton of integrity. I aspire to be more like him everyday. He definitely inspires me but so do influential women throughout history ranging from Cleopatra to Malala Yousafzai.

What do you like to click the most? Your favorite themes?
Photography isn’t really a hobby that I practice a lot, but it is one I enjoy. I don’t take pictures much. However, I love a good landscape or nature shot. I live in Tennessee in a mountainous area, so the scenery is just captivating and I can’t help but take a picture sometimes!

How do you plan to celebrate this win?
My family took me out to dinner when they found out I won which was nice treat! I’m actually on summer break currently which is even more cause for celebration. I’ll definitely do something really fun to commemorate this win!

What are your plans for this summer?
I plan on going on vacation, and spending time with family/friends, and all that usual summer fun. I also intend on volunteering a bit at different events an locations.

What are your thoughts as far as promoting peace goes? Do you use photography as a medium to promote peace?
I think promoting peace is quintessential to strengthen global relations as well as domestic ones. For example, because of living in the United States, I’ve seen my fair share of hatred (or misguided ignorance) against Muslims due to events in the Middle East. Without the promotion of peace no advancement can occur. I don’t necessarily use photography to promote peace, but I would love to in the future. As of now I just use my own background as an American Muslim to answer any questions or concerns to hopefully break the constructs that make social injustice possible. In addition, I sign online petitions that I frequently see on social media. It’s not much, but I hope to do bigger and better things to help when I’m older.

Afshin’s idea of peace definitely proves that ‘Peace begins at home’. It indeed is an inspiration for all to see how through our intentions and actions, we can bring about positive and healthy change in the community.

We wish Afshin good luck for her bright future. Thank you for being a part of ‘What About Peace’ program and making it bright with your significant contribution.

______

What About Peace? is a Global Exchange international arts contest for youth ages 14–20 to express ideas and thoughts about peace by responding to the question, “What About Peace?” through artistic expression.

This post was written by social media intern Sakshi Pathania. 

By Osprey Orielle Lake and Shannon Biggs
Faced with climate change, shrinking forests, polluted waters, mass extinctions and more, the time has come to ask the question: Is nature a commodity or a system governing our own wellbeing? Nature is not just a business opportunity, and yet in the eyes of the law, nature is seen as mere property, for human ownership and use. The questions before us now are: can we envisage for ourselves a future based not on exploiting nature but upon recognizing that nature has inherent rights? How different would our human societies, economies, and structures of law look as part of a connected, Earth-centered community? And, how do we get there?

It is not too late to change our human relationship with nature from one of dominance to one of interdependence and balance. In fact, the movement for nature’s rights is happening all over the world. Join us for a rich and interactive dialogue on how we can rewrite our human story on planet Earth, by signing up for a one-hour telecourse or a weekend seminar in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In this dynamic seminar we will learn about the historic 2008 event when Ecuador became the first country to include Rights of Nature in its national constitution and then cover movements since then in Bolivia and here in the U.S. as Rights of Nature takes hold as an idea whose time has come. Rights of Nature laws create a right to legal standing, offering citizens, communities, Indigenous peoples, and others a revolutionary new way to protect the vitality of ecosystems.

Climate activists have long been seeking a new way to protect the climate and all of the environment, which would enable communities affected by climate change to gain recognition for the harms done not just to human interests around the globe, but also to environmental ones. We come together with a common interest to actively advance the creation of human communities that respect the Rights of Nature. We will also explore how Rights of Nature invigorates momentum for a new cultural narrative that honors our living Earth. Join us and step into this historical moment!

The Women’s Earth and Climate Caucus in collaboration with Global Exchange welcomes you to an exciting Rights of Nature seminar, the first of six seminars and trainings in building Resilient Community. We would love to have you join us. Men are also welcome. Limited scholarships available.  Course size is purposefully will be kept small, so please sign up early.

FREE 1-Hour Telecourse

  • Listen to a free recording of the telecourse! CLICK HERE

On September 7th we offered a free telelcourse to provide an overview of the upcoming seminar, it was hosted by the Executive Director of Transition US, Carolyne Stayton.

Rights of Nature WEEKEND Training
Friday, September 30th (7:00-9:00 pm) & Saturday, October 1st 10:00am-5:00pm

Course discussion includes:

  • What are Rights of Nature?
  • What is happening in the local/ global movement for Rights of Nature?
  • How can we change our personal and cultural narrative to create an Earth-honoring society?
  • How to understand Rights of Nature personally in our everyday lives
  • Enter history in the making!

Location: Corte Madera Community Room in Marin County, CA in the office building at
770 Tamalpais Drive, Suite 201.

To Register: Course fee is $55.00 (some scholarships available). Register here: http://www.worldforum.org/rc.html  For more information: contact June Timberlake at jtimberlake@worldforum.org

Suggested reading:

  • The Rights of Nature, The Case for a Universal Declaration on the Rights of Mother Earth (essays by many authors including Shannon Biggs)
  • Wild Law: A Manifesto For Earth Jusisprudence, Cormac Cullinan
  • Uprisings for the Earth: Reconnecting Culture with Nature, Osprey Orielle Lake

Instructors:
Shannon Biggs is the Director of the Community Rights program at Global Exchange. She recently co-authored a book, Building the Green Economy: Success Stories from the Grass Roots  (PoliPoint Press). Her current work focuses on assisting communities confronted by corporate harms to enact binding laws that place the rights of communities and nature above the claimed legal “rights” of corporations. Shannon@globalexchange.org

Osprey Orielle Lake is a lifelong advocate of environmental justice and societal transformation. She is the director of the Women’s Earth and Climate Caucus (WECC) and on the Board of Praxis Peace Institute. Her book, Uprisings for the Earth: Reconnecting Culture with Nature,(White Cloud Press) is a 2011 Nautilus Book Award winner. In 2010, she initiated Rights of Nature into the framework of WECC’s working groups and is a member of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature.

The following video originally aired April 20th on GRITtv. In it, Shannon Biggs & Maude Barlow speak about recognizing the Rights of Nature:

 


More GRITtv