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SIGNS OF THE ECOZOIC

SIGNS OF THE ECOZOIC

By Alice Loyd (through August 31, 2014)

 

A great number of people are working to create a more livable future, and their activities have recently been given a new name—the anti-apocalyptic movement. Here CES Musings highlights some of the positive, life-serving collective actions that may lead to an Ecozoic future.

The tenth annual renewable energy expo AREDAY, American Renewable Energy Day, was held in Aspen on August 10-13.The event is designed to highlight free-market solutions that can mitigate climate change and facilitate a global clean energy economy. This year’s speakers includedPresident Jimmy Carter, Jonathan Granoff, Tom Steyer, Chief Arvol Lookinghorse, Rev. Fletcher Harper and Ted Turner. AREDAY is a Founding Partner of the World Climate Summit (WCS) at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-16, 2010, in Cancun, Mexico.) “From Competition to Collaboration” is the theme of the exposition.

Earth at Risk: The Justice and Sustainability Conference will convene on November 22-23, 2014, with some of the world’s best-known strategists in environmental defense, social justice, and grassroots activism in attendance. The goal of the San Francisco meeting is to craft game-changing responses to the converging crises. Alice Walker, Vandana Shiva, Chris Hedges, Derrick Jensen, Guy McPherson, Chief Caleen Sisk and Stan Goff are among the speakers. Sponsored by Deep Green Resistance and founded by Derrick Jensen, acclaimed author of Endgame, the annual event explores the common, root causes of each of the issues we face. Tickets are on sale at www.earthatrisk.info.

Green Legacy Hiroshima is a volunteer initiative established to safeguard and spread worldwide the seeds and saplings of Hiroshima’s A-Bomb survivor trees. The active stage of the project began in 2013, when seeds of persimmon, Japanese hackberry, Kurogane holly and Ginkgo biloba survivor trees were collected and planted at a number of sites. The parent trees survived the bombing of Hiroshima, and their saplings symbolize the goals of the founding organizations, which include the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation and ANT-Hiroshima. More information about the project can be obtained at http://www.ant-hiroshima.org/ or by contacting green@ant-hiroshima.org.

The University of California has launched the UC Global Food Initiative. Under the leadership of President Janet Napolitano, together with UC’s 10 chancellors, the initiative will align the university’s research, outreach and operations in a sustained effort to develop, demonstrate and export solutions throughout California, the U.S. and the world, for food security, health and sustainability. Its focus is both external, such as how UC translates research into policy and helps communities eat more sustainably, and internal, such as how UC leverages its collective buying power and dining practices to create desirable policies and outcomes.