        Here is a link to a website that can help prepare you for the rocky economic times ahead. Since 2003, my friend, Chris Martenson, has presented extremely compelling insights regarding the declining dollar, the insolvency of the US, peak oil, and the global economic crisis we now face. Please visit the website and take 'the crash course'. Sounds like a pitch, but I personally guarantee that if you visit the site and digest the material, it will change your perspective and your life. |
"All We Have Are Our Feet and Our Voices...and a very strong community!" January 20, 2010 - Jonathan 'Slug' CrowellIn January, 2010, the Safe & Green Campaign organized a 'Winter Walk' from Brattleboro to the Statehouse in Montpelier to impact the upcoming vote and spread awareness about retiring the VY nuclear reactor.As a member of the food logistics team for the 'Walk' up to the Statehouse, I witnessed on a daily basis, the power of remarkable people working hard to safe guard our community. Our positive energy and strong, articulate voices overflowed into the corridors of the Statehouse and drove home the message that '40 Years is Enough!': the time has come to retire the tattered Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor. The phenomenal success of the 12-day walk revealed great perseverance and commitment on the part of organizers, participants and supporters in VT, MA and NH. I want to personally congratulate all of the people who've worked for decades to strengthen our community and build momentum for this winning campaign! I'm proud to be a part of a community of people who truly love to work together to make the world a better place.
One theme that emerged during the walk was the astounding sense of hospitality of the people of Vermont. We were greeted with warm cheers and hugs as we sought refuge from the cold winter that we all share here in Vermont. We were a traveling force of smart and passionate people who spread goodwill and good deeds all along our journey. The diversity of backgrounds, including plumbers, builders, farmers, mediators, local business owners, strengthened our ability to relate to people on the ground. Ultimately, we want to ensure that our region is a hospitable place, without the burden of radioactive waste and the fear of a nuclear meltdown. Originally, I was skeptical of the effectiveness of a 'Walk'. To the credit of the organizers, they created a 12-day, empowering and fun experience for 100's of people. People of all ages and capabilities could plug-in on some level; making important phone calls to Legislators, providing beds, baking cookies, washing dishes, as well as the simple task of putting one foot in front of the other. Who could have guessed that cooking a dish for a potluck was part of the winning equation that helped shut down Vermont Yankee? We embarked on this ambitious endeavor with the expectations that a successful 'Walk' would harness the power of people and small businesses, significantly impact key decision makers, and build momentum towards a more positive and sustainable energy future. We exceeded our expectations by energizing 100's of people and by getting a clear and concrete declaration from Senator Shumlin that there is no way he will vote for the relicensing of VY. We have reaffirmed the sense that Democracy is alive in Vermont. It is abundantly clear that Vermonters AND their democratically elected officials are ready to end the toxic reign of Vermont Yankee.
Thank you for everyone's inspiring support. The 'Walk' could not have been possible without the support and unwavering dedication of farms, coops, restaurants, small businesses, churches, grange halls, community centers, rescue facilities, non-profit groups, and individuals ready to move forward, step-by-step. It's an honor to be a part of this winning campaign! Remember, the future success of this campaign is not possible without courageous people and small businesses stepping up and speaking out to ensure our safe and green future! Please keep the pressure on Legislators to do the right thing! Jonathan 'Slug' Crowell, Amazing Planet! Farm & Justice Center, Williamsville, Vermont For play by play coverage and photos of the climatic day at the statehouse, please visit http://stepitupwalk.blogspot.com/
 The new timber-framed farmstand IS OPEN. We offer fresh organic produce, eggs, maple syrup and an assortment of value-added produce such as bread. Come join the 2009 Community Garden space at Amazing Planet! Farm in Williamsville, Vermont.This is the year to start gardening! Yes, we are a new farm and we want to share the land with our friends and neighbors. With the increasing price of food and fuel, it is essential to invest in food security. Community gardens are a great way to share vital resources, knowledge, skills and most importantly community spirit! Let's grow organic vegetables, fruits and flowers together! We are offering 20 plots (10x20 ft. each). Please contact Sam or Slug for more information. Hope to see you this spring!!! -slug and sam Organic and Free Range Eggs For Sale at Amazing Planet! Farm & Justice Center! We're currently raising 52 Rhode Island Red Chickens (50 hens and 2 roosters). They started laying in November and are now producing about 45 eggs/day. Eggs are available at our self-serve table in the mudroom of the farm house. For $4.25/dozen, these are the most amazing eggs on the planet! The chickens are very healthy and beautiful birds. We provide them with 100% organic feed and free range of the land. A fun family experience is to visit the lively flock. The chickens are friendly and approachable. Guests are welcome and encouraged to collect eggs. Based on the needs and demands of the local community, we may expand the flock to 100 birds. In the future, we hope to raise a variety of chickens, ducks and turkeys. Look for our 'Farm Fresh Eggs' sign and swing by! Amazing Planet! Farm & Justice Center is located at 218 Depot Rd., Williamsville, VT 05362 Earth First! Roadshow Coming to Amazing Planet! Farm & Justice Center The Earth First! Roadshow coming to Amazing Planet! Farm & Justice Center on April 22, 8pm start- puppet show, slideshow, music, and fun! We will be sharing stories, skills, tactics, updates & analysis spanning three decades of the radical ecological movement! Earth First! Roadshow: A cross-county tour aimed at renewing the Earth First! movement, from Spring to Summer 2009 From the Earth First! Organizers' Conference & Winter Rendezvous in the Sonoran desert this February to the Round River Rendezvous in Cascadia this summer, a band of eco-rebels will be crossing the US Empire to renew a fighting movement that can stop this industrial nightmare from choking the life out of the earth. The need for resistance in solidarity with the wild has never been louder or clearer than it is today; the roadshow is a great tool for cultivating resistance. There are countless examples to draw from in the story of radical movements before us: militant labor organizing tours, anti-fascist resistance recruitment and international speaking tours to build cross-border solidarity. The origin of Earth First! is credited to a few roadshows that kicked it all off in the early 1980s. We are building on this tradition; akin to a fellowship crossing Middle Earth to amass insurgents to face Mordor head-on. List-serves and websites aren't enough This Roadshow's primary intention is to strengthen our radical grassroots ecological network. For almost 30 years, we have been an organized voice bridging conservation biology with grassroots community organizing, road blockading and eco-sabotage. In the past 5 years we have seen numbers and experience-level in the EF! movement decline drastically. Yet, our place has never been more urgent. New groups are popping up across the country, but they are detached from many of the groups, history, and skills that preceded them. We can?t afford to stumble and repeat the same mistakes. We are at the tail end of a decade where corporate globalization rooted itself in the US and spread across the planet like a plague. And now that the reality of climate change is finally sinking into the mainstream consciousness, the same superpowers that pushed so-called 'free trade' policies to exploit wild nature more efficiently are promoting carbon trading in attempt to make a profitable industry out of the disasters they've created. The spineless Big Green environmental NGOs are scrambling for crumbs and cutting deals with the industry for shallow public relations victories. Earth First! must rise and recognize that it's presence is a strong component of making the broader environmental movement truly effective. We are its spine, or as an EF! co-founder, Howie Wolke, has put it, we are the lions of a movement 'ecosystem'. Our niche is critical, and its presence (or absence) is felt deeply by our surroundings. We need to reconnect the multi-generational aspect of Earth First! that has fallen by the wayside in recent years. We need to broaden our network's base-from radical rural grandparents to revolutionary urban youth. We must re-establish lost relationships with scholars and scientists who resonate with us. We mustre-inspire musicians and artists to contribute their passion to our battles. When it comes down to it, solid movements are based on strong personal relationships; and real relationships don't go very far over the internet. We need face-to-face interaction to build trust with-and support for-each other. For the life of the Earth First! Journal
If, or when, the lights go out, we will have the inspiration of photos and stories spanning 3 decades that we can hold in our hands and read out loud to each other by fire light, and pass on to the next generations. We shouldn't let go of that (at least not until the lights go out!), no matter how tempting the allure of free online publishing might get. The EF! Journal has survived where other activist publications have faded, because there is a base of community support and movement input that is rare in other print media projects. If this publication is lost, it will be a blow to all of our efforts in defense our land, our water, our neighborhoods, our animal-relations and the entire amazing wild process of life's evolution on this planet. Where are we going? March- from the Deserts into the Swamps Do you want to set up a quick stop at the local community center of college campus? Does your community want to plan a 3-day regional weekend gathering with direct action trainings and sessions on Earth First! history, vision and strategy? Or maybe something in between? Is there pending action plans that we could lend support to en route? The Roadshow will be traveling with a variety of skills, topics and resources, including: forming affinity groups and planning direct action; blockading, climbing and occupations; bioregional news from campaigns and projects around the country; tools for challenging oppression; up-to-date news on resisting the Greenscare; independent and corporate media work; community organizing strategies; and more. A primary goal of the tour is to build the skill-base of our network. If you want specific areas of interests covered, let us know and we can tailor the stops to meet local/regional desires. We also will be traveling with an array of art and culture, including musicians, puppet shows, and merchandise (stickers, books, shirts, etc.), to promote the vibrancy and visibility of radical ecological resistance. Get involved, get more info, get in touch earthfirstroadshow@riseup.net   Amazing Planet ! Farm & Justice Center is: A new cooperative eco-friendly farm and activist center, committed to sustainable living and revolutionary change, is emerging in southern Vermont. Simultaneously working with the forces of nature and the movement for global justice is a winning combination. Given the state of the world, it is reassuring to learn how to grow our own food and to depend on our neighbors for both the necessities of life and invaluable community spirit. We hope this space will facilitate problem-solving on planetary, community and personal levels. Come visit, experience progressive rural Vermont, and help honor this amazing planet! We are open to input in regards to needs and requests from the local community. What would you like to see happen with the land? How could the community benefit from this farm? In what ways could this farm supplement as a community gathering space? Please contact Sam or Slug via email - info@amazingplanetfarm.com or call 802-348-9818 or swing by the farm for more information. |
And what great
timing! As the Legislative session opened, citizens were moving
forward with a positive vision of a truly safe and green energy
future, while Entergy and the nuclear industry were caught on
their heals, covering up lies and back-pedaling regarding the
migrating plume of radioactive tritium that has leaked into the
Connecticut River bed.
On a personal
level, I feel really jazzed about my contributions and look forward
to the next time I can immerse myself in this culture of empowerment.
This community of inspired people is a real treasure and I encourage
everyone to get involved during this last push towards victory.
What a relief it will be to retire VY and liberate this community's
ability to work on more positive issues.