espiritualidad activa

            William Kamkwamba

Can films change the world? No, films can’t change the world. But the people who watch them can. 


What is Pangea Day?
Pangea Day was the world’s largest global film event that took place on May 10, 2008. The cities of Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro were all linked to produce a live 4-hour program of powerful films, visionary speakers, and uplifting music.

Pangea Day was created as a worldwide cinema event with programming that highlighted the themes of unity, the common ties that bind us into a global culture. In a world where people are often divided, it's easy to lose sight of what we all have in common. Pangea Day seeks to overcome that - to help people see themselves in others - through the power of film. Pangea Day taps the power of film to strengthen tolerance and compassion, uniting millions of people to build a better future. The goal is to invite the viewers of these films to join a global conversation about the issues that affect us all.

Pangea refers to the supercontinent from which all current continents eventually separated. It serves as a reminder of the "connectedness" or unitary nature of all people on Planet Earth.


I only got to watch a little over an hour of Pangea Day live on May 10th, and I have been watching the rest of the films and speakers a little each day. If you want to treat yourself to something special then take the time to watch this inspiring event on the internet.

If you only have time to watch one film, then watch the award winning and very inspiring film Moving Windmills. This is a very short film about a 14 year old boy, William Kamkwamba who lives in a remote rural village in Malawi where they have no electricity. William saw a picture of a windmill in a textbook and decided to build one to power his family's home. Using found materials and scrap yard parts such as a broken bicycle, tractor fan, melted plastic pipes, bamboo and used copper wires, he built a series of windmills which would change his and his family's life.

You can watch the full Pagean Day program HERE, or just watch the films HERE.

ABC News takes a look inside the Panea Day Festival.

Enjoy!  Be Inspired!  Be Enlightened!

WASHINGTON - Americans rank last in a new National Geographic-sponsored survey released Wednesday that compares environmental-consumption habits in 14 countries.

Americans were least likely to choose the greener option in three out of four categories - housing, transportation and consumer goods, according to the assessment. In the fourth category, food, Americans ranked ahead of Japanese consumers, who eat more meat and seafood.

The rankings, called "Greendex," are the first to compare the lifestyles and behaviors of consumers in multiple countries, according to the National Geographic Society.

It plans to conduct the 100-plus-question survey annually and considers trends more important than yearly scores, said Terry Garcia, executive vice president of National Geographic's mission programs.

"This is not just a one-time snapshot," Garcia said. "Some of the most important information may yet be revealed."
India and Brazil tied for the highest score: 60 points out of 100. U.S. consumers scored 44.9.

In between, China scored 56.1, Mexico 54.2, Hungary 53.2, Russia 52.4, Great Britain 50.2, Germany 50.2, Australia 50.2, Spain 50, Japan 49.1, France 48.7 and Canada 48.5.

Results are based on 1,000 online respondents per country interviewed in January and February by GlobeScan, an international polling firm.

To see how you score, take an abbreviated version of the survey at National Geographic Greendex

How Americans ranked among 14 nations in eco-friendly choices.
Transportation: 14th Place
Housing: 14th Place
Consumer Goods: 14th Place
Food: 13th Place

Source: McClatchy Newspapers
Above article printed in Arizona Republic

“Planners have granted permission to build Sherford, a brand new town for 12,000 people, in South Devon that is billed as Britain’s greenest settlement. Work is expected to begin later this year to transform rolling countryside near Plymouth into the experimental new town with 5,500 homes. In Sherford, cars will be banned from some parts and 390ft wind turbines will loom over a 400-acre car park on the outskirts.”

Half the power needs for the new town will come from renewable sources — with all home sporting solar panels. Additionally, most of the materials to build the town will be sourced from a 50-mile radius! The business section — which will provides jobs for about 7,000 people — will be covered in either green roofs or “covered in a thin layer of rubble to attract insects and birds.” Everything about the town will be organized to encourage walking; not to mention all waste including water and sewage will be recycled to cut CO2 emissions. All of this, and Charles intends to give it a traditional English charm — with the theme being modeled on the Wiltshire market town of Marlborough.

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Article provided By: www.http://www.dailymail.co.uk

A young Canadian inventor named Ben Gulak has created an innovative new electric motorbike that takes some of the lessons learned from the Segway device, but implements them in cooler package. The bike, called the Uno, looks from its profile like a strange powered unicycle but actually employs two wheels side-by-side. Riders lean forward to accelerate -- a feature used by the Segway, and can hit a top speed of 25 mph in its current configuration. The Uno also makes use of a set of gyros to enhance ease of balance, and the wheels are independently operated making turning much more precise.

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Site provided by www.treehugger.com

I (this is something I do) suggest keeping a trash bag and a pair of rubber gloves with you at all times, so when your out and about and see litter pick it up. Also, if you see someone littering yell ((((((EARTH MURDERER))))))), while you jump up nd down pointing an accusing finger, hahaha. Ok, maybe that's a bit melodramatic, but I know if I were the "EARTH MURDERER CULPRIT" I would be UTTERLY EMBARASSED to be in this humiliating spotlight. What if the punishment fitted the crime? that is what exactly happens in this Belgium PSA.

Check it out...http://www.youtube.com/v/vbAdx-JGMKE&hl=en&rel=0

ARE YOU AN ECODAREDEVIL? 11th Hour Expert, J. Nichols awards the most courageous Eco-warrior at Duke this Earth Day. Read his keynote speech here:

"In the 1970’s, I idolized Evel Knievel. He was rock star, sports hero, and folk legend in one. His death-defying jumps inspired me to launch my bicycle over puddles and many a hapless friend.

Now, I find new inspiration in my childhood hero. In 1961, before he became “Evel,” Robert Craig Knievel hitchhiked with the rack of a bull elk from Montana to our nation’s capital to protest the culling of elk in Yellowstone. The Kennedy administration responded and countless elk were saved.

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Earth Day is an excellent time to reevaluate what you can do to further reduce your human footprint on Planet Earth. This year I noticed all the unsolicited things that enter my home that I do not want or need, and are just a big nuisance and a drain of resources. I realized the three biggest culprits are phone directories, magazines, and credit card offers.  

Today, I called and opted out of all the phone directory delivery lists. I receive at least six different phone books a year. When they are delivered we just throw them in our front closet and never use them since we go online if we need a phone number. Unfortunately, for me, it was "out of sight, out of mind.’" Well, no more.

Next, I called and opted out of all unsolicited magazine deliveries. I had our name taken off free community magazines that I never read and just throw in the magazine rack in a bedroom we use for out of town guests. Then I got our names off of real estate related magazines and publications we receive because my husband and I are in real estate. All these publications once again can be read online, so we don’t need a print copy to get the information. The double whammy is that we both receive copies, since we both hold active real estate licenses.

Lastly, I opted out of credit card propositions. It is insane all the credit-card offers we receive in the mail. Well, thank goodness, the credit card bureaus have set up a service to stop these offers called “opting out.” You call 1-888-5-opt-out or visit www.optoutprescreen.com and provide some information. Once you opt out, your name is removed from credit offer lists and the bureaus hide your file from companies that offer pre-approved credit for five years. This is unnecessary junk mail you can have stopped immediately.

The one thing I opted in to do for Earth Day was attend yesterday a talk given by Diane MacEachern, the author of the Big Green Purse. The talk was hosted by the Arizona League of Conservation Voters and was held at the beautiful Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix. Diane talked about the importance of shifting money we already spend to environmentally-safe, socially responsible products and services that would help protect the environment. She has started a Be One In a Million campaign. With this campaign if a million women intentionally shift at least $1000 of their existing budget to environmentally-friendly products, we can have a noticeable ONE BILLION DOLLAR IMPACT in the marketplace. I signed up this morning.

Art Changing Attitudes Towards the Environment


The Field Museum in Chicago is the first American venue to host Melting Ice / A Hot Topic, after stops in Oslo, Brussels, and Monaco. The Field Museum is pleased to bring this traveling exhibition to Chicago, marking its involvement in the joint efforts focused on the role of art in changing behavior in order to help safeguard the environment. The exhibit launches on April 18th in honor of Earth Day 2008 and will remain at the Field Museum through September 1st.


About the Exhibit
For UN World Environment Day 2007, the Natural World Museum in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme produced an exhibition that addresses the theme of Climate Change from a global perspective - the melting and thawing of ice, snow and permafrost are environment-altering changes taking place around the world- from the Andes to the Himalayas to the melting ice caps of the Poles. "Change" the transition that occurs from same to different, the moment of transformation, a change of position or action. Change used in reference to our environment can describe the transformation of material substance -- from ice to water, liquid to gas - the changing conditions of our rivers, our rapidly melting glaciers,, and the overall changes in the earth's climate. Change requires organisms and organizations alike to adapt to new environmental conditions. Metaphorically, change can also refer to the transformation of society's mindset to act in a positive way individually and collectively to work toward a more sustainable future.

Read more about this art exhibit and view select images of the artists’ work HERE