The Commons Brooklyn

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Zuriel Bautista’s Fashion Premiere

My influence derives from places I have been fortunate to visit and experiences I have endured. It also comes from people I have crossed paths with. And with living in The Bay Area and frequenting NYC, I thought it was time to manifest my dream of sharing my passion of wardrobe styling on an East Coast platform. I would love for you to share this evening with me, alongside a few of my friends from The West.

Open Wine Bar from 6-7pm

Styling by Zuriel Bautista, Jenn Lui of Intwined and Karla Magsalin
Designs/Pieces from Jarah SF x Zuriel Bautista, Intwined, 31 Rax of San Francisco CA, Armoire’s Closet of Fremont CA. & Kampeon of San Diego CA

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Come and learn how to apply permaculture design to regional planning with Lisa Deplano, a longtime permaculture designer with a masters in Regional Planning. Lisa will present a groundbreaking study that she put together with Conway Landscape School of Design to develop a regional foodshed plan for Northhampton, Massachusetts.

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Making Worlds invites you to the 2nd Forum on the Commons

Saturday, March 30, 10 AM to 8PM (potluck lunch & dinner)

“Making Worlds: a Commons Coalition” was formed during the occupation of Zuccotti Park in order to bring projects working to reclaim the commons to the fore of the Occupy movement. Initially Occupy Wall St (OWS) focused on protests against corporate greed and income inequality. However, many OWS supporters understand the movement as a way of creating solutions to inequality and envisioning a future inspired by the concept of the “commons.” Commons can be defined as resources managed and sustained by the communities that make use of them. The commons belong to the 99% yet are endangered by privatization and commodification.

We invite you to participate in a conversation to explore, strengthen, and connect our efforts, projects, and lives through practices of commoning. A core of commoning practices has always sustained human life. This is a call to envision new ways of organizing our lives and our activism through the lens of the commons.
Our last year’s Forum on the Commons sought to conceptualize and explore different areas for commoning - natural resources, arts and education, care and reproduction, alternative economies.

This year, we would like to open up space for a horizontal conversation with a strong focus on the concrete processes of commoning that are taking place or could take place in New York City now. Instead of the usual format of speaker presentations followed by discussion, we would like to see if an open conversation can take place in which knowledge and experience are shared horizontally. We acknowledge and value all the projects, processes, investigations and networks people are building in their daily lives and in their collaborations with others.

In order to have a common point of departure we are posing the following questions to reflect on projects that have taken place around the city and to launch a new commons space project to link and strengthen commons groups.
The questions are:
1) How are people in NYC creating common spaces?
2) How can commoning efforts support and strengthen each other?
3) How do communities identify with and participate in the process of commoning?
4) How can commoning be a form of resistance to neoliberal privatization? 
We would like to finish the conversation with the creation of a tool for commoning spaces. This responds to a sense we have regarding the amazing speed with which many projects have started in the city, but without strong links among them. The goal will be to learn about them and to connect them.
We invite you to participate in the conversation! Come join us in Making New Worlds. Another World is Possible!
Could you confirm your participation by Monday, Mar. 11th in order to receive our flyers and promote the event?

PROPOSED SCHEDULE

We would like to address the 4 mentioned questions in each session. Also, we propose some keywords as threads for the different sessions.
At the end of each session we would like to dedicate some time to collect ideas for a toolbox of the commons, which we would like to add later to the common text.

10-12pm
  CARING
  How can commoning be a form of resistance to neoliberal privatization?

Lunch (Potluck). 12-1pm

1-3 pm
  SPACE
  How are people in NYC creating common spaces?

Coffee Break: 3-3:30 pm

3:30-6 pm
  NETWORKS/NETWORKING
  How can commoning efforts support and strengthen each other?

Potluck Dinner and open assembly: 6-8pm

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Making Worlds invites you to the 2nd Forum on the Commons

Friday, March 29, 6 PM to 10 PM (potluck dinner)
Saturday, March 30, 10 AM to 8PM (potluck lunch & dinner)

“Making Worlds: a Commons Coalition” was formed during the occupation of Zuccotti Park in order to bring projects working to reclaim the commons to the fore of the Occupy movement. Initially Occupy Wall St (OWS) focused on protests against corporate greed and income inequality. However, many OWS supporters understand the movement as a way of creating solutions to inequality and envisioning a future inspired by the concept of the “commons.” Commons can be defined as resources managed and sustained by the communities that make use of them. The commons belong to the 99% yet are endangered by privatization and commodification.

We invite you to participate in a conversation to explore, strengthen, and connect our efforts, projects, and lives through practices of commoning. A core of commoning practices has always sustained human life. This is a call to envision new ways of organizing our lives and our activism through the lens of the commons.
Our last year’s Forum on the Commons sought to conceptualize and explore different areas for commoning - natural resources, arts and education, care and reproduction, alternative economies.

This year, we would like to open up space for a horizontal conversation with a strong focus on the concrete processes of commoning that are taking place or could take place in New York City now. Instead of the usual format of speaker presentations followed by discussion, we would like to see if an open conversation can take place in which knowledge and experience are shared horizontally. We acknowledge and value all the projects, processes, investigations and networks people are building in their daily lives and in their collaborations with others.

In order to have a common point of departure we are posing the following questions to reflect on projects that have taken place around the city and to launch a new commons space project to link and strengthen commons groups.
The questions are:
1) How are people in NYC creating common spaces?
2) How can commoning efforts support and strengthen each other?
3) How do communities identify with and participate in the process of commoning?
4) How can commoning be a form of resistance to neoliberal privatization? 
We would like to finish the conversation with the creation of a tool for commoning spaces. This responds to a sense we have regarding the amazing speed with which many projects have started in the city, but without strong links among them. The goal will be to learn about them and to connect them.
We invite you to participate in the conversation! Come join us in Making New Worlds. Another World is Possible!
Could you confirm your participation by Monday, Mar. 11th in order to receive our flyers and promote the event?

PROPOSED SCHEDULE

We would like to address the 4 mentioned questions in each session. Also, we propose some keywords as threads for the different sessions.
At the end of each session we would like to dedicate some time to collect ideas for a toolbox of the commons, which we would like to add later to the common text.

FRIDAY 29, 6 – 10pm

1. Introduction: 6 pm -7 pm
  Reflections about last year’s Forum on the Commons
  This year: what we would like to do?

2. Dinner. Potluck: 7 pm-8 pm

3. Session: 8 pm – 10 pm
  How do communities identify with and participate in the process of commoning?
  How do we envision the future of the commons? What would people like to see?

SATURDAY 30, 10am – 8pm

1. Session: 10-12pm
  CARING
  How can commoning be a form of resistance to neoliberal privatization?

2. Lunch (Potluck). 12-1pm

3. Session: 1-3pm
  SPACE
  How are people in NYC creating common spaces?

4. Coffee Break: 3-3:30 pm

5. Session: 3:30-6
  NETWORKS/NETWORKING
  How can commoning efforts support and strengthen each other?

6. Potluck Dinner and open assembly: 6-8pm

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Join SolidarityNYC for a night of fun and celebration!

Expect a pizza-making contest, live music, dance-off, open bar, and hanging out.

Get down and raise $$ for the continuation of our deep listening project!

$5-$15 sliding scale entry; $20 for entry and open bar access all night

Pizza-making contest rules: Make a homemade pizza to get in for free! Please arrive by 8PM (contest will be early in the evening) and make sure your pizza serves 10 small slices to enter the competition. Winner gets access to open bar and a special prize. Please RSVP your pizza submission to info@solidaritynyc.org. May the best pizza win!
Agitate, educate, organize, celebrate!

MORE INFO:
On February 19, SolidarityNYC, an all-volunteer collective of activists, practitioners, media-makers, and researchers, hosted “Growing a Resilient City: Possibilities for Collaboration in New York City’s Solidarity Economy.” The event brought together over 70 leaders in the sustainable, cooperative, and sharing economies to explore the potential for greater cross-sector collaboration to strengthen and expand NYC’s burgeoning solidarity economy movement. It came out of six months of listening to solidarity economy practitioners express their vision for a more collaborative city. We called the project the “Deep Listening Project”. Check out our report to learn what we heard in the first round of interviews.
Every dollar raised at our Benefit Bash will go directly towards continuing our Deep Listening Project: collecting more stories, formalizing new collaborations, and hosting more events with exciting, creative practitioners & leaders.
WHO and WHAT IS SolidarityNYC:
www.solidaritynyc.org

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The Center for Bioregional Living Presents:  Scott Kellogg, author of “Toolbox for Sustainable City Living”  and co-founder of the Radix Ecological Sustainability Center

Exploring how urban residents can form mutual partnerships with ecological systems in their cities: Permaculture relationships with the urban wilds.

• Anthropogenic Ecosystems and the anthroposphere
• Urban Hydrology: buried streams, sewer overflows, rain collection
• Oyster reef restoration and fishing in the city
Urban detox: strategies for destroying toxins in the city environment with low-tech bioremediation
• Synanthropic species : pigeons, biodiversity in the city, moss graffiti, bat towers, and bee walls
• Virtual tour of the Radix Center in Albany: solar and biothermal green-house, aquaponics, duck-a-poop-a-ponics, ecologically regenerative micro-industrial composting

www.radixcenter.org
www.homebiome.com
www.meetup.com/Brooklyn-Permaculture-Meetup

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We mark this date yearly in order to reflect on the struggles of the past year, to celebrate our successes, and to discuss our collective hopes and future. The theme this year is Sanctioning Iran: a Feminist Response, and will feature speakers and multi-media.

Following the program we will continue the celebration Raha-style, with food, drink, dancing, and of course, cake! We look forward to seeing you there!

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Walter Perez & Leonardo Sardella teach and host dancing every Tuesday evening starting at 6:30.

$15 class fee includes milonga (open dancing with refreshments). Milonga alone is $10.

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Learn to use the patterns of Nature to create empowering solutions for social and ecological change.

Our courses are designed to train you to become a consultant, designer and earth literate steward with the ability to creatively integrate:

*  Ecological Design
*  Regional Planning
*  Biodynamic & Organic Farming & Gardening
*  Sustainable Economic Development

You will learn how to apply permaculture principles to a diversity of settings and issues with an emphasis on urban and temperate bioregions.  You will graduate with a competency in full site design, master planning and a deep understanding of the principles of permaculture design. You will be poised to creatively, imaginatively and comprehensively assess and consult for properties, business models and social structures. 

Our entire teaching team is passionate about teaching Permaculture and sharing the tools for positive solutions. From Bill Young the biodiversity specialist who reforested Fresh Kills to Lisa DePiano cooperative business pioneer creating revenue and relationships between bicycle compost pick-up, CSA’s and restaurants, you will learn dynamic ways to create opportunity and abundance wherever you are.

Our Urban Permaculture focus will feature two excellent field trips: one to the extensive green roof laboratory on Randall’s Island with Dwaine Lee of the Horticultural Society and another visiting the community garden’s of the Lower East Side that have been retrofitted to harvest rainwater and reclaim brownfields with Lars Chellberg and Paula Hewit Amram.

Know that we are constantly striving to make each PDC better than the last by continuing to educate ourselves and stay relevant in this dynamic world. Andrew is a true scholar and brings to each student his solid experience from a life of active learning: from deep nature to concrete jungle, from classic tomes to the newest books and theories on evolution.

Classes run Saturday and/or Sunday: Feb 16 & 17, 23 & 24; March. 2 & 3, 9 & 10; April 6 & 7, 13.

Thinking about joining us but want to know more about permaculture and what you will learn in the course? Watch videos about the class, Andrew, and the Center at their website. That is also where you register when you are ready to make this life-changing decision.

For more information about this course and to register, go to Andrew and Adriana’s website:
http://www.homebiome.com/

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Our new year party this year responds to the international call for immigrants to support indigenous struggle. many who have not been idle are joined this year by many more who will be Idle No More.  we are so inspired by the global struggle and leadership of indigenous communities and cultures.

Come out and support Idle No More, Make some dumplings and learn majiang.

Lunar New Year traditions are many and varied. we honor as we transform them:
wear new clothes for the new year—please bring any clothes in good condition to swap with other people. BARTER.
be with family—we recognize many forms of family, including all those chosen and those in community, as defined by LOVE & CONSENT.
eat, drink & be merry—we’ll have drinks, dumpling making stations, movie screenings, and tables to play/learn majiang. LEARN.

**also appearing will be new catering cooperative, Shamé who will treat us to Asian Night Market experience redux! if you didn’t make it back in October, come through now for Asian street food experience—highlights included Deconstructed Bahn-mi, Butternut squash 5-spice ice cream, Red Bean pupusas **

bring a friend, bring the kids, bring the family and join us in responding to call for immigrants supporting indigenous struggle.

Bike, walk, skip, hop, train 2345BDQNR/LIRR to Atlantic, or the AC to Hoyt or G to Bergen.

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If you‘ve wanted to try yoga and heard about its amazing benefits, both mental and physical, but hesitated because you think you’re not flexible enough or because getting up and down from the floor is an obstacle – this class is for you. You get the all of the healing benefits of yoga even if you have limitations since we use the chair for support or do the poses seated. The class is senior friendly – a little slower paced – alignment based – and therapeutically inclined.

Tuesdays 10 – 11 A.M
February 5, 12, 19, 26
Four Classes $40.00     Individual Class $12.00
cash or check only

No experience necessary – just bring your friends, an open mind and heart and a yoga mat. If you don’t have a yoga mat, we will supply one.

Yoga Instructor, Barbara Kaminsky
bkaminskyny@verizon.net

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With Chris Harp and Grai Rice from HoneybeeLives
February 2 & 3, Saturday and Sunday 10am - 6pm

This popular two-day weekend workshop will help get you started with beekeeping. Chris and Grai take a natural and biodynamic approach to beekeeping: they teach beginning beekeepers to understand the responsibilities of the beekeeper and develop an understanding of the instincts and community of the bees.  A philosophy of gentle care is imparted, as well as practical knowledge in preparation for starting hives in the spring.  This class is also helpful for current beekeepers who are looking for a culture of nurturing.

Intro to Organic Beekeeping: Planning a New Hive for Spring (Saturday 10am - 6pm)

Learn about the basic requirements and responsibilities for organic beekeeping. Understand the community of a hive, the tools involved, elements of site selection, where you can obtain honeybees and equipment, and an understanding of a naturalist approach to their needs. There is a hands-on demonstration of assembling a wooden hive, and extensive class handouts to help new beekeepers. 

Understanding and Caring For Your Bees (Sunday 10am - 6pm)

Topics will include: hive congruency and design to benefit the colony (including Top Bar Hives); Honeybee health and disease management the natural way; seasonal concerns and methods to help keep your honeybees strong.

Preregistration is required.  $200 per person for the full weekend, or $100 for one day. Contact Grai at HoneybeeLives

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Join us as Andrew Faust brings together Bioregionalism and Permaculture, two elegant design models that allow us to heal ourselves as we heal the land.

The solutions to our economic and environmental problems aren’t complex or out of reach. Quite the contrary! Our food, fuel and fiber needs can be met in abundant ways that strengthen community economies by reconnecting people with their local ecologies. By cooperating regionally and designing ecologically we create and insure healthy and secure economies, landscapes and communities that benefit and enrich generations to come!

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Indigenous activists are increasingly under surveillance as they manifest critical leadership in confronting 21st century disasters. What can we, in the concrete jungle, learn about a sacred connection to land? How will this help us in all of our struggles from fighting fracking to immigrant justice?

Please join us for an evening of song, food, resistance, short films, storytelling, and drum to deepen our understanding about actions springing up across the continent and to help raise funds to beat federal charges against four activists in Arizona and over $6000 in fines and legal fees. Figure out with us what we can do to elevate our struggle, our voices, and solutions to a world gone mad.

Joining us by Skype will one of the 38 arrested in Arizona this year struggling to Save the Peaks. Klee Benally (Dine’) will tell us more about what is currently happening in Flagstaff, Arizona where he lives and organizes to stop a sacred mountain being desecrated by ski slope development (www.truesnow.org).

Klee is the current project coordinator of Indigenous Action Media (www.indigenousaction.org) and has worked for over a decade on the protection of sacred places (www.protectthepeaks.org). Klee helped found Outta Your Backpack Media (www.oybm.org), an Indigenous youth empowerment project that focuses on media literacy and media justice for Indigenous communities and Taala Hooghan Infoshop (www.taalahooghan.org), a radical resource center located in Flagstaff. He has also been a part of Indigenous political rock/punk group Blackfire (www.blackfire.net) & traditional dance group, The Jones Benally Family, with which he has performed Dine’ traditional dances all of his life.

Klee will be joined by local guests (TBA) to discuss issues of building meaningful alliances in the protection of indigenous rights and sacred places. Drum by Wachamchick Warrior Society.

Delicious food and discussion led by Native Resistance Network

BUY TICKETS TODAY! LIMITED SEATS! Register using link above.

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Join us for an evening of live music, food, drinks, dancing, and much more! The party will include live performances by Bomba Yo and Mariachi Flor de Toloache, and spinning by DJ Chela, DJ Nopales and DJ AndaLaLucha.

On October 4th, 2012 the Coalition of Immokalee Workers won another huge victory for farmworker justice! After six years of national organizing and pressure from the CIW and their allies, Chipotle Mexican Grill finally signed on to the CIW’s Fair Food Program! Chipotle is the 11th major corporation that has committed to purchase Florida tomatoes solely from farms who abide by a set of labor standards that guarantee workers’ rights and dignity in the fields, developed between farmworkers, tomato growers, and corporate purchasers. The Fair Food Program is monitored by the Fair Foods Standards Council and includes a small price premium to help improve harvesters’ wages.

Due to the CIW and allies’ dedicated organizing over the past two decades, it is a new day in the tomato fields of Florida! The food movement that prides itself on environmental sustainability and animal welfare is holding itself accountable to the workers that put food on our tables everyday. Workers and allies are organizing against human rights abuses in the food industry and taking action for true food justice. The Chipotle victory is evidence of this and would not have been possible without all of you here in New York City who came to rallies, signed postcards, took part in delegations, and put the pressure on Chipotle to truly serve “food with integrity”. Please join the Community/Farmworker Alliance-NYC, that organizes in solidarity with the CIW, as we celebrate this win and this new day together!

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Do not miss this chance to meet Peter Bane, esteemed publisher and editor of Pemaculture Activist magazine, who almost never comes to New York City. Peter’s new book, The Permaculture Handbook: Garden Farming for Town and Country, is a distillation of his decades of work and has been called both “the most accessible, most practically useful permaculture book out there” and “a powerfully visionary work.” A prolific writer in journals and collections on forestry, building and all things sustainable, Peter will be sharing his deep wisdom and wit from his more than 20 years in the field of permaculture. He has taught thousands of students all over the world including New York’s own Andrew Faust who considers Bane a mentor.

We are thrilled to welcome him!
Presented by Center for Bioregional Living and The Commons Brooklyn.

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Fire | Water is a martial arts and qigong school dedicated to practicing the essence of ancient and modern fighting and energy arts.
We are offering classes every Monday evening. Whether you are just starting out or have practiced the arts before, please come check out a class! The first one is free!

All classes at Fire | Water are taught by Shanti Webley, who has been practicing martial arts and qigong for over fifteen years and teaching for ten years. He holds a second-degree black belt and the title of Sifu in Mo Duk Pai kung fu under his teacher, Sifu Kyle Alexander. Shanti has also practiced a variety of internal and external martial arts and is a certified chi gung instructor under B.K. Frantzis.

Typical classes at Fire | Water include vigorous standing qigong practice, exploration of qigong principles, partner sparring and drilling of martial techniques.

Classes are low-key and no contracts are required. Anyone is welcome to attend. Anytime.

Please contact us if you have questions.
email: info@firewaterbrooklyn.com
phone: 347.688.6845

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new york insight’s people of color & allies sangha
meditation & discussion
1st & 3rd monday evenings
fee by dana/donation
45 min meditation begins promptly at 7:00
teaching/discussion: 7:45-8:30

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HOLIDAY AND HOMECOMING PARTY

Daniel McGowan is an NYC born-and-raised environmental and social justice political prisoner and the subject of the Oscar-nominated documentary film, If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front.

Family & Friends of Daniel McGowan have marked the anniversary of Daniel’s arrest on December 7, 2005, with a variety of events in the past.  This December, Daniel is finally getting released from prison and coming to a halfway house in Brooklyn. To celebrate, we are having a straight up PARTY.  Please come join our celebration. We’ll have music, snacks, and drinks, and lots of fun holiday surprises. Whether you’re a long-time supporter or joining us for the first time, you’re more than welcome and you don’t want to miss it! 
If you’d like, please bring a holiday or welcome home card for Daniel.  You can also help Daniel by contributing towards some of the things he will need for his transition back home. Link to come for online registry. 

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We have a unique collection of historic and sentimental and danceable Latin and American dance music from the golden age.1930s tango, 1950s Doo wop, classic Rock & Roll, mambo, rumba.

The idea is to have fun. Informal, come-as-you-are dress: hats, sneaks, etc. all OK.

All levels (including total beginners) welcome.

Bonus: Come learn about the historical background of this classic dance music. Experts and handouts available.

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The practice uses embodied principles derived from Chinese Medicine and Sufiism to facilitate and maximize the healing possibility of any human interaction. It is a secular and practical practice, but grounded in a spiritual apprehension of the free resource of love and support and the need for resilience in communities. This workshop is designed to teach reliable methods of accessing the Healing Connection with anyone. The skills taught will be fully applicable to healing situations outside of formal health care contexts, including family life, classrooms, activism for social change, and work within organizational structures. All that is required of the student is sincerity.

Thea Elijah has been teaching the healing arts of Chinese Medicine and Sufi Healing for over 15 years. She is the former Director of the Chinese Herbal Studies Program at TAI Sophia Institute and at the Academy for Five Element Acupuncture.  Thea is also a Master Teacher at the University of Spiritual Healing and Sufism. She lectures throughout the US and maintains her healing and teaching practice in Southern Vermont, where she lives with her husband and son.

Saturday & Sunday,  December 1 & 2, 9 am to 5 pm
Participants sign up for entire weekend.

Cost: Early-bird up to Nov.16: $250.
After Nov.16: $300.

Optional: additional day-long training in Group Leadership, for weekend workshop participants only; attendance limited to 8.
Monday Dec. 3, 9 am to 4 pm, $185.

For more information and to register, visit her web-hub at: http://perennialmedicine.com/

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A Hurricane Sandy benefit concert entirely by New York City youth.

Bands include Tempus, Sixteen Stops,  The Inklings, Kacey Velazquez, Adela and the Ucars, and many more!

$10 entrance, all proceeds go to The American Red Cross.

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Are you an organizer, communicator or culture-shifter who wants to bring the power of story into your change-strategy?
 Curious about the connections between narrative and movement building?

Apply today to join an inspiring community of creative movement activists for a two-day, intermediate level training on smartMeme’s story-based strategy tools and methods.

January 15 & 16,  9:30AM - 5:30PM (Light Breakfast, lunch, and snacks are provided)

The Intermediate Training is an accessible but challenging curriculum that will explore the terrain of framing and narrative, and share smartMeme’s approach to building power and strategy through the lens of story. This training is perfect for community organizers, social change communicators, and campaign strategists looking for practical tools and approaches to build narrative power and shift the debate in order to move progressive agendas forward.  Story-based Strategy is a unique methodology that helps social change agents take what we already know from our storytelling traditions, creativity and lived experiences and apply it with new tools to strategically enhance our campaigns to win.

The Intermediate Training will be an opportunity to:

Define story-based strategy and practice narrative thinking using case studies, creative tools, and interactive group discussions

Apply story-based strategy tools to your issue or campaign

Network and build relationships with like-minded change makers

What people are saying about story-based strategy workshops:

  ‘Challenging, productive, practical.’

  ‘Excellently executed.’

  ‘The most useful training I’ve ever been to.’

APPLY NOW Early Decision applications due Nov 14, 2012. All Applications Due Nov 30, 2012.

For more information and to apply for the workshop, go to:

http://www.smartmeme.org/blog/east-coast-intermediate-training

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Join us Monday, November 19th as Brooklyn Permaculture Meetup Presents:

Designing for Disaster: A Permaculture Vision for Decentralized Power

Our present power grid is nearing the end of it’s lifespan and erratic weather patterns like Superstorm Sandy are revealing the grid’s inherent weaknesses. It’s time we all learn what we can do to shift from our toxic, vulnerable & outdated system to a regionally appropriate & resilient power grid by using the tools of Permaculture Design.

What would a smaller scale power grid look like in the Northeastern U.S.?

Can we design our energy infrastructure efficiently in the face of global climate change and fuel shortages of all kinds?

How can we address systemic contamination from lead, mercury and radioactive waste?

Join us November 19th as we discuss ways to advocate and address these questions and more.

Bring a friend!

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Kick off the season with a Holiday Craft Fair. Get all of your holiday shopping done early!

Purchase gifts; chocolate, knitwear, jewelry, hats, skin care items, clothing and lots more.

This all-day event is free to the public and will serve holiday refreshments: finger food and wine.

For more info check us out:
www.aingeelz.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/aingeelzjewelry

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Hurricane Sandy and last night’s winter storm have hit many neighborhoods very hard. Some people are STILL trapped in their apartments without power; others have lost their homes or are still unable to return to them because of flooding and power outages.
Volunteers, money and supplies are needed in various locations.
Gowanus Houses: Many residents are still without power, water, or heat. Families United for Racial and Economic Equality (F.U.R.E.E.) has been organizing community volunteers to assist. Check their website for current schedule and needs. http://furee.org/

Red Hook:  Efforts to help have been spearheaded by the Red Hood Initiative, an organization dedicated to empowering communities to create their own social change. For info on current specific needs, contact Red Hook Recovers (347) 770-152

Rockaway and Coney Island: Occupy Sandy Relief Main Distribution Centers: St. Jacobi Church in Sunset Park: 5406 4th Ave (at 54th St) and Church of St. Luke and St Matthew at 520 Clinton Ave (between Fulton and Atlantic) are main distribution centers.  For current information on what is needed, visit www.OccupySandy.org or on Facebook.  Also New York Communities for Change, at 2-4 Nevinst Street, 2nd Floor (between Flatbush & Livingston.) Visit their website for info on what is needed and hours.

Below is a very helpful letter from Mary-Powel, our Boerum Hill neighbor. She volunteered in the Rockaways this week and shares her experience.

Dear Neighbors,

I thought I’d let folks know the outcome of my trip to the Rockaways on Election Day. I drove down with Boerum Hillers Josie and Noah to the Rockaway Surf Club, at 302 Beach 87th Street. They are collecting donations of all the items listed here (http://rockawayhelp.com/donate-supplies/), so we bought some things at Tony’s Hardware, and Josie donated some shovels and buckets from her gardening business. We also filled the two extra seats in the car by stopping at the Occupy Sandy site on 4th Avenue between 54th and 55th. We picked up two teachers who’d been given the option of doing hurricane relief instead of the previously scheduled professional development. We offered to take some supplies too, but they didn’t have anything that needed transporting at the moment. I did recently learn that they’ve created a “wedding registry” on Amazon, where anyone around the country can buy things and have them shipped to a church in Clinton Hill, from which the Occupy folks will get them to “priority response areas.” See http://www.amazon.com/registry/wedding/32TAA123PJR42?tag=vglnkc7224-20.

The Rockaway Surf Club, in addition to collecting and distributing donated tools and supplies, has a bulletin board of jobs available. People put up a scrap of paper with their name, address, and how many people they need, for what. We picked one who needed three people to help clean out his basement. (Fortunately, there were 4-5 others helping as well, also teachers, as it turned out.) He had already gotten most of the stuff out, but we finished that job and then pulled out all the wet sheetrock and insulation from the walls and ceiling. Some also pulled down the tin from the ceiling, which was sandwiched between two layers of sheetrock, and pulled out a built-in cabinet. By the end of the day, the basement was mostly down to the studs, which was a huge improvement over what it was before. We added all the scrap to the huge pile of debris outside his house. Every house has a pile like this, some mostly flooded belongings, others with building debris as well.

However, there are many, many others who are not nearly as far along as this guy. A couple of us spent some time after lunch taking photos of damage to the house next door, so they could document it for FEMA. The couple is older, and she especially is still in a very emotional place about the whole hurricane thing. Eventually, they will need the same sort of work, but I don’t think they’ll be ready for a while. And many others are in the same boat. Basically, there will be plenty of work for months yet, if not years.

There were a lot of volunteers today, but I think that was because of the city holiday and the teacher-volunteer option. I imagine that there will be many fewer volunteers on ordinary weekdays, so lots of opportunity for those who are available! And weekends too, of course. The system at the Rockaway Surf Club seems to work well, but not all the slips of paper get taken. Our guy said he’d posted his a day or two ago. There are many other locations at which to volunteer as well. There was a list on rockawayhelp.com, though now it just says, “show up any day between 10am and 4pm at St. Francis de Sales Church, 219 Beach 129th Street, Belle Harbor, NY.” Basically, I think you could probably walk down any street and find people who need help!

Here are a couple of thoughts, if you want to go:
* Layers are definitely key (http://rockawayhelp.com/2012/11/04/dress-in-layers/). It got warm working in the basement, but it was quite chilly at the end of the day outdoors. Also, bring your own lunch, water, flashlight or headlamp, phone batteries, etc.
* Bring a baseball cap to protect against falling sheetrock without being too warm (as a wool cap would be), and eye protection. It’s OK if you don’t have it, though. Just close your eyes when you pull the sheetrock down.
* A headlamp is more useful than a flashlight for working in basements without windows. Ours did have windows, so we didn’t use either.
* The most needed item for donation is shovels. They evidently run out every day. Heavy contractor bags are also needed, as are big buckets and even plastic trashcans, for carting out debris. The complete wish list is at the URL given in my first paragraph above.
* There is a lot of traffic to leave the peninsula (or at least, there was today, maybe partly because of Election Day), so be prepared. It took a good hour to get back, and only half an hour to get down. However, you pretty much have to stop working when it gets dark, so we were still home pretty early.
* Because there is limited room for cars, if you are able to drive, try hard to fill all your seats.
* The subway is not running all the way to the Rockaways, but you can take the A train to Ozone Park/Lefferts Boulevard and then take the Q52 bus (Cross Bay Blvd bridge). You can also take the 3 to Flatbush Ave-Brooklyn College, and then the Q35 (Marine Pkway Bridge).

I think it’s definitely, definitely worth any time you can spare. The scene is really unimaginable, and the need is great. Please feel free to email me directly if you have any questions.

Best,

Mary-Powel
Wyckoff Street

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Bring a dish to share or just bring yourself. All are welcome. Join Brooklyn For Peace and your neighbors for an evening of food, community and conversation.

Let’s come together with neighbors to discuss the storm, its consequences, the election and where we go next. These events have brought to the forefront many important issues for Brooklynites and New Yorkers. We realize again this year how crucial it is for us to work together to break the barriers to meaningful change in our national priorities.

Please call 718-624-5921 or email bfp@brooklynpeace.org for more information.

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This two-part series is made up of one Wednesday evening and one Saturday field trip, that can be then together (best) or separately.

Wednesday, Oct 31, 6:30-9:30 pm
Introduction to botany for herbalists and gardeners

Saturday, Nov 3, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Botany Field Day at the Botanical Garden

Fee for the series: $65. Wednesday alone is $25; Saturday alone is $50.

Richard Mandelbaum RH (AHG) has been an avid student of plants for more than twenty years,  He is a clinical herbalist with a private practice in Brooklyn and in Sullivan County, NY, in which he gives personalized holistic health recommendations, and is the former director of the Clinical Herbalist Diploma Program at the Lehigh Valley Healing Arts Academy in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.  In addition to teaching on a diverse range of clinical subjects, he often leads workshops on field botany, wild edible plants and mushrooms. Richard is a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild.

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Do you find it challenging to build a qualified, yet culturally diverse staff? Do you have trouble connecting on a genuine level with staff members who are culturally different from you? Wish you could leverage your staff’s and your own cultural heritage to enrich your work? Are you frequently met with distrust and hesitation when you try to enter a community of a particular ethnicity? Does your community outreach and organizing activities often go nowhere?

Take a Sunday off and come join us for a fully interactive, day-long retreat where you can learn how to practice cultural competence and diversity more affirmatively. This retreat is not a lecture-style event when you are fed abstract, feel-good concepts you already know. It is a hands-on retreat built on a transformational model with action-based workshops that will help you address your organization’s challenges and build your skills in such capacities as:

•  Recruiting a diverse staff or board
•  Using inclusive language to build an affirmative work environment
•  Enriching your work by tapping into people’s cultural heritage
•  Building trusting relationships with communities and clients that will enable your work
•  Organizing communities to advance your work
•  Achieving your stated goals in a community

You will learn skills that you can apply beyond your work and in your personal relationships as well.

The retreat is organized and facilitated by Daniel Lim, founder and principal consultant of Inner Activism Services, LLC, an eco-spiritually-based leadership and organizational consulting firm. Daniel has over seven years of experience facilitating leadership and diversity training, organizational change, and community development. He is a McNair Scholar and a fellow at the Center for Whole Communities. He is inspired by the diversity and resilience of nature and turns to ecology for wisdom on how we can all better serve as leaders and run organizations that advance social movements. Learn more about Daniel Lim and Inner Activism Services, LLC at www.inneractivism.com.

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Turn problems into solutions by joining us in the discussion, design and implementation of permaculture projects in and around Brooklyn and the surrounding region. We are looking to create an active group of motivated beings that want to contribute to all the positive change that is happening in our region and the world.

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In celebration of the new radical space in Bushwick, The Base, we are pleased to welcome you to a talk with Silvia Federici and George Caffentzis.

This talk will focus on the struggle for the commons, communalism,  and autonomist movements, which will open a discussion on current struggles and the aspirations of this new space. We cordially invite you to take part in this discussion.

Silvia Federici is a scholar, author, teacher, and activist from the radical feminist Marxist tradition.
George Caffentzis is a political philosopher and a Marxist. He co-founded the Midnight Notes Collective.

The Base will be a hub for radical organizing, free resources, and workshops.
www.facebook/brooklyn.base

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This nine-session course, taught by Richard Mandelbaum RH(AHG), is comprised of eight three-hour Wednesday evening classes and a six-hour Saturday field trip.  The course is designed both for people already using herbs as well as people just getting interested, and is useful for people who are considering going on to study herbs more in depth or for those who may just want a more solid foundation for their own family and home use.

Session 1: General introduction to using herbs wisely: using herbs within a holistic mindset; learning from our herbal traditions; the law and herbal medicines; safety and toxicity; dosage
Wednesday, October 3
6:30-9:30 pm

Session 2: Herbs for the GI tract and liver, including diet and nutrition and how they relate to herbal medicine
Wednesday, October 10
6:30-9:30 pm

Session 3: Herbs for the immune system
Wednesday, October 17
6:30-9:30 pm

Session 4: Introduction to botany for herbalists and gardeners
Wednesday, October 31
6:30-9:30 pm

Session 5: Botany Field Day at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden
Saturday, November 3
10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Session 6: Herbs for emotional and mental well-being: reducing stress, improving sleep and elevating mood
Wednesday, November 7
6:30-9:30 pm

Session 7: Herbs for the cardiovascular system
Wednesday, November 28
6:30-9:30 pm

Session 8: Herbs for male and female reproductive health
Wednesday, December 5
6:30-9:30 pm

Session 9: Healthy lungs, and healthy bones and joints: herbs for the respiratory and musculo-skeletal systems
Wednesday, December 12
6:30-9:30 pm

Richard Mandelbaum RH (AHG) has been an avid student of plants for more than twenty years,  He is a clinical herbalist with a private practice in Brooklyn and in Sullivan County, NY, in which he gives personalized holistic health recommendations, and is the former director of the Clinical Herbalist Diploma Program at the Lehigh Valley Healing Arts Academy in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.  In addition to teaching on a diverse range of clinical subjects, he often leads workshops on field botany, wild edible plants and mushrooms. Richard is a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild.

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Explore ways to bring clean air, water and soil back into city centers and urban landscapes. Create green pathways for pedestrians and cyclists. Start by removing pavement from streams and abandoned areas and reforesting them. Establish market areas with limited vehicle access. Build corridors that connect them to green belts outside the city. Shorten the distance of transmission of goods and services by increasing local production in the city and surrounding areas.

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You are invited this Thursday night to a lecture + discussion with Neil Barofsky, former Inspector General overseeing the TARP bailout and author of Bailout: An Inside Account of How Washington Abandoned Main Street While Rescuing Wall Street.

How did we get into this mess? Why did we Occupy Wall Street? Neil will trace back the roots of the bailout and discuss how the US financial system is as fragile as ever: captured regulators, perverse incentives and bigger too-big-to-fail banks.

FREE event, but donations to support this continued lecture series are appreciated!

#OccupyYourMind

RSVP: On facebook
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/382589388479006/

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Every Monday evening the Commons offers classes in both Qigong and Taichi chuan. You can take just the qigong, starting at 6:15, or arrive at 7 for the taichi, or come for both.

Qi Gong
6:15-6:50
Open to all levels this class is excellent for winding down after a stressful day. These gentle stretching and breathing exercises have been proven to: Lower blood pressure, relieve pain from arthritis or old injuries, regulate blood/sugar levels, improve balance and increase joint mobility.

Taiji
7-8:30
Originally practiced as a martial art in China, taiji is an easy-to-learn, effective system of body movements practiced today by millions of people worldwide as part of their daily routine.  For those seeking health, the practice of taiji has proven to benefit every major system of the body including muscular/skeletal, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, immune and nervous.  For martial artists and athletes training in taiji will result in greater speed, power, efficiency, balance and coordination.

$20 (sliding scale is possible for multiple classes)

Classes taught by Sifu Calum Douglas-Reid
Sifu Calum Douglas-Reid began studying tai chi chuan in 1987 at the school of international Grandmaster William CC Chen and became an assistant instructor at the school in 1999. He received his full teaching certification and the title Sifu in 2002. Calum competes in national and international tournaments; in 2004 he received a gold medal at the prestigious Chung Hwa Cup in Taiwan. Sifu Douglas-Reid teaches at the school, at NY health clubs and gives private lessons. He holds workshops in the US and Europe.

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with Master Wu Zhong Xian

In Chinese tradition, the dragon is a symbol of great transformation and rebirth.

Two-day workshop:
Saturday and Sunday, August 25 & 26
10 am - 5 pm

About Master Zhongxian Wu

Master Zhongxian Wu was born on China’s eastern shore in the fishing village Roushan (“Bamboo Mountain”) in Zhejiang Province, where the sun’s first rays touch the Chinese mainland.  He began practicing Qigong and Taiji at a young age.  Inspired by the immediate strengthening effects of this 5000+ year old practice, Master Wu committed himself to the life-long pursuit of the ancient arts of internal cultivation.  He devoted himself to the study of Qigong, martial arts, Chinese medicine, Yijing science, calligraphy and ancient Chinese music over the next 40+ years, studying with some of the best teachers in these fields.  To this day, traditional Chinese arts and disciplines continue to be passed on within the time-honored discipleship system, wherein the acknowledged master of a given discipline instructs a close-knit circle of chosen students. Near the end of the master’s life, the master selects the next “lineage holder” who will be responsible for the preservation of the entire system of knowledge.  Master Wu is the recognized lineage holder of four different schools of Qigong and martial arts.

In China, Master Wu served as Director of the Shaanxi Province Association for Somatic Science and the Shaanxi Association for the Research of Daoist Nourishing Life Practices. In this capacity, he conducted many investigations into the clinical efficacy of Qigong and authored numerous works on the philosophical and historical foundations of China’s ancient life sciences. Since he began teaching in 1988, Master Wu has instructed thousands of Qigong students, both eastern and western.

Happily, Master Wu was invited to leave his position as an aerospace engineer in Xi’an, China in 2001 and join the faculty of the Classical Chinese Medicine program at the National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM) in Portland, OR.  He served as Senior Instructor and Resident Expert of Qigong and Taiji at NCNM for four years.  He currently maintains a busy teaching schedule, holding classes, workshops and seminars, and offers a long-term Qigong and Taiji training programs which provide a strong foundation for the study of shamanic Qigong, internal alchemy, Taiji and Qi healing skills — including classical Chinese energy techniques, medical Qigong and martial arts applications.  Since coming to the United States, he has continued writing (now in English) a slew of published articles and books.

Learn more at masterwu.net

Register at:
www.masterwu.net/MasterWuRegistration.html
$50 non-refundable deposit required.

$250 for registration before August 11.
$295 for registrations after August 10.

For more information, you can also email
melissa@thecommonsbrooklyn.org

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Walter Perez & Leonardo Sardella teach and host dancing every Saturday.

1:00 - 2:00 Beginning & Intermediate A. Tango Class .Walter Perez & Leonardo Sardella ($15 fee includes attendance at milonga from 2-5)

2:00-5:00 Milonga: open dancing with refreshments ($10)

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We are offering this workshop to familiarize people with the concept and process of solar electric. This workshop is for those who want to know how to make a solar panel instead of just buying one.

We will assemble a Solar Electric Panel (60 watt 12 volt nominal) with solar cells, “ribbon” wire, solder, tempered glass, aluminum frame, silicon encapsulant, and silicon caulking (solar module/panel available for sale at end of workshop).

Registration limited to 12 participants, fee $125. To register send your name, phone #, email and a check to: City Solar, 531A 6th Avenue Top Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11215.

For more information contact:  City Solar 347 254-0019 info@citysolar.org

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Starting this month, a Brooklyn Permaculture Meetup will be held every third Monday here at The Commons.

Permaculture is a whole systems design science that is positively changing the way people think and interact with Earth.

Turn problems into solutions by joining us in the discussion, design and implementation of projects in and around Brooklyn and the surrounding region. We are looking to create an active group of motivated beings that want to contribute to all the positive change that is happening in our region and the world.

This Meetup will be led by Andrew Faust and visiting friends. Andrew is director at Center for Bioregional Living which since 2007 has been training permaculture designers in NYC and at their rural campus in Ellenville, NY. A certificate in Permaculture Design is very helpful but not necessary.

To join the Brooklyn Permaculture Meetup, go to
http://www.meetup.com/Brooklyn-Permaculture-Meetup/

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Solar is not just good for the earth; you can also save money. But only for a limited time.  Significant chunks of the NYC subsidies for solar are expiring at the end of this year, on December 31, 2012. Install now to get 80% of the cost paid by the subsidy (or 90% for commercial buildings).

A sample installation will be created of a participant’s rooftop (so bring your Con Edison bill and rooftop dimensions), with installation costs, subsidies, savings, cash flow and financing options.

SIgn up for a bid on your roof.

Bring friends for a discount admission.

Please register in advance, seating is limited.
Register at www.citysolar.us/workshopschedule.php

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Quizzo is a competitive gameshow between teams of 5 who compete in questions of Brooklyn history, healthcare history, holistic health modalities, and popular culture.  Quizzo is a fundraiser for Third Root Community Health Center. a worker-owned cooperative in the Flatbush/Ditmas Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, working to provide accessible, collaborative, empowering acupuncture, massage, reiki, yoga, and herbal medicine.

We are looking for Team Captains! You interested? You think you have what it takes to win BIG? Contact telesh@thirdroot.org!

Come as a ruckus audience-admission is $10-20, and there will be food provided as well as delicious herbal cocktails.

www.thirdroot.org

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This hands-on workshop will provide you with the skills you need to make high-quality infusions, decoctions, and liquid extracts (tinctures) at home, that go far beyond common folk methods for herbal preparation. Students will leam how to assure that they are using high quality herbs and other ingredients, and then participate in tincture making that takes into account: fresh versus dry plant material, optimal alcohol percentage for various medicinal plants, and an introduction to basic phytochemistry as it relates to medicine making. Included in the class tuition is a small jar of tincture that each student will make during class and be able to bring home; a small materials fee will be charged if students wish to make additional extracts.

Richard Mandelbaum RH (AHG) has been an avid student of plants for more than twenty years,  He is a clinical herbalist with a private practice in Brooklyn and in Sullivan County, NY, in which he gives personalized holistic health recommendations, and is the former director of the Clinical Herbalist Diploma Program at the Lehigh Valley Healing Arts Academy in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.  In addition to teaching on a diverse range of clinical subjects, he often leads workshops on field botany, wild edible plants and mushrooms. Richard is a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild.

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Learn how to make a cell phone and battery charger powered by the sun. Learn how to measure the output of solar electric cells, solder with ribbon wire in series and parallel strings, make + and - leads, seal in frames with silicon,
Participants take home the chargers that they make. Bring your cell phone charger to match its specifications, and any old chargers for cell phones you have.)
(These simple chargers will not work with an Apple iPhone.)
Fee $125 + $25 materials fee. Please register in advance, space is limited.
Register online with paypal at www.citysolar.us/workshopschedule.php

Taught by Tracy Fitz of City Solar, NYSES, MESEA

The workshop continues through lunch, tea and water provided, so please bring lunch or you can order in.

$125 fee, mail check to City Solar, 531A 6th Avenue Top Fl, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Limited to 12 participants, fee can roll into another workshop if registration is filled, or fee will be returned

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Farmageddon is a documentary that exposes the slow attack on America’s small farmers by Big Agriculture and the governmental policies that uphold it.

From FarmageddonMovie.com: “Americans’ right to access fresh, healthy foods of their choice is under attack. Farmageddon tells the story of small, family farms that were providing safe, healthy foods to their communities and were forced to stop, sometimes through violent action, by agents of misguided government bureaucracies, and seeks to figure out why.”

The screening to be followed by discussion of the issues raised in the film. Potlucking encouraged!

Occupy Farms works to build relationships between urban occupations and local farms. Through work-exchange, skillshares, advocacy and more, we lend support to small farmers, reconnect to our food supply, and establish links amongst those working to resist the corporatization of our food system. Visit us online at occupyfarms.nycga.net to learn more.

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The G.I. Coffeehouse Support Network invites you to a NYC benefit in support of Coffee Strong (WA) and Under the Hood (TX), two vital spaces for community support and anti-war organizing among veterans and active duty soldiers at two key U.S. bases sending large numbers of service-members off to war, with many returning facing addiction and trauma. The benefit will include a reception and screening of the film Grounds for Resistance, a documentary about the work of Coffee Strong, followed by a discussion about how the modern-day G.I. Coffeehouse movement is responding to the crisis of U.S. militarism while helping to build an anti-war resistance movement led by U.S. military veterans and active duty service-members.
Sliding scale suggested donation of $10-$20 at the door. No one will be turned away due to lack of funds.

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Join master herbalist and author Matthew Wood when he visits New York City to talk about renewing the traditions and ‘lost energetics’ of our local North American &  European herbal medicine.  Matthew is renown for his clear and memorable herbal indications as well as practiced knowledge of lesser-known energetics such as affinities among animals and Native American plants.

Matthew Wood, AHG is a renown herbalist, international teacher and author of 10 books on traditional herbal medicine (incl. Book of Herbal Wisdom and EarthWise Herbals). His website is www.matthewwoodherbs.com

See also the following weekend intensive. The Practice of Traditional Western Herbalism: Muscular Skeletal System, Detoxification & Clinic

If you have questions about this event, please contact Claudia Joy Keel: claudia@earthflower.org

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The intensive will build on the Friday evening talk by focusing of the muscular skeletal system (Saturday) and detoxification (Sunday) where specific herbs, the application of energetics will be discussed in detail. In the afternoon sessions, methods of holistic evaluation through tissue states, tongue and pulse and herb testing will be demonstrated and practiced through a clinic.

The intensive will be held from 9:30 to 5 pm on both Saturday and Sunday.

Matthew Wood, AHG is a renown herbalist, international teacher and author of 10 books on traditional herbal medicine (incl. Book of Herbal Wisdom and EarthWise Herbals). His website is www.matthewwoodherbs.com

“The Muscular-Skeletal System is my favorite system and the one where I do my best work, in my opinion, so I like to teach about how to use herbs to act on the fluids (cerebrospinal, synovial, interstitial), tissues (connective), structures (bone, cartilage, tendon, ligament, muscle, nerve), and finally on composite structures (joints, spine) to effectively treat injuries, Lyme disease, aging, etc.  I use the six tissue state energetic model a lot less with this system.  It is more a plant to organ relationship here.”  — Matthew Wood

“The idea of detoxification reaches to the core of Traditional Western Herbalism but is little understood.  We need to understand the channels of elimination (kidneys, skin, colon, lungs) and assist the internal organs of metabolism and waste removal (liver, lymph/immune, thyroid, extracellular matrix) in order to know how to detox appropriately; then we need the herbs or dieting necessary to do the job.”  — Matthew Wood.

Spaces will be limited for the weekend intensive.  Early registration is recommended.

Fee for the two-day intensive is $255.  You can register and pay via Paypal here on this site, or by sending a check payable to “Claudia Keel” to: Claudia Keel, One Union Square West, suite 309, New York, New York 10003.

If you have questions, contact Claudia Joy Keel: claudia@earthflower.org

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This year (our 17th Annual Performance), our women‐ and trans folks‐only benefit raises money for WORTH, an association of currently and formerly incarcerated women. Through leadership development, organizing, mentoring, mutual support and telling their stories, WORTH transforms the lives of women affected by incarceration and changes public perception and policy.

www.womenontherise‐worth.org

To perform, reserve seats, and/or confirm childcare, please contact Danielle Jasmine at
powerinsisterhood@gmail.com.

Refreshments will be served.

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Rooftop solar electric clinic for Commercial, Coops and Condos.
$35 (+$15, for 1.5 hours of continuing education credits available for architects, engineers, and LEED AP’s).

The ins and outs of installing solar electric in NYC, LI and NJ will be visited with a focus on the five boroughs of NYC. This clinic is for the evaluation of solar possibilities on a participant’s building(s), so please bring a summer and winter electric bill, a calculator and the footprint of your building’s roof. A sampling of one or more rooftops will be evaluated with installation design, costs, rebates and write-offs, cash flow analysis and KWh production and savings. An installer will be present.

Participants can sign up for up to three different NABCEP and NYSERDA, LIPA certified installers to contact them if their site(s) has good criteria for an installation.

Conservation and efficiency will be discussed as well.

Pre-registration is advised because the space is limited. To register via paypal or credit or debit card, please visit
www.citysolar.us/workshopschedule.php
or
mail a check or money order with you name, telephone number and email, to:
City Solar, 531A 6th Avenue Top Fl, Brooklyn, NY 11215.

Presented by
Tracy Fitz (LEED AP, BPI Certified)
and
JP Clejan (NABCEP,  IGSHPA, NYSERDA, LIPA certified)

Tracy Fitz,  BPI Certified, LEED AP
Founder/Manager,  City Solar, a Social Enterprise
Park Slope Brooklyn, NY 11215
www.citysolar.us
tracy@citysolar.us
tel 347-254-0019,  fax 718-768-8161

(FYI New York State USA- 2008 statistics, every kilowatt hour of electricity used in NYS produces 3/4 lb of co2 unless produced by wind/solar/hydro or uranium-waste-producing nuclear- go solar)-  if your electric account is in NYC you can get electricity from 100% wind and solar, through
Con Ed Solutions [888-320-8991)

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On February 9th, 2012, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a group of farmworkers in Southern Florida, won a huge victory for farmworker justice. After years of resisting, Trader Joe’s got on the right side of history and signed a fair-food agreement. The agreement is a set of labor standards developed between farmworkers, tomato growers, and the corporations that purchase Florida tomatoes – with a small price premium to help improve harvesters’ wages

We are proud to announce that we will finally be celebrating our recent victory in style! Join the Community/Farmworker Alliance for an evening of live music, mojitos, tamales, dancing and much more! Not only will the party be a celebration of the amazing victory with Trader Joe’s, but it will also be where we announce our new campaign! Please join us to kick off the next step with as much energy and spirit that led us to win our last!

Musical Line Up:

DJ Chela (https://twitter.com/#!/djchela)

DJ AndaLaLucha
Live Music TBA

Entry- $7-$10

The Community/Farmworker Alliance-NYC, a local collective that organizes in solidarity with the CIW.

The party will also include a live ceremony by Cetiliztli.

WHO: Community Farmworker Alliance
WHEN: Saturday March 31 @ 9PM
WHERE: The Brooklyn Commons 388 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. Hoyt-Schermerhorn; A, C and G
. Bergen Street; F
. Atlantic-Pacific; B, M, Q, R, 2, 3, 4 and 5
. Flatbush Avenue; LIRR

All details on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/343559642346375/ (please become a fan!)

¡Fiesta de Victoria por Trader Joe’s!

El 9 de febrero del 2012, la Coalición de Trabajadores de Immokalee (CIW) un grupo de trabajadores agrícolas del sur de Florida, logro una gran victoria en la lucha por la justicia. Después de años de resistir, Trader Joe’s se ha unido al lado bueno de la historia y firmo el Acuerdo por Comida Justa. El acuerdo incluye un código laboral que fue desarrollado por medio de un proceso participativo entre los trabajadores agrícolas, los rancheros, y las corporaciones que compran los tomates. También contiene un aumento de un centavo por libra de tomate que ayudara a mejorar los sueldos de los que cosechan el tomate.

La Alianza Comunitaria con Trabajadores Agrícolas (CFA), un colectivo local que organiza en solidaridad con la CIW, les gustaría extenderle una invitación a celebrar con nosotros la Fiesta de Victoria!

Celebra con la CFA el 31 de marzo de 9:00pm-1:00am en centro Brooklyn Commons y disfruta de una noche de música en vivo, mojitos, tamales, baile y mas! Habrán presentaciones del grupo Cetiliztli Nauhcampa Quetzalcoatl In Ixachitlan y Mariachi Azteca de AlvaroPaulin Dj AndaLaLucha y DJ Chela serán las sonideras de la noche. La fiesta no solo va a ser una celebración de la victoria, pero también va a ser el lugar donde la CIW y CFA anuncia su nueva campaña! No se lo pierdan!

¡Acompáñanos para empezar esta nueva etapa, necesitamos la misma energía y ánimo para llegar a la victoria una vez más!

QUIEN: La Alianza Comunitaria con Trabajadores Agrícolas
CUANDO: Sabado, el 31 de Marzo a las 9pm
DONDE: The Brooklyn Commons 388 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. Hoyt-Schermerhorn; A, C and G
. Bergen Street; F
. Atlantic-Pacific; B, M, Q, R, 2, 3, 4 and 5
. Flatbush Avenue; LIRR
Para más información, visita http://www.cfa-nyc.org
y el evento en el feis: http://www.facebook.com/events/343559642346375/

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The Program is designed to provide students with a sound foundation in botanical medicine from a clinical perspective, for those who are more serious about home use of herbs or who are considering going on to a possible profession in herbal medicine in the future.  It is intended for people who have already studied introductory herbal medicine or have some prior experience with herbs, such as the nine week course taught at the Commons.  (Students should contact the instructor about this if they have any questions). 

The class will meet for nine months, on the first Monday from 6:30-9:30 pm and third Saturday from 10 am-4 pm of every month (*see calendar for exceptions to this).  Meeting for a full day each month will also allow us to hold class outside or occasionally go on botany outings to study and gather herbs and prepare remedies.  Richard Mandelbaum RH(AHG) is the primary instructor, guest instructors will be invited as well. 
The curriculum will include:
• Botany, Field botany identification, and harvesting skills, including regional field trips (we will ask students to pitch in for gas and tolls when leaving the city)
• Physiological systems and holistic protocols
• Diagnostic and Clinical Skills – Intakes and Formulations
• Materia medica- approximately 50 medicinal plants in depth
• Clinical Cases: in class and at home assignments
• Medicine making and formulations
• Diet and nutrition
• Introduction to Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Introduction to Phytochemistry
• Legal and regulatory issues revolving around the practice and manufacturing of herbal medicine
• Safety and toxicity

Class will meet:
Mon 3/5
Sat 3/17
Mon 4/2
Sat 4/21
Mon 5/7
Sat 5/19
Mon 6/4
Sat 6/16
*Mon 7/23
Sat 7/21
Mon 8/6
Sat 8/18
*Mon 9/10
Sat 9/15
Mon 10/1
Sat 10/20
Mon 11/5
Sat 11/17

Richard Mandelbaum RH (AHG) has been an avid student of plants for more than twenty years,  He is a clinical herbalist with a private practice in Brooklyn and in Sullivan County, NY, in which he gives personalized holistic health recommendations, and is the former director of the Clinical Herbalist Diploma Program at the Lehigh Valley Healing Arts Academy in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.  In addition to teaching on a diverse range of clinical subjects, he often leads workshops on field botany, wild edible plants and mushrooms. Richard is a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild.

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Trade School celebrates practical wisdom, mutual respect and the social nature of exchange.

We will be opening our doors for 2012 this March for consecutive Thursdays at the Museum of Art and Design, at Cuchifritos Gallery in Essex Market and in a series of events where we will be raising money to keep those doors open through April at our own storefront.

In lieu of traditional Kickstarter campaigns we’d like to invite you to a party, to give you something face to face for your support of Trade School. Come to the Brooklyn Commons for a night of live folk music, potlucking, and traditional dancing. Performers include Little Green Apples and Aaron Roche.

Bring food! Bring dance shoes! Bring your friends! If you don’t have food, bring an appetite. If you don’t have dance shoes, bring a willingness to learn from our teachers. If you don’t have friends, come make some.

$10 suggested donation, no one turned away.

Trade School
http://tradeschool.ourgoods.org/
OurGoods
http://ourgoods.net/

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A talk by Chris Williams, a professor in the Dept of Chemistry & Physical Science at Pace University and author of Ecology and Socialism: Solutions to Capitalist Ecological Crisis (Haymarket Books, 2010. Chris recently returned from Fukushima Prefecture, where he reported on the ongoing nuclear disaster and the resistance Japanese activists are mounting to the nuclear industry.

Sponsored by the International Socialist Organization.
nycsocialist.org

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Why a feminist zinefest, you say?

Following a year marked by brutal sexual assaults by local police officers and foreign dignitaries alike, the idea of a feminist zinefest resonates strongly for us in 2012. We’d like to showcase the work of artists and zinesters who proudly identify as feminists, and whose politics are reflected in their work.

And also, zines have a special place in our hearts. There’s just something about the immediacy and expressiveness of a little printed booklet, smudged with printer’s ink or photocopy errors. It’s like a small, pocket-sized emissary of ideas, one who will eagerly come with you on a long train or bus ride, and share its hidden tales.

Contact us at feministzinefestnyc@gmail.com for more information!

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A glimpse into urban and rural permaculture sites in Egypt, Jordan, Israel, and West Banks with Monica Ibacache. Interactive talk and slideshow.

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Come to a Community Meeting sponsored by Brooklyn For Peace to discuss the current situation in the Gulf, the possible actions of the U.S., Israel and Iran, and how the peace movement can respond to avoid another war. 

Arang Keshevarian, a NYU political scientist and Iran specialist, will open the meeting with a talk on the domestic situation and issues in Iran and in countries which might intervene there.

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Perimenopause and menopause represent a profound but natural shift in a woman’s endocrine function that has too often been “medicalized” by conventional physicians.  Most women go through menopause with few or no significant problems, but for some women, symptoms such as hot flashes, loss of memory and concentration, and anxiety or other emotional imbalances can severely impact their quality of life.  As women grow older, concerns over cardiovascular health and adequate bone strength also come into the foreground. 

Thankfully there are many natural options!  In this presentation we’ll discuss dietary and lifestyle choices, as well as herbal remedies with a proven track record for making the transition of menopause more pleasant, as well as natural methods for healthy aging including maximizing bone health and maintaining optimal cognitive function.

Richard Mandelbaum RH (AHG) has been an avid student of plants for more than twenty years,  He is a clinical herbalist with a private practice in Brooklyn and in Sullivan County, NY, in which he gives personalized holistic health recommendations, and is the former director of the Clinical Herbalist Diploma Program at the Lehigh Valley Healing Arts Academy in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.  In addition to teaching on a diverse range of clinical subjects, he often leads workshops on field botany, wild edible plants and mushrooms. Richard is a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild.

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Join us as Andrew Faust, NYC’s long-time Permaculture scholar, brings together Permaculture and Bioregionalism: two elegant design models that show us how to heal ourselves while we heal the land.

The solutions to our economic and environmental problems aren’t complex or out of reach. Quite the contrary! Our food, fuel and fiber needs can be met in synergistic ways that strengthen community economies reconnecting people with their beauty and biology.

By cooperating regionally and designing ecologically we create and insure healthy and secure economies, landscapes and communities that benefit and enrich for generations to come!

Come and learn how to meet human needs with ecological integrity through Permaculture design.

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With Nana Deleplanque, Reiki Alliance Master Instructor.

This is a two-day workshop:
Saturday, January 28, 9:30 to 5
and
Sunday, January 29, 9:30 to 5:30

Reiki means Universal Life Force.
This Energy is all around us, and we can transmit it.

The Reiki process is a simple method of hands-on healing as developed by Dr. Mikao Usui, a teacher of theology in Kyoto, Japan, where the energy is used to normalize mind and body functions.

By the end of the first degree workshop you will be able to:

*Scan the body of the person receiving treatment and perceive areas of reduced vitality flow.
*Channel Reiki energy into yourself or transmit to others, and sense the energy as it flows through your hands.
*Appreciate how attitudes can create dis-ease in the mind and emotions, and how the physical body might be affected.

Nana is Certified Usui System Reiki Master in private practice since 1989 and teaching classes in NYC and France.

If you have questions, please contact Nana by email at info@nanareiki.com or by phone at 917-376-4418.

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Goddard College’s programs in Sustainability ~ come learn about the low-residency programs, a BA in Sustainability and an MA in Sustainable Business and Communities.  Goddard is 1/3 less $ than other graduate programs, and is based on a unique, more radical pedagogy than other programs where the student develops and defines their study.  You can live what you learn and learn more about what you’re living through these programs.  Great for working parents, activists and organizers who want to pursue their studies while continuing to work on what they’re most committed to.  Join us Saturday, January 28, 4-5pm at The Commons Brooklyn.  Application fee waived for those in attendance.  Refreshments provided.
For more information, contact allison@coachtrainchange.com

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How to fearlessly and successfully accomplish anything in life

Kirk Abrigo inspires, motivates, encourages and instructs on the Principles of Action. His audience learns how to conquer fear, lack of motivation and the many other obstacles that prevent individuals from achieving their inherent potential to accomplish anything they want in life. Having been a champion martial arts competitor for many years. Abrigo speaks from real world experience as well as being someone who has studied the teachings and literature of some of the world’s foremost authorities on goal accomplishment. He has also successfully operated his own businesses, which include a graphic novel publishing company as well as a custom T-shirt printing company. He talks about the principles that have worked for him throughout his life’s successes.

The time is now. The time is always now to start moving towards your goals and dreams. No more excuses and waiting around for what you want to come to you, ACTION TO SUCCESS is a logical, practical and spiritual approach to fearlessly achieve the goals you set for yourself. This is 90 minutes that will fundamentally change the way you look at how success is achieved.

Topics covered in ACTION TO SUCCESS:1. How to overcome the most common roadblocks to reaching your goals. 2. How to have faith in yourself and keep it.3. How to get over the fear of failure.4. Getting motivated to move towards your success. 5. How to invoke the laws of attraction. 6. Ten ways to beat procrastination.7. How to motivate yourself on a daily basis.8. Tapping into the power within you to influence the outcome of your future. 9. Gaining mental toughness in order to overcome negativity.10. How to avoid thinking that leads to failure.11. The motivation to get moving.12. What everyone is entitled to from this life.

The talk is free, but registration is required to reserve a seat.

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Here we are in cold and flu season.  If you or a loved one suffers from too many illnesses this time of year, come learn not only how to alleviate symptoms but how to boost your body’s innate resilience and resistance to infection.  We’ll discuss herbs, supplements, diet, and lifestyle choices that nourish our immune systems and keep us healthy.

Richard Mandelbaum RH (AHG) has been an avid student of plants for more than twenty years,  He is a clinical herbalist with a private practice in Brooklyn and in Sullivan County, NY, in which he gives personalized holistic health recommendations, and is the former director of the Clinical Herbalist Diploma Program at the Lehigh Valley Healing Arts Academy in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.  In addition to teaching on a diverse range of clinical subjects, he often leads workshops on field botany, wild edible plants and mushrooms. Richard is a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild.

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The Bhagavad Gita says, ’ When the mind is still and quiet the Self reveals itself.’  Sounds wonderful, but getting to a still and quiet place in the mind can be quite a trip!  In this two hour master class with Lesley Desaulniers and Amanda Harding, we will explore how to access this inner calm when things get vigorous and intensely active ‘on the mat’.  Extending ‘off the mat’, we will explore how these lessons can help bring us tranquility enabling a deeper connection to our true nature amidst the chaos and challenges of everyday life.

LESLEY DESAULNIERS has been studying yoga and meditation since 1996, taking her practice to New York, Russia, India, and back. In her early twenties, Lesley was a resident at Ananda Ashram in upstate New York, where she intensively studied Sanskrit, meditation, philosophy, and Hatha yoga. She was later certified by Sharon Gannon and David Life and went on to teach at the Jivamukti Yoga Center in downtown Manhattan. Lesley continues to study, practice, and teach daily. Her classes are imbued with a rare blend of scholarly study, spiritual awareness, and good humor. To find out more about Lesley, please visit her website: www.authenticityproject.com

AMANDA HARDING was raised in a family of Broadway gypsies where yoga became a natural progression after a lifetime of dancing. Certified through NYC’s OM Yoga Center, she has been teaching privately for over 10 years as well as group classes at Prema Yoga, Equinox, The Shala, Park Slope Yoga, Yoga Center of Brooklyn and many others. Amanda teaches a vigorous and dynamic class incorporating the fluidity of dance and music with heavy emphasis on alignment, breath, patience and fun. Her wish is to impart to her students the many gifts she has received through her ongoing practice and studies – a greater sense of awareness, inner peace, strength, compassion and much joy.www.karunanyc.com

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Dominique Thomas is a certified prana yama yoga teacher. She was fortunate to train under Jeff Migdow, MD, former director of the Kripula Yoga Teacher Training who integrated his medical, yogic and holistic knowledge in the 200 hour coursework. She has also completed a 250 hour Hatha Yoga Advanced Teacher Training Courses with teacher Saji founder and director of the International Vasishta Yoga Research Foundation in Calicut, Kerala, India. Dominique went on a yoga journey in Myanmar in 2006. She had an inspiring experience at Suncokret Holistic Wellness Retreat in Croatia in the summer of 2009 and 2010 where she taught prana yama yoga in the summer of 2011.

Prana means breath or energy, Yama means to control, to master.  Prana yama yoga emphasizes awareness of the breath during asanas while holding the poses. This yoga practice works on steadiness, balance and flexibility.  During the practice we focus on calmness of mind, slowness of breath and relaxation of body. Through the practice of prana yama yoga we gain the ability to purify and balance the mind and body.This yoga class is for all levels.

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Take Root Yoga: Stretch Grow Play

Starting in November, Take Root Yoga will provide a wholesome after school activity for children.

Classes will be separated into three sections: seed, sprout, and tree to mimic the natural cycle of an apple tree. The children will discover the basics of yoga combined with seasonal inspired themes and organic methods to help children incorporate elements of a yogic lifestyle into their lives on and off the mat. Tailored for ages between 5 and 7 with no yoga experience needed.

$15.00 per class or $40.00 for 3

Take Root’s Anna Hieronimus first started doing yoga for the same reason most people do: she wanted to be happier and healthier. She quickly discovered that practicing the postures and breathing exercises allowed her to tune in with herself, improved flexibility, strength and stamina, reduce stress, and allow for a stronger sense of concentration and creativity. 

As a graduate of the Kripalu School of Yoga, Karma Kids Yoga, and the Om Yoga Center, Anna recognizes that just as everyone’s body and personality are different; every yoga practice has to be unique. She has taken particular pleasure in teaching children, constantly impressed with their innocent wisdom and willingness to Stretch Grow and Play. Whether their practice becomes a spiritual journey or just a healthy daily activity, Anna wants to help children find a deeper understanding of themselves and the big world around them.

Yoga is a unique way for children to exercise both their body and mind while also having fun!  By using creative interpretations of traditional yoga poses, exciting games, dancing, music and art, kids can experience yoga in a way that is relevant to their interests. In today’s world it is more important than ever that children are aware of the benefits of staying healthy and strong. We believe in the power of yoga to open a child’s mind, heart and spirit, allowing them to be more confident, comfortable, and free to be themselves.

For more information contact Anna at AnnaH348@gmail.com or visit our website www.take-root.com

“My child self would have loved to practice yoga in a non-competitive environment, so I feel blessed to share the gift of yoga with children.”
-Anna Hieronimus

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Both Christmas and New Year’s fall on Sundays, and our market will be closed.

Come by this Sunday, our last market of the year, for some delicious fresh fish and holiday treats from our vendors. Give some local artisanal treats as gifts this year. Carol has her handmade chocolates, Louise her homemade jams. Pies and pastries and roasted nuts.

And our usual local and organic vegetables, of course.

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It happens over and over again: a group of people come together, fired up with passion to create change. They begin with huge inspiration and enthusiasm, and a year later, it’s all foundered in the mire of conflict. We could have changed the world ten times over—if we didn’t have to do it together with other people, those irritating, self-righteous, controlling, fluff-brained clueless idiots who are our friends and allies.

But we can do better. In her latest book, The Empowerment Manual, A Guide for Collaborative Groups, Starhawk draws on four decades of experience in circles and collectives to show us how to foster connection, clear communication and positive power in ourselves and our groups.

In this workshop, we will use the tools of magic, meditation, trance, and ritual to explore issues of personal and social power. We’ll look at ways to create nurturing and healing group structures, to deal with difficult people and embrace constructive conflict. We’ll raise and focus group energy to celebrate our connectedness and nurture
resilient communities that can be joyful and effective agents of change.

Presented by NYC Evolver.

The weekend starts on Friday evening (as either a single event or as part of the whole weekend) at The Meta Center, 214 W 29th St # 16, in Manhattan, 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.  Cost: $20/pre purchase or $25 at the door

Saturday & Sunday at The Commons
10:00 a.m. - 6 p.m. both days
Cost: $225, includes Friday evening event

For more information: contact Cami CamiArrow[at]gmail.com
808-281-5605

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Greetings Parents of little ones!

Butter Beans is hosting COOKING, FOOD + FUN for you and your 3-4 year old Wednesdays from 9:30-11am this November and December.

Classes are hands-on, delicious, and include movement, stories and music appropriate to the topic of the day. This is the line up:

November 23rd - MUFFIN MAKING with seasonal fruits
November 30th - GREENS - come learn how they grow, taste different varieties and make our own kale chips
December 7th - HUMMUS and corn chips - a great snack for all ages
December 14th - GINGERBREAD COOKIES - it’s the season for sweetness, come celebrate the coming of winter!

Email Felicia@ButterBeansKitchen.com to register and reserve your spot. Classes are $25.

Butter Beans serves delicious and healthy school lunch and snacks to independent schools in NYC, hosts in-school wellness curriculum and offers after-school cooking classes.

To learn more, visit us at www.ButterBeansKitchen.com.

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For this month’s ReSkilling series we focus upon Urban Preparedness and DIY Holiday gift making. Arc Ra will open with a cosmic orchestra led by Brooke Hamre Gillespie, featuring crystal singing bowls and percussion. Evolver is committed to offering our community ways to be safe and prepared in all situations. ReSkilling sessions will include practical home maintenance, proper rope tying techniques, what to pack in your emergency go-bag, and other skills for urban thriving.

DIY it up this holiday season with homemade gifts Learn to make your own baskets, lip balm, and dehydrated snacks. Bring a plain T-shirt to the event to dye with natural colors using coffee, tea and beets, then cut it in to something sexy and suiting for each family member. Save money and valuable resources while creating meaningful gifts during this giving season. Bodywork and hair feather extensions sessions will be available to participants.

All of this takes place at The Commons, a hub for community sustainability in NYC. Stay tuned for the exact schedule.

http://www.evolver.net/ReSkilling_Nov_11

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=144099325690175

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From smaller conflicts that play out in local papers and community meetings to international media frenzies, Muslims have faced increasing attacks and their right to freely practice their religion, build institutions and strengthen their communities.  Join us for a panel discussion on the lessons learned from a decade of anti-Muslim rhetoric and hate-mongering, including an analysis of the organized and well-funded networks of Islamophobic activists and organizations that have instigated many of these conflicts. 
Common Cause New York will be officially releasing their handbook, “Park 51 and Beyond: Building Community from Controversy”, an analysis of the manufactured controversy surrounding the Park 51 project, featuring a toolkit for communities facing similar attacks.

Panelists:
Udi Ofer, New York Civil Liberties Union
Susan Lerner, Common Cause New York
Peter Montgomery, People for the American Way
(list in formation)

RSVP on Facebook or nchap@commoncause.org

Nyneighbors.org
Facebook.com/NYNeighbors
Follow us on Twitter @Nyneighbors

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Ocean Power, a boat that docks in the Rockaways, has caught (just today!) some sea bass. Limited quantities. Sooooo fresh!

We also have beautiful organic produce, lot of greens and roots, plus heirloom apples from way upstate.

Our new vendors include Auntie Lu whose homemade jams and preserves are memorable. Jay Dines from Dines Farm has also joined our market to sell his fresh meats (chicken, pork and beef).

Please support The Commons by doing your food-shopping at The Foodshed.

Every Sunday, 11-5.

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Following the Occupy Brooklyn March, come to the Commons for a film and discussion.

All is not well in Downtown Brooklyn and surrounding communities!  Learn about the ongoing struggle against displacement and aggressive gentrification

Some Place Like Home tells the stories of community residents and small businesses facing displacement to make way for high-end retail and luxury condos in Downtown Brooklyn and Fort Greene.  It reveals the policies used to support massive real estate projects as the area’s historical, economic & cultural fabric is torn apart.

An award-winning film by* and about FUREE (Families United for Racial and Economic Equality is a multiracial, community-based organization that mobilizes low-income families to change the system) More info and movie trailer here: http://furee.org/someplacelikehome            
             
SCREENING FOLLOWED BY DISCUSSION ON RELATED CURRENT ISSUES IN THE COMMUNITY-

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Every wondered what an alternative economy would look like? These 6 short films tell the stories of ordinary New Yorkers who are building a solidarity economy. Learn how and why they’ve decided to get involved in food coops, worker coops, credit unions, barter networks, intentional communities, and participatory budgeting. Afterwards we’ll also share resources for how to get involved.
Refreshments will be served.
$10 Purchase your tickets ahead of time and help us finance the films!
For more information please visit www.solidaritynyc.org.

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Where:  Near Brooklyn Borough Hall, Korean War Veteran’s Plaza at Cadman Plaza West/East between Tillary and Johnson Sts.
When:  This weekend, November 12th-13th
Why:    Because the status quo is not acceptable
What:    See the schedule below!

Have you been wondering what the Occupy Movement is all about? This weekend you can check it out without crossing the river.

On November 12th and 13th, Occupy Brooklyn is teaming up with local community organizations for a weekend of direct actions, teach-ins, rallies, arts events and theater performances.

As the Occupy Your Block initiative kicks off across New York City, let’s make sure this growing movement empowers local voices! Contribute to a dialogue between the work Brooklyn groups have been doing for decades and the Occupy movement at large, and connect with a wide range of organizations. Come be part of the growing Occupy movement in Brooklyn!

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 12

10:00am to 2:00pm – RALLY- with community group tabling, tons of teach-ins, and a speak-out
12:30pm – COMMUNITY LUNCH
2:30pm – BROOKLYN MARCHES to evict corporate greed!
4:00pm – METROTAKE-OVER
4:30pm – ARTS, PERFORMANCES, COMMUNITY-BUILDING FUN, AND FOOD!

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 13

11:00am to 3:00pm – LOCAL DIRECT ACTIONS & SERVICE PROJECTS organized by community groups for community groups
3:00pm – GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Spread the word. Here is the Facebook link.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=270547796314445&notif_t=event_admin

Check out the new site of Occupy Brooklyn.
www.occupybk.org

Know a Brooklyn organization that wants to TABLE or do a TEACH IN?
Email ows.brooklyn@gmail.com as soon as possible!

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Dominique Thomas is a certified prana yama yoga teacher. She was fortunate to train under Jeff Migdow, MD, former director of the Kripula Yoga Teacher Training who integrated his medical, yogic and holistic knowledge in the 200 hour coursework. She has also completed a 250 hour Hatha Yoga Advanced Teacher Training Courses with teacher Saji founder and director of the International Vasishta Yoga Research Foundation in Calicut, Kerala, India. Dominique went on a yoga journey in Myanmar in 2006. She had an inspiring experience at Suncokret Holistic Wellness Retreat in Croatia in the summer of 2009 and 2010 where she taught prana yama yoga in the summer of 2011.

Prana means breath or energy, Yama means to control, to master.  Prana yama yoga emphasizes awareness of the breath during asanas while holding the poses. This yoga practice works on steadiness, balance and flexibility.  During the practice we focus on calmness of mind, slowness of breath and relaxation of body. Through the practice of prana yama yoga we gain the ability to purify and balance the mind and body.This yoga class is for all levels.

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Dominique Thomas is a certified prana yama yoga teacher. She was fortunate to train under Jeff Migdow, MD, former director of the Kripula Yoga Teacher Training who integrated his medical, yogic and holistic knowledge in the 200 hour coursework. She has also completed a 250 hour Hatha Yoga Advanced Teacher Training Courses with teacher Saji founder and director of the International Vasishta Yoga Research Foundation in Calicut, Kerala, India. Dominique went on a yoga journey in Myanmar in 2006. She had an inspiring experience at Suncokret Holistic Wellness Retreat in Croatia in the summer of 2009 and 2010 where she taught prana yama yoga in the summer of 2011.
Prana means breath or energy, Yama means to control, to master.  Prana yama yoga emphasizes awareness of the breath during asanas while holding the poses. This yoga practice works on steadiness, balance and flexibility.  During the practice we focus on calmness of mind, slowness of breath and relaxation of body. Through the practice of prana yama yoga we gain the ability to purify and balance the mind and body.

This yoga class is for all levels.

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Celebrate the close of a productive growing season over food, drinks, bluegrass music, square-dancing, amazing raffle prizes and merry-making. The party will be a joint fundraiser to benefit The Commons and Get Dirty NYC. The rooftop garden will be open for the festivities.

A $30 donation includes seasonal hors d’oeuvres and a drink.

Please support The Commons and have good fun and lots of fun, to boot. Register in advance to help us know how much food to prepare. Thanks.

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Participate in fun interactive workshops ranging from:

*herbal home care for not “falling” into the flu
*ReFixx (recreating new fashions out of your old threads)
*neotribal braiding.
*the 5 Tibetans

In solidarity with #Occupy Wall Street, we’ll learn:

*non-hierarichal group organizing
*(r)evolution 2.0 strategies
*media activism 101
*pickling vegetables (we will deliver the results to Liberty Park as a gift to the occupiers)

Parashakti and NYC’s MedMob will be hosting a DIY cleansing and activation meditation to kick the night off.

GreenBus Tours will offer their insights on community building and activism, while providing tribal music and art. 

Delicious veggie dinner, desserts, and tasty drinks for sale. 

http://www.realitysandwich.com/ReSkilling_Continues

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This is the second of a two-part series that can be taken separately.

Saturday, October 15, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Botany Field Day at the Botanical Garden

Richard Mandelbaum RH (AHG) has been an avid student of plants for more than twenty years,  He is a clinical herbalist with a private practice in Brooklyn and in Sullivan County, NY, in which he gives personalized holistic health recommendations, and is the former director of the Clinical Herbalist Diploma Program at the Lehigh Valley Healing Arts Academy in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.  In addition to teaching on a diverse range of clinical subjects, he often leads workshops on field botany, wild edible plants and mushrooms. Richard is a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild.

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How do we honor, celebrate and nurture this autumn seedling of resistance? How do we expand and fortify the discourse and actions? How do we deliver our material support to the plucky occupiers of Liberty Square?

Please come Thursday evening with your proposals.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY | HOW IT WORKS

A General Assembly is a gathering of people committed to making decisions based upon a collective agreement or “consensus.”

There is no single leader or governing body of the General Assembly – everyone’s voice is equal. Anyone is free to propose an idea or express an opinion as part of the General Assembly.

Each proposal follows the same basic format – an individual shares what is being proposed, why it is being proposed, and, if there is enough agreement, how it can be carried out.

The Assembly will express its opinion for each proposal through a series of hand gestures (see next panel). If there is positive consensus for a proposal – meaning no outright opposition – then it is accepted and direct action begins.

If there is not consensus, the responsible group or individual is asked to revise the proposal and submit again at the following General Assembly until a majority consensus is achieved.

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With Nana Deleplanque Reiki Alliance Master Instructor.

This is a two-day workshop:
Saturday, October 1, 9:30 to 5
and
Sunday, October 2, 9:30 to 5:30

Reiki means Universal Life Force.
This Energy is all around us, and we can transmit it.

The Reiki process is a simple method of hands-on healing as developed by Dr. Mikao Usui, a teacher of theology in Kyoto, Japan, where the energy is used to normalize mind and body functions.

By the end of the first degree workshop you will be able to:

*Scan the body of the person receiving treatment and perceive areas of reduced vitality flow.
*Channel Reiki energy into yourself or transmit to others, and sense the energy as it flows through your hands.
*Appreciate how attitudes can create dis-ease in the mind and emotions, and how the physical body might be affected.

Nana is Certified Usui System Reiki Master in private practice since 1989 and teaching classes in NYC and France.

To inquire by phone, call Nana at 917-376-4418 or email at info@nanareiki.com.
Cost: $225.  You can register by sending a $50 Deposit (Deposit non refundable. Limited Space) with your Name and Phone Number to:
Nana Deleplanque 1133 Broadway, Suite 307, NYC, NY, 10010
______________________________________

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Healing with Herbs (nine sessions)
September 28 - November 16
$300

This nine-session course, taught by Richard Mandelbaum RH(AHG), is comprised of eight three-hour Wednesday evening classes and a six-hour Saturday field trip. The course is designed both for people already using herbs as well as people just getting interested, and will be useful for people who are considering going on to study herbs more in depth or those who may just want a more solid foundation for their own family and home use.

Wednesday, September 28
6:30-9:30 pm
Session 1: General introduction to using herbs wisely: using herbs within a holistic mindset; learning from our herbal traditions; the law and herbal medicines; safety and toxicity; dosage

Wednesday, October 5
6:30-9:30 pm
Session 2: Herbs for the GI tract and liver, including diet and nutrition and how they relate to herbal medicine

Wednesday, October 12
6:30-9:30 pm
Session 3: Herbs for the immune system

Saturday, October 15
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Session 4: Botany Field Day

Wednesday, October 19
6:30-9:30 pm
Session 5: Herbs for emotional and mental well-being: reducing stress, improving sleep and elevating mood

Wednesday, October 26
6:30-9:30 pm
Session 6: Introduction to botany for herbalists and gardeners

Wednesday, November 2
6:30-9:30 pm
Session 7: Herbs for the cardiovascular system

Wednesday, November 9
6:30-9:30 pm
Session 8: Herbs for male and female reproductive health

Wednesday, November 16
6:30-9:30 pm
Session 9: Healthy lungs, and healthy bones and joints: herbs for the respiratory and musculo-skeletal systems

Richard Mandelbaum RH (AHG) has been an avid student of plants for more than twenty years, He is a clinical herbalist with a private practice in Brooklyn and in Sullivan County, NY, in which he gives personalized holistic health recommendations, and is the former director of the Clinical Herbalist Diploma Program at the Lehigh Valley Healing Arts Academy in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. In addition to teaching on a diverse range of clinical subjects, he often leads workshops on field botany, wild edible plants and mushrooms. Richard is a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild.

www.richardmandelbaum.com
nyherbalist@gmail.com
(646) 942-7825; (845) 796-1883

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Join the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the Community/Farmworker Alliance for our first ever Fair Food Festival in Brooklyn, New York! CIW members from Immokalee will be in NYC to help us link food, justice, quality of life and labor issues in a lively and festive event. You won’t want to miss it!

Bring your friends and family for:
-    Workshops
-    Film Screenings
-    Games
-    Art
-    Children’s Musical Story Time and March
-    Hourly rabble-rousing in front of Trader Joe’s featuring a musical hoedown, free samples of justice, children’s march, balloon blast and customers revolt!

Call to all allies to join us at 4pm for a Spectacular Brooklyn Trader Joe’s Rally!

The CIW’s Campaign for Fair Food improves wages and working conditions for Florida tomato pickers by calling on major buyers of tomatoes to pay one penny more per pound—which would nearly double farmworkers’ wages—and to implement a code of conduct in the supply chain.

All across the country, Fair Food activists have been urging Trader Joe’s to ensure that their tomatoes are picked by workers who earn a decent wage and work in humane conditions. Trader Joe’s continual refusal to sign onto such an agreement has disgusted customers nationwide, leading many to criticize Trader Joe’s usage of the “Wal*Mart Model” of low price and low wages.

Check out www.cfa-nyc.org for Community/Farmworker Alliance news and events!

Invite your friends
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=225624897477037

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Starting September 12, every Monday evening the Commons will offer classes in both Qigong and Taichi chuan. You can take just the qigong, starting at 6, or arrive at 7 for the taichi, or come for both. We have found an excellent teacher. Why not give it a try?

Qi Gong
6-6:45
Open to all levels this class is excellent for seniors and people with disabilities. These gentle stretching and breathing exercises have been proven to: Lower blood pressure, relieve pain from arthritis, regulate blood/sugar levels, improve balance and increase joint mobility.

For both healing and martial arts

Tai chi Chuan
7-8:30
An open class teaching the Yang Style short form as taught by Grandmaster William CC Chen.
Originally practiced as a martial art in China, tai chi chuan is an easy to learn, effective system of body movements practiced today by millions of people worldwide as part of their daily routine.

For those seeking health the practice of tai chi chuan has proven to benefit every major system of the body including muscular/skeletal, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, immune and nervous.

For martial artists and athletes training in tai chi chuan will result in greater speed, power, efficiency, balance and coordination.

Qigong (45 minutes): $15/session or $72 for six sessions ($12/session).
          Seniors $12/session or $60 for six ($10/session).
Tai Chi Chuan (an hour and a half): $20/class or $108 for six ($18/session).
Both (the whole two hours and fifteen minutes): very special pricing.
Classes taught by Sifu Calum Douglas-Reid
Sifu Calum Douglas-Reid began studying tai chi chuan in 1987 at the school of international Grandmaster William CC Chen and became an assistant instructor at the school in 1999. He received his full teaching certification and the title Sifu in 2002. Calum competes in national and international tournaments; in 2004 he received a gold medal at the prestigious Chung Hwa Cup in Taiwan. Sifu Douglas-Reid teaches at the school, at NY health clubs and gives private lessons. He holds workshops in the US and Europe.

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Using popular education, our workshop will cover a brief history of corporate power and how herbal medicinal use has been prevented in the past, barring us from actions of self-sufficiency. We will focus on why cultivating, wild-crafting and teaching about herbs creates new possibilities for us to create more healthy, reciprocal systems (social and economic) in the rest of our lives. This analysis will include examples, past and present, of how people have used herbs and herbal medicine to resist exploitation by those in power. The workshop will end with a dialogue on how to engage around these issues with members of our communities; what methods are inclusive, representative and equitable, and how to collaborate with the most people.

Facilitated by Claudia Abbott-Barish and Meghan Murphy

https://www.facebook.com/groups/232583453426537?ap=1

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Healthcare-NOW! NYC invites you to a speakers’ forum. Thanks to the success of Vermont’s single payer movement, a fresh new approach to Medicare-for-All activism is sweeping the nation - state by state. Come find out about it!

Speakers will include:

Katie Robbins
National Organizer, Healthcare-NOW!
on state single payer movements across the country

Laurie Wen
Executive Director, Physicians for a National Health Program, NY Metro
on the New York State single payer bill

Josh Starcher and Omar Kutty
Volunteer Coordinators, Healthcare-NOW! NYC
on organizing for the state bill in NYC

TBA, PNHP Speaker
Volunteer Coordinator, Healthcare-Now NYC
on the limitations of the ACA and the viability of state level single payer systems

For the most recent news and events join HCN-NYC on Facebook. join HCN-NYC on Facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Healthcare-Now-NYC/168529369873441
Find out about the Vermont Workers’ Center Healthcare is a Human Right Campaign.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRH7SPoPh0c

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Directed by local filmmaker Ana Sofia Jones, “Fresh” celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. The screening will be followed by a discussion of the federal Farm Bill – what needs to be done and how to get involved.

For more information, or to RSVP, please contact Food & Water Watch: 718-943-9085; eweltman@fwwatch.org
www.FoodandWaterWatch.org

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Dozens of exceptional practitioners will help us celebrate the dazzling array of healing arts available in our city.  Some will offer mini-healing sessions by donation; others will demonstrate movement and sound techniques, including: dance, tai chi, didgerido, Chakracize (with Kiana Love) and much more.
We have also organized hour-long panels to introduce different kinds of medicine.

FOOD & NUTRITION
Angela Davis-Weston A. Price and Just Food
Hannah Springer-Children and Nutrition
Jared Koch-Clean Plates (www.cleanplates.com/)
Shoshanna Levy-Nutrition Evolution (http://nutritionevolution.net)
Jonathan White-Bobolink Dairy (www.cowsoutside.com)

PLANT MEDICINE
Richard Mandelbaum-Western Herbalism (www.richardmandelbaum.net)
Drew DiVittorio-Food energetics TCM herbs (www.drewsherbshop.com/)
Gabriel Simon-Flower Essences

ENERGY MEDICINE
Aaron Stiles-Qigong (www.thebreathingtree.com/)
Nana Deleplanque-Reiki (www.nanareiki.com/)
Nancy Lange-Reiki and Autism
Rebecca Parker-Acupuncture

TOUCH & MANIPULATION
Dr. Sue Eisen-Holistic Chiropractic (www.drsusaneisen.com/)
Aaron Stiles-Shiatsu-(www.thebreathingtree.com/)
JoseLo Gutierrez-Reflexology (www.liberteacupuncture.com/)
Tyr Throne- Body Evolution (www.body-evolution-int.com/)

COMBINED APPROACHES
George Morgano-Integrative Podiatry (integratedapproachpodiatry.com/)
Jonathan Talat Phillips-Evolver Network (www.talathealing.com/)
Melody Kiersz-Naked Wellness (melodykiersz.wordpress.com/)
Anthony Whitehurst-Conscious Bee (consciousbee.com/)
Krista Mitchel - www.rockwhisperernyc.com

Opening and closing ceremonies will be conducted by members of the New York Shamanic Circle in the beautiful rooftop garden where guests may also attend guided meditations, yoga and other activities. (www.nyshamaniccircle.org/)

Use this Facebook invitation to ask your friends and family and join us for this inspirational day of healing and community!
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=115700651853982

For more information, email Melissa@thecommonsbrooklyn.org

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For the last 50 years, throw-away consumer culture has led citizens of industrialized societies to forget many of the basic survival skills
that have sustained humans for generations. Today, the impending challenges of peak oil and climate change leave our communities
susceptible to the shocks and instability of centrally distributed hierarchical systems for life support. Facing the prospect of a world
with drastically reduced access to energy and material goods, a rising network of Transition Town advocates, urban homesteaders, permaculture
activists, and DIY proponents are retraining communities to manage their own food, shelter, waste, transportation, health, clothing, and
models of exchange.

This month, we invite you to engage in the growing reskilling movement happening in our fair city. Participate in fun interactive workshops
featuring: Kombucha making and sampling, home sprouting and krauting techniques, urban bike repair, composting for the city kitchen, basic
herbal health, tincture making, urban beekeeping, and more.

Opening grounding ritual, followed by a tour of the innovative water encatchment and irrigation systems of a flourishing rooftop garden.
Learn Slow Food Cooking techniques (Dinner will be for sale, so come hungry; Kombucha will be sold too). AJ Block of the Didge Project will
teach how to make a Didgeridoo out of PVC pipe and learn to play. GreenBus Tours will offer their insights on community building and activism, while providing tribal music and art. All of this takes place on a rooftop garden (weather permitting) at The Commons, a hub for community sustainability in NYC. Activities will take place on the 1st floor if there’s rain. Stay tuned for more workshops and offerings for this month’s Spore.

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Our Table is founded in Christian traditions of meeting together to tell and hear sacred stories.  All are welcome at Our Table, no matter what their religious background or experience.  We believe in the power of this tradition to dismantle unjust systems, and so all who are interested in justice, passion, imagination, freedom and love will find a place at Our Table.

Join us!  Bring food or a beverage to share and a plate and cup to use as we meet around tables at The Commons. 

Come early at 6 pm to help set up if you’d like.

More information: www.facebook.com/OurTable
email: OurTableChurchCoop@gmail.com

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Join Nonna Carolina for a demonstration of fresh sauce-making. You will get a taste of delicious homemade sauce plus you will take home a new skill and a recipe to show off to your friends and family. Nonna Carolina’s fresh pasta and sauces have been featured on Food(o)graphy, Toni on! New York, www.cookingwithnonna.com and the weekly @ Enoteca Maria Restaurant on Staten Island.

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On May 12, North Carolina-based artist Joe Bigley left Ground Zero and has biked the length and shape of the border of Afghanistan within the U.S. as a way to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the war and to engage in a dialogue with the public about the war.  Joe has traveled over 3,500 miles in ten weeks. He will show photographs, images of how the public views the war. Following his presentation, the audience will be invited to contribute to the project by offering New Yorkers’ perspectives on the war and the effects of 9/11.

Joe calls his project “Traversing a Foreign Border Domestically.” You can learn more about it at:

http://www.traversingborder.blogspot.com/
http://tfbd.wordpress.com/

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Our Table is founded in Christian traditions of meeting together to tell and hear sacred stories.  All are welcome at Our Table, no matter what their religious background or experience.  We believe in the power of this tradition to dismantle unjust systems, and so all who are interested in justice, passion, imagination, freedom and love will find a place at Our Table.

Join us!  Bring food or a beverage to share and a plate and cup to use as we meet around tables at The Commons. 

Come early at 6 pm to help set up if you’d like.

More information: www.facebook.com/OurTable
email: OurTableChurchCoop@gmail.com

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We take the time to make sure we are eating healthy whole foods without preservatives and chemical additives.  What we do for our insides we can also do for our outsides.  Making your own body care products is easy and lots of fun.  Learn to make your own hand and lip balm, deodorant, and insect repellant.  You will leave with recipes and samples of all the products as well as the skills to start creating your own formulas, perfect just for your body. 

Sybil Killian is an herbalist and a compulsive do-it-yourselfer ever since she was 4 and her grandmother let her stir the cake batter. She believes healing is a process and that there is no reason why it can’t be delicious.

Sybil can be found at www.rootleafandflower.com

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The event is NOT at The Commons on Atlantic. It is at Marina 59 (www.marina59.com),
Take the A train to Beach 60th Street and walk a few blocks to 5914 Beach Channel Drive.

Expedition Gowanus is getting ready for ‘Off the Grid and On the Water’, our urban sustainability residency program, and they want you to help! They will be
* BUILDING A MINI GREEN ROOF
* RE-ORIENTING THEIR SOLAR PANELS
* ADJUSTING THEIR RAINWATER HARVESTING SYSTEM
* RE-PLANTING THEIR LIVING MACHINE

They admit that they will also be sanding, applying fresh paint and moving materials. Who knows, maybe some of you will have a skill or project you want to present/share too, and there will be even more to do! Bring your experience or bring your questions.

Expedition Gowanus will also be breaking ground on their next project (hint: it involves a golden toilet, oars, and a homemade wind turbine).  Five blocks from the A train. Four blocks from the beach. Right smack in the middle of NYC’s first ‘houseboat hotel community’ and ‘boat in movie theatre’. Pack a lunch and make an adventure of it.

Unfortunately space limitations exist for parts of this event, so RSVP to ExpeditionGowanus@gmail.com to reserve your spot and for information on accessing the gate.

Expedition Gowanus is a NYC based ecological design project that utilizes green building as a medium to educate, inspire and promote concepts in urban sustainability. These goals are achieved through the facilitation of public presentations, hands on workshops, and the creation of sustainably designed water/food/energy systems.

www.expeditiongowanus.wordpress.com

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We Can Do Better Than an Arena and A Big Parking Lot

Forest City Ratner is constructing the arena, but the rest of the demolished 22 acre site is a big question mark…except for enormous “interim” surface parking lots. We, as a community, need to fix this future for the coming decades.

In order to plan, set a better framework, and change the dynamic for the future development of the site Councilmember Letitia James, Senator Velmanette Montgomery and Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn invite you to UNITY 4, a community meeting on Wednesday, June 15th to discuss the community’s plans for the Atlantic Yards site, with the UNITY Plan and its principles as a jumping off point.

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Are you a food & beverage or hospitality small business owner? Are you looking for concrete advice to ensure long-term business success?  Get live, personalized consulting from local professionals and Samuel Adams experts who will offer their expertise in areas including:

Marketing and Public Relations
Packaging
Sales and Distribution
Financing
Business Planning
Legal Counseling

Business owners are encouraged to bring packaging, materials, ideas and questions.
COME NETWORK! FOOD & DRINKS WILL BE PROVIDED.

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Everyone’s talking about “food justice” these days, but what is it - really? What are all the pieces at play? How do they all connect? In what ways does “food justice” reflect our Jewish social justice values? And what are the best ways to plug in and take action? Whether this conversation is new or familiar to you, we hope you’ll join us for Chewing on Food Justice, a break down of our broken down global food system.
On the heels of Shavuot – also known as the Festival of Reaping and the Day of First Fruits - join us to hear from one of NYC’s most accomplished food justice organizers, a woman who has dedicated her activist life to the pursuit of what she calls “food democracy”. She’ll help us connect the dots between local and global food justice issues and parse out the various elements, from labor to hunger to climate change. Together, we’ll “chew on” some of the bigger picture questions and set the stage for our subsequent programs in the series where we’ll have an opportunity to dig a little deeper.
A light kosher meal will be served (certified by the Tav Ha Yosher)
Nancy Romer is the General Coordinator of the Brooklyn Food Coalition, a grassroots organization working on projects that promote food justice, food security, and a sustainable food system in Brooklyn. Nancy is also an active member of the Park Slope Food Coop and, through her involvement there, became the lead organizer of the Brooklyn Food Conference in May, 2009 – a historic gathering which brought together 3300 adults and 500 children over the course of a single day to unpack the myriad issues related to our food system. Nancy participated in the People’s World Summit on Climate Change and Mother Earth Rights in Bolivia last spring and has a passion for connecting the dots between climate change and food democracy. She is not a foodie but rather a food democracy organizer. She’ll explain what that means if you come and hear her on June 20th!

About the Series
Future programs in the series will include “Chewing on Food Justice: Got Access?” on hunger, food deserts, and food sovereignty (July 2011) and “Chewing on Food Justice: Fruits of Our Labor” on workers in the food chain (August 2011). We will also be partnering with the Brooklyn Bridge CSA to host a volunteer day in collaboration with the South Bronx CSA on July 31. Stay tuned for more information, coming soon!
This series is hosted by Pursue: Action for a Just World and co-sponsored by Hazon, Uri L’Tzedek, and the Brooklyn Bridge CSA.

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This nine-session course, taught by Richard Mandelbaum RH(AHG), is comprised of eight three-hour Wednesday evening classes and a six-hour Saturday field trip.  The course is designed both for people already using herbs as well as people just getting interested, and will be useful for people who are considering going on to study herbs more in depth or those who may just want a more solid foundation for their own family and home use.

Wednesday, June 8; 6:30-9:30 pm
Session 1: General introduction to using herbs wisely: using herbs within a holistic mindset; learning from our herbal traditions; the law and herbal medicines; safety and toxicity; dosage

Wednesday, June 22; 6:30-9:30 pm
Session 2: Herbs for the GI tract and liver, including diet and nutrition and how they relate to herbal medicine

Wednesday, June 29; 6:30-9:30 pm
Session 3: Herbs for the immune system

Wednesday, July 6; 6:30-9:30 pm
Session 4: Herbs for emotional and mental well-being: reducing stress, improving sleep and elevating mood

Wednesday, July 13; 6:30-9:30 pm
Session 5: Herbs for the cardiovascular system

Wednesday, July 20; 6:30-9:30 pm
Session 6: Introduction to botany for herbalists and gardeners

Saturday, July 23; 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Session 7: Botany Field Day

Wednesday, July 27; 6:30-9:30 pm
Session 8: Herbs for male and female reproductive health

Wednesday, August 3; 6:30-9:30 pm
Session 9: Healthy lungs, and healthy bones and joints: herbs for the respiratory and musculo-skeletal systems
Richard Mandelbaum RH (AHG)

Richard Mandelbaum RH (AHG) has been an avid student of plants for more than twenty years,  He is a clinical herbalist with a private practice in Brooklyn and in Sullivan County, NY, in which he gives personalized holistic health recommendations, and is the former director of the Clinical Herbalist Diploma Program at the Lehigh Valley Healing Arts Academy in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.  In addition to teaching on a diverse range of clinical subjects, he often leads workshops on field botany, wild edible plants and mushrooms. Richard is a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild. He offers herbal consultations, teaching, mentoring, and plant walks in Sullivan County, NY, and New York City.

www.richardmandelbaum.com
nyherbalist@gmail.com
(646) 942-7825; (845) 796-1883

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