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A Green Fiesta Welcomes the Renaissance by Wendy Tremayne Our generation is gifted. We are the recipients of thousands of years of innovation, a generous planet and the knowledge of mistakes made by those who came before us. At this year's Fiesta we will be given an opportunity to put these inheritances into action and learn about what it is to be "green." Being green is simply living in a way that is not destructive to our own home, earth. This task offers us opportunities to innovate in all areas of our lives: food, power, shelter, clothing, fuel, everything! Welcome to the renaissance! Our planet can no longer stand to be oriented around the production, buying and selling of goods, purely for the creation of capital. This mode of thinking has polluted our water, food, land and air and it has reduced animal and plant life on earth to frightening levels. The days of naivete are over. We now know the health of all depends on the health of each of its parts. By shifting our priorities we can transform the natural world back into one that is vibrant and abundant. But first we must transform ourselves. Relax--this is an enjoyable process and one that offers abundance to all. Over the years, with capital as our culture's top priority, we have become consumers. What were we before? We were makers; we made our own goods. Advertisements have been telling us, "Buying things gives you leisure time." But what have we done with this leisure time? We've gone shopping. The sage Gandhi once said "There is no beauty in the finest cloth if it makes hunger and unhappiness." Our cheap plastic toys have not produced happiness, only garbage. Less than a hundred years ago what people owned is what they created or what someone they knew created for them. Objects were imbued with the stories of our lives. Before the industrial revolution objects were not tossed to the curb like the heaps of plastic that overwhelm landfills today. These homemade goods were made of sacred stuff, the intention of people. Today we are offered the discovery that the making of things is not an activity to be avoided in order to attain leisure, but rather a playful and leisurely endeavor in and of itself. Our generation is asked, "are we limited and mechanistic or unbounded and creative?" Are we consumers or creators? There is nothing wrong with abundance. "Going green" offers great abundance as clean air, earth and water and healthy food is the birthright of all. Remaking the world in which we live is exciting: food can be grown locally, textiles can be made from organic fibers, water can be harvested and preserved; power can be generated naturally,... "if" we are willing to be creative. In going green we are all beginners. First steps may be as simple as bringing your own reusable bag to the supermarket, taking shorter showers, buying thrift, sharing books, carpooling long trips, patching your jeans, or riding your bicycle locally. I invite everyone to contemplate what they buy. Ask yourself "does this decompose back into the earth?" If the answer is no, than ask, "am I willing to hang on to this forever?" or "can I make it myself from reuse?" I invite you to one free Fiesta event that celebrates our technical achievements for their ability to preserve our shared home - Earth. In the meantime, a few tips can be found on the web: The Story of Stuff: http://www.storyofstuff.com
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