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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mendocino Environmental Center
707-468-1660
www.mecgrassroots.org
The Mendocino Environmental Center elected its 2008 Board of Directors on Wednesday, April 23. Three seats (out of seven) were up for election. Jenny Shakman, Dennis O’Brien, and Jessica Clark will be Directors for two years. The new MEC Board of Directors will hold its April 2008 meeting at the Mendocino Environmental Center, 106 West Standley Street on Wednesday, April 30 at 6:00pm.
The Mendocino Environmental Center (MEC) works through educational outreach, nonviolent direct action and the legal system to uphold and promote environmental and social justice in Mendocino County and beyond. The MEC is a resource center which offers support to grassroots community groups and empowers individuals to work for positive change. The MEC networks with a politically and socially diverse community, encouraging integrity, tolerance, nonviolence and a sustainable future.
Around the world, a shadowy army of plant lovers is on a mission: to make their dull, grey neighbourhoods more beautiful places to live. Armed with seedbombs and spades, these green-fingered outlaws are stealthily filling neglected public land with flowers and shrubs. Richard Reynolds explains how he joined their ranks and became a guerrilla gardener.
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Congratulations to the City of Willits for their courageous act last night. City Government officials voted to approve the issue of Impeachment of George W. Bush and Richard Cheney… great work and a great idea. Now if we could only get Ukiah Board members to do the same!
The Peace Vigil is still happening every Friday night from 5-6 pm right downtown in front of the County Court House on State St. at Perkins. Come join in. In fact, we need you to make us some signs:
Vote for Peace so we can have our social lives back
Call your Congressman today and tell Mike Thompson to Impeach Dick Cheney, George W. Bush, Condoleeza Rice and Nancy Pelosi- it’s what’s good for AmericaBush Chain Gang from last summer’s BushChainGang.org and Backbonecampaign.org
From the Northern Iowa University Food Project:
BIOLOGICAL
Freshness and taste- Locally-grown fruits and vegetables are usually harvested within 24 hours of being purchased. Produce picked and eaten at the height of ripeness tastes better. Imported produce from distant places can’t be that fresh and is often treated with preservatives to endure a long haul and storage.Variety- Farmers markets can offer produce varieties bred for taste and beauty rather than for shipping and long shelf life.ECONOMIC
Regional economic vitality- If residents of Black Hawk County spent $10 (of their total grocery dollars) every week on locally grown food, that would amount to $2 million every month invested in local people, local farms, and independent local businesses. Bingo!
POLITICAL
“Homeland Security”- Dependence on far away food sources leaves us vulnerable to supply disruptions, and reduces any real accountability and relationship between producers and consumers. Buying locally grown food is a community-building process that supports diversified farms, producing a wide variety of food crops (not just feed) for local consumption.
Food safety- After reading the New York Times bestseller Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, or seeing the PBS FRONTLINE report on “Modern Meat,” you will realize that food from a global supermarket (dominated by a few corporate giants with considerable influence on governments) is troublesome, and that strengthening local food connections is a practical necessity.
Energy conservation- An average food item travels nearly 1,600 miles before reaching our table here in the Midwest. In contrast, fruit and vegetables sold at the Cedar Falls Farmers Market have traveled 15 miles or so at the most. Buying locally significantly reduces the energy used in packaging, shipping, distributing and retailing.
ETHICAL
A new way of eating- A growing number of people are interested in knowing how their food was grown and who raised it. Did the farmer receive a living wage? Was the land properly cared for? Were pesticides and antibiotics used routinely? Was the working condition of people who processed the meat safe and just? Current food labels are silent about all of these questions. Consumers closer to their food source can find answer to these questions.
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This year, 3 of the 7 board seats are up for election. The four top vote-getting board candidates last year received two-year terms, and the next three received one-year terms. Sid Cooperrider, Dave Smith, Steve Scalmanini, and Terry Nieves will be on the board this year also. Dennis O’Brien, Jenny Shakman, and Bill Thornsby were also elected to the board last year. Bill Thornsby vacated his position due to other obligations, and the remainder of the board filled the vacancy with Jessica Clark, a very active MEC & KMEC volunteer (and also the 8th top vote getter in the 2007 election.)
This year, there are four candidates for the three available positions. The candidates statements are below.
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2008 MEC Board Candidates Statements
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Please elect me to the board of the Mendocino Environmental Center. I have been involved with many peace, justice and environmental issues around the MEC since it started. I have worked with many community radio stations including KKUP (’82 – present), KZYX (’89 – present), and KMEC nearly 3 years. I offer my experience, energy and cooperative spirit, that the MEC grow and psosper with integrity, as a vital and functional resource for this part of Northern California.
‘Verge’ Vernon Belanger
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I, Jessica Clark, announce my intention to seek a position on the 2008 Mendocino Environmental Center Board of Directors. A deep committment to the spirit of the Center – the rolling thunder of hope on the horizon – Peace, Earth Mother, and harmonious society – is what drives me to lend time and energy to our reemerging Center.
Reforesting the office for a more oxygen-filled experience, cleaning, helping with the window displays, and re-arranging for events, programming and assisting in direction for KMEC are some of the tasks I have done over the last two years at the Center. I am helpful in some tech situations. Solving issues with others is time I enjoy – as a current member to the Center’s Board, I have enjoyed our board meetings!
Media is an important function of the Mendocino Evironmental Center, something that could be added to our mission statement, and I am committed to being part of the strong web that upholds KMEC. This year I will work more on the efforts toward the creation of a MEC/KMEC news crew, in whatever way that evolves with the constant flowing of this magical group. I love working with you all and would like to continue to be on your board. Thanks for your involvement!
Jessica Clark
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I continue to believe in the principles of nonviolence.
Since being elected director, I have dedicated myself to re-energizing aspects of the MEC’s operations that had been suspended during our closure. Our magazine is back. The Center itself is once again a center of activity for meetings and events. We have sponsored or co-sponsored many events in the community, including Solstice/Equinox food and music gatherings. In April we will co-sponsor the now-annual Earth Day peace festival which brings the public together with many community service organizations for a day of sharing and caring.
But the greatest satisfaction comes from giving people something to believe in. I have constantly reminded folks of our mission as defined in our bylaws: to facilitate efforts to protect the Earth and to promote peace and social justice. I have tried not to impose my own will, but rather to facilitate the immense diversity of talents and interests that drive our board, our station, and our members. And in spite of waking up some days wondering if I will have the strength and stamina to carry the load, I am inspired by the knowledge that we are doing nothing less than saving the world.
Dennis O’Brien
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I, Jenny Shakman, current MEC board member and program director for KMEC radio, am requesting your vote. The amazing revival of the MEC over the last year is an overwhelming reason to re-elect all incumbents so that we may continue our work. In the past the MEC was expected to stay alert, take action when needed and keep you informed on issues that could alter your community and land. Our rebirth could not have come at a more crucial time, the future of the Ukiah valley is being decided now. The world is changing and it is up to all of us to protect our home. It is imperative that there be a cooperatively working MEC to ensure that the land you love will grow in a way that properly stewards our valley. The seven board members elected last April have worked together in harmony free of division and discord. I am requesting your vote so that the current board may finish the many projects we began this year.
Thank You for voting.
Jenny Shakman
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I want to thank publicly those who have been keeping up the peace vigil every Friday, and much as I’d like to name every one of them, I won’t -but I could- and so, I will just say, “THANK YOU ONE AND ALL!!”
I noticed a shift there last summer when much was being made of the Bush Administration’s efforts to cloak and subvert our government’s processes so as to keep impeachment off the table, keep more money flowing into this and many other wars, keep the public in the dark, but their wallets open… the usual. Those of us who were there early in 2002 protesting the advent of this Iraq war were being badgered and harassed by many passers by, but now there is a beginning of some shift happening, in that the majority of folks passing by are happy that we are there, and thankful for our having been so willing to stand for peace all along.
In an effort to increase our body of knowledge I have prepared a page of links to information you might need to know. It will follow these ideas, and I hope you will use this blog space to comment upon them and to open up a dialogue here for our community to grow and to discuss issues we need to get ideas out to the public. Democracy does not occur without discourse. I have been thinking a great deal on the idea of democracy, what comes up for me is that it isn’t something given to any of us; but rather, it is a gift we earn by becoming informed and by sharing our own experiences with others. It is a matter of consideration, carefully weighing opposing views, and listening very deeply for insights to how best to pursue happiness so as to increase all of our lives’ experiences for the better.
Lately, it seems to me, that the rich have had a glut of great times, but the poor and even what was our middle class, are suffering miserably for that increase. This is not tolerable…
I think we can put our minds and bodies to better use. I would like to hear from any of you who would be willing to start a weekly demonstration with me whereby we offer coffee in the mornings and afternoons along with information pertinent to being peace-loving, prosperous, compassionate an actively democratic. WE WILL CALL THIS ACTION -WAKE UP, AMERICA!
Consider the following and please share your own favorites here:
WAKE UP AMERICA – HELPFUL WEBSITES:
Healthcare
http://www.aflcio.org/issues/healthcare/survey/
http://www.onecarenow.com
Peace, activities for social justice, and political interventions
http://www.codepinkalerts.com
http://www.americanfreedomcampaign.org/
http://www.afj.org/
http://www.amnestyusa.org/
http://www.defconamerica.org/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com
http://www.ccrjustice.org/
http://www.hrw.org/
http://www.avaaz.org
http://AngelsForTruth.com
http://www.ResurrectingLiberty.com
http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com
http://ivaw.org/wintersoldier/testimony
Environment
http://www.defenders.org/index.php
http://www.earthjustice.org
http://www.ecospace.cc
newdream-news@newdream.org
gender justice
http://www.hrc.org
http://www.tgijp.org/
http://www.youthgenderproject.org/
www.ProChoiceAmerica.org
news
www.infowars.com
www.golefttv.com
http://www.guardian.co.uk
http://www.SedonaObserver.com
http://peaceblog.wordpress.com/
financial interests
http://www.solariactionnetwork.com
http://financial-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/
http://tinyurl.com/2w2up3
www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2003/jan/debt/index.html
http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/DRI/WDRIF219
http://www.dailyreckoning.com/Issues/2005/DR021705.html
Philosophy/Psychology/Sociology
http://www.co-intelligence.org/CI-TheoreticalArticles.html
www.ted.com
www.global-mindshift.com
peace to you and to us all around the globe and beyond, if there is anyone out there with intelligent life….
On Wednesday the 23rd, the MEC will hold its annual membership meeting and election.  Members will soon receive a formal notice and ballot in the mail. All ballots must be returned to the Center by 7:00pm on the 23rd to be counted.
Community Earth Day Celebration 2008 – A Sustainable World for Peace for ALL Species
Cloud Forest Institute, the Mendocino Environmental Center and KMEClp Radio 105.1fm are inviting our community to come together to celebrate Earth Day on Saturday, April 19 from 10am until 5pm at the Alex Thomas Plaza in downtown Ukiah. In case of uncomfortable weather we will hold the event at the Clubhouse on Church and Oak Street where we will end the days festivities with a *silent auction and a live performance by Mendocino’s own Mistress of Folklore, *Holly Tannen http://www.hollytannen.com/. The Saturday event will offer a full days schedule of speakers, performances and entertainment. It will be free to the public. Look for our banner which will be hanging across State Street two weeks before the event. For the evening performance, there will be a donation requested for admission. A portion of the proceeds from Holly Tannen’s performance will go to adopt a bonobo chimpanzee from the Lola Ya Bonobo Sanctuary. http://www.friendsofbonobos.org/html/sanctuary.htm
The theme “A Sustainable World for Peace for ALL Species†is meant to show the connection between environmental stewardship and the fate of all life. Reducing dependence on oil, encouraging economic localization, helping to preserve endangered species, participating in the Longest Walk 2 http://www.earthcycles.net across the North American continent to call attention to the exploitation of precious natural resources and desecration of ancestral lands, are examples of peaceful actions being taken to educate each other about environmental challenges we are facing. Whether inspired by experience, philosophy, science, or religious beliefs, all can join together to celebrate and support each other in caring for our beautiful Planet Earth.
Please visit our *Earth Day 08 sponsors page to see the list of local businesses and schools who are supporting and participating. Much appreciation to our generous donors. More underwriters are welcome (please see registration form for details). All financial support will be acknowledged on our poster and listed on the back of our t-shirt.
We are inviting individuals and groups, schools, speakers and musicians, to register with us to be included in the *schedule of performers on stage or to have an information, sales or childrens activity booth. View list of *participants with booths here. The booth registration fee is $10 for non-profits and $20 for all others. You must provide your own tables and chairs. Electricity is available under the kiosk. Donations and booth registration fee can be mailed to CFI, PO Box 1435, Ukiah, CA 95482. Print out the *registration form and mail it with your check. If you or your organization wishes to participate or underwrite or for more information please contact the event coordinators dennisobrienatsharejerusalem.com, 468-1660 or jenatcloudforest.org, 743-1287
I am going on the air today with Bill Durham, 1-4 pm in an effort to look for some positive things we each and all can do to make life easier, sustainable, and better for our local area, ourselves, and our nation.
I hope you will come to the MEC 106 Standley at 7 pm. for a talk by Professor Luis Fernandez; Policing Dissent:Â Social Control and the Anti-Globalization Movement.
Here are some of the sites that I plan to mention on the air/show:
POLITICs
Codepink   www.codepinkalert.org
Human rights watch    www.hrw.org
Amnesty International
Oxfam
www.publicintegrity.org
www.smirkingchimp.com
www.leadingtowar.com  72 min. film chronicle of events leading us into Iraq
GREEN ACTIVISTS
 scientists concerned with our oceanic health     www.oceana.org
 auto club which does not invest in war and works for green solutions     www.betterworldclub.org
 zero emissions vehicles     www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/zevprog/zevprog.htm
 LOCAL MEAT ‘GROWERS’
MCFadden Farms 743-1122
MCGruder’s 743-1539
Masut 485-5466
Frasier Lane Organics 983-6010
John Ford Ranch 480-2102
MENTAL FLOSS:
www.global-mindshift.org
conversationcafe.org
www.ted.com
www.gogratitude.org
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