From the Hearth Fire to Solar Power--Examining our Relationship to Consumption, Sun, Energ

This course invites you into the realm of storytelling and journal writing as a way of

1) Exploring our relationship to the gifts of the sun

2) Mapping out how we can bring solar power to our homes and communities

3) Shifting our relationship with consumption habits. What is truly valuable? What is wealth?

This seminar is designed to catalyze and connect a growing momentum to create measurable carbon reductions, lifestyle changes and market impacts in our daily lives. Drawing from the essential connection we have to our children, families, each other, and the earth, we intend to inspire actions that have a real and measurable effect on carbon levels, while also shifting away from the underlying patterns of consumption, conflicting values, and environmental degradation that have led to many of the crises we now face.

Everyone possesses creative potential; it is our birthright. And all are welcome to share in this soul-fueled exploration of solar energy. Wrote the poet Rimbaud, “The Sun… pours burning love on the delighted earth.” The sun is the magnificent fire that warms our atmosphere and fuels life on this planet. But today, our addiction to ancient sunlight in the form of fossil fuels drives our consumer society and threatens our future. It’s time we revisited our relationship with our home star.

This course includes touring and learning about the important work of local solar power companies *Sungevity, *Solar Mosaic, * Marin Solar. This will be an in depth opportunity to learn about local solar power and how you can start planning to install panels on your home or office space and support solar power in your community. (* In the process of confirming)

Suggested reading:
Real Goods Solar Living Sourcebook: The Complete Guide to Renewable Energy Technologies & Sustainable Living, John Schaeffer (Editor)
Embrace Your Inner Wild: 52 Reflections for an Eco-Centric World, Mary Reynolds Thompson
Uprisings for the Earth: Reconnecting Culture with Nature, Osprey Orielle Lake

Instructors:

Mary Reynolds Thompson is an award-winning writer and certified poetry and journal therapy facilitator. Founder of Reclaiming the Wild Soul, Mary conducts writing workshops throughout the United States. She also serves on the core faculty of the Therapeutic Writing Institute where her focus is the connection between the natural world and our wild souls. To her ecological understanding, Mary adds years of experience in marketing and branding. She provides first-hand insights into how corporations and the media manipulate our innate desires and turn us from citizens into consumers. She is author of Embrace Your Inner Wild: 52 Reflections for an Eco-Centric World. (White Cloud Press) http://www.reclaimingthewildsoul.com

Osprey Orielle Lake is a lifelong advocate of environmental justice and societal transformation. She is the director of the Women’s Earth and Climate Caucus (WECC) and on the Board of Praxis Peace Institute. Her book, Uprisings for the Earth: Reconnecting Culture with Nature is a 2011 Nautilus Book Award winner (White Cloud Press)