Earth Day Coming

Earth Day always feels like the actual beginning of a new year.  It is after Spring Equinox and other spring holidays and something about the 22nd of any month always feels like an end/beginning marker.  I have been contemplating how it would be if everyone created their own calendars and clocks.  The Mayan Tzolkin is awesome because the end/beginning falls at a different season with each passing year giving a spiral feeling to time.  But back to Earth Day....

Isn't everyday really Earth Day - a day alive on Earth?  It is a time to celebrate that fact though in a billion different ways according to the Earth Day Network.  We usually spend Earth Day planting new spring starts and stewarding the land but we have also hosted gatherings and participated in Earth Day events.  

April 20th will be the 2 year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and every since the media blackout that happened after the spill was supposedly 'capped' our team has discussed the potential aftermath.  Well this Earth Day community's have an opportunity to host screenings of a new film called 'The Big Fix'...

"The Big Fix rocked audiences at the world famous Festival de Cannes, it caused the New York Times to spill the beans on the truth about the oil spill and was called by the Village Voice "smart, covert reporting that shames our news media." Despite the slick ad campaign paid for by BP that the Gulf has been "made right," the oil is still washing ashore, shrimp are coming up full of oil and people everywhere are sick. The fate of the Gulf of Mexico, the animals, the ecosystem and the residents there still hangs in the balance - and in many ways - depends on all of us getting the word out."

We do have some surprise on-line launches that will be broadcasted on Earth Day and as we move forward into the 2nd quarter of 2012 (from the Jan1st point of reference) it is our teams goal to see this coming time of warmer weather be spent in ways that feed our well being and peace of mind during these tumultuous times.  

Next post will be 'post' Earth Day so until then be well and be free...

In Sustainable Solidarity 
PrezDar

Facebook & Twitter - Why We Don't 'Like'

A few people have asked us why we don't have facebook/twitter integration on our sites, blogs, and networks so I wanted to explain so that there is no further assumptions that we simply lack the ability to do such simple add-ons across our matrix.  

The reason is so simple yet a bit ahead of its time - it is about 'Quality over Quantity' folks...

We did not build our online matrix to attract the attention of mass quantities of people - we have always felt having great numbers of people either visiting our sites or joining them was not going to automatically increase our effectiveness or impact...from experience we know it can be just the opposite.  

We actually launched the Interdependent Project with some built in 'turn-off's' that we knew would turn away some very specific mindsets that we did not want to be burdened with.  It worked and we also intentionally practice other web strategies to deflect other unwelcome energies that seem to do nothing but create vacuums wherever they are allowed access.  

Before we even embarked upon this matrix weaving journey we saw that by 2020 the internet would have worked through a great deal of its initial development tasks and that the 'mass' and 'hype' that were the cornerstone of all media in the age of television will exhausted itself and there will be no audience for it.  How did we see this?  

There is a certain amount of predictability in any given situation and when you study social behavior patterns it does not take a genius to discern probable directions that the river is bound to take in its journey down the mountain.  

Community stops being a community when people no longer know each other or have any real way to develop authentic relations that can be relied upon.  Human beings have been so isolated for nearly a century that it is no surprise that during these early decades of the internet's development people would flock to MySpace first (something they were used to getting) and then Facebook (a place where they could put on their social face).  And then Twitter was born out of the simple fact that technology suddenly sucked more time in the already existing 'not enough time in the day' 20th century man's paradigm that he/she could only tweet out 140 word expressions that eventually melted into the url link pot that Twitter has become.  

I don't care if anyone 'Likes Me' on Facebook - our work advocating and promoting sustainable solutions is not a popularity contest and it makes me sick to see all the organizations and businesses that at one time I had respect for going down that road.  And the tragedy for me is the knowledge that it was my generation of web designers that sold them down that road with promises of some kind of impact or financial benefit would come.  The truth of the matter is that if you were to take the amount of energy and resources that has been spent trying to be "Liked' (including fees to web developers) a nation of EcoVillages could have been built by now.  

So we intentionally choose to not participate in something that is going to be non-existent or completely corrupted by the government by 2020 anyhow.

We value our time and energy in ways that do not allow superfluous meanderings down popular trends and fads.

We are not blind to the value or role these social network empires have played in the bigger scheme of things, but we also know that taking the time to have Facebook & Twitter integrated across our networks will not yield the quality online communities that we are not only sponsoring, but have worked hard to cultivate real and lasting environments for sustainable communities - both online and on the ground - to evolve.
 
If someone likes our content and/or networks and wishes to 'share' then they will find a way to do so.  The reason our culture has had so many challenges approaching the whole transition to sustainable systems, models, and structures is because of our built in need for instant gratification, convenience, and disposable everything.   For those who preach how to shift world-views and how to build sustainable communities to cater to the 'quick fix' mindset hardly opens space for even little shifts to occur.  

The audience/members of our content/networks are intelligent minded folks who have expressed appreciation for the absence of all the flash/hype multi-media vices that plague the web.  In the long run 'quality' will always prevail over 'quantity' and one genuine/true friend will impact ones life far more than a thousand 'friends'.

In Sustainable Solidarity
PrezDar

Happy Spring Equinox 2012

We have always loved the Spring Equinox and the perfect balance between day/night as we move toward the summer.  We have also noticed that at this time of 'balance' or 'equal' time we usually find ourselves taking stock of things that may be out of balance so that we can add+ or subtract- energy in appropriate ways to achieve the balance we need in our day to day lives.  

Growing and nurturing this company has been like a garden in so many ways.  We just updated the website and 'pulled weeds' so to speak.  We also planted some links to the projects that are funded by SeThInk profits.  These projects include the Transition California Network, Global EcoVillage & Sustainable Communities Network, and the Believe Africa Network.  

Not only does SeThInk fiscally sponsor these networks but our team spends hundreds of hours annually managing and administrating these online communities so that they can grow and evolve to serve the global sustainability agenda.  

The Seeds of Sustainability program has been the primary source of revenue and our companies 10% Pledge to the Green Fire Foundation has been able to cover the hard expenses (example: server, subscription, websites etc).  

We just did a major update of the Seeds of Sustainability website and we are stoked that the private community network has grown to almost 500 people.  We have always believed that smaller communities versus ones with tens of thousands of members are more ideal for fostering and creating a real sense of community so we have never wasted time trying to recruit or attract members to any of our networks.  We have simply figured folks who are meant to be a part of the community always find a way to it.  It has been challenging at times being able to provide content and personal connection with everyone on all of our online communities but we strive as best we can and many community members have sent us emails of understanding and appreciation for our unpaid dedication and efforts.  

The 'unpaid' part is kinda tricky though because how can one measure compensation simply in monetary terms?  Our team has been blessed with abundance and have felt supported during this whole journey so we never feel 'unpaid'.  

2012?

In my last post I mentioned that our team was working on setting our 2012 goals and priorities.  We really feel like 2012 so far has proven to be quite unpredictable in terms of direction that we are going to play the safe game and simply act upon necessity and preference so that we can remain fluid and available for the 'moment'.  We have discussed a great deal about 'beyond 2012' and how after this year manifests itself a great deal of our goals and priorities will be able to more easily be accomplished and implemented. 

So for today in this perfect balance between day and night we are sending all of you our heartfelt blessings to you and yours.

In Sustainable Solidarity
PrezDar

2012 - Year of the Black Water Dragon

We stepped out of the January 1st 'new year' hoopla in favor of celebrating the beginning of this epic year on the 'Lunar New Year' as celebrated by the Chinese culture for millenniums.  The ending of the Mayan 13th Baktun and the beginning of the 14th inspired us to switch our own clocks and calendars around the traditional 'new year' and we expect more interesting calibrations will be occurring throughout the year for us.  So Happy New Year everyone! 

SeThInk Media's goals for 2012 are still being formulated by our team and we have spent the past few weeks looking back on 2011 - the year we deemed as the 'Year of Building Sustainable Structures & Systems and Laying the Four Corners Foundation'.  

Now that it is over we are calling it the 'Year of DeConstruction' because old structures and systems had to be torn down, bulldozed, blown up, annihilated, and occasionally simply flushed down the toilet before we could even think about building anything.  And the four corners foundation?  That was an idea we had around establishing solid partnerships with various 'non-profits' and indigenous groups for the purpose of furthering the 'Low Impact Sustainable Development' agenda.  The comedy in those efforts provided ample cushion for the disappointments that our team experienced when those whom a great deal of energy was given to were either to afraid to trust something 'new' or simply did not understand the opportunity that was being presented.   

Last week we were inspired with a conversation with the authors of 'Collaboration Soup'...they contacted us to interview us about our business and projects efforts to form partnerships and group initiatives.  They wanted to know what kinds of challenges and obstacles we have faced so we gave them a good overview that we hope gives their next publication some solid material around the subject.  After the call ended we realized that we had lost a great deal of heart this past year and we resolved ourselves to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and get back into the ring.  Not all of our efforts were in vain and Paula & Delia (authors of Collaboration Soup) had a special way of re-inspiring us to go forth.   

So our first commitment for the year is going to be broadcasted on Monday - Chinese New Year - on the Transition California Network. 

We hope your year is starting out with heart and determination!  It is the year of the Dragon so there will be plenty of fire for our collective and individual dreams and goals...

In Sustainable Solidarity
PrezDar

Great Transitions...and "Happy Winter Solstice!

After the last post the universe decided that we needed a bit of a change of environment and we embarked upon our own 'Great Transition' of sorts.  You never can tell what the meaning of something may be in terms of sudden ultra aligned opportunities and I have always believed it is best to act first and then ask questions later when faced with advantageous opportunities so we made the leap and landed well on new land just 18 miles and 400ft elevation drop from where we previously called home - WE MOVED!  

Lady D and Fawn

Justin, Leah, & Lil' Sheeba

The deal breaker was the fruit and nut trees well established and an awesome barn for our horses.  Don't get me wrong, we loved the old historic/rustic barn that we rebuilt when we moved into the old place but we only had 1 horse when we arrived and our herd has grown to 5 now. 

So that is how we spent our Fall - moving.  We launched the 'A New We 2012' campaign and Global EcoVillage & Sustainable Community Network successfully on 11.11.11. but then had to immerse ourselves in the monumental task of uprooting 3 years worth of land (trees, herbs, flowers etc - yes we took everything...even the rocks) and preparing our *Ka-tet for the transition...

Thus the lack of presence online and also now the huge backlog of work we have to do to play catch up on within our ever expanding and evolving web matrix.  

Those who know us well are always asking us how we manage to handle our work load and we always tell them that having long term strategies and a sustainable agenda makes it possible because even when we hit the pillow after what can feel like a decade of work crammed into a 24 hour period of time we have a deep sense of well being that comes from having unwavering intent.  

Tonight is Winter Solstice eve and the wireless is up and running on all of our computers now so we will send out the Happy Solstice broadcasts and tomorrow light a fire to renew our spirits and perhaps get a glimpse into the coming epic year of 2012...

May you all have a bright and happy solstice day and may your holiday celebrations be blessed.  

In Sustainable Solidarity

*Ka-Tet: Literally speaking, ka-tet means "one made from many." Ka refers to destiny; tet refers to a group of people with the same interests or goals. Ka-tet is the place where man's lives are joined by fate.

The Fall in Fall

Fall Fawn

Nothing like falling in the fall time...Occupy Wall Street is shaking the leaves on the big money tree and today 'All Roads Lead to Rome' was the adage leaf that these winds of change are blowing about...there was even a demonstration in our small rural community here in Nevada County! 

The SeThInk team has had its fair share of tree shaking since our last "Interdependence Day' post in July.  It seems everyone is needing to evaluate their priorities and make choices that will hopefully further their basic life intentions (whatever they may be).  

In early spring when the weather here in the Sierra's was still acting like winter we embarked upon our first on-the-ground strategies to build alliances and check out the local systems and structures built up around our own 'local' green and sustainable living circles.  The impetus for such a plan came from Transition California's successful sponsorship of the Bay Localize 'Roots of Resilience'5 Year Anniversary Gala.  

In May SeThInk Media sponsored our local 'Green Life EcoFest' which ended up being highly educational...uh humm....but there were a couple of outcomes from the event that at the time felt promising and made our energy and monetary investment seem worthwhile.  During the event we connected with the local indigenous Maidu tribe folks and proceeded to attempt to form a solid alliance and seek official endorsement of the Low Impact Sustainable Development agenda that we have been working on since the Lammas EcoVillage in Wales received planning approval..  

Maybe we are of a now extinct or not yet born mindset, but our team held an idea in our perhaps delusional minds that when alliances are formed there is an expected 'giving' of some kind that demonstrates worthiness and value to the pact.  Maybe we watched to many movies full of noble concepts or perhaps my generation simply missed a few human behavior memos.  Regardless I should simply fast forward and spare everyone the gory details of human dysfunction and folly but it turns out the Tsi Akim Maidu are not even the real indigenous tribe from this area - the Nisenan tribe is and we got a gullet full of...uh...politics(?) that we are still choking a bit on and trying to figure out.

By the end of September our team sat looking at substantial losses of time, energy, and resources in our pursuit of local sanity in the form of systems and structures that we had hoped would be a 3D basis for further support from our little digital matrix.  We also had a major family crises with an elder uncle.

We are now re-loading back into cyber-space and probably won't touch ground again until some omen or auspicious sign from on high demands we come out again to check the weather.  We are happy to be back in our office and realize that perhaps our little role in this transition needs to be primarily focused in our immediate sphere and our cyber-spheres.  Our attempt to expand our 'family' beyond that turned into a 13 ring circus.  Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses and this summer taught us a great deal about both so onward and upward.  

Where everything currently stands:

We severed our alliances with the following organizations and movements:

• Earth Charter U.S.
• 4 Years Go
• Earth Scouts (the network is now community owned/managed and goes by the new name of Planet Earth Scouts - long story)

We determined that the following local orgs/groups are unable or unwilling at this time to understand what a 'strategic alliance' is therefore we will no longer be supporting or working with them until a change in leadership or comprehension occurs:

• Alliance for the Post Petroleum Local Economy (A.P.P.L.E.) 
• Nevada County Maidu
• Various community 'leaders' whom we won't name

We will be focusing our energy on the following projects:

"A New We' 2012 

A partnership between SeThInk Media and L.O.V.E. Productions to launch the Global EcoVillages Sustainable Community Network and publish media related to sustainable living.

Low Impact Sustainable Development Agency

Continuing the effort to import and adapt the criteria and protocols established by the Lammas EcoVillage in Wales into the U.S.  

Seeds of Sustainability

Complete update of this project and evolving resources for community members.

Jayatu

Launching the storytelling online education platform.

Transition California

Working with members to launch a statewide campaign to get mandatory labeling of GMO's on the 2012 ballot, getting caught up on community network admin work, completing content upgrades, connecting with groups and having meetings that have been put off all summer.  Transition California is our favorite online community effort - we look forward to being able to plug back in and keep things evolving.

Planet Earth Scouts

We have committed to helping this new network get a solid foundation built so we will be devoting time/energy towards that effort.

Along side these we will be doing general website updates across all our platforms.  

We are the Ninjas of Wild West Web!

SeThInk Media Team

In Sustainable Solidarity
PrezDar

Interdependent Strategic Alliances & Partners

As the world continues to go through its multi-layers of transition during this time we live in our speck of the cosmos is actually riding the waves of change with relative grace and sometimes seemingly effortless synchronization with those around us who are seeking the same level of shift we have committed ourselves to. 

On July 3rd we celebrated our first 'local' 3D on the ground "Interdependence Day" event in partnership and alliance with the local Maidu family/friends.  The event was intended to be the launch pad for the "Inter-Tribal EcoVillage Council" and a fundraiser for the upcoming Indigenous Peoples Day annual event.

Our team is going into the next level of our long term strategies around the sustainability agenda and we have launched the official 'EcoVilage-Low Impact Sustainable Development' blog that will be an ongoing record of our efforts to import the criteria and protocols established in the UK here into the U.S.  

We put up an overview presentation of the story of Lammas EcoVillage in our SeThInk Media tent at the event and shared with attendees information about the goals and objectives of the council and agency.  

The excitement and enthusiasm that folks express towards this model getting accepted here in the U.S. always transforms into the fuel and energy we will need to translate and adapt the structure/language found in the established UK criteria into formats that will easily apply to our own local county in the State of California. 

The "Inter-Tribal EcoVillage Council' is being established parallel to the agency to represent indigenous stakeholders and interests in the adoption of the L.I.S.D. model on native lands that will manifest as education centers throughout the country.

The high level of interest from Native peoples and the establishment of the 'interdependent' Inter-Tribal council is a very encouraging sign that the time is perfect to begin the delicate weaving of a sustainable community model that will bridge the gap between many different worlds and their various challenges. 

The council leaders are coming together and the Buffalo Field Campaign and many other indigenous concerns will seamlessly be integrated into the Inter-Tribal EcoVillage Council agenda. 

At the Interdependence Day event stories, music, and information was shared by prominent members of the tribal families both local and from the East Coast Tribe's and seeds were planted for solid alliances as we move forward into this stage of our efforts.  

For more information please check out the agency blog and the Inter-Tribal blog here and sign up to receive updates.