John Peck is Executive Director of Family Farm Defenders, which supports sustainable agriculture, farm worker rights, animal welfare, consumer safety, fair trade, & food sovereignty. In addition, John teaches Economics "against the text" and also Environmental Studies at Madison College, runs a farm, does poetry, and thinks deeply.
Past/current religious/spiritual influences:
Catholic Worker, Pagan, Unitarian Universalist
Essential parts of our history have been willfully suppressed & ignored, but we can only be the best nation we can be by facing the facts - alternative facts won’t do. That has been the work of sociologist, historian, writer and teacher James Loewen. His work has included ground-breaking research about racism where & when we haven't acknowledged it, in the Sundown Towns outside of the traditional South, and his analysis of the failings of our history curriculum, Lies My Teacher Told Me.
Amanda Udis-Kessler is part of EverySoul, and their music has a message, often a counterpoint to narrow, doctrinaire, theology and thought. Having explored the highways & byways of the religious & spiritual world, Amanda identifies as Unitarian-Universalist, appreciating diverse points of view, but strongly rooting in love & hope. Her song, The Difference, was a finalist in the Songs for Social Change 2017 of RAWA.org. She is Director of Assessment and Program Review at Colorado College.
Tara Button is the founder of BuyMeOnce.com which helps connect people to durable, dependable, well-designed & built products, to live sustainably. Her new book is A Life Less Throwaway: The Lost Art of Buying for Life, and it provides a wealth of info & exercises to help people find the optimal material life for themselves.
Past/current religious/spiritual influences:
Catholic, Sunday Assembly
Dada Veda uses a couple different taglines. One is Meditation, Music and Social Vision, and the other is Eastern Mysticism meets folk, country, and world music. He is a monk at the Ananda Liina Spiritual Eco-Community in Urbana, Illinois, where he teaches meditation and promotes the activism of his community through music. He is central in the work of RAWA (Renaissance Artists & Writers Association) and their Songs for Social Change contest, and broadcasts music on-line via RAWAradio.com.
University campuses in the USA are the training grounds for collective action leading to systems changes. Since 2012 a group of students at the University of Delaware have taken on a big idea--to transform their large lush heavily chemically treated lawns into an organic public green. The Green the Green initiative has required thoughtful strategy, community building, public education, and lots of persistence. Climate advocates can learn a lot from their methods.
Diesel exhaust is bad for child and planetary health, but change is on the way. Twin Rivers Unified School District is one of the first school districts in the country to run electric school buses. We talk with their transportation director and meet the people transforming the nation's biggest public transit program: a former diesel salesman now CEO of an electric bus company, community activists, clean air officials, a guy called the Electric School Bus Evangelist, and more. And we find out how Volkswagen's legal settlement can fund electric buses for schools around the country.
Father Harry Bury talks about his newest project, Twin Cities NonViolent. Twin Cities Nonviolent is a new organization working to eliminate violence in the Twin Cities. Their first large project is 10 Days Free From Violence which is like an art crawl of nonviolent activities. Starting this Friday Sept 21st, check out the calender and join one of the amazing events. https://twincitiesnonviolent.org/
Music generously donated by Bensound.com
Bob Bruninga is near the end of his work as an aerospace engineer at the US Naval Academy and is passionate about electric cars and solar energy. He built his first electric car way back in 1970, led his neighborhood’s implimentation of alternative energy, and helped Annapolis Friends Meeting in their installation of net zero energy solar panels. He’s the lead author of a new book, Energy Choices: Opportunities to Make Wise Decisions for a Sustainable Future, and he knows whereof he writes - lots to be learned here, even for the well-informed. Check out Bob's Ham Radio website - with links to his solar/electric pages.
Jan Nigro has been growing healthy kids for 30 years with his musical group and project called Vitamin L. If you're daunted by their intention to produce positive character development through music, think again, because you'll experience songs that are beautiful, fun, & inspirational. Jan lives in Ithaca, NY, and comes from a very musical family, including a jazz-oriented dad, classical-focused mother, plus his immensely talented sister, Laura Nyro. Spend an hour and walk a mile with Jan Nigro & Vitamin L.