Deli

Once again, it's time to celebrate our Mother Earth and recommit ourselves to another year of taking action on her behalf. This year, perhaps due to the enormity of the issues related to the utilization of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture and their spread in the environment, the desecration seems ever more clear. Other issues including the threats to organic agriculture, global warming, climatic changes and the dangers of the continued spread of nuclear materials also remain in the forefront of our minds.

How to find the strength and peace of mind to continue our work in the face of what often seems like overwhelming odds is perhaps the most important issue we all face. Finding motivation, daily, in an endless struggle is not easy. But there are and have been among us people whose courage and determination are a light and inspiration for all of us. This year we are dedicating the Annual Celebrate the Earth Festival to the memory of such a person, Native American Elder Dorothy Purley.

Honoring An Environmental Elder

Last year, Dorothy opened our festival, sharing her story and prayers. A member of Laguna Pueblo, she, like so many of her people, went to work at the Anaconda Mining Company's "Jackpile" mine, the world's largest open pit uranium mine, when it opened just over the ridge from her ancestral home in Powati. (See brief biography on Dorothy.) A great champion for environmental justice, her passing last December is deeply felt. Dorothy was an inspiration while she walked among us and her memory will continue to inspire us to honor Mother Earth through action. Her daughter, Carletta Garcia, and son Paul White Eagle, will open this year's festival with prayers and remembrances of their mother. Carletta will also be speaking on the Current Nuclear Issues panel.

Taking Action Teach-In

With Dorothy as our role model, this year's festival has as its focus what we can do, every day, to take action on the many environmental issues that will shape the face of the planet in the coming years. Our Taking Action Teach-In workshops will help us do just that.

Ronnie Cummins, of the national Organic Consumers Association, will be with us again this year. You may remember him from two years ago, when we were all commenting on the first round of proposed USDA organic standards. Now the USDA is back with a second round of proposed standards, and we are once again delighted to have Ronnie with us to clarify this new proposal. His powerful speaking style and the wealth of information he brings can help us take action on both the threats to food security from genetically engineered organisms and organic issues. Joining Ronnie on both the GMO issue and the dangers to organic agriculture is Sharlene Gruenrud of Mimbres Farm, the first certified organic farm in the state. A family farmer who is in it for the long haul, Sharlene's skills as a speaker are eclipsed only by her abilities as
a farmer. If you have eaten any of the Co-op's apples or pears in the fall, you have eaten some of their delicious crops.

In the middle of the day, look for the Current Nuclear Issues workshop, where Carletta Garcia, carrying on her mother’s tradition, will be joined by Janet Greenwald of Citizens for Alternatives to Radioactive Dumping. These two dedicated women will enlighten us on current nuclear issues, including the dangers we face now that WIPP is open.

Did this winter have you thinking about global warming and all its many effects? Want to know more about global warming and things we can do today, here in our own community, that will help avert this possible global catastrophe? Don’t miss the excit-ing workshop on global warming by Tim McGivern, staffer at the Interhemispheric Resource Center. Tim worked hard to bring you the extremely successful Noam Chomsky event, but his real area of expertise is global warming. An engaging speaker, this is one workshop you won’t want to miss.
For a complete workshop schedule, click here.

Education & Celebration

As always, our Celebrate the Earth Festival will high-light numerous environmental and social justice organizations that work hard all year long on many important issues. Just a few of the organizations confirmed at the time of this writing are: Candy Kitchen Wolf Hybrid Rescue, The N.M. Bio-Park (Zoo), New Mexico Organic Commodity Commission, Airport Neighbors Alliance, Albuquerque Co-Housing Group, Qui-vira Coalition, Animal Protection of N.M., CARD, Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice, Free Leonard, No Cattle Organic Farm, Silent Spring Farm, Gray Panthers, Justice for Wen-Ho Lee, Soilutions, Linear City Concepts, N.M. Solar Energy Association, Amnesty International, GREEN, N.M. Wilderness Alliance, Delta-9 and many, many more. Also joining us are local and national food producers, offering delicious samplings of their products; local farmers with a variety of seedling plants ready to go in your garden; and some of our community’s fine artists and craftspeople.

One of the things folks like best about our Celebrate the Earth Festival is the wonderful music and dancing. Once again, put your dancing shoes on or sit under the big tent and enjoy the talents of the many dancers and musicians that are participating in this year’s stellar lineup.

We hope you will agree that this year’s Celebrate the Earth Festival is shaping up to be as wonderful as in years past. The festival is free and open to the public and everyone is encouraged to come and be involved with the organization of your choice and take action to protect the environment. We hope Mother Earth will bless us with another beautiful day in which to honor her through action.

For more information, contact Robyn at 265-4631.

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Celebrate The Earth Festival Entertainment Tent Schedule

10:30am Opening Dedication, with Carletta Garcia and Paul White Eagle,
xxxxxxxx followed by Dancing Horse Drum Group

11:30am Draig Talamh (Dragon Earth)

12:30pm Eva Encinias and Alma Flamenca

1:30pm Anna Wolfe and the Hounds of Carlisle

2:30pm Ehecatl Aztec Dancers

3:15pm The Selsuns

4:15pm Stove

5:15pm The Withdrawals

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Taking Action Teach-In Schedule

We encourage everyone to take some time to visit the Taking Action Teach-In tent, where some wonderful speakers and discussions will be taking place.

11:00 am
The Growing Movement Against Genetically Engineering Foods in the USA: Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going. Speaker: Ronnie Cummins.
This workshop will focus on the history of anti-GE food activism in the U.S.; current federal litiga-tion and congressional legislative efforts; corporate campaigns and marketplace pressure; Bio-tech industry counter-response; what will it take to drive GE foods off the market; and what can we do in our local communities.

12:00 pm:
Current Nuclear Issues.
Speakers: Carletta Garcia and Janet Greenwald. Speakers will discuss the danger to the land and environment now that WIPP is open, the bi-national coalition to protect borderlands from nuclear contamination, and other nuclear issues.

1:30 pm:
Thinking About Global Warming.
Speaker: Tim McGivern. What’s happened since the Rio Summit and Kyoto Protocol and what action we can take here at home.

2:30 pm:
Biggest Threats to Organic Agriculture:
The USDA and GMO’s. Speakers: Sharlene Gruenrud and Ronnie Cummins. Genetic contamination through pollen drift and insect resistance due to the use of Bt in engineered crops are two of the greatest environmental threats to organic agriculture. Although the USDA seemingly has bowed to consumer demands, can we really trust them? Are they yet another future threat?