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Ask EcoGirl Flies Again
The first anniversary Ask EcoGirl column,"Discarding Your Stuff - Ecologically" has been released and is ready for your viewing.

Do you have items that you want to discard - without adding to our overstuffed landfills? There are many ways to do this - plus make a little money and delight in contributing to others! In this article, EcoGirl walks you through the key ways you can sell and donate your goods, summarizing the benefits and drawbacks of each, highlighting creative options, and providing handy information about websites, local outlets, and more!

View the current missive in the August issue of the West County Gazette and at <www.patriciadines.info/EcoGirl2a.html>. Plus that webpage has information about sending questions to EcoGirl, being informed about future columns, and including the wonderful EcoGirl in your periodical.

Click on Published Columns to see all previous columns - and future possible ones. Your input and requests are most welcome!

Reader feedback

"Excellent articles Patricia - and fun to read! Congratulations on the colorful front page placement and thanks for continuing to make a difference for the masses by educating via your passion and talent for writing. EcoGirl will soon be flying into other communities and publications, I can feel it.Good luck with her."
Melissa Weaver, Educator, Enhanced Health Systems

Ask EcoGirl Flies Again - In HopeDance!
Ask EcoGirl is appearing once again in the wonderful HopeDance magazine, with a customized version of "Greening Our Money".

Our current economic woes make it increasingly urgent that we shift to more earth-honoring ways, because our economy depends on functioning ecosystems. But how can we take care of the earth when everyone's budgets are so challenged? EcoGirl explores tangible ways that we all can nurture our economy's transition to wiser ways.

View this column in the September issue of HopeDance and at <www.patriciadines.info/EcoGirl12.html>. Plus that webpage has information about sending questions to EcoGirl, being informed about future columns, and including the wonderful EcoGirl in your periodical.

Click on Published Columns to see all previous columns - and future possible ones. Your input and requests are most welcome!

The Next STEP newsletter

CAP President Patricia Dines is Editor and Lead Writer of this newsletter, which provides empowering information about toxics and alternatives. The Next STEP is a City of Sebastopol project, operated by volunteers, and distributed in City water bills (and by email).

Current issue: July/August (Click link to download)

Contents:

* When Is a Recall Not A Recall? - Unfortunately, that title is not a Zen koan but the current state of federal product safety regulation. Learn more about the problems, how they risk our health, and what you can do about them.
* Timely Detoxifiers - Quick tips for living less-toxically this summer and beyond.

* Ontario Bans Cosmetic Pesticides - This June, Canada's Ontario province has joined Quebec in banning use of toxic pesticides for cosmetic (non-essential) purposes.

* Reducing America's Costly Chronic Diseases - Chronic diseases impact more than people's health and lives. They're also costing us economically, and that cost is likely to rise drastically. However, by taking modest but key actions now, we can save both money and our health!

Do you have a question about a specific toxic, alternative, or related issue? Check out the STEP Online Index to past issues to see if we've covered and for leads for other places to check.

For more information about the STEP program, click here.

Thank you to Jim Gleaves for his assistance with this project, to the City Council for creating it, and for City staff for helping to make it possible.

Reader feedback

"Terrific issue, Patricia. I especially appreciated the information about allergies - or is it reactions to toxins? Congratulations!"
HolLynn D'Lil

Lead Article: "Creating a Better NEAP (Northeast Area Plan) for Sebastopol"
Sebastopol is currently developing a NEAP plan that would drastically change the face of Sebastopol (and remove key provisions of its General Plan). Unfortunately, there's a serious gap between its hopes and its realities. The cover of the July West County Gazette features a lead article by CAP President Patricia Dines which discusses her concerns about the current plan (both ecological and economic), responds to proponent assertions, and makes suggestions for creating a plan that will better achieve positive outcomes for the town and its citizens.

You can view this article in the July issue of West County Gazette or at <www.healthyworld.org/07BetterNEAPArticle.html>.

More public concerns about this NEAP are at <www.healthyworld.org/ABetterNEAP.html>

Lead Article: "Delighting in Our Delicious Local Farms"
The cover of the May West County Gazette features a lead article by CAP President Patricia Dines, "Delighting in Our Delicious Local Farms." The Editor, Vesta, asked her to write this piece, wanting to lead with something that was both fun and informative, which she knows Patricia loves to do. With the article text in hand, Vesta did a beautiful job of laying it out. Reader feedback has been enthusiastic and the issue is flying off newstands - with some places running out in just a few days! Yay team!! (Of course, Vesta has lots of other wonderful articles in there too. She's great at bringing forward a diversity of interesting voices and info.)

You can view this article in the May issue of the West County Gazette. To download the PDF, click here.

Reader feedback

"Excellent articles Patricia - and fun to read! Congratulations on the colorful front page placement and thanks for continuing to make a difference for the masses by educating via your passion and talent for writing. EcoGirl will soon be flying into other communities and publications, I can feel it.Good luck with her."
Melissa Weaver, Educator, Enhanced Health Systems

Your ideas and information invited for an article I'm working on:

Green consultants - I'm looking for those in Sonoma County who offer to help a homeowner or small business be more green. I'm also interested in the experiences of those who've used such services, and the questions of those who would like to. Just email me at pd [at] patriciadines.info with your thoughts. Thanks!

Patricia's EcoNews Blog

"A totally personal selection of news stories that I think are especially relevant for those of us who want a better world for all. Topics include the environment, energy, health, toxics, organics, the economy, true democracy, and community. Plus I include a little personal commentary along the way!"

What the Latest News About Organics Really Means - Scary headlines and inaccurate articles are clouding consumers ability to understand what's really going on right now. Click here to get the straight facts.

Area Activities - Here are some opportunities to connect with people of similar values and visions:

* Post Carbon Institute Demonstration Energy Garden, Sebastopol CA. This garden demonstrates how one can grow food, fuel, and fiber in a suburban/urban backyard, without any dependence upon petroleum. There are informational/educational signs throughout the garden. Ask about their Volunteer Days! More info and pictures of the June 23 Open House are at <www.energyfarms.net/node/1062>. This is a project of the Post Carbon Institute <www.postcarbon.org>, which recently moved its headquarters here from Vancouver Canada. More about energy gardens, and their other demonstration gardens, is at <www.energyfarms.net/node/114>.

* daily acts' Sustainability Tour Series in Sonoma County, CA <www.daily-acts.org/tours.html>


We Had Fun at the Harmony Festival

CAP President Patricia Dines was part of the Global Cooling Forum at the Harmony Festival, Sunday June 10, at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa. What fun to connect with people there and throughout this (wonderful!) festival!

The Festival is held annually and has lots of fun people, information, products, music, and more. They call it "Northern California's Premier Music, Camping & Sustainable Lifestyle Festival." It's offerings include "World Class Music & Speakers on multiple stages for 3 Days and 3 Nights of Entertainment, Arts, Ecology& Healthful Living." This year's theme was "Promoting Global Cooling." For more information, see www.harmonyfestival.com .
Here are a few pics of the forum!
CAP's New Mission Statement and Slogan

We have a new mission statement and slogan for CAP! See our website's intro page. We think it better expresses what we're all about. So what do you think? We welcome your feedback!

CAP's New Email Address

We want to stay in touch with you! Please update your records with CAP's new main email address - info[at]healthyworld.org
Sebastopol Peak Oil Report Released

CAP President Patricia Dines was Executive Editor & Report Coordinator of the report, "Charting a Path for a New Energy Future for Sebastopol." This report was produced, at the request of the Sebastopol City Council, by the Citizens Advisory Group on Energy Vulnerability (CAGE). The goal was to help the City explore how to maintain public services in the face of anticipated significant energy supply shortfalls (aka peak oil). Sebastopol was one of the world's first cities to take formal public action to explore this issue (just as it was one of the first U.S. cities to commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions).

CAGE spent over a year in focused research and analysis, understanding the facts and possible scenarios, exploring innovative and realistic ways to approach these issues, and understanding the workings of Sebastopol's operations. The resulting report was presented to the City Council by Ms. Dines on April 3, 2007. All Councilmembers was warmly appreciative of the quality of the information and usefulness of the report.

Click here to see an article Ms. Dines wrote to summarize this project. This includes a link to the final report.

>> How you can support this project! Let the City Councilmembers know that you encourage them to implement the report's recommendations. These forward-thinking actions take investments of time, money, and energy. They need to know that local folks think this is important to do. You can also encourage other towns to look at this report for ideas about what they can do in their town.

Thank you to everyone in CAGE and beyond who contributed to this report's successful completion, and to the Sebastopol City Council for seeking to look forward and act proactively in the best interests of the community.

Patricia's Bio Webpage

Find out more about CAP Founder and President Patricia Dines.

Patricia's Article in Common Ground
Laguna Farms: Sowing Seeds of Sustainability
A family farmer and a talented herbalist joined forces in marriage and mission to create the North Bay's largest Community Supported Agriculture farm, by Patricia Dines.

To see the full article, click here. http://commongroundmag.com/2004/cg3108/lagunafarm3108.html

Support the U.S. national organic standards!

* These standards offer consumers a consistent legal definition of organics across the United States. (Unlike words without a legal definition, like green, natural, and sustainable, which have become less reliable for consumers because they can be abused.) National standards mean that wherever you go, you know what organic means. How grateful we are that we have an option to toxic agriculture!

* These standards also show what we together can create. The community created the vision of organics, as a viable option to the destructive path of pesticides and industrial agriculture. This is a grassroots success story!

* Now we can build on this accomplishment - spreading organics to more and more farmers, producers, and consumers. And adding other values to the mix - like choosing to support local organics and small farms - both for their delicious offerings, and to ensure they're there for us long into the future.

* We need to support those organizations that are watchdogging the regulations, to ensure that organic standards stay strong. We've shown our power to do this in the past. Let's continue to do so!

For more information on the standards and what's next in organics, click here.

Thanks for your interest in CAP!

If you have any further questions, comments, or requests,
please email info[at]healthyworld.org.

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