Archive for the ‘MSI News’ Category

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Buying Palm Oil products hurts Tigers

24/01/2011

TIGER-friendly labels on products which use palm oil grown without destroying Asian jungles could help save the endangered big cats, according to Australia’s major zoos.

Palm Oil Products: Not good for tigers

I was at Sydney’s Taranga Zoo a few weeks ago, getting quite an education. Not only was I learning about Australia’s amazing wildlife, but also, about how the harvesting of palm oil is adversely affecting tigers and other animals in Asia. Below is an article from Australia’s Daily Telegraph. I shot the image of the tiger through a good-sized plate of glass.

By Malcolm Holland, Environment Reporter: Daily Telegraph
World demand, and prices, for palm oil has skyrocketed, sparking land clearing in the jungle homes of tigers in Indonesia and Malaysia. Land clearing was so widespread it had put Sumatran tigers “on the next step to extinction”, Taronga’s CEO Cameron Kerr said yesterday.

World demand, and prices, for palm oil has skyrocketed, sparking land clearing in the jungle homes of tigers in Indonesia and Malaysia.Land clearing was so widespread it had put Sumatran tigers “on the next step to extinction”, Taronga’s CEO Cameron Kerr said yesterday. Read more of this story
Learn more about the “Don’t Palm Us Off” campaign
Which has three main focuses:

Labelling legislation – The Truth in Labelling Bill has been reintroduced to government for consideration and you can help get it accross the line. Scroll to to top of this page to find out more.

130,000 petition signatures collected – This enormous public response will now be used as a catalyst to demonstrate the community’s desire to change food labelling laws in an attempt to weaken our region’s link to the palm oil crisis.

Truth in Labelling Website Live – Nick Xenophon’s Truth in Labelling website is now up and running. It contains information on the palm oil bill and ways you can express your voice on fair labelling issues. Visit: http://www.truthinlabelling.com.au/

Tags:, , , , , , ,
Posted in Animals, Conservation, Environment, MSI News, Sustainable Living/Communities | 2 Comments »

Your Food Supply #28

23/01/2011

On the Road in New Zealand
Is Monsanto in the Neighborhood?

Pioneer Seed Sign: Belgium 2009

We just arrived on the South Island, having driven through from NZ’s biggest city, Auckland, down Route 1. We saw some disturbing looking corn fields with little red signs on the side, saying Pioneer. It eerily reminded us of scenes in the U.S.’s midwest fields, but not on the grand scale of course.  Please see our earlier posts on how corn has crowded out the countryside in America.

How do you tell strange corn? It grows closer together than normal corn. It looks uncomfortably close together. And there’s lots of it, and of course the telltail signs at the edge of the field.

With a quick check on Wikipedia we discovered a connection with Dupont Chemical. Ykes. The mulit-national corp is everywhere. Of course, you knew that already. The saving grace, we think Kiwis have a bit more sense, and something to go on, seeing the disaster that has befallen the U.S. food supply with GMO, high fructose corn syrup, ad infinitum.

Tags:, , , , , , , , ,
Posted in 1- Video Posts, Conservation, Environment, Health, MSI News, New Zealand, Sustainable Living/Communities, Traveling, Your Food Supply | Leave a Comment »

Teaching Creativity Through the Arts

27/12/2010

Master Instructor Teaches More Than Drumming
By R. Richards
Drumming Instructor Bob Bloom teaches a lot more than drumming.  Bloom, who will be teaching Mountain Spirit Institute’s Drumming Jamaica program on February 7-11 at Treasure Beach,  has  been a regular keynote instructor on classes in creativity at Southern Connecticut State University. The semester course is instructed by the dynamic leadership of Phyllis Gelineau, PhD.  The class consists of students from various disciplines in the university system. The premise of the class, says Bloom,  “How are you going to take what you do, or what you teach, and get creative about it?”
Bob was certified in 1997 as a Master Teaching Artist by the state of Connecticut. “A Teaching Artist” says Bloom, “uses an art form to teach and illustrate something else, such as engineering, or marketing for example.

“We teach students how to apply creativity in their work, for example using a circus act to teach mathematics.” Bloom adds,  “I’ve used drumming to illustrate the democratic method on how to vote…this movement is huge, it’s burgeoning in the field of education.

Bloom is on a mission –  teaching others how to be teaching artists.  He has a marketing background, so he’s also teaching educators and administrators how to get the word out about artistic education.

The video clip was shot after Bob had been teaching a group of students for a three hour creativity through drumming class the university.

Posted in Experiential Education, Inspirational People, MSI News, Music, Sustainable Travel, Traveling | 2 Comments »

Hello. We’re back… but not in U.S.

27/12/2010

Greetings from Australia, Mate.
By R. Richards

Caution in Australia...

Sorry we’ve been a bit out of touch. We’ve been busy packing up our New Hampshire home, updating our programs’ webpages and heading to the Southern Hemisphere for a while. We’ve been on the eastern coast of Australia for the Holidays, and will be headed to New Zealand on January 10th.

We’ve got an exciting  drumming program in Jamaica with master drumming instructor Bob Bloom, and a Personal Sustainability program called Creating a Sustainable Lifestyle in Vermont this spring in the northern hemisphere.

This is my first time in AU, and my first impressions are that the people are very generous, sincere and welcoming. the power of the continent is overwhelming. My first time sitting down to meditate, I clearly heard the words, “It’s about time you showed up.” I take this to mean, not only arriving in Australia but taking the time to sit down since my arrival and sit quietly with the place. More on this in an upcoming post.

Anyway, expect to see posts more regularly from here on out. We’ll be posting from New Zealand of course. Rumors have it that board member Bob Stremba might even come down for a visit and recon some program areas with me.

Sydney Stopover

We had a stopover in Sydney for a week seeing Amanda’s friends, (my newly found friends), before heading north to stay with family for the holidays. A very expensive city but such generous people with a welcoming attitude. It’s Amanda’s ol’ stomping ground, and she still has to show me around a bit, when we head back there on our way to New Zealand.  We happened to arrive just as Oprah Winfrey was shooting a week-long segment of her show here. As it turned out, she was welcomed with opened arms, along with 300 of her audience members. I mention her because of some of the good work she’s doing, such as bringing Eckhart Tolle’s message to a broader audience, and encouraging more conscious living. The people and government of Australia were happy to have her here. The coverage will be invaluable for Australia’s tourism exposure.

The continent is proving itself to be powerful and beautiful. Although I’ve only seen a portion of it, I can feel its power taking hold.

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Animals, Focus on MSI People, MSI News | Leave a Comment »

Bob Bloom Leads MSI’s Drumming Jamaica

19/12/2010

Mountain Spirit Institute teams up with Master Teaching Artist Bob Bloom
By Cindy Heath

Bob Bloom, of Storrs, CT will lead our Drumming Jamaica workshop February 7-11, 2011 at the Calabash House in Treasure Beach, Jamaica.

I first met Bob Bloom in the late 90’s, when I was searching for musicians to fill the program for a children’s entertainment series in Lebanon, NH.  Bob was on stage at a performing artists showcase, and I was immediately drawn to his energy and of course, his skillful drumming. I hired Bob on the spot, and he returned to our stage every summer thereafter, bringing drums for all to play.

Bob Bloom Leads Drumming Jamaica

Bob has been a busy guy, building a highly popular and successful interactive drumming and education program.  Here’s a snapshot of his accomplishments:

*Bob’s certification as a ‘Master Teaching Artist’ was awarded by the Connecticut Commission on the Arts in 1997.

*For over a decade, Bob served as a faculty assistant to Dr. Babatunde Olatunji for his “Language of the Drums” courses, and he performed as a member of Drums of Passion, Dr. Olatunji’s internationally acclaimed drumming and dance company.

*Bob served from 2007 to 2010 as chair of the Interactive Drumming Committee of The Percussive Arts Society, the largest percussion organization in the world.

I bought my first conga drum right around the time I met Bob, and started taking lessons at Dartmouth College – what a thrill!  There’s nothing like playing the rhythms with a group – I learned to play conga, bongo, clave and eventually steel drums – all without knowing how to read music. Turns out we feel rhythms at a cellular level, and drumming has all kinds of health benefits, including a positive effect on our immune system.

A highlight of my relationship with Bob was when he gave me one of his drums – a beautiful djembe. This is the one I’ll bring to Treasure Beach,

Calabash House, Treasure Beach, Jamaica

Jamaica for the Drumming Jamaica workshop Bob is teaching – perhaps I’ll learn some new rhythms, and come back from Jamaica a bit healthier and wiser.

As African music educator Olatunji said, “Rhythm is the soul of life. The whole universe revolves in rhythm. Everything and every human action revolves in rhythm.”

If you would like to join MSI in Jamaica, please check out the MSI website or call 603-763-2668

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Blogs, Experiential Education, Holistic Living, Inspirational People, Leadership, MSI News, Music, Power of Place, Spiritual, Sustainable Travel, Traveling, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

MSI Gears up with Programs

17/11/2010

Mountain Spirit is advertising in Wisdom Magazine, and Spirit of Change aiming at people who might be at a crossroads in their life, or simply wanting to try a new challenge, or learn something new.

A non-profit educational organization

Creating a Sustainable Lifestyle program will be held in Northern Vermont next spring at a peaceful retreat center, focusing on the personal – sustainability and health. Learn how to plant a garden, the basics of yoga and meditation and of course time for relaxation in a beautiful place.

Drumming Jamaica program taught by well-known instructor Bob Bloom will be held in Treasure Beach Jamaica from Feb. 7-11. There will be about 20 hrs of instruction with plenty of time to explore the beaches and local culture. Lodging will be at the Calabash House.

New Zealand: Our other base. We will be based on the South Island near the Southern Alps. Aimed at active travelers but with flexible offerings, depending upon your interest and focus. Options are trekking, glacier travel, rock climbing, or simply walks and getting into the lessor known areas of the Wanaka and Queenstown area, with options of other parts of South Island depending  upon your availability, interest and energy. Be ready to step out and see something new.

For more info, see our website: www.mtnspirit.org

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Climb/Ski/Mntneering, Conservation, Environment, Health, Holistic Living, Inner Work, MSI News, Music, New Zealand, Service, Spiritual, Sustainable Living/Communities, Sustainable Travel, Traveling, Your Food Supply | Leave a Comment »

MSI Presents at Education Conference

17/11/2010

MSI Founder Randy Richards and fellow board member Bob Stremba presented a workshop at the 38th Annual International Conference of the Association of Experiential Education in *Las Vegas, Nevada. The conference was loaded with keynote speakers, meetings, networking , and other events and activities, although the workshops are its foundation.

Outdoor instructors, program managers and administrators traveled from as far away as Japan and Ecuador to be at the conference.  Attendees that attend the workshops are rejuvenated and inspired to delve deeper into their practices.

Richards’ and Stremba’s workshop was about introducing spiritual practice into experiential education, and was well attended.

 

Krag shows video of his father, Willi Unsoeld

Bud Wilson of Sacred Passage, and Krag Unsoeld of Washington State (who also presented, see above) attended and added to the conversation during the workshop. This year the association featured over 120 workshops. For more information on AEE see their website at www.aee.org or Mountain Spirit’s website at www.mtnspirit.org

* A strange place for outdoor educators to meet. More on this in another post.
For more on Willi Unsoeld.

Tags:, , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Experiential Education, MSI News | 1 Comment »

MSI Adds Rock Climbing to Programs

01/10/2010

Rock Climbing is not new to the founder and other staff at Mountain Spirit Institute, but it’s new to MSI. R. Richards was a rock camp instructor for Outward Bound’s Semester Course  in Joshua Tree, CA, a staff trainer, and guide for Alpine Ascents in Seattle. He has been an individual member of American Mountain Guides Association since 1984, (which doesn’t connote certification), and MSI staffer Craig Cimmons has taught rock climbing for years in Vermont, and ran the Outdoor Program at Green Mountain College.  Bob Stremba runs the Outdoor Pursuits program at Fort Lewis College, and has been a long-time rock climber and outdoor instructor.

From MSI's Webpage on Rock Climbing

“I always thought it would be cost prohibitive to include insurance for rock climbing as part of our Worldwide Outfitters and Guides Association coverage, but I was wrong,” says founder Randy Richards, adding, “We should have added it years ago, and feel like we really want to take advantage of what we have to offer.”  Cimmons,  Stremba,  and Richards all place a high importance on not only safety but a comfortable learning environment.  “With years of teaching rock climbing, and many students with whom we’ve shared our skills, we feel we want to continue to get out on the rock!” says Richards.

MSI includes rock climbing not simply as an outdoor adventure activity, but uses the climbing as a metaphor for life.  The facilitators set the tone for participants to take a look at how they problem solve on the rock, and see what correlations they might make in how they solve problems in their daily life. Trust and team-building are also important elements of rock climbing.

Tags:, , , ,
Posted in Climb/Ski/Mntneering, Experiential Education, MSI News | 1 Comment »

Snatam Kaur Rehearsal, Part B

25/09/2010

Part B of Snatam Kaur, GuruGanesha Singh and Ramesh Kannan rehearsing the morning of their performance for our Mountain Spirit Institute Fundraiser, in Sunapee, NH.

Tags:, , , ,
Posted in 1- Video Posts, MSI News, Music, Supporting MSI | Leave a Comment »

Snatam Kaur Rehearsal, Part A

25/09/2010

Snatam Kaur, GuruGanesha Singh and Ramesh Kannan rehearse the morning of their performance for our Mountain Spirit Institute Fundraiser, in Sunapee, NH.
This was their third day of rehearsals, and it seemed the energy was so high that I had to capture it, with GuruGenesha’s permission of course.
Thanks you all,  for gracing our living room with your music of the spirit and heart.

Tags:, , , , ,
Posted in 1- Video Posts, MSI News, Music, Supporting MSI | Leave a Comment »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »