O Gaia:  Nature and the Poetic Intuition, an article by Brother David Stendl-Rast.  Who is your favorite poet?  How many neighbors do you know by name?  And how can questions like these help make your intuitive knowledge of the sacredness of nature an effective force in the world?

A God-Centered Ecology, articles by Maria Jaoudi.  Blessing has to do with an attitude of gratitude, whereby we awaken to the sacred always present in the myriad events of existience. This series includes:
- The Garden of Life
- The Human Steward
- Enjoying Nature
- Francis
- Rabi'a

Nature and the Natural World - on this forum you can read and join in on a discussion of being mindful of - and expressing our gratefulness for - the natural wonders all around us.

Chief Seattle of the Suquamish, a Gift Person essay by Robert Ellsberg. Few people have spoken with such clarity and weight of wisdom about the interconnectedness of all life. "Humankind did not weave the web of life. We are but one strand within it. Whatever we do to the web we do to ourselves."

Woods, a poem by Noelle Oxenhandler. Only when we stop tallying our loves, our hates, our memories, and even our progress can we discover the elemental joy we share in common with Earth and all her creatures.

O Mother of Rain, Rain Upon Us, a Rwala Bedouin prayer. Sometimes anticipated gratefulness expresses itself as a heartfelt call for what we truly need.

A New World Vision, a Qbox answer by Brother David Steindl-Rast. How does gratefulness show us an alternative world order?

Light a Candle – Here you can leave a message of your gratitude for Earth and of your intention to protect her.

  Links (Open in a new window)

12 Steps to Practical Problem Solving, by Paul Polak
A few simple, basic steps help us come up with solutions to just about any complicated social problem, according to these insightful guidelines.

Positive Futures Network - Through extensive online resources, networking, education, lectures, and their publication Yes!, this organization helps you to become part of a global community of change makers creating a just, sustainable, and compassionate world.

Earth 911 - For centralized information and resources on recycling and products that empower consumers to act locally, live responsibly and contribute to sustainability.

Joanna Macy video: In this four-minute video, Joanna Macy, Ph.D. - a scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology - counsels the embracing of pain about the world as a way of deepening our connection to it.

Making Waves and Riding the Currents: Activism
and the Practice of Wisdom, by Charles Halpern
(foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama). 
This is a memoir and honest account of Charles Halpern's contemplative journey into how to see the wholeness in any situation.  It acts as a spiritual and grounded guide for practicing wisdom in the world of service, sustainability and social justice.

Care2 - Here is an environmentally-oriented search engine, forum and directory. Enjoy thousands of simple, practical tips for living a healthier, greener life.

Humanity is the greatest challenge.  This BBC viewpoint piece by John Feeney calls us out on the importance of walking our talk. In gratefulness for the gifts Earth freely gives us, we need to embrace the difficult truth of our ecological crisis, reduce personal resource consumption, transition to clean renewable energy, and address overpopulation humanely. 

How Green Is My Garden? This article by Thomas C. Cooper talks about the potential of biomass fuels and how raw materials for this free, sustainable resource are right at our fingertips in our home gardens.

Business Alliance for Local Living Economies - Read how this burgeoning organization supports local business networks that are working toward sustaining healthy community life and natural life as well as long-term economic viability.

Snow Riders of the American Indian Nations - Read stories of how earth-honoring practices - magnificent dances, mountain blessings, sustainable wisdom and snow gratitude ceremonies can create winter harmony on our earth.

Free Rice - In this vocabulary game, each word you get right means 20 grains of rice are donated to the United Nations World Food Program. If you get a word right, you get a harder word. If wrong, you get an easier word. Have fun and serve a good cause!

The Cloud Appreciation Society - Morning Glory Clouds; Crepuscular Rays & Cloud Showers; Clouds That Look Like Other Things. Explore the endless array of clouds and marvel at their glory.

The Green Rule - Ecological wisdom from many faith traditions, exclaiming the beauty and holiness of the natural world.

Climate Options for a Greener World - BBC news reports on what we can do keep Earth habitable:  through an animated guide for understanding the greenhouse effect, a video laying out two scenarios for the year 2100, and a vote about future choices.

David Suzuki Foundation - Seeking out the best research available, this foundation communicates ways to balance human needs with the sustainability of all life on earth.

The Good Earth - This combination of images of the Earth, atmospheric music, and words from Genesis read by astronauts makes a powerful statement about caring for our world.

Earth by Day – These two photos [east, 523K] [west, 579K] offer a breathtaking view of our exquisite planet.

Earth at Night – A simple photo [386K] tells us so much, about population patterns, about light pollution, and about the beauty we wish to preserve.

EarthCARMA - Are you interested in helping to create a healthy, nurturing environment for life on this planet? This site can inform and guide you.

Water Crystals - The gorgeous photos on this German site give us yet another reason to be grateful to the water which sustains our life.

Make Poverty History - Caring for Earth includes caring for her people, especially the poorest among us.

Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect
This article by David Orr describes perils in the movement to preserve a habitable planet. How we might rethink our actions close to home?

Steven’s Portal – This marvelous resource site shows how real individuals and organizations help and heal the earth every day.

Nature Conservancy – Learn about preserving earth’s remaining wild places.

Heron Dance – This art gallery and reading room focuses on the beauty of the natural world from many different angles, ranging from work in refugee camps and soup kitchens to the quiet of wilderness.

The Good Life, The Good Life, by Helen and Scott Nearing. Pioneers in the back-to-the-land movement, the Nearings describe “ a rural life based on self-reliance, good health, and a minimum of cash” (Washington Post Book World).

Superbia: 31 Ways to Create Sustainable Neighborhoods, by Dan Chiras and Dave Wann. How can we remake suburbia to serve people better and reduce environmental impact?

The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss. Not just a children’s book, this classic tells the devastating story of deforestation and ends with a note of hope

The World Is As You Dream It, by John Perkins. Fascinating encounters with indigenous cultures lead Perkins to believe “ we must all change our dream from the one of materialism and domination...to a more spiritual, cooperative, and Earth-honoring one."

The Sense of Wonder, by Rachel Carson. Carson’s timely words and Nick Kelsh’s nature photography offer ways to guide children into the "excitement and mystery of the world we live in."