SOLSTICE BLESSINGS
WINTER SOLSTICE IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE
SUMMER SOLSTICE IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE

Gratitude & ThanksGIVING

G - iving
R - eflection
A - ttention
T - ime
I - nside
T - ruth
U - pholding
D - ivine
E - xperience

We wanted to thank all of you on this day and express our gratitude for the Interdependent reality that we all share.

In Sustainable Solidarity
Darlene Green

Titans of Transition

Equinox - 12 hours day, 12 hours night - perfect balance at the point of shift...the Titans of Transition awaken as the collective of humanity unites with a shared vision of a healthy and sustainable world. This image is dedicated to these Titans and as we move toward the end of 2009 may we all take time each day to nurture ourselves and strengthen our interdependent bonds.

We know as we awaken to our own personal power to create the world we all envision there will be many who arise from our collective who embody the characteristics that we are all cultivating within ourselves. As leaders of leaders these individuals are upheld among us as our collective voice and will expressed through their words and actions. As we honor them we are honoring ourselves because they represent us. The Interdependent Project would like to invite all of you to share with us the people, groups, and organizations who you feel are worthy of honor and acknowledgment during these times of transition. On the Sustainable Matrix Weavers Network there is a blog post titled 'Titans of Transition' - simply ad a reply to this post with information and photos of those whom you wish to honor - including yourself! We look forward to the emergence...


We would like to honor Shai Agassi as the first Titan of Transition. Please click here to watch videos and read more.

May you all shine brightly!

Summer & Seeds of Sustainability

Almost the end of August and we have been working since Earth Day on the Seeds of Sustainability program. The learning spiral never ends on this path of regenerative media. Our team is small and the list of things to do endless during this hot summer. We realized too late that we did not make a post to this blog for the June 21st Interdependence Day celebration - duh - so here is a link to the page with the special radio broadcast and videos celebrating the event. We shamelessly admit that more than 50% of our time is spent outdoors stewarding the Land of Dandarius here in Northern Caly. 60 acres of land inspires a huge amount of devotion. Here is one before and after shot of the small fish pond area we created by the house...

Before

After

We also had some computer problems here - operating systems going haywire (Vista sucks) and master computer crashing and giving its final beep goodbye. We have Linux now on the previous Vista computer and a new big mamma computer which is still getting all of the programs reloaded but she's a serious machine with 200GB - and we are getting a 2000GB external hardrive for all of the media we plan to launch this fall/winter. We hope to have the dvd done within the next couple weeks but we know better than to set ourselves up for any 'dates'...this project has a spirit and clock of it's own.

The Green PaTroll has been keeping things moving in the new Interdependent network and below is a copy of the Stage Two Launch report that he posted in the forum there....if you have not already joined please feel free to come join and weave your visions and make some connections:
_____________________________________

Greetings Sustainable Matrix Weavers

I have been commissioned to give you all a full report of the Stage Two Launch of the Interdependent Project. Those of you who have been with us since Stage One launch know that the Interdependent Project's main website, Interdependent Project Radio, the Interdependent Project Community Sphere, and the Seeds of Sustainability Program were the focus of Stage One Launch. Because the team is on a "learn as they go" mission the learning spiral involved in getting this matrix weaved was full of wild rides, unexpected surprises as well as disappointments, exciting connections with amazing individuals/organizations, and new friends joining the team.

The re-branding of the whole project was a huge undertaking and Dandarius is going to write a small and humorous ebook 'expose`' revealing the behind the scenes drama for those who might be interested in what kind of details have been involved in the creation of this multi-media portal.

Interdependence Day marked the beginning of the Stage Two Launch which encompasses the following projects goals:

Interdependent Ambassador Susan Frank's community tour and media outreach for the summer and fall. Susan is visiting many communities striving for sustainable living and attending events focused on 'green' themes. She will be spending a great deal of time at the Tennessee Farm as an apprentice to core team member Greg Landua helping the Farm prepare for the upcoming Bioregional Congress that is being hosted at the Farm. You can keep up with Susan's tour on her blog and if you are interested in attending please contact Susan directly so that she can have you on her own guest list during your visit!

Seeds of Sustainability will be releasing the first educational DVD that introduces master sprouting alchemist and core team member Robin Marche's revolutionary sprouting and living oils methods. These methods show how to make the highest quality sprouted vegetables using simple methods that eliminate the need to do daily rinsing and how to create living oils from nuts and seeds. You can download a free ebook and join the S.O.S. community if you are into accessing new and simple ways to add the highest living nutritious foods to your diet. Members of the private Interdependent Community Sphere (EcoVillages and Sustainable Communities) will be gifted a free digital download of the DVD and the team is going to give all members of the Interdependent Project an opportunity for a free download as well...more about that soon....

The Interdependent Community Sphere will be expanding this summer now that the first four communities have provided the feedback and joined the platform that is going to allow these communities to expand their connections with each other. It has been very exciting for the team to provide this private platform to these pioneers of sustainable living and try to find ways of serving their needs. 10+ new communities will be invited this summer into the Sphere and Susan will be recommending more during her travels.

The Interdependent Project Radio....as you all know the first 11 launch shows were a great success in many ways. The Green Talk Radio network however proved to not quite be the best platform in the teams opinion for future shows so radio broadcasting temporarily ceased while the team has been learning how to launch their own network. They are hoping to be able to resume broadcasting late fall/early winter when everyone is back indoors and ready for more cutting edge 'best of the best' in sustainable solutions. They still have many unbroadcasted/archived interviews with people like Earnest Callenbach, author of Ecotopia, and many more on cue so please stay tuned. There will be special broadcasts during the summer to keep you all up to date on great events like the Bioregional Congress and others that the team has time to produce.

Speaking of time...there never seems to be enough lately and I have watched the team struggle with this issue the most. Weaving a high quality matrix like the Interdependent Project is a huge time commitment and during these past few months the team has had a few challenges to overcome so they feel bad that they have not been able to keep up with a great deal of email communications and project related content. I have volunteered to help them in many ways but they still need team members who can contribute time and talent. They are currently looking for dedicated individuals to volunteer for the following areas:

~Full time video producer/editor for published digital DVD's and YouTube movies.
~~Radio hosts to do interviews in the 10 categories of the Sustainable Matrix. One host per category - we already have regular host lined up for the Earth Shelters and Sustain Yourself shows but need someone for others.
~~~Audio editor for radio shows
~~~~Webmaster to work with Dar on site updates/upgrades.
~~~~~Interdependent Partners marketing director.
~~~~~~Networkers to help weave Interdependent connections
~~~~~~~Language translators for audio and video

The Interdependent Project team is committed to the next 7 generations...that is 150 years approximately and although that is not much for us Trolls it can seem like forever to humans. I believe those of you who are making a deep commitment to the future have a part of your being already living there enjoying the fruits of the Tree of Sustainability that you are planting right now. I also believe humans are not far from unlocking the door to living even far beyond that time span by opening yourselves to the magic of life NOW.
In deepest gratitude and service
Your friend
Green PaTroll
________________________________________

In Sustainable Solidarity

Darlene Green

Happy Interdependence Day!

Interdependence Day message from Darlene Green, founder of the Interdependent Project:

What have we learned in the past three years in developing this project?

Interdependence is not easy....

It requires us to reprogram ourselves everyday and rethink every idea and belief system that we have been operating in up until now. These are challenging times for humanity, and the challenges are only going to increase. Fortunately for us, this will also mark a time of coming together in ways that we did not even consider possible before. Challenges have the potential to bring out the best of us as individuals, and as a unified collective.

The changes are happening so fast that looking for balance is a moot point, and all we can do is ride the wave of constant adaptation and recalibration. There have been many upheavals in the lives of everyone, including the members of the interdependent project. No matter how bleak or challenging it may seem to go through this constant change, the fact that we are all together is a source of unending strength as everything (including the structure of this project) dies and is reborn over and over and over again.

When we look back at what our plans were at the beginning of this journey, and how many mutations that has gone through, with the only constant being our intent, its hard to hold back the tears as we remember the challenges and obstacles we have grown through continually having to overcome.

On this day, the first global Interdependence Day, I invite you all to find your Interdependent tribe and let them know just how much their presence has meant in your life. I know that I would not be the person I am today if it was not for everyone connected to this project. Even those who tried to embrace interdependence but were unable to make that final leap have taught me many lessons and contributed to my sense of calm unity (community) more than they could ever imagine. To all of you who have supported this project, thank you, and happy Interdependence Day 2009.

Darlene Green
Interdependent Project Founder

Interdependence Day and other Updates....

Greetings Sustainable Matrix Weavers!

There are many global and local celebrations/events happening around sustainable living these transition days – so many in fact that they are hard to keep up with! To us this really shows how much humanity is awakening and evolving towards our next step as a species – the step towards sustainable living. Today was World Environment Day World Environment Day (WED) which was established by the UN General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Commemorated yearly on 5 June, WED is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action.

Interdependence Day – June 21st 2009 – is a global event that is being birthed on Solstice this year – just a couple weeks from now. There is no centralized or structured format for Interdependence Day and... read more here

Our team has been heavily involved in producing the Seeds of Sustainability™ educational DVD since Earth Day and it is our hope to have it released on Interdependence Day….read more here

This past month we also completed the Children’s Agenda International ~ “Heralding in the Age of the Child” website for a good friend of ours who lives in Sierra Leone – Bamine Boye. We met Bamine through the Youth Venture network and have been working with him since last year to launch his organizations website. We were so happy to see the site go live on June 2nd and we are committed to helping CAI’s efforts to bring sustainable solutions to the world’s children.

Community Sphere Update: Interdependent Ambassador Susan Frank, who is the Executive Administrator of the private Community Sphere, has finished the first leg of her communities and events tour and will begin her summer tour this Monday June 8th. Susan has been visiting communities and attending sustainability events as a student of sustainability and media liaison….read more here

Now that the private community sphere is up and being vibrantly populated with the first four communities that were invited – Findhorn, The Farm, Terra Sante, and Lammas – we will be inviting more communities on Interdependence Day to enter the “Sphere” and begin weaving with all the amazing kindred who are pioneering sustainable living.

We wanted to say a very special thank you to Paul Wimbush from Lammas EcoVillage, Elliott Saxby from NextGEN, and Jason Deptula from The Farm for co-creating an awesome beginning with us and of course deep appreciation to Susan Frank, Robin Marche, Greg Landua, and Vladimir Prolov for their incredible contributions in making this vision into reality!

If you would like to read more about the vision of this private sphere please read Susan’s Earth Day post here.

Site Live on Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day!!!

The main website is now live and RE-Branded...it is like the Matrix ReLoaded and we are stoked on the new look, feel, and navigation...so far...

We make mention on the site that we are going to be writing an expose' on why we changed the logo and everything we have learned this past year - a Stage One report that is guaranteed to make you laugh (most important), raise some eyebrows, shock, and perhaps outrage some part of you that actually needs to be felt by the part of you that has numbed out to the crap we all go through whenever we attempt to pursue our dreams.

With that said we want to let you all know that we would love to hear what you think of the new logo and site. As always we respond well to feedback.

We wanted to share on this special Earth Day post a story that was written by core team member Susan Frank that she published today in the private Interdependent Community Sphere called "Earth Day Story". We did not ask Susan if we could publish it here so it may or may not stay up on this blog but we were so inspired by it and we felt it really deserved to be published in the outer matrix. Thank you Susan and if you would rather this jewel remain private we totally respect that.

The following is my vision for The Sphere...... A wise person once told me that the way to create your vision is to see it clearly, then walk yourself back in time to watch unfold how you got there, to see each step. So on this Earth Day, let's put our collective minds and hearts together and envision what great things this place can, and will, become.....
In gratitude for all things possible, especially this place we call Earth,
Susan

It's Earth Day 2012, three years since the launching of the Community Sphere networking platform of the Interdependent Project. Little did we know when we created this realm that it was going to lead to so many incredible connections and benefit so many people and communities. Just goes to show how good ideas can spread virally, infecting us with positive vibes as we inspire each other and improve our lives.

There seems to always be something happening in the sphere. One thought tends to spur a flurry of interesting ideas. One request for an answer brings more than the asker could desire, giving them choices of how to best construct their new straw bale, or what ingredient makes for the best humanure concoction, or where to find the best quality, least expensive materials for a 1000 gallon rainwater harvesting system, or what method of canning is the best for tomatoes.....

Right now there is a bio-diesel truck bringing organic produce from 3 farms in the same region of northern California to 3 communities in Colorado, who in turn are sending grains and spices to be dropped off in Arizona, where the truck will pick up building materials for a project back in CA. The truck owner, George from Biggimus Riggimus Community in Truckee, CA, got the great idea to become a driver to move products around the country to help communities trade with each other while promoting the use of bio-diesel. At his community stops he puts on workshops to teach others how to convert their vehicles, and he almost always gets questioned everywhere he goes from strangers whose interests are piqued by the great info and mural on the sides of his truck. Those were done, by the way, with eco-friendly paints by “Patrick The Eco-friendly Painter Guy” we all know and adore, who traded for a ride to the west coast to help supervise a painting project at a community he connected with on the Sphere. George thinks he needs to add two more trucks already, because since he posted his original idea on the Sphere to start this trade route, he has connected with so many communities with items to offer into the system, he can't keep up! The Sphere barter network started to work with him and provided the capital for his road expenses from the funding received from the Interdependent Project's Foundation “seedling” grant program. Imagine- we are on the way towards a fleet of bio-diesel trucks to move items traded among communities! The more trucks and the larger the barter network grows, the less driving each truck will have to do because we can keep the produce as local as possible. Another great “side effect”- George met the love of his life Georgina when he was delivering some homemade organic chocolates and freshly harvested strawberries to her community Lovespirit. How could she resist such a delivery right to her community kitchen?


Recently the Alpha Cmty posted a need for 3 people to come help them build a greenhouse, and offered in return 3 people to offer services in teaching permaculture techniques. What happened was Beta Cmty needed some help building a cob house, and Delta Cmty, an up and coming sustainable farm, needed some advice and help with planting their first seeds of their first crops. So Delta sent some help for the cob building because they lived closest to Beta, who in turn sent some help for greenhouse building because they had people traveling in the neighborhood of Beta who happened to have experience building greenhouses, and Alpha sent some help to Delta to advise them on how to work with their land sustainably.

These kinds of multi-community trades happen all the time now! It is amazing what happens when you ask for help in the Sphere.

We have watched various communities with products and services be able to more broadly market themselves and their wares through the Sphere, as well as start trading for their needs with other communities. Having so many things available in one place with the IP brand and seal of sustainability has also given communities more opportunity to create wealth from the IP main website, and as the Matrix has garnered such a mass of public attention, we are getting feedback that community sales are way up!

The IP media company has done a tremendous job of promoting online workshops, dvd courses and demos on everything from SOS (Seeds of Sustainability) to building your humanure hut to one community's documentary on how they went from a struggling farm to a successful permaculture education center with the help of the Sphere communities. Their radio shows, community podcasts, and “Interviews from the Road” series are all getting worldwide acclaim!

A great core team of experts in green building, off grid energy systems design, rainwater harvesting systems, and various aspects of permaculture formed to offer their help to upstart communities in exchange for room, board and traveling expenses, and so far they have traveled to 6 states already and been a wealth of help to places which really needed it. In addition, the outpouring of support from established ecovillages and communities towards struggling new communities has led to a measurable jump in the success rate of intentional communities worldwide.

Last year some of our European community partners got together and finally met each other in person at Lammas Ecovillage in a gathering to celebrate how far they have come since they first helped develop the Sphere. We all know how much hard work it was as we virtually observed their progress, and many of us wished we could have been there to toast their success in person and witness the results of so many of their plans which have come to fruition. However, we were there in spirit and online because they posted a live podcast to the Sphere allowing us to share the joy around the world.

This year there is momentum building for a massive ride share caravan of Sphere members to converge on Terrasante for a work project week focused on helping them finish the creation of their solar and wind powered microgrid system, following by a huge drum circle event that I suspect will be worth however much effort is put forth during the week. Really, when it comes down to it, this kind of action can't even be called “work”- when so many caring and committed people come together to help each other, it is too much fun to be called work, isn't it? That is why I love the term “work party”, cause when communitarians really get their groove on with a project, it's always a party atmosphere!

Ride share situations have also popped up to help people get to events such as the Bio-Regional Congress two years going now. We have heard some great stories of the connections made while traveling to events!

Melvin and Misha figured out how to build a super efficient solar water heater inspired by a discussion started in the sphere. They create a dvd with instructions on how to build it yourself which they offered to free for all Sphere members, and their sales on the IP main site to the public have skyrocketed! With input from several people, the idea formed almost instantly!

Oh, and the philosophical discussions have been fascinating! Not to mention the incredible loving support, the guidance given, the humor....

Its all about networking. The internet age has allowed us to create a web of connection, free flowing info, knowledge, and ideas which have generated this amazing opportunity for all of us. It has allowed us to strengthen our communities, to find and create resource, to have a wealth of perspectives at our fingertips. Technology can indeed make our lives easier, when the human element is not forgotten. Here in the Sphere we connect humans, really, though, people began connecting with each other naturally, and the energy has just built upon itself, flowing and evolving as more people joined and added their energy.

There isn't a way to gauge these sort of things I suppose. When Dandarius began this adventure they had vision and heart, two main ingredients for creating something incredible. Their belief in what can be was the seed that blossomed into this great space we call The Sphere. Being motivated by hope and possibility, sharing their ideas and inspiring others to join in, moving forward with a positive attitude paid off- now this garden is in full bloom, thanks to them and to all of your who have helped it to grow. Whether you have played in The Sphere just a few minutes a week, or have put hours into it when moved to do so, you are all responsible for making it what it has become today.

So thank you for being a part of this amazing, ever unfolding experience! May The Sphere continue to inspire us, to guide us, to infuse us with energy and ideas, to create abundance for each of our lives and our communities, and to lead us together into a future that is increasingly more and more focused on sustainable solutions for the good of people everywhere and for the planet Earth!

Happy Earth Day!!

Blazing Through the Sky....

So many of you have noticed that our site is "Down for Independent/Interdependent Conference" - we are biting at the bit to share the story of what has been happening with the project but we seriously have not had any time at all to write. The Community Sphere has launched, we are writing our articles of incorporation as a "Common Good 'B' Corp", re-branding/launching the main website, working with new team members, and going into Stage 2 launch Interdependence Day - June 21st....

You have seen a glimpse of the new brand/logo on the index page and we are now in here doing some decorating/updating and had to at least leave a note for everyone....

Equinox brought a great deal of changes that have given us an opportunity to super-fine-tune this projects quality standards and priorities. Stage 1 launch catapulted us through a series of gauntlets that were made of plastic and wax which gave us a serious education on how people generally view and treat those who follow their dreams/visions.

Has not tainted us in the least though - we are going into Stage 2 with more fuel because we are no longer going to waste fuel trying to find fuel - we have realized that WE are the fuel and our rose colored glasses and naivety our greatest asset in a time when those who have the "Audacity to Hope" are the ones accomplishing their goals.

If all of this is a little confusing don't worry - we will be publishing a complete behind the scenes expose` that will bring it all into focus soon...

Until then remember - there is no way to convince the dependent nor independent entity that interdependent is the evolved path - Interdependent must focus on it's own evolution as the new entity on the block whose destiny is to demonstrate through its own existence a quality standard that leads to true sustainable living...AND...to choose interdependence is not an easy path - so we are no longer going to "invite" you to declare your interdependence - we are going to "dare" you!



More soon...

Getting to Know the Weavers!

We want to thank those of you who took the time to participate in providing much needed feedback and we are stoked about getting to know all of you more....some pretty amazing individuals are coming into this matrix to anchor in our "quality" standards with their presence - thank you. It is awesome to meet all of you learn more about your own personal visions. If you have not had a chance please introduce yourself and let us know what you think of the project so far.
We will be posting a similar survey now on the main page of the site in about 2 weeks. Your feedback is being translated into action and we will have some pretty exciting announcements coming up soon about Stage Two of the launch...

Right now though we need to still concentrate on getting the doors to the Community Sphere open for our participating sustainable communities and EcoVillages and completeing our articles of incorporation as a "B" Corp.

As you all should know by now this project is "youth led" which means we know exactly what we are doing but we don't know a thing about how we are doing it - we are just doing it! We are posting some great informative videos about "B" corporations on our "NOW" page for any of you who are wondering what it is that we are trying to create as a multi-media corporation.

We need to re-invent how media works with this project and we are looking to transcend the traditional media/advertiser model with a new model - a new model that is being molded as we type! We have gotten as far as we have with a small seed grant from Youth Venture and some other small but significant cash chunks that enabled us to pay for some of the fees associated with this launch.

We also want to thank those of you who have submitted content for the site and made suggestions over these past two weeks. We will be posting it with the next site update once we finalize your permissions.

Introducing New Team Member Susan Frank

The Interdependent Project is proud to introduce to all of you our new team member Susan Frank who will be the Executive Administrator of the Community Sphere private network.

Welcome into the interdependent sphere Susan!


Susan Frank lives in Pine, AZ, and is a student in the experiential and self-directed adult degree program of Prescott College in Prescott, AZ, studying management and organization for sustainable community.

She has a varied background from crafty entrepreneurial endeavors to business administration and management, from bookkeeping to book publishing. Her years in Boulder, CO directing an artist cooperative in the 90's left a solid impression of how powerful and creative teamwork can be.

Susan has had a long term interest in sustainable intentional communities and is passionate about the benefits of cooperation. She is thrilled to be involved in a project that brings people together in the name of sustainability.

As the Executive Administrator of the Community Sphere, Susan will be helping members and communities to co-create a strong network where ideas and information will be shared, connections will be made, and sustainable solutions will be discussed and manifested.

Susan says, “I plan to provide as much nurturing and guidance as I can as we learn from each other and grow this sphere into a positive force together. When people unite to accomplish anything with good intentions, the possibilities are only limited by our imaginations.”
_________________________

We are so grateful to have had the universe connect us with Susan because the Community Sphere private network is the heart of the Interdependent Project and having Susan as the Executive Administrator guarantees that we will be able to devote the quality time to getting our first four communities warmly cared for during the stage one development of the platform. Thank you Susan! For more information about the sphere please click here.

Link to Interdependent Project Debut Hour

Just in case you missed Monday's debut broadcast of the
Interdependent Project Radio
we wanted to post a link to the archived show that you can download and listen to on demand.

Interdependent Project Radio Debut Hour

If that link does not work use this one

Green Carpet Lounge

In Sustainable Solidarity
Dandarius & the IP Core Team

LIFT OFF!

Wow - today's first show was a quite a rush for all of us! The Green Talk Network is still working out the system of the new network and there are many features that are still in the works - including the movable audio widgets. We don't know yet when the first show will be archived and available for on-demand listening but we hope it will be soon because we know that many people probably did not catch the noon broadcast. We noticed that it was re-broadcasted a couple times during the day and we hope many of you were able to catch it. We are doing the final editing right now on the next couple of shows and we are stoked about our upcoming shows and awesome guests. We want to thank all of you who caught the show and emailed us with your great feedback! We are in the after glow and celebrating our collective triumph!

Big Heartwaves to you all!

Dandarius & the IP Core Team