Manna -- November 13, 2001

MANNA
The E-Newsletter of the Alliance for Sustainability

Making sustainability a reality worldwide through support of ecologically sound, economically viable, socially just & humane initiatives on a personal, organizational & planetary level.

We'd like to welcome you to the 12th edition of the Alliance for Sustainability's monthly tree-free e-newsletter Manna. This issue builds on the inspiring thoughts of Wendell Berry and Robert Kennedy from last month by sharing an extraordinary piece by Bill Moyers, breakthroughs from Sweden and a practical look at our personal transportation choices. We'd love to hear your thoughts and hope this Manna will fuel you to make a difference.
-- Krista Leraas and Terry Gips, Editors

November 13, 2001

The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we used when we created them. -- Albert Einstein

In this issue of MANNA...
* Hot Conferences -- Bill Moyers Speaks Out on Real Patriotism, What We Missed September 11 and Secret Efforts to Destroy the Environment
* The Alliance for Sustainability's Junk Mail Tree Project
* Take Action! -- Keep National Forests Protected, Support Legislators Against Drilling in ANWR, Buy Nothing Day is Nov 23
* Planetary Sustainability -- Needed: Leadership on Warming
* Personal Sustainability -- Two Perspectives on Choosing One’s Transportation--To Be or Not to Be Car-free
* Sustainable Sweden (fourth article in a series) -- Simple Steps from the Swedes for Saving Money and the Earth
* Resource of the Month -- OrganicVolunteers.com
* Center for Judaism and Sustainability -- COEJL Board Issues Statement on Energy Policy and National Security; COEJL Call-in Seminar
* From Whence Our Coal Comes -- Terry Gips
* Our Wish List!
* Selected Upcoming Events

Hot Conferences
Bill Moyers Speaks Out on Real Patriotism, What We Missed September 11 and Secret Efforts to Destroy the Environment
The following is the heavily excerpted keynote given by award-winning PBS documentary filmmaker and former White House Press Secretary Bill Moyers at the Environmental Grantmakers Association Conference in Brainerd, MN October 16,2001. The complete text is available at www.mtn.org/iasa/moyers.html.

September 11 could offer a new beginning, a renewal of civil values that could leave our society stronger and more together than ever, working on common goals for the public good. The playwright Tony Kushner wrote more than a decade ago: 'There are moments in history when the fabric of everyday life unravels, and there is this unstable dynamism that allows for incredible social change in short periods of time. People and the world they're living in can be utterly transformed, either for the good or the bad, or some mixture of the two.'

But it didn't take long for the wartime opportunists--the mercenaries of Washington, the lobbyists, lawyers, and political fundraisers--to grab what they can for their clients. They are slipping into the Environmental Protection Agency while everyone's distracted to torpedo the recent order to clean the Hudson River of PCBs. Don't worry about NBC, CNBC, or MSNBC reporting it; they're all in the GE family. Give those coal producers freedom to pollute. And shovel generous tax breaks to those giant energy companies; and open the Alaskan wilderness to drilling.

And while the red, white and blue wave at half-mast over the land of the free and the home of the brave--why, give the President the power to discard democratic debate and the rule-of-law concerning controversial trade agreements, and set up secret tribunals to run roughshod over local communities trying to protect their environment and their health. It's happening right now.

We are in what educators call "a teachable moment." And we'll lose it if we roll over and shut up. If in the name of the war on terrorism President Bush hands the state over to the energy industry, it's every patriot's duty to join the local opposition. The single most important thing environmentalists can do to ensure America's national security is to fight to reduce our nation's dependence on oil, whether imported or domestic.

Before the 11th of September the nuclear power industry was salivating at the prospect of the government giving it limited liability for the risks of the meltdown or other nuclear accident. But Harvey Wassermann tells us that one or both planes that crashed into the World Trade Center could easily have obliterated the two atomic reactors now operating at Indian Point, about 40 miles up the Hudson River, resulting in a cloud of radiation that would have dwarfed the ones at Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. The radioactive clouds would enshroud New York, New Jersey, New England, and carry deep into the Atlantic and up into Canada and across to Europe and around the globe again and again. This is what we missed by a mere forty miles near New York City on September 11th. And remember--there are 103 of these potential bombs of the apocalypse now operating in the United States.

I know you see the magnitude of the challenge. It's why you mustn't lose heart. Your adversaries will call you unpatriotic for speaking the truth when conformity reigns. Mainstream media will ignore you. But I urge you to hold to these words from Randy Kehler: "In the course of fighting the present fire, we must not abandon our efforts to create fire-resistant structures of the future." Those fire-resistant structures must include an electoral system that is no longer dominated by big money, an energy system that is more sustainable, and a media that takes its responsibility to inform us. We will be defined not by the lives we led until the 11th of September, but by the lives we will lead from now on.

Read this transcript in its entirety on our web site: www.mtn.org/iasa/moyers.html

It's not easy being green. -- Kermit the Frog

Junk Mail Tree Project
The Alliance has just received funding from the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board to coordinate the Junk Mail Tree Project, a highly visible, positive and engaging educational and action project addressing the problem of junk mail, consumption and sustainability. Junk Mail Trees will be constructed of junk mail collected by school and community groups and then displayed at major malls and public venues. The trees will then be transformed by All-Paper Recycling into tables and construction materials to be donated to Habitat for Humanity.

We encourage all Alliance members and others to get involved with this exciting project. Consider organizing your local school, church or community group to make a junk mail tree or forest. If you are interested in learning more about the project, follow this link to our web site: www.mtn.org/iasa/manna0110.html#junk. If you would like to volunteer for this project, e-mail us at iasa@mtn.org.

Af-flu-en-za n. 1. The bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from efforts to keep up with the Joneses. 2. An epidemic of stress, overwork, waste and indebtedness caused by dogged pursuit of the American Dream. 3. An unsustainable addiction to economic growth.

Take Action!
Keep National Forests Protected
While much of the nation's attention is focused on other matters, the Bush administration continues to move to dismantle some of our most important national forest protections. By eliminating environmental review and public involvement, their latest proposal would make it easier to log, mine, and build roads in some of America's most pristine national forests.

America's national forests are among our nation's most precious resources. They provide a haven for wildlife, source of clean drinking water, place for solitude and recreation, and a heritage for our children.

To stop these environmental rollbacks, your help is needed. Please help save America's last wild places. Visit http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/nepa_regs to submit your official comment to the Forest Service and help protect our last wild national forests from commercial logging, mining, and road building. Because once these forests are gone... they're gone forever.

As you come to know the seriousness of our situation--the war, the racism, the poverty in the world--you come to realize it is not going to be changed just by words or demonstrations. It's a question of risking your life. It's a question of living your life in drastically different ways. -- Dorothy Day, Seeds of Peace

Support Legislators Against Drilling in ANWR
Sen. Daschle's office is getting lots of calls from pro-drilling forces criticizing his stand against the drilling. He, along with Sen. Kerry, have stated that they would filibuster against this proposed mandate to drill.

They need our support. Also, Californians, please call or fax Feinstein's office and let her know that you are against the drilling. She has come out against it but in a filibuster she might change her stance when the pressure is on.

Sen. Thomas Daschle - tom_daschle@daschle.senate.gov, 202-224-5556 voice, 202-224-2047 fax
Sen. John Kerry - john_kerry@kerry.senate.gov, 202-224-2742 voice, 202-224-8525 fax
Sen. Dianne Feinstein - senator@feinstein.senate.gov, 202-224-3841 voice, 202-228-3954 fax

Sooner or later, we sit down to a banquet of consequences. -- Robert Louis Stevenson

Buy Nothing Day
Going shopping while our countries go to war makes no sense. It's as simple as that. Activists the world over are using Buy Nothing Day 2001 to tell the G7 nations that they've taken more than their share -- enough is enough. Join us by hitting the streets hard this year on November 23. Happy Buy Nothing Day

We are what we consume. If we look deeply into the items that we consume every day, we will come to know our own nature very well. -- Thich Nhat Hanh

Planetary Sustainability
Needed: Leadership on Warming
Washington Post Editorial - November 6, 2001
In Marrakesh this week, representatives of more than 160 nations are meeting to push the Kyoto Protocol on global warming a step closer to ratification. As delegates hammer out the mechanics for implementing the protocol, the United States is on the sidelines, as it has been since President George W. Bush announced his decision in March to abandon the Kyoto process. U.S. representatives are attending the talks but bringing no new proposals to the table for this round.

A cabinet-level review of climate change policies has been under way since an initial set of recommendations for more research and technology development was announced last spring. It is not apparent that much was coming from that process even before Sept. 11, but the events of that day and the response to them clearly have pushed the issue aside for the time being. Few would quarrel with that at this moment, nor should they. But the underlying obligation to address global warming is not going to disappear.

The administration continues to insist that it takes climate change seriously. But the president is lobbying for a House-passed energy bill that falls far short on automobile fuel efficiency standards, which would help to reduce carbon emissions. The administration also has squared off to fight a Senate bill that would limit the carbon dioxide output from power plants, which account for more than a third of U.S. emissions of that greenhouse gas.

The president's energy plan does contain some steps toward energy efficiency and conservation, both key to holding down greenhouse gas emissions, but he himself has said that more needs to be done. Officials are still much clearer on what they are against than on what additional steps to reduce greenhouse gases, other than more research, they are prepared to support.

More study is worthwhile, but it is not enough. The potential consequences of climate change are so serious, and the buildup of greenhouse gases is so difficult to reverse, that the only prudent course is to find responsible ways to act even while research continues. Private companies are finding ways to move ahead, and so are some state governments. The federal government ought to be able to act as well. Mr. Bush promised leadership on climate change. It is still needed.

From the Washington Post web site: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41324-2001Nov5.html

Trees are the earth's endless effort to speak to the listening heaven. -- Rabindranath Tagore

Personal Sustainability
Two Perspectives on Choosing One’s Transportation--To Be or Not to Be Car-free
As we face global climate change, planetary pollution and the need to conserve energy, it is clear that our transportation choice is one of the biggest decisions each of us makes everyday. Rather than discussing it conceptually, we thought we’d get personal and share two perspectives from inside the Alliance: Car-free, public transportation advocate Krista Leraas and car-bike user Terry Gips. We hope this discussion will be helpful in assessing your own choices and that you’ll share your perspective for publishing in next month’s Manna. When it turns cold we’ll check back with Krista and Terry to see if Lake Wobegon’s winter is affecting their thinking.
Get a Life--Take the Bus
By Krista Leraas, Office Manager, Alliance for Sustainability
I've never been terribly attached to stuff. For me it just clutters my thinking as well as my apartment. That's why I was quite relieved when my '82 Ford Tempo (and what a hot car it was) finally bid its fond farewell to proper functioning three years ago. Actually, I was elated -- I wouldn't have to spend the 500 bucks to get the hoobajoob replaced.

Don't get me wrong. It was an adjustment for me. Suddenly, laundry day found me playing sherpa with duffle bags and backpacks dangling from my shoulders and bouncing against my legs. Getting to work in Bloomington from my place in Minneapolis was a journey as well. I had to leave an hour and half before my shift just so I could arrive early and twiddle my thumbs for 20 minutes. What about grocery shopping, you ask. I was saved only by proximity to two stores and the fact that my roommates, who had cars, also got hungry.

What was a girl to do? I didn't have money or desire for another car. Heck, I didn't even own a bicycle. So I moved to an apartment with laundry across the hall, found a job in Minneapolis, discovered the joys of using a comfortable backpack to haul my groceries and slid into a peaceful turquoise seat on the MTC -- the bus.

Now, three years into my public transportation love affair, it's as natural to me as anything. The benefits for me clearly outweigh any drawbacks. I get to live more lightly according to my values. Riding the bus is far less expensive than driving. Let's not forget the best part -- no rush hour aggravation! Without a doubt, the peace of mind that I derive from letting someone else do the driving while I do the relaxing is priceless. And if you think I'm going to let a little ol' Minnesota winter spoil it for me, you've been breathing too much exhaust.

Can a Car Crash Overcome Car Addiction?
By Terry Gips, President, Alliance for Sustainability
On November 1 freeway traffic suddenly backed up from someone cutting in ahead. Everyone came to a stop, except the van that plowed into me full speed. I’m lucky to have survived but my dear, fuel-efficient 1992 Honda Civic VX didn’t. Now I’m faced with some transportation decisions.

I wonder if this is an invitation to look at the most insidious of American addictions, owning an internal combustion "auto-mobile." I get the mobility part, but auto implies some kind of freedom or individual action. But is it?

Internal combustion vehicles are one of the most dependent things going. Most of us don’t realize it but on average they cost about $5,000 a year to operate, from gas and oil to maintenance, insurance and loan interest. The real cost of gas has been estimated at anywhere from $5 a gallon (what the Europeans and Japanese pay) to $7.50 to $10 a gallon when considering all the police and emergency vehicles, accident costs, road work and other hidden subsidies we all have to pay for, not to mention the costs for our environment, health and national security to protect overseas oil interests. Freeways are not.

It’s certainly difficult to imagine life without a car, especially here in the third most sprawled out metropolitan area in the US. Like so many cities, we once boasted an extensive tram system before the Mafia and GM successfully conspired to take it out in the 1950s. Now, roads proliferate while public transit withers.

Nine years ago, when my previous subcompact died, I wanted to buy a solar-powered, electric vehicle. However, the $15,000 price was quite high for the time, no financing was available, older regular auto bodies were being used and I was told that the heavy bank of lead batteries would at most go 60 miles on an 8-hour charge and probably have difficulty with our cold winters, not to mention their limited, several year life.

So I settled for the most fuel-efficient vehicle made at the time, the North American-assembled Honda Civic VX, with EPA estimates of 36-44 MPG. I was determined to drive as little as possible, both because of environmental, energy and congestion considerations, as well as working out a low-mileage, State Farm insurance classification in which I couldn’t exceed 625 miles a month (7,500 a year).

At the same time, I felt I should drive even less. I had inspiration from Sweden where people ride their bikes to public transportation to get to work, even in the winter. Also, I have a number of diehard biker friends who ride everywhere all year. So, I decided to join them three years ago and made a commitment to ride my bike for all trips within three miles of home.

I got folding, removable side pannier bags for my mountain bike to handle shopping bags and found that with new bikeways and proper dressing, I could get places quickly and comfortably and handle nearly all my errands with great ease, less expense (no gas or parking) and sometimes in less time because I always have a "parking space" reserved right in front. It also made a big difference in terms of my overall health and sense of enjoying the outdoors.

The first two winters were relatively mild but last year was much tougher, taking a toll on my chain and gears. I followed Kenwood Cyclery’s suggestion to save my old bike as a reduced gear "winter beater" and get another for fair weather. I’m set for a fourth winter though I must admit that it is not worry free as wind chills do require face masks, slushy roadways can sometimes be tricky and some drivers can be dangerous. Yet, I love staying in great shape and feel it’s important to be the change I want in the world.

I now have a rental car that I can use for free for a few weeks while I make some decisions on what to do regarding transportation. One challenge is that several times a week I have to travel 12-20 miles to meetings all over town, and every week or two I have to travel 60 miles to a rural community without public transportation. Another is that I will probably receive only a few thousand dollars for replacing my Honda.

I will continue to ride my bike for three-mile trips but here are my other transportation options as I see them so far:

1. Use Public Transportation - This would save lots of money and create free reading time but unfortunately, the area of the city I live in is not well-served by bus (infrequent schedule and limited hours and routes), it’s a challenge to promptly get from one area to another for meetings and it’s a hassle to lug various containers of equipment and literature in rainy, snowy or extremely hot conditions.

2. Purchase a Used, Fuel-Efficient Vehicle until Fuel Cell Vehicles are Available in a few years - Honda stopped making its fuel-efficient VX shortly after 1992 due to lack of demand. So few are available. Another option is the rougher-riding, 50-mpg Geo Metro though I still need to see if it has the same crashworthiness as my Honda whose superior design probably saved my life according to Amory Lovins. One possibility is a friend’s manual 1996 Geo Metro with 45,000 miles that I could purchase for $3,000.

3. Develop a Special Car Rental Agreement - I can work out a deal with Enterprise for regular Chevy Metro car rentals at about $30 a day for when I really need a car, which might be two or three days a week, or about $3,120 to $4,680 a year. While avoiding maintenance and insurance, it would cost as much as purchasing the used Geo Metro and it would take additional time to pick-up and drop-off the car.

4. Create a Car-sharing Co-op - I could help create a car-sharing co-op similar to those that are increasingly popular in Europe and recently introduced as a business in Cambridge, MA and other US cities. A car or fleet of cars is owned by a group and the insurance and maintenance costs are jointly shared. You then sign-up for a car when needed.

5. Purchase a Hybrid Electric-Internal Combustion Vehicle - For about $20,000 (the 0% financing doesn’t apply) and 3-4 month delivery wait, I could purchase either a two-seat Honda Insight (rather small) that gets 60-70 mpg or a far more comfortable five-seat Toyota Prius that gets 42-50 mpg.

6. Purchase an Electric Vehicle - There is a range of manufacturers making pollution-free cars but they generally cost more than $20,000, still only allow about 60 miles of travel on an 8-hour charge and are generally unavailable because of California market demand.

7. Purchase an Alternative Fuel Vehicle - There is an extremely small but growing market of clean burning, compressed natural gas and ethanol-fueled vehicles. The challenge is that there are very few refueling stations and the vehicles generally cost $25,000 or more.
8. Purchase an Electric Bike - Electric bikes with easily-detached, rechargeable batteries are available for $800-1,000 that can travel at 15-20 mph and go up hills nearly effortlessly (no sweat if you’re in a suit) and allow cross town travel. I’d still get some exercise from lightly pedaling while having the advantage over motor scooters of being able to use bikeways, producing no pollution and getting to park in front. The downside of dangerous drivers still remains.

So, which would you choose? I’m leaning toward taking the money from my insurance settlement and purchasing both an electric bike for regular cross town use and the used $3,000 Geo Metro for the 60-mile and longer road trips. Let us know what you think and how you get around at iasa@mtn.org.

Try using a clothesline. Clotheslines need only solar energy and don't wear your clothes out the way a dryer can. Fact: the United States receives more energy in the form of sunlight in 40 minutes than from all the fossil fuels it burns in a year. -- John Ryan and Alan Thein Durning, Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things

Sustainable Sweden
Simple Steps from the Swedes for Saving Money and the Earth
By Terry Gips
This is the fourth in our on-going series on what we can learn from Sweden on taking practical steps to sustainability based on our August 4-19 Sustainable Sweden Tour with the Sustainable Sweden Association and Esam.

Is it possible to save significant amounts of money and the environment at the same time? Can 80-90% of the public switch to purchasing ecological products in just a few years, including changing to chlorine-free paper in just a year?

The answer is an emphatic yes according to leading Swedish architect, author and university professor Varis Bokalders, head of the Natural Step’s Architectural Group. It’s possible using educational concepts such as the Natural Step framework and the consumer guide of the Swedish Society for the Protection of Nature, coupled with proper labeling, design, incentives and media coverage.

According to Bokalders, with improved design Swedish houses are now four times more energy efficient than before the 1973 energy crisis, dropping from 200 kwh/m2 a year to 50. Going even further, there are now homes without heating systems, even in Sweden’s cold climate. They accomplish this by taking advantage of the heat given off by each person (100 watts) and light (20-40 watt compact fluorescents), coupled with hot water and supplementation with an energy efficient space heater. They not only save energy but $10,000 by not needing a heating system.

One of the home’s biggest uses of electricity is for food storage, using 1,300 kwh/yr for refrigerators (850) and freezers (450). However, with better insulation and machinery, Swedes have reduced use more than 75%, to only 300 kwh/yr (100 and 300, respectively). While these ecological white goods are a little more expensive to purchase, they actually save significant amounts of money over their life cycle.

And then there’s water. On average, Americans use 400 liters (105.6 gallons) per day, Swedes 200 and the Dutch 100. One simple, cheap solution for conserving water was to change from a hot and cold tap to a one-handle tap, which reduced water use in half. Another was to change from 25 liter/flush toilets (6.6 gallons) common in the US to water saving toilets using just 4 liters for bowel movements and 2 for urine. But the Swedes have pioneered even more efficient and sanitary urine separating toilets that use just 4 and 0.2 liters respectively, or only 0.5 liters with vacuum flush.

We can easily make these changes in the US and improve the quality of our lives and the environment while saving money.

We’d Like Stories of Your Steps to Sustainability
Please let us know about any steps you have taken to bring about sustainability in your home, personal life, workplace or community that you’d be willing to share with others: iasa@mtn.org.

There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened. -- Douglas Adams

Resource of the Month
OrganicVolunteers.com
If you've always wondered where to learn about permaculture, eco-construction, sustainable forestry or renewable energy, check out OrganicVolunteers.com (www.organicvolunteers.com). The site is a simple match making service bringing together volunteers with hosts from around the country who focus on positive environmental solutions.

My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness. -- Dalai Lama

Center for Judaism and Sustainability
Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) Board Statement on Energy Policy and National Security
COEJL Board of Trustees
November 5, 2001
Eliminating American dependence upon Middle Eastern oil is a necessary and urgent strategy in the War on Terrorism. Furthermore, energy conservation is vital to the fulfillment of our moral obligations to protect the environment and public health and to provide for future generations.

There are two ways to reduce oil dependence: increase domestic supply, and decrease demand. Because of very limited domestic reserves - the US has only 3% of proven world oil reserves - our only effective option is to reduce demand and therefore dependence on oil from all sources.

Therefore, energy conservation and the development of new fuels and technologies must now rise to the highest level of priority for the US Congress and Administration and the American people. Both the government and every citizen can and should take action to help conserve energy and reduce our reliance on oil.

Read the statement in its entirety at www.mtn.org/iasa/coejlenergy.html

COEJL Hanukkah Call-in Seminar
During Hanukkah, we celebrate the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem and the miracle of a tiny jar of oil fueling the menorah for 8 days the miracle of a small amount of oil producing a lot of light. COEJL invites you to rededicate yourself to protecting the Earth, by helping make a little energy produce a lot of light. Explore new ways of understanding the themes of Hanukkah, and learn about current efforts to save energy and address global climate change.

Join COEJL for a call-in seminar. Let There Be (Renewable) Light: A New Look at Hanukkah will take place on Tuesday, December 11, 8:00 9:00pm EST.

Rabbi Arthur Green, noted theologian and professor, Brandeis University and Fred Krupp, Executive Director, Environmental Defense will be featured speakers.

The Center for Judaism and Sustainability will sponsor a group location in Minneapolis for this call-in seminar. Let us know if you would be interested in learning more and joining us: tgips@mtn.org.

You've probably heard the mantra, "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle," but you may not have known that these imperatives are listed in priority order: recycling is only a bronze medallist in environmental protection. -- John C. Ryan, Seven Wonders: Everyday Things for a Healthier Planet

From Whence Our Coal Comes
By Terry Gips
For the first time, I finally got to really visit the source of John Denver's Country Roads: "West Virginia, Mountain Momma, Take Me Home, Country Roads." Flying in, I experienced the beautiful, autumn-clad mountains of West Virginia where level land was rare, until recently.

I soon discovered the haunting, War Zone-like remnants of "mountain-top removal mining." There have only been a few times when I have seen such devastation and overwhelming force in this country. But this somehow struck me in an even more violent way as the Fall colors were everywhere, right up to the boundary of where the "mining" was taking place.

For the first time I witnessed how a majestic mountain created by God can actually be leveled, filling in streams and creating toxic orange rivers, thousands of unemployed miners and flooded out communities below. King Coal has such control that people are fearful of speaking out.

Read this article in its entirety on our web site: www.mtn.org/iasa/coal.html

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect. -- Mark Twain

We'd Like Your Support
If sustainability is important to you & you like what the Alliance is working for, we hope you will become part of our family through a free or contributing membership. As a Contributing Member you'll make a real difference & receive significant discounts on our publications, all Alliance-sponsored events & Natural Step Seminars. Simply fill out our on-line membership form at www.mtn.org/iasa/join.htm. Or contact us at iasa@mtn.org. We also hope you'll support our efforts by sharing this with others.

Our Wish List!
A great way to help us out is to donate new or used stuff. As with any contribution to the Alliance, your donation is tax deductible.

Plain paper fax machine

Two-line office phone

Up-to-date PC (Pentium II, 300MHz, 64MB of memory, 4GB hard drive, Windows 95, 15 inch monitor...or better...please)

Current version of Filemaker Pro

Current version of HomeSite (a donation of $90 will allow us to download this)

Financial contributions (www.mtn.org/iasa/join.htm)

Let us know if you would like to make a donation by contacting Krista Leraas at iasa@mtn.org or 612-331-1099.

I'm astounded by people who want to 'know' the universe when it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown. -- Woody Allen

Selected Upcoming Events (See our Online Calendar, www.mtn.org/iasa/events.htm)
Nov 14 Steps to Health and Personal Sustainability Workshop: Living the Life You've Always Wanted led by Terry Gips, Lakewinds Natural Foods Co-op, Minnetonka, MN
Nov 16 Larry Long's 50th Birthday Concert, Minneapolis, MN
Nov 18 A New Look at Your Fork: How You Eat Can Change Your World, homilies by Terry Gips, 9 and 11am, St. Joan of Arc Church, Minneapolis, MN
Nov 18 Earthsave Turkey-free Thanksgiving Potluck, Minneapolis, MN
Nov 19 New York Friends of the Natural Step Network Monthly Meeting
Nov 25-Dec 2, International Solar Energy Society Bi-Annual Conference, Adelaide, Australia
Nov 26 and 27 Two-Part Natural Step Sustainable Business and Community Seminar, Pop Sustainability, NYC (6:30-10 pm)
Dec 11 COEJL Hanukkah Call-in Seminar

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This issue edited by: Krista Leraas and Terry Gips

MANNA is the newsletter of the Alliance for Sustainability and is published on a monthly basis with occasional additional editions. The Alliance is a tax-exempt [501(c)(3)] nonprofit organization dedicated to "supporting ecologically sound, economically viable, socially just and humane projects on a personal, organizational and planetary level."

If you or others are interested in becoming members (free or contributing) and receiving MANNA, please see www.mtn.org/iasa/join.htm or contact Krista Leraas at iasa@mtn.org or 612-331-1099.

Submissions, comments and questions are always welcomed. Please direct them to the Alliance for Sustainability, 1521 University Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414 or iasa@mtn.org.