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Arts For Earth Foundation THINK TANK for the Environmental Arts

The Arts For Earth Foundation is a 501c.3 non-profit whose mission is to use the arts (visual, literary and performance) to promote, educate and encourage sustainable living in our local community and beyond.  ...to use passion to create compassion.   The range of our artists and activities is quite broad. Here are a few examples from many ...

                              Sarah Jenks Flesher

                                         Sigrid Orlette

Barbara Murray, Andrea Mendoza, Chalee

Connections with community

Chalee

Meredith Newcom,   Judd Kennedy

C-Wolf DeZign

Michelle Nosco

Ray Harris, Brent Hanson, Marion Woods

Mark Tovar

Good News Films, JoAnne Martillo

    William Winbush 

Mariana Peirano Royuela

Dianne Bennett,    Michele Foster

Julianne Case,

Michelle Nosco

Meredith Newcom

Ruane Condrone

Mark Tovar

MaryJo Murphy

Michelle Nosco

Andrea Vargas-Mendoza

Starting May 1st, to celebrate our 11th anniversary, Arts For Earth Foundation (AFEF) is holding several creative  ThinkTank sessions in which environmental groups present information on current or future projects to a small group selected from Arts For Earth Foundation artists who in turn will brainstorm ways to help with the visual, performance and literary arts..
     We begin when the eco presenter indicates a need for:
1.outreach (education & hands on workshops) 
2.public awareness(call for community support)
3.fundraising (fiscal support)
4.call to volunteers 
5.artwork, design work, music, specific performances, written word, film, plays

Our group will brainstorm ideas within their fields of expertise, share the project with our greater community of artists, writers, filmakers & performers then work with the environmentalists to develop solutions to help further their project(s).*   We are the non-profit version of a marketing agency.

The public can a.)come to us for inspiration, b.)we can go to them for outreach education and  c.)we can discover environmental solutions together.  These events may include:
1.art exhibits of photography and/or paintings to be auctioned to raise awareness and create funding
2.written prose, calls to action(marketing) or poetry to create a feel for (or awareness of) the issue and environment.  These may further the cause when recited, printed or spread through social media
3.call to artists for specific design requests (using any of the arts:visual, performance  and literary arts) these requests may include posters, bumper stickers, video's.  
4.performance arts are a wonderful way to create awareness, educate and for fundraising.  They may include concerts, performances and workshop's.

Good News Films, JoAnne Chase Matillo

   *A budget and timeline will be developed per event/project.  Cost of each project will determine if we need to acquire grants, private support or ask for volunteers and donations .  Any costs required of the environmental group recipient would be discussed and approved in advance if necessary or available.  A partnership agreement or MOU will need to be in place before any actual work commences to acknowledge our mutual goals.

Arts For Earth Foundation was conceived  by Michelle Nosco and founded in May of 2005 when we obtained our official 501c.3 non-profit status while working with the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve and its oversight committee including the Sierra Club, Audubon Society, Tree People, LA River Conservancy, California Wildlife Center, CA Native Plant Society, Army Corps of Engineers and more.  Our headquarters were in Glendale and the Frazier Mountain Community.  As of 2012 we are centered in Ventura California.  
     Since its inception, AFEF has sponsored Earth Day Festivals and exhibits, shaped conservation outreach for the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve, the California Wildlife Center, the Mountain Communities Boys and Girls Club, Pine Mountain Learning Center, and the  USForest Service Los Padres National Forest Milpotrero Ranger Station visitor center and native plant garden design.  In Ventura we are partners in the Ventura County Climate Hub working with member groups to bring heart to their science.  Head quartered at the WAV Ventura, we hosted 73 artists from across the US in a 150 piece EARTH SPIRIT exhibit and concert series October 2015.   Each weekend while open to the public we featured the projects of various environmental groups in the gallery for visitor outreach and education in sustainable living .

the presidents message:    "I see artists of all kinds using their passion to open up the hearts of their viewers. Helping people to care again when they've given up and closed down. Helping people feel gives hope and a desire to become connected again. In the best case scenario the arts can inspire people into action and to live the life they feel is impossible or inaccessible. Take the bike, take an extra minute with others, give and go the extra mile as if in another's shoes. literary, performance and visual arts are created by people who believe in themselves enough to actually be in action. Often times the inspiration comes when the viewer says "I can do that too".

Here is a great, affordable way to get off,the grid!


http://eattomorrow.com/blog/2015/09/tesla-unveils-a-battery-to-power-your-home-completely-off-grid/

water too salty? .. Perhaps this desalinization invention will purify other pollutants too:
   http://thelogicalindian.com/environment/this-device-turns-saltwater-into-drinking-water-just-using-the-direct-sunlight-know-about-it/

Earth Day Schedule Ventura County 2016 

April Celebration Schedule  

April 14, 7pm-8:30 VENTURA COUNTY CLIMATE HUB meeting Unitarian Universalist Church Ventura Fellowship Hall, 5654 Ralston, Ventura, CA 93001 ` ` `
Ventura  iMatterYouth will introduce their new campaign followed by Arthur Valenzuel a sharing climate-related bills in Sacramento. City of Ventura will receive its CLIMATE REPORT CARD from iMatterYouth 
This is part of a recently launched program studying climate change and what California cities are doing about it. Youth aged ten to 15 years old can learn more at www.imatteryouth.org. 
April 16, 2016 CA State Parks 18th Annual Volunteer day Call to make advance reservations: 888-98-PARKS www.calparks.org 
SanBuenaventura State Park 8:30check in – 9-12:30 Beach Clean-up. Meet in parkl. Take 101 fwy to Harbor Blvd to San Pedro St. 
Carpenteria State Park 8:30check in – 9-12:30 Plant east side of creek and boardwalk Meet at 205 Palm Ave. Carpenteria, 93013 
April 16-17 Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival 2016: One World For info: www.sbearthday.org 
April 16 Sat Thousand Oaks Earth Day & Arbor Day Festival. 10-3pm T.O.Community Park next to T.O.High School on Moorpark Rd. 
April 22 Friday Earth Day!!!!! 
April 23-24 Ventura Eco Fest at Promenade Park (Surfers Point) 10-5pm www.venturaearthday.org 
 April 23 Earth Day 2016 11-4pm Trees For Our Valley 11-4pm 220 W.Lomita, Ojai Oak Grove School 11311 Santa Anna Rd., Ojai www.ojaiearthday.org

Celebrate Earth Day everyday!

VC Star 4/9/2016

Celebrate Earth Day Ventura County 2016

Earth Day has become a global inspiration, a day to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It is observed annually with rallies and celebrations worldwide. 

This year's Earth Day, April 22, will be the day that the world's two largest polluters, the United States and China, sign the historic, ambitious Paris Agreement that outlines a path to a low-carbon future. Earth Day is about thinking globally and acting locally, so if you're looking for more inspiration or want to show your support, there are plenty of opportunities to celebrate Earth Day right here in Ventura County.

Community celebrations kicked off Saturday with the city of Oxnard's Earthyou missed it, don't worry: There are more opportunities this month to join the celebration. 

Next up is city of Thousand Oaks' combo Arbor Day and Earth Day celebration Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will take place at a new location this year: Thousand Oaks Community Park next to Thousand Oaks High School on North Moorpark Road. There will be more than 100 vendor and exhibitor stalls, including an electric vehicle display. Highlights will include a Chumash blessing ceremony, children's activities, live music, an animal show and bike rodeo, where kids who participate will get a free bike helmet. 

There will also be opportunities to participate in free workshops, where you can learn how using biochar on landscapes and gardens can reduce water usage up to 50 percent.

Then, on April 23, the city of Ventura and the city of Ojai will each host events filled with environmental activities and fun for all ages. Ventura's Earth Day Eco Fest runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Ventura's beachfront Promenade Park. 

Attendees are encouraged to go green and bike to event; free bike valet is provided. Kids' activities include a recycled crafts center, solar science experiments and a birds of prey demonstration by the Ojai Raptor Center. Music and local dance groups will be performing as well. Of course, the entire event is set to the backdrop of the beautiful Pacific Ocean. 

More family fun eco-activities can be found on April 23 at Ojai's Earth Day event. Put on by four Ojai-based environmental nonprofits, the celebration takes place at Oak Grove School, 220 West Lomita, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

A major draw will be internationally renowned eco-activist Vandana Shiva, the founder and director of Navdanya, a network of seed keepers and organic food producers in India. She is a vocal opponent of chemically dependent industrial agriculture and has won several awards, including the Earth Day International Award. In 2010, Forbes Magazine recognized Shiva as one of the "seven most powerful women on the globe." Shiva will speak at 2:30 p.m. 

If you'd rather roll up your sleeves and get dirty in support of the environment, there are opportunities to volunteer at local cleanups this month as well. Here is a list:

California State Parks Foundation Earth Day Cleanup, April 16th 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday

Lake Casitas Shoreline Cleanup, 8-10 a.m. April 23, 11311 Santa Ana Road, Ventura; meet at Picnic Area 1.

April 22 is Earth Day, but it's more than just a single day. It's bigger than attending a celebration or rally. I encourage you to not just keep your eye on the environment, but to it lend your voice and your time too. 

Lara Meeker is a water resources specialist with the Ventura County Public Works Agency. Representatives of government or nonprofit agencies who want to submit articles on environmental topics for this column should contact David Goldstein at 658-4312 or david.goldstein@ventura.org.

ARTS FOR EARTH FOUNDATION:

Introduces YOU to local non-profits working to improve life in Ventura.  Learn about local efforts to clean up the air, energy, water….. thru the arts!

This Sunday….. you are invited to attend….

Citizens' Climate Lobby  potluck/meeting

When: April 10^th ,  4:30pm

 Where:  SUNDAY at Rincon-Vitova Insectaries.  

April is one of our most active months

environmental activities are happening throughout the month in Ventura County:

 This Sunday we will avoid climate melancholy! Instead we'll break bread (or eat fruits and vegetables) together and appreciate the work of high-energy spirit runner and local artist/activist Jackie Fawn.  Learn more about our plans and RSVP so I can plan how many will break bread with us...

VOTE for Jackie Fawn's entry in the

Greenpeace Save the Arctic Poster Contest:

http://bit.ly/1REy7F9.

Help Jackie win a trip to the Arctic on the Greenpeace ship

by voting for her awesome poster and sharing it with friends.

CCL Agenda: -4:30 View Jackie Fawn art exhibit Greenpeace entry and potluck

-It is not an accident that while Greenpeace aims to save the arctic, Dr. James Hansen's paper comes out describing the ice melting much faster than predicted in the IPCC reports.

-At 6:30 we will view the 15 minute video from climate scientist Jim Hansen about arctic ice melt and sea level rise.

-Decide who will write our Earth Day OpEd and help table at the Ojai Earth Day and other April outreach.

Citizens' Climate Lobby Ventura Chapter 805-746-53654

ventura@citizensclimatelobby.org  www.citizensclimatelobby.org  www.ArtsForEarth.com

next Thursday:

VENTURA COUNTY CLIMATE HUB meeting

April 14, 7pm-8:30

Unitarian Universalist Church Ventura

Event Announcement:

Ventura iMatterYouth

present

 WHAT:  Climate Hub Monthly Meeting

WHO:   iMatterYouth will introduce their new campaign followed by Arthur Valenzuela sharing climate-related bills in Sacramento.  City of Ventura will receive its CLIMATE REPORT CARD from iMatterYouth

 WHEN:  Thursday, April 14, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

 WHERE:  Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura, Fellowship Hall, 5654 Ralston, Ventura, CA 93001.

 WHY:  A group of Ventura iMatterYouth will introduce their project. It is part of a recently launched national campaign to give report cards to cities on public awareness about climate change and what cities are doing about it. Youth aged ten to 15 years old can learn more at www.imatteryouth.org.

Also on the Climate Hub agenda:

-Community Choice Energy (CCE) developments for speeding up local access to renewable energy will be among brief updates during the Climate Hub meeting Wed.eve April 14th

-Guest speaker Arthur Valenzuela representing Assembly member Das Williams will describe current bills in Sacramento that address risks from the oil and gas industry and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

No charge, all are welcome.

CONTACT:  Jan Dietrick 805-746-5365  jdietrick9@gmail.com

Earth Day is Friday, April 22^nd

Let EARTH DAY

Lead the WAY!

The movement continues.

We are now entering the 46th year:  The Earth Day movement continues to inspire, challenge ideas, ignite passion, and motivate people to action.

In 1970, the year of our first Earth Day, the movement gave voice to:

1.emerging consciousness, getting ready to transform:

2.emerging actions:  focusing energy on environmental issues. Earth Day is more than a festival day, it leads the way to a new way of life.    New habits will sustain life well into the future!      

3. celebrate actions to help our planet Earth:

Lead with groundbreaking ideas & by example.

The time is now. Earth Day 2016 - Countdown 2020

This  Earth Day Call-in to Congress: April 21 & 22, 2016

Let’s celebrate Earth Day 2016 by calling our members of Congress, encouraging them to work on legislation that addresses climate change.  A survey of staff on Capitol Hill by the Congressional Management Foundation found that 86 percent said phone calls to their offices carry some or a lot of influence on issues. We’ve designated April 21 for the call-in day: US Sign Paris Climate Agreement

And so it continues. Today.

Right here & right now.

Earth Day:

more than a single day —

April 22, 2016

It’s bigger than attending a rally and taking a stand.

This Earth Day and beyond, let’s :

1.           Let’s plant 7.8 billion trees for the Earth.

2.           Let’s divest city fossil fuels to 100% renewable.

3.           Let’s take the momentum from the Paris Climate Summit and build on it.

Let’s start now. And let’s not stop.

Join the movement. Take action. www.earthday.org/earth-day

www.ArtsForEarth.com

With over two billion actions to date, Earth Day Network’s A Billion Acts of Green – the largest environmental service campaign in the world – is steadily building commitments by individuals, organizations, businesses and governments to protect the planet.

Now, we’re carrying that momentum forward to reach the next billion.

This year, after your event, record your actions at:  www.earthday.org/earth-day

Here's the TCM Pledge

The Climate Mobilization

a local Ventura collective of concerned citizens

I CALL ON THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT TO:

·                  Immediately commence a social and economic mobilization to restore a climate that is safe, stable, and supportive of human civilization. This heroic campaign shall be carried out on the scale of the American World War II home front mobilization, and will require hard work and shared sacrifice from all Americans.

·                  Reduce our country’s net greenhouse gas emissions 100 percent by 2025 and implement far-reaching measures to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.

·                  Enlist tens of millions of Americans in efforts to rapidly expand our carbon-neutral energy and agricultural systems, conduct groundbreaking research, and implement large-scale adaptation measures. As in WWII, full employment will be achieved.

·                  Conduct this mobilization in accordance with the Constitution and ensure that the essential needs of the civilian economy are met during this time of transition.

·                  Establish the following imperatives as our nation’s top foreign policy priorities: A 100 percent reduction of global net greenhouse gas emissions at wartime speed, and the deployment of comprehensive measures that remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere until a safe climate is restored.

·                  I will enlist Americans from all walks of life in this campaign. If sitting politicians fail to mobilize, we will elect leaders with the courage and foresight to enact these demands.

I WILL:

·                  Vote for candidates — on every electoral level — who have signed the Pledge to Mobilize over those who have not.

·                  Devote time, money, or both to elected officials and candidates who have signed the Pledge.

·                  Mobilize my skills, resources, and networks to spread the truth of climate change and the hope of this movement to others. When I spread the Pledge to Mobilize, I will do so with respect, truth, focus and courage.

·                  Thus I pledge to mobilize, in defense of civilization and the natural world.

 
• EARTH DAY

 

SIGN THE PARIS AGREEMENT!

The Paris Agreement will be signed on Earth Day 2016

Over 195 countries have come together for real action on climate change

Over 195 countries reached an historic agreement in Paris at the 2015 United Nations Conference on Climate Change. In short, they agreed to take measurable action, make binding commitments, and work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to collectively keep global temperature rise well below 2°C and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C.

The countries in attendance recognized that:

• Climate change is a common concern of humankind;
• Climate change represents an urgent and potentially irreversible threat to society and the planet;
• There is an urgent need to promote universal access to sustainable energy in both developing and developed countries.

This landmark agreement will be signed at the United Nations in New York on Earth Day – April 22, 2016.
The decision to ratify the agreement on Earth Day is a testament to Earth Day Network’s contributions to the overall environmental movement and its ongoing efforts to address climate change.

This is our moment.

- See more at: http://www.earthday.org/campaigns/climate-change/paris-agreement/#sthash.zaF1SMqH.dpuf