THE ORIGINAL 100-MILE DIET! 

Authors at Boulder Book Store, May 1

Boulder Book Store presents Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon, authors of PLENTY: ONE MAN, ONE WOMAN, AND A RAUCOUS YEAR OF EATING LOCALLY. For one year they only consumed food that came from within a 100-mile radius of their Vancouver home. Their experience has fostered an international movement known as the 100-Mile Diet.

Co-sponsored by BVR and BOULDER GOING LOCAL!

(P.S. If you'd like to join a small group of Boulder County residents who will commit to the 100-Mile Diet for three months, please email michael@boulderrelocalization.org.)

When & Where

May 1 (Tues.)

7:30 p.m.

Boulder Book Store

1107 Pearl Street

WHAT ARE THE PROSPECTS FOR LOCAL ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOLUTIONS IN BOULDER COUNTY?
Panel and dialogue, May 3 

In an energy-constrained future, as fossil fuels become increasingly expensive and scarce, what are the local alternative energy sources that we will be able to depend on?

We've invited four local experts to discuss this critical issue:

• SOLAR, Blake Jones, Namaste Solar Electric
• BIOFUELS, Aaron Perry, Rocky Mountain Sustainable Enterprises
• WIND, Mona Newton, Sun Electric Systems
• GEOTHERMAL, James Richmond, Radiance Corporation

Each panelist will present an overview, and then we'll engage in community dialogue. Please join us for this in-depth discussion, and bring your questions!

When & Where

May 3 (Thurs.)
7:00 - 9:30 p.m. 

Boulder Meadows Community Room
4500 19th Street
(one block north of Violet)

EXPERIENCE FARM LIFE!
Sustainable Settings "Farm Stay," May 10-13, July 19-22, Aug. 17-20

A 3-night/3-day immersion into the daily life of Sustainable Settings Ranch, a whole systems learning center in the heat of West Elk Mountains near Carbondale, CO on a historic 244-acre ranch.

For three sessions this year, Sustainable Settings opens its daily operations to this unique adult learning-by-doing program. This earth-based retreat will take participants through a hands-on experience that will revitalize and renew their hpoe for a sustainable future.

These sessions are not for the squeamish or weak of heart. Depending on the session, participants will either learn how to process poultry, dress out a lamb and prepare it for a traditional argentine style asado fire roast.

For more information, contact Lois Downing, 303-442-3929, downingtlmj@comcast.net.

VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION FOR BOULDER VALLEY RELOCALIZATION AND BOULDER GOING LOCAL! CAMPAIGN
Special introductory session, May 15

Many people have been asking us how they can get involved in the challenging work of Boulder Valley Relocalization or how they can be an active part of the BOULDER GOING LOCAL! Campaign. This evening is devoted to providing an orientation to the work ahead.

If you feel called to join in this effort to relocalize our community and strengthen our local economy, you are invited to join us for an evening of connection, inspiration and community engagement! This is your opportunity to get involved at a deeper level!

Please email lynettemarie@boulderrelocalization.org if you'd like to attend this session.

When & Where
May 15 (Tues.)

6:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Boulder Meadows Community Room

4500 19th Street

(one block north of Violet)

CRUDE IMPACT: IT'S WORSE THAN YOU THINK!
Documentary film screening, May 17

Please join us for the first public screening of CRUDE IMPACT, an award-winning documentary film exploring the discovery and use of oil and its interconnection with human domination of the planet.

Chris Vernon of TheOilDrum.com calls CRUDE IMPACT "a terrific film...the best documentary I have seen on the subject."

The objective of the film is to promote positive, hopeful change in the way we source and use energy--changes that will create a more just and sustainable world.

Many experts agree that world oil production will soon reach a peak then irreversibly diminish. As our dependence on oil continues to grow, what does it mean for our way of life and our world?

Journeying from the West African Delta to the Amazon rainforest, from Washington to Shanghai, from early man to the unknown future, CRUDE IMPACT unravels the complex entanglement of our fierce devotion to oil with the fate of indigenous cultures, human rights, our global economy and the planet itself. Fueled by discovery, outrage, humor and ultimately hope, the film offers an inspirational vision for change.

Help support the film makers! Suggested donation $5. 

When & Where
May 17 (Thurs.)

7:00 p.m.
Boulder Meadows Community Room

4500 19th Street

(one block north of Violet)

SACRED BALANCE: NATURE AS GUIDE AND HEALER
Workshop by Sherry Ellms, May 18-19 

In these challenging times, it is important for us to reconnect with our inherent abilities to experience the potency of the unseen realm, the spirit of the rocks, trees and the elements, and allow ourselves to be seen, to be open to the messages from the elemental world.

In this workshop, participants will enter Sacred Time together, doing preparatory exercises and contemplative practices, and learning something about the ecology of the land. They will then make a pilgrimage to a nearby mountain where they will have the opportunity for solo time to wander, to sit, and to communicate with sacred Other. Click here for flyer.

Sherry Ellms is core faculty in the Environmental Studies Department at Naropa University, has studied with Joanna Macy and at the School of Lost Borders, and is a volunteer naturalist for Boulder County Open Parks and Space.

Call 303-245-4800 to register. $120, or $102 by April 27.

When & Where
May 18 (Fri.), 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

May 19 (Sat.), 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Naropa University

MOUNTAIN GARDENING
Workshop with Sandy Cruz, May 19

Learn to improve degraded mountain soils, select plants appropriate for high altitudes, use slope to advantage, extend the growing season, and protect gardens from hail, frost, deer and too much ultraviolet radiation. Workshop participants will convert a hillside area into an instant garden bed and plant it.

After transforming her mountain garden, Sandy founded High Altitude Permaculture in 1992 to demonstrate strategies for working with nature in even the harshest conditions.

To register, call 303-494-1521 or email lynettemarie@boulderrelocalization.org. $60 if payment received by May 14, or $75 afterwards. Sponsored by Boulder Valley Relocalization.

When & Where
May 19 (Sat.)

10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Location TBA

BLESSED UNREST: PAUL HAWKEN LIVE IN BOULDER!
Author at Unity Church, May 24

The arrival of Hawken's new book, BLESSED UNREST: HOW THE LARGEST MOVEMENT IN THE WORLD CAME INTO BEING AND WHY NO ONE SAW IT COMING (to be released on May 10), has been eagerly awaited by those who have followed his work and especially by those who heard his electrifying speech at the 2006 Bioneers Conference, where he said, "We can no longer continue to import our lives in the form of food, fuel and fundamentalism. Life is homegrown, always has been. And so too are the solutions to global problems."

David Orr writes: "On one side the four horsemen of the apocalypse; on the other a vast and nameless uprising of peoples and organizations fighting for justice, places, communities, diversity, and health--the planetary immune system. Paul Hawken's Blessed Unrest is not just a good book, it is a necessary book, wise, eloquent, perceptive, sober, and timely but above all, hopeful. A landmark!"

Suggested donation $7 to benefit Naropa's Marpa Center for Business and Economics. Co-sponsored by BVR and BOULDER GOING LOCAL!.

When & Where
May 24 (Thurs.)

7:30 p.m.

Unity Church of Boulder

2855 Folsom Street

5TH ANNUAL BALLE CONFERENCE
Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, May 31 - June 2

BALLE is an international alliance of 52 independently operated local business networks with more than 15,000 members dedicated to building Local Living Economies.

BALLE envisions a sustainable global economy made up of Local Living Economies that build long-term economic empowerment and prosperity through local business ownership, economic justice, cultural diversity, and environmental stewardship.

Join a contingent of Boulder County residents for this important event, along with other entrepreneurs, innovators, community organizers, government officials, investors, and green business pioneers to explore cutting-edge social and environmental innovations, learn practical business skills, share best practices for network development, and connect with others in this flourishing network!

Click here for more information.

When & Where
May 31 - June 2

Univ. of California

Berkeley