06/04/2010



Backbone Campaign is collaborating with Vashon Island Growers Assoc, and Sustainable Vashon to organize a day long consultation with Kevin Danaher, author of Building the Green Economy (also founder of Green Festival, Global Exchange and the proposed Global Citizen Center), and Ben Hewitt, author of the The Town That Saved Food.

Backbone Campaign is organizing Kevin Danaher's portion of the visit. I will be accompanying Kevin on an aerial tour in the morning thanks to Al Paxhia, and then a walking tour of our central island "campus."

At 3-5 PM we'll meet at the Open Space (a.k.a. "O") - which is generously allowing us to gather there for a 2 hour presentation by Kevin. I would love for you to join us.
Please RSVP so that I know how many chairs we will need, etc.

This will be a special opportunity to hear stories about what others around the country are doing - AND - Listen to Kevin's initial impressions of our island and the opportunities we may be too close to to see. My deepest hope is that the immense assets and aspirations of our island will find a way to move forward with a complimentary, synergistic grace. I hope that Kevin's visit will renew our faith that a shared vision that benefits all, especially generations to come - is in fact possible.

At 7 PM Kevin and Ben will be presenting at the Vashon HS Theater. That will be another excellent and engaging time with a special emphasis on food systems and their intersections with green industry.

I've included additional information about both Kevin and Ben below.


PLEASE free to share this, as I am sure that I am missing many influential and committed island leaders. I only ask that all who want to attend RSVP.

(pasted from Global Exchange website:) Described by The New York Times as the "Paul Revere of globalization's woes," Dr. Kevin Danaher's analytical expertise, sense of humor and blunt eloquence make him an exceptionally dynamic speaker. Since co-founding Global Exchange in 1988, Dr. Danaher has spoken at hundreds of universities and for community organizations throughout the U.S. He conducts workshops on issues ranging from the dynamics of the global economy to how we can replace the power of transnational corporations with local green economy networks. A longtime critic of the so-called "free trade" agenda, Dr. Danaher explains how we can create 'grassroots globalization', empowering local communities to create sustainable local economies. Dr. Danaher is a Founder and an Executive Producer of the Green Festivals, two-day events bringing together hundreds of green economy companies, social justice and environmental organizations, speakers, live music, organic food and drink, and tens of thousands of attendees hungry for a transition to the green economy. He is also the Executive Director of the Global Citizen Center -- a permanent Green Festival. The Global Citizen Center is planned to be a downtown San Francisco building that will unite the local Green Economy in a mixed-use, multi-tenant facility featuring non-profit offices, green businesses and multi-cultural event space. Dr. Danaher has published numerous articles and is the author and/or editor of thirteen books, including his two latest: The Green Festival Reader: Fresh Ideas from Agents of Change (PoliPointPress); Building the Green Economy: Success Stories from the Grass Roots (PoliPointPress). Dr. Danaher has traveled widely in Africa, the Caribbean, Central America, North America and Europe. He is familiar with the problems and prospects of economic development in diverse cultural settings. Dr. Danaher is a veteran activist and has special expertise on the following subjects: the Local Green Economy; the Two Globalizations (Elite vs. Grassroots); Policies of the World Bank; WTO and International Monetary Fund; US Foreign Policy and Activist Strategies for Creating a Sustainable World. Dr. Danaher received his doctorate in sociology from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1982. Before joining Global Exchange he was a senior analyst at Food First/the Institute for Food and Development Policy, an associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC, and for four years he taught in the School of Government at American University. He currently lives in San Francisco with his wife, Medea Benjamin, and his two daughters, Arlen and Maya. Lectures & Seminars Dr. Danaher is offering any combination of the following speaking topics: Accelerating the Transition to the Green Economy: The green economy is growing at a rapid rate and will increasingly challenge the existing, unsustainable economy. Evidence of this paradigm shift can be seen in growing consumer demand for nature-friendly products, huge investments in renewable energy and clean-tech sectors, and more corporate leaders acknowledging social/environmental responsibility as a competitive advantage. As Dr. Danaher documents in his new book, Building the Green Economy: Success Stories from the Grass Roots, there is abundant innovation going on at the grassroots level, but we could be doing much more at the national level to accelerate this transition to the green economy. Corporate Accountability and the Local Green Economy: This talk discusses how corporate globalization is driven by the need to turn nature into money and find the cheapest labor. As an alternative, grassroots globalization is being built by community-based organizations linking across national boundaries. Justice, Not War: "A momentous decision confronts us as a nation: Do we define the violence of Sept. 11 as an act of war or as a crime against humanity?," Dr. Danaher asks his audiences. "If we define it as war, it couches the issues in nationalist sentiment and separates us from the people of other nations. If we define it as a crime against humanity, it holds the potential for uniting humankind against the scourge of terrorism." Dr. Danaher will discuss how the US must, among other things, work for the establishment of an international criminal court and dedicate itself to ending global poverty if we are to succeed in abolishing international terrorism. Reducing global inequality has always been a moral imperative, Dr. Danaher says, and now it is also a strategic imperative. According to Dr. Danaher, if we hope to isolate suicidal fanatics, we need the cooperation of all the world's people. Unfortunately, the free-trade status quo has fostered a widespread resentment of the United States that presents an obstacle to cooperation. By encouraging a dog-eat-dog form of competition, corporate globalization has fostered alienation and bitterness, Dr. Danaher says, and prevented us from winning the hearts and minds of the world's people. To end the scourge of terrorism we need a kind of grassroots globalization based on peace, justice and international cooperation. The Case Against the World Bank and the IMF: How We Can Create A Green, Grassroots Model of Development: Exploring the themes of Dr. Danaher's book, this talk argues how the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, by controlling hundreds of billions of dollars and setting the policy agenda in developing countries, keep developing economies open to corporate penetration, but promote policies that destroy the environment and undermine the standard of living for the majority. Diverse grassroots organizations around the world are uniting to create a sustainable economic model that leaves no one out. Corporations are Gonna Get Your Mama: Globalization and the Downsizing of the American Dream: Based on Dr. Danaher's book, this talk focuses on the negative effects of globalization in the US, explaining how corporate globalization is exporting US jobs, bankrupting our government, undermining democratic principles, and destroying our environment. In response, grassroots organizations are fighting all of these effects but they need to come together in a unified movement. In his presentations, he not only provides a detailed analysis of what is wrong, but he also gives inspiring examples of what we can do to make things right. As part of Global Exchange's continuing efforts to plug people into ongoing activist work, Dr. Danaher will bring books and literature related to the talks.

(pasted from Ben Hewitt's website:) Ben Hewitt writes and farms in Northern Vermont. His work has appeared in numerous national periodicals, including the New York Times Magazine, Wired, Gourmet, Discover, Skiing, Eating Well, Powder, Men's Journal, National Geographic Adventure, Outside, Bicycling, and many others. He lives with his wife and two sons in a self-built home that is powered by a windmill and solar photovoltaic panels. To help offset his renewable energy footprint, Ben drives a really big truck. His book The Town That Food Saved will be published by Rodale in March 2010 and is available to pre-order from your local bookseller. It tells the story of a rural, working-class Vermont community that is attempting to blueprint and implement a localized food system. Ben is currently working on a book about food safety, to be published by Rodale in 2011. Ben is available for interviews, speaking engagements, and as a guest at any party where large quantities of barely-cooked meat will be served. buy now praise