Rufus,

This is a brilliant idea. Consuming is the nemesis of a healthy environment, so I love the idea of shutting down everything for 12 hours. This will do so much good. I"m a fan of soltices too. The only downside is the magnets, though they are a good idea. I think we need to make and consume less stuff. I think the blackout, as it grows and I'm sure it will, will make up for the magnets though. Love you and ALL that you do. I can't wait to share this with my fellow students in our global geography and environment class! Kudos Janean
 

I'm just wondering what kind of fridge magnets? As in - magnets with a message or just fun magnets... Will give them to him in April :)
 

It is a truly inspiring and beautiful idea. The blackouts will create a space for deep reflection and change on the inner and outer levels. Thankyou and now lets everyone spread the word!
 

I'll definitely try and make it. I have some pretty cool refrigerator magnets that he might want. =] Anything for Rufus ♥
 

Going out tonight to stock up on refrigerator magnets.
 

I love the idea of us stepping back into the more simplistic past and shedding all the unneccesary consumerism we surround ourselves with.

In Australia we'll be experiencing the longest day- but still happy to share the experience-

and spend my night catching up on a book that I never find time to read- using candlelight-

huddled under a doona and three rugs- because I have the heating turned off!

Gathering Aussie magnets as we speak!
 

This is a great idea.I visited the website and read every word on all pages.Though I live in Florida and in so I can't go,I would love to send my magnets to support Rufus' s idea...plus I will do the 'no electricity' on that day.It's a fantastic idea :D
 

Hi Rufus!

Saw your moving, invigorating, life-affirming show last night at RCMH! What a thrill! Of course you, and the world, can have all my magnets. I too am a self-<myspace>style</myspace>d environmental apostle. I'll be collecting magnets post-haste and figuring out a way to also collect enough dimes and nickles to see you there on March 19. Vive la ecologique! -Laura
 

Good for you Rufus. I would LOVE to met you personally and hand you a magnet------but I live in California, Just saw you at the Wiltern and you were FABULOUS sweetie!!!!
I have MS and use a wheelchair to get around the outside world and the Wiltern accommodated me terrifically. I really got a wonderful night out with your entertainment.

xoxoxoxoxo Lea
 

Rufus:
Fantastic idea! I hope it catches on world-wide and becomes a yearly event! I'll be sending you lots 'o magnets! Too bad the concert is already sold out...hope you'll be somewhere in the upstate New York vicinity over the summer. The students at SUNY Fredonia and all of your fans here in Buffalo, NY miss you! Come back soon!
Michele
 

Rufus ~ why refridgerator magnets? Who want's 'em? Oh well, I'll grab one of mine and put it in the mail...I'm a sucker for a good cause. Hey Rufus - read the interesting post I put here which touches upon the conservation of energy topic here and there:

THE FOLLOWING IS A THESIS ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS by Dr. Michael. -- DR. MICHAEL CREMO IS A SCIENTIST AND HE HAS STUDIED FOR MANY YEARS DEVOTING THIS LIFETIME TO CREATING AND IMPLEMENTING A SCIENTIFIC AND SPIRITUAL PROCESS WHICH WILL STOP THE FURTHER RAPING OF OUR PLANET'S RESOURCES. He also has several other books out which one I read is titled "The Hidden History of the Human Race" which contains anthropological and scientific proof that human beings have existed since the beginning of the creation of the material universes and their planets. ... In this thesis, which is contained in the book "Thoughts on Synthesis of Science and Religion" compiled and commented on by Drs. T. D. Singh and Samaresh Bandyopadhyay, with forward written by His Holiness The Dalai Lama.

VEDIC ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND SOLUTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT CRISIS
BY Dr. Michael Cremo.

If there is to be a synthesis of science and religion, there must be a real desire and need for co-operation. One area in which the need for co-operation between science and religion is most deeply felt is that of concern for the environment.

In 1995, I attended a conference on population, consumption and the environment, sponsored by the Boston Theological Institute and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Coming together at the conference were scientists, politicians, religionists and environmental activists. I was invited as author of the book "Divine Nature: A Spiritual Perspective on the Environmental Crisis," which looks at the environmental crisis from the standoint of the Vedic teachings of India.

A keynote speaker at the conference was Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of the Interior for the United States. For a politician, Babbitt gave a remarkable speech. He told of growing up in Flagstaff, Arizona, from where can be seen a large mountain. The mountain inspired in Babbitt a sense of something wonderful in nature, something Godlike. Raised in the Catholic faith, Babbitt asked a priest about the mountain, hoping to gain some clue as to its spiritual significance. he received no satisfactory answer however, perhaps because his priest was used to thinking of God as remote from nature.

Later, Babbitt approached a friend of his own age. This friend, who happened to be a Native American of the Hopi tribe, took Babbbitt up to the mountain and explained to him its sacred nature. From this, Babbitt said, he developed a sense of God's presence in nature -- to a degree not possible for him previously.

When I heard this I was reminded of the Bhagavadgita, wherein Lord Krishna says, "Of immovable things I am the Himalayas, of flowing rivers, I am the Ganges, of seasons I am the flower-bearing spring, of bodies of water, I am the Ocean." Such expressions of God's immanence in nature are found throughout the Gita and other East Indian spiritual texts which go back at least 5,000 years.

Babbit went on to say he understood that over-consumption was the underlying cause of most environmental problems. A general consensus at the conference held tht the real issue was not overpopulation in the developing world but over-consumption in the developed countries, and increasingly in the developing ones as well. Babbitt said that as a politician, he could not present to the people a program that would really solve the environmental problem. IT WOULD REQUIRE TOO MUCH SACRIFICE FROM THE VOTERS SO MUCH SO THAT THEY WOULD VOTE AGAINST ANYONE OR ANY PARTY THAT TOLD THEM WHAT WOULD REALY BE NEEDED OF THEM.

Secretary Babbitt then turned to the religionists present and said that only they could bring about the large-scale changes of values needed to reverse the process of environmental degradation.

Also speaking at the conference was Dr. Henry Kendall, Professor of Physics at MIT and President of the Union of Concerned Scientists. Dr. Kendall said that science could point out the dimensions of the environmental problem but cannot solve the problem. Science he said, has no silver bullet, no technological fix for the environmental crisis. Like Secretary Babbbitt, he recognized over-consumption as the cause of environmental degradation, and he too appealed to religion as the only force in the world capable of generating the changes in values needed to restrain humanity's destructive urge to overproduce and over-consume.

This is not the first time such suggestions had been made. In 1990, at the Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders held in Moscow, thirty-two scientists signed a joint declaration appealing to the world's religions to use their immense influence to preserve the environment. The scientists declared that humanity was committing "crimes against creation." They also said, "Efforts to safeguard and cherish the environment need to be infused with a vision of the sacred."

These statements are somewhat ironic, for it is science itself, or should I say, a particular brand of science, that is largely responsible for eliminating the sacred from our vision of the universe. Among the signers of the declaration were Carl Sagan and Stephen J. Gould. I must say it was intriguing to see them endorsing such language as "crimes against creation." In their writing both of them are generally quite hostile to the word "creation," as is most orthodox science. It is interesting however, how science and religion tend to adopt each other's terminology when it suits them, often redefining the terms in the process. One of the tasks before us is to find a common language for science and religion, and use it with integrity for constructive dialogue.


Forming an Environmental Ethic

If we are going to formulate an environmental ethic, we first should understand what our environment really is. From the Vedic, and in particular Vaisnava standpoint, we would have to say that it is a divine energy, an energy emanating from a transcendent God who is nevertheless immanent in nature. Nature is itself populated with conscious entities and structured in a definite way for a definite purpose, namely providing an opportunity for these conscious entities to return to their original pure state.

There is a body of scientific evidence consistent with several elements of this view. In other words, religion may be something more than a socially useful set of beliefs that can be harnessed by science to help solve certain problems, such as the environmental crisis. It just may be so that religion has crucial insights into the nature of reality that can be foundational for a true synthesis of science and religion for the benefit of humankind.

With these foundational assumptions, formulating an environmental ethic becomes easier. Given that according to Vaishnava teachings this world is a reflection of a variegated and essentially garden-like, spiritual reality, we could say that there is some intrinsic value in attempting to maintain a state of environment that most closely matches the original. When children learn to write, they generally copy letters. If their attempt resembles the original it is said to be good; if it does not, it is said to be bad. In the same way, we can propose that there is some intrinsic goodness to a particular state of environmental affairs.

Furthermore, certain Vedic principles contribute a viable environmental ethic. The first of these is "athato brahmajijnasa." This is the opening mantra of the Vedantasutra. It means tha the purpose of human life is cultivation of consciousness, including cultivation of loving relationship between the individual consciousness and the supreme consciousness.

I want to interject here that not every religious teaching leads to a viable environmental ethic. Many manifestations of religion, like modern materialistic science, encourage destructive domination, exploitation and unending consumption. The Vedic system empha<myspace>size</myspace>s the study and development of consciousness over the study and development of matter. Matter is not ignored, it is seen in its connection with the supreme consciousnsness. In any case the principle of brahmajijnasa encourages an ethic of moderation, which contributes to reasonable levels of economic development and consumption that would help unburden the ecosystem.

The Vedantasutra also says "anandamayo' bhyasat." We are meant for happiness and by cultivating consciousness by proper means we can attain nonmaterial satisfaction. This also sustains an ethic of moderation. The Bhagavd-Gita (2.59) says, param drstva nivartante -- when you get the higher taste of developed spiritual consciiousness you automatically refrain from excessive material gratification. A proper balance is achieved.

The Role of Non Violence

The Vedic principle of ahimsa, or non-violence, also has its application. Non-violence can be understood in many ways. For example, to encourage people to devote their lives to unrestrained material production and consumption can be considered a kind of violence against the human spirit. We just have to look around us to see the effects of this violence. If we look at the Americans crowding into their shiny malls at Christmas time and instead of paying heed to the Vedic teaching athato brahma-jijnasa, devoting themselves to the teachings "athato shop until you drop," we see a kind of violence. When we see young Chinese workers crowded into dormitories around the factories that provide most of the Christmas goods found in the American malls, we might also sense violence to the human spiirit.

The principle of ahimsa can also be applied to the earth itself. We have recently heard of the Gaia principle, the idea that the earth is in some sense an organism. This principle has long been recognized in Vedic philosophy, and we should try not to commit violence to our planet by unneessarily poisoning her air, land and water.

Non-violence also applies to to other living beings. Accepting the Vedic teaching of ahimsa, we will not hunt species to extinction. I will also point out that the killing of animals for food, especially animals raised in factory farms and killed in huge mechanized slaughter-housees, is one of the most environmentally destructive practices in the world today. It is wasteful of precious natural resources. It poisons the land and water.

Voluntary Simplicity

The Vedic philosophy provides numerous supports for an ethic of environmental preservation. Similar support can be derived from the teachings of other great religious traditions of the world, but putting this wisdom into practice is difficult.

In many areas of ethical concern we can adopt an objective stance. When we speak of the environmental crisis however, we find that almost all of us are directly implicated. It is therefore difficult to speak about environmental ethics without seeming hypocritical. Nevertheless we must speak. This engenders in us a senbse of humility, and also a sense that even small steps toward the real solution, which must be a spiritual solution, are to be welcomed and appreciated.

Alan Durning, a senior researcher at the World Watch Institute, writes, "It would be hopelessly naive to believe that entire populations will suddenly experience a moral awakening, renouncing greed, envy, and avarice. The best that can be hoped for is a gradual widening of the circle of those practicing voluntary simplicity."

In this regard, I want to briefly mention that His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada started several rural communities for demonstrating a life of such voluntary simplicity. Since his departure from this world in 1977, the number of such communities has increased to 40 on five continents, in locations ranging from the Atlantic rain forest of Brazil to the steppes of Russia.

After I spoke to the physicists in Budapest, I had a chance to visit one of these communities. I have to confess I was rather astonished to find such a rural community founded on Vedic principles in the plains of southwestern Hungary. The center of the community was a somewhat modernistic temple, but when I inquired I learned that it had been constructed using rammed earth walls and other traditional techniques. No electricity was used in the temple or anywhere else in the community. Along the temple walls, I saw brass lamps, which burned oil pressed from locally grown rapeseends.

It was a rather cold day in November, and I saw that the building was heated with super-efficient wood - buring stoves, using wood sustainably harvested from a fifty acre plot of forest which featured locally grown vegetables, cheese from the community's cows and capatis (a tortilla like bread made from whole wheat) made from wheat gorwn and grounded in the community. I learned that oxen are being trained to do farm work and transport.

The people I met did not seem in any way deprived. I told some of them, "You are doing the right thing." Isn't that what environmental ethics is all about -- not just talking about the right thing but doing it?

To summarize, from the standpoint of Vedic principles I should say that the following elements are necessary for a complete solution to the environmetnal crisis.

1. A science that recognizes distinct conscious selves, emanating from an original conscious self, as fundamental entities.

2. A religion that goes beyond dogma and ritual to provide actual sources of nonmaterial satisfaction by the practice of yoga, meditation, ands so on.

3. Respect for all living things, seeing them as conscious selves like us.

4. An eco-friendly vegetarian diet.

5. An economic system founded on villages and small cities, emphasizing local production and self-sufficiency.

Anything short of this will simply not give the desired complete result.
 

I am so excited to take part in this, even if I can't see your show that day :/
And I'm stoked to give you some kickass magnets at your coming Seattle show that I found around my house. I might have a heart attack when I meet you because I will be so excited and nervous, so you're forewarned.
 

will be participating.
 

Ooh and to think that I gave you a cut out Dorothy magnet awhile back!
I hope it's on your fridge sweetie!
Will hunt for cool magnets here in Taipei.
Love,
Suexx
 

Dang that Ghost post about the environment put my ass to sleep.

I have heart fridge magnets and ones in french...ones also empowering me as a woman to be a bad cook.

too bad I am in California and not NY NY.

OH well.

Wait, this is from Feb. Okay, old blog post, time for a new one when you are not too busy touring...