Bill McKibben Wrap-up

First of all, many thanks to everyone (somewhere around 100 of you!) who turned out for Bill McKibben's talk last Thursday night. Also, a very special thanks to Bill for taking the time to visit us here in Hardwick. His message in person as well as in his book Eaarth, though full of hard--even difficult to face--truths, also offered a great deal of inspiration. Much of this inspiration comes from Bill's own passion and energy for the cause of saving our planet and ourselves from our own excesses. It is too late, he says, to imagine that we might stop global warming, as it's already well begun. What we can do is work, very hard, as hard as we can, to keep the trend from going beyond a point "any worse than it has to." Bill's realistic optimism gives an additional strength to his words, and in his realistic view of the situation, the most important work to be done is political. To that end, he encouraged all of us to talk to our politicians about the importance of making large, lasting changes to our environmental policies.

One way to do this is by getting involved with Bill's own brainchild, 350.org. Last year, the group organized what CNN called "the most widespread day of political action in the planet's history," which included more than 5200 gatherings in 181 countries. This year, the non-profit group is planning a Global Work Party on October 10 (10-10-10, easy to remember!), with an open invitation for any and every community to join them by pledging to engage in  a clean energy project that day.  It's a small thing to ask, and an event that will have far-reaching consequences. Let's hope that world leaders will take notice and then take action to pass the legislation needed to curb our carbon emissions and begin healing our planet.

One further note on this event: Linda and I, as we often do, got too caught up in setting up for the event to remember to take out a camera and take pictures. If there is anyone who would be interested in volunteering to be a photographer for our events, even a few of them, please let us know! You don't need to be a professional, and you don't even have to bring your own camera--all we're looking for is someone willing to take a few snapshots to record the memories.

Things to do

Despite the snow falling outside, spring is really here--you can tell just by looking at the community bulletin boards, full to bursting with flyers advertising events over the next few weeks.

The Galaxy Bookshop has already had some great readings this season--Howard Frank Mosher, Ben Hewitt, and Peggy Sapphire--and we're looking forward to many more in the upcoming months. Mark your calendars now, before they fill up!

NEXT TUESDAY: April 20, 7 p.m. Open Mic Night! Tonight, the audience falls under the spotlight; writers of all styles and ages are welcome.

Thursday, April 29, 7 p.m. Myra Lewin. Learn how to deal with food in a healthy way, with the author of  Freedom in Your Relationship with Food.

Tuesday, May 18, 7 p.m. William Alexander. A man with a mission to bake the perfect loaf of bread documented his quest in 52 Loaves: One Man's Relentless Pursuit of Truth, Meaning, and a Perfect Crust.

Tuesday, June 3, 7 p.m. Bill McKibben. Having marked 20 years from the publication of his now classic The End of Nature, McKibben moves on from warnings of global climate change to a plan for dealing with the aftermath of change that has already come. His new book is called Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet and is available on shelves now.

Look for more scheduled events at our website, with more to be added through the summer.