Singing for a troubled planet

Beyond the Mayan Apocalypse
GreenHouse reader Luisa Garza sent me an email recently apprising me of the upcoming One Earth. One Voice. event—described on its website as “a global campaign mobilizing 15 million people to sing in synchrony on December 21, 2012 … harnessing the unifying power of song as a response to our planetary crisis.” At the exact same time, people worldwide will sing the beautiful Nigerian song, “Ise Oluwa.”

Contrary to the hype of doomsday predictors, many believe Dec. 21 to mark the beginning of a new era of respect for our fragile planet and all the beings inhabiting it. As Bolivian President Evo Morales put it in a recent address to the United Nations, “according to the Mayan calendar, December 21, 2012, marks the end of non-time and the beginning of time. It is the end of the Macha and the beginning of the Pacha. It is the end of selfishness and the beginning of brotherhood. It is the end of individualism and the beginning of collectivism … the end of hatred and the beginning of love. The end of lies and the beginning of truth. It is the end of sadness and the beginning of joy. It is the end of division and the beginning of unity.”

The synchronized singing event, organized by Good Earth Singers founder and classical singer Shyla Nelson, “is the culmination of hard work and a genuine belief that the power of the human voice is a catalyst for healing humanity’s relationship with the earth,” as Nelson told Philanthropy World Magazine.

Those living in the Pacific Standard Time Zone will sing at 2 p.m. Go to www.oneearth-onevoice.org to learn the song and more.

Homeowners sought
Habitat for Humanity of Butte County recently announced that applications for home ownership are being accepted through the end of January 2013 for two homes in the Habitat Greens subdivision in the Chapmantown neighborhood.

“Low-income families in need of adequate housing are encouraged to apply,” according to a Habitat for Humanity press release. “Qualifications include the ability to pay back a no-interest loan and willingness to partner with Habitat for Humanity.”

Applicants must attend a mandatory orientation meeting at 6 p.m. on Jan. 17 at Bidwell Presbyterian Church (208 West First St.). Assistants will be available to answer questions and help fill out applications. Go to www.buttehabitat.org or call 343-7423 for more information.

“Study of the history of land use (and any local history will do) informs us that we have had for a long time an economy that thrives by undermining its own foundations. Industrialism, which is the name of our economy, and which is now virtually the only economy of the world, has been from its beginnings in a state of riot. It is based squarely on the principle of violence toward everything on which it depends, and it has not mattered whether the form of industrialism was communist or capitalist or whatever; the violence toward nature, human communities, traditional agricultures and local economies has been constant. The bad news is coming in, literally, from all over the world. Can such an economy be fixed without being radically changed? I don’t think it can.” – Wendell Berry

“Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them.” – Albert Einstein