Recommended Events for March 2021

• Amanda Gorman performs her poem Earthrise

Monday, March 1 • Poor People’s Campaign: Heal the Nation, Heal the Earth
Monday, March 8 • Mindful Explorations: Reclaiming Play
Mondays beginning March 8 • Meeting Life with Mindfulness
Tuesday, March 9 • Reckoning Forum on Violence Reduction
Tuesday, March 9 • KFTC Virtual Art Build: With Love, Kentucky
Tuesday, March 9 • Louisville Showing Up for Racial Justice Meeting
Saturday, March 13 • REAL Good News- Local Action for Climate Care
Tuesday, March 16 • With Love, Kentucky: Creative Resistance at the Capitol
Tuesday, March 16 • Sierra Club: Greg Abernathy, KY Natural Lands Trust
Thursday, March 18 • Community Conversation with Malka Kopell
Saturday, March 20 • Salamander Seekers at Louisville Nature Center
Saturday, March 20 • Honoring and Offering: An Earth Reverence Workshop

• Make Your Voice Heard: Engage in the Kentucky Legislative Process
• Sharing a Vision - Racial and Environmental Justice
• Stop the Dakota Access Pipeline

Earthrise by Amanda Gorman





Monday, March 1, 3 pm

Poor Peoples Campaign
Moral Monday Teach In
Heal the Nation

Offered Online
Healing the earth means healing our people. That’s why on Monday we’re lifting up struggles from across the nation to protect our land and freedom from the evils of ecological devastation, poverty wages, environmental racism and denial of health care. From the struggle to defend Apache sacred land in Oak Flats from a corporate mining giant to Cancer Alley in Louisiana to toxic factories in West Virginia and Chicago, to name just a few, we’ll hear directly from communities that are fighting back and demanding economic and environmental justice.

Join us and hear the stories of communities who have been targeted with destructive practices by corporations and governments, but are building movements that hold the key to a sustainable future. Join us Monday as we continue to push Congress and the White House to enact our 14 Policy Priorities to Heal the Nation.


 



Monday, March 8, 7pm

Monday ME: Mindful Explorations
Reclaiming Play

Offered online by
Cory at Heart Communications
Monday ME: Mindful Explorations invite us into weekly adventures, journeys in which we dive, or gently step (you get to decide which!), into ourselves in order to rediscover those forgotten, lost, and cut-off parts of ourselves.

Each week we’ll engage our curiosity by using practices of compassionate communication, somatic awareness, and creativity to challenge ourselves to play or to plunge, and see what we discover when we do!

Monday ME: Mindful Explorations are scheduled for 12 Mondays from 7:00-9:00pm via Zoom through May 24. There are 12 sessions and 2 off weeks during this time. Every week focuses on a specific theme.

March 8th’s theme is Reclaiming Play

Each session includes:
- a meditation inspired by a message from my Cards for Remembering deck
- a compassionate communication-based teaching and practice OR
- a creative practice (that doesn’t require fancy art supplies) OR
- a combination of the two!
- time for sharing with each other in large and/or small groups
- an intentional closing, AND
- exercises to continue the exploration on your own

You can sign up for one, a few, or all sessions. For this session you can sign up for a single "try-out" session at a reduced rate!

For a list of all weekly themes, pricing, and to register for one, a few, or all 12 sessions, visit https://www.corylockhart.com/monday-me-mindful-explorations






4 Mondays, March 8 - 29, 5:00 - 6:30pm

Beginning Meditation:
Meeting Life with Mindfulness
with Jenny Bell

Drepung Gomang
Center for Engaging Compassion via Zoom
Jump into In-Sights. Make a conscious choice to befriend your mind! Give yourself the gift of being present to your life!

Now more than ever we are called to live with more intentionality. Learn how to meet your life with mindfulness and in turn meet your experiences with more serenity. Learn how to develop a personal meditation practice, explore powerful tools that can help you to regulate internal experience, cultivate self-awareness and acceptance and ultimately increase your resilience for life. Begin your new year with intention, and feel your life become inspired! 

REGISTER HERE at a sliding scale: $55, $70 or $85. Some partial scholarships are available - DrepungGomangCompassion@gmail.com.






Tuesday, March 9, 6 - 8 pm

Reckoning Forum on
Violence Reduction

Offered on Zoom and via Facebook Live
Interfaith Paths to Peace and the Beloved Community Hosting Team would like to invite you and to participate in the first, of many, Reckoning Forums. This Forum will highlight four Black innovators who are helping to address Violence Reduction.

These Forums provide a practical way for your members to engage in co-creating a racially just city. Each month, at the Reckoning Forum, we highlight members of our community who are doing great work in creating a racially just and equitable community and provide an opportunity to take practical actions to join them in their work.  

This month's Truth Tellers:
Dr. Steven Kniffley, Savvy Shabazz, Richard Whitlock, Jr., and Aubrey Willams

During the first part of the Forum, our four social innovators will share their stories and initiatives. During the second part, participants will be able to join one of the innovators from more conversation and to explore practical ways to provide support.

The Reckoning Forums are an essential part of the Beloved Community Initiative, which also includes the formation of Actions Constellations and Learning Labs around 20 areas discerned as essential for cultivating a racially just and equitable city.

To build a more racially just city, Interfaith Paths to Peace is connecting religious, spiritual and justice seeking communities to the good work emerging from impacted communities.

The registration link is here.







Tuesday, March 9, 7 - 8 pm
Virtual Art Build:
for With Love, Kentucky
Creative Resistance at the Capitol
Offered online.
We're getting creative together and building art for our With Love, Kentucky day of action at the capitol! Join our virtual space and get inspired, bounce ideas, and craft your yard sign or other art.

Hosted by Kentuckians for the Commonwealth

Register here.
 





Tuesday, March 9, 7 pm

Louisville Showing Up for Racial Justice Monthly Meeting

Offered on Zoom
LSURJ is ending the year with a new and improved approach to our monthly meeting! Please make note of the new time and structure. Don’t forget – it’s a great time to invite a friend, family member or co-worker.

7:00-7:30 | Welcome for new folks--join us before the meeting if you want to learn more about LSURJ.

7:30-8:30 | Meeting, all are welcome! Let's end white silence. Topics this month include Justice for Breonna, Ending Cash Bail, fights over Defunding the Police and Investing in Our Community.

Feel free to join at either 7:00 or 7:30. To request ASL interpretation please email louisvillesurj@gmail.com.

Register at bit.ly/LSURJmeeting





Saturday, March 13, 7 - 8:30 pm

REAL Good News
Local Action for Climate Care


A Virtual Conversation
Join members of REAL, the Renewable Energy Alliance of Louisville, to learn more about what Louisville is doing for the sake of our climate.

Presenters:

Sam Avery and Roger Ohlman

REAL - Renewable Energy Alliance of Louisville

Nicole George
District 21 Louisville Metro Councilperson

Dawn Cooley
Kentucky Interfaith Power & Light


Music by John Gage
Songwriter, folksinger


Register for this free Zoom event here.


KFTC






Tuesday, March 16, 12 - 2 pm

With Love, Kentucky: Creative Resistance at the Capitol

Capital Building, Frankfort, Ky
Coming together to create, vision, and express our frustrations about the General Assembly is an important response to the challenges we’re facing this year. Between the unfriendly legislature, global pandemic, and icy cold winter, we need to feel each other’s creativity and inspire each other’s strength right now.

To celebrate the spirit of creative resistance, we’re asking you to come with us for a day of action in person at the capitol as we leave love notes, declarations, and imaginative visions for the future we deserve. We'll be repurposing election signs and installing them on the Capitol lawn. Bring your creative energy – paint a sign or write a poem. If you are unable to be in Frankfort, local chapter organizers will deliver your signs and letters for you! Keep a look out for regional chapter events to create signs together before the day of action

Register here.




Tuesday, March 16, 7 pm

Greater Louisville Sierra Club presents
Greg Abernathy,
of Kentucky Natural Lands Trust

Via Zoom
Please join us as we welcome Greg Abernathy, Executive Director of Kentucky Natural Lands Trust. Greg’s presentation will be an overview of Kentucky’s unique biodiversity and the importance of large landscape conservation. The presentation will spotlight Kentucky Natural Lands Trust’s Pine Mountain Wildlands Corridor project.

Greg Abernathy is the Executive Director of Kentucky Natural Lands Trust, a Berea-based nonprofit working to protect, connect and restore wildlands. He provides strategic leadership and management of KNLT’s efforts ranging from land acquisition to partnerships and outreach to wildlands philanthropy. Greg joined KNLT in 2012 after many years of assisting on special projects. He served as the Assistant Director from 2012-2017 and became the Executive Director in 2018. He has previous experience working for private, government and nonprofit conservation organizations both in Kentucky and throughout the Appalachian region. Greg's background is in forest ecology, geographic information systems (GIS) and design.

Please join us for this important presentation. Greater Louisville Sierra Club programs are always free and open to the public.  Here’s the link for registering- http://tinyurl.com/53vwsfx2 .





Thursday, March 18, 7pm

Community Conversation with Malka Kopell
Building Social Muscle, Strengthening Relationships Across Divides

Hosted online by the Earth and Spirit Center
Please join us for thoughtful conversations with dynamic figures who are actively promoting the flourishing of people and planet. Earth & Spirit Center’s Executive Director, Kyle Kramer, draws out our guests in conversation, and then we open the forum to questions and comments from everyone on the call.

In March we’ll be talking with Malka Kopell, the co-founder and CEO of Civity, a national nonprofit organization working to build and strengthen relationships of respect, empathy, and trust across social, political, and cultural divides. Malka will describe how Civity works with community leaders to build skills in connecting with others – especially with people who are different from them. Interested community conversation participants will have a chance to practice a short one-on-one conversation with a partner.

Malka is an independent consultant to philanthropy, nonprofits and governments. She brings to Civity over 30 years of experience with collaborative, cross-sector governance and civic engagement, and has worked on a variety of issues, including neighborhood revitalization, water and air quality, transportation, youth development, and public health.

Register here.
Saturday, March 20, 10am – Noon

Honoring and Offering:
An Earth Reverence Workshop with Jenny Bell

Drepung Gomang via Zoom

Mindful Earth Connecting

Are you yearning to grow a deep, healing connection with the sacred land, watersheds, fertile earth, gaia, mother nature, our sacred world? Desiring an experience of interbeing, belonging, nourishment with the space and place you abide? Wishing to learn ways to witness, co-create and synchronize with your ecosystem? Are you wanting to show greater reverence to flora and fauna, soil and stones? 

“Honoring and Offering” is a meditative journey of reciprocity, earth prayer and belonging. Facilitator Jenny Bell will guide you through practical and powerful ways to offer up praise and gratitude for sacred earth with intention and reverence – nurturing nature by being a grateful steward! This workshop includes mindfulness practices that will integrate these experiences and deepen your connection.

Cost on a sliding scale – please pay what you are able: $35, $45 or $55 or $20 (scholarship rate). Register HERE or call 502-614-5616.




Saturday, March 20, 6:30 pm

Salamander Seekers:
Learn and Search!

Louisville Nature Center,
3745 Illinois Ave, 40213


The streamside salamander (Ambystoma barbouri) is endemic to the Bluegrass region of Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. One of their few remaining strongholds is in the wetlands of the Beargrass Creek State Nature Preserve!

Join our guides for this exciting new program, to learn more about these special amphibians and how we can protect them - followed by a hike into the preserve for an evening salamander search in the wetlands!

They are currently in their active breeding season, so now is the time! Program will take place twice: Saturday, March 6 and Saturday, March 13.


Please Note: This program will be limited to 10 participants, masks required. Please plan for bathrooms to not be accessible before or after the hike.

“When we call the Legislative Message Line it’s counted and recorded. We need to keep calling and repeat our demands." - Angela Rowe, Rowan County

Call the Legislative Message Line at (800) 372-7181. Leave a message for your legislator – every message makes a difference. Make it easy to call often by saving this number in your phone.

Legislative Message Line hours
Monday - Thursday 7 am - 9 pm
Fridays 7 am - 6 pm

Connect with legislators online

Explore the General Assembly’s website at legislature.ky.gov. You’ll find contact information for your representatives, vote histories, schedules and calendars, and information about bills.

Email your legislator

Find contact information for each legislator:

KFTC’s Online Legislative Guide
From the Children and Nature Network: Sharing a Vision

Racial and Environmental Justice

All children deserve to learn and have fun outdoors in nature. Unfortunately, not all children have parks or nearby greenspace. And did you know that nature can even help kids and teens get through difficult times?

The NatureFuture art exhibit is an opportunity for you and your children or students to discuss, learn, and challenge critical issues related to nature access and racial and environmental justice—and to imagine a just and nature-filled world for all children.

As adults, finding the words to talk to kids about social and environmental justice can be challenging. To help, we've created a toolkit for Talking to Kids About Equitable Nature Access, offering age-appropriate resources so you can support children in understanding how racism and other factors impact access to nature.

Here is the toolkit link.

Stop the Dakota Access Pipeline

Tell President Biden: Shut Down the Dakota Access Pipeline

We have 44 days to influence the Biden administration's position on the unjust Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), and with it the Biden administration's approach to other pipelines like the dirty Line 3 tar sands oil pipeline in Minnesota. That's why dozens of organizations are coming together to deliver petitions against DAPL and Line 3 directly to President Biden. Will you add your name too? Sign here.

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