Early Earth Day activities April 15-16, sponsored by The Resilience Group, will highlight our urgent need to connect with the Earth, ourselves, and our community to create a rewarding, happy life. Three activities will be offered, all free of charge and open to the public, with donations welcome.
First, The Economics of Happiness, a Third Friday film by Helena Norberg-Hodge, Friday, April 15, 7:00 p.m., will show at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 901 Beatrice. Both hard‐hitting and inspiring, ‘The Economics of Happiness’ has been called “A must‐see film for the future of the planet.” It demonstrates that millions of people across the world are already engaged in building a better world – that small scale initiatives are happening on a large scale. ‘The Economics of Happiness’ features a chorus of voices from six continents calling for systemic economic change. The film shows that countless initiatives are united around a common cause: rebuilding more democratic, human scale, ecological and local economies – the foundation of an ‘economics of happiness’. One voice in that chorus of voices is none other than EED’s Saturday speaker, Richard Heinberg.
Second, a Resilience Bike Ride will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 16th, at the Parking lot by the Cozy Inn downtown. The Resilience Bike Ride, led by First Saturday Bike Ride’s Jerry Brown, is designed to bring people together for fun, enjoyment, and a bike tour of our community on a route that could improve with more designated bike lanes. The ride will enhance our connection to Salina, the natural world, and each other.
Third and finally, Richard Heinberg will appear by live video from Santa Rosa, CA at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, April 16th, at the Salina Public Library’s Prescott Room. The Resilience Group is eager for this unusual public opportunity.
Heinberg is Senior Fellow-in-Residence at the Post Carbon Institute and author of ten books, including ‘The Party’s Over,’ ‘Peak Everything,’ and the soon-to-be-released ‘The End of Growth: Adapting to Our New Economic Reality.’ He is widely regarded as one of the world’s most effective communicators of the urgent need to transition away from fossil fuels. With a wry, unflinching approach based on facts and realism, he exposes the tenuousness of our current way of life and offers a vision for a truly sustainable future.
‘The End of Growth’ makes a compelling argument that the global economy has reached a fateful, fundamental turning point. As energy and food prices escalate and debt levels explode, paths that formerly led to economic expansion now go nowhere. The “recession” will not end in a “recovery,” yet in the coming years we can still thrive—if we maximize happiness rather than the futile pursuit of growth at any cost.
Heinberg is a much sought-after speaker, presenting in dozens of countries and across the United States, and appearing in many documentaries, including ‘End of Suburbia’ and Leonardo DiCaprio’s film ‘11th Hour.‘ He has appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America, Canadian Broadcasting Television, BBC, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and Al Jazeera, as well as on National Public Radio and in Time magazine.
After his address, attendees can engage him in questions and discussion about creating an Economics of Happiness in Salina and North Central Kansas.
All local legislators and officials are invited to attend. Kansas U.S. Senators Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts and First District Representative Tim Huelskamp, have been specifically invited.