Punta Gorda, Belize, September 9, 2009 - Save the Rainforests: A Little Green Goes a Long Way

Once the preserve of the Dodo Bird, and a myriad of other rich and now extinct species, the world's tropical rainforests are being decimated at a rate of 32 million acres annually. Deforestation and slash and burn agriculture in Belize has resulted in ominous smoke signals belching into the atmosphere, spelling "SOS" for Belize's tropical rainforests. Concerned that their grandchildren won't live to see Scarlet Macaws, Black Howler Monkeys, Jaguars, Spotted Owls, and American Manatees - all members of Earth's endangered species - Ron and Carrie Dewhurst established the "Rainforest Carbon Remove Society".  This non-profit organization "seeks to change the present world economic view of nature from worthless to priceless before it is too late".

Based in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, the founders of Carbon Remove have witnessed, firsthand, the devastating effects of global warming on the precious forests of British Columbia. About 35 million acres have been impacted or ravaged by the pine beetle, transforming the once robust forests into dead stands emitting noxious greenhouse gas.

Carbon Remove is involved in several projects in Belize and hopes, through public support and funding, to further develop its vision of sustainable rainforest management, eco-sensitive business development and preservation to save the world's rainforests. One of their projects is the Utz Kab' Farm, a traditional Mayan cacao farm in Belize. When the Dewhursts, along with fellow Canadians, Looey Tremblay and Michael Saunders, purchased the organic cacao farm in Belize, they recognized the importance of creating sustainable farming practices to preserve the rich natural and cultural history of the farm.

The Belize cacao farm was purchased from a Mayan elder whose ailing health rendered regular and required maintenance of the farm impossible. The farm needed immediate intervention and stewardship to restore its viability. Using the Rainforest Carbon Remove Society as the vehicle to move the cacao farm into a model of regenerative and sustainable design, the new owners are determined to spearhead - and support - long term goals of biological, economical and social sustainability for Belize's Mayan farmers. Their mandate includes creating a Permaculture Training School at Utz Kab' Farm; and exploring innovative carbon reduction and sequestration technologies with inherent local implementation. 

Teaching local Mayan farmers about the merits and tenets of regeneration and sustainability sets the stage for the broader goal of halting the destruction of Belize's rainforests. With donations, funding and grants, these green activists are seeking to transform the Utz Kab' Farm into a new vision of regenerative design.  They realize that a little green can go a long way and have developed an innovative fundraising program.

The Rainforest Carbon Remove Society has issued the 40,000 x $5.00 Green Social Network Challenge. The goal is to raise funds by challenging people to donate $5.00, in addition to broadcasting the "Save the Rainforest" challenge through their social media contacts. They are asking people to forego their take-out beverage for a day, saving greenbacks and donating "greenbucks", to save the rainforest.  By using the power of social network sites, including Twitter, they hope that the tweet of the Dodo Bird will again echo around the world.

For further information and to donate to the rainforest fund, visit http://www.carbonremove.com/; email info@carbonremove.com or call Ron Dewhurst, President, Rainforest Carbon Remove Society at 250-769-7195 (Canada).

Rainforest Carbon Remove Society is a not-for-profit society committed to the preservation, management and creative business management of rainforests in Belize.

The Integral Village

The Concept

The Integral Village consists of two words which define its basis of creation, the first word integral and the philosophy behind it is defined by Wilkipedia as:

Integral thought (also called the integral paradigm, the integral movement, or the integral approach) is a new and developing movement that is comprised of teachings that seek a comprehensive understanding of humans and the universe by combining scientific and spiritual insights. According to the Integral Transformative Practice website, integral means "dealing with the body, mind, heart, and soul."

The next word village is a social structure defined by Wilkipedia as:

A village is a human residential settlement commonly found in rural areas. It is usually larger than a hamlet and smaller than a town or city. Villages have been the standard unit of community living in most of the world throughout history. Although many types and organizational patterns of village life have existed, the typical village was small, consisting of perhaps 5 to 30 families. Homes were situated together for sociability and defense, and land surrounding the living quarters was farmed.

Joining the two terms will create a new vision of humanity that will transform our culture by creating a social structure of both science and religion to create new realities for future generations.

The Vision

The Integral Village will be a new social structure to create the cultural evolution for a new awareness of humanity. As we enter the 21^st century we have began to realize that humanity requires a higher integration and synthesis between science and spirit in order to survive and take the next step. The Integral Village will adapt the integral thought philosophy of seeing truth everywhere in both the objective and subjective dimensions of realities, embracing and including it yet transcending it, with an inherent directionality towards a holistic evolution process which moves towards increasing the depth of consciousness.

The Integral Village will act as an IV or infusion point for this new consciousness to the planet through:

• A social village designed with holistic science and technology to create a more symbiotic arrangement with Gaia
• A political legal management system more attuned to spiritual/science integral philosophies than our present failing system
• An education system with an integral thought basis to redefine the ways of knowledge and experience sharing
• A support business structure designed on ideas and products realized by the village's evolution

Consciousness evolution through the self direction of individual and cultural spiritual growth will be the next transformation as we move out of the information age into this new era.

The Design

The Integral Village space design will consist of the following considerations to allow the community to interact and grow:

• A housing unit to support the village unit which is designed around user friendliness, cooperation and cultural growth
• An accommodation unit to allow non-residents to visit the village
• An university/learning/spiritual centre to create intellectual/scientific/spiritual evolution by holistic interconnections
• A business centre to allow the marketing and sell of intellectual rights, services and products
• A communications infrastructure to connect the community from all points to the emergence virtual cyberspace of world communications
• An agricultural space to furnish food
• A infrastructure/utility design based on green technologies
• A geometric design layout of form and structure to promote resonant communications to cosmic energies

A panel of experts from all pertinent fields will be chosen to program the initial layout of the IV based on land size and usage restrictions. The hope is the design can be repeated with modifications based on space allotted.

The Intregal Village

The Concept

The Integral Village consists of two words which define its basis of creation, The first word integral and the philosophy behind it is defined by Wilkipedia as:

Integral thought (also called the integral paradigm, the integral movement, or the integral approach) is a new and developing movement that is comprised of teachings that seek a comprehensive understanding of humans and the universe by combining scientific and spiritual insights. According to the Integral Transformative Practice website, integral means "dealing with the body, mind, heart, and soul."

The next word village is a social structure defined by Wilkipedia as:

A village is a human residential settlement commonly found in rural areas. It is usually larger than a hamlet and smaller than a town or city. Villages have been the standard unit of community living in most of the world throughout history. Although many types and organizational patterns of village life have existed, the typical village was small, consisting of perhaps 5 to 30 families. Homes were situated together for sociability and defense, and land surrounding the living quarters was farmed.

Joining the two terms will create a new vision of humanity that will transform our culture by creating a social structure of both science and religion to create new realities for future generations.

The Vision

The Integral Village will be a new social structure to create the cultural evolution for a new awareness of humanity. As we enter the 21^st century we have began to realize that humanity requires a higher integration and synthesis between science and spirit in order to survive and take the next step. The Integral Village will adapt the integral thought philosophy of seeing truth everywhere in both the objective and subjective dimensions of realities, embracing and including it yet transcending it, with an inherent directionality towards a holistic evolution process which moves towards increasing the depth of consciousness.

The Integral Village will act as an IV or infusion point for this new consciousness to the planet through:

• A social village designed with holistic science and technology to create a more symbiotic arrangement with Gaia
• A political legal management system more attuned to spiritual/science integral philosophies than our present failing system
• An education system with an integral thought basis to redefine the ways of knowledge and experience sharing
• A support business structure designed on ideas and products realized by the village's evolution

Consciousness evolution through the self direction of individual and cultural spiritual growth will be the next transformation as we move out of the information age into this new era.

"We think first in order to survive, and then we live in order to think: such is the fundamental law of anthropogenesis which emerges. But Thought, once it is let loose, displays an extraordinary power of self-protraction and extension, as though it were an independent organism which, being once born, cannot be restrained from growing and propagating itself and absorbing everything in its network."

                                                                                                            Teilhard de Chardin

The Design

The Integral Village space design will consist of the following considerations to allow the community to interact and grow:

• A housing unit to support the village unit which is designed around user friendliness, cooperation and cultural growth
• An accommodation unit to allow non-residents to visit the village
• An university/learning/spiritual centre to create intellectual/scientific/spiritual evolution by holistic interconnections
• A business centre to allow the marketing and sell of intellectual rights, services and products
• A communications infrastructure to connect the community from all points to the emergence virtual cyberspace of world communications
• An agricultural space to furnish food
• A infrastructure/utility design based on green technologies

A panel of experts from all pertinent fields will be chosen to program the initial layout of the IV based on land size and usage restrictions. The hope is the design can be repeated with modifications based on space allotted.