Danielle is off to a retreat at the Center for Whole Communities.

They write: “Whole Thinking Retreats are six-day forums that help leaders of the environmental and social justice fields grapple with these questions together. Through fellowship awards, we bring together leaders whose work relates to land and people to find common ground, common purpose and common courage in tackling the major issues of our day.

Retreats are attended by leaders from a broad range of professions: urban and rural conservationists, environmental justice advocates, community development practitioners, food security advocates, farmers, ranchers, faith-based activists, wilderness and farmland conservationists, business people, biologists, writers, educators, elected officials, and others. We bring them together to ask questions of themselves and each other and through that process to help them see their work and potential in a new light.”

Los Three is comprised of accomplished professional musicians who love playing music. What more can you ask of a band for your next party?

Here is a highlight reel:

Plus some full songs:

The Sustainable Business Network of Greater Boston welcomed Bill McKibben of 350.org as the keynote at their annual conference.

McKibben pointed out that Congress is currently listening to the incredibly rich companies who’s business models are benefiting from dumping carbon into the atmosphere. He noted that lobbyists against climate action  recently asserted that human physiology will have to adapt to a new world. Wouldn’t it be easier if they adapted their business models?

The Chamber of Commerce “spent more money on political campaigning than the Republican and Democratic National committees combined. They say that they represent all of American business, but it’s not even close to true. They got 55% of their budget from 16 companies.” 350.org has started a campaign, THE CHAMBER DOESN’T SPEAK FOR ME. Does it even have the capacity to speak for small business?

It’s shocking to realize that even in a difficult economic time for most people in the world, “Exxon made more money last year than any company in the history of money. This is 10 times the size of the IT sector or anything else.”

McKibben calls for bodies, spirit and creativity in building a movement to stand up to these forces, because “since we’re not going to be able to outspend them, we better figure out a different currency to work in.”

Tim Wise is an antiracist, author and educator. Recently he spoke in Jamaica Plain, hosted by Community Change, a non-profit organization dedicated to racial justice. Justin was there and rolling. Because Tim posted the clip on his blog, it has received thousands of views and controversial comments.

Tim writes, ”Here is a brief video clip from my recent appearance at a fundraiser for Community Change, in Boston. I am discussing the recent Newsweek cover story about the recession and “beached white males,” and the way the authors missed the real story. It’s not that white men are the hardest hit in this recession–they aren’t by a long shot–but because of privilege and entitlement, they have had the hardest time coping with the exigencies of an imploding economy…sadly, instead of using the experience to foment solidarity with folks of color, many are missing the larger lessons…”

Our friends Nerissa Cooney and Alex Hage (Golden Arrows) helped found Feast Mass. It’s a dinner party supported by local farms and businesses. The meal is delicious – well worth the $10 entry fee (including beer and ice cream). But the best part is that all of the proceeds make a small community project happen.

The winner of Feast 3 was Charlotte Huffman of Girls Who Rock, an after school program in need of electric guitars. Many of the guests who voted for this project said they did because they knew the $500 would really accomplish something for this organization.

If you want to go to Feast Mass you’re going to need to keep an eye on their website because it fills up fast. The next Feast Mass will be on Saturday, May 21, 7-10pm. If you want to get on the waiting list write to: feastmass@gmail.com

When Berklee College of Music, Harvard Business School, and Midem united for the Rethink Music Conference, Ben Spear of Thinkside (thinkside.com) designed an innovative brand to express their vision. The goal of Rethink Music is “to foster creativity and a thriving music industry,” by bringing all of the stakeholders from around the world to the table. Spear’s versatile brand design represents the spark of coalition partners calling for industry innovation to support the next generation of professional musicians.

Thinkside’s brand guidelines and logo help the conference to build buzz. This video goes with Spear to see how it looks in its varied forms from street stencils to posters and subway ads.

April 25-27, Hynes Convention Center, Boston
rethink-music.com “Rethink Music is a solutions-focused conference, bringing together all sides and viewpoints on the subjects of creativity, commerce, and policy to engage in critical dialogue examining the business and rights challenges facing the music industry in the digital era, and to formulate ideas for the creation and distribution of new music and other creative works. The event, presented in association with the Berkman Center for Internet and Society and Harvard Business School, is the result of a research collaboration studying business models and copyright and how they impact the recorded music industry.”

Lyor Cohen, North American Chair and CEO of Recorded Music, Warner Music Group; Amanda Palmer, Artist; Rep. John Conyers, Jr., United States Congressman and Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee; Tod Machover, Professor, MIT Media Lab; Joe Kennedy, President and CEO, Pandora

Danielle interviewed Director of “The Edge of Dreaming,” Amy Hardie. Read the interview on Women in Film and Video New England’s website. http://bit.ly/hIL4kH

Vermont builder and web developer Joe Golden shares the mathematical reasoning behind his design and shows us how he uses the latent heat of the earth to keep warm in the winter.