This list is by no means complete. If you have a resource you would like to see added to the list, please email Diotima and include a short review of the resource.

The strongest magick is that which is followed by action in the world. Whether you commit to increasing your personal recycling efforts, send a check to an environmental organization, or become an environmental activist in your community, we urge you to ground the magick you do to heal the Earth this Earth Day by following it up with action. Then let us know about your efforts so we can keep the WitchVox community informed!

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead

Organizations
Books
Email Discussion Lists
Green Shopping—Goods and Services
Other Resources

Organizations:

The Earth Day Network

Earth Day Network is the coordinating body of worldwide Earth Day activities. Their goal is to promote a healthy environment and a peaceful, just, sustainable world by organizing events, activities, and annual campaigns. Lots of resources, a daily newsletter and all the latest news. www.earthday.net

ICORE, The International Consortium on Religion and Ecology

ICORE is an organization those of you who enjoy interfaith work should consider joining It is an ecumenical and interfaith non-profit organization that helps individuals and interfaith based organizations learn about and participate in the environmental movement. www.caringforcreation.net

Greenpeace

Greepeace is probably the best-known environmental activist organization in the world. They've been doing this work for over 25 years now. 'Nuff said. www.greenpeace.org

Bioneers

"It's all alive. It's all intelligent. It's all connected. It's all relatives." Barbara suggested this site to us. Thanks, Barbara! www.bioneers.org

Friends of the Earth

Friends of the Earth is a national environmental organization dedicated to preserving the health and diversity of the planet for future generations. As the largest international environmental network in the world with affiliates in 63 countries, Friends of the Earth empowers citizens to have an influential voice in decisions affecting their environment. www.foe.org

The Nature Conservancy

This international organization protects the earth by setting up privately run nature preserves. Currently, they manage over 11 million acres in the US alone. They use a non-confrontational approach, and have several different ways people can help (including volunteer opportunities). www.tnc.org

Natural Resources Defense Council

NRDC uses law, science, and the support of more than 500,000 members nationwide to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all living things. This nonprofit does it all: protects wildlife and parks, works for clean air and energy, works to prevent nuclear waste, etc. They offer the opportunity to help through active writing campaigns available from their website (with prewritten emails-- grassroots work at the click of your mouse) or through membership newsletters. www.nrdc.org

The Union of Concerned Scientists

UCS is an independent nonprofit alliance of 50,000 concerned citizens and scientists across the country. They augment rigorous scientific analysis with innovative thinking and committed citizen advocacy to build a cleaner, healthier environment and a safer world. www.ucsusa.org

Wildlife Rescue

Wildlife Rescue is a non-profit organization that helps to educate communities about wildlife rescue and rehabilitation. This site was suggested to us by Denise of Snapdragon Gifts. Snapdragon's website. has a ton of other environmental resources listed. Thanks, Denise! www.batnet.com/wildlife

The Wilderness Society

The Wilderness Society works to protect America's wilderness and to develop a nation-wide network of wild lands. At their Take Action site, help defend national parks and wild areas throughout the US. www.wilderness.org/takeaction

Canary Coalition

Canary Coalition is a non-profit grassroots organization based in North Carolina that works for clean air. www.canarycoalition.org


Books:

Betrayal of Science and Reason: How Anti-Environmental Rhetoric Threatens Our Future by Anne H. Ehrlich and Paul R. Ehrlich. Island Press, 1996

There's a lot of squabbling in the media over who's right about various environmental issues ranging from global warming to ozone depletion. For every scientist that says there is a problem, you'll hear another scientist loudly proclaiming the opposite. The reason for this is that the media thrives on opposition and will search high and low to find people with differing points of view. Unfortunately, this leaves us with the impression that there is no consensus within the scientific community. Often, that isn't true. Anne and Paul Erhlich give us a unique insight into the scientific process and the current state of environmental science in a highly readable book that addresses the layperson without talking down to them.

The Unsettlling of America: Culture and Agriculture by Wendell Berry. Sierra Club Books, 1977.

Diotima sez:
Wendell Berry has long been one of my favorite writers. This lucid explanation of the nature of agribusiness and its effect on our earth and society is still pertinent a quarter of a century later. He is an insightful and poetic writer, but don't take my word for it—here's a quote from the book:
"If we are to have a culture as resilient and competent in the face of necessity as it needs to be, then it must somehow involve within itself a ceremonious generosity toward the wilderness of natural force and instinct. The farm must yield a place to the forest, not as a wood lot, or even as a necessary agricultural principle, but as a sacred grove—a place where the Creation is let alone, to serve as instruction, example, refuge; a place for people to go, free of work and presumption, to let themselves alone."

How To Shit In the Woods: An Environmentally Sound Approach to a Lost Art by Kathleen Meyer. Ten Speed Press, 1994

Here's an essential guide for hikers and backcountry travelers. In the author's own words:

For the Novice, the Seasoned, and the Planet
This book grew, rather organically, out of my first years of guiding whitewater rafting trips in the 1970's. My aim was twofold: first, to offer badly needed succor to backcountry travelers struggling with things like balance, bugs, embarrassment, and yellowing tennis shoes (I often encountered neophyte rafters who without the bathroom door to close and lock behind them opted for a week of cramps and constipation); and second, to provide practical and environmental methods for keeping wild places pristine, esthetically and bacterially.

Today, in heavily trafficked river corridors, "packing it out"Öyes, poop!Öis required. And a growing number of regulatory agencies that oversee other high-use areas (trekking trails, climbing routes, beaches frequented by sea kayakers) are encouraging or instituting pack-it-out programs. The rest of the world's wild landsÖand the health of these ever-shrinking placesÖremains dependent on the sojourner's mastery of environmentally sound "one-sit-hole" burials. If you plan on straying far from your urban flush commode, plan also on a degree in higher learning in the disposal of your own poop.

The information in How to Shit in the Woods draws heavily on worst-experience stories, my own and those of many others. We're all in this together.

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. First released in 1962, with several anniversary editions.

The classic work on environmental defense, this was the book that helped to get the use of DDT banned in the US, get the Environmental Protection Agency founded, and triggered the conservation efforts that have brought some species of raptorial birds (such as eagles and hawks) back from extinction. A must for anyone thinking of becoming an ecologist. Be forewarned, this book is not a happy read, especially for anyone who feels a strong tie with birds.

Clean and Green : The Complete Guide to Non-Toxic and Environmentally Safe Housekeeping by Annie Berthold-Bond. Ceres Press, 1994

Just what it says it is....:-)


Email Discussion Lists:

Greenmagic

A list for the discussion of environmental issues from a Pagan perspective. To subscribe, email Greenmagic-subscribe@egroups.com or go to www.egroups.com/group/Greenmagic


Green Shopping—Goods and Services:

Pagan Owned Businesses:

Connie Cunningham Designs

Connie Cunningham is a landscape designer specializing in creating earth-friendly landscapes for homes and businesses in the Midwest.

Her goal is to create landscapes that are visually exciting and environmentally sound. This is accomplished by repairing the soils, utilizing native plants, and mixing in traditional Midwest styles. www.geocities.com/cunningham_flower


Pagan Recommended Businesses:

Gardens Alive!

www.gardensalive.com
5100 Schenley Place, Lawrenceburg, IN 47025
(812) 537-8650
Diotima's favorite resource for environmentally responsible gardening products as well as plenty of information on organic gardening.

Real Goods

www.realgoods.com
200 Clara Ave., Ukiah, CA 95482
(800) 762-7325
The source for solar energy information, as well as plenty of environmentally friendly products.

Gardener's Supply

www.gardeners.com
128 Intervale Rd., Burlington, VT 05401
(800) 836-1700

Rhonda wrote us to say:
"There is a wonderful company in Burlington, Vermont, which carries a good number of earth friendly products for the garden. I have been ordering from Gardener's Supply for many years, and have found their products to be good quality, reasonably priced, and effective. Although not all their products are organic, many of them are. They carry organic fertilizers for lawns, flowers & vegetables, compost bins and starter mixes, earth friendly pest control supplies, and lots of wonderful tools. They also have an online newsletter you can subscribe to for free. I like this company because it carries products for gardeners of all types ? serious, grow-your-own-food people, backyard putterers, or people who have windowboxes or patio container gardens."

Thanks, Rhonda!


Equal Exchange

www.equalexchange.com

Denise from Snapdragon Gifts wrote us to say:
"For the past two decades Latin American coffee growers have been cutting down shade trees so they can boost production, thanks to the development of high-yield hybrids that don't need shade. This leaves migrating songbirds with nowhere to nest and contributes to their rapidly declining numbers. If this concerns you, try the shade grown, organic gourmet coffee offered by these fine folk. (They also guarantee a fair price to the farmers - good weather or bad). A tasty jolt without the guilt - perfect."

Thanks, Denise!


Aurora sent us a whole bunch of resources:

The Green Marketplace

Offering environmentally friendly products for sale online. www.greenmarketplace.com

Gaiam

This company offers "gifts gentle on the earth", that include such things as solar powered electronics, composters, clothes made with "green cotton" all natural cotton that is pesticide free and finished without chemicals. Of special note to ladies: organic cotton tampons-100 percent cotton, bleached with hydrogen peroxide, free of surfactants, fragrances, rayon, waxes and absorbency enhancers. www.gaiam.com (800-869-3446)

Electric Cars

Don't forget to consider environmentally safe cars, the next time you go car shopping. Honda is offering a hybrid car that gets as much as 68 miles to the gallon (the Insight at 61/68 mpg). A hybrid car has an electric engine that uses gas to recharge the battery while the car is running. Honda offers a two-seater called the Insight. It is a sporty car that is fun to drive. Honda is releasing a four-seater hybrid in 2003, the Civic Hybrid, which is advertised as 46/51 mpg. Toyota offers a four-seater hybrid called the Prius (52/45 mpg). The Prius has a Super Ultra Low Emissions rating, entirely different engineering, lots of bells and whistles, and the dashboard will intrigue you. GM, Ford and Daimler-Chrysler are also developing hybrid or 100 percent electric vehicles, which should be coming out sometime in the future. www.hondacars.com  www.toyota.com/html/shop/vehicles/prius/index.html

Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star Program

The US Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star site-helps educate about and locate energy-saving household appliances, home electronics, etc. www.energystar.gov

Thanks, Aurora!


Other Resources

Race for the Rainforest

Cheri wrote us to say:
"My current favorite is Race for the Rainforest. Every time anyone clicks on, .0003 acres are saved. Plus it's a pyramid thing: invite your friends and each friend's .0003 is added to yours."  rainforest.care2.com

Thanks, Cheri!



Associate Editor - The Witches' Voice
4/16/2000
Updated 4/12/2002