Welcome

Greetings! You’ll find tons of info on this blog.
It’s a place to find  resources, articles, updates and info about MSI, the world of experiential education, wilderness education,  sustainable travel, holistic living, service opportunities, and info about our world in which we live. Also leave a comment or feedback.

Here’s what you’ll find:

–Journal entries from
…expeditions/programs, and service projects.
–Articles by and on staff and board members
–News and articles on Peak Oil,
the environment, climate change, and life.
–Holistic living
–Resources on sustainable living
–Travel updates
–Opinion

You’ll see a range of topics as diverse as MSI.
On behalf of the Board of Directors,
Be Well,
Randy Richards, Founder, Executive Director
Mountain Spirit Institute
Sign up for our occasional newsletter by heading to our contact page and email us.
IMAGES: All images:  R. Richards, unless otherwise noted with credits, or public domain from Google images.

Local Screening of Movie “Fresh”, 98 Attend

The Movie Fresh attracts 98 people in small town
Good food, an idea whose time has come
By Randall Richards

Joel Salatin, Organic Farmer, Visionary

The small town of  New London, New Hampshire, saw ninety-eight people turn out  for the screening of the new movie Fresh, an uplifting documentary about the local organic food movement in the U.S.  The event was co-sponsored by the New London chapter of the Weston A Price Foundation, and  Mountain Spirit Institute on Saturday November 21st.  In addition to the showing,  local vendors and food producers were invited to display, who had tables with samples and brochures, where the audience could browse and learn about the good and local food available in their community.  A brief “Q&A” discussion followed the film,  and door prizes were raffled off, including a loaf of great tasting bread by Lane Nevins and Meryl Mekeel of Workingman’s Bread Company, and natural meats raised by Ed and Nita Erickson of Battles Farm. Other vendors attending were Star Lake Farm, Sun Hill Farm,  Hazard Acres,  Spring Ledge Farm and Dan Wolfe of Elizabeth Organic Eggs.

Battles Farm - Local Food Producers, Bradford, NH

The film covered the unhealthy state of the modern industrial farming and food machines controlled by a few large firms such as ADM.  Segments of the movie covered large industrial feedlots in the Midwest, chicken farms in the southeast and large commercial “mono-crop” growing operations of corn and soy in the Midwest . Bovine growth hormones and genetically modified crops were covered.  Also covered however, were success stories of organic farms that are to be the model of a new generation of sustainable farming.  Joel Salatin’s PolyFace farm (Farm of Many Faces) was one of the operations featured in the film.

After the movie Mountain Spirit Founder, Randall Richards said of Lane Nevin’s efforts to bake local bread, “His idea to start this business is coming  just at the right time. People are crying out for local alternatives to the “3000 mile loaf of bread” coming from California. Plus,” He added,” Lane makes a good loaf of bread!”

Event organizer Linda Howes (CN, HHP, CBE), owner of Nourishing Wellness is a long-time health advocate in the area, and has worked as a food nutritionist and health councilor for many years in the New London area. She has a solid following at her practice. She maintains an office in this small town, and was pleased by the turnout.

Proctor & Gamble Exec. turned farmer, Will Allen

The movie Fresh is not being shown in theaters. In keeping with the spirit of the movie, people may purchase screening rights and charge for showing the movie in their local town hall or library meeting spaces. If you would like more information about showing Fresh, click here. If you would like information on how this successful event was planned in our community, please  click on the contact link in this blog.

Also special thanks goes to Amanda Richards for co-organizing this event.

Festival near Machu Picchu, Peru

In a small hamlet, near the town of Ollantaytambo, a few hundred devotees hold festivals in honor of the Virgen del Carmen, known locally as Mamacha Carmen, patron saint of the mestizo population. The gathering, that raises the curtain on these days of celebrations is held in the main square, where troupes of musicians play their instruments while richly dressed choirs sing in Quechua. The setting gives way to a series of ingenious choreographies that portray events in Peruvian history.  The main and much bigger celebration of Virgen Del Carmen is in the town of Paucartambo, about four hours from Cusco, Peru. Mountain Spirit Institute participants, guide Guillermo Seminario, and host Anna Sequeros are in this clip.
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Sir Edmund Hillary Museum, New Zealand

Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre at Aoraki Mt. Cook Inspires, Gives Glimpse into Hillary’s Character

Hillary Museum in NZ

By Randall Richards
We passed through the Aoraki Mt. Cook area, on New Zealand’s South Island, and made our way through the fancy Hermitage Hotel to find the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre. I knew of Hillary the climber, but the display, video presentations, memorabilia and photos portrayed a humble man with astounding climbing ability, a self depreciating style and sense of humor.

He was the first to reach Everest’s summit for a reason. His solid climbing skills, drive and competitiveness all put him in the position with Tenzing Norgay to be the first summiteers on Chomulungma.

Multimedia Displays, with Norgay/Hillary

The reason this story made its way onto this blog, is he seemed to have also been truly a nice guy.  He was loved by his fellow Kiwis. He took care to leave the world a better place than he found it by creating a foundation that built schools and educated those in the Everest region.  One leaves with a good feeling about Sir Ed, after strolling among old photos, his book collection and accounts of his relationships with family, friends and of course his sherpa Tenzing Norgay.
I have a greater respect for Mr. Hillary after having learned more about him at this Alpine Centre Museum dedicated to his life and acheivements.

From the Centre’s Website:

“It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves”

Hillary, His Early Days

“A tribute to Sir Edmund Hillary, humanitarian, ambassador and one of the world’s greatest explorers, the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre showcases the Aoraki Mount Cook region, its people and its place in the universe.

Designed to educate and entertain, the centre features a spectacular state-of-the-art 3D movie, New Zealand’s first full dome digital Planetarium and Museum which documents the pioneering heart of the region and features the impressive Hillary Gallery.

The Hillary Gallery depicts Sir Edmund’s longstanding connection with the region and touches upon his achievements, expeditions and life’s work.  It was here he climbed his first major mountain, achieved a number of impressive first ascents including the difficult south face of Mount Cook, and trained for his Everest and Antarctic expeditions.

Located adjacent to The Hermitage Hotel in the majestic Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre is an opportunity to explore and connect to the national identity and celebrate the cultural characteristics New Zealanders hold dear.”

Yo.

MSI attends NH Grants Institute

Mountain Spirit Institute Attends Grant Writing Seminar
Plymouth, NH
Hosted by the the New Hampshire Center for Non Profits and Council on Fundraising, a three-day seminar held in Plymouth New Hampshire has been covering  the essentials on grant writing. Randall and Amanda Richards are attending the seminar which wraps up tomorrow.

The following panelists presented during the first day, covering  “Understanding the Grantmaking Universe, What are Foundations looking For”:
Christine Grenier – Citizens Bank
Marianne Jones – The Women’s Fund
Mary Kaplan – Endowment for Health

On day two, the following panelists presented on “What Great Proposals Look Like”
Bryon Champlin – Lincoln Financial Foundation
Kathy Cook – Norwin S. and Elizabeth N. Bean Foundation
Ellen Koenig – The NH Charitable Foundation

Says MSI Development Director, Amanda Richards, “This seminar gives us vital tools and information to move forward with our development goals to further the mission of Mountain Spirit. ” She added, “We’re very excited to put these new skills into action.”

MSI plans to search for funding for the Peru/USA Music Exchange Program, Board of Directors development and training, and capacity building,  that will strengthen MSI’s ability to deliver important programs.

The seminar has been presented by Elizabeth Sunde. If you would like more information about  this new program, which will be repeated, please check out the links above.

Gold Mining in Peru

By Randall Richards

Barrick's Pierina Gold Mine, Peru

I know relatively little about the issues that surround open pit gold mining, but my instincts tell me, aside from what I’ve read over the years, that it’s not a good thing, something similar to  nuclear testing – not the best for the planet,  nor the surrounding communities. There are certainly the headlines about gold mining, about toxic tailings and the havoc wreaked on local rivers and communities.  I debated whether to do more research before writing this post, and decided to simply point you in the direction of two websites, and tell an anecdote of my observations in Peru over the past 12 twelve years.

Barrick Mine viewed from our land near Huaraz

We’ve just purchased some land in Huaraz Peru, and within 10 or 15 miles, line of sight, to the north is the Canadian company Barrick Gold open pit gold mining operation. It just looks wrong. A whole mountain on the Corillera Negra side of the Cayllon de Huaylas (Huaylas Valley),  has been transformed into a mammoth sand pit/mound.  Aside from  the blight it produces, all natural grasslands and campasino’s (country farmers), pastures/farms have been eradicated.   I hear consistently that the Japanese are, or are about to run mines in the Cordillera Huayhuash, (scene of Joe Simpson’s Touching the Void).

Barrick's Planned Community - employee housing, Peru

On the east side of the valley, sits Barrick’s planned employee community. It’s relatively well hidden from the center of Huaraz, over a hill with newly planted pines.  But the whole thing seems abusive, elitist,  and completely out of place, in a country where there are stark differences between classes of the “haves and have nots”. This “suburb looking for a city”, looks like something outside of Toronto, or a development near Montreal, rather than a village in the Andes.

Then, there’s the taking of Peru’s natural resources, for the price paid from the highest bidder. If that’s what the goverments mean by “free trade”, they can have it. (As you may know, Peru and the U.S. have a “free trade” agreement as of a few years ago.) For more information on third world exploitation, be sure to read John Perkins‘ Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, or see his website, which also has a good bit on Free Trade with Columbia, which might shed some light on free trade agreements.  More on John Perkins in another entry.

As promised, here is the link for Barrick Mines and, one for Mining Watch Canada, with an interesting page entitled, Transnational Mining Tribunal: The Case of Barrick Gold Corporation in Latin America (Chile, Argentina and Peru). Barrick has multiple pages on “Environmental Responsibility, Biodiversity, Rock and waste management”, etc etc..  However, are we being hoodwinked?

For those up to speed on these issues, forgive my lack of knowledge on the subject, but take my observations at face value, especially if you’ve not been to Peru. If you agree with my take, please forward this blog to friends,  and get the word out about the abuse in Peru and other Latin American countries, its people and resources.

Coal Country the Movie

COAL COUNTRY tells of the dramatic struggle around the use of coal, which provides over half the electricity in America. For more information about the movie and to watch a preview click here

Watch the Preview

In Appalachia, miners and residents are locked in conflict: is mining
and processing coal essential to providing good jobs, or is it destroying the land, water and air? What does this mean for the rest of America and the world?

ANOTHER CIVIL WAR
Passions are running high in the mountains of Appalachia. Families and communities are deeply split over what is being done to their land. At issue is the latest form of strip mining called ‘mountaintop removal’, or MTR. Coal companies blast the tops off mountains, and run the debris into valleys and streams. Then they mine the exposed seams of coal and transport it to processing plants. Coal is mined more cheaply than ever, and America needs coal. But the air and water are filled with chemicals, and an ancient mountain range is disappearing forever.

For more information about the movie, events,  and to watch a preview click here

A Look into Inca Astronomy

The Qorikancha was at the physical center of the Inca empire, their most revered ceremonial temple which also housed the golden sun disc and was considered where the four quarters of the empire came together.  It is located on Avenida del Sol, in Cusco, Peru.
The image below is of  beautiful painting by the Cusco artist Miguel Cartagena, which hangs in the Qorikancha, showing the important points of the Milky Way in the southern hemisphere and how the Inka related to them. Below is a description which is also hangs in the Qorikancha next to this painting:

Milky Way & llama - Southern Hemisphere

“The deities venerated in the Qorikancha were personified celestial bodies and meteorological phenomenon. In order to understand these beliefs, it is necessary to make reference to Inca astronomy, which is known to us through some brief mentions in colonial chronicles and through the folk astronomy of the Quechua communities of today.

MSI to Participate in VT International Festival

DEC 4-6 Burlington VT

Mountain Spirit Institute will be attending Burlington Vermont’s International Festival on December 4th-6th. MSI will have a booth explaining the mission and programs of the organization. In particular, the Peruvian/USA Music Exchange with the Cusco band Chimu Inka, that was so popular in 2008 will be featured at the booth. Also our Peru and New Zealand programs will be presented, where visitors will have a chance to find out more about going on an MSI program in those countries or here in the U.S.  MSI will also have Peruvian Fair Trade products and Chimu Inka CD’s and instruments for sale to help raise funds for their return, and to fund other MSI programs as well.

The Festival has been running for over fifteen years, and according to Amanda Richards, the organizers of the event are excited to have Mountain Spirit attend the festival. We look forward to being there as well!

Adventure Film Festival

Patagonia Clothing Companies’ Adventure Film Festival is happening in Boulder Colorado Tomorrow!! Watch a preview at the link below.

 http://www.adventurefilm.org/index.aspx

A Study: Street Scene, a Peruvian Cafe, Take 2

This second footage was taken right after the first,  in Pisac, Peru on market day. Every Sunday local campasinos, Peruvians from the neighboring villages as well as tourists, students from all over the world pass the streets of Pisac to see items for sale. The paserbys were caught on tape during this impromptu filming while I was sitting in small cafe on one of the main streets leading to the market. A good study on a Sunday afternoon cross section on a street in Peru.
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