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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">This Sunday Oct 18!
</SPAN><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:State><st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Massachusetts</SPAN></st1:place></st1:State><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"> Relocalization
Conference 2009: Investing in Ourselves<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Join us for a day of
inspiration, information, sharing, speakers, panel discussions, workshops,
tabling, great local food, music, fun, and transformative
action!<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">When: This Sunday,
October 18, </SPAN><st1:time Minute="0" Hour="9"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">9 AM – 6:30
pm</SPAN></st1:time><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Where: Reggie Lewis
Athletic Center, </SPAN><st1:address><st1:Street><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">1350 Tremont
St.</SPAN></st1:Street><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">, </SPAN><st1:City><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Roxbury</SPAN></st1:City><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">, </SPAN><st1:State><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">MA</SPAN></st1:State><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">
</SPAN><st1:PostalCode><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">02120</SPAN></st1:PostalCode></st1:address></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><st1:address><st1:PostalCode><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">More
info: </SPAN></st1:PostalCode></st1:address><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"><o:p> <A
href="http://www.relocalizemassachusetts.org/"><FONT
color=#800080>www.RelocalizeMassachusetts.org</FONT></A> ;
617-821-1453</o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Featured Speakers
include:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Bill McKibben (Deep
Economy, 350.org)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Frances Moore Lappé (Diet for a Small Planet, The
Small Planet Institute)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Mel King (lifelong community activist,
</SPAN><st1:place><st1:PlaceName><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">South</SPAN></st1:PlaceName><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </SPAN><st1:PlaceName><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">End</SPAN></st1:PlaceName><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </SPAN><st1:PlaceName><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Technology</SPAN></st1:PlaceName><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </SPAN><st1:PlaceType><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Center</SPAN></st1:PlaceType></st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">)<B><o:p></o:p></B></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Panel discussions & Workshops
include:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 12pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><SPAN
lang=EN
style="COLOR: #333333; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN">Climate,
Energy & War<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>- Health &
Relocalization -<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Building Local,
Sustainable & Just Food Systems<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>- Democracy and Relocalization -<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>The Green Collar Economy - The Transition Model - Solidarity Economy -
Film: The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil - The Economics of
Relocalization - Worker-Owned Cooperatives<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>- Places to Intervene in a System <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 12pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">For more information, including a conference program,
see <A href="http://www.relocalizemassachusetts.org/"><FONT
color=#800080>www.RelocalizeMassachusetts.org</FONT></A></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN
style="COLOR: #333333; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><BR>Citizens from across the Commonwealth will gather
together at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury on Sunday, October 18th to
discuss community-based solutions to global-scale problems ranging from global
warming to global warring as the 2009 Massachusetts Relocalization Conference
highlights dozens of grassroots initiatives that are emerging as alternatives to
predatory economic systems that wreak havoc on our communities.
<BR><BR>Organizations working on different aspects of relocalization will be
showcasing their work, networking with each other, and illustrating the ongoing
transformation of our economies, our livelihoods, our lifestyles, and our
communities. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Leading voices in the
movements for social, environmental, and food justice will be pointing the way
to resilient, sustainable communities. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Renowned author (<U>Deep Economy</U>) and
environmental activist Bill McKibben, currently organizing the largest day of
climate action in the planet's history for 350.org, will address the hall just
six days before the unprecedented International Day of Climate Action on October
24<SUP>th</SUP>. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>According to
McKibben, "Our current economies are changing the physical world in horrifying
ways. It's our greatest challenge -- the only real question of our time -- to
see whether we can transform those economies enough to prevent some damage and
to help us cope with what we can't prevent." <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><BR>Frances Moore Lappé, acclaimed author of, among
many other works, the classic <U>Diet for a Small Planet</U>, will discuss the
alternatives that are bubbling up from below. "When we realize that the social
systems we have designed as humans are not serving our most basic needs, and
that we have the power to re-design these systems to reflect our values, we can
unleash a powerful wave of transformative action. People all across the planet
are scrambling to harness this power to change the way we treat ourselves, each
other, and all of creation, before the extraordinary web of life begins to
unravel." </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">“</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> Lappé</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> suggests
that some of the biggest problems we face, from global climate chaos to global
hunger, “aren’t the real crisis,” since all that’s missing is the will to enact
available solutions: “It is still possible for humanity to make a planet-wide
turn toward life, but only under one condition: that we break free of a mental
map — a set of reigning but misleading ideas — now robbing us of
power.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><BR><BR>Mel King, the legendary, indefatigable
community organizer who has put relocalization theory into practice at the state
and local levels for over four decades, calls for a revival of community spirit
as essential in regaining control of our lives. "People's spirits have been
absolutely decimated by decades of war, corruption, and a brutal system of
competitive individualism. When we look at each other, and get to know each
other and enjoy one another, we can build the trust we need to begin to take
care of each other. Only then can our needs truly be met, and that's the
ultimate form of self-interest."<BR><BR>This year’s conference site was selected
because Roxbury has advanced some of the most innovative, cross-cutting
solutions in the nation, from the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (a
community land trust with the powers of eminent domain) to the urban farming and
local food system innovations of The Food Project. According to District 7 City
Councilor Chuck Turner, "the people of Roxbury have endured decades of racism,
predation, and injustice. But we have fought back time and again, and have been
leading the way on community-led alternatives to a broken system. This
conference is about replacing this rotten system with new economic models that
meet people's needs without creating gross inequality and destroying the
planet."<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The conference is being organized by the
Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">To arrange
for press credentials</SPAN></B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, meet with
conference organizers, and attend a press briefing with the principal speakers,
contact Michael Horan, Media Relations,
(michaelhoran@comcast.net)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Michael Horan<BR>Stoughton, MA 02072</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><A
href="http://www.nosuppertonight.com">http://www.nosuppertonight.com</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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