Unity: Twa Wenza

Twa wenza means "Yes, we can" in Swahili.

It is a new day, a grand opportunity for us to set aside our differences and start solving the many problems at home and around the world.

Why Are Wild Places Important To You?

The Women Protecting Wilderness project invites you to help create a “wilderness quilt” of women's voices by submitting your photo and a 2-3 sentence statement about why wilderness matters to you. Learn More

Travel For Peace

Travel can be more than a vacation. It can be used to achieve social change.

Louis D'Amore, founder of The International Institute for Peace Through Tourism(IITP), believes tourism can foster world peace. IITP is hosting their first European Conference: Bridging The North-South Divide Through Sustainable Tourism Development" October 21-25, 2008 in Leeuwarden, Netherlands. If you are interested in learning more visit the IITP website or read an interview with Louis D'Amore at http://ecoclub.com/news/067/interview.html and check out what ODE had to say about him here

Tonic for the Soul--Mothering is our Nature

On Mother's Day, I wandered out on the mudflats of the river to watch a family of raccoons scamper on the shoreline. It was a tonic for my soul. Breathing in the wonder of the outdoors nurtures me. When I am low, I find solace in nature. When I am outside, I am more myself. Nature writer Diane Ackerman describes our need for the tonic, "There are noble reasons for protecting the environment...but we also need a healthy, thriving, bustling, natural world so that we can be healthy, so that we can feel whole."

Right there on the mud flats, I made a commitment to take care of myself as well as I take care of others. "Taking care of yourself is your right and your responsibility," says Vimala McClure. And it is said, she who values her body more than dominion over the empire can be given custody of the empire. I want to value my soil and sea, as much as I do the bodies of others.

And in doing so, I cannot help but wonder how much richer, cleaner, kinder the planet would be if mothers everywhere started caring for themselves in this way--nurturing the mother, the nature in us all.