The Dalai Lama, A Royal, A Billionaire and a Gangsta Gardener All Contribute To the Global Earth Gratitude Ebook

    SANTA MONICA, CA, April 20, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- In a call to action for Earth Day, a new group that includes contributors The Dalai Lama, H.R.H. The Prince of Wales, Elon Musk, Gangsta Gardener Ron Finley, The Duchess of Northumberland, Kathleen Rogers (the president of The Earth Day Network), Arianna Huffington, Deepak Chopra and more, has come together to offer wisdom on sustainability in two free Earth Gratitude ebooks. These picturesque mini ebooks are available for download at http://earthgratitude.org/, as part of the Earth Gratitude challenge.

What is the Global Earth Gratitude Challenge?
On April 22nd, Earth Day, we're encouraging everyone to power up the gratitude and power down the grid, getting as close to personal net zero as possible for at least one hour. Whether your celebration is an intimate, candlelit, plant-based dinner, a community or school garden planting spree, or an epic, unplugged drum circle under the stars, there are bound to be fresh insights gained from pushing pause on the daily routine and trying something new. You can even have a screening of the 4-minute Earth Gratitude film, shot, scored and directed by the creative mind of Cirque du Soleil promo-man Alvin Tam. The 4-minute film features Alvin, Jada and Satori, who made a brave move to an off-grid lifestyle, after being inspired by the indigenous people of the Sacred Valley in Peru.

As Deepak Chopra reminds us, "We call her "the environment," but Mother Earth is our extended body that nourishes our existence in every moment of our life. Let us work to keep her sustainable, so we may in turn be nourished and sustained. Start by devoting at least one hour on April 22nd to give thanks for Mother Nature, and get as close as possible to personal net zero."

Valentine's Day has date night. Thanksgiving has dinner. And now there is the perfect way to celebrate Earth Day - your way, which can change every year... Be sure to keep it fun!

Some Important Facts... According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 80% of U.S. carbon emissions come from the energy sector - mostly transportation and electricity. So riding a bike and unplugging for at least one hour on Earth Day can be a powerful start to better habits. So can insulating your home, switching to LED lighting, planting trees, setting up organic gardens at home, school and in your community, test-driving EVs, powering by solar, and many of the other tips outlined in the Earth Gratitude mini ebooks.

"Going green can put thousands of dollars back in your wallet each year, allowing you to live a much richer life, while preserving our planet," according to Natalie Pace, the co-creator of the Earth Gratitude project. Gangsta Gardener Ron Finley notes that "Growing your own food is like printing your own money."

"Planting and nurturing trees are virtuous acts," His Holiness, The 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, said in his essay on Practical Steps Towards Protection of the Environment.

"Given that annual new vehicle production is approaching 100 million per year and the global fleet is approximately 2 billion cars, it is impossible for Tesla to build electric cars fast enough to address the carbon crisis," Elon Musk wrote, explaining why he opened up Tesla's proprietary technology to the world.

"Earth Gratitude is an exquisite expression of love for Gaia, Mother Earth. This is the exactly the awareness for which Bodhi Tree stands, and we are honored to be included alongside so many extraordinary, beneficial organizations and individuals," Stephen Powers, the CEO of Bodhi Tree, said. Kathleen Rogers, the president of the Earth Day Network, reminds us that, "When everyone pulls together and does their part, the world will be a better place. Not just now, but for generations to come."

Be part of the solution and start planning your own epic, community Earth Day Celebration for April 22nd now. Share videos and pictures of your Earth Gratitude celebrations using the hash tag #EarthGratitude and http://earthgratitude.org/, so that we can easily like and reshare. You have authorization to screen this film on your website as long as you use the following attribution: Film by BarefootSanctuary.com and EarthGratitude.org. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The Earth Gratitude ebooks make the perfect, free gift for your child's school, friends, family, business partners and company, with essential information from the world's sustainability visionaries on best practices. Download your free Earth Gratitude ebooks, Clean Living and Future Earth, at http://earthgratitude.org/. The Earth Gratitude website will also feature 14 Days of Beauty & Gratitude, which you can sign up for free. Bodhi Tree is contributing a free gift for all Earth Gratitude participants of 3 Bodhi Talks--historic audio recordings by Deepak Chopra, Robert Thurman and John Robbins.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS TO THE EARTH GRATITUDE EBOOKS


About His Holiness, The 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet:
The 14th Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso) has been the spiritual leader of Tibet (in exile) since he was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama of Tibet, at the age of 2. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, and has won the hearts, admiration and respect of citizens around the world.

About H.R.H. The Prince of Wales:
H.R.H. The Prince of Wales is the Heir to the Throne of the British Monarchy. H.R.H. The Prince of Wales has been an advocate for global sustainability for more than 30 years, and is the author of the New York Times bestselling book, Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World.

About Home Farm:
H.R.H. The Prince of Wales believes passionately in the advantages of organic farming. In 1985, when it was still a relatively new concept, His Royal Highness decided to convert the Duchy Home Farm into a completely organic farming system. Thirty-one years later, Home Farm is not only a successful and viable working farm, but a flagship for the benefits of an organic, sustainable form of agriculture.

About The Duchess of Northumberland:
Her Grace Lady Percy, The Duchess of Northumberland is the creator of Alwnick Garden, one of the most visited and controversial grand gardens in the world, with its famous Poison Garden. The Duchess has served as the Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland since 2009. She is a martial arts enthusiast who has hosted MMA events at Alwnick Garden.

About Elon Musk:
Elon Musk is the chairman, product architect and CEO of Tesla Motors and the CEO and CTO of SpaceX. Forbes ranks Elon Musk as the 21st most powerful person in the world, with personal wealth of $12.4 billion (as of 1.11.17).

About Deepak Chopra, M.D.:
Deepak Chopra is a bestselling author and the founder of the Chopra Foundation, which is dedicated to improving health and well-being, cultivating spiritual knowledge, expanding consciousness and promoting world peace to all members of the human family.

About Wangari Maathai:
In 1977, Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental non-governmental organization focused on the planting of trees, conservation and women's rights. She became the 1st African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.

About Arianna Huffington:
Arianna Huffington is the founder of The Huffington Post, the founder and CEO of Thrive Global, and the author of 15 books, including, most recently, Thrive and The Sleep Revolution.

About The Earth Day Network:
Earth Day Network is the world's largest recruiter to the environmental movement, with over 50,000 partners in 96 countries. The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970. Kathleen Rogers, President of Earth Day Network, has worked for more than 20 years as an environmental attorney and advocate.

About Global Green:
Global Green USA is an environmental nonprofit working to stem climate change & build a sustainable future. Helping the people, places & the planet in need.

About Rainbow Light:
25 years ago, Rainbow Light developed the first Ecoguard FDA approved food grade, BPA-free 100% recycled plastic bottles, reducing their carbon footprint by 92% and keeping approximately 10 million plastic bottles from polluting waterways and natural habitats every year. On Earth Day 2016, Rainbow Light is launching a microsite to provide free sourcing and operational information to help other conscious companies evaluate sustainable packaging options.

About Bodhi Tree:
Established in 1970, Bodhi Tree is a leader in the conscious community and a trusted resource for awakened living that includes earth-centric wisdom traditions, sustainability and ethical practices. Today, the iconic Los Angeles brand is expanding globally using media, technology, live events and e-commerce on its newly-launched portal, bodhitree.com.

About Leon Krier:
Leon Krier is an eminent architect, urban planner and theorist pioneer in promoting the perennial rationality and modernity of traditional urbanism and architecture. Leon is the author of The Architecture of Community, published by Island Press in 2009.

About Poundbury, England:
Poundbury is an urban extension to the Dorset county town of Dorchester, built on Duchy of Cornwall land according to architectural principles advocated by H.R.H. The Prince of Wales. Leon Krier designed Poundbury based upon H.R.H. The Prince of Wales' book A Vision of Britain, employing the "Poundbury Principles" of architecture, mixed housing and favoring the pedestrian over the car to create a more humanizing environment.

About Cayala, Guatemala:
The town of Cayala was master planned in 2003 by Leon Krier, with the Guatemala-based firm of Estudio Urbano.

About Life is Good:
Life is Good is a $100 million lifestyle brand that is spreading the power of optimism. Bert & John Jacobs founded the company out of the back of a van.

About Ron Finley:
Known as the Gangsta Gardener, Ron Finley is one of LA's most widely known artivists. Founder of the Ron Finley Project, his mission is to transform the culture in urban communities throughout the world.

About Carlo Leifert:
Professor Leifert is the Research Development Professor for Ecological Agriculture at Newcastle University (since 2000) and a Director and Trustee of the Stockbridge Technology Centre Ltd (STC) (since 2001). He is a member of the Food Security Network in the Newcastle Institute for Research on Sustainability (NIReS) and leads the Nafferton Ecological Farming Group (NEFG).

About Lynne Twist:
Lynne Twist is the author of the bestselling book, The Soul of Money and the co-founder of the Pachamama Alliance.

About the Pachamama Alliance:
Pachamama Alliance is a global community that offers people the chance to learn, connect, engage, travel and cherish life for the purpose of creating a sustainable future that works for all.

About Dr. Paula Kahumbu:
Dr. Paula Kahumbu is the CEO of Kenyan Conservation NGO WildlifeDirect and is leading the hard-hitting Hands Off Our Elephants Campaign with Kenya's First Lady Margaret Kenyatta. She is the Chair of the National Museums of Kenya, a National Geographic Explorer and the winner of the Whitley Award.

About Professor Steven Chu:
Professor Steven Chu is the 12th (and longest serving) U.S. Secretary of Energy (2009-2013). He is a Nobel Laureate, Physics, 1997, and currently serves as the William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of Physics and Professor of Molecular & Cellular Physiology in the Medical School at Stanford University.

About Ray Mabus:
Ray Mabus is the 75th United States Secretary of the Navy, the longest to serve as leader of the Navy and Marine Corps since World War I. Responsible for an annual budget in excess of $170 billion and leadership of almost 900,000 people, Secretary Mabus worked from 2009-2016 to improve the quality of life of Sailors, Marines and their families; decrease the Department's dependence on fossil fuels; strengthen partnerships with industry and internationally; and increase the size of the Navy fleet.

About LivingHomes:
LivingHomes works with leading architects to create lines of homes that feature modern form and functionality and an unprecedented level of healthy/sustainability materials and energy systems. The 1st Living Home was the 1st platinum LEED rated home in the U.S.

About the Downtown Project:
The Downtown Project's goal and purpose is to help make downtown Las Vegas a place of Inspiration, Entrepreneurial Energy, Creativity, Innovation, Upward Mobility, and Discovery, through the 3 C's of Collisions, Co-learning, and Connectedness in a long-term, sustainable way. Mark Rowland was the CEO and Community Actualizer of the project between 2012 and 2015.

About Mark Rowland:
Founder and CEO, ROCeteer. Mark Rowland was the CEO of the Downtown Project, overseeing the entire portfolio of 200+ companies that made up Tony Hsieh's Vegas Tech Fund and the Small Business Fund.

About Jill Bolte Taylor:
Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a Harvard-trained and published neuroanatomist who experienced a severe hemorrhage in the left hemisphere of her brain in 1996. It took eight years for Dr. Jill to completely recover all of her physical function and thinking ability. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey (published in 2008 by Viking Penguin). In 2008, Dr. Jill gave a presentation at the TED Conference in Monterey, CA, which turned out to be the first TED talk to ever go viral through the Internet. TED and Dr. Jill became world famous instantaneously, and her TED talk is now one of the top 5 most viewed TED talks of all time.

About Green Our Planet:
Green Our Planet a non-profit that raises money for green projects. Since co-CEO Ciara Bryne started Green Our Planet in March 2013, the organization has raised over $1 million and built 85 outdoor garden classrooms for schools in the Clark County School District, saving over 3 million gallons of water annually.

About Rickie Byars Beckwith:
Rickie Byars Beckwith is the Arts & Music Director of Agape International Spiritual Center and a world-renowned spiritual songstress.

About the NRDC:
The Natural Resources Defense Council works to safeguard the Earth - its people, its plants, its animals, and the natural resources on which all life depends.

Earth Dance:
Now in its 21st year, Earthdance supports peace, sustainability, and social justice with an international music and dance festival for peace and a global, synchronized Prayer for Peace link-up. Earth. Dance. Music. Peace. Synchronicity.

About Earth Gratitude:
The Earth Gratitude project features the wisdom of the world's visionaries of sustainability, with easy, actionable strategies so that we can all become the generation that saved the planet. Download your free Earth Gratitude ebooks, watch the 4-minute Earth Gratitude film and participate in the 14-day virtual event at http://earthgratitude.org/.

Call 310-430-2397 or email [email protected] to schedule an interview or receive a quote from some of the participants.

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