Zorah Staar's Biography & Climate Change Manifesto

This is a revised biography (as of January/09) because now we're living in a revised world... of climate change, ecological crisis, and potential disaster. Who I was is no longer as important to me as using everything I have been and am to help protect life on earth.You may think this is over the top, but one of my strongest beliefs is that we need to see very clearly this troubled earth we are creating right now, in order to be able to heal and transform it (see "WHAT WE CAN DO..." below).

So what do I bring to the table? Vocation-wise, I have done counselling, advocacy and community activism with victims of abuse and also adoptees and birthparents, worked for a local government Trust that protects rare ecosystems, and supported advocacy efforts leading up to the critical world climate negotiations to occur in Copenhagen in Dec/09 (COP15 - see more below). Meanwhile artistically, I've created solo, choral, and theatre music, and have now spent the past 5 years focussing on my writing (see "What's New" for more about my musical and screenplay). Spiritually, I am a pagan/buddhist/new ager, who respects the many paths to the infinite power of Spirit and our own spirits. Also, I am a survivor of extreme past abuse, and (most importantly to me) busy raising a young son with my partner, at a time of extreme world challenges. So what do I do with all that? What might we all do, at this immensely important moment in history? Here (respectfully) is the best I can think of right now.

WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE

GET READY to face the truth, by reaching out for whatever is bigger than us - the greater Spirit (in all its beautiful forms), the human spirit, nature, our art, our communities... whatever sources of connection, love, healing, and courage which will help us bring the best of ourselves to meaningful action in this moment.

UNDERSTAND the truth about global heating, which is that unless we stop doing "business as usual" and immediately work towards ZERO net carbon emissions and other very major changes, there could be ZERO life on earth for our children, as soon as 2050. Sea level rises would be fatal for many areas, but potential temperature rises and related effects (on water, agriculture, etc.) could well be fatal for ALL of us (www.wakeupfreakout.org and www.climate-change-emergency-medical-response.org).

UNDERSTAND the feedbacks now taking us to the tipping point, especially the methane (which turns into carbon dioxide) that will be released from warming permafrost and oceans, if we allow the average world temperature to rise more than 2 degrees Celsius (www.wakeupfreakout.org).

UNDERSTAND that to prevent the resulting 6 to 10 degree Celsius world temperature rise and mass extinction, we should even start capturing CO2 back OUT of the atmosphere.

UNDERSTAND how our governments are allowing the fossil fuel and military industries, the big banks, and other multi-nationals to keep taking us to destruction (e.g. www.stoptarsands.wordpress.com) and STOP propping up this insanity with your votes/purchases/investments.

SUPPORT a petition to convert 10% of military spending for the environment (search "Global Green Petition"), and your country's positive action at the critical COP15 Dec/09 world climate change negotiations (www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=COP15).

VIGOROUSLY ADVOCATE about all of this with your elected representatives (1 letter = 10 votes) and many others, and SUPPORT Green Parties, proportional representation, clean energy, and green companies.

RADICALLY REDUCE your individual/joint negative climate change impacts, in particular (if you can):

HOME - Live in a modest-sized, energy and water efficient home, near where you need to go (our homes waste way even more energy than our cars);

FOOD - Eat less meat, eggs and dairy (more impactful than an SUV!), more vegetarian/vegan, local, and organic food, and no bottled water;

TRAVEL - Don't drive or fly unless you have to, buy the most energy efficient vehicle and fuel you can, and rely on alternatives (walking, cycling, public transit, car-sharing, telecommuting, etc.);

WASTE - Reduce (don't buy stuff you don't need), buy used/reusable, recycled/recyclable, local, and otherwise environmentally-friendly stuff, and repair, donate, recycle or compost what you can.

Note: The above is just a brief summary of the many ways we need to change how we live, based on ideas from David Suzuki's Green Guide (by David R. Boyd and David Suzuki), and from climate change experts Peter D. Carter and Julie Johnston (see www.climate-change-emergency-medical-response.org).

THE BIGGEST THING OF ALL - Knowing more about the troubled world that we are creating right now, focus instead (most of the time) on the world that you want to create - clean, green, just, sustainable, at peace... your vision, whatever that is.

And if having a bigger vision seems too overwhelming at times, go back to smaller pieces of the world that you want to create... a new organic garden for your family or community, a newsletter to spread climate change and alternative information, a car-sharing program to help your city drive less... the possibilities are as limitless as your own spirit.

In any event, I invite you to radically expand the LOVE and SPIRIT that you bring to every precious moment of our existence here together. Put those together with enough ACTION, and I truly believe we can start earning some major miracles, to transform our world. Though we have no way of knowing what the results will be, we owe it to those currently suffering from climate change, and to future generations, to give it all we've got. Blessed be!