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Powerful Ideas, Practical Actions         July 2012  The Story of Change Every day, we’re bombarded with simple things we can buy or do to save the planet, without going out of our way or breaking a sweat. But our real power is not in choosing from items on a limited menu; it is in determining what gets on that menu. Put down your credit card and start exercising your citizen muscles with this new film from the people who brought you the Story of Stuff. READ MORE ... :: SHARE THIS EMAIL    WITH YOUR FRIENDS   A Personal Story of Home and Community   A sense of history and community tugged at the heart of Mindy Fullilove and pulled her back to the Jersey home she’d forsaken. How I Learned to Love My Hometown by Mindy Fullilove I didn’t think we had a hometown. I shut off the lights and closed the wide barn doors. “Once upon a midnight dreary,” Jenn said softly, “while I pondered weak and weary...” Guests, ranging in age from 8 months to 89 years, sat in rows on old couches and folding chairs. They leaned in close to hear my best friend recite “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe. She’d memorized all 18 stanzas for her performance in “The Molly Rose Show,” an annual talent show and birthday party that I hosted in the barn behind my mother and stepfather’s house in Englewood, N.J. Over the years, acts have included readings from a childhood diary, hip-hop dancing, and a ventriloquist act with a baby dressed as the dummy. “The Molly Rose Show” came to an abrupt end when my mom and stepdad’s divorce forced them to sell the house in 2009. I tried to keep the tradition going, but I gave up when I couldn’t find a venue with the magic of the barn. READ MORE ...   YES But How?   How to Save Bats in Your Own Backyard Bats are mammals, shy creatures of the night, and fascinating to watch. They’re also endangered by loss of habitat, disease, and pesticide poisoning. You can help by providing protection. Build a Home. Bats like warm, dry, tight spaces. Watch Your Water. Bats need drinking water and are attracted by ponds and birdbaths. Plant a Night Garden. Plant afternoon-blooming or night-scented flowers. Adopt a Bat. This is the year of the bat. READ MORE ...   These articles come from the Summer Issue of YES! Magazine. ::  PEEK INSIDE THE ISSUE  ::  SUBSCRIBE TO YES! TODAY  :: Last chance to start your subscription with the Homes issue! SEE THE TABLE OF CONTENTS       Affordable, Communal Housing   Feeling a need for community? Cohousing can provide affordable space and neighbors to share it with. Life Is Easier With Friends Next Door by Sven Eberlein The yearning to live in community is not a new one. Human beings evolved sharing common space, resources, and neighborly support, not only for physical survival but also for a sense of belonging and togetherness. But modern society values autonomy, often at the cost of the social connection offered by traditional communities. Cohousing, an idea that originated in Denmark in the 1960s, has been increasingly filling the gap. READ MORE ...   What’s New Online   The Radical Dissent of Helen Keller by Peter Dreier Here’s what they don’t teach: When the blind-deaf visionary learned that poor people were more likely to be blind than others, she set off on a path that broke the boundaries of her time. How the Student Loans Debate Got Religion by Christa Hillstrom There’s a biblical precedent for forgiveness—of debt. Why churches are standing by students on one of the Bible’s most surprising social principles. Growing Beyond Growth for True Democracy by J.A. Myerson When democracy is not determined by economic power, it is possible to imagine alternatives to “growth” and “austerity.” States Close in On Citizens United: California, Montana, and Beyond by John Bonifaz California just became the biggest state yet to join the movement for a constitutional amendment.   Did you miss…   Highlights from the last newsletter: ::How to Build a Bike Train Forty years ago, almost half of American kids biked to school. A smart idea for getting kids pedaling again. ::Foreclosure Aftermath: What We Leave Behind Our homes tell the story of where we come from and who we are. What happens when we lose them? ::How I Found Bliss in a Creaky Old Rental Corbyn Hightower and her family moved from affluence to poverty—and into a “funky, junky” house that’s been the happiest move of their lives.   How to Get More YES!   SUBSCRIBE TO YES! Get a year of YES! Magazine for just $15. + A BONUS ISSUE :: 54% OFF NONPROFIT. INDEPENDENT. SUBSCRIBER-SUPPORTED. YES! KLEAN KANTEEN® Instant inspiration— Just add water. Support our work and support the planet too with the healthiest, safest bottle you can get.   Nationwide Event   Fixing the Future Screenings YES! Magazine is excited to be a national partner for the theatrical release of FIXING THE FUTURE. Screenings are taking place across the country on July 18th & 19th, followed by an onscreen panel discussion with Bill McKibben, Majora Carter, Mike Brady, and David Brancaccio. Look for YES! staff at local events in Seattle and Bainbridge.   Book Review   A Pastor, a Rabbi, and an Imam Walk Into a Book ... In “Religion Gone Astray,” three leaders—and friends—from different religions take on violence, exclusivity, gender inequality, and homophobia in some of their scriptures' most controversial verses. What they discovered surprised them.   Web Picks   Inside America's Worst Toxic Waste Cover-Up The Big Fix exposes BP's efforts to minimize awareness of North America's biggest oil spill. YES! Music for Summer Musical inspiration while putting out this issue: Listen to tracks from New Multitudes, Family, and In the Time of Gods. YES! is published by the nonprofit Positive Futures Network   ::  www.yesmagazine.org 284 Madrona Way NE, Suite 116, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110-2870, USA  ::  Phone: 206-842-0216

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