WHEN:    7:00 pm, Wednesday, February 7, 2007
WHERE:  Regional Arts Commission
                6128 Delmar Blvd. (east of Skinker)
                St. Louis MO 63112

• Jim Scheff, Missouri Forest Alliance

• Trish Grim, New Roots Urban Farm

• Catherine Marquis-Homeyer, Peace Economy Project

• Stacy Kraft, Architecture and Planning Intern

• Charles Quincy Troupe, St. Louis Board of Aldermen, Ward 1

• Dennis Gallie, Member, United Auto Workers Local 325

• Dawud Muhannad, Josephs Visions Technologies & Economic Development

This will be the theme of the Black & Green Wednesday forum on "Reducing Energy and BUILDING A PEACE ECONOMY" at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, February 7, 2007. Held at the Regional Arts Commission (6128 Delmar Blvd), the program is sponsored by the Gateway Green Alliance, Universal African Peoples Organization, Instead of War Coalition, Peace Economy Project and Missouri Forest Alliance.

The rampant razing of ecological systems undercuts the basic fabric of life on Earth. Jim Scheff, an activist with the Missouri Forest Alliance, will outline the need to radically reframe the debate over sustainability, moving from what many consider realistic to what is actually necessary.

Catherine Marquis-Homeyer is Coordinator of the Peace Economy Project, which researches how to turn a military-based economy into a peace-based one. She will focus on expensive and unneeded military programs that are a dead weight on the economy and how those funds can be used to fight global warming.

Trish Grim, with the New Roots Urban Farm, understands how to grow food without heavy petroleum inputs that go into pesticides and fertilizers. She will use her experience as an organic urban farmer to show how we can eat without using energy for genetic engineering, synthetic inputs or long distance transportation of food but instead create sustainable food systems within our own communities.

Stacy Kraft is an intern with Ralph Wafer Architecture and Planning. She will describe how deep green architecture can be used to build and convert homes without massive waste of energy. This can include co-housing, multi-family buildings, underground construction, cross-ventilation, shade trees, and locally generated energy.

Charles Quincy Troupe is a former Missouri state legislator and current Alderman for Ward 1 in St. Louis. Also the Vice-President of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 788, he will speak on how Missouri is woefully behind the times in developing mass transportation and the type of legislation needed.

A reorganization of the economy to reduce energy and produce a lower quantity of material objects must preserve jobs, wages and benefits. Dennis Gallie is a rank-and-file activist in United Auto Workers Local 325. He will talk about the vital need for social justice and democracy in the sphere of production.

As long as US corporations insist on gluttonous life styles, there will be wars to satisfy greed. Dawud Muhammad formed Josephs Visions Technologies & Economic Development, Inc. to break the chains of the utility companies. He will lead a discussion of the moral, spiritual and political revolution needed to reverse ongoing destruction of the environment and humanity.

Call 314-727-8554 for more information about the forum or visit the Greens' web site: www.gateway-greens.org

Co-Sponsored by the Gateway Green Alliance, Universal African Peoples Organization, Instead of War Coalition, Peace Economy Project, and Missouri Forest Alliance.