Tomorrow June 4th is Hug Your Cat Day…which I know most of you will do anyway without being told.
Even more important…June 5th is World Environment Day, established by the United Nations in 1974. This year the host country is Canada, as part of its 150th birthday celebrations. A week from now when I go to the Quilt Canada Festival in Toronto, I will take photos of the quilts relating to this anniversary celebration.
Many people are wondering what we can do for the environment these days. I have had many emails about this in the last few days. The most important thing is to do *something*. Change your lifestyle, pursue more sustainable consumer habits, volunteer or donate to organizations working to save the rainforests, the rivers and oceans, endangered wildlife, but don’t wait for someone else to do something for you.
I just want to remind you for World Environment Day that 2 of our designated charities are doing amazing work on environmental issues – Rainforest Action Network (RAN) and Ocean Conservancy. You may have read about the RAN event I attended this last week, in our Midweek Creative Nudge. I plan to visit Ocean Conservancy when I am in Washington DC next month. (They did a wonderful article about our charity program recently!)
In addition to donating 2% of sales to our list of charities, I also make art quilts on the topic. This is another way that you can help. My quilt Rocky Mountain Poison debuted at the United Nations in Geneva last year, and is now traveling in the Water is Life exhibit, to tell the story of a poisoned river.
I hope you will join me in pondering what we can do for Mother Earth on World Environment Day. As a mother, business owner, photographer and world traveler…I know too much and care too much to sit back and let someone else take action.
For our Canadian quilter friends – please note that I will be at the Award Ceremony on the evening of Tues June 13, and will also be at the show all day Weds June 14. Hope to see many of you there!
sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul
*****
p.s. We are just hearing about the events in London in the last hour. I am sending prayers for peace and healing to our friends in London and the UK.
********
Travel Calendar:
June 13-14 – Quilt Canada Festival in Toronto
June 19-21 – Cleveland – Fresh Quilting
July 13-17 – Sacred Threads & Not Fade Away
July 30 – Intl Quilt Trends lecture at San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles
Aug 12 – Festival of Quilts, Birmingham UK
Aug 26 – NEXT SAQA Symposium – Boulder CO
Sept 16 – Quilters Take Manhattan
Oct 1-11 New Zealand Quilt Festival – Wellington & Christchurch
Dec 29 2017 – Jan 5 2018 – Tanzania Africa Wildlife Migration Tour – LIMITED SPACES!
Feb 22-25, 2018 – QuiltCon – Pasadena, California
