Call From The White House

Dear friends,I just received the following from Ryan Harb, an amazing young man who has studied with me and is also an assistant of mine at workshops I give on transforming leadership. Please vote for his project by clicking the link below -- and help him get to the White House and on MTV -- and help to nurture the new dream we all share of a sustainable world.I got a call from The White House on Tuesday night! I may be heading to Washington DC on March 15 due to the significance of the project I am overseeing. Here's the full story. Please share widely if you feel inspired!--The UMass Amherst Permaculture Committee, a student group that I oversee, received some incredible news this week! We have been selected as 1 of 15 finalists (out of 1000+ applications!) for the Campus Champions of Change Challenge, a national award hosted by none other than the White House! This means we are in the final round, and the general public is now voting for which teams will get A TRIP TO THE WHITE HOUSE and also be featured on MTV’s program “The Deans List.”We have only 1 week to tally as many votes as we can - voting ends Saturday, March 3 at 11:59PM est (New York time!) Here's a short description about our student group, and instructions for how to vote:"UMass Amherst Permaculture is a student group that educates the University of  Massachusetts Amherst campus and the local community about ecological permaculture solutions by demonstrating edible perennial landscapes that are highly productive, low maintenance, environmentally sustainable, and socially responsible!"How to vote, and sharing the link with others!:1) Simply click this link and vote (all 3 of your votes!) for "UMASS Amherst Permaculture Initiative"!2) Share the 'example text' below on your Facebook wall / Twitter feed so others in your network will also vote!3) Post this message to Facebook groups and other online networks that you belong to!4) Forward this e-mail to your friends, family, listservs, etc! Ask them to vote and share it with others as well.5) Keep checking back, sharing this on Facebook during the next week, and keep the momentum high!Facebook/Twitter example text with link!: Please vote to bring permaculture to the White House and to millions of individuals! My friend Ryan and his students need your vote!  https://campuschallenge.uservoice.com/forums/148562-campus-champions-of-change-challengeIn summary, I feel that this is such an amazing opportunity to bring huge amounts of positive light to permaculture on the international stage - to further promote the environmentally and socially-just food system and world that we all want to see. If you think there are problems with the industrial food system, please vote for UMass Amherst Permaculture Initiative and you'll be sending a clear message that you want change, and I am doing everything in my power to make those changes happen.Thank you so so much, everyone. We could be at the White House on March 15 with your help!For the earth and each other,Ryan Harb 
Visit: www.UMassPermaculture.com5 minute video clip of the project: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWHSzGDItBA
John