If you picked up a newspaper today, you would have seen headlines about Presidential candidates, the Occupy Wall Street movement, Facebook’s business deals, and an Israeli soldier about to be freed in Palestine. Beyond the front page, you might read about turmoil in the Slovakian government or Obama’s jobs bill. Most of these stories seem important and worth a read. But are they the most important stories of the day?                                             For some time now, scientists have been alerting us that Earth is facing a “sixth extinction,” meaning that in our lifetimes up to half of the species that currently live on our planet could be wiped out. The previous five extinctions, taking place over the 4 billion years the Earth has existed, are thought to have been caused by extreme events like meteors and volcanic activities. But the current mass extinction we’re going through is caused by humans; our pollution, destruction of habitat, and overpopulation are just a few ways we’re wiping out hundreds of plants and animals every single day.
Isn’t the prospect of losing forever creatures like the elephant, polar bear, and chimpanzee important enough to make the front pages of the paper, every single day? Why isn’t our national conversation dominated by how to save the honey bee (whose extinction would mean collapse of most ecosystems worldwide)? I’m not saying we shouldn’t be worried about our economy, that articles about endangered orangutans should replace quality information about the government’s plans to create jobs. But if we don’t work fast to learn about the crisis and to save species across the globe, the unemployment rate will be the least of our worries, since human survival depends on all the species that are now at risk.

If you’d like to learn about the Sixth Extinction, we’re pleased to announce that we’re holding a screening of a new documentary, Call of Life, which explores this topic. Watching this film might give you information and a perspective you will never get by watching or reading the daily news! The film not only looks at the crisis in biodiversity, but also the elements of human nature that have brought us to this point, and how we can change our thinking in order to reverse course.

Watch the Trailer below, and Join us in Berkeley on Thursday, 10/20!

On Tuesday morning I attended my first all-employee meeting at Gracias Madre; this was a time for the staff of Cafe Gratitude to come together, learn about challenges facing the company, share concerns and events from each others’ lives, and celebrate our collective dedication to the values that make our organization what it is.
I had been looking forward to this meeting, and with it, the chance to meet many members of the Cafe Gratitude family. But although I was excited, it was early in the morning, and I was coming down with a cold, so my attention soon began to wander. I began to shift irritably on my hard, uncomfortable wooden chair, waiting for the meeting to end. I was trying my best to appreciate the loving conversation taking place around me, but I was really starting to feel ill. But then, suddenly, something caught my attention. Chandra, our operations manager, was talking about the values we hold dear, including organic agriculture and veganism.

Veganism! The word caused me to lift my head and start listening again. I’ve been a vegan for three years now, and a vegetarian for all of my twenty-three; a diet free of animal products is essential for me. And yet in light of this, and even though I’ve also been involved in promoting these diets amongst my peers for several years, I had almost forgotten that this is a core tenet of Cafe Gratitude. A few days prior I had attended the Abounding River Workshop, where I learned the spiritual practices that guide our business, and in doing so, realized the multi-faceted ways the business supports its people and builds a vibrant community based in love, gratitude, and transformation. I came to see Cafe Gratitude as a place primarily concerned with the well-being of all those who choose to work there.

But if that wasn’t enough--a restaurant chain that supports all employees with a well-practices set of tools to enhance emotional, physical and spiritual well-being--this restaurant chain also serves 100% vegan food! And it’s not just some wacky hippie cafe in the bay area--this franchise is exploding, with multiple new locations slated to open in Southern California over the next few years, and a Kansas City, MO restaurant is in the works as well!
I had been so focused on the cafe’s concern for humanity that I forgot how that concern is only one piece of a larger compassionate puzzle. Cafe Gratitude’s ethics show kindness to humans, animals, and the environment as well. I looked around me at the 40 people sitting in a circle, and almost laughed out loud, because most of them looked nothing like your stereotypical vegan. It was a joyful laugh: how wonderful to see vegan food being embraced by all different types of people. After all, compassion is not easily boxed into one category or another; we need not be compassionate only towards the Earth, or to non-human creatures, or to one another. A life’s work can be made by extending our circle of compassion as far as it will go.

Hi,                                   So happy to be home from Hawaii. The workshop on Community building was amazing and we are grateful to be here and getting ready for Spring! We have cabbage in the garden and the tomatoes in the greenhouse are looking strong and healthy!                                                                                 We had a surprise “hail/snow storm” last week! It was warm and beautiful and then all of a sudden it got cold and windy and then windy with thunder and lightning and SNOW!  I am including a picture, as it is hard to imagine.

I am loving not wearing a jacket, first time this morning, when I get up early to feed the chickens. I notice I am starting to feel like tomatoes, and zucchini, and strawberries sound good. I love how my diet choices change with the seasons. I was sharing with Matthew yesterday how wonderful it is to walk about the farm when it is quiet and listen to the sounds of nature and feel my heart connecting with the earth. I wish that feeling for everyone.