I was fortunate to be invited to Boulder for the 4th annual ideas and leadership conference,  SCIENCE+ NATURE+ART+PEOPLE (SNAP!). This is the name of a gathering hosted by a quartet of early and highly successful pioneers of the natural products industry.

A few words from Ross McMillan, President and CEO of Tides Canada:

"As many of you are aware, my role expanded to President and CEO of Tides Canada this July. Tim Draimin, who grew Tides with his visionary leadership, has taken on an advisory role as Tides’ first Senior Fellow. I look forward to working with you in the months and years ahead.

Today I became a North American. I was sworn in as a Canadian citizen. The team at Renewal and Hollyhock Leadership Institute were waiting with a cake, a flag, a fun video on being Canadian, and we all sang O Canada with our maple leaf pins on.

Though I’ve been in Canada for many years in a variety of capacities, including guest, home owner, business owner, board member, consultant, work permit, and permanent resident/landed immigrant, it's a very big deal now to be fully rooted.

Check out Vision Vancouver Mayor Candidate Gregor Robertson, Found of Happy Planet Foods, in the Courier's photo blog. 

It was a balmy starry night out on the deck at another Bluff House Party at Hollyhock.

People were organizing to go swim around in the bioluminescence down at the beach. A pulsing group were having a blast on the dance floor. The conversations were ebullient and warm. People were at another final night of another intensive Hollyhock gathering.

It's been a little over a week but we are still basking in the glow of the 13^th Annual SVI at Hollyhock.  We had a remarkable group of people join us for four days of skill building, networking, truth telling, and beautiful sunshine.  This year, we were thrilled to have 130 of the finest social change leaders join us.  When developing the agenda and inviting the participants, we are never quite sure of what the final outcome will be, but we're always sure that there will be some magic. 

Renewal friend Shauna Sylvester recently appealed to Canadians to get informed about foreign policy as the federal election heats up.

Renewal friend Rex Weyler's article Peak Oil drastically changes global economy, was recently picked up by the mainstream commodities journal, Commodity Online.

Here's a different perspective on the current financial crisis from a colleague from SVN and pioneer in the Fair Trade movement. We invested with Clark Arrington in Equal Exchange years ago.

"You guys appear to have a big problem! Manage it well, as the world watches!

Momentum is an invitational forum where some of the most creative minds in the progressive movement come together to challenge, inspire and energize each other. At Momentum 2008 you will: engage with cutting edge ideas, innovative strategies and unexpected experiences, engage in one-on-one discussions with leaders whose diverse experiences inform their work for social change, and engage in a community grappling with the hard issues of making change and creating the space to imagine what's possible. Leaders in the progressive community rarely have the chance to explore things in which they are not immersed, nor do they often have a chance to see challenges outside their own "issue silo". In the complex world where we are pushing for more enlightened policies, exposure to a broad set of approaches and perspectives strengthens us all.