Painting of a big circle of people of all ages gathered for an Open Space Think Tank, with Patricia in the center and a wall of colorful session sheets behind them
Patricia Mikkelson

From the Alliance: Animal Earth Alliance Newsletter #1

Hello, friends!

Each week the Animal Earth Alliance sends out a newsletter with new articles, good news and simple ways to help animals and the earth. Many of you have followed All Beings Sanctuary for a long time, so I want you to have it too. Here is our very first newsletter, with a short look at each article and a link to read the whole thing on the Alliance blog.

New articles from the Alliance

Think Tanks: Where Hearts and Minds Meet to Make Good Things Happen
The Alliance is starting a series of Think Tanks, online and in person, using Open Space so every person’s ideas can be heard. Our first Think Tank, coming in 2027 on Zoom, will be all about helping people get to the March in Washington.

AI and the Animal Earth Alliance: The Good, the Hard, and How I Try to Use It Wisely
I could never have built the Animal Earth Alliance without AI. In this article I share the good parts, the hard parts, and how I try to use it wisely.

Painting of Patricia at her kitchen table talking to a laptop, with golden threads of light reaching out the window to a garden, a circle of people and a forest, India asleep at her feet
This painting was made for the AI article. It shows me at the kitchen table, talking ideas through on the laptop, with India asleep at my feet. The golden threads reaching out the window to a garden, a circle of friends and the forest are how I picture this work: ideas start at one small table and go out to help animals, people and the land. (Illustration made for the article)

How Can We Make Technology Kinder to the Earth, Animals and People?
Here is a big question I want us all to start answering together: how can technology help us thrive without harming the earth, the animals or people?

A Group That Protects Me From Myself
Timers, suggestions, a choir and a temper. This is why I’m building the Alliance so it brings out the best in everyone, including me. Don’t miss the cartoon!

Cartoon of Patricia talking with big gestures in a sharing circle while a giant red timer rings, one friend dozes off, another holds up an hourglass, and India sleeps on the rug
Here I am in a sharing circle, talking with big gestures while the giant red timer rings, one friend dozes off, another holds up an hourglass, and India sleeps right through it all on the rug. It pokes gentle fun at me, and it shows why kind agreements and a timer help every circle stay healthy and give every voice a turn. (Cartoon made for the article)

How I Ran Away and Found Open Space
A very personal story, right here on All Beings Sanctuary. In 1999 my life fell apart and I ran away. A church sign, a kind farmer and a circle of strangers carried me through, and showed me Open Space.

Painting of Patricia in the back seat of a taxi with her big backpack and sleeping bag, looking out at a church sign that reads Go in peace, I am with you
This painting comes from my Open Space story. It shows me in the back seat of a taxi with my big backpack and sleeping bag, looking out at a church sign that reads “Go in peace, I am with you.” That sign was one of the first gifts on a journey that led me to Open Space, and to the circles I still treasure today. (Illustration made for the story)

How the Living Springs Log House Sale Will Help the Animal Earth Alliance
Barbara is selling the Living Springs Log House in the Arkansas Ozarks, and part of the profits will help the Alliance grow.

Coming up: the March in Washington

The March to Abolish Animal Testing comes to Washington, D.C., April 14 to 16, 2027. We want to support this wonderful march. Please visit the march’s support page to sign up for their updates, to attend or volunteer, or to have your group become a partner. You can learn all about the Washington action here. If you would like to go, we will be brainstorming carpools, places to stay and ways to raise funds together.

How you can help

With love for all beings,
Patricia Mikkelson
Founder, Animal Earth Alliance

Where it all began: The Alliance was born at the Living Springs Log House, 14.75 acres in the Arkansas Ozarks. The land is now for sale and could become a home for vegan purposes: a community, a retreat, an event center, or a farm animal sanctuary. See the Living Springs Log House at livingspringsloghouse.com and pass it along to anyone with that dream.

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