Wow,
What an incredible journey I've had in the last few weeks -months. I was out at Rothbury, a music festival in Michigan for the 4th of July, so beautiful and amazing this was one of the best festivals out there. I was on the greening team with Spitfire Agency, who was the 3rd representation to be brought into planning this festival on the Double JJ Ranch in Rothbury, Michigan. THE STORY Jeremy, the festival producer from Madison House says to Carolyn he wants to do something different on this beautiful piece of land that was so lush and full of natural ecology, and more *including a water park *with slides and stuff too! BACK TO THE STORY Carolyn then builds off the idea of greening the festival and says she has the perfect person to lead it, miss Sarah Haynes, the founder of Spitfire Agency. I must say that I was very impressed on how great of a job they, we did. Running biodiesel on all non-essential generators, and buying carbon offsets for all the calculated carbon footprint. It was mandatory for all vendors to use compostable plateware, cups and cutlery, with all compost pulped on site and donated to local farms. There was an energy fair (black rock solar rocked the house with their solar phone charging station), environmental workshops, a local farmer's market, and did business with as many local businesses as possible. The featured artworks were made from recycled and repurposed materials (artists like the do lab, shrine, our future now, and dollabill) and some that were just plain cool (including peter hudson's "homorouboros"). In every other way though, this was a bonnarroo-style and -scale festival.
Having the greening in the beginning really amplified how necessary and helpful it was to the greening in the conceiving and logistics process, so then everything is thought of from top to bottom, at least is considered in making decisions for material usages, stage design & art work, signage materials, decore, use of space/ land, what goes where, what really caring about the Earth means, and stewardship including composting mulching on-site with the compost going to a commercial composting facility an hour away in Grand Rapids. What an amazing job Spitfire did by increasing the diversion rate upwards of 70% culmination, (80% Main Fairground, 64% campground saved from going into the landfill) those were the last #'s I saw. I ended up making a rain-coat from the backing of some signage to reuse something that would have found it's way to landfill- no I saved that th^ng many times! good times*
Oh yes, and then there was the Sherwood forest at Rothbury filled with psychedelic art and color changing trees, ohhh* so many joys found there - a secret stage- and I think a guy named Carlll.*I talked to the art director of that spot and his vision for it is ever expanding* Next years watch out, it will take off!!! Although the Buddha built of nature from the area was super sweet, that rocked and I hope It stays!

Big ups to Our Future Now folks for bringing the Monkey's and the dramatic Tasseograph pieces we love so much, [I have a great picture of Shrine in a pile of Cardboard admiring one painted on piece,] The space they put together was simply extra*ordinary. It’s all on their website under the Experience at OUrFutureNow.org. Nice to recognize Carey Thompson who with Our Future Now brought together really nice sculptural arches/portals* "holomorphic transmission vision crystals" is what he calls it, that surrounded their zone by the monkies. love the vision, amazing how 3-D it get's I was impressed! what a fabulous bunch of bright souls I admire so dearly, Matt, Kangy, KoKo, David, All You's in the tent*tutu fairy&loui and fun folk. Holla, thank the loard PLEASE - we have got some good shit on this planet- hellls to da yea*

I was blessed to see so many acts such as Dave Matthews Band, Snoop Doggy Dog*, Thievery Corporation, Yonder Mountain String Band, STS9, and so many more. I got to greenly manage the Energy Fair, Ranch arena & stage, and the Wagon Wheel beach, pretty sweet if you ask me, making sure people were educated on the compost, recycling, and landfill station, and diverting the trashs. and I got my own gocart *fun in a bucket* Our team did great* and people got it, and created that massive diversion rate* I was really happy to see people bringing cans from the campground to win things at the Recycle Store @ the Ranch. People won i-pods, solar chargers, and more - some good deals for cleaning up the earth, clap clap*campground folk* traditionally, these festivals generate staggering amounts of trash, so it was nice to see people cleaning up.

The green team I played on at Rothbury was astounding, I met Sarah Kubik of Recycle Detroit, one of my favorite people now, I have a picture of her sitting in a speak easy when we get back to Detroit, along with a old school reporter, and the Mongo's who owned this speak easy and shell'in out the happen'ns in D-TROIT past present and future! Well nobody can predict the future but I sure say that we were seeing a glimpse of REALITY and HOPE smooshed up in a sandwich there, pretty awestriking to learn about the incinerator in Detroit which takes the compost, trash, and other items in and burns at a rate where it's still toxic- poisons are leaking into the atmosphere from the sewer lines and such. pretty messy. So miss Sarah Kubik is so indefinitely wild in her researcher ways, to share it all with us. The reporter got a mouthful from the Mongo's too! I shall share the report soon and the intelligence, care, and compassion of this woman, Kubik*

I love Detroit, there is a street where people painted and decorated the houses with lots of color and the random things around, to bring more light and color the crack coated street. Everytime a house went vacant people went up and arted it up before any one could move in with cracky intentions. It has really changed the temperature of the neighborhood and was neat to see the variety of doors, shoes, TV's, tires, colors, stuffed animals and other various things* (pictures, gotta see my pictures!) making displays abound ol this old disposed cracky town/street :) It's known as a sister city to Oakland, I learned this by the conference in Detroit right before Rothbury –pretty damn great to be with a bunch of revolutionaries form many cities around the states hatch’n a plan for more livable cities! Kellogg Foundation sponsors this conference and planning process on creating healthy cities through looking at the constructed environment in the city. I had been the co-chair of the Built Environment Action Team for the HOPE Collaborative in Oakland and got to go experience what other people had done in their cities to create a healthier place to live. Like Majora Carter from Sustainable South Bronx - she turned that place around by starting with building up a park and green spaces (found by her dog) in da neighborhood- spreading from there. Pruning trees for more lighting in the street (increased safety) and color. She's been working with Van Jones in the Green For All campaign, getting low income youth into cleaner and greener jobs with places like Solar Richmond, building roof top resources and gardens, utilizing the resources in any particular area, to create green collar jobs and lifting people out of poverty *and the concrete jungle* It's Amazing - so caring and compassionate for the overall community there, I'm just baffled. I'm on a mission to help them! Yes.

Which reminds me, I need some help putting together my website and bloggershere* I have some idea's but just imagine if this blog had images spread through out it, links, and more with what I am writing about. * A picture says a million words. I have KachinaKatrina.com and a few others, and just want to get some things up, I have a lot ready to go, just need some designer help design some of it, and a reasonable place to host it . My main web magiver is out of town, and I have the time to make this happen. If anyone here knows me, knows that i will return the favor by networking your ass! Balance it out. Anything you can do to help in the most mutually beneficial and I would greatly appreciate any of it! thanks*

I am on my way to Montana for a 2 week adventure tonight, starting in glacier national park, skydiving, and so much more! I get to see my familia* On the way there we go through Portland *tonight* and Eugene and things* We may even stop by the Mystic Garden Party~who knows*oops already passed that spot, writing takes time. Sorry would have loved to!

Like I said, we will be stopping through Portland tonight if there is any monkey business going down* I miss Portland, ya know - the best clowns in town! I remember you and all the others good fun!* yep yep good place tob* it's 11:46pm and expect us in 3 &1/2 hours! whoo hoo* I'll also be around Portland Aug 4-6th, something like that. P-town*

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I am approaching my Saturn return, this Sunday August 31st, and we will celebtra* at the Numi Tea Garden, I will present a slide show of my life and places, inspired by the city repair slide starting with the one at Oregon country fair ’99 or 2000. I've been tuned in and turned onto some really good music that will accompany it* I am happy to be sharing come of my ambient music making as this is the first official time playing out* Unless you knew me in portlandia at tthe magical fairy house with Inanna* 4545 SE 45th* yep that was the spot with the big 0l' willow tree* you've been there ;) Anywho I'd mix Simon and Garfunkle with some really good ambient shit* I really love that, Inanna would mix with the MLK 'dream poem. Manoj, and Mattie - i give you props for that - and all the others who thunk of it! Too!

I’d love people to come out for this day as I haven't had a birthday off-playa in many years and I am happy to celebrate this one at home and a place I am very fond of, the Numi Tea Garden. (2230 Livingston St,, Oakland) If you are in town, please do come on down! Would love to see you and friends meet friends, and if you are from out of town, then you can stay with me, I'll take care of ya. old and new favorites* it will be fun Yep yep! Global family* Thanks for being alive - I'm glad I know you!! Truly*

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Other amazing life changes happening of late... I am looking for a place to live near where I will going to school, Sonoma State focusing in OD (Organizational Development), and a place in Bodega Bay would be most excellent. I am very excited, as this program is very experiential and I just love this work and helping people be more organized and effective* Really is a special thing. My dear friends Maleika and Dan are giving me their Jeep wrangler! It's fun and has the pop-off top! I do love to explore and welcome anyone who wants to play with me in Bodega Bay. Good times are ahead!

until next time, “merry meet and merry meet again.” Thanks for reading some of the highlights of these times.

With love,

Kachina Katrina
aka "pinball" *
Ps. do note this excerpt from my friend Will in his report back from Rothbury (we managed the greening of the same area,) good people good times:

why rothbury, michigan of all places? i wondered that too. turns out
the owner of the ranch there (a beautiful property) was in financial
peril, and was looking for additional income ... and the deal was
struck. at first i thought "how dumb", but what dawned on me is that
it *didn't* take place in san francisco or portland or seattle as one
would expect, where you're preaching to the choir about recycling, and
we're blessed with curbside compost pickup. no, these attendees were
folks from chicago, detroit, indianapolis, grand rapids, and the
like. they walked away with a new sense of community; an idea of
communal purpose; and (for many) a newfound education about global
warming, taking care of the planet, and how they can be a part of the
solution. that, and they had a great time, from all reports we've
heard.

in short, rothbury is creating a model for a new way to do mainstream
music festivals responsibly, and showing it can be done successfully.
we certainly hope to see it catch on. pretty cool. saddle up,
hippies, next year's going to be awesome. finally, big props to sarah
haynes's spitfire agency, who managed the greening and waste
management effort.

-pq

thanks*
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Kachina Katrina