Glendale Outdoor Leadership School
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: GOLS Office Conference
Room
Suggested Donation: $8 to benefit GOLS
January 7th
Professor John Lane
Paddle to the Sea
John Lane is a Spartanburg, SC poet & environmental writer, co-founder of Hub City Writers Project (with Betsy Teter & Gary Henderson), Wofford College environmental studies professor, river voyager, and weekly columnist for The Spartanburg Journal. John is currently working on Paddle to the Sea, a book-length narrative about important Southeastern water issues framed by a kayak trip from his backyard in the South Carolina Piedmont 200 miles to the Atlantic ocean through the Broad/Congaree/Santee river basin. John will share stories and images from his experiential journey to the Atlantic. For more info about John visit: www.kudzutelegraph.com
January 21st
Matt McClain of Ground Industries
Get the Dirt: Mountain Boarding
Mountainboarding, also known as Dirtboarding, Offroad Boarding, Grass Boarding, and All-Terrain Boarding (ATB), is a well established extreme sport, derived from snowboarding. A mountainboard is made up of components including a deck, bindings to secure the rider to the deck, four wheels with pneumatic tires, and two steering mechanisms known as trucks. Mountainboarders, also known as riders, ride specifically designed boardercross tracks, slopestyle parks, grass hills, woodlands, gravel tracks, streets, skateparks, ski resorts, BMX courses and mountain bike trails. It is this ability to ride such a variety of terrain that makes mountainboarding different from other board sports. Matt McClain is the President of Ground Industries one of the premiere designers and producers of mountain boards right here in the upstate. Come learn all about this exciting and ever expanding sport and how Matt has built a company around his passion. For more info about Matt and Ground Industries visit www.groundindustries.com.
February 11th
Charlton Hall
Mindful Ecotherapy
We have long known that exposure to nature and the outdoors does wonders for your mental well-being. Come and hear about some of the science behind this school of thought with Charlton Hall. A large body of research has also demonstrated the healing power of nature. Ecotherapy is the practice of using nature to facilitate emotional and mental health. Charlton Hall has a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from Converse College Hall is the author of several books, including Green Circles: A Sustainable Journey from the Cradle to the Grave, Cob Castles, and the Mindful Ecotherapy Handbook. His area of research and interest is using Mindfulness and Ecotherapy to facilitate Acceptance/Change strategies within a family systemic framework, and he has presented research at several conferences and seminars on this and other topics. For more info about Charlton visit www.mindfulecotherapy.org.
February 25th
Sara and Tim Bell of Green River Adventures
Paddle Costa Rica
Sara and Tim Bell live on the Green River in Saluda, NC with their two kids. She is the owner of Green River Adventures, a whitewater kayaking school and river guide business. Green River Adventures operates on many of the rivers in Western NC, and runs international kayaking and multi-adventure trips in Costa Rica. Sara is a graduate of Brevard College's Wilderness Leadership and Experiential Education program. She has been teaching kayaking for 10 years, and leading adventure travel trips to Costa Rica since 2002. Sara and Tim will be sharing images and experiences from their adventure travel trips to Costa Rica. They will also be sharing tips for how to plan and execute your own adventure travel trip to Costa Rica. For more info about Sara and Tim visit www.greenriveradventures.com.
March 11th
Kelly Lowry of Global Bike, Inc.
Lecture and Film
Started by six friends, Globalbike, Inc. is a project based in Spartanburg, SC with the sole mission of providing community care workers in the developing world with locally made bicycles. Come listen first hand to their inspiring story about how the power of one can bloom and help change the world. A short film about the reconciliation process in Rwanda entitled Wounded Healers will be shown illustrating the sense of optimism and healing that is underway — a truly wonderful thing considering the horror of the past. Globalbike,Inc. is providing bicycles to Rwandan Partners to allow “Reconciliation Ambassadors” to travel from village to village to actively assist in the process of healing the societal and personal wounds caused by the genocide in Rwanda. These bicycles will make it possible for the Ambassadors to travel much more efficiently and quickly to perform this difficult and critical task. For more info on Globalbike visit www.globalbike.org.
*donations to benefit both GOLS and Globalbike, Inc.
March 25th
Dr. Walt Leonard
Kilimanjaro “the Roof of Africa”
Dr. Walt Leonard is a Spartanburg native and 1977 graduate of Wofford College who climbed Kilimanjaro with his daughter in October of 2008. Kilimanjaro, the tallest free standing mountain in the world, is in eastern Africa, in the country of Tanzania. Dr. Leonard will share experiences and images from his adventures. This is an experience not to be missed from one of the most beautiful and diverse places on earth.
Call now to reserve your spot for any or all of these inspiring and informative lectures at 864-529-0259 or email melissa@palmettoconservation.org.
Mindful Ecotherapy Workshops with Charlton Hall
Workshop Schedule: Will resume in the Spring
Intro to Mindful Ecotherapy
Mindfulness is a meditative technique that originated with Buddhist monks. In recent years, mental health professionals have studied this technique as a means of relieving stress and achieving emotional wellbeing.
A large body of research has also demonstrated the healing power of nature. Ecotherapy is the practice of using nature to facilitate emotional and mental health.
Mindful Ecotherapy combines Mindfulness and Ecotherapy in a program to help students and practitioners achieve a less stressful and happier lifestyle. In this workshop, Introduction to Mindful Ecotherapy, we'll cover the basics of what Mindful Ecotherapy is, how it works, and how to do it.
Mindful Walking
In the, 'Mindful Walking' workshop, we will use Mindful Ecotherapy to examine our own personal journeys within the context of a mindful lifestyle. The workshop will conclude with a Mindful Walking exercise of about a half-mile on the Lawson's Fork Creek Trail.
Mindful Body Scan
In the 'Mindful Body Scan' workshop, we will use Mindfulness to get in touch with our own bodies by learning to pay attention to what they're telling us. We'll also discuss techniques of Mindfulness helpful in accepting chronic pain/discomfort issues.
Mindful Relationships
What if we could learn to be responsible for our own emotional wellbeing? What would that look like? In 'Mindful Relationships,' we will examine how we relate to each other, and how we can improve communication and overall relationship satisfaction through the use of Mindful Ecotherapy.
Animal Assisted Mindfulness
Are your pets part of the family? Why do we keep pets, and what do they teach us about ourselves? In "Animal-Assisted Mindfulness,' we'll look at how animals improve our quality of life, and what they can teach us about ourselves.
Which Tree are You?
In the "Which Tree are You?' workshop, we'll examine tree lore from cultures around the world, and look at how these teachings can be used as metaphors for our own lives. We'll conclude with a Tree of Life meditation.
A Closer Look
One of the skills of Mindfulness involves focusing on one thing at a time. How much do we miss because we simply aren't paying attention? In the "A Closer Look' workshop, we'll learn how to slow down and pay more attention to what goes on around us, what goes on in nature, and what goes on within ourselves.
Making Room for Nature
Do you suffer from Nature Deficit Disorder? You're not alone! In the "Making Room for Nature' workshop, we'll discuss how to add the healing power of nature to our daily lives, and how to live in a more ecologically sound lifestyle.
