Taking a Holistic Strategy on the Road

By Geoff Barrett

The Sustainable Living Roadshow (SLR) tour is touring the country to connect with underserved communities by promoting sustainable living. Our mission at Alternative Healing Network (AltHealNet) is to integrate medicine through the use of all healing modalities. We accomplish this by creating community/family based events that support both local alternative medical practitioners and "Western" medical personnel who have joined together to integrate all available medical options.

The Alternative Healing Network, Inc. (AltHealNet.org) is organizing the Natural Health and Healing Farmacy for this fall's "Be the Change" tour of the SLR from August 24 through November 1. SLR is made up of a caravan of educators and entertainers touring the country in a fleet of 5-10 renewable fuel vehicles. Their goal is to empower communities and individuals to utilize sustainable living strategies for a healthier planet.

The tour kicks off at each of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions in Denver and Minneapolis, then it will be held in Chicago, Knoxville, New Orleans, and other cities, culminating in Los Angeles during the November elections.

www.sustainablelivingroadshow.org

Democratic National Convention - Denver, CO - Aug. 24 - 28

Republican National Convention - St. Paul, MN - Sept. 1 - 7

Harvest Festival - St. Paul, MN - Sept. 5 - 7

University of Illinois - Chicago, IL - Sept. 13 - 14

U.S. Presidential Elections - Los Angeles, CA - Nov. 1 - 2

This is a three-month tour with other tours scheduled for 2009. Further plans include duplicating this type of tour as sponsorships and public awareness increases.

We heartily welcome your participation and assistance, your efforts (sweat equity), ideas, and ability so that we can increase the awareness of integrative medicine in the lives of people everywhere.

We are looking in each state on the tour for acupuncturists and other holistic practitioners in all modalities who are licensed and insured. Practitioners who are interested in reaching as many people as possible are needed to share the benefits of preventative and holistic health care as a vital part of Sustainable Living. Because the tour is being supported by companies and private donations, we will offer the public free treatments from licensed and insured practitioners in the cities we are visiting.

We are looking for practitioner volunteers for each state who will act as organizers to connect the local healing community with local participants and attendees of the SLR Roadshow. We are also conducting off-site Family/Integrative Health Night events with local YMCAs, YWCAs and Boys and Girls clubs which will serve as hosts for additional underserved community opportunities.

This local healing event model has been growing in San Diego because of our "consciously fun" and family-friendly integrative practices. Local events include Integrative/Family Health Nights, Alternative Happy Hours, and local Healing Arts Festivals where community members can experience a variety of healing modalities. During the San Diego fires of 07,' the health care community in that area responded in a generous way; and we welcome this opportunity to help establish similar experiences where you live.

AltHealNet's board of directors consists of doctors in the San Diego area, acupuncturists, founders of family health centers and others concerned about the state of our current health care system. Dr. Ellen Beck is a national figure who has run free medical clinics for over 10 years (meded.ucsd.edu/freeclinic/). Ellen fully backs the aims of this tour. We have relationships across the country with health care practitioners and others whom we are connecting with now to finalize the tour set-up.

Our challenge: we need your assistance in getting the word out to your community and finding people from your local chapter organizations who can take charge of organizing the volunteers participating in SLR’s events. We will have both daily events at the field where we will be camped/based, as well as working with local YMCA or Boys & Girls clubs to host an event at a nearby off site location.

For more info on AHN: althealnet.org
If you are interested in participating, please contact Geoff at AHN: gbarrett27@gmail.com or (619) 288-7220

To participate virtually on the SLR Community Forum, please join:

"Preventative and Holistic Medicine, vital to Sustainability!"
www.sustainablelivingroadshow.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3

If you have suggestions for tour locations and/or sponsorship, please contact the SLR directly at:
www.sustainablelivingroadshow.org/sponsor_us.php