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With us today is a truly unique individual.  He has worn many hats.  Everything from farmer to Aerospace Engineer  designing and building stealth aircraft, reiki master to environmental activist. Connie and I had the good fortune to meet Rob at the Climate Project training back in 2007 and found him to be a profoundly spiritual and grounded person.  Today we will be talking to him about his latest environmental projects and how our listeners can get involved.  Please welcome to Newlygreens, our good friend Mr. Rob Kinslow.

He consults and volunteers with non-profits such as Hawaii Interfaith Power & Light, Hawai`i Conservation Council, KAHEA, Hawaii Conservation Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, The Algalita Foundation, Kaho`olawe Island Reserve Commission, World Turtle Trust, We are One Foundation, Association for Global New Thought, Akamai Bout Credit, and Ahahui malama i ka Lokahi, a wetland restoration project. His company Sustainable You makes documentary films and “media to inspire and education to act”.

With years of experience managing complex engineering projects, in his spare time, he served as Executive director of the Ballona Wetlands Land Trust (ballona.org) in Venice Beach, California. He was one of the leaders in a creative partnership to preserve an additional 640 acres of wetlands next to Los Angeles World Airport part of which Steven Spielberg wanted to build his DreamWorks film studio. Mr. Kinslow has been instrumental in starting several NGOs, including “The Love Company” that exposed at-risk youth to concepts of nature and yoga and “ActaVista” created an envisioneering center for social and environmental change.

One of Rob’s passions is creative documentary films. He’s worked on feature films such as “The Last Stand” (PBS) and His camera has roamed the globe as Director of Photography in South Asia including co-producing a film with Young Asia Television in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

He has experience with many cameras including, large and regular format still cameras, and professional video and film cameras. As a producer of “The Calling, he assists in film-making, networking, interviewing and all development aspects of this feature documentary film. His company OM Creations makes documentary films and “media to educate and inspiration to act”.

350 campaign – Original Hawaii messenger, 18 different actions in our state as a result, innovative funding through Hawaii Peoples Fund, Ameron, applied through Brighterplanet.org. 150 6th graders- Heart Art

Grant-writing for social change: The Regeneration Project, HPF
Legislative advocacy, letters, 350 pictures and proposals
TCP summit
IPL summit
Executive director of Hawaii Interfaith Power & Light
The Interfaith Alliance Hawaii board
Interfaith Declaration on Climate Change
created and taught a workshop on NGO PSA development
created a new company Sustainable You, LLC – business education for a more sustainable you

Began a Masters in Global Leadership and Sustainable development
Began writing a book on Sustainability
Gave 15 sustainability presentations
Proposal to green girl scout camp
Sparky Matsunaga Peace garden
Worked on “LOST” – Episode 512

Films:
Hawaii Conservation Alliance:
Dr. Stephen Schneider, Ramsay Taum, Leilani Munter
Pasifka Energy summit
Monk seal PSA

While an aeronautical engineer, he founded and served as Executive Director of the Ballona Wetlands Land Trust in Venice Beach, California. His advocacy and leadership in the late 90’s, to acquire, restore and preserve the Ballona Wetlands, culminated in a deal to purchase 640 acres surrounding wetlands upon which Steven Spielberg wanted to build DreamWorks Studios. He co-founded a non-profit called the Love Company that immersed at-risk youth in nature and yoga. He founded the”ActaVista” house that was a community model and center for social and environmental change for 10 years in Venice Beach, California.

Concurrently, he co-founded and was involved in the creation of a coalition of 110 groups with one simple mission statement, “To preserve and restore the Ballona Wetlands.” He collaboratively developed and implemented projects such as Grandmothers for Ballona, Foot-by-foot land acquisition, Earth-Water-Air-Los Angeles (EWALA), multiple fundraising events, acted in and developed a street theater troupe FrogWorks, was behind the camera and in-front in the film, “The Last Stand”, founder of the Venice Beach ActaVista house, and developed and implemented a highly successful postcard campaign that garnered 100K signatures from Angelenos who wanted the wetlands preserved.

Living now in Hawai`i, he volunteers his time with non-profits such as Hawai`i Conservation Council, The Nature Conservancy, Kaho`olawe Island Reserve Commission, Oahu Land Trust, World Turtle Trust, and Ahahui o ka Lokahi.

He has collaborated with such organizations as Association for Global New Thought, We are One foundation, Young Asia Television, Echo Productions, The Climate Project, Alliance for Climate Protection, Greenpeace, Sierra Club, Step-it-Up, 350.org and numerous other human development and eco-consciousness raising organizations.

In 2007, he was selected by The Climate Project to be personally trained by Al Gore, Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize winner, to educate and present the latest findings of climate scientists. He has presented to students, private high worth investors, professional associations, and public gatherings. To arrange for a talk contact him at omcreations@riseup.net.

Rob has skills as a farmer, aeronautical engineer, environmentalist, facilitator, mediator, photographer, film-maker, editor, event and video producer, scientist, technical writer, lomilomi practitioner, reiki master, naturalist, non-violence trainer, artist, consultant, retreat center caretaker, non-profit executive director, program manager, social and environmental activist, envisioner, website creator, interviewer, technical liaison, world traveler, sailor, zealous advocate, and last but not least community organizer.

“Rob’s passion for the environment is infectious. He described with determination and a touch of sadness in his voice the threat to the monk seal and 97% of the indigenous species of birds on the Hawaiian Islands. He is slowly watching the ecological disaster to the islands from expansionist real estate development and unfettered tourism to the Island. He is a complete inspiration to me as an environmental activist dedicated to the protection of the environment, not only for us, but for generations to come. We heard in great detail how the girl scouts of Hawaii are stepping up their actions to fight for sustainability and fight to protect the land they love and depend upon. Their actions are a beacon of hope and sunlight as we peer into the future that is theirs to create and live by. Thank you to Rob for his passion and compassion, and thank you to all the young people who are educated and inspired by his leadership and dedication to the environmental movement. He, and all those who are spreading the word about global warming, deserve our thanks and whatever resources we can share.”

Sincerely, Paul Valva
TCP and Girl Scouts Golden gate bridging project