In March 2007, just as my friend?Lisa Clapier was about to launch a national TV show with Patch Adams?as her co-host- The Torch – Reporting on Humanity’s Greatness – she was sentenced to 2-6 years in prison. She was convicted of attempting pay with two checks for which there were insufficient funds in her account. Lisa is a beautiful soul and so, true to form, she refrained from trying to make the system wrong or lay blame or accountability elsewhere. Her response was to look within and discover which internal programs no longer served her and she began clearing them.

Lisa thought, “If I were your soul and had lived your life, I would be you. I would have made the very same mistakes as you, and had the same successes…”

Says Lisa, “We are all the result of programs. No evolution is made in anyone, or in our world, as long as we look outside ourselves. The truth is we are all one, we are intrinsically connected as one living organism…what I do to you, I do to myself and visa versa. In this truth, there is no world that needs to be saved.

And so Lisa’s life became,”‘How can I honor my world. And the solution to everything began with this question: ‘How would love fulfill itself in this situation?’ This is the mantra that is now my compass.”incarcerated. More importantly, the program is offering life-enriching programs and conscious evolution tools in a loving, nurturing, environment. The results have been remarkable!

Lisa Clapier became the impetus for Sustainable Futures, a green vocational training program for incarcerated people. It began with six women in a prison in Boise, Idaho. Sustainable Futures is quickly eliminating the glass bottle waste stream in Southern Idaho and is being looked upon as a model for others who wish to replicate the program across the US. As a partner with Van Jones’ GreenJobsNow.com, it is creating green collar jobs for those who are interned.

We are in changing times, the way we have lived during the past 50 years is not sustainable. A growing and vocal majority are becoming impatient and proactive about wasting non-renewable resources. Since people are our most precious commodity, it stands to reason that turning incarceration into a profit center is not sustainable. Seventy-five percent of all people incarcerated suffer from a mental health disorder – often undiagnosed – resulting in people who are borderline functional, self-medicating, economically disenfranchised, members of minorities, lacking education and more. The result? Too many of them end up in prison.Yet we spend millions of dollars supporting programs like the Special Olympics (for which I helped organize the 1997 World Winter Games) with obvious, profound benefits and far greater success.

We are in a time when everything seems to be collapsing and rebirthing around us – our financial institutions, social justice, politics, business – our old paradigm systems are falling away. Clearly, many things no longer serve us, whether it is wasting natural resources, or people – our greatest natural resource. We are being called to return to our core, a way of life that sustains all of us, honors all of us, provides opportunity and abundance for all of us. ?And as long as we pursue the false premise that we are seperate from each other, we risk our survival. We are one!

Rebuilding hope and trust in organizations and strengthening our capacity to lead from integrity are essential for our future progress. Reframing dire situations, like Lisa’s, and turning them into opportunities that benefit many, is our greatest opportunity of all.

Lisa was recently recognized in Idaho with a CASTLE award for ‘Love’ based on her contribution, inspiration, and selflessness for making this program possible. Lisa is currently on a work release program and is the Marketing Director for Green Foundations. Lisa plans to remain with Green Foundations and Sustainable Futures, as well as returning to her media ventures after her journey of physical incarceration ends. Lisa will be speaking at a confererence in June 12-14, 2009 ‘Sacred Activism’ with Andrew Harvey, Lance Secretan, James O’Dea, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Stacey Robyn, Linda Bretherton and Dr. Lisa Scales. For more information contact info@greenfoundations.com.?For more information on Sustainable Futures visit: www.sustainable-futures.us