CirclesForPeace.org restores inner peace by exploring the Earth's rhythms
The Burlinton Earth Clock
Circles for Peace is a Vermont grassroots non-profit organization that is based on the philosophy that inner peace/inner strength can be restored by the simple witness of the rhythms of nature.
Our first project is The Burlington Earth Clock. It is a permanent educational art installation dedicated to Peace.
We are building The Burlington Earth Clock on land provided to us by the Burlington Parks Department at Blanchard Beach on the bike path just north of Oakledge Park (a popular spot for watching the sunset).
Plans include the development of an educational curriculum for K-12 in the areas of science and math, art and history.
The Earth Clock is a 40-foot diameter stone circle consisting of 14 five-and-a-half-foot-high stones in a ring. The stones are aligned like a compass. When you stand in the center and look west to the Adirondack Mountains, the five stones on that side are positioned to mark the location on the horizon where the sun sets at the Solstices and Equinoxes and at the mid-points between these times of the year.
The center of the circle will be a sundial made of flat stones, so when you stand in the exact center of the circle, your shadow tells the time of day.
The site design includes landscaping, benches and information boards explaining the Earth Clock and thanking all of the donors who are making this possible. The three informational boards will also serve to enclose a community calendar, informative articles, and a place for visiting students to exhibit class work, i.e., paintings, poetry, science projects or mathematical calculations.
We have an international design team that includes Patrick MacManaway, M.D., President of The British Society of Dowsers, Ivan McBeth, stone circle builder from the United Kingdom, and Vermonter Andrea Morgante, who has volunteered her services as landscape architect and project manager (see the July 26th Burlington Free Press cover).
The Burlington Earth Clock is being completed in three phases.
The First Phase has been completed. It included achieving non-profit status and obtaining Parks Department land, permits, and neighborhood support.
The Second Phase is the installation of the stones and landscaping at the site, with a proposed budget for installation of $72,000.
The Third Phase will be the creation and use of curriculum for K-12 in the areas of science and math, art and history.
All of our funding is derived from private donations, and much of our progress has been in the form of in-kind donations from businesses.
• Rock of Ages Quarry has given us the stones. • Belavance Trucking is moving them on two tractor-trailer flat beds. • Gardner's’ Supply has offered to give us any item in their inventory at cost. • The Intervale Compost Project is donating some of the 200 yards of compost and topsoil needed. • The Waterwheel Foundation (started by the members of the band Phish with profits from Ben & Jerry’s “Phish Food”) made a financial gift. • Local artists and business people are contributing.
We have raised over $36,000 in cash donations. This leaves us with approximately $22,000 to complete the Second Phase.
Our intention is to raise this before December 15th and WE NEED YOUR HELP to do that.
The Clock itself, has been built. We need to raise the rest of the funds for the sundial, landscaping, benches, signage etc.
Your financial contribution is key to the completion of The Burlington Earth Clock. Please be generous and think of the generations of people who will learn from and enjoy this beautiful site.
Many of you have contributed already and we thank you.
Thank you for your time, (generous) financial contributions and support.
We couldn't have gotten this far without you.
Most Sincerely, David Brizendine, President, Circles for Peace (802) 864-3399 david@circlesforpeace.org www.circlesforpeace.org
P.S. - We have very beautiful printed information packets to send to you or someone you think might be interested and will meet with anyone that may like to get more info.
Circles for Peace is a grassroots, Vermont-based, non-profit, organization dedicated to creating outdoor spaces that inspire and hold a global vision of peace. The Burlington Earth Clock is a project to build a community space that invites individuals and groups to immerse themselves in the peaceful cycles of Earth, Sun, Moon and Stars.
Circles for Peace holds the philosophy that inner peace/inner strength can be restored by the simple witness of the rhythms of nature. Our vision for The Burlington Earth Clock is of an outdoor space that inspires attention to stillness, peace, and our connection with nature’s cycles and rhythms. The Clock’s design will measure the pendulum swing of the sunset through the sequential and continual cycle of seasons. Visiting the site will take one’s attention from the pressure of human demands to the calming and connecting effect of nature’s daily rhythms.
We have been granted a permit to erect an open circle of stones with surrounding trees and bushes on Blanchard Beach, Burlington, VT next to the bike path overlooking Lake Champlain. The site is on Parks and Recreation Department land and will be accessible to the public year round.
