is what it’s like for humans and animals
“When the inner joy Mother
A self-described “half capitalist,
to live in a quiet, meditative space
Teresa spoke of, the joy of
half environmentalist,” Von Otnott sells
where, undisturbed, we can feel their solar products and avidly promotes
essence and they can feel ours.”
compassionate service, is
the renewable energy business via his
married to a practical and
New Orleans-based South Coast Solar
Contact Susan Eirich, Earthfire Institute,
pragmatic drive to transform
Company. A longtime political activist
P.O. Box 368, Driggs, ID; 208-456- for clean energy, he has been actively
0926;
EarthfireInstitute.org.
all existing economic, social
involved with his state’s development
and political institutions,
of its renewable energy industry.
a radical and potentially
Von Otnott speaks monthly to
groups around the state, encouraging
all-transforming holy force is
his audiences to engage in the political
born. This radical holy force
process by demanding that sustainable
I call sacred activism.”
business practices become the corner-
stone of Louisiana public policy. “Citi-
~ Andrew Harvey, author
zens must learn to hold their political
and activist
candidates accountable and let them
know that renew-
able energy is an
biggest lesson from Project Cuddle, now
important industry
operating nationally, is the grace to be
that can gener-
Debbe Magnusen
nonjudgmental. “I’m alive,” she main-
ate the kind of
tains, “so that I can unconditionally love
Debbe Magnusen, Activist
jobs that can’t be
every scared girl or woman [who comes
exported,” he ad-
for Abandoned Babies
to me] through her ordeal.”
vises. In the end,
Debbe Magnusen felt bereft after hearing
he reflects, sup-
about an abandoned baby found suf-
Contact Debbe Magnusen, Project port for renewable
focated in a trash bag close to her Costa
Cuddle, non-crisis 714-432-9681 or energies supports
Mesa home in California. As a compas-
info@ProductCuddle.org; crisis hotline the betterment of
sionate woman who had already fos-
888-628-3353. mankind.
Troy Von Otnott
tered more than 30 drug-exposed babies
while raising two biological children,
Troy Von Otnott, South Coast Solar, LLC,
Magnusen chose to channel her anger
733 St. Joseph St., New Orleans, LA;
and frustration into constructive action. Troy Von Otnott, Political
504-529-7869;
SouthCoastSolar.com.
“As a foster mother, I had always
Activist for Sustainable Business
hoped that unwanted babies would
As a child growing up in New Orleans,
be brought to me,” she recalls. “But it
Troy Von Otnott recalls members of his
didn’t occur to me until that moment
family embracing politics, interfacing
As we begin a new decade, let us see
that no one knew where I was or that I
with politicians and working on public
new opportunities to take fresh action
wanted to rescue their newborn.”
policy issues. The lively discussions
on the issues we are most passionate
The insight led her to create a 24/7
and debates sparked his curiosity about
about. With our collective vision and
crisis hotline in her Orange County liv-
the political process and eventually led
potential, we can go far in meeting
ing room in 1996. Within 12 hours, she
him to visit the halls of power in Baton
today’s challenges and making the
received her first call, from a frantic,
Rouge, Louisiana, and Washington,
type of impact that Robert Kennedy
frightened woman who had hidden her
D.C., for a firsthand understanding of
envisioned in 1966: “Each time a
pregnancy from everyone she knew. To
how a democracy works. He remarks:
person stands up for an ideal, or acts to
date, Project Cuddle has helped rescue
“Although we live in a free enterprise
improve the lot of others, or strikes out
663 unwanted babies. “No baby de-
society, government still controls how
against injustice, he or she sends forth a
serves to die before having a chance to
we function in life, particularly from a
tiny ripple of hope. And crossing each
live,” says Magnusen, who understands
business standpoint.”
other from a million different centers of
the desperation of girls and women
In his native city, politics is consid-
energy and daring, those ripples build
who can be in labor while still denying
ered a contact sport, vigorously dis-
a current that can sweep down the
that they are pregnant.
cussed around dinner tables. “We play
mightiest of walls of oppression and
This tireless activist imagines
for keeps,” explains Von Otnott, “and
resistance.”
herself in the place of every abandoned
unlike other larger regional cities, the
child and is inspirationally refueled each
business community doesn’t run this city, Linda Sechrist is a freelance writer and
time she sees a newborn baby crying
the politicians do. If you want to get any- the editor of Natural Awakenings’ flag-
safely in a hospital. “For me, God is in
thing done, you have to understand how ship magazine in Southwest Florida.
every person,” says Magnusen, whose
to function inside the political system.” Connect via 239-434-9392.
Rockland & Orange Counties
www.naturalawakeningsro.com
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