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Media Advisory

For more information, contact: 909-469-5100, www.regen.org

date: January 27th, 2004



Students targeted by FBI open doors for 3rd Annual

Sustainability Seminar

Housemates and friends of a man wrongly accused of terrorism who have been followed, searched, and wire-tapped by federal agents since suspect Josh

Connole's September arrest and release, are asking neighbors, elected officials, and the public to join them for workshops and tours on Sunday, February 1st, 2004 from 12-6pm at 997 Bradford Street in Pomona.

The house was blockaded for two days by more than 80 FBI agents, ATF agents, and the U.S. Joint Terrorism Task Force after Connole, 25, was arrested following several fires at Hummer dealerships in San Bernadino County. The FBI, acknowledging it had no evidence associating Connole with the crimes, released him four days after his arrest.

But the harrassment of residents of the Regen Cooperative -- an eco-friendly house -- continued, frightening the tudents on a daily basis, and casting a shadow over their futures.

"They treated us like terrorists because we are environmentalists. The FBI doesn't seem to understand that eco-friendly does not mean eco-terrorist. We are all peaceful, law-abiding citizens. They were ruining our lives,"

said Larla Maloney.

Now, the residents of the environmental co-op home are moving on. This Sunday Feb 1st. their three houses will host numerous speakers, workshops, and documentaries at the co-op's 3rd annual Sustainability Seminar.

At the 3rd Annual Sustainability Seminar, the students will

demonstrate the solar panels on the roof of the house, their electric vehicles, organic gardening methods, and other eco-friendly activities which are the reason for the co-op's existence. There will also be numerous speakers from the wider community on topics including Permaculture, Indigenous Knowledge, Solar Energy, Natural Childbirth, Regenerative Living, Ecovillages, Homeschooling, Biodiesel, Yoga, Urban Farming, and more.

Please see below for a full schedule of events.

FBI victim Josh Connole and his lawyer William Paparian will speak from 2-3pm on Connole's case. They will also describe how the ordeal the housmates went through was a result of the so-called Patriot Act, a new set of laws authored by U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. The Patriot

Act wiped out many existing civil protections and authorized

searches, seizures, and other activities against citizens who express political opinions -- as well as anyone they associate with. The controversial new laws were signed by President Bush in the name of homeland security. But

increasingly, they are being used to crack down on ordinary citizens.

During its raid, the FBI confiscated computers, address books, and clothing. Some of these possessions have not been returned, despite repeated requests by the National Lawyers Guild. To add insult to injury, the West Covina Police are demanding from Connole for his four days in

jail after his wrongful arrest. He lost days at work and faces

significant legal fees.

"For random people that don't know me to look at me and think that I'm a terrorist is horrible," Connole said in October, addressing the West Covina City Council. "This whole thing has been detrimental to me and to my family, my friends, my housemates."

The Regen Cooperative was founded founded in 1999 by alumni from the academic department of Regenerative Studies at CalPoly Pomona who wanted to continue living in a sustainable manner.

People who cannot attend the Sustainabliity Seminar are welcome to stop by for a visit.

Refreshments will be served at 6:30pm, all are welcome. For more information, call 909-469-5100 or visit the house website at www.regen.org

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Regerative Cooperative’s 3rd Annual Sustainability Seminar

Sunday, February 1st, 2004



Topics include:

* Permaculture

* Indiginous knowledge

* Solar Energy

* Natural Childbirth

* Regenerative Living

* Ecovillages

* Homeschooling

* Biodeisel

* Yoga

* Urban Farming

* and more!

Schedule:

********* 997 Bradford St.

10:45-12:00 Tour of the Center for Regenerative Studies (Meet at 997 Bradford St. at 10:45)

12:00 CHECK IN

12:20-12:40 Regen Intro

12:45-1:15 Introducing the Ecovillage Network of the

Americas, Lois Arkin of LA Ecovillage

1:20-1:50 Intro to Permaculture & Biodiesel, Deanna

Moore of Common Vision

Break (20 min) & 1:55-2:30

Biodiesel workshop outside w/Deanna

2:10-2:40 Environmental Education, Earth Resource

Foundation Butts Out, Linda Nicholes

2:45-3:15 Natural Childbirth, Kim Crane & Sarah Davis

3:20-3:50 Home Schooling, Larla Dey Maloney & Kim

Crane

3:50-4:10 Break

4:10-4:40 Solar Energy, Bob Siebert

4:45-5:15 Urban Farming &,Claremont's Co-op,

Adrienne Lester & Noah Westgate

5:20-5:50 Indigenous Knowledge, Mark Acuna

********* 164 Alvarado St. Documentary Film Series

2:00-3:10 Escape From Affluenza (55min) on

unsustainable consumer culture and how to

escape it, by John de Graaf and Vivia Boe

3:15-4:05 Metal of Dishonor (50min) Radioactive

depleted uranium used in the war-for-profit

system, by People's Video Network

4:10-4:40 Workshop: Marxist Ecology and Liberal

Environmentalism: Towards a sustainable

environmental agency, Matt Romain

4:45-5:15 Leasing the Rain (20min) Privatization of

water resources in a capitalist world and the

movement to resist it, by David Murdock and

William Finagan

5:20-6:20 Praha 2000:World Bank and IMF Under Siege

(55min) The institutions of imperial finance capital

and the international solidarity movement to defeat

them, IMC and NGO Collaboration

********* 341 Kingsley St.

2:00-3:00 The Patriot Act and the Loss of Civil Liberties,

A Personal Account, with FBI victim Josh

Connole

3:05-3:40 Activism in the Media, Beth Solomon

3:45-5:05 Yoga Workshop, Sustaining Our Selves

Through Yoga, Naomi Bendiner

*********After The Workshops

6:30pm Vegan Potluck Dinner 997 Bradford St.

Evening: A Celebration of This Year’s Hard Work Towards a Regenerative Future.

Throughout the day Leif Lorenzen will be creating paintings at the Bradford (Possum) House backyard. Paintings will be raffled off along with other prizes in the evening , raffle tickets are .00.

.00 Suggested Donation for Food Not Bombs

(local group feeding the homeless) and funding this event.



FMI: call (909)469-5100

Directions to Regen:

From 10 Fwy

Exit South on Garey

Left on Alvarado

Bradford (Possum) House is on corner on right

997 Bradford Street