Sustainability Action Network
(Lawrence, KS / Kansas City)
ECO RADIO KC ¤ WEEKLY ECOLOGICAL ISSUES RADIO SHOWTuesday,
28 September 2010, 12:00noon-1:00pm
¤ on Kansas City Community Radio
Listen at KKFI-FM 90.1, or on web-streaming at
http://www.kkfi.org/ If you like the programming, donate during the
pledge drive at (888)931-0901On
Eco-Radio KC this week,
join John Kurmann, Reenie Carmack, Steve Mann and guests Craig Volland, Dr Nicholas Comninellis, and Dr Nancy Russell as we explore the health implications of living near one of Kansas City's coal-fired electric generating stations.On
Friday at
9:30am, listen as the
Bioneers radio series presents
"Busting the Drug War: The Dawn of Drug Policy Reform". Th e drug war is a bust, say increasing numbers of law enforcement professionals and politicians. Like Prohibition before it, not only has it failed to achieve its stated goals - it has further led to unaffordable costs, both financial and social. Ethan Nadelmann, founder/director of the Drug Policy Alliance, the nation’s leading drug policy reform organization, traces the hidden history of drugs laws, which are intimately connected with racism and the political exploitation of people’s fears. He offers a set of practical and effective policy reforms that are now being advocated by a rising tide of former drug warriors.___________________________________________________
SUNFLOWER COAL-FIRED ELECTRIC PLANT ¤ 2ND PUBLIC COMMENT PERIODWritten comments: Thursday,
23 September - Saturday, 23 October 2010Public Hearing: Monday,
25 October 2010, 2:00pm
Capitol Plaza Hotel (Sunflower Ballroom), 1717 SW Topeka Blvd., Topeka KS 66612Because Kansas Gov. Parkinson and the Legislature cut an inside deal that took from the Kansas Department of Health & Environment power to act on behalf of Kansans, the KDHE is now acting on behalf of the EPA. Several months ago, the KDHE held public hearings on the Sunflower Electric Power permit application, and received over
4,600 comments. But Sunflower Power had submitted faulty data on air pollution dispersion, so the KDHE has opened a second public comment period.
However it is URGENT that the EPA keep the process fair. Coal proponents have pressured the KDHE to shorten the 45 day comment period to only 30 days, even though this permit cycle has resulted in nearly six times the comments as the 2006/2007 cycle. The Sunflower coal supporters want the permit issued rapidly so they can avoid multiple federal greenhouse gas regulations that come into play on 2 January 2011.
Fortunately the EPA has, so far, held the political maneuvering in check. To
ask the EPA to protect the integrity of permitting process, first go to http://action.sierraclub.org/SunflowerLeak.
To submit a comment specifically about the permit request by Sunflower to build a coal-fired electric generating station in Holcombe, submit it between 23 Sept. and 23 Oct. Use one of the following options:
- Send e-mail to sunflowercomments@kdheks.gov
- Mail written comments to: KDHE Bureau of Air, Attention Sunflower Comments, 1000 SW Jackson St., Suite 310, Topeka KS 66612-1366
- Present comments verbally or in writing at the hearing on 25 October, 2:00pm
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LAWRENCE COMPLETE STREETS PRESENTATIONWednesday, 29 September 2010, 6:30–8:00 p.m.
Lawrence City Hall, Commission Room, 6 E. Sixth StreetComplete streets are designed to accommodate
bicyclists, utility bicycles, pedestrians, motorists and transit users of all abilities and ages. The presentation is co-sponsored by the
City of Lawrence and
Live Well Lawrence. Carol Kachadoorian, senior planner with the National Complete Streets Coalition will explain the benefits of complete streets, dispel myths, show how existing streets can be retrofitted into complete streets, and detail how a Complete Streets policy can even save residents money.
Ms. Kachadoorian is a planner with nearly 30 years of experience in local government, policy development, government relations, and multi-modal transportation planning. She has worked on a number of complete streets projects and is the lead contributor of information on pedestrian and bicyclist access for a Transportation Cooperative Research Program project developing a guidebook for various access modes to high capacity transit stations. Live Well Lawrence is a project of the
Douglas County Community Foundation. For more info contact the Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization, Jessica Mortinger at jmortinger@ci.lawrence.ks.us or (785)832-3165.
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INTRO TO PERMACULTURE: THEORY, DESIGN, PRACTICE ¤ 2ND LECTURE
Thursday, 30 September 2010, 6:00-9:00pm - $$$
Matt Ross Community Center, 8101 Marty St., Overland Park KS 66204
Steve Moring of Vajra Farm Permaculture Center will present an introduction to the principles, ethics and application of permaculture for the urban and rural landscape. This lecture is the second in a nine-session weekly permaculture lecture series. The lecture will be followed by a group discussion of permaculture applications, resources, local organizations and community projects, and will close with a viewing of the 37 minute film "Farming With Nature" about Sepp Holzer. Preregistration is required, and a percentage of the fees will support the
Kaw Permaculture Collaborative and it's parent organization, the
Sustainability Action Network. For more information contact Steve Moring at (785)691-7305 or
<smoring@grasshoppernet.com>___________________________________________________
"OUR LOCAL FOOD FEST"Friday,
1 October 2010, 6:00pm - $$
Liberty Hall, 642 Massachusetts St., Lawrence KS 66044
This is a fun and informative event sponsored by the farms that grow food within the North East Kansas region of twelve counties, and locally owned businesses that support them. There will be presentations about various local school gardens, and proceeds will go to support those programs. There also will be local food samplings, children's activities, and a screening of
What's on Your Plate?. Watch the
Whats On Your Plate? trailer here. For more info go to
Our Local Food-Kaw River Valley.
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"DIRT: THE MOVIE" SCREENINGFriday,
1 October 2010, 7:00pm - FREE
St. Paul United Methodist Church, 3601 S. Sterling Ave., Independence,MO 64052
"Dirt! The Movie" was inspired by William Bryant Logan’s book "DIRT: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth". It connects our deepest positive multi-denominational religious values to the ground beneath our feet
. Of all the planets in the known universe, only Earth has a living, breathing "skin" formed over the course of countless millennia. Our entire world is dependent on the health of our dirt. - from
Dirt! The Movie.org, where you can also watch the trailer. For more info, contact Sara at
<stpaulcommunitygarden@yahoo.com> or (816)356-6986.
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ELECTORAL POLITICS FORUM: "ELECTIONS & KANSAS LEGISLATURE IN 2010"Friday,
1 October 2010, 7:00pm
ECM Center, 1204 Oread Ave., Lawrence KS 66044 (one block from K.U.)
This forum is being sponsored by the
Kansas Sierra Club, Wakarusa Chapter, and will highlight the political races, candidates, and noteworthy issues to be addressed by the Kansas Legislature in their upcoming session. The public is welcome.
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H.R.E.S. ENERGY SOLUTIONS FAIR & HOMES TOUR ¤ K.C. METRO AREASaturday,
2 October 2010, 8:30am-6:00pm - $$
Indian Woods Middle School, 9700 Woodson Dr., Overland Park KS 66207
The
Heartland Renewable Energy Society will hold it's
2010 HRES Energy Solutions Fair & Homes Tour with morning and afternoon tours of homes and a business that incorporate various energy conservation methods, renewable energy systems, sustainable building materials, and LEED features. The all-day fair will have exhibitors with information and technical displays, as well as speakers. Info and registration at the above web site.
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KAW VALLEY FARM TOUR ¤ LOCAL-REGIONAL FOOD SUPPLIERSSaturday-Sunday,
2-3 October 2010, 10:00am-6:00pm - $$
self-guided tour of 22 participating farms
This annual tour of sustainably run farms covers a broad range from a bee apiary to a bison ranch to school-based CSA/gardens to orchards to wineries to market farms and goat dairies. The common thread is that these operations all are local-regional food suppliers, are as ecologically sustainable as farms can get, and
acre-for-acre their specialty crops contribute more significantly to the local economy than do commodity mono-culture crops. More info at
Kaw Valley Farm Tour 2009___________________________________________________
10/10/10 ¤ COMMUNITY ACTION CLIMATE SOLUTIONSSunday,
10 October 2010The
10/10/10 Global Work Party is the inspiration of Bill McKibben and
350.org, a major campaign of grassroots action on climate disruption. On
10 October 2010, they are asking communities world wide to
plan some tangible and real action locally that will contribute to reversing CO2 emissions, global temperature rises, and the 392ppm atmospheric concentration of CO2. These solutions could be planting trees or community gardens, installing solar collectors or wind turbines, holding bicycle workshops, etc.
Lawrence KS: Kansas City MO: - prepare for the Spring planting of a Food Forest in a lawn infested lot, 1:00-4:00pm, 43rd & McGee Streets. Sponsored by 350KC.org and Food Not Lawns KC. More info from <steve@squashblossomkc.org>
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KANSAS ENERGY CONFERENCE(formerly KANSAS WIND & RENEWABLE ENERGY CONFERENCE)
Tuesday-Wednesday,
12-13 October 2010 - $$$Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center, Wichita KS
Even though the name change seems to imply the "all of the above" energy policy of BP (coal, nuclear, oil, wind, solar, natural gas), the program seems to focus on wind, solar and efficiency as in the past. But program details are scarce, and a list of speakers is not yet available. Will it be worth traveling to Wichita? Stay tuned -
Kansas Energy Conference 2010___________________________________________________
LAWRENCE SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY BOARDWednesday,
13 October 2010, 5:30pm
Recycling and Resource Recovery Annex, 320 N.E. Industrial Lane, Lawrence KS
The October agenda will be available soon. The S.A.B. meets monthly to discuss any and all aspects of furthering sustainability policies and practices by the City of Lawrence government and private persons. The public is welcome. Minutes are finalized in about a month after each meeting
http://www.lawrenceks.org/wrr/envadvisoryboard___________________________________________________
KANSAS CITY ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSIONWednesday,
13 October 2010, 4:00-6:00pm
Mid America Regional Council,
Rivergate Center 2nd floor, 600 Broadway, KC MOThe Environmental Management Commission promotes environmental awareness and resource efficiency to the City's leader and staff, to assist the progress of Kansas City toward sustainability. Members of the general public are encouraged to attend and observe meetings and to join and participate in its efforts. More information and the EMC April 2009 minutes are available at http://www.kcmo.org/manager.nsf/web/emc___________________________________________________
BIONEERS ¤ CELEBRATING 21 YEARS OF BREAKTHROUGH SOLUTIONSFriday-Sunday,
15-17 October 2010 - $$$
San Rafael CA
The
Bioneers are social and scientific innovators who develop solutions that mimic nature's operating systems. They are visionaries who, in their own communities, are creating a healthy, diverse, equitable and beautiful world. With phenomenal effectiveness, the
Bioneers reach tens-of-thousands of people at their conference and simultaneous satellite conferences, through their year-round radio show, by their professional intensive seminars, in their Eco Schools program, and by their Democracy School training. For conference info, schedule, and registration go to the 2010
Bioneers Conference.
There are
dozens of simultaneous regional conferences with speakers and workshops and major speakers beamed live from the San Rafael conference -
Bioneers beaming to regional conferences. The nearest ones to the Kansas City/Lawrence area are:
Bluegrass Bioneers | 2010 in Louisville KY (22-24 October),
Northland Bioneers - 2010 in St. Paul MN (23-24 October), and
Colorado Bioneers - 2010 in Boulder CO (5-7 November).
Revolution From the Heart of NatureIt's all alive; it's all connected; it's all intelligent; it's all relatives
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SUSTAINABILITY ACTION NETWORK - MONTHLY MEETINGSunday,
17 October 2010, 11:00am
location TBA, Lawrence KS
Local Solutions for Transition to a Sustainable Economy S.A.N. organizes societal scale action for ecological sustainability both in our personal lives, and through public policy changes. "Be the change you want to see". The
S.A.N. meeting agenda will include:
- Transition Kaw Valley power point trial run
- Kansas Permaculture Institute possible merger
- community workshops: solar food dehydrator, cold frames, rain barrels, etc.
- S.A.N.web hosting options
- develop an annual events schedule
Please join us___________________________________________________
TRANSITION TRAINING WORKSHOP IN OMAHAFriday-Sunday,
22-24 October 2010, 6:30pm-9:00pm Fri., 8:30am-5:30pm Sat.-Sun. - $$$
Columbans Retreat Center, 1902 Calhoun Street, Bellevue, NE 68005
The
Transition movement was begun by Rob Hopkins in Great Britain
Transition Towns, and in the U.S. is coordinated by
Transition US based in Sebastapol CA. The focus is for local communities to transition from fossil fuel dependency to local resilience by tapping into their citizens' own genius and creativity. There currently are 74 transition initiatives in the U.S., and hundreds around the world. This training in Omaha will be conducted by the founders of Transition Colorado, Lynette Hanthorn and Michael Brownlee. For more info and to register go to
http://www.transitionomaha.org
The SUSTAINABILITY ACTION NETWORK, Inc. is a Kansas not-for-profit organization. DONATIONS ARE APPRECIATED, and checks can be mailed to P.O.Box 1064, Lawrence KS 66044. Our mission is to
advocate and organize societal scale action to address sustainability issues. The triple crises of Energy-Ecology-Economy are building so rapidly that large scale action is needed immediately and methodically to overcome institutional barriers and advance public policy that preserves ecological sustainability. Our focus is to
build a relocalized economy-ecology in concert with the Transition Town movement occurring in many other communities.
To join the Sustainability Action Network please contact us at
<paradigm@ixks.com>Our current projects include:1)
Transition Kaw Valley -
initiating transition to a relocalized post-carbon economy, and municipal level Peak Oil response planning.2)
Kaw Permaculture Collaborative - developing skills and resources for poly-cropping sustainable food production.
3)
Energy Conservation & Renewables - advancing a green economy through decentralized technologies and regulations, for conservation and renewable energy.
4)
Land Consortium - organizing interested stakeholders to acquire prime farmland in the urban fringe for land-based economic development and regional food security.
5)
Water Rights and Watersheds - protecting the water commons, the source of all life, from privatization and contamination, and restoring our watersheds.
6)
Electric & Human Powered Vehicles - promoting neighborhood electric vehicles and utility tricycles, including infrastructure and pro-active regulations.
7)
Weekly Sustainability Announcements - informing and encouraging others to become active in the Sustainability Action Network, or other action driven groups.
8)
Collaboration with sister organizations - such as:
The Light Center eco-village; Kaw Valley Food System farm-based economic development; Citizens for Responsible Planning; Films for Action; Kansas River Valley Growers fighting for local water rights;
national efforts by the Sustainable Energy Network; KC Metro groups like the Kansas City Food Circle and the All Species Project, etc.
We welcome suggestions for items to be included. Please send items to <paradigm@ixks.com>To subscribe to this list, please send an e-mail to
<paradigm@ixks.com> with the subject line reading “subscribe to Sustainability Announcements”.
If you do not care to continue on this announcements list, please respond "unsubscribe to Sustainability Announcements" at
<paradigm@ixks.com> 
