WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
12 June 2012
12 June 2012
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______________________________CLICK HERE >> http://www.
or mail checks to: Sustainability Action Network, P.O.Box 1064, Lawrence KS 66044.
As a 501(C)(3), you get a tax deduction on your Federal tax return.
KANSAS INTERFAITH POWER & LIGHT ¤ ANNUAL MEETING
Tuesday, 12 June 2012, 6:30pm - $$
Local Burger, 714 Vermont St., Lawrence KS 66044
K.I.P.L. provides an effective linkage between people of faith who steward Earth's creation and other environmentalists. They work in both the political realm and the personal transformational realm. The keynote speaker will be Karl Brooks, EPA Region 7 Administrator. The meeting will also honor Eileen Horn, the Founding Director of K.I.P.L., and the late David Owen, active in K.I.P.L., Trinity Episcopal Environmental Stewardship Team, and many areas of our community. For more info contact
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SUSTAINABILITY ACTION NETWORK & TRANSITION KAW VALLEY MEETING
Wednesday, 13 June 2012, 7:30pm
Delaware Street Commons, Hearth Room, 822 E. 13th Street, Lawrence KS 66044
Local Solutions for Transition to a Sustainable Economy
Discussion topics may include:
Delaware Street Commons, Hearth Room, 822 E. 13th Street, Lawrence KS 66044
Local Solutions for Transition to a Sustainable Economy
Discussion topics may include:
- Transition Kaw Valley & Sustainability Action work relationship
- fund raising needs: replenish our treasury, fund new projects
- 1304 Penn. St. Garden proposals for innovative projects
- July Sustainability conference - K-State & KNRC
- workshops on Solar Cooking (June), Vermicomposting (July), and Solar Food Dehydrators (August)
- S.A.N. generic business cards
- S.A.N. web site update - Sustainability Action Network
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LAWRENCE SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY BOARD
Wednesday, 13 June 2012, 5:30pm
Public Works Conf. Room, City Hall, 6 East 6th St., Lawrence KS 66044
The June agenda will include a review of the Farmland Brownfield Industrial site potential for renewable energy, and completion of the upcoming year's S.A.B. goal setting. 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/
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KANSAS CITY ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION
Wednesday, 13 June 2012, 4:00-6:00pm
Mid America Regional Council, Rivergate Center 2nd floor, 600 Broadway, KC MO
The Environmental Management Commission promotes environmental awareness and resource efficiency to the City's leaders and staff, to assist the progress of Kansas City toward sustainability. The General public is encouraged to attend and observe meetings and to join and participate in its efforts. More information is at KC Environmental Mgt Commission
______________________________ANNUAL PERMACULTURE TOUR ¤ CALL FOR TOUR SITES
The 4th Annual Permaculture Farm & Garden Tour will be on Saturday-Sunday, 28-29 July 2012. The Kaw Permaculture Collaborative is seeking growers who want to display their permaculture site on the tour. The tour will visit about six sites each day, generally urban sites on one day, and rural sites on the other day.
Tour goers benefit most from seeing permaculture sites at various stages of development, because no permaculture is static or regimented, but evolving in ecosystem complexity. Any type or size of permaculture endeavor will be a good candidate for the tour, as long as it's planned by permaculture principles. If you have an urban or rural site within 45-60 minutes of Lawrence, we'll consider you for the tour. Send your proposal to
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KKFI COMMUNITY RADIO ¤ ECOLOGICAL SHOWS THIS WEEK
Listen at KKFI-FM 90.1, or web-streaming at http://www.kkfi.org/
Thursday, 14 June 2012, 5:00am ¤ World of Possibilities
In this show titled "The Gas Rush", host Mark Summer travels across the communities lying above the Marcellus Shale Play, a gigantic natural gas deposit stretching under the Northeast United States. The show presents the conflicting ideas and conflicted emotions of those living and working in America's next energy battleground.
Friday, 15 June 2012, 9:30am ¤ Bioneers Radio Series
Bioneers presents "Globalocal: The Migration of Grassroots Solutions". Innovationsusually arise locally. If conditions are right, they spread globally. That story is playing out around the world today. In India, human rights activist Mallika Dutt designed an elegant media campaign that successfully interrupts domestic violence live in real time. High school science educator Jay Vavra helped his San Diego students save endangered species in Africa by using simple genetic identification technologies in local African bush meat markets. Nonprofit leader ShannonHorst employs wholistic rangeland management techniques to stop the spread of deserts in Africa, the U.S. and worldwide. What's spreading fastest is hope...
Monday, 18 June 2012, 6:00pm ¤ locally produced Eco-Radio KC
Thursday, 14 June 2012, 5:00am ¤ World of Possibilities
In this show titled "The Gas Rush", host Mark Summer travels across the communities lying above the Marcellus Shale Play, a gigantic natural gas deposit stretching under the Northeast United States. The show presents the conflicting ideas and conflicted emotions of those living and working in America's next energy battleground.
Friday, 15 June 2012, 9:30am ¤ Bioneers Radio Series
Bioneers presents "Globalocal: The Migration of Grassroots Solutions". Innovationsusually arise locally. If conditions are right, they spread globally. That story is playing out around the world today. In India, human rights activist Mallika Dutt designed an elegant media campaign that successfully interrupts domestic violence live in real time. High school science educator Jay Vavra helped his San Diego students save endangered species in Africa by using simple genetic identification technologies in local African bush meat markets. Nonprofit leader ShannonHorst employs wholistic rangeland management techniques to stop the spread of deserts in Africa, the U.S. and worldwide. What's spreading fastest is hope...
Monday, 18 June 2012, 6:00pm ¤ locally produced Eco-Radio KC
Host Reenie Carmack will be interviewing Joann Atchity, RN, about Energy Psychology. Energy Psychology is an umbrella term that encompasses many healing modalities bridging western cognitive and behavioral approaches with eastern energy healing wisdom. It is based on our being biologically programmable. Behavioral body patters that cause us to reflexively respond in non-beneficial ways are difficult to reprogram, but Energy Psychology can facilitate positive change.
In this show titled "The End of Growth", Richard Heinberg analyses the societal ills of energy depletion, ecological disruption, and economic instability in order to devise the most effective solution strategies. If industrial societies had begun transitioning 35 years ago toward a sustainable economy, we would be nearing that goal today. But having squandered those 35 years and most fossil resources, our transition can now be successful only if we act immediately and towards universal energy descent.______________________________
FUKUSHIMA DAI-ICHI NUCLEAR DISASTER ¤ 1 YEAR, 93 DAYS
U.S. Court rules against indefinite nuclear plant fuel storage onsite
The N.R.C. standard practice of allowing nuclear plants to store spent fuel onsite indefinitely was struck down by a U.S. Court of Appeals. The N.R.C. has used its "Nuclear Waste Confidence Decision" for decades, to block states, Native American nations, and environmental groups from challenging NRC licenses for new reactors based on the unavailability of long-term waste storage.
The unanimous ruling stated "The N.R.C. apparently has no long-term plan other than hoping for a geologic repository. If the government continues to fail in its quest to establish one, then SNF (spent nuclear fuel) will seemingly be stored on site at nuclear plants on a permanent basis. The Commission can and must assess the potential environmental effects of such a failure." Full article at -Nuclear Waste Cannot be Stored Onsite Indefinitely Court Says.
Scientists say end plutonium reprocessing; close Rokkasho reprocessing plant
One of the more serious dangers of nuclear power and weapons has been the unresolved issue of waste storage for tens of thousands of years. Of course the short term dangers of "temporary" waste storage has been underscored by the Fukushima Unit 4 spent waste pool teetering atop the crippled nuclear plant. Half the 500,000 kilograms of plutonium in existence globally were produced by nuclear power reactors, ostensibly to use uranium-235 more efficiently. However, it has led to the proliferation of nuclear weapons, the pretense of which is at the center of U.S.-Iran saber rattling.
The Japan Atomic Energy Commission is pushing to preserve the Rokkasho fuel reprocessing plant. But at the Japanese Institute for Peace and Community Studies, scientists argued "Reprocessing should end. It is costly and proliferation is a danger. Building, operating and decommissioning Rokkasho would increase Japan's electric energy costs by 10 trillion yen. Stopping operations at Rokkasho would save 4 trillion yen. There would have been a 1 yen per kilowatt hour saving had Rokkasho not been built. Japan only reprocesses because it has a lack of storage for spent fuel." Full article at - Plutonium and Japan's Nuclear Waste Problem.
We suggest readers avail themselves of reports from the following sources: Green Action Japan - Green Action Japan : Beyond Nuclear - Beyond Nuclear; Japan Focus -Japan Focus; and Fairewinds Associates - Fukushima Updates.
1304 PENN ST. COMMUNITY GARDEN ¤ GROUP VISIONING AND PLANNING
1304 Pennsylvania St., Lawrence KS 66044
Transition Kaw Valley invites anyone interested in creating a novel and unique manifestation of the Penn St. Community Garden to meet together at 1304 Pennsylvania St. We are considering multiple concepts to be developed on several parts of the site, and we welcome any innovative proposal from anyone interested in making it real. Some possibilities are: aquaponics, vermicomposting, Greenhouse + Rocket Mass Heater, hoop house, rainwater catchment, permablitz area, apiculture, compost toilet, tool library - - add your idea to the mix! If you can show how you would pull it off, we may provide you the opportunity, AND you may provide a real asset for the community. To help out, contact Matt at
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K.U. MEDICINAL GARDEN SUMMER TOUR
Saturday, 16 June 2012, 10am to 11:30am - FREE
KU Native Medicinal Plant Research Garden, 1865 E. 1600 Road, Lawrence, KS
Join faculty, staff and students from the KU Native Medicinal Plant Research Program for the semi-annual public tour of the research garden site. The garden is half a mile north of Highway 40, adjacent to the Prairie Moon Waldorf Schools grounds (Map). Meet just inside the gate under our shade structure at the center of our demonstration garden. The tour will include all areas of the garden, including the research plantings, the demonstration garden, the natural dye garden and theK.U. Student Farm, which has doubled in size since last year. For more info contact Kirsten Bosnak
______________________________Monday, 18 June 2012, 7:00pm
Community Mercantile, classroom, 901 Iowa St., Lawrence KS 66049
The Food Policy Council seeks to identify the benefits, challenges and opportunities for a successful, sustainable local food system. By advising the Douglas County Commission on public policies that will support local producers,preserve local agricultural resources and land, and create more local jobs, the F.P.C.. hopes to improve the community's access to a local food supply and distribution networks. For more info go to Dg County Food Policy Council.
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RAIN HARVESTING WORKSHOPS
Analysis and Training Workshop ¤ Tuesday-Wednesday, 19-20 June 2012 - $$$
Design and Construction Workshop ¤ Thursday-Friday, 21-22 June 2012 - $$$
Prairie Lovesong Farm, Linwood KS
Fresh water constitutes only 2.5% of all of Earth's water, and 69% of that is locked up in glaciers and ice caps. The rest of the fresh water is mostly groundwater, and the last 1% is severely polluted or else expropriated for industrial uses such as in natural gas fracking - Where is Earth's water? In addition water availability is dropping from climate disruption, causing more droughts, or more flash floods that drain off the land.
Precious water is the essence of life, and it has become even more precious under today's conditions. These workshops will help in understanding the dynamics of water, use rates, storage calculations, and project planning, as well as how to design systems to meet our irrigation and household needs. It is sponsored by ALL-N-1 Landscape, a local permaculture and edible landscape company and is being taught by professionals from the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association. For information and registration, go to the ARCSA website, or call (512)617-6528.
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GREEN WISH MINI GRANT POSSIBILITIES
Thursday, 21 June 2012, 7:00pm
Oread Hotel, 1200 Oread Ave., Lawrence KS 66044
Sponsored by McDaniel Knutson Financial Partners and The Oread Hotel, this meeting will have actor Raphael Sbarge launch the Kansas City/Lawrence Green Wish grant funding event. Local environmental groups in Kansas City or Lawrence will be able to apply for mini grants, and nine will be chosen. RSVP at kansas@greenwish.com.
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LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION 2040 PLAN ¤ PUBLIC INPUT MEETINGS
Thursday, 21 June 2012, 5:30pm
Monday, 25 June 2012, 4:00pm
Wednesday, 27 June 2012, 11:00am
Lawrence's Metro Planning Organization (MPO), which is responsible for all transportation planning, has catchy graphics of a pedestrian, a bicycle, a bus, and a car displayed equally on it's materials. But are these modes of transportation given equal consideration in planning projects or equal funding in construction projects? With the recently adopted "Complete Streets Policy", one would think that funding priorities would have begun shifting from the 95% motor vehicles/5% bicycles-bus-pedestrian ratio.
If you'd rather fight for balanced planning and funding so balanced priorities are built into the system, rather than fight fumes and fenders day after day, then the time to affect changes to Lawrence transportation planning is at these meetings. To learn more of the plan click on - Transportation 2040 Plan. Unfortunately the links there are rather insipid, so the meetings may be a more effective way to provide input. But even there, no one will be taking notes, though they may give you a piece of paper to write on. To have in depth effect, it will be important to attend the future MPO hearings and Planning Commission hearings and City Commission hearings.
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SOLAR COOKING WORKSHOP ¤ TRANSITION KAW VALLEY
Saturday, 23 June 2012, 10am-2:00pm - $16
RAIN DATE/CLOUD DATE - Sunday, 24 June 2012
Ecumenical Christian Ministries, 1204 Oread Ave., Lawrence KS 66044
This workshop is part of the ongoing T.K.V. Reskilling Workshop Series. At 10:00am sharp, we will hurry to place our lunch (mostly vegetarian, organic and locally grown) into a variety of different solar cookers. There will be a video on solar cooking, and construction of three working solar cookers out of cardboard boxes that participants can take home. When the food is cooked, it will be shared for lunch. Following that will be a solar food drying demonstration and a discussion of the benefits of solar cooking in Lawrence and the world. Students will get a handout compiling internet resources for further learning.
Bring a hat and/or sunscreen and notepaper. Join us as we begin reducing our carbon footprint one solar oven at a time. For more info contact Bill at
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"BIKE & BUILD" TOUR TO HELP OUT AT COSMIC BEAUTY SCHOOL
Wednesday-Thursday, 27-28 June 2012
Cosmic Beauty School, 1145 Pennsylvania St., Lawrence KS 66044
Bike & Build - http://www.bikeandbuild.org/ - is a not-for-profit that hosts cross-country rides of 32 riders each, who visit communities to volunteer with a local organization. The Central U.S. tour will be at Cosmic Beauty School to evaluate their proposal for grant funding from Bike & Build. There will be a pot luck dinner at 7:00pm on the 27th. The organization's focus is affordable housing, and they tour to spread awareness, learn of local actions, and help build projects. For more info contact
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EDIBLE FOREST GARDEN DESIGN WORKSHOP
Saturday-Sunday, 4-5 August 2012, 9:00am-4:30pm - $$$
Chestnut Charlie's Nut Tree Crops, 1841 E. 1450 Rd. (US 59), Lawrence KS 66044
This weekend workshop will provide instruction in the vision, theory, design and practice of ecological forest agriculture that uses our temperate deciduous forest as a model. The instructors are four permaculture designers who have been practicing permaculture for decades - Steve Moring of Kaw Permaculture, Michael Almon of Forest Floor Permaculture, Daniel Dermitzel of Cultivate Kansas City, and Charles NovoGradac of Chestnut Charlie's Nut Tree Crops.
The course will cover the basics of Forest Gardens: understanding plant guilds and plant community functions, plant species and site selection criteria and considerations, and how to create a Forest Garden Design. By mimicking the architecture and function of a natural ecosystem through all stages of growth, a good design can maximize photosynthesis for perennial production of food, fodder and fiber. At the end of the course, students will leave with plant lists, resources on design strategies, and a base map for scheming and dreaming up your forest garden. For more info go tohttp://www.kawpermaculture.
We welcome suggestions for Newsletter items. Please send items to
Join the Sustainability Action Network by clicking this link - Become a Member of S.A.N. - and follow the instructions. The S.A.N. mission isto bring awareness of the global crisis caused by climate change, energy vulnerability and economic instability to communities in the Kansas River bioregion, and the tools needed to re-skill and re-localize our economy and create a more socially just and ecologically sustainable world.
Current S.A.N. projects include:
1) Transition Kaw Valley - initiating transition to a relocalized post-carbon economy, and municipal-level Peak Oil response planning - Transition Kaw Valley
2) Kansas Permaculture Institute- formal training of permaculture designers, and issuing them PDC Certificates.
3) Kansas Permaculture Collaborative - freely and informally sharing knowledge and resources about sustainable food production and dwellings - S.A.N. Permaculture Collaborative
4) Bicycles & Electric Vehicles - promoting bicycles, utility tricycles, and neighborhood electric vehicles, including infrastructure and pro-active regulations.
5) S.A.N. Weekly Newsletter - informing and encouraging people to be active in the Sustainability Action Network, or other action-driven groups.
6) Water Rights & Watersheds - protecting the water commons, the source of all life, from privatization and contamination, and restoring our watersheds.
7) Growers' Land Trust - organizing interested stakeholders to acquire prime farmland in the urban fringe for land-based economic development and regional food security.
8) Eco Village Land Trust - Designing and focalizing a sustainable intentional community near Lawrence.
9) Energy Conservation & Renewables - advancing a green economy through decentralized renewable energy and conservation.
10) Collaboration with sister organizations - such as: Films for Action; The Light Center eco-village; Kaw River Valley Food System farm-based economic development; Cosmic Beauty School urban homestead; Cultivate Kansas City;Transition Kansas City; Lawrence Fruit Tree Project; Kansas River Valley Growers fighting for local water rights; the National Sustainable Energy Network; the Kansas City Food Circle, and more.
"THE TRANSITION COMPANION" ¤ AVAILABLE FOR $27
As a guidebook for local transition communities, Rob Hopkins has published this sequel to the original Transition Handbook. For your copy, e-mail Michael at
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