SUSTAINABILITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
SUSTAINABILITY ACTION NETWORK, Lawrence Kansas
27 July 2010
Local Solutions for Transition to a Sustainable Economy
ECO RADIO KC ¤ WEEKLY ECOLOGICAL ISSUES RADIO SHOW
Tuesday, 27 July 2010, 12:00noon ¤ on Kansas City Community Radio
Listen at KKFI-FM 90.1, or on web-streaming at http://www.kkfi.org/
On Eco-Radio KC this week, host Richard Mabion will be interviewing David Ruble about how he started his own bread baking business, and how the CSA’s in his community created their own workable market that benefits all concerned. Mr. Ruble lives in Virginia, and is an active member of NAAEE (North American Association of Environmental Educators).
Stay tuned at 12:30 when the Bioneers radio series presents "Why the World Doesn't End: Re-creation Myths of Nature and Culture". When a culture is disintegrating and the stories everybody believed in no longer fit, it’s time to rekindle our connection to ancient wisdom and universal truths. Mythologist, author and storyteller Michael Meade, founder of the Mosaic Multicultural Foundation, reminds us that the word “apocalypse” - which has come to mean the end of the world, actually means an “unveiling.” Once we penetrate that veil, it’s not the end - but the beginning of a new story – the a new beginning to the old story.
___________________________________________________
PERMACULTURE DESIGN & PERMACULTURE CONVERGENCE ¤ 5 DAY EVENT
two weeks away ¤ register by 31 July
Wednesday-Sunday, 4-8 August ¤ SEE DETAILS BELOW
film, speaker, design intensive, permaculture convergence
___________________________________________________
LAWRENCE PEAK OIL TASK FORCE
Thursday, 29 July 2010, 4:00pm
City Manager's Conference Rm., City Hall 4th Floor, 6th & Massachusetts St.
The draft Peak Oil Plan is going through revision and fine tuning. More of that will be addressed at this meeting. The public is welcome at the meetings to provide input. Meetings are open to the public, and the public is encouraged to attend. And the Peak Oil Task Force web page has developed an extensive list of resources (click on "resources") including other cities' action plans such as San Francisco and Portland, videos, advocacy groups like Post Carbon Institute and Transition Boulder County, and key data and reports.
___________________________________________________
NO U.S. CLIMATE-ENERGY BILL ¤ GREED AIDED BY COWARDICE TRIUMPHED
Call this editor a cynic, but no surprises here. The U.S. Senate (House of Lord Millionaires), at every critical juncture, has failed to adopt the U.S. House Bill or propose anything workable of their own. The Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats let President Obama hang out to dry by sending him to Copenhagen empty handed to negotiate a climate treaty embraced by the rest of the world.
Paul Krugman writes "It wasn't the science, the scientists, or the economics that killed action on climate change. What was it? The answer is, the usual suspects: greed and cowardice." He says follow the money. The coal and oil industries have mounted a huge disinformation campaign to protect their bottom lines. Or look at the politicians who have been most vociferously opposed to climate action. Where do they get much of their campaign money? You already know the answer - Who Cooked the Planet?.
___________________________________________________
SUNFLOWER ELECTRIC COAL PLANT ¤ BACK IN THE PERMIT PROCESS
Permit public hearings:
Monday, 2 August 2010, 2:00pm & 6:30pm
Blue Valley Northwest Highschool, 135th and Switzer, Overland Park (find a map here)
Wednesday, 4 August 2010, 2:00pm & 6:30pm
Highway Patrol Training Center Auditorium, 2025 East Iron, Salina (find a map here)
Thursday, 5 August 2010, 2:00pm & 6:30pm
801 Campus Drive, Garden City (find a map here)
After wasting two years of Kansas Legislature time spent debating, revising and finally defeating two coal fired power stations, a proposed Sunflower Electric 895mw Holcomb Station coal plant is up for new permit hearings. Governor Sebelius vetoed the initial coal plants, but within a week of assuming the Governorship, Mark Parkinson made a deal to allow Sunflower to file another application. Meanwhile, serious and productive plans are languishing for wind power support, transmission line upgrades, consumer financing for renewable energy, true net metering, etc.
Kansas has a choice of a dirty energy path (clean coal is an oxymoron), or a clean energy path. The Great Plains Alliance for Clean Energy says it best: "The dirty path would saddle us with a fifty year commitment to imported, dirty coal with an influx of temporary construction jobs starting in about six years, limited permanent jobs starting in about ten years, and no access to the coming renewable energy economy. The clean path would open up investment in native, cleaner fuels like natural gas and wind that will provide Kansans ongoing job creation, broad revenue opportunities, and the foundation to attract manufacturing and service industries for generations to come…starting in less than two years."
If you choose, the Sierra Club is organizing carpools to the hearings in Overland Park. Go to their Beyond Coal Kansas web site to learn more info about submitting comments or carpooling.
___________________________________________________
DISASTERS ARE ENDEMIC TO EXTRACTING PETROLEUM
Dalian City, Liaoning Province, China is the latest in a litany of petroleum blowouts and spills. On 16 July, a three foot diameter crude oil pipeline in the Port of Xingang exploded and spewed 47,600 gallons of crude, covering 140 square miles of the Bohai Gulf. Officials said the incident occurred when workers injected desulfurizer into a pipeline — part of the refinement process — and a fireball was ignited. The blaze raged at the harbor for 15 hours, shrouding the city in smoke, and the oil slick has contaminated coastal ecosystems. As is typical for official news agencies, China is putting a happy face on the calamity - China says Dalian oil spill is cleaned up. But Greenpeace International has a more sobering report - Oil spill in China worsens.
Even so, the Dalian City spill is minor in the big picture, and the emerging picture has been quite big for years - but only now coming to light. The BP Macondo gusher and the ongoing Nigerian Delta ecocide are notoriously familiar, but there are hundreds of small and large spills each year. Here's the top ten list - Top 10 Oil Spills Map & Related Stories.
___________________________________________________
DESIGN YOUR PERMACULTURE DREAM ¤ PERMACULTURE CONVERGENCE
"The Next Industrial Revolution" screening ¤ guest speaker Warren Brush
Wednesday, 4 August 2010, 7:00pm - $
Liberty Hall, 644 Mass St., Lawrence KS 66044
This is the opening of a five day permaculture series. The Karlin Family Farms and Films For Action will feature a film exploring the ecological design concepts of revolutionary thinker William McDonough, followed by guest speaker Warren Brush who advocates green jobs and community design based on permaculture principles. View the trailer at The Next Industrial Revolution. Warren Brush's presentation is titled "Sustainable Vocations and Emerging Green Economies". Check out his web site at http://www.permaculturedesign.us/.
Advanced Permaculture Design Workshop taught by Warren Brush
Thursday-Friday, 5-6 August 2010, 7:00am-9:00pm - $$$
Karlin Family Farms, 3033 Kasold Drive, Lawrence KS 66047
Entitled "Designing Your Dream", the two day intensive will cover design methods of: patterns and process, energy design flows, site assessment, concept planning, urban strategies, agroforestry, wholistic management, design tools, and permaculture as a business model. Prerequsite is a Permaculture Design Certificate or equivalent experience in permaculture applications. Warren Brush is co-founder of Quail Springs Learning Oasis & Permaculture Farm near Santa Barbara CA, and he does permaculture consulting around the world. A $25 down payment is due by 31 July. For more info and to register, contact
1st Annual Midwest Permaculture Convergence
Saturday-Sunday, 7-8 August 2010, ST 8:30am-11:00pm, SN 7:30am-6:00pm - $$
Karlin Family Farms, 3033 Kasold Drive, Lawrence KS 66047
This is to be a celebratory and creative event with a bioregional council, visual and performance arts, networking and information sharing, and featuring Open Space principlesof self-organizing assembly. Warren Brush will also be there over the weekend. There will be workshops on cob building, organic gardening, compost privies, solar showers, and more, and technology resource sharing of electronic files, DVDs, PPTs, etc. (bring your flash drives). Meals and camping will be provided. For more info and to register, contact
___________________________________________________
LAWRENCE SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY BOARD
Wednesday, 11 August 2010, 5:30pm
Recycling and Resource Recovery Annex, 320 N.E. Industrial Lane, Lawrence KS
The August 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 COMMISSION
Wednesday, 11 August, 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 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
___________________________________________________
USDA SAYS ANTIBIOTICS IN LIVESTOCK AFFECT HUMANS
In a position sharply at odds with operators of Confined Animal Feeding Operations (factory farms), the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates antibiotics in animals and humans, has recently proposed to end the use of many drugs such as routine antibiotics and growth promoters in hogs and other livestock. Only antibiotics such as ionophores that have no human use would be permitted to speed animals' growth. The FDA has set a schedule for phasing out the drugs' use or proposed specific restrictions - Antibiotics in livestock affect humans, USDA testifies.
CAFOs operators elect to use antibiotics on all animals, regardless of their level of health. Because of this, the animals excrete excess antibiotics and this waste enters the environment, creating large amounts of antibiotic runoff. This runoff kills naturally-occurring bacteria, upsetting an ecological balance. It also causes increased human exposure to antibiotics by entering the water supply and residues in meats. Because of this overexposure, human, plant and animal pathogens are becoming increasingly resistant to specific antibiotics—a severe threat to the global human population - Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO).
John Clifford, the USDA chief veterinarian, said "The Agriculture Department believes that it is likely that the use of antimicrobials in animal agriculture does lead to some cases of antimicrobial resistance among humans and in animals themselves". Clifford was joined by officials from the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
___________________________________________________
FOOD NOT LAWNS ¤ COMMUNIVERSITY CLASS #2210 A
Wednesdays, 4,11,18,25 August & 1 September 2010, 5 sessions, 7:00-9:00pm
UMKC School of Medicine, Theatre C, 24th & Charlotte Streets, KC MO
Grow food not lawns! Increase local food security, improve your diet, beautify your surroundings, build community, reduce pollution and energy use (It takes 87 calories of fuel to transport one calorie of perishable fresh fruit from west coast to east coast). As supporters of the Food Not Lawns national movement, we will hold five sessions dealing with topics that include whole system design, garden preparation, permaculture, water-wise gardening, seed saving, planting, and free resources. Presenters include master and highly-qualified gardeners. Class fee is $16, plus $5 for materials. Register at UMKC Communiversity. Bring a picture ID. Limit 40. More info at Food Not Lawns KC, or
___________________________________________________
URBAN FOOD PRODUCTION ¤ COMMUNIVERSITY CLASS #2301 A
Tuesdays, 17 & 24 August 2010, 2 sessions, 7:00-9:00pm
UMKC School of Medicine, Theatre C, 24th & Charlotte Streets, KC MO
Learn about a new model for urban sustainable food production. We’ll explore food production possibilities in the urban forest, abandoned urban lots, yards, commercial lands, roofs and flood plains. We’ll discuss holistic ecology based on managing sustainable urban agriculture systems that protect and restore our place on Earth. Please bring $20 for a reference book (optional). Class fee is $16. Register at UMKC Communiversity. Bring a picture ID. Limit 20. More info at Food Not Lawns KC, or
___________________________________________________
LAWRENCE BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Tuesday, 17 August 2010, 6:00pm
Public Works Conference Rm., City Hall Ground Floor, 6th & Massachusetts St.
The agenda will be available soon. The Committee works to improve bicycle safety and awareness through education of motorists and non-motorists, develops bicycle plans and maps, and advises the City and County Commissions on bicycle priorities and needs. The agenda and information can be downloaded at Bicycle Advisory Comm | agendas & minutes.
___________________________________________________
"SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS DESIGN" ¤ K.U. ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEERING 665
Thursday, 19 August 2010, K.U. classes begin
ARCE 665 is one of the only renewable energy classes taught at the University of Kansas. A quantitative and qualitative study of active, passive, wind, and photovoltaic energy conversion systems for buildings. Solar radiation and system performance prediction. Prerequisites: thermodynamics, programming, and math. Taught by Prof. Brian Rock.
___________________________________________________
SUSTAINABILITY ACTION NETWORK - MONTHLY MEETING
Sunday, 22 August 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:
___________________________________________________
MARAIS DES CYGNES WATERSHED BASIN LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
Thursday, 29-31 August 2010, 9:00am-4:00pm - $$
Spring Hill KS, and Butler MO
This is a three-day leadership series emphasizing the consideration of water quality in the basin. Residents, landowners, city and county elected officials, government and agency staff and other civic leaders are invited to enroll. The series will cover: identified threats to basin water quality, best management practices, vegetation and buffer zones for water clarification, grant availability for program implementation, and developing leadership skills. It is unclear whether the program will address prevention or minimization of water quality threats, or simply to mitigate those threats that land development creates. For more info go to http://hwqp.org/Brochure2010.pdf or contact Leslie Rigney at <lrigney@hwqp.org> or 913-219-3566.
SUSTAINABILITY ACTION NETWORK, Lawrence Kansas
27 July 2010
Local Solutions for Transition to a Sustainable Economy
ECO RADIO KC ¤ WEEKLY ECOLOGICAL ISSUES RADIO SHOW
Tuesday, 27 July 2010, 12:00noon ¤ on Kansas City Community Radio
Listen at KKFI-FM 90.1, or on web-streaming at http://www.kkfi.org/
On Eco-Radio KC this week, host Richard Mabion will be interviewing David Ruble about how he started his own bread baking business, and how the CSA’s in his community created their own workable market that benefits all concerned. Mr. Ruble lives in Virginia, and is an active member of NAAEE (North American Association of Environmental Educators).
Stay tuned at 12:30 when the Bioneers radio series presents "Why the World Doesn't End: Re-creation Myths of Nature and Culture". When a culture is disintegrating and the stories everybody believed in no longer fit, it’s time to rekindle our connection to ancient wisdom and universal truths. Mythologist, author and storyteller Michael Meade, founder of the Mosaic Multicultural Foundation, reminds us that the word “apocalypse” - which has come to mean the end of the world, actually means an “unveiling.” Once we penetrate that veil, it’s not the end - but the beginning of a new story – the a new beginning to the old story.
___________________________________________________
PERMACULTURE DESIGN & PERMACULTURE CONVERGENCE ¤ 5 DAY EVENT
two weeks away ¤ register by 31 July
Wednesday-Sunday, 4-8 August ¤ SEE DETAILS BELOW
film, speaker, design intensive, permaculture convergence
___________________________________________________
LAWRENCE PEAK OIL TASK FORCE
Thursday, 29 July 2010, 4:00pm
City Manager's Conference Rm., City Hall 4th Floor, 6th & Massachusetts St.
The draft Peak Oil Plan is going through revision and fine tuning. More of that will be addressed at this meeting. The public is welcome at the meetings to provide input. Meetings are open to the public, and the public is encouraged to attend. And the Peak Oil Task Force web page has developed an extensive list of resources (click on "resources") including other cities' action plans such as San Francisco and Portland, videos, advocacy groups like Post Carbon Institute and Transition Boulder County, and key data and reports.
___________________________________________________
NO U.S. CLIMATE-ENERGY BILL ¤ GREED AIDED BY COWARDICE TRIUMPHED
Call this editor a cynic, but no surprises here. The U.S. Senate (House of Lord Millionaires), at every critical juncture, has failed to adopt the U.S. House Bill or propose anything workable of their own. The Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats let President Obama hang out to dry by sending him to Copenhagen empty handed to negotiate a climate treaty embraced by the rest of the world.
Paul Krugman writes "It wasn't the science, the scientists, or the economics that killed action on climate change. What was it? The answer is, the usual suspects: greed and cowardice." He says follow the money. The coal and oil industries have mounted a huge disinformation campaign to protect their bottom lines. Or look at the politicians who have been most vociferously opposed to climate action. Where do they get much of their campaign money? You already know the answer - Who Cooked the Planet?.
___________________________________________________
SUNFLOWER ELECTRIC COAL PLANT ¤ BACK IN THE PERMIT PROCESS
Permit public hearings:
Monday, 2 August 2010, 2:00pm & 6:30pm
Blue Valley Northwest Highschool, 135th and Switzer, Overland Park (find a map here)
Wednesday, 4 August 2010, 2:00pm & 6:30pm
Highway Patrol Training Center Auditorium, 2025 East Iron, Salina (find a map here)
Thursday, 5 August 2010, 2:00pm & 6:30pm
801 Campus Drive, Garden City (find a map here)
After wasting two years of Kansas Legislature time spent debating, revising and finally defeating two coal fired power stations, a proposed Sunflower Electric 895mw Holcomb Station coal plant is up for new permit hearings. Governor Sebelius vetoed the initial coal plants, but within a week of assuming the Governorship, Mark Parkinson made a deal to allow Sunflower to file another application. Meanwhile, serious and productive plans are languishing for wind power support, transmission line upgrades, consumer financing for renewable energy, true net metering, etc.
Kansas has a choice of a dirty energy path (clean coal is an oxymoron), or a clean energy path. The Great Plains Alliance for Clean Energy says it best: "The dirty path would saddle us with a fifty year commitment to imported, dirty coal with an influx of temporary construction jobs starting in about six years, limited permanent jobs starting in about ten years, and no access to the coming renewable energy economy. The clean path would open up investment in native, cleaner fuels like natural gas and wind that will provide Kansans ongoing job creation, broad revenue opportunities, and the foundation to attract manufacturing and service industries for generations to come…starting in less than two years."
If you choose, the Sierra Club is organizing carpools to the hearings in Overland Park. Go to their Beyond Coal Kansas web site to learn more info about submitting comments or carpooling.
___________________________________________________
DISASTERS ARE ENDEMIC TO EXTRACTING PETROLEUM
Dalian City, Liaoning Province, China is the latest in a litany of petroleum blowouts and spills. On 16 July, a three foot diameter crude oil pipeline in the Port of Xingang exploded and spewed 47,600 gallons of crude, covering 140 square miles of the Bohai Gulf. Officials said the incident occurred when workers injected desulfurizer into a pipeline — part of the refinement process — and a fireball was ignited. The blaze raged at the harbor for 15 hours, shrouding the city in smoke, and the oil slick has contaminated coastal ecosystems. As is typical for official news agencies, China is putting a happy face on the calamity - China says Dalian oil spill is cleaned up. But Greenpeace International has a more sobering report - Oil spill in China worsens.
Even so, the Dalian City spill is minor in the big picture, and the emerging picture has been quite big for years - but only now coming to light. The BP Macondo gusher and the ongoing Nigerian Delta ecocide are notoriously familiar, but there are hundreds of small and large spills each year. Here's the top ten list - Top 10 Oil Spills Map & Related Stories.
___________________________________________________
DESIGN YOUR PERMACULTURE DREAM ¤ PERMACULTURE CONVERGENCE
"The Next Industrial Revolution" screening ¤ guest speaker Warren Brush
Wednesday, 4 August 2010, 7:00pm - $
Liberty Hall, 644 Mass St., Lawrence KS 66044
This is the opening of a five day permaculture series. The Karlin Family Farms and Films For Action will feature a film exploring the ecological design concepts of revolutionary thinker William McDonough, followed by guest speaker Warren Brush who advocates green jobs and community design based on permaculture principles. View the trailer at The Next Industrial Revolution. Warren Brush's presentation is titled "Sustainable Vocations and Emerging Green Economies". Check out his web site at http://www.permaculturedesign.us/.
Advanced Permaculture Design Workshop taught by Warren Brush
Thursday-Friday, 5-6 August 2010, 7:00am-9:00pm - $$$
Karlin Family Farms, 3033 Kasold Drive, Lawrence KS 66047
Entitled "Designing Your Dream", the two day intensive will cover design methods of: patterns and process, energy design flows, site assessment, concept planning, urban strategies, agroforestry, wholistic management, design tools, and permaculture as a business model. Prerequsite is a Permaculture Design Certificate or equivalent experience in permaculture applications. Warren Brush is co-founder of Quail Springs Learning Oasis & Permaculture Farm near Santa Barbara CA, and he does permaculture consulting around the world. A $25 down payment is due by 31 July. For more info and to register, contact
1st Annual Midwest Permaculture Convergence
Saturday-Sunday, 7-8 August 2010, ST 8:30am-11:00pm, SN 7:30am-6:00pm - $$
Karlin Family Farms, 3033 Kasold Drive, Lawrence KS 66047
This is to be a celebratory and creative event with a bioregional council, visual and performance arts, networking and information sharing, and featuring Open Space principlesof self-organizing assembly. Warren Brush will also be there over the weekend. There will be workshops on cob building, organic gardening, compost privies, solar showers, and more, and technology resource sharing of electronic files, DVDs, PPTs, etc. (bring your flash drives). Meals and camping will be provided. For more info and to register, contact
___________________________________________________
LAWRENCE SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY BOARD
Wednesday, 11 August 2010, 5:30pm
Recycling and Resource Recovery Annex, 320 N.E. Industrial Lane, Lawrence KS
The August 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 COMMISSION
Wednesday, 11 August, 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 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
___________________________________________________
USDA SAYS ANTIBIOTICS IN LIVESTOCK AFFECT HUMANS
In a position sharply at odds with operators of Confined Animal Feeding Operations (factory farms), the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates antibiotics in animals and humans, has recently proposed to end the use of many drugs such as routine antibiotics and growth promoters in hogs and other livestock. Only antibiotics such as ionophores that have no human use would be permitted to speed animals' growth. The FDA has set a schedule for phasing out the drugs' use or proposed specific restrictions - Antibiotics in livestock affect humans, USDA testifies.
CAFOs operators elect to use antibiotics on all animals, regardless of their level of health. Because of this, the animals excrete excess antibiotics and this waste enters the environment, creating large amounts of antibiotic runoff. This runoff kills naturally-occurring bacteria, upsetting an ecological balance. It also causes increased human exposure to antibiotics by entering the water supply and residues in meats. Because of this overexposure, human, plant and animal pathogens are becoming increasingly resistant to specific antibiotics—a severe threat to the global human population - Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO).
John Clifford, the USDA chief veterinarian, said "The Agriculture Department believes that it is likely that the use of antimicrobials in animal agriculture does lead to some cases of antimicrobial resistance among humans and in animals themselves". Clifford was joined by officials from the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
___________________________________________________
FOOD NOT LAWNS ¤ COMMUNIVERSITY CLASS #2210 A
Wednesdays, 4,11,18,25 August & 1 September 2010, 5 sessions, 7:00-9:00pm
UMKC School of Medicine, Theatre C, 24th & Charlotte Streets, KC MO
Grow food not lawns! Increase local food security, improve your diet, beautify your surroundings, build community, reduce pollution and energy use (It takes 87 calories of fuel to transport one calorie of perishable fresh fruit from west coast to east coast). As supporters of the Food Not Lawns national movement, we will hold five sessions dealing with topics that include whole system design, garden preparation, permaculture, water-wise gardening, seed saving, planting, and free resources. Presenters include master and highly-qualified gardeners. Class fee is $16, plus $5 for materials. Register at UMKC Communiversity. Bring a picture ID. Limit 40. More info at Food Not Lawns KC, or
___________________________________________________
URBAN FOOD PRODUCTION ¤ COMMUNIVERSITY CLASS #2301 A
Tuesdays, 17 & 24 August 2010, 2 sessions, 7:00-9:00pm
UMKC School of Medicine, Theatre C, 24th & Charlotte Streets, KC MO
Learn about a new model for urban sustainable food production. We’ll explore food production possibilities in the urban forest, abandoned urban lots, yards, commercial lands, roofs and flood plains. We’ll discuss holistic ecology based on managing sustainable urban agriculture systems that protect and restore our place on Earth. Please bring $20 for a reference book (optional). Class fee is $16. Register at UMKC Communiversity. Bring a picture ID. Limit 20. More info at Food Not Lawns KC, or
___________________________________________________
LAWRENCE BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Tuesday, 17 August 2010, 6:00pm
Public Works Conference Rm., City Hall Ground Floor, 6th & Massachusetts St.
The agenda will be available soon. The Committee works to improve bicycle safety and awareness through education of motorists and non-motorists, develops bicycle plans and maps, and advises the City and County Commissions on bicycle priorities and needs. The agenda and information can be downloaded at Bicycle Advisory Comm | agendas & minutes.
___________________________________________________
"SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS DESIGN" ¤ K.U. ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEERING 665
Thursday, 19 August 2010, K.U. classes begin
ARCE 665 is one of the only renewable energy classes taught at the University of Kansas. A quantitative and qualitative study of active, passive, wind, and photovoltaic energy conversion systems for buildings. Solar radiation and system performance prediction. Prerequisites: thermodynamics, programming, and math. Taught by Prof. Brian Rock.
___________________________________________________
SUSTAINABILITY ACTION NETWORK - MONTHLY MEETING
Sunday, 22 August 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:
- upcoming Transition Kaw Valley small group presentations
- Lawrence Energy Conservation Fair participation
- designs for a solar food dehydrator; workshop plans
- S.A.N.web site developments
- Lawrence Peak Oil Plan, draft review
___________________________________________________
MARAIS DES CYGNES WATERSHED BASIN LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
Thursday, 29-31 August 2010, 9:00am-4:00pm - $$
Spring Hill KS, and Butler MO
This is a three-day leadership series emphasizing the consideration of water quality in the basin. Residents, landowners, city and county elected officials, government and agency staff and other civic leaders are invited to enroll. The series will cover: identified threats to basin water quality, best management practices, vegetation and buffer zones for water clarification, grant availability for program implementation, and developing leadership skills. It is unclear whether the program will address prevention or minimization of water quality threats, or simply to mitigate those threats that land development creates. For more info go to http://hwqp.org/Brochure2010.pdf or contact Leslie Rigney at <lrigney@hwqp.org> or 913-219-3566.
___________________________________________________
PERMACULTURE DESIGN & PERMACULTURE CONVERGENCE ¤ 5 DAY EVENT
two weeks away ¤ register by 31 July
Wednesday-Sunday, 4-8 August ¤ SEE DETAILS BELOW
film, speaker, design intensive, permaculture convergence
___________________________________________________
LAWRENCE PEAK OIL TASK FORCE
Thursday, 29 July 2010, 4:00pm
City Manager's Conference Rm., City Hall 4th Floor, 6th & Massachusetts St.
The draft Peak Oil Plan is going through revision and fine tuning. More of that will be addressed at this meeting. The public is welcome at the meetings to provide input. Meetings are open to the public, and the public is encouraged to attend. And the Peak Oil Task Force web page has developed an extensive list of resources (click on "resources") including other cities' action plans such as San Francisco and Portland, videos, advocacy groups like Post Carbon Institute and Transition Boulder County, and key data and reports.
___________________________________________________
NO U.S. CLIMATE-ENERGY BILL ¤ GREED AIDED BY COWARDICE TRIUMPHED
Call this editor a cynic, but no surprises here. The U.S. Senate (House of Lord Millionaires), at every critical juncture, has failed to adopt the U.S. House Bill or propose anything workable of their own. The Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats let President Obama hang out to dry by sending him to Copenhagen empty handed to negotiate a climate treaty embraced by the rest of the world.
Paul Krugman writes "It wasn't the science, the scientists, or the economics that killed action on climate change. What was it? The answer is, the usual suspects: greed and cowardice." He says follow the money. The coal and oil industries have mounted a huge disinformation campaign to protect their bottom lines. Or look at the politicians who have been most vociferously opposed to climate action. Where do they get much of their campaign money? You already know the answer - Who Cooked the Planet?.
___________________________________________________
SUNFLOWER ELECTRIC COAL PLANT ¤ BACK IN THE PERMIT PROCESS
Permit public hearings:
Monday, 2 August 2010, 2:00pm & 6:30pm
Blue Valley Northwest Highschool, 135th and Switzer, Overland Park (find a map here)
Wednesday, 4 August 2010, 2:00pm & 6:30pm
Highway Patrol Training Center Auditorium, 2025 East Iron, Salina (find a map here)
Thursday, 5 August 2010, 2:00pm & 6:30pm
801 Campus Drive, Garden City (find a map here)
After wasting two years of Kansas Legislature time spent debating, revising and finally defeating two coal fired power stations, a proposed Sunflower Electric 895mw Holcomb Station coal plant is up for new permit hearings. Governor Sebelius vetoed the initial coal plants, but within a week of assuming the Governorship, Mark Parkinson made a deal to allow Sunflower to file another application. Meanwhile, serious and productive plans are languishing for wind power support, transmission line upgrades, consumer financing for renewable energy, true net metering, etc.
Kansas has a choice of a dirty energy path (clean coal is an oxymoron), or a clean energy path. The Great Plains Alliance for Clean Energy says it best: "The dirty path would saddle us with a fifty year commitment to imported, dirty coal with an influx of temporary construction jobs starting in about six years, limited permanent jobs starting in about ten years, and no access to the coming renewable energy economy. The clean path would open up investment in native, cleaner fuels like natural gas and wind that will provide Kansans ongoing job creation, broad revenue opportunities, and the foundation to attract manufacturing and service industries for generations to come…starting in less than two years."
If you choose, the Sierra Club is organizing carpools to the hearings in Overland Park. Go to their Beyond Coal Kansas web site to learn more info about submitting comments or carpooling.
___________________________________________________
DISASTERS ARE ENDEMIC TO EXTRACTING PETROLEUM
Dalian City, Liaoning Province, China is the latest in a litany of petroleum blowouts and spills. On 16 July, a three foot diameter crude oil pipeline in the Port of Xingang exploded and spewed 47,600 gallons of crude, covering 140 square miles of the Bohai Gulf. Officials said the incident occurred when workers injected desulfurizer into a pipeline — part of the refinement process — and a fireball was ignited. The blaze raged at the harbor for 15 hours, shrouding the city in smoke, and the oil slick has contaminated coastal ecosystems. As is typical for official news agencies, China is putting a happy face on the calamity - China says Dalian oil spill is cleaned up. But Greenpeace International has a more sobering report - Oil spill in China worsens.
Even so, the Dalian City spill is minor in the big picture, and the emerging picture has been quite big for years - but only now coming to light. The BP Macondo gusher and the ongoing Nigerian Delta ecocide are notoriously familiar, but there are hundreds of small and large spills each year. Here's the top ten list - Top 10 Oil Spills Map & Related Stories.
___________________________________________________
DESIGN YOUR PERMACULTURE DREAM ¤ PERMACULTURE CONVERGENCE
"The Next Industrial Revolution" screening ¤ guest speaker Warren Brush
Wednesday, 4 August 2010, 7:00pm - $
Liberty Hall, 644 Mass St., Lawrence KS 66044
This is the opening of a five day permaculture series. The Karlin Family Farms and Films For Action will feature a film exploring the ecological design concepts of revolutionary thinker William McDonough, followed by guest speaker Warren Brush who advocates green jobs and community design based on permaculture principles. View the trailer at The Next Industrial Revolution. Warren Brush's presentation is titled "Sustainable Vocations and Emerging Green Economies". Check out his web site at http://www.permaculturedesign.us/ .
Advanced Permaculture Design Workshop taught by Warren Brush
Thursday-Friday, 5-6 August 2010, 7:00am-9:00pm - $$$
Karlin Family Farms, 3033 Kasold Drive, Lawrence KS 66047
Entitled "Designing Your Dream", the two day intensive will cover design methods of: patterns and process, energy design flows, site assessment, concept planning, urban strategies, agroforestry, wholistic management, design tools, and permaculture as a business model. Prerequsite is a Permaculture Design Certificate or equivalent experience in permaculture applications. Warren Brush is co-founder of Quail Springs Learning Oasis & Permaculture Farm near Santa Barbara CA, and he does permaculture consulting around the world. A $25 down payment is due by 31 July. For more info and to register, contact
1st Annual Midwest Permaculture Convergence
Saturday-Sunday, 7-8 August 2010, ST 8:30am-11:00pm, SN 7:30am-6:00pm - $$
Karlin Family Farms, 3033 Kasold Drive, Lawrence KS 66047
This is to be a celebratory and creative event with a bioregional council, visual and performance arts, networking and information sharing, and featuring Open Space principlesof self-organizing assembly. Warren Brush will also be there over the weekend. There will be workshops on cob building, organic gardening, compost privies, solar showers, and more, and technology resource sharing of electronic files, DVDs, PPTs, etc. (bring your flash drives). Meals and camping will be provided. For more info and to register, contact
___________________________________________________
LAWRENCE SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY BOARD
Wednesday, 11 August 2010, 5:30pm
Recycling and Resource Recovery Annex, 320 N.E. Industrial Lane, Lawrence KS
The August 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 COMMISSION
Wednesday, 11 August, 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 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
___________________________________________________
USDA SAYS ANTIBIOTICS IN LIVESTOCK AFFECT HUMANS
In a position sharply at odds with operators of Confined Animal Feeding Operations (factory farms), the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates antibiotics in animals and humans, has recently proposed to end the use of many drugs such as routine antibiotics and growth promoters in hogs and other livestock. Only antibiotics such as ionophores that have no human use would be permitted to speed animals' growth. The FDA has set a schedule for phasing out the drugs' use or proposed specific restrictions - Antibiotics in livestock affect humans, USDA testifies.
CAFOs operators elect to use antibiotics on all animals, regardless of their level of health. Because of this, the animals excrete excess antibiotics and this waste enters the environment, creating large amounts of antibiotic runoff. This runoff kills naturally-occurring bacteria, upsetting an ecological balance. It also causes increased human exposure to antibiotics by entering the water supply and residues in meats. Because of this overexposure, human, plant and animal pathogens are becoming increasingly resistant to specific antibiotics—a severe threat to the global human population - Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO).
John Clifford, the USDA chief veterinarian, said "The Agriculture Department believes that it is likely that the use of antimicrobials in animal agriculture does lead to some cases of antimicrobial resistance among humans and in animals themselves". Clifford was joined by officials from the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
___________________________________________________
FOOD NOT LAWNS ¤ COMMUNIVERSITY CLASS #2210 A
Wednesdays, 4,11,18,25 August & 1 September 2010, 5 sessions, 7:00-9:00pm
UMKC School of Medicine, Theatre C, 24th & Charlotte Streets, KC MO
Grow food not lawns! Increase local food security, improve your diet, beautify your surroundings, build community, reduce pollution and energy use (It takes 87 calories of fuel to transport one calorie of perishable fresh fruit from west coast to east coast). As supporters of the Food Not Lawns national movement, we will hold five sessions dealing with topics that include whole system design, garden preparation, permaculture, water-wise gardening, seed saving, planting, and free resources. Presenters include master and highly-qualified gardeners. Class fee is $16, plus $5 for materials. Register at UMKC Communiversity. Bring a picture ID. Limit 40. More info at Food Not Lawns KC, or
___________________________________________________
URBAN FOOD PRODUCTION ¤ COMMUNIVERSITY CLASS #2301 A
Tuesdays, 17 & 24 August 2010, 2 sessions, 7:00-9:00pm
UMKC School of Medicine, Theatre C, 24th & Charlotte Streets, KC MO
Learn about a new model for urban sustainable food production. We’ll explore food production possibilities in the urban forest, abandoned urban lots, yards, commercial lands, roofs and flood plains. We’ll discuss holistic ecology based on managing sustainable urban agriculture systems that protect and restore our place on Earth. Please bring $20 for a reference book (optional). Class fee is $16. Register at UMKC Communiversity. Bring a picture ID. Limit 20. More info at Food Not Lawns KC, or
___________________________________________________
LAWRENCE BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Tuesday, 17 August 2010, 6:00pm
Public Works Conference Rm., City Hall Ground Floor, 6th & Massachusetts St.
The agenda will be available soon. The Committee works to improve bicycle safety and awareness through education of motorists and non-motorists, develops bicycle plans and maps, and advises the City and County Commissions on bicycle priorities and needs. The agenda and information can be downloaded at Bicycle Advisory Comm | agendas & minutes.
___________________________________________________
"SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS DESIGN" ¤ K.U. ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEERING 665
Thursday, 19 August 2010, K.U. classes begin
ARCE 665 is one of the only renewable energy classes taught at the University of Kansas. A quantitative and qualitative study of active, passive, wind, and photovoltaic energy conversion systems for buildings. Solar radiation and system performance prediction. Prerequisites: thermodynamics, programming, and math. Taught by Prof. Brian Rock.
___________________________________________________
SUSTAINABILITY ACTION NETWORK - MONTHLY MEETING
Sunday, 22 August 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:
___________________________________________________
MARAIS DES CYGNES WATERSHED BASIN LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
Thursday, 29-31 August 2010, 9:00am-4:00pm - $$
Spring Hill KS, and Butler MO
This is a three-day leadership series emphasizing the consideration of water quality in the basin. Residents, landowners, city and county elected officials, government and agency staff and other civic leaders are invited to enroll. The series will cover: identified threats to basin water quality, best management practices, vegetation and buffer zones for water clarification, grant availability for program implementation, and developing leadership skills. It is unclear whether the program will address prevention or minimization of water quality threats, or simply to mitigate those threats that land development creates. For more info go to http://hwqp.org/Brochure2010.pdf or contact Leslie Rigney at
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>
PERMACULTURE DESIGN & PERMACULTURE CONVERGENCE ¤ 5 DAY EVENT
two weeks away ¤ register by 31 July
Wednesday-Sunday, 4-8 August ¤ SEE DETAILS BELOW
film, speaker, design intensive, permaculture convergence
______________________________
LAWRENCE PEAK OIL TASK FORCE
Thursday, 29 July 2010, 4:00pm
City Manager's Conference Rm., City Hall 4th Floor, 6th & Massachusetts St.
The draft Peak Oil Plan is going through revision and fine tuning. More of that will be addressed at this meeting. The public is welcome at the meetings to provide input. Meetings are open to the public, and the public is encouraged to attend. And the Peak Oil Task Force web page has developed an extensive list of resources (click on "resources") including other cities' action plans such as San Francisco and Portland, videos, advocacy groups like Post Carbon Institute and Transition Boulder County, and key data and reports.
______________________________
NO U.S. CLIMATE-ENERGY BILL ¤ GREED AIDED BY COWARDICE TRIUMPHED
Call this editor a cynic, but no surprises here. The U.S. Senate (House of Lord Millionaires), at every critical juncture, has failed to adopt the U.S. House Bill or propose anything workable of their own. The Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats let President Obama hang out to dry by sending him to Copenhagen empty handed to negotiate a climate treaty embraced by the rest of the world.
Paul Krugman writes "It wasn't the science, the scientists, or the economics that killed action on climate change. What was it? The answer is, the usual suspects: greed and cowardice." He says follow the money. The coal and oil industries have mounted a huge disinformation campaign to protect their bottom lines. Or look at the politicians who have been most vociferously opposed to climate action. Where do they get much of their campaign money? You already know the answer - Who Cooked the Planet?.
______________________________
SUNFLOWER ELECTRIC COAL PLANT ¤ BACK IN THE PERMIT PROCESS
Permit public hearings:
Monday, 2 August 2010, 2:00pm & 6:30pm
Blue Valley Northwest Highschool, 135th and Switzer, Overland Park (find a map here)
Wednesday, 4 August 2010, 2:00pm & 6:30pm
Highway Patrol Training Center Auditorium, 2025 East Iron, Salina (find a map here)
Thursday, 5 August 2010, 2:00pm & 6:30pm
801 Campus Drive, Garden City (find a map here)
After wasting two years of Kansas Legislature time spent debating, revising and finally defeating two coal fired power stations, a proposed Sunflower Electric 895mw Holcomb Station coal plant is up for new permit hearings. Governor Sebelius vetoed the initial coal plants, but within a week of assuming the Governorship, Mark Parkinson made a deal to allow Sunflower to file another application. Meanwhile, serious and productive plans are languishing for wind power support, transmission line upgrades, consumer financing for renewable energy, true net metering, etc.
Kansas has a choice of a dirty energy path (clean coal is an oxymoron), or a clean energy path. The Great Plains Alliance for Clean Energy says it best: "The dirty path would saddle us with a fifty year commitment to imported, dirty coal with an influx of temporary construction jobs starting in about six years, limited permanent jobs starting in about ten years, and no access to the coming renewable energy economy. The clean path would open up investment in native, cleaner fuels like natural gas and wind that will provide Kansans ongoing job creation, broad revenue opportunities, and the foundation to attract manufacturing and service industries for generations to come…starting in less than two years."
If you choose, the Sierra Club is organizing carpools to the hearings in Overland Park. Go to their Beyond Coal Kansas web site to learn more info about submitting comments or carpooling.
______________________________
DISASTERS ARE ENDEMIC TO EXTRACTING PETROLEUM
Dalian City, Liaoning Province, China is the latest in a litany of petroleum blowouts and spills. On 16 July, a three foot diameter crude oil pipeline in the Port of Xingang exploded and spewed 47,600 gallons of crude, covering 140 square miles of the Bohai Gulf. Officials said the incident occurred when workers injected desulfurizer into a pipeline — part of the refinement process — and a fireball was ignited. The blaze raged at the harbor for 15 hours, shrouding the city in smoke, and the oil slick has contaminated coastal ecosystems. As is typical for official news agencies, China is putting a happy face on the calamity - China says Dalian oil spill is cleaned up. But Greenpeace International has a more sobering report - Oil spill in China worsens.
Even so, the Dalian City spill is minor in the big picture, and the emerging picture has been quite big for years - but only now coming to light. The BP Macondo gusher and the ongoing Nigerian Delta ecocide are notoriously familiar, but there are hundreds of small and large spills each year. Here's the top ten list - Top 10 Oil Spills Map & Related Stories.
______________________________
DESIGN YOUR PERMACULTURE DREAM ¤ PERMACULTURE CONVERGENCE
"The Next Industrial Revolution" screening ¤ guest speaker Warren Brush
Wednesday, 4 August 2010, 7:00pm - $
Liberty Hall, 644 Mass St., Lawrence KS 66044
This is the opening of a five day permaculture series. The Karlin Family Farms and Films For Action will feature a film exploring the ecological design concepts of revolutionary thinker William McDonough, followed by guest speaker Warren Brush who advocates green jobs and community design based on permaculture principles. View the trailer at The Next Industrial Revolution. Warren Brush's presentation is titled "Sustainable Vocations and Emerging Green Economies". Check out his web site at http://www.permaculturedesign.
Advanced Permaculture Design Workshop taught by Warren Brush
Thursday-Friday, 5-6 August 2010, 7:00am-9:00pm - $$$
Karlin Family Farms, 3033 Kasold Drive, Lawrence KS 66047
Entitled "Designing Your Dream", the two day intensive will cover design methods of: patterns and process, energy design flows, site assessment, concept planning, urban strategies, agroforestry, wholistic management, design tools, and permaculture as a business model. Prerequsite is a Permaculture Design Certificate or equivalent experience in permaculture applications. Warren Brush is co-founder of Quail Springs Learning Oasis & Permaculture Farm near Santa Barbara CA, and he does permaculture consulting around the world. A $25 down payment is due by 31 July. For more info and to register, contact
1st Annual Midwest Permaculture Convergence
Saturday-Sunday, 7-8 August 2010, ST 8:30am-11:00pm, SN 7:30am-6:00pm - $$
Karlin Family Farms, 3033 Kasold Drive, Lawrence KS 66047
This is to be a celebratory and creative event with a bioregional council, visual and performance arts, networking and information sharing, and featuring Open Space principlesof self-organizing assembly. Warren Brush will also be there over the weekend. There will be workshops on cob building, organic gardening, compost privies, solar showers, and more, and technology resource sharing of electronic files, DVDs, PPTs, etc. (bring your flash drives). Meals and camping will be provided. For more info and to register, contact
______________________________
LAWRENCE SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY BOARD
Wednesday, 11 August 2010, 5:30pm
Recycling and Resource Recovery Annex, 320 N.E. Industrial Lane, Lawrence KS
The August 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/
______________________________
KANSAS CITY ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION
Wednesday, 11 August, 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 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.
______________________________
USDA SAYS ANTIBIOTICS IN LIVESTOCK AFFECT HUMANS
In a position sharply at odds with operators of Confined Animal Feeding Operations (factory farms), the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates antibiotics in animals and humans, has recently proposed to end the use of many drugs such as routine antibiotics and growth promoters in hogs and other livestock. Only antibiotics such as ionophores that have no human use would be permitted to speed animals' growth. The FDA has set a schedule for phasing out the drugs' use or proposed specific restrictions - Antibiotics in livestock affect humans, USDA testifies.
CAFOs operators elect to use antibiotics on all animals, regardless of their level of health. Because of this, the animals excrete excess antibiotics and this waste enters the environment, creating large amounts of antibiotic runoff. This runoff kills naturally-occurring bacteria, upsetting an ecological balance. It also causes increased human exposure to antibiotics by entering the water supply and residues in meats. Because of this overexposure, human, plant and animal pathogens are becoming increasingly resistant to specific antibiotics—a severe threat to the global human population - Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO).
John Clifford, the USDA chief veterinarian, said "The Agriculture Department believes that it is likely that the use of antimicrobials in animal agriculture does lead to some cases of antimicrobial resistance among humans and in animals themselves". Clifford was joined by officials from the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
______________________________
FOOD NOT LAWNS ¤ COMMUNIVERSITY CLASS #2210 A
Wednesdays, 4,11,18,25 August & 1 September 2010, 5 sessions, 7:00-9:00pm
UMKC School of Medicine, Theatre C, 24th & Charlotte Streets, KC MO
Grow food not lawns! Increase local food security, improve your diet, beautify your surroundings, build community, reduce pollution and energy use (It takes 87 calories of fuel to transport one calorie of perishable fresh fruit from west coast to east coast). As supporters of the Food Not Lawns national movement, we will hold five sessions dealing with topics that include whole system design, garden preparation, permaculture, water-wise gardening, seed saving, planting, and free resources. Presenters include master and highly-qualified gardeners. Class fee is $16, plus $5 for materials. Register at UMKC Communiversity. Bring a picture ID. Limit 40. More info at Food Not Lawns KC, or
______________________________
URBAN FOOD PRODUCTION ¤ COMMUNIVERSITY CLASS #2301 A
Tuesdays, 17 & 24 August 2010, 2 sessions, 7:00-9:00pm
UMKC School of Medicine, Theatre C, 24th & Charlotte Streets, KC MO
Learn about a new model for urban sustainable food production. We’ll explore food production possibilities in the urban forest, abandoned urban lots, yards, commercial lands, roofs and flood plains. We’ll discuss holistic ecology based on managing sustainable urban agriculture systems that protect and restore our place on Earth. Please bring $20 for a reference book (optional). Class fee is $16. Register at UMKC Communiversity. Bring a picture ID. Limit 20. More info at Food Not Lawns KC, or
______________________________
LAWRENCE BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Tuesday, 17 August 2010, 6:00pm
Public Works Conference Rm., City Hall Ground Floor, 6th & Massachusetts St.
The agenda will be available soon. The Committee works to improve bicycle safety and awareness through education of motorists and non-motorists, develops bicycle plans and maps, and advises the City and County Commissions on bicycle priorities and needs. The agenda and information can be downloaded at Bicycle Advisory Comm | agendas & minutes.
______________________________
"SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS DESIGN" ¤ K.U. ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEERING 665
Thursday, 19 August 2010, K.U. classes begin
ARCE 665 is one of the only renewable energy classes taught at the University of Kansas. A quantitative and qualitative study of active, passive, wind, and photovoltaic energy conversion systems for buildings. Solar radiation and system performance prediction. Prerequisites: thermodynamics, programming, and math. Taught by Prof. Brian Rock.
______________________________
SUSTAINABILITY ACTION NETWORK - MONTHLY MEETING
Sunday, 22 August 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:
- upcoming Transition Kaw Valley small group presentations
- Lawrence Energy Conservation Fair participation
- designs for a solar food dehydrator; workshop plans
- S.A.N.web site developments
- Lawrence Peak Oil Plan, draft review
______________________________
MARAIS DES CYGNES WATERSHED BASIN LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
Thursday, 29-31 August 2010, 9:00am-4:00pm - $$
Spring Hill KS, and Butler MO
This is a three-day leadership series emphasizing the consideration of water quality in the basin. Residents, landowners, city and county elected officials, government and agency staff and other civic leaders are invited to enroll. The series will cover: identified threats to basin water quality, best management practices, vegetation and buffer zones for water clarification, grant availability for program implementation, and developing leadership skills. It is unclear whether the program will address prevention or minimization of water quality threats, or simply to mitigate those threats that land development creates. For more info go to http://hwqp.org/Brochure2010.
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>
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