for the Greater KAW VALLEY /
LAWRENCE KANSAS / K.C. area...
Excerpted from the 10/12 newsletter - Sustainability Action Network
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RENEWABLE ENERGY DEPLOYMENT JUST BECAME EASIER
In their ongoing effort to assist states in promoting and regulating renewable energy technologies, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) just released their IREC Grid Connection Guide_6th Edition_9Oct09. The guide is designed for state regulators, policymakers, utilities, industry representatives and consumers interested in the development of state-level interconnection and net metering policies. And on a community level, San Francisco has ventured into the thorny yet critical area of urban wind power, with a new plan for small-scale wind turbines San Francisco Plans Urban Wind Power. The plan (pdf) offers 29 recommendations for promoting turbines, easing permitting costs, shortening approval times for turbine manufacturers, and producing wind maps highlighting neighborhoods and individual buildings.
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BIONEERS ¤ CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF BREAKTHROUGH SOLUTIONS
Friday-Sunday, 16-18 October 2009
San Rafael CA
The 2009 Bioneers Conference is their 20 anniversary, where again they will bring together social and scientific innovators who focus on solutions inspired by nature and human ingenuity. If you listen to the KKFI-FM "Bioneers Radio Show", you know the range on inspirational and informative speakers who present at their annual conferences. Noteworthy presenters are: Michael Pollan, Joanna Macy, Brian Swimme, Jeannette Armstrong, Chief Almir (Brazil), Annie Leonard, Andrew Weil, Sarah James (Alaskan navite), Andy Lipkis, and more.
In addition to the main California conference, Bioneers sponsor simultaneous and linked regional conferences. This reduces our collective carbon footprint, keys in on local-regional issues and solutions, and effectively reaches tens of thousands. For conference info, schedule, and registration go to 2009 Bioneers Conference. To find the nearest regional Bioneers go to 2009 Beaming Bioneers Partners.
Revolution From the Heart of Nature
It's all alive; it's all connected; it's all intelligent; it's all relatives
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SUSTAINABILITY ACTION NETWORK - MONTHLY MEETING
Sunday, 18 October 2009, 4:00pm
Oread Friends Metting House, 1146 Oregon St., Lawrence KS
Our speaker this month is Brian Rock, K.U. Prof. of Architectural Engineering, and he will be speaking about "Solar Energy and the Big Energy Puzzle". Prof. Rock teaches ARCE 665, "Solar Energy Systems Design", one of the few K.U. courses on solar energy, and it covers a broad range of solar technologies.
Following the talk by Brian Rock, the S.A.N. meeting agenda will include:
- organizing a "350" action on 24 October (see below)
- Transition Kaw Valley
- furthering bicycle lanes in Lawrence
- S.A.N. website progress
- fundraising; etc. - Please join us.
SUBURBAN-URBAN PERMACULTURE DESIGN CERTIFICATION COURSE
Saturday-Saturday, 17-24 October 2009
Midwest Permaculture, 125 Crescent Lane, Stelle IL 60919
Bill and Rebecca Wilson offer this annual training course geared for the urban landscape on smaller parcels. It is ideal for the suburban or city resident who wants to transform their immediate environment into something beautiful, productive, energy lean and functional. Students spend the week in Stelle and either camp or stay in one of our friends homes. Training includes a full day in the Chicagoland area investigating some fascinating permaculture examples. For more information and to register go to Suburban-Urban Permaculture Design Certification Course at Midwest Permaculture.
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KC URBAN AGRICULTURE ZONING CODE CHANGES ¤ PLANNING MEETING
Tuesday, 20 October 2009, 6:00-7:30pm
Bad Seed Farm & Market, 1909 McGee St, Kansas City MO
Kansas City Zoning Codes block many aspects of urban agriculture, from restricting employees or apprentices, preventing on-site sales, composting, canning, small livestock, etc. But urban food plots of all sizes are proliferating in Kansas City in response to peak oil food price inflation. Officials are generally open to changing such codes (Lawrence recently crafted provisions for urban chicken and duck raising) if constructive proposals are made.
The Food Policy Coalition of Greater Kansas City is drafting changes to remove these institutional barriers. They are inviting all interested parties to attend this planning meeting with City officials to begin the process. At the meeting they plan to examine existing codes and brainstorm useful changes, and assemble a volunteer committee to do the research and build political support. Please RSVP to and get info from: Katherine Kelly, KCCUA
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SECRETS OF NO-TILL GARDENERS ¤ COMMUNIVERSITY CLASS #2207 A
2 consecutive Tuesday, 20 & 27 October 2009, 7:00-9:00pm
UMKC University Center Alumni Room, 50th & Rockhill Rd, KC MO
Urban farmer Steve Mann, owner of Platte Prairie Farms, and Marty Kraft of the Heartland All Species Project will divulge the secrets of no till/minimal till growing methods. Material covered will include no-till as a carbon sequestration method, fall garden preparation, replacing lawns with PermaScape, green roofs, and four season gardening. Class fee is $14, plus $15 for a grower's journal. More info at Platte Prairie Farms, or
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INTERNATIONAL DAY OF CLIMATE ACTION ¤ 350.org
Saturday, 24 October 2009, on coral reefs, at the State House, at coal plants, etc.
weekly updates at 350.org - Global Warming Global Action
In the run up to the UN Climate Change Conference - Copenhagen 2009, Bill McKibben has launched the International Day of Climate Action at 350.org. 350 is not an organization but a campaign, with a focus on the number 350 - as in parts per million - the level that scientists have identified as the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere.
350.org invites you to create a local action with "350" as the theme. On 24 October, 350.org needs you to organize an action in the place where you live, something that will make that most important number of 350 visible to everyone. People in more than 1000 communities around the globe have already announced plans—they’ll be school children planting 350 trees in Bangledesh, scientists hanging banners saying 350 on the statues on Easter Island, 350 scuba divers diving underwater at the Great Barrier Reef, and a thousand more creative actions like these.
Their web site is full of resources, information, and communications links, designed for anyone to make use of in creating our own local actions. For suggestions and ideas go to 350.org 9-Step Organizing Plan. Global-local actions is what it is about.
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"RETHINK AFGHANISTAN" SCREENING
Wednesday, 28 October 2009, 7:00pm - $3
Liberty Hall, 644 Massachusetts St., Lawrence KS
Directer Robert Greenwald, of Brave New Films, said on Democracy Now: Rethink Afghanistan that their mission is to reach as many people as possible and to motivate them to take action. Part of their approach is to release Rethink Afghanistan - free segments on-line, and part is to inspire local activists everywhere such as Films For Action - Rethink Afghanistan. Possibly the best print article currently available on Afghanistan is An Open Letter to President Obama in The Nation Magazine, by William R. Polk, fellow professor with Obama at the University of Chicago. Afghanistan is where empires go to die.
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LAWRENCE ELECTRONICS RECYCLING EVENT
Saturday, 31 October 2009, 9:00am to 1:00pm
Free State High School (north parking lot), 4700 Overland Drive, Lawrence KS
Electronics devices typically contain toxic heavy metals like lead and mercury and cadmium, and precious metals like silver and gold. If recycled properly, these metals can be materials feed stock for new industrial processes, not to mention saving production costs, and keeping them out of the landfill.
This one day event will provide Lawrence residents and businesses a way to conveniently recycle old, unwanted electronics equipment. Items accepted for recycling are computer monitors, desktops, laptops, keyboards, printers and other peripherals, televisions, copiers, scanners, telephones, cell phones, pagers, fax machines, VHS/DVD drives, and hand held devices. There is a recycling fee for computer monitors and televisions, $5 per monitor, and $10 per TV. There are no charges for other electronic equipment. There is also an optional on-site hard drive destruction available for $5 per hard drive. Fees may be paid by cash or check.
Electronic recycling will be provided by Extreme Recycling, Inc. http://www.
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"FOOD FIGHT" SCREENING
Thursday, 12 November 2009, 7:00-10:00pm
Liberty Hall, 644 Massachusetts St., Lawrence KS
"Food Fight" is a fascinating look at how American agricultural policy and food culture developed in the 20th century, and how the California food movement rebelled against big agribusiness to launch the local, seasonal, food movement. The host will be Alan Rhodes, an organic grower from Lawrence Food Fight: local culinary revolt.
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, the global "3E Trifecta", 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
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
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