WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS
DONATIONS TO SUSTAINABILITY ACTION NETWORK ARE NOW TAX DEDUCTIBLE
Please remember S.A.N. in your year-end giving - (contact info at bottom of page)
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ECO RADIO KC ¤ WEEKLY ECOLOGICAL ISSUES RADIO SHOW
Tuesday, 7 December 2010, 12:00noon-1:00pm ¤ on Kansas City Community Radio
Listen at KKFI-FM 90.1, or on web-streaming at http://www.kkfi.org/
This week, December’s first ECO-RADIO KC show finds Host Steve Mann and City Hens organizers Sheri McNeil and Teresa Kelly discussing their fight to allow backyard chickens in Roeland Park. Then Steve welcomes Katie McMahon of Friends of the Earth to explore the battle in Congress over Ethanol Subsidies.
Also of ecological interest on KKFI this week:
- On Friday at 9:30am, the Bioneers Radio Series presents another in their award winning series on eco-justice.
BICYCLE SIDE LANE ON IOWA STREET IN DOUBT AT LAWRENCE CITY COMMISSION
Tuesday, 7 December 2010, 6:30pm
Lawrence City Hall, 6th & Massachusetts St., Lawrence KS 66044
Following months of deliberation, a final decision is due whether or not to include a 10-foot wide bicycle side lane along a major reconstruction of Iowa Street. The project to tear out all paving and rebuild the street to include a center auto turn lane will be done from Harvard Ave. south to the Irving Hill Rd. overpass. As a Federal Highway receiving Federal funding, Federal policy states that “Every transportation agency has the responsibility to incorporate safe and convenient walking and bicycle facilities into transportation systems". And although the bicycle facility has been proposed by S.A.N., City staff has recommended that the City Commission not fund anything for bicycles. A mere 7.1% of the total $6 million budget is all it would take to add the bicycle side lane.
If people want to read further and possibly speak their opinion at the City Commission meeting, more info can be found at the City Commission Iowa St meeting agenda_7Dec10 - when there, go to agenda item #2 and click on the various attachments.
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BUY FAIR TRADE AND LOCAL
There is one more holiday opportunity to boycott the big box consumer mills that are undermining our local economy, and instead buy from local producers and craftspersons, artists, and fair trade providers.
HOLIDAY FARMERS' MARKET
Saturday, 11 December 2020, 9:00am-5:00pm
Lawrence Holidome, McDonald Drive at 2nd Street, Lawrence KS 66044
The Lawrence Farmers Market Annual Holiday Market moves this year to the Holiday Inn Holidome. It will have the same kinds of artisan foods, seasonal produce, holiday crafts, etc. as in previous years, but in a livelier setting. More info at Lawrence Farmers' Market.
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UN CLIMATE CHANGE TALKS ¤ AKA, CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES (COP16)
Monday-Friday, 29 November-10 December 2010
Cancun, Mexico - UN Climate Change Conference - Cancun 2010.
Under a cloud of disenfranchisement and disappointment, representatives from La Via Campesina are claiming that COP 16 is doomed to failure. "The proposals of the Cochabamba Accord on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth have been left aside. The trend is to favour carbon market and REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation), this mechanism supports global privatisation of forests, jungles and territories". Organizers are calling for the rejection of REDD+, offsets, carbon markets and other false solutions to climate change that commodify forests, land, life, and water.
Meanwhile, several caravans are arriving in Cancun from San Luis Potosi, Guadalajara, Acapulco, Chiapas and Oaxaca - The international Caravan advances on Cancun to publicize the devastation of natural resources and the use of fossil fuels that the planet can no longer bear. It could be a critical confrontation however, because Cancun will be much easier than Copenhagen for the purpose of crowd control and marginalizing protests. The policia can block off the two causeways leading to the Hotel Zone, much in the way Cortez took, and then defended, Mexico City. The 50,000 credentialed delegates can fill up the posh hotels in the Hotel Zone and leave the NGOs across the lagoon, talking to themselves.
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MY PARADISE GARDEN ¤ COMMUNIVERSITY CLASS #2306 A
Wednesdays, 8 & 15 December 2010, 7:00pm - $$
UMKC School of Medicine, Theatre C, 2411 Charlotte St., Kansas City MO 64108
Grow food not lawns! Past “Food Not Lawns” class participants will share photos and stories of their own paradise garden experience. As supporters of the Food Not Lawns national movement, we aim to increase local food security, improve our diet, beautify our surroundings, build community, and reduce pollution and energy use. Presenters include master and highly-qualified gardeners. Class fee is $14. Register at Communiversity online registration. Bring a picture ID. Limit 30. More info at Food Not Lawns KC, or <steve@prairietrading.com>.
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LAWRENCE SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY BOARD
Wednesday, 8 December 2010, 5:30pm
Recycling and Resource Recovery Annex, 320 N.E. Industrial Lane, Lawrence KS
The December agenda is unavailable to date. 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
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KANSAS CITY ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION
Wednesday, 8 December 2010, 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. The general public is 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
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SUSTAINABILITY ACTION NETWORK - MONTHLY MEETING
Sunday, 12 December 2010, 6:00pm
Plymouth Church, 2nd floor, 925 Vermont St., Lawrence KS 66044
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:
- Grant application report
- Land Consortium report
- Transition Kaw Valley power point trial run
- Clean energy: carbon tax, low-income weatherization
- Ducks in a row: what it means to focalize S.A.N. actions
- S.A.N. Annual Capital Campaign planning
- S.A.N. Annual Meeting planning
- community workshops: super adobe, solar food dehydrator, cold frames, rain barrels, etc.
- S.A.N.web site: list-serve, user-name access, content, site e-mail, $$ donations on site, etc.
- cultivating multi-organizational co-operation
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DOUGLAS COUNTY FOOD POLICY COUNCIL
Monday, 13 December 2010, 7:00pm - last minute CHANGE OF DATE
Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, 734 Vermont, Lawrence, KS 66044
In existence for one full year now, 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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N.E. SECTOR PLAN FOR LAWRENCE AT CITY COMMISSION
Tuesday, 14 December 2010, 6:30pm
Lawrence City Hall, 6th & Massachusetts St., Lawrence KS 66044
This planning document evolved from the 2008 battle over preserving the Class I & II prime farm land in the north-east Kansas River valley. The primary issues have been proposals for warehouse and industrial uses on the farm land that would threaten our local and regional future food security, exacerbation of flooding for North Lawrence proper from more severe and frequent storms, the estimated $8 million cost to taxpayers for bringing City infrastructure to the area to subsidize private profits, and the existence of more appropriate industrial sites and zoning elsewhere in our community.
The N.E. Sector plan was supposed to regulate and limit industrialization of farm land, but over several edits, it has been weakened to the point of being ineffectual. The Citizens for Responsible Development has requested that the Industrial Section 3.2.1.4 of the Plan be the version from the third draft of the plan - to read more of the plan, go to N.E. Sector Planning Process, where you can click on the Third Draft and other materials. The City commission will be taking public comment at their meeting.
The SUSTAINABILITY ACTION NETWORK, Inc. is a 501(C)(3) tax-exempt 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, and Kansas Permaculture Institute - 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>
