Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Sustainability Action Network News, Lawrence Chapter, 13 Sept. 2011

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
13 September 2011

This Newsletter is an all-volunteer publication. The Sustainability Action Network is a 501(C)(3) tax-exempt organization.

WE NEED YOUR DONATION to keep doing this. Mail tax deductible donations to S.A.N., P.O.Box 1064, Lawrence KS 66044.
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NEW S.A.N. DISCUSSION GROUP LIST-SERV!
The Sustainability Action Network has joined the 21st Century, and is facilitating action at one more level. Our list-serv is a forum for understanding the scope of problem - climate disruption/energy depletion/market finance collapse - and for developing solutions in the energy economics of a relocalized community. To join the discussion, go to - Sustainability Action discussion, and click on "join this group".
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FUKUSHIMA DAI-ICHI NUCLEAR DISASTER ¤ DAY 186

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency has reported that the radiation in the sea is triple the level previously estimated by the Fukushima utility, Tepco. They explained that it is probably because Tepco had measured only radiation in the water they had released, but JAEA also measured airborne radiation. This is fully in keeping with Arnie Gundersen's warning last week, that massive amounts of radiation had been carried by the wind and settled on Japanese soil, and now the rainy season is washing most of it into the sea - Sea radiation from Fukushima seen triple Tepco estimate. Arnie also fears that the rice harvest about to begin will be so contaminated that it will be burned, releasing even more radiation into the air.

We suggest readers avail themselves of reports from the following sources. Japan Focus - Japan Focus, Nuclear Information and Resource Service - Nuclear Crisis in Japan - Updates, Reader Supported News - Disaster in Japan - 21 March 2011, and Fairewinds Associates - Updates on Fukushima.
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KANSAS PERMACULTURE INSTITUTE ¤ PERMACULTURE DESIGN COURSE
Wednesday, 14 September - Saturday, 17 December 2011 - $$$
Dreher 4-H Building, Douglas County Co-op Extension, 2110 Harper St., Lawrence KS

Students who complete this 72 hour course will receive a Permaculture Design Certificate from the Kansas Permaculture Institute. The course will include nine 3-hour class sessions, six field trips, four practicum sessions, and a student project presentation. Lead instructor will be Steve Moring, and assistant instructor will be Michael Almon, with consultation by Michael Morley. The registration form is available at - K.P.I.-Course-Fall-2011-Registration-Form.pdf. For more info contact Steve Moring at (785)691-7305 or .
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LAWRENCE SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY BOARD
Wednesday, 14 September 2011, 5:30pm
Lawrence City Hall,
Planning Dept. Conference Room, 1st Fl, 6 East 6th St., Lawrence KS

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, 1
4 September 2011, 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
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TRANSITION KAW VALLEY ¤ ORGANIZING MEETING
Thursday, 15 September 2011, 7:00pm
Trinity Episcopal Church, 1011 Vermont St., Lawrence KS 66044
(Enter off the alley, the red door closest the alley, meet in basement)

Transition Kaw Valley is a wide range of folks from neighborhoods, churches, and civic groups. Their goal is to create a relocalized, sustainable community from the grassroots up. By working together, the whole will be more than the sum of the parts. The U.S. Transition Movement is coordinated by Transition US based in Sebastapol CA. For more info, or to get on the S.A.N. Transition Kaw Valley e-mail list, contact them at .
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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/

Friday, 16 September 2011, 9:30am ¤ Bioneers 2011 Radio Series
Bioneers presents an archived edition of one of their award winning shows.

Monday, 19 August 2011, 6:00pm ¤ locally produced Eco-Radio KC
Host, Reenie Carmack will be interviewing Chris Bledy, author and educator, about healing cancer with entirely alternative and natural methods. They will also be discussing her recent experience with the Dalai Lama, and his message of healing and peace. For more info on Chris and her work, go to - Beating Ovarian Cancer: Chris Bledy.
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SUSTAINABILITY ACTION NETWORK ¤ MEMBER MEETING
Sunday, 18 September 2011, 6:30pm
Community Mercantile class room, 901 Iowa St., Lawrence KS 66044

Local Solutions for Transition to a Sustainable Economy
Organizing societal scale action in our personal lives, and through public policy changes.
The meeting agenda will include:
  • new S.A.N. list-serv
  • Lawrence Peak Oil Plan - City Commission to review it
  • sponsor an Electric Auto talk by John Kurmann and Craig Volland
  • USDA-NIFA grant application report
  • other grant possibilities: Elizabeth Schultz Fund; Natural Heritage Program
  • Transition Kaw Valley - Update and next steps?
  • community workshops: super adobe, solar food dehydrator, cold frames, bat houses, etc.
  • S.A.N. web site: update the content, pay pal, etc.
Please join us
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EU HIGH COURT ¤ GMO GROWERS MUST PAY IF CONTAMINATE NEIGHBOR

European countries and agencies are still formulating an overall policy on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), so this landmark ruling creates a strong precedent. This case involved a German beekeeper whose honey was contaminated by Monsanto "MON 810 corn" pollen. As a result of the ruling, beekeepers noted that they may now have "a claim for damages against a grower of MON 810 if pollen from his cultivation gets into their honey." And, the Court of Justice ruled that all food products containing GMOs - whether intentional or not - must undergo an approval process.

The new ruling will also apply to "imports containing traces of material from genetically modified crops that don't have sufficient approval within the EU." MON 810 corn has been linked to organ damage in test animals and its approval may be withdrawn. Until last year, it was the only GM crop approved for cultivation in the EU. For more, go to - EU high court rules on GMO contamination; opens door to biotech liability.
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DOUGLAS COUNTY FOOD POLICY COUNCIL
Monday, 19 September 2011, 7:00pm
location to be determined - Lawrence, KS 66046

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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PRAIRIE FESTIVAL 2011
Friday-Sunday, 23-25 September 2011 - $$
The Land Institute, 2440 East Water Well Road, Salina, KS 67401

This year's annual meeting of the eco-social-agro activists will feature speakers Richard Heinberg and Naomi Klein. Richard's latest blog entry describes the collision of how desperation for growth keep expanding our debt, while vital energy resources keep diminishing - Who Killed Economic Growth? And Naomi Klein was one of the 1252 people who were arrested in civil disobedience over the Keystone XL Pipeline - Naomi Klein arrested at White House pipeline protest. Registration info and a form is at - The Land Institute - 2011 Prairie Festival.
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HYDRAULIC FRACTURING SUSPECTED IN VIRGINIA 5.8 EARTHQUAKE

The odds of a quake exceeding a magnitude of 5.5 occurring in central Virginia are so slim that Dominion Power, owner of the North Anna Nuclear Station, determined only about six quakes of that size would occur in the area over the next 10,000 years. Some investigators are saying that a recent rise in "fracking" could be the culprit -Fracking could have caused East Coast earthquake.

When sites are subjected to fracking, waste salt water from the process is injected back into the earth once fractures are created. Multi-stage fracking, which can drill several miles deep into the Earth, has become prevalent only in recent years. Once introduced, however, Arkansas, West Virginia and Texas all saw an unexpected increase in quakes. In Arkansas, geologists investigated a possible link between fracking activity and the outbreak of more than 1,200 earthquakes that measured lower than 4.7 in magnitude - Fracking Operations Cause Thousands of Earthquakes in Arkansas.

The Kansas Independent Oil and Gas Association is aggressively defending fracking of oil wells, used moderately during the past 60 years. While true that vertical-only drilling has used fracking over the years, only recently have energy companies used horizontal drilling, or multi-stage fracking, which extends the range of impact greatly. The Sierra Club has pointed out that the process uses toxic chemicals, requires millions of gallons of water, could contaminate the Ogallala Aquifer, and employs radioactive minerals in the slurry of fluid - Hydrofracking exposes controversy in Kansas.

The K.U. Tertiary Oil Recovery Project (TORP) has been on the forefront of developing new technologies for hard-to-reach oil, and fracking is one of them. From the TORP website - "While one of the first fractured wells was completed in Kansas more than sixty years ago, and multistage fracturing has been used extensively and successfully in North America, application of this technology on a lateral wellbore using multiple stages is new to our region" - TORP Provides Fracturing Technology Transfer. Listen to a talk explaining the process at - Rex Buchanan talks about Kansas fracking.
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MOVING PLANET ¤ A DAY TO MOVE BEYOND FOSSIL FUELS
Saturday, 24 September 2011
localities all over the world

This world wide movement started by 350.org is a day to put demand for climate action into motion. Bill McKibben has described it saying "We're a movement that dreams of what's coming. And we don't just dream, we also transform those dreams into reality. On September 24, on bike and on foot and on boards, we're going to point the way towards that future. By days' end, we'll have shown why the bicycle is more glamorous than the car, and why the people have the potential to be more powerful than the polluters." Each community is asked to organize an event or series of events that dramatize the issue in creative, moving messages. For more info, go to - Moving Planet | A day to move beyond fossil fuels.
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KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE E.I.S. HEARING IN TOPEKA KANSAS
Monday, 26 September 2011, 12:00pm-3:30pm, & 4:00pm-8:00pm
1 Expocenter Drive, Topeka KS 66612

On Friday, 26 August, the U.S. State Department released their final Environmental Impact Statement (E.I.S.) on the Keystone XL Tarsands Oil Pipeline. At that time, as required by the National Environmental Protection Act, they announced 90 days for public comment, including a series of public hearings in the states through which the pipeline would run. The very first day for hearings, 26 September, will include two sections of hearings in Topeka. Even though the only section of the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline that is already in place is the part through Kansas, stopping construction of the other sections is just as effective for stopping the whole project - a chain is as strong as it's weakest link. Here's the official announcement for hearings - Keystone XL Pipeline EIS Public Hearings.pdf.
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KAW VALLEY FARM TOUR ¤ LOCAL-REGIONAL FOOD SUPPLIERS
Saturday-Sunday, 1-2 October 2011, 10:00am-6:00pm
self-guided tour of 24 participating farms

This annual tour of sustainably run farms covers a broad range from a bee apiary to a bison ranch to school-based CSA/gardens to orchards to wineries to market farms and goat dairies. The common thread is that these operations all are local-regional food suppliers, are as ecologically sustainable as farms can get, and acre-for-acre their specialty crops contribute more significantly to the local economy than do commodity mono-culture crops. More info at Kaw Valley Farm Tour 2010
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SEMI-ANNUAL TOUR ¤ KU MEDICINAL RESEARCH GARDEN
Saturday, 1 October 2011, 10:00am
KU Native Medicinal Plant Research Garden, 1865 E. 1600 Road, Douglas County KS 66044 (half mile east of Lawrence Airport)
The faculty, staff and students of the KU Native Medicinal Plant Research Program will be hosting this morning tour of the medicinal research garden. They will discuss progress in the various areas of the garden, including the research plantings, demonstration/show garden, natural dye garden and the KU Student Farm. Students from KU and Haskell Indian Nations University who take part in our program will be on hand to discuss their work. There is new interpretive signage for all the plants in the demonstration garden--more than 70 species--to help explain their purposes. The garden is ten minutes from downtown Lawrence, half a mile north of Highway 40, adjacent to the Prairie Moon Waldorf School grounds. Directions: http://nativeplants.ku.edu/events. Contact: Kirsten Bosnak, nativeplants@ku.edu, 785-864-6267.
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CITY OF LAWRENCE WOOD CHIP SALE
Thursday-Saturday, 6-8 October 2010, 8:00am-3:00pm (til 4:00 on Sat.)
1420 E 11th Street, Lawrence KS (east of 11th and Haskell, over the tracks)

The material is chipped from trees cut down by the City. Cost is $10 per standard pick-up load, more for larger trucks or trailers. For more info, contact the Waste Reduction and Recycling Division at 832-3030 or visit www.LawrenceRecycles.org.
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BIONEERS ¤ CELEBRATING 21 YEARS OF BREAKTHROUGH SOLUTIONS
Friday-Sunday, 14-16 October 2011 - $$$
San Rafael CA

The Bioneers are social and scientific innovators who develop solutions that mimic nature's operating systems. They are visionaries who, in their own communities, are creating a healthy, diverse, equitable and beautiful world. With phenomenal effectiveness, the Bioneers reach tens-of-thousands of people at their conference and simultaneous satellite conferences, through their year-round radio show, by their professional intensive seminars, in their Eco Schools program, and by their Democracy School training. There are dozens of simultaneous regional conferences with speakers and workshops and major speakers beamed live from the San Rafael conference - Bioneers beaming to regional conferences.

The conference lineup matches prior years quality with presenters such as: Jane Goodall, Peter Warshall, Jessy Tolkan, James Hansen, Mallika Dutt, John A Powell, and more. A particularly notable session will be "The Buckminster Fuller Challenge: Comprehensive Anticipatory Design Science". The Challenge awards a $10,000 prize for whole-systems solutions to global crises, and finalists will present their proposals. For conference info, schedule, and registration go to the 2011 Bioneers Conference.

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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INTRO TO CANNING WORKSHOP
Saturday, 15 October 2011, 1:00pm-5:00pm - $$
First Baptist Church Kitchen (1330 Kasold)

Students in this class will learn how to safely preserve food by pickling, sugaring (jams & jellies) and pressure canning. Detailed handouts will be provided and students will have hands on experience with all methods during the workshop. All canning equipment is provided, but students will need to provide the food to preserve (a list of eligible fruits and vegetables will be forwarded when you register). Students will get to take their hard work home with them after the class. Class size is limited to 15 people. Please contact Amber Lehrman, the instructor, with questions or to sign up at jajlehrman@yahoo.com. Scholarships available. Sponsored by Transition Kaw Valley and Sustainability Action.
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LAWRENCE ELECTRONICS RECYCLING EVENT
Saturday, 15 October 2011, 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, hand held devices, and small appliances like micro wave or toaster ovens. There is a recycling fee for computer monitors ($10.00) and televisions ($15.00). There are no charges for other electronic equipment. Items not accepted are large appliances such as refrigerators and AC units. Fees may be paid by cash or check.

Electronic recycling will be provided by Extreme Recycling, Inc. http://www.extremerecyclinginc.com/ recycling the E-waste in accordance to Federal and Kansas Electronic Waste Processing Regulations. The event is sponsored by the City of Lawrence Waste Reduction & Recycling Division http://www.lawrencerecycles.org/
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CITY OF LAWRENCE COMPOST SALE
Thursday-Saturday, 20-22 October 2011, 8:00am-3:00pm (til 4:00 on Sat.)
1420 E 11th Street, Lawrence KS (east of 11th and Haskell, over the tracks)

The material is composted from leaves, grass clippings, and prunings collected by the City. Quantities are restricted to pick-ups and small trailers for residential use, not commercial use. Cost is $10 per load if loaded by tractor, or free if self-loaded by hand. For more info, contact the Waste Reduction and Recycling Division at 832-3030 or visit www.LawrenceRecycles.org. The City certifies that the material has been tested for the herbicide, chlorpyralid, which has a potency measured in parts per billion. Nevertheless, because it is impossible to test every cubic food of the compost, it is advised to use it only on ornamental plants and NOT food plants.
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SOIL BIOLOGY AND COVER CROP SCHOOL
Thursday, 27 October 2011 - $$$
Green Cover Seeds, 932 Road X, Bladen, NE 68928
(1 mile south and 1 1/2 miles east of Bladen, NE)

This the fourth annual Cover Crop School will be taught by Dr. Jill Clapperton, a Rhizosphere Ecologist operating her own Earthspirit Land Resource Consulting in western Montana. Her area of research studies soil food webs, nutrient cycling, soil fauna-plant disease interactions, rhizosphere interactions, and soil biodiversity. The course will also include demonstration plots of over 80 different cover crop species and mixes on various soil types, soil pit analysis, and no-till seeding equipment. Green Cover Seed is a family business that emphasizes building soil fertility through cover crops and no till methods. To register, go to Cover Crop School registration.



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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 is to 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) Kaw Permaculture Collaborative and Kansas Permaculture Institute - developing skills and resources for polyculture sustainable food production - Kaw Permaculture Collaborative

3) Eco Village Land Trust - Designing and focalizing a sustainable intentional community near Lawrence.

4) Growers' Land Trust - organizing interested stakeholders to acquire prime farmland in the urban fringe for land-based economic development and regional food security.

5) Weekly Sustainability Announcements - informing and encouraging others to become active in the Sustainability Action Network, or other action driven groups.

6) Water Rights and Watersheds - protecting the water commons, the source of all life, from privatization and contamination, and restoring our watersheds.

7) Electric & Human Powered Vehicles - promoting neighborhood electric vehicles and utility tricycles, including infrastructure and pro-active regulations.

8) Energy Conservation & Renewables - advancing a green economy through decentralized renewable energy and conservation.
9) Collaboration with sister organizations - such as: Films for Action; The Light Center eco-village; Kaw River Valley Food System farm-based economic development; Transition Kansas City; Citizens for Responsible Planning; Kansas River Valley Growers fighting for local water rights; national efforts by the Sustainable Energy Network; the Kansas City Food Circle, the All Species Project, and more.


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Sustainability Action Network, P.O. Box 1064, Lawrence, KS 66044, USA

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