29 May 2012
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______________________________CLICK HERE >> http://www.
or mail checks to: Sustainability Action Network, P.O.Box 1064, Lawrence KS 66044.
As a 501(C)(3), you get a tax deduction on your Federal tax return.
ANNUAL PERMACULTURE TOUR ¤ CALL FOR TOUR SITES
The 4th Annual Permaculture Farm & Garden Tour will be on Saturday-Sunday, 28-29 July 2012. The Kaw Permaculture Collaborative is seeking growers who want to display their permaculture site on the tour. The tour will visit about six sites each day, generally urban sites on one day, and rural sites on the other day.
Tour goers benefit most from seeing permaculture sites at various stages of development, because no permaculture is static or regimented, but evolving in ecosystem complexity. Any type or size of permaculture endeavor will be a good candidate for the tour, as long as it's planned by permaculture principles. If you have an urban or rural site within 45-60 minutes of Lawrence, we'll consider you for the tour. Send your proposal to
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FUKUSHIMA DAI-ICHI NUCLEAR DISASTER ¤ 1 YEAR, 79 DAYS
Precautionary principle in the U.S.? - NOT
That pesky Japanese problem just had to pop up when the U.S. nuclear industry was poised to re-invent itself as the "climate solution". So the industry and their operatives in Congress became fans of Frank Zappa, as in "Can't Happen Here"! Full steam generator ahead! And on the taxpayer's dime too, Obama approved not one but two new nukes.
The one voice of reason, Gregory Jaczko of all people, the Chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, has been pressured to resign. Why? Was he just too ethical and diligent? Jaczko took off of the table the high level nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain. He came under fire from industry and government corporatists for assuming emergency powers after the Fukushima disaster. He subsequently sought to address some longstanding safety problems at the 104 nuclear power reactors in the U.S. And he opposed issuing construction licenses for Obama's two new nukes in Georgia and South Carolina - Gregory Jaczko to Resign as N.R.C. Chair After Stormy Tenure. Obama was more than ready to nominate a successor - Obama Taps Allison Macfarlane as New Head of Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The jury is out on her, but she calls herself a "nuclear agnostic".
Rising concerns for stability of highly radioactive spent fuel pool
The New York Times reports "Fourteen months after the accident, a pool brimming with used fuel rods and filled with vast quantities of radioactive cesium still sits on the top floor of a heavily damaged reactor building, covered only with plastic. Tokyo Electric Power Company said it had found a slight bulge in one of the walls of the reactor building, stoking fears over the building's safety." - Spent Fuel Rods Drive Growing Fear Over Fukushima Unit 4.
And the Stars and Stripes report "A growing chorus of activists, experts and politicians is now raising alarm about the durability of Unit 4's cooling pool in the event of another strong earthquake. 72 Japan-based organizations sent a petition to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon requesting the U.N. to organize a summit to consider the future of Unit 4 and to establish an independent team to coordinate international assistance." - Concerns grow over stability of Japan nuclear plant spent fuel.
We suggest readers avail themselves of reports from the following sources: Green Action Japan - Green Action Japan : Beyond Nuclear - Beyond Nuclear; Japan Focus -Japan Focus; and Fairewinds Associates - Fukushima Updates.
1304 PENN ST. COMMUNITY GARDEN ¤ GROUP VISIONING AND PLANNING
Wednesday, 30 May 2012, 6:30pm
1304 Pennsylvania St., Lawrence KS 66044
Transition Kaw Valley invites anyone interested in creating a novel and unique manifestation of the Penn St. Community Garden to come to a meeting at 1304 Pennsylvania St. We are considering multiple concepts to be developed in several parts of the site, and we welcome any innovative proposal from anyone interested in making it real. For example, at our last T.K.V. meeting, we brainstormed possibilities such as: aquaponics, vermicomposting, Greenhouse + Rocket Mass Heater, hoop house, permablitz an area, apiculture, compost toilet, tool library - - add your idea to the mix! You can demonstrate that idea that's been rolling around your brain, AND provide a real asset for the community. For more info, contact Matt at
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TRANSITION KAW VALLEY MEETING
Thursday, 31 May 2012, 5:00pm - NOTE earlier meeting time
Lawrence Library Auditorium, 7th
& Vermont St., Lawrence KS 66044
Topics for discussion:
- 1304 Penn Street Garden - proposals for innovative
projects
- Re-skilling workshops planning (see below)
- future community presentations
- Solar cooking workshop, Bill Price - 23 June, 10am-2:00pm
- Vermicomposting, Stan Slaughter - TBA July
- Solar Food Dehydrator, Michael Almon - TBA August
- Permablitz - date TBA
- Water Purification & Storage - date TBA
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THE BIG FIX MOVIE ¤ BP FRAUD AND GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION
The Big Fix takes a detailed look at what happened in the Gulf of Mexico with BP's Macondo oil drilling rig explosion. It delves into issues mostly ignored by the corporate media such as the extent of pollution, fishery destruction, sea creature deaths, and chronic illness of Gulf state residents. But the main focus of the film is on "Corexit" (that's right, "corrects it") the highly toxic chemical oil dispersant, unregulated in the U.S., used by BP to "make the oil go away". Actually, Corexit did not remove any oil, but only turned it into microscopic particles. The mix of dispersant and oil was more toxic than either one alone. But Corexit sure cleaned up BP's image - the real reason they needed a "big fix" - The Big Fix: expose' of BP, U.S. Gov't on Gulf disaster. Watch the trailer at - The Big Fix Official Trailer. Soon to be in theaters and Netflix - The Big Fix Movie.
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FRESH! THE MOVIE ¤ IN CONJUNCTION WITH LAWRENCE FOOD GARDEN TOUR
Thursday, 31 May 2012, 7:00pm - $
Liberty Hall, 642 Massachusetts St., Lawrence KS 66044
FRESH
celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across
the United States who are re-inventing our food system.
Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a
practical vision for a future of our food and our planet.
The Lawrence Sustainability Coordinator, Eileen
Horn, will be speaking briefly before the
screening about the ways the City of Lawrence and Douglas County
are working to create opportunities for the community to have a
local, healthy, and sustainable food system accessible to
everyone. The event is co-organized by The
Community Mercantile and the Lawrence Food
Garden Tour. Watch the trailer at - http://www.filmsforaction.org/
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4th ANNUAL LAWRENCE FOOD GARDEN
TOUR
Saturday, 2 June 2012, 9:00am-12:00noon, 5:00-8:00pm (rain date, Sun. 3 June)
Saturday, 2 June 2012, 9:00am-12:00noon, 5:00-8:00pm (rain date, Sun. 3 June)
twenty one sites in Lawrence KS
This will be a self-guided tour to any of twenty one gardens by using a brochure and map available from many garden centers, hardware stores, and food venues. This tour will feature community gardens and home gardens, in front yards and back yards, with chickens and fruit trees and more. For more info, contact Caryl at
______________________________This will be a self-guided tour to any of twenty one gardens by using a brochure and map available from many garden centers, hardware stores, and food venues. This tour will feature community gardens and home gardens, in front yards and back yards, with chickens and fruit trees and more. For more info, contact Caryl at
KKFI COMMUNITY RADIO ¤ ECOLOGICAL SHOWS THIS WEEK
Listen
at KKFI-FM 90.1, or web-streaming at http://www.kkfi.org/
Friday, 1 June 2012, 9:30am ¤ Bioneers Radio Series
Bioneers presents another of their award winning shows.
Monday, 4 June 2012, 6:00pm ¤ locally produced Eco-Radio KC
Friday, 1 June 2012, 9:30am ¤ Bioneers Radio Series
Bioneers presents another of their award winning shows.
Monday, 4 June 2012, 6:00pm ¤ locally produced Eco-Radio KC
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LAWRENCE SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY BOARD
Wednesday, 13
June 2012, 5:30pm
location TBA, Lawrence KS 66044
The June agenda is not yet available. The S.A.B. meets monthly to discuss any and all aspects of furthering sustainability policies and practices by the City of Lawrence government and private persons. The public is welcome. Minutes are finalized in about a month after each meeting http://www.lawrenceks.org/wrr/
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KANSAS CITY ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION
Wednesday, 13 June 2012, 4:00-6:00pm
Mid America Regional Council, Rivergate Center 2nd floor, 600 Broadway, KC MO
SUSTAINABILITY ACTION NETWORK MEETING
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DOUGLAS COUNTY FOOD POLICY COUNCILlocation TBA, Lawrence KS 66044
The June agenda is not yet available. The S.A.B. meets monthly to discuss any and all aspects of furthering sustainability policies and practices by the City of Lawrence government and private persons. The public is welcome. Minutes are finalized in about a month after each meeting http://www.lawrenceks.org/wrr/
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KANSAS CITY ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION
Wednesday, 13 June 2012, 4:00-6:00pm
Mid America Regional Council, Rivergate Center 2nd floor, 600 Broadway, KC MO
The Environmental Management Commission promotes
environmental awareness and resource efficiency to the
City's leaders and staff, to assist the progress of Kansas
City toward sustainability. The General public is
encouraged to attend and observe meetings and to join and
participate in its efforts. More information is at KC
Environmental Mgt Commission
______________________________SUSTAINABILITY ACTION NETWORK MEETING
Wednesday, 13 June 2012, 7:30pm
Delaware Street Commons, Hearth Room, 822 E. 13th Street, Lawrence KS 66044
Local Solutions for Transition to a Sustainable Economy
The meeting agenda will include:
Delaware Street Commons, Hearth Room, 822 E. 13th Street, Lawrence KS 66044
Local Solutions for Transition to a Sustainable Economy
The meeting agenda will include:
- 1304 Penn. St. Gardenproposals for innovative projects
- possible new Board members
- July Sustainability conference - K-State &
KNRC
- Transition Kaw Valley report
- workshops on Solar Cooking (June), Vermicomposting
(July), and Solar Food Dehydrators (August)
- S.A.N. generic business cards
- S.A.N. web site update - Sustainability Action Network
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K.U.
MEDICINAL
GARDEN SUMMER TOUR
Saturday, 16 June 2012, 10am to
11:30pm - FREE
KU Native Medicinal Plant
Research Garden, 1865 E. 1600 Road, Lawrence, KS
Join faculty, staff and
students from the KU Native Medicinal Plant Research Program
for the semi-annual public tour of the research garden
site. The garden is half a mile north of Highway 40,
adjacent to the Prairie Moon Waldorf Schools grounds (Map).
Meet
just inside the gate under our shade structure at the center
of our demonstration garden. The tour will include
all areas of the garden,
including the research plantings,
the demonstration garden,
the natural dye garden
and the K.U. Student Farm,
which has doubled in size since last year. For more
info contact Kirsten Boskak
______________________________Monday, 18 June 2012, 7:00pm
Community Mercantile, classroom, 901 Iowa St., Lawrence KS 66049
The Food Policy Council seeks to identify the benefits, challenges and opportunities for a successful, sustainable local food system. By advising the Douglas County Commission on public policies that will support local producers,preserve local agricultural resources and land, and create more local jobs, the F.P.C.. hopes to improve the community's access to a local food supply and distribution networks. For more info go to Dg County Food Policy Council.
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RAIN HARVESTING WORKSHOPS
Analysis and Training Workshop ¤ Tuesday-Wednesday, 19-20 June 2012 - $$$
Design and Construction Workshop ¤ Thursday-Friday, 21-22 June 2012 - $$$
Prairie Lovesong Farm, Linwood KS
Fresh water constitutes only 2.5% of all of Earth's water, and 69% of that is locked up in glaciers and ice caps. The rest of the fresh water is mostly groundwater, and the last 1% is severely polluted or else expropriated for industrial uses such as in natural gas fracking - Where is Earth's water? In addition water availability is dropping from climate disruption, causing more droughts, or more flash floods that drain off the land.
Precious water is the essence of life, and it has become even more precious under today's conditions. These workshops will help in understanding the dynamics of water, use rates, storage calculations, and project planning, as well as how to design systems to meet our irrigation and household needs. It is sponsored by ALL-N-1 Landscape, a local permaculture and edible landscape company and is being taught by professionals from the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association. For information and registration, go to the ARCSA website, or call (512)617-6528.
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SOLAR COOKING WORKSHOP ¤ TRANSITION KAW VALLEY
Saturday, 23 June 2012, 10am-2:00pm - $$
location TBA, Lawrence KS 66044
This workshop is part of the ongoing T.K.V. Reskilling Workshop Series. At 10:00am sharp, we will hurry to get our lunch (mostly vegetarian, organic and locally grown) into a variety of different solar cookers. We'll watch a video on solar cooking and build three working solar cookers out of cardboard boxes, that participants can take home. We'll eat the food we cook, enjoy a solar food drying demonstration and discuss the benefits of solar cooking in Lawrence and the world. You'll get a handout directing you to internet resources so that you can learn more later. Join us as we begin reducing our carbon footprint one solar oven at a time. For more info contact
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"BIKE & BUILD" TOUR TO HELP OUT AT COSMIC BEAUTY SCHOOL
Wednesday-Thursday, 27-28 June 2012
Cosmic Beauty School, 1145 Pennsylvania St., Lawrence KS 66044
Bike & Build - http://www.bikeandbuild.org/ - is a not-for-profit that hosts cross-country rides of 32 riders each, who visit communities to volunteer with a local organization. The Central U.S. tour will be at Cosmic Beauty School to evaluate their proposal for grant funding from Bike & Build. There will be a pot luck dinner at 7:00pm on the 27th. The organization's focus is affordable housing, and they tour to spread awareness, learn of local actions, and help build projects. For more info contact
We welcome suggestions for Newsletter items. Please send items to
Join the Sustainability Action Network by clicking this link - Become a Member of S.A.N. - and follow the instructions. The S.A.N. mission isto bring awareness of the global crisis caused by climate change, energy vulnerability and economic instability to communities in the Kansas River bioregion, and the tools needed to re-skill and re-localize our economy and create a more socially just and ecologically sustainable world.
Current S.A.N. projects include:
1) Transition Kaw Valley -
initiating transition to a relocalized post-carbon economy,
and municipal-level Peak Oil response planning - Transition Kaw Valley
2) Kansas Permaculture Institute- formal training of permaculture designers, and issuing them PDC Certificates.
3) S.A.N. Permaculture
Collaborative - freely and
informally sharing knowledge and resources about
sustainable food production and dwellings - S.A.N.
Permaculture Collaborative
4) Bicycles
&
Electric Vehicles - promoting
bicycles, utility tricycles, and neighborhood electric
vehicles, including infrastructure and pro-active
regulations.
5) S.A.N. Weekly Newsletter -
informing and encouraging people to be active in the
Sustainability Action Network, or other action-driven
groups.
6) Water Rights & Watersheds - protecting the water commons, the source of all life, from privatization and contamination, and restoring our watersheds.
7) Growers' Land Trust - organizing interested stakeholders to acquire prime farmland in the urban fringe for land-based economic development and regional food security.
8) Eco Village Land Trust - Designing and focalizing a sustainable intentional community near Lawrence.
9) Energy Conservation & Renewables
- advancing a green economy through decentralized renewable
energy and conservation.
10) Collaboration with sister organizations
- such as: Films
for Action; The
Light Center eco-village; Kaw
River Valley Food System farm-based economic
development; Cosmic Beauty School
urban homestead; Cultivate Kansas City;Transition
Kansas City; Lawrence
Fruit Tree Project; Kansas River Valley Growers
fighting for local water rights; the National Sustainable
Energy Network; the Kansas
City Food Circle, and more.
"THE TRANSITION COMPANION" ¤ AVAILABLE FOR $27
As a guidebook for local transition communities, Rob Hopkins has published this sequel to the original Transition Handbook. For your copy, e-mail Michael at
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