Tuesday, July 07, 2015

Sustainability Action Network Newsletter, 7 July 2015


"The Planet is not dying, it is being killed. And the people doing the killing have names and addresses" - Utah Phillips
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KANSAS CITY ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION
Wednesday, 8 July 2015, 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 Management Commission.
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LAWRENCE SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY BOARD
Wednesday, 8 July 2015, 5:30pm
Public Works Conference Room, City Hall ground floor, 6 East 6th St., Lawrence KS 66044

The July agenda includes: a presentation on the Lawrence Wastewater Treatment Plant, and support of a Monarch Butterfly habitat grant application. 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/sustainability/sab.
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LAWRENCE PEDESTRIAN COALITION
Wednesday, 8 July 2015, 7:00pm
Carnegie Building Conference Room, 200 West 9th St., Lawrence KS 66044

The July agenda is not yet available. The Lawrence Pedestrian Coalition is a joint effort of the Lawrence Association of Neighborhoods and the League of Women Voters. Monthly meetings are open to the public. For more info go to Lawrence Pedestrian Coalition, or contact Erin Paden.
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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/
(courtesy, Mike Murphy, KKFI Programming Committee)

Wednesday, 8 July 2015, 9:00am - Alternative Radio
David Barsamian brings onto the show Vandava Shiva speaking on "Radical Compassion". Vandana Shiva is an internationally renowned voice for sustainable development and social justice. She's a physicist, scholar and social activist. She is Director of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Natural Resource Policy in New Delhi. She's the recipient of the Sydney Peace Prize and of the Right Livelihood Award, the alternative Nobel Prize. She is the author of many books, including Earth DemocracySoil Not Oil and Making Peace with the Earth.

Friday, 10 July 2015, 9:30am - Bioneers Radio Series
Bioneers presents "Business for the Common Good: Building Local Living Economies in the Age of Climate Change". The nature of nature is change, and at times it revs into fast-forward. Judy Wicksobserves that as we navigate the onset of climate change, we're witnessing the rapid obsolescence of the human systems we built on the assumption of cheap oil. The clock is running out on expensive (and vulnerable) practices such as the long-distance, fossil-fueled global supply chains that transp;ort the average bite of our food 1,200 miles to reach our plates.

Monday,, 13 July 2015, 6:00pm - locally produced Eco-Radio KC
The EcoRadioKC program will feature the another of their ecologically minded topics.
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SIERRA CLUB WASTE REDUCTION TASK FORCE MEETING
Thursday, 9 July 2015, time TBA
Lawrence Public Library, Conference Room A, 7th & Vermont St., Lawrence KS 66046
(courtesy of Olga Khakova)

The City of Lawrence has for years recycled cardboard and yard trimmings and electronics, and just this year has begun curbside recycling for most household materials. But there are many other items that still end up in the land fill, as well as causing ecological damage in manufacturing and disposal - such as single use plastic bags and single serving plastic containers. The Kansas Sierra Club Wakarusa Group is starting a Waste Reduction Task Force. Reducing the usage of plastic bags in the community will be a top priority for the task force. Future projects will address other green initiatives. RSVP toolga.khakova@gmail.com
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COTTIN'S HARDWARE FARMERS' MARKET - EVERY THURSDAY, OUTSIDE
Thursday, 9 July 2015, 4:00-6:30pm
Now in the back parking lot, 1832 Massachusetts St., Lawrence KS 66044
 
Weekly vendors will have a supply of fresh greens, root vegetables, breads, baked goods, farm fresh eggs, meats, live music, and much more. Local food is healthier and helps your local economy. The live music this week is by "Fresh Picked", and the hot food vendor is Purple Carrot. This four season market isLawrence's only winter-weather protected farmers' market, with only three others in the region. For more info contact them at 843-2981 or <hardware@sunflower.com>.
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LAWRENCE FARMERS' MARKET - EVERY SATURDAY
Saturday, 11 July 2015, 7:00am-11:00am
parking lot in the 800 block of New Hampshire St., Lawrence KS 66044

At Kansas' longest running farmers' market, there is a wide variety of seasonal produce: sweet corn, tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, melons, beans, greens, potatoes, snow peas, asparagus, apples and much more. There's also meats, fresh eggs, preserved food, local craft items, and live music. For more info go to - 
Lawrence Farmers' Market.
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KANSAS AND MISSOURI FARMERS' MARKET DIRECTORIES
(courtesy of Cole Cottin & Linda Cottin)

The bi-state area features many farmers' markets. In order to find any of dozens of farmers' markets in Kansas and Missouri, use these searchable data bases for both states. They are - Kansas Farmers' Market Search by Location, and Missouri Farmers' Market Search by Location. A Kansas City list is available at Farmers Markets List: Cultivate KC. Wherever you are, there is probably a market nearby!
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PERMACULTURE FARM & GARDEN TOUR - KANSAS PERMACULTURE COLLABORATIVE
Saturday-Sunday, 11-12 July 2015, times TBA - $$
five urban or rural sites each day in the Kansas City region
(courtesy of Steve Moring)

The Kansas Permaculture Collaborative is proud to announce the 6th Annual Permaculture Urban Garden and Farm Tour , Saturday and Sunday, July 11 and 12. This tour will focus on the implementation of permaculture principles and practice on both local urban and broad-acre sites in our Kaw River watershed. The tour will begin on Saturday morning at a Kansas City Food-not-lawn residential site and continue with visits to four additional sites ending in Lawrence at the PermaCommons community Garden. On Sunday our tour will include six new and established farm sites, ending with the final tour and pot-luck at SubTerra Castle near Topeka, KS. The event is co-sponsored by Lawrence Food Not Lawns. Please join us for either or both days of the tour. We are asking a tour donation of $15 per day. To sign up for the tour, please contact Steve Moring, 785-691-7305 (moringse@gmail.com) or Joe Falley, 913-593-6198 (appleorchard@sunflower.com)
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STOP OIL TRAINS WEEK - KANSAS CITY ACTION AGAINST EXPLODING TRAINS
Sunday, 12 July 2015, 2:00pm
Union Station, 30 W Pershing Rd., Kansas City MO 64108

Oil trains pass through Kansas City, Topeka KS, and Lawrence KS, within feet of major retail, residential neighborhoods, and government buildings. The K.C. action is a regional rally to organize resistance in the form of public awareness, local government resolutions against oil trains, teach ins, public demonstrations, or more. The rally is at the Amtrak passenger rail station rather than one of Kansas City's freight yards presumably because of accessibility and safety. But the message will be the same. You can learn more at this link - Find a Local Action: Stop Oil Trains Week, 6-12 July 2015.

The week of 6-12 July 2015 has been declared "Stop Oil Trains week" by Forest Ethics, 350.org, Le Carr Bleu Lac-Megantic, Oil Change International, and the Sierra Club. This commemorates the two year anniversary of the Lac-Megantic QC oil train disaster on 6 July 2013. The use of "rolling pipeline" oil trains has increased dramatically since 2010. These "bomb trains" are prone to explode in a wreck, and since 2006, the U.S. and Canada have seen at least 24 oil train accidents involving a fire, derailment or significant amount of fuel spilled - Oil Train Explosions: A Timeline in PicturesIndividuals can alsosign the petition to the U.S. Congress - Ban the Bomb Trains .
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WESTAR RATE HIKE - LAWRENCE ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION
Monday, 13 July 2015, two sessions
12:00-1:30pm, Douglas County Senior Center, 745 Vermont St, Lawrence, KS 66044
5:00-6:30pm, Lawrence Library Auditorium, 7th & 
Vermont St, Lawrence, KS 66044
(courtesy Dorothy Barnett, Climate & Energy Project)

The request by Westar Energy to the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) is to raise the residential customer fixed service charge from $12 to $27. They claim it is needed to maintain and upgrade infrastructure such as transmission lines and generating facilities. While it's true that maintenance costs are rising, this proposal is a regressive means to acquire revenues, for at least two reasons.

First, it's a fixed rate imposed equally on all customers regardless of amount of electricity used, in effect a regressive tax. So if someone is very energy conserving or has rooftop solar, they still pay the same fixed charge as someone who is an energy hog of coal fired electricity. According to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), the average monthly customer service fees charged by other utilities nationwide averages between $5 and $10.

Second, the proposed rate hike is doubly inappropriate for residential customers with solar or wind energy systems, who typically get only 10 percent of their electricity from the Westar grid. Westar argues that these customers require the utility to maintain the same size generating capacity so they should pay for it like everyone else. Of Westar's 600,000 residential customers, only 280 have solar or wind. So in reality, Westar could
 increase the number of renewable energy users by setting fair rates, resulting in Westar being the beneficiary of "avoided costs" by not needing to expand their coal generating capacity.

The KCC disqualified testimony from three renewable energy advocates, the Alliance for Solar Choice, the Climate & Energy Project, and Cromwell Solar. More info is available at - 
Westar Rate Hike | The Climate & Energy Project, and Kansas utility targets solar customers for higher rate (with comments by Aaron Cromwell, saying "This is another attempt by the utility to kill solar in Kansas").

There are three ways for members of the public to submit comments to the KCC.

Speak at one of two public hearings21 July, 6:00pm (sign up after 4:30pm), 
Farley Elementary School, 6701 SW 33rd St., Topeka, KS 66614. OR, 23 July, 6:00pm(sign up after 4:30pm), Wichita State University, Lowe Auditorium, 5015 E. 29th St. N., Wichita, KS 67260.

Mail or e-mail comments to the KCC at: Kansas Corporation Commission, Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, 1500 SW Arrowhead Rd., Topeka, KS 66604-4027. OR. Reference the docket #15-WSEE-115-RTS, and the deadline is 11 August 2015.

Sign Aaron Cromwell's petition which he will present at the public hearing: Tell the Kansas Corporation Commission: Reject the attack on solar power in Kansas.
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RESPONSIBLE ENERGY VS. FUKUSHIMA DAI-ICHI

Land area required to generate electricity by solar, wind, and nuclear.
In a nutshell, the relative land areas needed to supply one third of 2050 U.S. electricity is: 11,000 sq-km for solar, 700 sq-km for wind, and 1,500 sq-km for nuclear . That solar area is for concentrated sites; but if distributed over existing human facilities like rooftops and parking structures, the impacted area would shrink dramatically. That wind area is just for the turbines and access roads; the land between continues to be used for other activities. That nuclear area is just for the nuke plants themselves; if mining and waste disposal are added, the area increases considerably (especially if a Chernobyl scale disaster results on a large region becoming uninhabitable). A final comparison: the total land area used in the U.S. for the "essential" service of golf courses is 10,000 sq-km. Read more at - Land use impacts of solar wind and nuclear energy.

We suggest readers avail themselves of the following sources for news on the nuclear demise: Japan for Sustainability - http://www.japanfs.org/Japan Focus - http://japanfocus.org/Fukushima Update -http://fukushimaupdate.com/; and Fairewinds Energy Education http://www.fairewinds.com/. 
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LAWRENCE PEDESTRIAN-BICYCLE TASK FORCE - BI-MONTHLY MEETING
Monday, 13 July 2015, 6:30pm
City Hall, Commission Meeting Room, 6 East 6th St., Lawrence KS 66044

In response to three years of advocacy by Sustainability Action, the Pedestrian Coalition, LiveWell Lawrence, and other groups, for dedicated bicycle-pedestrian funding and a bicycle-pedestrian staff engineer, the Lawrence City Commission created a Pedestrian-Bicycle Task Force. They are reviewing decades of bicycle plans and recommendations, prioritizing near-term and long-term construction projects, reviewing various City policies on pedestrian and bicycle facilities, developing a vision and a purpose for the task force work, and analyzing current pedestrian-bicycle funding to determine how best to achieve greater dedicated annual funding. More info can be found at their web page - Pedestrian and Bicycle Task Force.
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NEW YORK STATE PLANS FOR 50 PERCENT RENEWABLE ENERGY BY 2030

While many state legislatures or governors do the bidding of the fossil fueled, Koch headed, ALEC driven corporate agenda, there are some progressive states with visionary leadership who purposely choose a low carbon future. These early adopter states are the ones that will benefit from a renewable energy economy, and certainly from a more liveable environment. New York is such a leader, having just passed a fracking ban on 29 June 2015, and now has released an aggressive plan to supply the state with 50 percent of its energy with renewable sources by 2030. The state also plans to increase energy efficiency efforts by 23 percent, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from 1990 levels . Overall, the plan envisions a future where people have "smart" homes with wireless devices that reduce energy consumption, and homes that produce as much energy as they consume. Learn more at - NY State plan sets aggressive clean-energy goals.
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WESTAR RATE HIKE - MANHATTAN ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION
Thursday, 16 July 2015, two sessions
1:00-3:00pm: Riley County Senior Center, 301 North 4th St., Manhattan KS
6:30-8:30pm, Manhattan Public Library, 629 Poyntz Ave., Manhattan KS
(courtesy Dorothy Barnett, Climate & Energy Project)

The request by Westar Energy to the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) is to raise the residential customer fixed service charge from $12 to $27. They claim it is needed to maintain and upgrade infrastructure such as transmission lines and generating facilities. While it's true that maintenance costs are rising, this proposal is a regressive means to acquire revenues, for at least two reasons.

First, it's a fixed rate imposed equally on all customers regardless of amount of electricity used, in effect a regressive tax. So if someone is very energy conserving or has rooftop solar, they still pay the same fixed charge as someone who is an energy hog of coal fired electricity. According to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), the average monthly customer service fees charged by other utilities nationwide averages between $5 and $10.

Second, the proposed rate hike is doubly inappropriate for residential customers with solar or wind energy systems, who typically get only 10 percent of their electricity from the Westar grid. Westar argues that these customers require the utility to maintain the same size generating capacity so they should pay for it like everyone else. Of Westar's 600,000 residential customers, only 280 have solar or wind. So in reality, Westar could
 increase the number of renewable energy users by setting fair rates, resulting in Westar being the beneficiary of "avoided costs" by not needing to expand their coal generating capacity.

The KCC disqualified testimony from three renewable energy advocates, the Alliance for Solar Choice, the Climate & Energy Project, and Cromwell Solar. More info is available at - 
Westar Rate Hike | The Climate & Energy Project, and Kansas utility targets solar customers for higher rate (with comments by Aaron Cromwell, saying "This is another attempt by the utility to kill solar in Kansas").

There are three ways for members of the public to submit comments to the KCC.

Speak at one of two public hearings21 July, 6:00pm (sign up after 4:30pm), 
Farley Elementary School, 6701 SW 33rd St., Topeka, KS 66614. OR, 23 July, 6:00pm(sign up after 4:30pm), Wichita State University, Lowe Auditorium, 5015 E. 29th St. N., Wichita, KS 67260.

Mail or e-mail comments to the KCC at: Kansas Corporation Commission, Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, 1500 SW Arrowhead Rd., Topeka, KS 66604-4027. OR. Reference the docket #15-WSEE-115-RTS, and the deadline is 11 August 2015.

Sign Aaron Cromwell's petition which he will present at the public hearing: Tell the Kansas Corporation Commission: Reject the attack on solar power in Kansas.
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SUSTAINABILITY ACTION MEETING
Thursday, 16 July 2015, 6:30pm
Lawrence Public Library, Conference Room B, 7th & Vermont St., Lawrence KS 66046
Local Solutions for Transition to a Sustainable Economy

Possible discussion topics:
  • setting our action plans based on our budget goals
  • organizing the new Lawrence Food Not Lawns
  • T-shirts for Sustainability Action
  • Sustainability Action website upgrade
Everyone is welcome - http://www.sustainabilityaction.net/
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LAWRENCE COMMUNITY ORCHARD - FESTIVE WORK DAY
Saturday, 18 July 2015, 10:00am-3:00pm
838 Garfield St., Lawrence KS 66044

The Lawrence Fruit Tree Project will have a work day to plant trees and do some grafting in the Community Orchard. Bring water and sun screen. Some snacks provided, but sharing by pot luck is always welcome. Walking and bicycling to the orchard are encouraged. Please park cars on Delaware street. Other upcoming work days will be on the third Saturday of each month - 15 August, 19 September.
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NOW A 99.9 PERCENT CONSENSUS FOR HUMAN CAUSED CLIMATE DISRUPTION

The notion of a 97 percent agreement among climate scientists that human activity is the driver of climate disruption started with studies in 2009 and 2010. As such, the handful of climate deniers had the slimmest rationale for their position, a position maintained mostly by corporate funded "research", and with little or no peer review. But now, according to the National Physical Sciences Consortium, a new review of 24,000 peer-reviewed papers on global warming published in 2013 and 2014, the consensus is air tight at 99.9 percent agreement. James L. Powell, who conducted the recent study of 70,000 scientists, could find only four solitary authors who challenged the evidence for human-caused global warming. He said "That's a rate of one dissenting voice for every 17,000 agreeing scientists, and it's not a strong voice. Powell called the four dissents 'known deniers and crackpots'." Learn more at - How climate change deniers got it right - but very wrong.
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NONVIOLENT PROTESTS PLANNED IF OBAMA GRANTS KEYSTONE XL PERMIT

Congress has tried numerous times to legislate construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, and do an end run around the U.S. State Department and Presidential ruling. Regardless, Pres. Obama has indicated that he would veto any such legislation, but a veto is still a big "if". Over 90,000 citizens have signed a "pledge of resistance", having committed to risk arrest if necessary to stop Keystone XL. The pressure is building on Obama. When the Nebraska lawsuit halted the U.S. State Department's permit review process, it was about two thirds done. The permit review has resumed, though it's uncertain when it will be complete. Protectors of the land and air need to be ready when the time comes.

With over 400 volunteer action leaders trained in 25 cities nationwide, the local sit-in actions will be deployed when and if the Obama Administration recommends approval of Keystone XL. Chances are there's one near you. To stop Keystone XL, you can take the next step and sign up with your local pledge action. You can Find your nearest Pledge of Resistance action and sign up to be part of it.The passive resistance actions will be at places like the State Department, EPA and Federal offices, oil industry contractor ERM offices, and branches of TD Bank. If you click the above link and plug in your zip code, you will learn where the nearest action is to you.
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BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Monday, 20 July 2015, 5:00pm-6:30pm
Parks & Recreation Conference Room, 1141 Massachusetts St., Lawrence KS 66044

The July agenda is not yet available. The Bicycle Advisory 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 Commission on bicycle priorities and needs. The agenda and information can be downloaded at Bicycle Advisory Committee.
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DOUGLAS COUNTY FOOD POLICY COUNCIL
Monday, 20 July 2015, 7:00pm
HyVee Meeting Room, 3504 Clinton Parkway, Lawrence, KS 66047

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 willsupport local producerspreserve 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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LAWRENCE PEDESTRIAN-BICYCLE TASK FORCE - BI-MONTHLY MEETING
Monday, 27 July 2015, 6:30pm
City Hall, Commission Meeting Room, 6 East 6th St., Lawrence KS 66044

In response to three years of advocacy by Sustainability Action, the Pedestrian Coalition, LiveWell Lawrence, and other groups, for dedicated bicycle-pedestrian funding and a bicycle-pedestrian staff engineer, the Lawrence City Commission created a Pedestrian-Bicycle Task Force. They are reviewing decades of bicycle plans and recommendations, prioritizing near-term and long-term construction projects, reviewing various City policies on pedestrian and bicycle facilities, developing a vision and a purpose for the task force work, and analyzing current pedestrian-bicycle funding to determine how best to achieve greater dedicated annual funding. More info can be found at their web page - Pedestrian and Bicycle Task Force.

 



We welcome suggestions for Newsletter items. Please send items to .

Join the Sustainability Action Network by clicking this link - Become a Sustainability Action Member - and follow the instructions. The Sustainability Action 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.



Sustainability Action Programs include:
1) Food Sovereignty & Permaculture - local control of food, permaculture workshops, tours, and crop mobs.

2) Bicycles & Alternative Transportation - promoting bicycles, complete streets, ride sharing, and electric vehicles, including infrastructure and pro-active regulations - Bicycle Transportation Funding: Lawrence 2015 Budget

3) Local Community Currency - fostering money literacy, and implementing a local currency, either cash or electronic or both, that will transition to a sustainable local economy and weather global economic instability.

4) Sustainability Action Newsletter - informing and encouraging people to be active in the Sustainability Action Network, or other action-driven groups.


5) Energy Conservation & Renewables - reducing our carbon footprint by promoting a carbon diet, an energy diet, conservation, and decentralized renewable energy.

6) Prime Farmland Preservation - protecting Capability I & II farmland from urban development and industrial land uses.

7) Water Rights and Watersheds - protecting the water commons from privatization and contamination, and restoring watersheds.


8) Collaboration with sister organizations - building synergy with the combined talents and creativity of like-minded groups to achieve a transition to sustainable local economies. Groups such as: Films for ActionThe Light Center eco-village; churches and civic groups; Kaw River Valley Food System farm-based economic development; Cultivate Kansas City; Kansas River Valley Growers fighting for local water rights; the National Sustainable Energy Network; theKansas City Food Circle, and more.

Sustainability Action sponsored organizations:

1) Lawrence Creates - local tool sharing, recycling, and community shared innovation incubator -Lawrence Creates

2) Diesel Health Project - promoting eco-justice in neighborhoods exposed to industrial air and water pollution, by monitoring the pollution and changing policies and enforcement. - Diesel Health Project
 


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