Wednesday, April 13, 2011

What the Frack!?! Fracking Party: Gasland Screening Wed. April 20th 6:00pm-9:00

What  the  [is] frack!?!

Wed. April 20th 6:00pm-9:00 the SEA will be screening Gasland in the Environmental Interpretive Center at the University of Michigan-Dearborn:



Gasland is a documentary concerning Hydraulic fracturing (fracking)--a means of natural gas extraction within deep natural gas well drilling.  Once a well is drilled, millions of gallons of potable (drinking) water, along with sand and proprietary chemicals are injected under high pressure into a well. The pressure fractures shale rock and props open fissures that enable natural gas to flow more freely out of the well.



Awareness of this process and issue is especially relevant to us because Michigan and the Great Lakes basin are prime locations for natural gas extraction, and several communities have reported affliction  (see USGS/EIA maps below for existing natural gas locations).

 Furthermore, it's ongoing at present within our state



Gasland has been subject to several criticisms.  See some from:

1.  Energy In Depth--a blog assembled by a collection of U.S. Natural Gas and Oil producers 
2.  Blogger Kirian Stacey of the Financial Times
3.  Ongoing discussion by insightful folks at the Oil Drum (see comments near the end for people who actually worked in the industry and/or watched the film)--some of whom claim that the criticisms from Energy In Depth can be rebuked

We'll try to make sense of them and weigh out its merits with some geology, environmental science, sensibility, and civility.


Join us to examine the topic at hand, as well as the documentary itself--how are the issues communicated?  What does it mean to all of us as citizens and consumers of media and energy?  Also important to consider: what alternatives can we pursue to minimize our dependence on fossil fuel extraction and consumption altogether?



Trailer:




Please join us at this fracking party, popcorn and beverages will be served at the event, so it's a fine opportunity to stop by and take a break from your studies!!  Please RSVP to greenwolverines (at) ymail (dot) com

Friday, April 8, 2011

Science Café #1: The Coffee Connection to Birds and Biodiversity

Photos and notes from our first Science Café: "The Coffee Connection to Birds and Biodiversity":


Thanks to everyone who came out -- special thanks to everyone who helped set up/tear down, featured guest speaker Sara Yearout for sharing her senior research project and passion for sustainably sourced foods, Julie Craves (head of Avian Research at Rouge River Bird Observatory and shade-grown coffee authority) for sharing her expertise, Sara Cole for sharing the photos, Birds and Beans for their wonderful "Chestnut-Sided Warbler" blend of coffee, and the SEA members who helped make this event happen! Though the books didn't arrive in time for the event, great things happened nonetheless.


In case you missed it, here are some "tasty tidbits" from the discussion:

  • "triple crown" (fair trade, organic, bird-friendly) coffee is the golden standard at this time.
  • Look out for the fine print on certified coffee! Some certifications, like those awarded by the Rainforest Alliance, may actually certify only a certain percentage of the coffee to be shade-grown (30% for example) in the fine print.
  • Some growers and suppliers cannot afford to get certified, but may still label their coffees as "bird-friendly".
  • Caribou Coffee is working to get all of their coffee Rainforest Alliance Certified by 2012, while Starbucks has internal standards for suppliers that tend more toward fair treatment of the farmers, but may not necessarily be bird-friendly at this time
  • For some insight on how coffee (and chocolate) tie in with climate change, this rainforest alliance webpage is a fair source: http://my.rainforest-alliance.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=6361.0&dlv_id=10981
  • Even if you're not a coffee drinker, are there places where you can educate coffee consumers about their connection to coffee, or help them make more sustainable purchases? Local cafes, the workplace or at home might be good places to start.
  • Since coffee is exported into Michigan, it's worth recognizing that it does have a substantial ecological footprint.
Birds and Beans: http://www.birdsandbeans.com/
Sara's Co-Op, Ypsilanti Food Coop: http://www.ypsifoodcoop.org/
Equal Exchange Coop (Chocolates and other things): http://www.equalexchange.coop/

A pleasant coincidence I forgot to mention: the event was hosted at the Environmental Interpretive Center, a building was designed to look like a bird in flight from above!

Here's to drinking sustainably -- cheers!