November Events with the Dearborn Sustainability Coalition

On behalf of the Dearborn Sustainability Coalition and Student Environmental Association (SEA) at UM-Dearborn, thank you to all who presented or participated in the round table on earth, ethics, and religion!

Ian Tran and Sarai Richter greeting attendees of the Earth Ethics and Religion round table for sustainability.  Photo credit to Michelle Martinez.

Your attendance, insight, and the formative consensus that emerges from these events is an affirmation of our ability to make a difference in the world as engaged citizens.  The diversity of your perspectives and insight adds to the resilience of the greater Southeast Michigan community, and makes it a better place for all.  Approximately 40 people attended this round table, and we look forward to seeing all of you again.

Upcoming November events:

Nov. 15th,  4-5:30pm - Protecting our Health, Protecting the Clean Air Act at UM-Dearborn EIC

Nov 17th,  3:30-5pm -  Beans or Bypass Surgery?  A scientific discussion about food and well-being at HFCC
Nov. 17th,  7-9pm - Privatization of Public Services Roundtable - LWVDDH, Christ Episcopal Church

Nov. 22nd, 4:30-5:45 - Alberta Tar Sands and Keystone Pipeline Overview and Actions - UM-Dearborn

Below you'll find a brief recap of our October "Earth, Ethics, and Religion" round table, and more details of upcoming November events.

Earth Ethics and Religion (Hosted by the SEA):

We were inspired to hear attendees declare a shared desire to live in a healthy and sustainable environment for all members of the ecological community.  Insight came from many religious and secular perspectives:  event attendees represented academic, atheist, Buddhist, christian, Jewish, Haudenosaunee, Muslim, pantheistic, and other secular and religious perspectives.

Though the discussion was inconclusive, we hope that you will build on the momentum spurred by this event and sustain commitment to making our communities a better place for all.  There were many clever ideas for stewardship that were compatible with many faiths, here’s a few you can pursue right away:

• How much energy do you or does your religious institution use?  Can you find ways to reduce energy use by 10% so that it can go to others as a tithing for your energy/environmental footprint?  You can discover your ecological footprint here: http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/calculators/

• Several participants also remarked that their faith communities commit time to environmental stewardship as they observe each day of Sabbath.  Is this something you can do too?

We apologize that the round robin introductions did not take place due to unforeseen time constraints.  We will be mindful of this for future events.  If you would like to share your name, contact information, interests and organization’s efforts with other round table attendees, we can create a document to facilitate new connections.

Notes from the event will be completed and accessible by the end of this semester (circa mid-December), and recommended readings suggested by the community shall be provided before then.  We plan a follow up series to this round table in the forthcoming months and will be in touch.

We hope to explore the dialog in greater depth with the following question posed by one of our attendees:

How can we respectfully overcome traditions that create barriers to achieving sustainability?

Protect the Clean Air Act with the League of Women Voters

"Protecting the Health of our Families through Clean Air policies" is the subject of this event featuring the LWV U.S. President and others advocating for a strong Clean Air Act.  http://www.lwvddh.org/cleanairpromise.pdf

Clean air policies are some of the most successful governmental initiatives in our history.  They provide strong public health protections that have saved hundreds of thousands of American lives and prevented countless asthma attacks, heart attacks, premature deaths and other pollution-related illnesses.  Unfortunately, there are ongoing attempts in Congress to roll back public health protections provided by clean air policies that, in some instances, have been in place for decades. The League initiated a campaign this summer to renew America's promise to support clean air safeguards and protect our families from the dangers of air pollution.  The Dearborn event is open to the public and a reception will be held following the program.

TUES. Nov. 15, 4:00–5:30 p.m.

The Environmental Interpretive Center at The University of Michigan-Dearborn

4901 Evergreen Road, 48128 Dearborn, MI

Room 119

Contact: Kris Zawisza, LWVMI Project Director, faircourts (at) lwvmi.org, 517-484-5383

Privatization of Public Services Round Table with the League of Women Voters D/DH:

The League of Women Voters Dearborn, Dearborn Heights is hosting an open community discussion to find a consensus position about the privatization of government services and functions (schools, water, prisons, roads, etc.).  Benefits exist, so do costs and compromises.  Regardless if it’s a service provided by government or private corporation, what must be protected to ensure citizen well-being?

Links to resources at : http://lwvddh.blogspot.com/2011/10/privatization-study.html

THURS. November  17^th 7:00pm

At Christ Episcopal Church

120 North Military Street, Dearborn, MI 48124
Contact:  lwvddh (at) gmail.com or 313-278-6476

Alberta Tar Sands and Keystone Pipeline Overview and Actions with the SEA:

Featured speaker:  UM-Dearborn Professor Barry Wauldron
An Overview to the Keystone XL Pipeline and the Alberta Tar Sands

TUES. Nov. 22nd 4:30-5:45
Location TBA at the University of Michigan-Dearborn

The SEA advocates to bar the creation of the Keystone XL Pipeline, which will run from Alberta, Canada down to the Gulf of Mexico while passing over America's Breadbasket states, the Ogallala aquifer, and several rivers that drain into the Mississippi and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico where afflicted communities are still struggling to recover from the Deepwater Horizon spill.

Q&A from the community in addition to discussion findings may be used in a letter to be submitted to the President via the SEA and its allies as they advocate for alternative solutions to the pipeline.  The SEA will also take photos for those interested in contributing to a photo petition to President Obama.

Please RSVP to the SEA at studentenvironmentalassoc@gmail.com or on the SEA's facebook page (event page forthcoming).

Science and Conservation Cafes:Would you like to chat with a scientist about their work over bird-friendly coffee or local foods in an informal environment?  The SEA is willing to consider a range of topics from physics to biology.  For example, UM-Dearborn's mascot, wolves, might be a viable focus for a future science cafe.  Is there a topic that interests you?  Please let us know!