The Coffee Connection to Birds and Biodiversity (A Science Cafe!)

Wed. Apr. 6th 5:30-7:00 room 119 of the Environmental Interpretive Center

The Coffee Connection to Birds and Biodiversity science cafe

Even if you're not a coffee drinker, find out how you can:
-Preserve rain forests, birds, and other fauna
-Make a difference in climate change
-Create new economic opportunities for coffee plantation owners and farmers
-Help others drink better quality coffee
Plus, free samples of bird-friendly coffee and a raffle for a hardcover autographed copy of Bridget Stutchbury’s ‘Silence of the Songbirds’ all courtesy of Birds and Beans (Thanks!).

Join us for this informal discussion featuring UM-Dearborn Environmental Studies senior, Sara Yearout!

Please rsvp to greenwolverines (at) ymail (dot) com or on our facebook event page so we can better plan the event.

Footage and Photos from 10/10

The Cool Cities Dearborn Sierra Club brought together several groups to host events on 10/10 as initiated under 350.org.

Dearborn's Community Television Channel also got footage of some of our activities and interviewed us:

http://dearbornvideo.org/videos/271/dearborn-journal-#243

I'm finally uploading pictures from 10/10!  It was a great event with upwards of ~45 people joining us to enjoy the outdoors for the Global Work Party Climate Action Day to walk, learn about the area, put bottled water to the test against tap (LWVDDH report no significant difference in preferences, but tap is 1,000 times cheaper!), paint pumpkins and gourds, and meet other community members.

Jenni Dunn of the Dearborn/Dearborn heights League of Women Voters at the blind tap vs. bottled water taste test table. Find out more about their actions and findings at their blog post on the 10/10 tap water taste test! 

Attendees gather for opening remarks on environmentally conscientious recreation, sustainability, and climate action from Ian Tran and Shannon Morrow before touring the Environmental Interpretive Center rain gardens, natural areas, and Rouge River Henry Ford Estate.

Pumpkin!  Apple from Apple Charlie's!  Cider and donuts also came from Apple Charlies, and we had attendees use compostable cups as planters for wild mountain mint (Pycnathemum pilosum) seeds collected by SEA--it was a leave-no trace event so all other items were composted or taken back for recycling/reuse.  The Fordson High School Environmental Club came forth in strong numbers and hosted the pumpkin painting table.

350.org participants gathered in all kinds of shapes, we made an Evergreen 1Sky, and the Sierra Club have signs up.

Several local parents hiked with their children, literally!

Good to know environmental hotlines

Found/knew some useful numbers and am starting to compile them here. Many of these are 24 hour (I won't say all as I haven't used all of them).  Sometimes you see something and wonder who to call (aside from the Ghostbusters), perhaps these might help.

Hopefully you won't have to use all of them, but I found the 211 fantastically useful and you might too.

Emergency (America)
911
Fire, police, ambulance, etc.


Basic needs:
211
"2-1-1 is the health and human service equivalent of 9-1-1 to give or get help spearheaded by United Way."

They can refer you to a huge network of community groups and non-profits.  From food banks, shelters, living assistance, the list goes on...

It's pretty great, I used it recently to ask about food banks for donating food and they said they'd be willing to link campus food services with various food banks and other services in the areas to take care of excess food (which would otherwise be thrown away).  Something about Geographic Information Systems services is also listed too, I'd be interested to find out what they have to offer for that.



Poison hotline ( American Association of Poison Control Centers http://www.aapcc.org/DNN/ ):
1-800-222-1222

Air Pollution
You have the right to breathe clean air.  Report all strong odors, dark smoke, excessive dust, and other suspected air pollution to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)
(313) 456-4700

Lead Poisoning Prevention
Preventing lead poisoning via information from CLEARCorps Detroit:
(313) 924-4000

[below pulled from Friends of the Rouge's web page]

###

Illicit and Illegal discharges

Oakland County (248) 858-0931

Wayne County (888) 223-2363

Washtenaw County (734) 222-3880 

Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (800) 292-4706

An illicit discharge is the introduction of polluting materials into a pipe that drains to surface water or the dumping of polluting material that can impact surface water. Examples found in the Rouge River watershed include toilets connected to storm sewers, laundry waste discharging to a drain, swimming pool backwash water discharging to a storm sewer or situations where polluting material can move over land to a storm sewer.

Illegal discharges may also take place, such as the one responsible for the large oil spill on the Rouge and Detroit Rivers in 2002. Careless and intentional acts of illicit and illegal dumping are not only expensive to remedy, but they can also have long term affects on the health of the river.

If you see an illicit or illegal discharge, please report it immediately.

###

Let me know if there's anything else that should be here.

Invitation: Dearborn Sustainability Round Table June 16th

To whom it may concern,

I've been working closely with the Dearborn Sierra Club Cool Cities Group to bring institutional, not-for-profit, corporate, academic, governmental, and community leaders together for comprehensive sustainability efforts in the Dearborn area.

We cordially invite you to join us for a moderated round table discussion in room 1225 of the University Center at the University of Michigan-Dearborn on Wednesday June 16^th, 2010 from 6:00-8:00 pm.

This event is open to all, please RSVP to Mary Ann Baier: maturtle (at) gmail.com

Come when you can, go when you must.  If you believe this invitation may be suited for other individuals or organizations, please share it with them.

Our immediate objectives for this meeting is to increase sustainability awareness and foster informed coalition building and network development in the city.  We hope attendees will have a clear understanding of the local groups currently at work, as well as the regional initiatives which may influence events happening within the Dearborn area.

Among our longer-term goals, we aim to organize interest in establishing a sustainability panel for the city and formalize the University of Michigan-Dearborn's task force to coordinate efforts in sustainability to increase meaningful impact locally and globally through the community.

Feel free to bring a dish to share (it's also a potluck for sustainability) as well.

Below is the agenda overview:

-Greetings
-Introduction and objectives
-Organizational introductions, activities, accomplishments, goals
-Local event opportunities
-Mingle, network, etc.

-Next steps and meeting closure

Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to meting you,

Ian D. Tran

--

President, The Student Environmental Association at The University of Michigan-Dearborn

http://sustainableum-d.blogspot.com/

http://www.rcampus.com/Clubhomeshellc.cfm?xsite=sealeader

The Suburban Expedition

With the conclusion of UM-Dearborn's 2010 winter semester drawing near, members of the SEA decided it would be an appropriate time for a suburban expedition to a wetland in Livonia.

I'll reiterate:  SUBURBAN EXPEDITION!  Livonia wetland!

Tentatively this will happen on the weekend of the 8th/9th of May (hopefully the 9th as I'll be in Chicago or Detroit the day before).

The idea is to go into the field, get in touch with the great outdoors, do an on-site study where we all take some samples/do some scientific monitoring, explore, meet new people and have fun.

It's a good opportunity for everyone to learn new/swap field research techniques too.

Our food system: Aramark and the Imokalee FL issue

Finally catching up with the old posts!

The University sent out a food services survey under momentum of the Provost's Urban Farming Summit. Aramark is our Campus' contracted food service provider.

After almost a year of on and off searching, I finally found the news I've been looking for:
http://www.ciw-online.org/
What's this place have to do with Aramark?

Aramark's buying practices drives legal slave-like conditions for farmworkers in Imokalee Florida (where most of the tomatoes in America are grown).

[edit 14 Apr. 2010] Having read relatively recent news, the question now is whether Aramark's agreement to increase pay for tomato farmworkers is sufficient to put the issue at rest.

My response to the survey (was long...):

EPA et al. Public Meeting on Asian Carp this Wednesday

You can earn credit for ESCI 395 by attending:


Public meeting on Asian carp control efforts Feb. 17 in Ypsilanti, Mich.

Release date: 02/08/2010

Contact Information: (EPA) Phillippa Cannon, 312-353-6218, cannon.phillippa@epa.gov (EPA) Mick Hans, 312-353-5050, hans.mick@epa.gov (IJC) Frank Bevacqua, 202-412-1017, bevacquaf@washington.ijc.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 10-OPA011

CHICAGO (Feb. 8, 2010) - The International Joint Commission, in cooperation with the participating agencies listed below, is hosting a public meeting in Ypsilanti, Mich., on Feb. 17 to discuss plans and get recommendations on Asian carp control efforts. This will be the second public meeting in the Great Lakes region.

Who: Senior representatives from

* International Joint Commission;
* U.S. Environmental Protection Agency;
* U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service;
* U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;
* U.S. Coast Guard;
* Great Lakes states, provinces, municipalities and tribes (invited);
* White House Council on Environmental Quality; and
* Scientific experts


When: 3:00 - 6:00 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 17

Where: Marriott Ann Arbor Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest
1275 S. Huron
Ypsilanti, MI 48197

The meeting also will be available via live web stream at: http://epa.gov/greatlakes/live
Those who cannot attend the meeting in person can submit questions on the Web site.

When available, the framework and a transcript of the meeting will be posted on http://www.asiancarp.org/regionalcoordination
Comments on the framework may also be submitted online at the above Web site.
# # #

2009 Campus Sustainability Fest Overview and Events

Festival overview:
Topics of people, planet, and profit are everywhere you go. Find out how they’re relevant to your campus during Sustainability Fest 2009 Mon Oct. 19th-Fri Oct. 23rd at U of M-Dearborn. This year's theme is on "Sustainable Food Systems".

All events are OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.