WELCOME TO BlueGreen
Issue 7 ~ March 30, 2004
The BlueGreen electronic newsletter is a handy regular update of sustainability initiatives and events on campus and in the local region. It will automatically arrive as an e-mail link for those whosign up (by clicking on the words sign up) for this list serve. Otherwise it is available on our website at http://www.middlebury.edu/administration/enviro/publications/
To submit information for the next issue of BlueGreen, send an e-mail (including graphics) to Connie Leach Bisson, Campus Sustainability Coordinator at cbisson@middlebury.edu
On the Calendar
Calendar Highlights at-a-glance
Tues. Mar 30
4:30 p.m. Fulbright Information Meeting -- Fulbright grants support students for a year of advanced study/research or teaching assistantships outside the U.S. Applicants must have strong GPAs, appropriate language skills, and be U.S. citizens. (Old Chapel 206).
4:30 p.m. Environmental Council Meeting (Old Chapel 401).
Wed. Mar 31
8:30 p.m. Environmental Quality (EQ) meeting. Contact Suzanne Nagi or Julia West for info. (McCullough).
10:00 p.m. Fair Beans Campaign Meeting. Help bring fair-trade coffee to Middlebury. (Pearsons Lounge).
Thur. April 1
Fossil Fuel Day
Join EQ as part of a National Day of Action for Cleaner Energy by calling Governor Jim Douglas in Montpelier (1-800-649-6825) to advocate for cleaner energy solutions in Vermont. (see more below)
12:15-1:15 p.m. ES Colloquium:Robert Costanza, Director of the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics "Ecological Economics: Reintegrating the study of humans and the rest of nature to create a sustainable and desirable future" (BIH 216).
12:15-1:00 p.m. Architecture Table (LaForce 121).
7:15 p.m. Observatory Open House ~ The Physics Department will hold an open house at Bicentennial Hall's rooftop observatory until 9:30 p.m., weather permitting
There is no set program; the public is invited to come anytime during these hours. Admission is free. If the skies are not clear enough for viewing, the event will be postponed until the following evening, Friday, April 2, at the same hours.
8:30 p.m. Mountain Club Gear Hours Would you like to go on an outdoor adventure, but don't have the equipment? Come to the Mountain Club gear hours to obtain the necessary gear. (Adirondack House 3rd Floor).
Fri. April 2
12:00 p.m. Jill Singer from U. Buffalo presents The Follies of Lotus Bay and other Tales: An Earth Scientist's Role in Evironmental Policy. (Bicentennial Hall 104)
12:15 p.m. Steve Trombulak, Biology Dept. Alien invaders: grasses and the New England landscape. Sponsored by the Biology Department and Polled Enrichment Funds. Lunch will be provided. (BIH 220).
Sun. April 4
4:00 p.m. Spirit In Nature Soup & Bread Talk. Guest Speaker Larry Hamilton "Mountains of the World Care & Nurture in 5 Countries". Bring a bowl. McCullough - (Mitchell Green Lounge).
8 p.m. Organic Garden Weekly Meeting (Coffrin Annex Lounge).
Mon. April 5
12:30 p.m. Careers in Environmental Economic Research and Policy Analysis: A conversation with Dan Rosenfeld '99 (McCullough- Mitchell Green Lounge).
8:00 p.m. Ethan Miller and Kate Boverman, songs of hope and resistance The first concert of Singer-songwriters for Social Change, a series of Monday concerts in support of the course "Songs and Social Movements. (Arts Center Concert Hall).
Tues. April 6
7:30 p.m. David Quammen, author of Monster of God: The Man-eating Predator in the Jungles of History will talk about "Big Predators on a Small Planet" (BIH 216).
8:30 p.m. Mountain Club Gear Hours Would you like to go on an outdoor adventure, but don't have the equipment? Come to the Mountain Club gear hours to obtain the necessary gear. (Adirondack House 3rd Floor).
Wed. April 7
10:00 p.m. Fair Beans Campaign Meeting. Help bring fair-trade coffee to Middlebury. Pearsons Lounge.
Thurs. April 8
12:15-1:15 ES Colloquium: Linda Morse '67, National Sustainable Development Program Manager for CH2M HILL "Sustainable Development - Getting Engineers to Listen"BIH 216.
4:30 p.m. Environmental Career Conversation with Linda Morse '67 As the National Sustainable Development Program Manager for CH2M HILL, Linda will share her thoughts and perspectives on the sustainable development field and opportunities for doing this work. (Hepburn Lounge).
Fri. April 9
7:30 p.m. "Winged Migration" (film for ES/EL 215) BIH 104.
Mon. April 12
7:30 p.m. Warren Leon, co-author of The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices will talk about "Prioritizing: Making Good Environmental Choices" (BIH 216).
Tues. April 13
7:30 p.m. The Strength of the Indigenous People of Mut Vitz: Producing Fair Trade Organic Coffee in the Highlands of Chiapas. With an introductory talk by Julia Davidson beginning at 7:00 p.m. (BIH 219)
Wed. April 14
7:00 p.m. Making a Difference: Fair Trade and Coffee Production in Nicaragua presented by Cesar Zeledon through a sponsorship by Global Exchange.
(RAJ Conference Room).
Thurs. April 15
12:15-1:15 ES Colloquium: William Shutkin, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, MIT "Greening Community Development: A View from the Field"
(BIH 216).
Sat. April 17
7 a.m. Eagles and Early Arrivals of Lake Champlain. Rutland County Audubon field trip. Info: Roy Pilcher, 459-2851. Meet at Brandon Post Office.
Sun. April 18
IPANE (Invasive Plant Atlas of New England) Volunteer Training. Castleton State College. Become trained as an IPANE volunteer and help contribute data to a regional invasive plant database. Volunteers are trained to identify more than 40 species of plants considered invasive in New England. Register: Chris Mattick,
(508) 877-7630 x3203.
8 p.m. Organic Garden Weekly Meeting (Coffrin Annex Lounge)
April 19-26 is National Dark Sky Week and organizers of the event are encouraging people across the country to turn off unnecessary lights each night from 10pm to midnight. The goals are to develop awareness about light pollution and the need for more efficient outdoor lighting with an added bonus of being able to get a better look at the beautiful night sky.
Thurs. April 22 Earth Day!
Wed. April 28
7 p.m. Environmental Defense Fund Meet-Up focusing on local actions to curb climate change. For info contact Jon Isham 443-3238. (McCullough Mitchell Green Lounge).
Thurs. April 29
4:30 p.m. Scott Margolin Environmental Affairs Lecture
Dr. J. Baird Callicott, Professor of Philosopy from the University of North Texas "Should Endangered Species Have Standing?: from ESA to Hill to Lujan" (BIH 216).
DON'T BE FOOLED BY FOSSIL FUELS: SAVE J-TERM FROM GLOBAL WARMING
(Submitted by EQ member Julia West '06) With J-term safe from the administration it's time to preserve our skiing frenzy from a more cunning foe - Global Warming! Its attack has been slow but steady. Its tactics are ruthless. And its effects will be devastating and indescriminant. It'll take more than a faculty vote to save J-term this time, but middkids know how to take action when its getting hot in here, and we trust that you will rise to the occasion.
The main weapon global warming has been using against us is the accumulation of greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, from the burning of fossil fuels, in our atmosphere. The accumulation of these gases acts like a blanket to prevent heat that comes from the sun from leaving the atmosphere, which has been leading to a detectable increase in the average annual temperature of the earth. Now, if you'd like to spend your spring break suntanning in Vermont you may see this as a positive step, but for farmers whose crop productivity will be affected, populations on coasts and islands that will be wiped out by rising tides, species biodiversity that will be lost, the Vermont maple sugar industry that will run dry, Middlebury's ski team and the existence of broomball, Global Warming will bring sorrow and a tragic demise.
But there is still time to act! We can drastically curtail the advances of Global Warming by acting now to cut carbon dioxide emissions. We all know how chilly and forceful the wind can be in Vermont, and it may be our best weapon to employ against the rising carbon dioxide levels contributing to Global Warming. Wind power could supply the state of Vermont with as much as 20% of our electricity. It would be clean, renewable and a major accomplishment in the campaign to stop Global warming. Many groups in Vermont are working on ways to increase the use of wind power in Vermont, but they need the Governor's support.
You can help p reserve J-term and defeat Global Warming by calling Governor Douglas at 1.800.649.6825 on April 1st to ask him to support wind energy in Vermont. For more information on the Fossil Fools Day of Action or to get involved contact Suzanne Nagi (snagi@middlebury.edu) or Julia West (jcwest@middlebury.edu.) We hope you'll do your part to support this, because frankly, no matter how you look at it, slush sucks.
National Day of Action ~ April 1st
April 1st, 2004 is the National Day of Action Supporting Cleaner Energy. The goal is to have 120 new local clean energy initiatives by April 1st. Go to http://www.fossilfools.org and learn about various initiatives happening around the country on April 1st.
David Brower Youth Awards
The Earth Island Institute is accepting applications through June 1, 2004, for the fifth annual David Brower Youth Awards. People age 13 to 22 who have demonstrated outstanding leadership with projects in environmental conservation, preservation or restoration are encouraged to apply. Six winners from the U.S. and Puerto Rico will each receive a cash award of $3,000 and ongoing support of their development as environmental leaders. Recipients will be honored at a ceremony in the San Francisco Bay Area on September 30. Applications are available now at http://www.earthisland.org/bya, or you can request one by contacting Cindy Arch at 415-788-3666, Ext.160, or bya@earthisland.org. Applications can be mailed or e-mailed, but must be postmarked or emailed by June 1.
Canyonlands Writers River Trip
The Canyonlands Writers River Trip is a writing workshop on the San Juan River in southern Utah that takes place from May 1 - May 5. Get to know the Colorado Plateau with enthusiastic, experienced CFI guides and noted "sense of place" poet-naturalist Ann Weiler Walka. In the outdoor season Ann leads backcountry expeditions into the broken and beautiful landscapes of the Colorado Plateau. She also explores landscapes of the imagination, writing and leading writing workshops in settings ranging from classrooms to desert canyons. Take advantage of this incredible opportunity to run a famous stretch of the San Juan River while working on your observation and writing skills. With like-minded folks, enjoy several days of peaceful floating and small rapids on the San Juan River from Bluff to Mexican Hat. For more information check out the website at: www.canyonlandsfieldinst.org/.
CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS:BUILDING THE MOVEMENT TO STOP GLOBAL WARMING
This is a "train the trainer conference on global warming activisim. The closing date for applications is May 20th, 2004. Green House Network, in a partnership with Clean Air-Cool Planet and Massachusetts Climate Action Network invites interested individuals to a weekend conference to help build the movement to stop global warming. http://www.cleanair-coolplanet.org/information/pdf/TI_Participants_Call_04.pdf
The conference, to be held July 23rd-25th, in Boston, MA, will have a dual focus: SPEAKING and ORGANIZING around the issue of climate change.
LOGISTICS:The conference and workshops will be held at the Outward Bound Conference Center on Thompson Island in the Boston Harbor.
Cost for the weekend including food, lodging, and materials is $230 for dormitory accommodation and $190 for folks who bring tents. A limited number of scholarships of up to $100 are available.
Vermont Butterfly Survey
The Vermont Butterfly Survey (VBS) is a five-year (2002-2006) census to document the relative abundance and distribution of butterflies across Vermont. http://www.uvm.edu/%7Evbap/index.html The results, in the form of data tables and general distribution maps for each species encountered in the project, will be published and available on the Internet. Field work will rely heavily on volunteers. Participants need little experience to join the survey - only an interest in butterflies. Documenting the status of butterflies offers numerous benefits. The survey will make essential data available to landowners, land-use planners, municipalities, and other organizations making conservation and management decisions. VBS will enhance our knowledge of distribution, relative abundance, flight times and favored nectar sources of Vermont's butterflies at the beginning of this century. The survey will allow Vermonters to contribute to a greater understanding of the nature of their state.
Data will be posted on the web. The following mapping tool allows you to see which census blocks have been adopted by an observer and you can click on any block and get the name and number of the block. Check it out at http://www.uvm.edu/~vbap/blockmap/
Problems are not a sign of failure, but an opportunity for growth.
In April 2004, Vermont Law School will host the inaugural SOLUTIONS CONFERENCE
The Solutions Conference inaugural session seeks to provide opportunities toward developing active solutions to various problems facing the world. The Solutions Conference will emphasize inclusion, as the best solutions are reached through cooperation and fusion of thoughtful perspectives.
The Solutions Conference seeks attendees that stretch across the spectrum:Activists, Legal Practitioners, Advocates, Students, Educators, and Concerned Citizens.
Dates: April 2nd-4th
Location: On the campus of Vermont Law School
http://www.solutionsconference.org/
Environmental Essay Contest
Sponsored by www.aBetterEarth.org. The contest has a $2,500 top prize and $5,000 in total prizes. The submission deadline is May 15th. www.aBetterEarth.org/essay for more information.
Environmental Defense Meet Up
Environmental Defense is partnering with Meetup.com to mobilize our hundreds of thousands of members, activists and supporters across the country. Their goal is to connect people within local communities and get them more active on Environmental Defense environmental campaigns. In Middlebury, a Meet Up group formed in March. It's next meeting is planned for Wednesday, April 28th and information is available through Jon Isham 443-3238 or Randy Kritkausky 388-8075.
Global Warming: Undo It is an Environmental Defense campaign that addresses the critical issue of climate change. Our number one objective is passage of the McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act, which would dramatically cut polluting emissions. www.undoit.org/
New Watson Fellow
ES major Will Roush has been selected along with Crystal Belle for a Watson Fellowship. Will's project is "Envisioning a Changing Alpine Environment through Repeat Photography and Tree Coring", and he will be traveling to Canada, New Zealand and Norway. Congratulations, Will!