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Gluttony
is the source of all our infirmities, and the fountain of all our diseases.
As a lamp is choked by a superabundance of oil, a fire extinguished by
excess of fuel, so is the natural health of the body destroyed by intemperate
diet. Teamwork
is the ability to work together toward a common vision. . . .It is the
fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results. The
more we pour the big machines, the fuel, the pesticides, the herbicides,
the fertilizer and chemicals into farming, the more we knock out the mechanism
that made it all work in the first place. A
creative economy is the fuel of magnificence. Questions
about articles and artwork?
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EVENTS Bloomington FRI. 1/22 – 6 to 7:30 p.m. Gary Nabhan speaks on “Renewing America’s Food Traditions.”Nabhan, a native Hoosier who teaches at the University of Arizona, is a conservationist, ethnobotanist and author of more than a dozen books, including Coming Home to Eat and Renewing America’s Food Traditions. Woodburn Hall 100, on the campus of Indiana University. SAT. 1/23 – 6 to 7:30 p.m. Joel Salatin presents “Holy Cows and Hog Heaven.” Salatin, owner of Polyface Farms, is a passionate voice in the conversation about how we raise our food. Woodburn Hall 100, on the campus of Indiana University. THURSDAYS
– 11 to 11:30 a.m. “EcoReport.”
Tune in to this locally produced radio show covering environmental news on WFHB
Community Radio, 98.1 and 91.3 FM. Listen to archived reports at http://news.wfhb.org/
news/newstopics.php?tid=35 and submit story ideas to earth@wfhb.org Indianapolis
• FRI. 2/5
– 7 p.m. “A Sea Change: Imagine A World Without Fish.” Broadens the
discussion about the dramatic changes in the chemistry of the oceans,
and conveys the urgent threat those changes pose to human survival. TUES.
1/19 – 4 to 6:30 p.m. Food Safety and Public Health Forum: Implications of
Meat Production Methods.
A discussion among public health officials, including Rick North, project
director for the Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility’s Campaign For
Safe Food, which he initiated in 2003 to address concerns about genetically
engineered foods. The free event will take place in Room 450C in the IUPUI
Campus Center, 420 University Blvd. Sponsored by the Interfaith Center on
Corporate Responsibility. Details: barbarasha1@msn.com
or rschnapp@hecweb.org, or
765/962-2184. THURS.
1/21 – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Green Historic Preservation Symposium,
The Columbia Club, 121 Monument Circle. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
offers this free event to engage attendees in dialog about how to successfully
initiate and complete green historic preservation projects. Register online at www.epa.gov/region5brownfields/ghp/
or call toll-free, 877/773-0779. TUES. 2/26 – 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sixth Annual Conservation Day at the Statehouse. Join conservationists, environmentalists and defenders of wildlife from around the state as they engage legislators in dialogue about the importance of preserving the Hoosier natural environment. Register online by Jan.16 at www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/indiana/about/art26442.htm
NEWS Citizens
unite to improve the Central Canal bank stabilization project. An alliance
of Indianapolis neighborhood groups successfully convinced the city’s
Department of Waterworks and Veolia Water to alter plans for the Central Canal
that would have transformed the historic green infrastructure into a rock-lined
eyesore. Instead of extending from below the water surface to the top of the
banks, riprap will now be limited to two feet above the water line. Veolia
promised to add native plants and grasses to the banks to prevent erosion and
maintain the natural setting. In addition, Veolia’s engineers will collaborate
with Butler University’s Center for Urban Ecology to preserve turtle habitat.
The project will begin in March or April, after nesting season. Veolia will also
continue talking with Indy Parks & Greenways to ensure that the public can
safely use the top of the banks. Downloadable documents with images of the
proposals are at www.indianapoliswater.com.
Prepare
for the Post-Peak Life by utilizing the resources at www.postpeakliving.com/ Comment
on a proposed list of impaired waterways. The Indiana Department of
Environmental Management (IDEM) seeks comments on the state’s 2010 Draft
303(d) List of Impaired Waters and the Consolidated Assessment and Listing
Methodology (CALM) used to develop it. The notice was published in the Indiana
Register on Oct. 28, 2009, and the public comment period runs through Jan. 26,
2010. View the draft version at www.idem.IN.gov/4680.htm. Citizen
scientists are working in south-central Indiana. The Indiana Department of
Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, Purdue University, and Sassafras
Audubon Society have launched a new citizen science project aimed at determining
how resident owls utilize various areas of south-central Indiana forests. This
is part of a 100-year Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment (HEE). Surveys began in
December 2009 and will continue in January and February. Purdue researchers,
Division of Forestry personnel and local citizen scientists will collect the
data. For more information, contact Jeff Riegel, 812/340-1255 or jriegel@purdue.edu. Conservation,
efficiency and clean renewables are all we need for a sustainable energy
policy, according to the Energy Justice Network. Details: www.energyjustice.net/ Physicians
for Social Responsibility have released a medical report on the detrimental
health effects of burning coal. Download “Coal’s Assault on Human
Health” from www.psr.org/resources/coals-assault-on-human-health.html Autism
and the Indiana Environment blog is an ongoing series of articles
by veteran journalist Steven Higgs detailing environmental factors that
contribute to the increasing diagnosis of the disorder. Go to www.bloomingtonalternative.com/topics/blog-autism-and-indiana-environment Wood-Land-Lakes
RC&D offers more than 50 free educational and informative DVDs and CD-ROMs.
www.wood-land-lakes.org/
The
2010 Envirothon Competition is a statewide learning event for high school
students to test their knowledge of environmental resources, including
soils, aquatics, forestry, wildlife and resources. Students enter
regional competitions and the winners advance to the state contest in
West Lafayette on April 20. Deadline for entering regional competitions
is Feb. 26. For details on the competition and to download the registration
form, go to www.iaswcd.org/district_tools/envirothon.html Despite
the failure of December’s U.N. Climate Summit in Copenhagen to generate a
fair, ambitious or legally binding global agreement, activists are still
agitating for greater awareness of human-generated emissions that contribute to
climate change. www.350.org The
American Public Health Association recently announced its opposition to rBGH (rBST)
(recombinant bovine growth hormone.) APHA is the world’s oldest
professional public health organization. The group also
opposes the use of nontherapeutic hormones in beef cattle, citing
“clear evidence that hormones originating outside the body can interfere with
our own hormone function.” Read the entire policy statement: www.apha.org/advocacy/policy/policysearch/default.htm?id=1379 A coalition of environmental groups has petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take back authority for enforcing the Clean Water Act from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). The Hoosier Environmental Council, the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter and the Environmental Law & Policy Center asked EPA to withdraw the state’s authority to implement the Clean Water Act unless the state corrects numerous flaws in its water program. “Protecting our natural resources is crucial to economic growth,” said Rae Schnapp, Wabash Riverkeeper with the Hoosier Environmental Council. “But Indiana also has many waterways with documented pollution problems. The practice of issuing water pollution permits that exacerbate these impairments is contrary to the Clean Water Act — and it is a threat to public health and future economic development.” The federal Clean Water Act is implemented by state agencies, but EPA has the authority to step in when states don’t meet federal standards. Environmental
groups successfully petitioned EPA to have the agency force the Indiana
Department of Environmental Management to review and possibly revise an air
permit modification issued to BP’s Whiting Refinery.
Groups including the Environmental Law & Policy Center, Natural Resources
Defense Council, Hoosier Environmental Council, Save the Dunes and Sierra Club
successfully argued that IDEM did not adequately respond to public comments and
that information on some of BP’s emissions may have been omitted. IDEM has 90
days to reconsider, revise and submit a proposed permit to EPA. Download the
lengthy ruling from www.epa.gov/region5/air/bptitlevorder20091016.pdf. Happy
Birthday, IKE & IRC! This November,
Improving Kids’ Environment celebrates 10 years of advocating for the
reduction of environmental threats to children’s health throughout the state.
The Indiana Recycling Coalition celebrates its 20th anniversary as the state’s
leading advocate of the three Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle. For more information
on programs and projects, go to www.ikecoalition.org
and www.indianarecycling.org. A
letter from 83 Indiana clergy has been delivered to Sen. Richard G. Lugar and
Sen. Evan Bayh urging them to support legislation to combat global climate
change. The clergy from 26 towns and cities across Indiana represent the
following faiths and denominations: Baptist, Catholic, Church of God, Disciples
of Christ, Episcopal, Jewish, Lutheran, Mennonite, Muslim, Presbyterian,
Unitarian, United Church of Christ, United Methodist and Unity. Members of
Indianapolis Green Congregations, Bloomington-based Earth Care Indiana and the
Interfaith Alliance Indianapolis collected the signatures. The letter states, in
part: “We recognize that you, as an elected official, are required to make
difficult choices that have both positive and negative consequences. The issue
of climate change has not only economic and political consequences, but moral
and ethical impacts as well. We want to look back upon this era as a time when
America’s leaders summoned the courage to act as stewards of the Earth’s
climate and to protect the world’s vulnerable poor.” For more
information, contact: Rev. Keith Dobyns, 765/914-2649, or Rev. Dennis Shock,
317/690-4412. Green
Congregations Task Force and Interfaith Alliance Indianapolis have received a
Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence.
For the past two years, the Green Congregations Task Force and the Interfaith
Alliance of Indianapolis Care for Creation Committee have encouraged faith
communities to pursue green projects on their campuses. These organizations have
assembled an interfaith steering committee that represents nine area
congregations, the committee and several other organizations. The task force is
also leading an effort in Central Indiana to encourage more sustainable living
by congregation members. The Governor’s Awards recognize Indiana’s leaders
who have identified and implemented innovative environmental practices into
their programs and facilities. The
Environmental Protection Agency will re-evaluate the health effects of
the popular weed killer atrazine.
The move was prompted by EPA’s monitoring of drinking water supplies in
the Midwest, including Indiana, where use of the chemical is widespread.
EPA said recent studies have found that low levels of atrazine in drinking
water can cause low birth weights, birth defects and reproductive problems.
Additionally, Ball State University researchers found that in addition
to atrazine, water in the White River watershed includes caffeine, pharmaceuticals
and antibacterial agents from soaps. Read the EPA report: www.epa.gov/pesticides/reregistration/atrazine/ 350.org
has declared the Oct. 24th International Day of Climate Action a rousing
success. Citizens from around the globe
used creative ways to illustrate the figure 350 — the level scientists have
identified as the safe upper limit for CO2 in Earth’s atmosphere. This global
climate movement hopes to set a bold new agenda for the United Nations Climate
Conference in Copenhagen (COP15) Dec. 7–18. Look at photos and videos from the
event at www.350.org. Working with the Danish government and others, Google has established a site full of tools to explore potential effects of climate change on the planet: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/google-climate-change-tools-for-cop15.html The
highly destructive Emerald Ash Borer has been detected in a dozen Hoosier
counties.
Purdue University has established a Web site with a comprehensive resource guide
on symptoms and management. There’s also a calculator to help landowners
estimate the cost of various emerald ash borer management strategies: http://extension.entm.purdue.edu/EAB/ Help
Indiana select the firefly as State Insect.
According to Purdue University’s Department of Entomology, insects constitute
80 percent of the world’s animal species, and they are crucial to the
ecological balance of the earth. Insects are decomposers and recyclers, serve as
pollinators of flowering plants and are an important food source for many
animals and even some plants, The firefly, Pyractomena angulata, was
named by Indiana naturalist, Thomas Say, in 1824. Say lived and worked in New
Harmony, in Posey County, and is considered the Father of American Entomology.
Fireflies are widely recognized, beautiful and beneficial insects. A firefly
would be an excellent representative of Indiana’s natural wildlife heritage.
Details: www.entm.purdue.edu/entomology/outreach/firefly/index.htm The
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has released new information that highlights
pollution in the nation’s waterways.
The “Mercury in Stream Ecosystems” study found that mercury contamination is
widespread in fish, bed sediment and water from 291 streams across the nation,
sampled from 1998 to 2005. It found that most rivers and streams across the
country receive mercury predominantly via atmospheric deposition (e.g.,
coal-fired power plants) as well as from mercury and gold-mining operations. The
report, along with a press release, podcast and summary of major findings, can
be accessed from http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/mercury/ USGS
also released an online interactive tool to predict atrazine levels in streams
across the country. Atrazine
is one of the most heavily used herbicides in the United States and considered a
hormone disruptor by the U.S. EPA, but the agency does not consider it a human
health hazard. The European Union banned atrazine in 2004, citing health
concerns. A Huffington Post investigation found that yearly average levels of
atrazine in drinking water violated the federal standard at least 10 times in
communities in the Midwest, including in Indiana. The USGS online mapping tool,
USGS report and technical announcement are available at http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/
under Featured Highlights. The Huffington Post’s online video “How Safe Is
Atrazine” is here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iJQvrEOIjU&videos=lJGi0_NKGVE Improving
Kids’ Environment, with the support of the Indiana State Health Department and
in partnership with WFYI, has produced a video about how lead poisoning affects
Indiana families. http://mediaserver.ihets.org/vod_wfyi/indylead.wmv. According
to Purdue University forestry professor Douglass Jacobs, a new hybrid American
Chestnut could not only reintroduce this nearly extinct species but also could
help fight global warming by sequestering carbon. The
species was nearly obliterated at the beginning of the last century by chestnut
blight. Jacobs hopes the new blight-resistant hybrid could bring this fast
growing hardwood back into America’s parks, forests and woodlots. For more
info, go to http://news.uns.purdue.edu/hp/JacobsChestnuts.html The
highly destructive Emerald Ash Borer has been detected in a dozen Hoosier
counties.
Purdue University has established a Web site to educate the public on the
situation with a comprehensive resource guide on symptoms and management. Go to http://extension.entm.purdue.edu/EAB/ The
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has recognized the Indiana Department of
Environmental Management and the State Department of Health Laboratories for
their contributions to improving the environment on three national wildlife
refuges in Indiana.
IDEM’s Office of Water Quality and the Health Department’s Chemical
Laboratory Division were cited for their participation in a two-year effort with
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to identify sources and patterns of
contaminants in rivers and streams on Big Oaks, Muscatatuck and Patoka River
national wildlife refuges in southern Indiana. For more information, go to www.fws.gov. Lake
Michigan Watchdogs is a citizen advocacy group devoted to bringing prosperity
through sustainability by monitoring Indiana’s unique environmental habitat in
the northwest part of the state.
Learn more at http://lakemichiganwatchdogs.com/home.html The
American Human Development Project has created a series of interactive maps
that display health, education, income and environmental data on the regional,
state and national level. http://map.measureofamerica.org/maps.aspx The
Indiana State Department of Health offers an Asthma Resource Guide.
Download it from www.in.gov/isdh/files/Asthma_Resource_Guide_August_2008(1).pdf Any
Hoosier gardener knows that climate change is real and has affected first and
last frost dates and what kinds of plants thrive in Indiana.
The USDA will soon acknowledge this with a revised hardiness map for the
country. www.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/usda/climate-change-comes-to-your-backyard Plant
A Million is a project of the Hoosier Heartland Resource Conservation and
Development Council and the ten Soil and Water Conservation Districts of Central
Indiana.
Begun in 2004, the project’s main goals are to educate people about the
benefits of trees and their management, and to help the citizens of Central
Indiana plant a million or more mostly native trees in the10-county area. To
find out how your neighborhood group can participate or to find out about
scheduled tree planting events, go to www.plantamillion.org
. The
Environmental Protection Agency has established Watershed Central online to help
disseminate information on protecting and restoring watersheds. www.epa.gov/watershedcentral A
brochure describing volunteer opportunities at DNR properties
is at www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/2443.htm
. Earth911.com is a comprehensive search engine for finding a recycling center near you by city, ZIP code, and/or type of item you want to recycle. RESOURCES The Indiana Recycling Coalition (IRC) has launched www.DefendRecycling.org to keep the public informed about efforts by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management that might change the definition of recycling to include incineration. The IRC is concerned that such a change would undermine existing community recycling programs and eliminate funding for legitimate recycling industries and businesses. Citizens
from around the state who are opposed to Confined Animal Feeding Operations have
compiled resources to help inform the public about the many problems associated
with such facilities. www.sierraclub.org/factoryfarms/
www.factoryfarm.org/guide/1.html
www.grist.org/news/muck/2005/01/24/factory_farms/ http://www.msu.edu/~howardp/infographics.html www.mythinglinks.org/FactoryFarms.html Bloomington’s
Center for Sustainable Living is a storehouse of information about services,
projects and networking opportunities for people interested in exploring
ecologically sustainable ways of thinking, living and interacting. For
more information, contact CSL President Lucille Bertuccio, lbertucc@indiana.edu,
call 812/332-8796, or visit www.simplycsl.org.
Lake
Michigan Watchdogs let you know who’s polluting Indiana’s waterfront in
northwest Indiana.
Get the details at http://www.lakemichiganwatchdogs.com/home.htm
Evansville-based
Valley Watch has created a valuable Web-based resource featuring an impressive
selection of environmental and health links. A
special section called PM Comments Tool Kit (in the “library”) gives readers
everything they need to file formal comments on EPA’s proposed new standards
on particulate matter. The site also tracks ongoing efforts to clear the air in
Vanderburgh and surrounding counties. Visit: www.valleywatch.net A
“Citizens Guide to Protecting Your National Forests” has been posted online
for free download.
The document was created by members of Heartwood, the Bloomington-based
grassroots coalition of forest protection advocates. www.heartwood.org/Guide.pdf
Humanity’s
ecological footprint exceeds the Earth’s biological capacity by nearly 40
percent,
according to a new “Footprint of Nations” report by Redefining Progress, an
Oakland, Calif.-based policy institute. The ecological footprint is a measure of
the amount of natural resources it takes to sustain a given population over the
course of a year. By comparing a population’s footprint with its biological
capacity, ecological footprint analysis suggests whether that population is
living within its ecological means. If a population’s footprint exceeds its
biological capacity, that population is said to be engaging in unsustainable
ecological overshoot. According to the report, humanity’s footprint is 57
acres per person, while the Earth’s biological capacity is just 41. Read the
full report at www.ecologicalfootprint.org.
Environmentalists
are embracing the green cemeteries movement, an alternative to the hidden toxins
and wasted resources of traditional cremations and burials. Long practiced by non-Christian cultures, natural burial is rapidly becoming
popular among people looking for burial methods that won’t degrade local
resources with formaldehyde, mercury and metals. Natural burial options can
include no embalming; biodegradable boxes without liners or crypts; shrouds and
no markers; caskets made of fiber or paper; or trees planted as monuments
instead of costly headstones. While Britain has more than 200 green cemeteries,
the United States has only half a dozen so far. www.AlternativeFuneralMonitor.com
and www.FuneralResources.net.
The
Campaign for Sustainable Economics
is dedicated to promoting ecological economics in academic thought and as common
sense. www.sustainableeconomics.org,
317/917-1638. Earth
Day Network (EDN) has partnered with Google for the launch of the new Google
Maps Summer of Green, an environmentally focused video and map guide to
eco-tourism spots.
The resource features guided virtual video tours of environmentally friendly
destinations, including organic spas, hotels, restaurants, eco car rentals, and
green family-friendly activities, such as nature museums and horseback riding
outposts. http://services.google.com/earth/green/
An
online air permits search engine lets citizens look at the status of projects in
their community.
The site was created by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management
(IDEM) and Access Indiana. The search engine sorts air permits by source name,
county, permit number, time frame and other criteria. The status and information
in the permit will be automatically updated when changes occur. Visit www.IN.gov/idem/air/permits/Air-Permits-Online/index.html The
National Campaign Against Dirty Power has created the Clear the Air Web site,
offering facts and figures about the health hazards associated with pollution
from coal-burning power plants. View data by state and metropolitan area at www.cleartheair.org/dirtypower/. The
Worldwatch Institute offers free downloads of articles on sustainability and the
environment.
Visit www.worldwatch.org
. A
recently revised report, originally released in 2003, finds that Indiana and the
entire Great Lakes region may suffer from the effects of a changing climate more
than previously thought.
A team of leading scientists from Midwest universities and solutions experts at
the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) recently found that extreme heat events
are occurring more frequently; heavy precipitation events, both rain and snow,
are becoming more common; air quality may deteriorate due to harmful gases
released during more frequent forest fires; and the number of summer pollution
days may be on the rise. These changes will bring challenges to residents in
Great Lakes cities as well as in rural areas, highlighting the need for action
to forestall many of the most severe impacts. The report, Confronting
Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region, can be found at www.ucsusa.org/greatlakes.
The
Indiana Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program has designated13 Important Bird Areas
in the state with plans to identify an additional 15 early this year. Part
of a nationwide program spearheaded by the National Audubon Society, the Indiana
IBA Program is an all-volunteer effort to identify habitat important to promote
abundance and diversity of bird species. Details: www.indianaaudubon.org/IBA.htm The
City of Indianapolis has expanded its Knozone program into a year-round effort
to increase public awareness of the effects of poor air quality.
The move was prompted in part by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
declaring Marion and four other counties in central Indiana as being in
non-attainment for the fine particle federal health-based standard. Fine
particles are released as part of the combustion process when burning fossil
fuels such as oil, coal, gasoline and diesel as well as wood. When air pollution
levels are predicted to become unhealthy for sensitive groups such as senior
citizens and children, the City will declare a Knozone Action Day. On such days,
at-risk groups are urged to limit outdoor activities and monitor their health
problems. The City also encourages carpooling, mass transit and other strategies
to help reduce pollution. Details: www.knozone.comor
317/327-4AIR. Has
a new power plant been proposed in your community?
Evansville-based Valley Watch has prepared a document for citizen activists
entitled, “So You Have a New Power Plant Proposed!” It lists a series of
questions to ask to determine what kind of strategy can be used to fight the
facility. (Additional resources include Web sites such as http://Scorecard.org
and www.cleartheair.org/dirtypower/map.html.)
For a free copy, contact John Blair at 812/464-5663 or Ecoserve1@aol.com,
or write: Valley Watch, 800 Adams Ave., Evansville, IN 47713. To
help encourage the reuse and recycling of electronics, the Indiana Recycling
Coalition has posted its E-Scrap Toolkit online at www.indianarecycling.org/escrapmanagementtoolkit.html.
The toolkit lists current state and federal regulations; makes recommendations
on buying “green” and offers contact information to companies and
organizations reusing and recycling electronics in Indiana. The Plant A Million project has the goal of planting a million or more native trees in central Indiana. Plant A Million is a combined effort of Hoosier Heartland Resource Conservation and Development Council and the Soil and Water Conservation Districts in Boone, Brown, Hamilton, Hendricks, Hancock, Johnson, Marion, Monroe, Morgan and Shelby counties. You can become involved by planting a tree or trees in your yard, encouraging your neighbors to do the same or donating trees to be planted at schools, parks or other open spaces. Plant a Million Project Coordinator Bob Eddleman can also arrange an informational program for service and civic clubs and church and other community groups. Details: 317/271-4413. Networking The
Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society (INPAWS) is a membership based organization that promotes the
appreciation, preservation, conservation, utilization and scientific study of
flora native to Indiana. www.inpaws.org The
Indiana Master Naturalist program brings together natural resource specialists with adult learners to
foster an understanding of Indiana’s plants, water, soils, and wildlife and
promote volunteer service in local communities. It is a cooperative project of
Resource Conservation & Development Councils, Indiana Soil & Water
Conservation Districts, Purdue Cooperative Extension Service, Indiana Department
of Natural Resources. www.in.gov/dnr/masternaturalist/index.html Wood-Land-Lakes
Resource Conservation and Development Council is a volunteer organization
working for responsible stewardship of natural resources in northeast Indiana.
The Council recently updated its long-range area plan that will help guide the
Council for the next seven years. The plan shows the Council’s mission,
vision, background and structure as well as an overview of the region. This
overview includes geographic, natural resource, agriculture, demographic and
socioeconomic information and graphs. The Council’s goals, objectives, and
strategies revolve around land conservation, water management, community
development, and land management. Download a copy at http://www.wood-land-lakes.org/adobe/Plans/2008-2014%20Area%20Plan.pdf Green
Sanctuary is a growing movement among faith communities of many denominations to
recognize the importance of environmental stewardship in all aspects of life —
at home, at church and at work. Improving
Kids’ Environment is working with local congregations to help them understand
the importance of this effort and to provide practical tools to help them on
their journey. IKE’s helpful resource list is posted at: www.ikecoalition.org/Green_Sanctuary/Green_Sanctuary.htm The
Indiana Forest Alliance
meets at 6 p.m. the first and third and Wednesdays of each month at 116 1/2 S.
College in Bloomington. Details: Joanna Gras 812/332-4878 or Joanna@heartwood.org The
Great Lakes Information Network
is a resource created by the Great Lakes Commission, a bi-national, nonpartisan
alliance that takes an ecosystem approach to protecting and sustaining the
health of the Great Lakes basin. www.great-lakes.net/ Check out the latest ongoing activities of Bloomington’s Center for Sustainable Living,including the Bloomington ECO Center and the Community Bike Project: www.simplycsl.org/cal.html RemindersThe average American
uses 24 acres of land to support his or her current lifestyle.
In comparison, the average Canadian lives on a footprint 30 percent smaller (17
acres), and the average Italian on a footprint 60 percent smaller (9 acres).
Want to see how you compare? Take the survey at www.redefiningprogress.org.
Then download the new Household Ecological Footprint Spreadsheet, to create a
more detailed look at your household’s consumption of natural resources. Support Your Local Land Trust! Corporate Ownership of Organics Pattern Map for a Conservation Economy
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