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March 15, 2016 Spring 2016 : Issue 38
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Since we have a particularly packed issue I won't hold you up here in the introduction. There are summits, seminars, panels, retreats, movie screenings, workshops, internships, actions, adventures and even a new enterprise starting up in town to offer
composting services! Inspiring, exciting, engaging stuff on the horizon. Check it out!
Ricky Green
EC Assistant Coordinator
P.S. I was planning to start this off with a reflection on
AlphaGo's recent victory over Go champion Lee Sedol. But not so much a reflection on the implications of that victory regarding artificial intelligence but a reflection on games, play and what it is to be. Anyway, thank you for reading, dreaming, doing, loving, being (and playing).
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Jachtluipaard (Acinonyx jubatus), van opzij gezien, Robert Jacob Gordon, 1777 - 1786
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3rd Annual Sustainability Summit
The Sustainability Summit is a collaborative event that brings together students, faculty, staff, and community members on campus to promote communication, coordination, and inspiration around sustainability on campus and in our community.
This year, we are pleased to announce that Patrick Cummins, FLC alum and Clean Energy Plan Director from the Center for the New Energy Economy will be our keynote speaker providing an overview of our energy future.
Following our keynote, a Real Food Challenge Town hall panel will commence over dinner to discuss the importance of real food with various members involved with the food system on campus. This format will allow students to interact with the food providers and the panel to inform the audience on real food and its importance. This event will be focusing on ways attendees can get active with various groups and organizations that offer ways to get involved.
Agenda preview:
- Poster Session, 4:30 - 5:00 pm
- Keynote: Patrick Cummins | Senior Policy Advisor, Lead on Western States Clean Power Plan Initiative, 5:15 - 6:15 pm
- Real Food Challenge Town Hall Panel + Real Food Dinner, 6:40 - 7:40 pm
- Workshops, 8:00 - 8:30 pm
When: Tuesday, March 29 from 4:30 - 8:30 pm
Where: FLC Student Union Ballroom
Cost: FREE
FLC Sizzle
Join Sodexo, Student Union Programming and the EC for a 'real' tasty evening of cooking and competition. FLC Sizzles partners students with expert chefs, a table of ingredients and one secret 'real food' ingredient to be unveiled at the event to see who can come up with the best-tasting meal!
The winning participant's meal will be featured in San Juan Dining for all to taste! One more way that students can help get more 'real' food into campus dining. Join us!
When: Tuesday, March 22 at 6:00 pm
Where: San Juan Dining
Community Collaboration & Forest Restoration
Join the EC, US Forest Service, us for a discussion with USFS Deputy Chief and former San Juan National Forest Planner Jim Furnish for a discussion and film about his new book, "Toward a Natural Forest."
Following Jim's talk, local experts will discuss collaboration and community involvement as pertains to restoring our local forest lands.
When: Wednesday, March 23 beginning at 6:30 pm
Where: FLC Vallecito Room
Cost: Free
Real Food Challenge Townhall Meeting
Our Real Food Challenge
Townhall Meeting will provide our campus and community with an update on efforts to advance the Real Food Challenge at Fort Lewis College. In addition to this brief presentation, participants will have the opportunity to interact with a panel of Sodexo personnel, FLC administrators, local farmers, and students to understand local and global opportunities and barriers to create a fair, just, and green food system.
Following this discussion, Townhall participants will convene to provide input on how to guide the Real Food Challenge into the next four years
When: March 29th, 6:40-7:40 during the FLC Sustainability Summit
Where: FLC Student Union Ballroom
For more information: contact Aolani Peiper, Real Food Challenge Student Coordinator at
[email protected]
Race to Zero Waste
Join us for an afternoon of fun, sun, and upcycling! Your FLC Environmental Center wants to show you some simple ways to be more sustainable in your everyday life.
The race to zero waste is designed to bring the vision of Zero Waste to life through fun, educational games that the whole family can enjoy, so come enjoy a beautiful day at Fort Lewis College!
Activities will include:
- painting pallet boxes
- fresh herb ring toss
- compost jeopardy
- free store fun
- up-cycling clothing
When: Sunday, April 3rd from 12 - 2 pm
Where: FLC Clock Tower
8th Annual Homegrown Food Retreat: Sharing Stories of Homegrown Leadership and Community Collaboration
Each year, the Growing Partners Annual Homegrown Food Retreat brings together stakeholders in our regional food system to identify ways that we can move regional food security and sovereignty forward.
This year, our retreat is geared at expanding the scope of our work and discussing food security and affiliated actions on a regional level, from Bayfield to Durango to Dolores and beyond.
When: Saturday, April 9th from 9 am - 4 pm
Where: Mancos School Cafeteria -- 301 W Grand Ave, Mancos
Celebrate Earth Day with us Embrace the Earth -- April 14th
Embrace the Earth strives to bring our community together to not only celebrate Earth Day, but also take action at a local level that would ultimately impact larger challenges, such as climate change. To this effect, this year, on April 14
th
in the FLC Student Union Ballroom
,
we will be showing the award winning film, Racing Extinction
.
The film will be followed with 3 brief, TED style talks by local experts that provide our audience with a snapshot of a climate-change issue in our region and one way that citizens can plug in to effect it RIGHT NOW.
For those folks who are really excited to get their hands dirty, we will be carrying the message of the film forward and co-hosting a River Clean Up and Action Day the following Sunday, April 17
th
. Free dinner and beer available!
When: Thursday, April 14, Doors open at 6 pm; Screening opens at 6:30 pm
Where: FLC Student Union Ballroom
Cost: Your $15 donation to support the EC includes a ticket and dinner
Free Store
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Drie stokstaartjes (Suricata suricatta), Robert Jacob Gordon, 1773 - 1780
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Food for Fines
Bring boxed or canned non-perishable food items to the library and they will waive $1.00 of library fines per item. All donations go to the Grub Hub, located downstairs in the Reed Library. The Grub Hub is FLC's food bank, open to those who need assistance.
The Grub Hub offers boxes where you can drop off donations, even if you do not owe library fines!
When: March 14 - 27
Where: The Grub Hub
Reduce Your Footprint with Table to Farm Compost
Table to Farm Compost provides household food scrap curbside pick up and composting services for residents and students in Durango. After you sign up, we drop off an odor-free 5-gallon bucket, you throw your food scraps in the bucket, and on your pick up day we come by and swap it with a fresh one - it's that easy!
Annual Water Seminar
Marking the 75th anniversary of the District, presentations will focus on the theme: "75 Years: Using the Lessons Learned."
With their extensive backgrounds, former Colorado Supreme Court Justice Gregory Hobbs, along with former Colorado Water Conservation Board Director and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Deputy Commissioner Bill McDonald, will review the evolution of water management since 1941 from the legal, state and federal perspectives.
Southern Ute Indian Tribal Chairman Frost and Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Chairman Heart will describe generations of tribal water resources stewardship.
Among other topics, a diverse selection of water-related entities -from watershed health advocates to ditch company presidents from Pagosa Springs to Norwood-will present on projects funded by the District.
When: Friday, April 1, 8:30 am (Registration opens at 8:00 am)
Where: DoubleTree Hotel (501 Camino Del Rio)
Cost: $35 in advance; $40 at the door
Thrive! Living Wage Coalition, Companeros and Towards Justice present a free Three-part event on Wage Theft and Worker Rights
Part 1:
Just Wages Navigator Training
This program will train nonprofit professionals, union organizers, community members, and other advocates to assist victims of wage theft.
When: Friday, April 15 from 1:30 - 4:30 pm
Where: Manna Culinary Training Facility, 1100 Avenida Del Sol
Part 2:
Wage Theft Awareness Meeting
Policy-makers, nonprofit professionals, community leaders and residents will learn about wage theft in Colorado, analyze strategies being used to address wage theft and brainstorm about next steps to protect and empower workers in Southwest Colorado.
When: Saturday, April 16 from 10 - 11:30 am
Where: Manna Culinary Training Facility, 1100 Avenida Del Sol
Part 3:
Know Your Worker Rights
For all workers - Learn about wage theft and your rights under the law. Find out what you can do if your workplace rights have been violated. Know how to help co-workers and your community combat wage theft.
In English and Spanish.
When: Sunday, April 17 from 2 - 3:30 pm
Where: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall, 419 San Juan Drive
For more information: RSVP appreciated - Maureen at 970-903-0957
Learn About the Environment in the Environment
Are you interested in climbing, conservation, and international travel? Want to earn environmental studies credits in a hands-on, experiential way?
Program Highlights:
- 12-week traveling semester through the spectacular Rocky Mountains, desert southwest, and awe-inspiring Patagonia.
- Cutting-edge climbing and wilderness travel aimed at moving you toward independence.
- Investigate the most pressing environmental concerns of the unique landscapes you visit.
- Restore and protect the natural environment through partnerships with local land managers and conservation organizations.
Become part of a close-knit group committed to a semester of outdoor exploration, growth, and adventure.
When: September 21 - December 9, 2016
Cost:
Tuition is $13,900 and includes all room, board, and on-course travel. Flights to Chile are not included. Generous financial aid is available, but the deadline to apply is April 1.
Internships at Laughing Wolf Farm in Mancos
Laughing Wolf Farm is a small organic vegetable farm with a special focus on crop and seed adaptation. We are seeking 2 interns to help with organic vegetable farming operations and seed production. Markets include a 20-member CSA, a wholesale distribution cooperative, and the local farmers market.
Stipend and alternative housing are available. To apply, please visit: www.laughingwolffarm.com and click on the "Work at the Farm" tab.
Earth Day Film Celebration
Also, winners of the middle school student 3 min.video contest will be announced and their videos shown! Come enjoy some snacks donated by local restaurants. Event sponsored by "Great Old Broads for Wilderness."
When: Thursday, April 21 6:00 - 8:30 pm
Where: Miller Middle School Auditorium
Grub Hub will now be serving hot meals on Mondays and Fridays! Sodexo is working with the Sociology Club to get more food to more students! Basically, food that has not been eaten but would have been thrown out- gets re-purposed into new deliciousness.
Come and hang out in the Sociology Club and eat (and look at all the cool stuff) or take some food to go and eat it when it is convenient for you.
Also - in our sustainability efforts we are asking students to Bring Your Own Container/Tupperware (BYOC/T).
When: Mondays and Fridays, 11:30am - 1:30pm
Where: Reed 16
Cost: Free
Old Fort Hoophouse Workdays
Every Thursday the hoophouse is open for volunteers. Let us know if you are interested in coming!
You'll be rewarded with the benefits of hanging out in the warm, green interior of the hoophouse, learning hand-tool use and gardening skills applicable to your backyard garden, and taking home some local greens once they're ready in mid-March.
Curious about using a broadfork? Wondering how to sow seeds and protect them from the cold? Come find out!
When: every Thursday
Where: Old Fort Farm
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| Take Action |
Bibliophilia |
Coming back from Spring Break have your head all in a tizzy? Well, consider the following and clear the fog!
Watchdog.net has provided us a place for us to stand up and be counted. Sign up and pressure the Obama Administration to do the right thing during their last year. Halt any new efforts to extract fossil fuels from our public lands and waters.
The Food Beasties, Monsanto and other Big Ag players, are going against the consensus that nearly every American believes GMO labeling should happen. Outnumbered, the
food industry and their ally, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, are pushing for a compromise that would complicate how to determine whether or not an item has GMO products within it. They are suggesting that the labeling should be voluntary. That's a laugh! The Food Beasties also want to utilize the implementation of a
QR Code that would need to be scanned in order to determine the GMO labeling content. If you have a phone that can scan the QR Codes, will you take the time? For each item?
Consumer protection important to you? Here's another take from CredoAction on GMO Labeling.
Ask Congress to support the
Biotechnology Food Labeling and Uniformity Act
. This "Could Be" legislature seeks to simplify GMO Labeling by listing it on the Nutrition Food Panel found on the food packaging itself, as well as creating a national standard for it. Having a national standard would avoid the inevitable litany of GMO Labeling constructs that are bound to occur if interpretations are left up to each state. I feel like I have marbles in my mouth after having re-read that last sentence!
Randy
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In this far-ranging and heartening collection, Derrick Jensen gathers conversations with environmentalists, theologians, Native Americans, psychologists, and feminists, engaging some of our best minds in an exploration of more peaceful ways to live on Earth.
Included here is Dave Foreman on biodiversity, Matthew Fox on Christianity and nature, Jerry Mander on technology, and Terry Tempest Williams on an erotic connection to the land. With intelligence and compassion, Listening to the Land moves from a look at the condition of the environment and the health of our spirit to a beautiful evocation of eros and a life based on love.
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For more information:
