The E-Update – August 27, 2007

The E-Update � August 27, 2007
The Newfoundland and Labrador Environment Network
A Network of more than 30 Member Groups
Many Voices for the Environment


In this E-update you will find:
1. Anti-Idling at MUN � seeking volunteers
2. Send Us Your Volunteer Opportunities!
3. Project Green Looking for Volunteers and Bikes
4. Starting September: Letter Writing Sessions for Member Groups at the EGP
5. Beaches World Tour 2007
6. President’s Award for Exceptional Community Service, Memorial University
7. Green Drinks, Wednesday, August 29, 2007
8. The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup
9. Much Ado about Mushrooms�and More!
10. Local Publisher Goes Green
11. Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference – 2008
12. Green Speak Radio, Monday’s 4-5pm, 93.5FM or www.chmr.ca
13. Newfoundland and Labrador’s Invasive Alien Species: Workshop at MUN Botanical Garden
* A Message for the NLEN Members
** A message to Readers of the NLEN E-update
*** What is the NLEN about?
**** For more information.
Now for the details:
1. Anti-Idling at MUN � seeking volunteers
What: Anti-Idling Campaign
Where: Memorial University St. John’s campus
Who: Sustainability Office, Coordinator Shelley Pardy
When: September 10-14, 3-6pm
The Sustainability Office of Memorial University was opened in January 2007 and has as its broad mandate to ‘make MUN green’. The office is working with numerous stakeholders within the university community on a number of initiatives and projects to achieve this goal.
The Sustainability Office is currently developing a short-term Anti-Idling Campaign for the St. John’s campus to complement permanent signage that was recently placed on the campus, and targeting those drivers that keep their cars idling while waiting to pick up passengers.
The Anti-Idling Campaign will take place during the week of September 10-14 from 3-6pm each day. The campaign will involve approaching drivers to let them know they are in an Anti-Idling Zone and to give them an information pamphlet outlining cost and environmental savings to not idling.
The Anti-Idling initiative is very important and with YOUR HELP this short-term campaign can really make a long-term difference to making MUN a sustainable institution, and to keeping unnecessary greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. All volunteers will receive a sustainability gift as a thank you.
To volunteer for this important initiative (for 2 or 20 hours!) please contact the Sustainability Coordinator Shelley Pardy by emailing sustain@mun.ca or by calling 737-2637.
2. Send Us Your Volunteer Opportunities!
Dear members,
One of the services the NLEN is offering is a volunteer database where your volunteer needs can be posted. Since high school students are now required to complete a number of volunteer hours before graduating from high school, there will now be a bigger pool of potential volunteers. If you have any volunteer opportunities you need to fill, please e-mail the information below and we will shortly be posting the database on our website.
Organization
Name
Contact Information (address, phone number, fax, e-mail, etc.)
Contact Person
Volunteer
Title
Duties
Times or Number of Hours (e.g. 2 hrs. per week)
Length of commitment (e.g. minimum 3 month commitment)
Location (on-site, off-site, virtual volunteer)
High School Student Opportunity
Previous Experience Required
Certificate of Conduct Required
Orientation and/or Training Provided
Age Restrictions (if applicable)
Equipment Required
Vehicle Access Required
Wheelchair Accessible Site
Other Information if relevant
Thank you,
Annie Antonenko
3. Project Green Looking for Volunteers and Bikes
I hope you are all enjoying this wonderful summer�and ignoring those that
believe it is almost over!!
The Bike Share committee has been busy over the summer preparing for our new bike lending service to be launched this fall. We recently hired Leah Fusco to be the BikeShare coordinator. Leah will be taking charge of this service and
organizing various events. She will be seeking volunteers in the coming weeks
to help out at the GSU and the MUNSU orientation sessions the beginning of
September, to help with our official BikeShare launch the beginning of October,
and with I Love MUNdays. If you’re able to volunteer with any of these events please contact enviro@mun.ca
Do you or someone you know have a bike or bike parts that they don’t need/want? If so, then write us an e-mail and we would be happy to take it off of their hands.
Also, there is an upcoming biking event called Tour De Shore. This two-day 2nd
Annual Cycling Event will take place on Labour Day weekend on the Southern
Avalon Peninsula. The route, running from Riverhead, St. Mary’s Bay to Goulds,
will feature workshops and activities, and cycling races for families and
recreational riders, amateur solo or corporate team riders, and professional
riders. To learn how you can volunteer or how to participate in this event,
check out www.tourdeshore.ca.
Thanks,
Costa Kasimos
Secretary, Project Green
4. Starting September: Letter Writing Sessions for Member Groups at the EGP
The NLEN would like to announce a new service for its member groups and the general public! The NLEN will be offering a letter-writing group session one evening a month in the boardroom at the Gathering Place. Everyone knows that writing letters to politicians and newspapers makes a difference! It lets your voice be heard and contributes to public discussion on important issues.
That’s why we’d like to offer a dedicated letter writing session that will focus on a different topic each month. Member groups will have the opportunity to choose topics for each session, and then they will have a few minutes at the beginning of each session to present their topic and answer questions before the writing begins. Presenters are also welcome to bring along any background documents that might be helpful to the letter writers. A template letter would also be helpful so that groups not able to attend can still take part in the letter writing at home.
These sessions will be open to all member groups, as well as to the wider letter-writing public. Members are asked to contact the NLEN at nlen.ed@gmail.com to suggest topics, which can be as local or as global as you wish.
Sessions will start at the end of September, and I’ll send out a reminder as we get closer to that time. Please let me know if YOUR group would like to be the first presenter!
5. Beaches World Tour 2007
We are pleased to invite you to the Beaches World Tour 2007, taking place Tuesday, October 9th to Thursday, October 11th at the Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre Hotel in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Please email nlen.ed@gmail.com to receive the brochure for additional information, and visit www.blueflag.ca for full conference details and online registration.
Please mark your calendars and plan to attend this exciting and informative event! Beaches World Tour is a conference on best practices and key issues at beaches and coastal areas around the world. Panel discussions will address health and water quality, coastal zone management and sustainable tourism, equity and access to coastal resources, and impacts of climate change on coastal areas. Hear about best practices at specific beaches in over 20 countries and how the Blue Flag program has helped to improve coastal environments.
Opening keynote speeches will be made by Murray Simpson (Research Scientist at the Centre for the Environment, Oxford University) on the impacts of climate change on sustainable coastal tourism, and Lara Hansen (Chief Climate Change Scientist, WWF International) on the effects of climate change on ocean and coastal habitats.
Other noteworthy presentations will be made by Calum McPhail (Scottish Environmental Protection Agency) speaking on Bathing Water Signage and predictive water quality models in Scotland; Donna Francy (US Geological Survey) describing predictive and rapid methods to provide ‘nowcasts’ of bacterial levels at Great Lakes beaches; and Blue Flag representatives from numerous countries discussing Blue Flag coastal management initiatives and successes at beaches around the world.
The conference will include an evening reception, refreshment breaks, daily luncheons, and one conference dinner.We encourage you to make your travel and accommodation arrangements as soon as possible. A block of rooms has been reserved under the name ‘Environmental Defence October Conference’ at a special rate of $169 per night. Please call the Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre Hotel at 1-800-905-0667 before September 17th, 2007 in order to receive this special rate. Additional information is available at www.blueflag.ca
We look forward to seeing you in Toronto!
Blue Flag Canada
Program of Environmental Defence
317 Adelaide St. W., Suite 705
Toronto, ON M5V 1P9
Tel: 1-866-420-8477 (only in Canada), or
416-323-9521, ext. 233
Fax: 416-323-9301
Email: jfrye@environmentaldefence.ca
6. President’s Award for Exceptional Community Service, Memorial University � Deadline September 17, 2007
Nominate someone from your organization!
The President’s Award for Exceptional Community Service is presented each year in recognition of Memorial University employees (faculty or staff) who have demonstrated outstanding community service.
Nominees for the award must have a sustained pattern of exceptional voluntary contributions to communities and/or community organizations.
These contributions must be beyond what might normally be considered academic or professional service, and must have had a significant impact upon those organizations or on the communities.
Nominees must be full-time employees with a minimum of five years of continuous service and have made the cited community contributions during their period of employment at Memorial University. The nominees must not have been previous winners of the award.
* Award
The award, bestowed in recognition of outstanding community service, consists of a personalized scroll and a monetary award of $1,000. The names of award recipients will be publicly displayed together with those of other university-wide award winners. No more than two awards will be given in any year.
* Criteria
� Nominees for the award must have a sustained pattern of exceptional voluntary contributions to communities and/or community organizations. These contributions must be beyond what might normally be considered academic or professional service, and must have had a significant impact upon those organizations or on the communities;
� Nominees must be full-time employees (faculty or staff) with a minimum of five years of continuous service and have made the cited community contributions during their period of employment at Memorial University.
For more info, visit: http://www.mun.ca/marcomm/community_service_award.php
7. Green Drinks � Wednesday, August 29, 2007
The next Green Drinks St. John’s will take place on Wed. Aug. 29th from
7-9 at The Ship.
You are welcome to stay later but please be aware that Folk Night starts at 9 and there is a cover charge for that.
If you want to join the Green Drinks St. John’s email list that sends reminders just once a month (so you’ll never miss a Green Drinks again!) send an email to greendrinks.stjohns@gmail.com
Hope to see you on Wednesday!
Shelley Pardy, Green Drinks St. John’s
8. The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup
September 15-23, 2007
Help us protect Canada’s shorelines.
Every September, Canadians from all walks of life take action to restore the health of their local shorelines.
Be a part of the solution.
Register today to organize or join a shoreline cleanup in your community. It’s easy, it’s fun and it’s good for our environment. Shoreline cleanup supplies and support materials are provided free of charge.
To get involved go to www.vanaqua.org/cleanup or call (toll free) 1-877-427-2422.
9. Much Ado about Mushrooms�and More!
The Brother Brennan Environmental Education Centre is pleased to be
hosting the first of what we hope will be a series of “MUCH ADO ABOUT
……” weekends. The first is Much Ado About MUSHROOMS, an intensive
weekend (October 12 to 14, 2007) of lectures, workshops and field
excursions under the instruction of Dr Andrus Voitk. It is intended for
beginners who wish to learn to identify many of Newfoundland’s beautiful
mushrooms. The fee of $170 (with discounts for students and children)
includes all meals, accommodation and instruction.
To receive the information, the program, registration form, waiver and kit
list for the course, please email nlen.ed@gmail.com.
“”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
“””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””‘”””””
Helen Spencer
Environmental Education Teacher
116 Strawberry Marsh Road
St John’s, NL
A1B 2V5
10. Local Publisher Goes Green
This September, Flanker Press will release its first book published on Ancient Forest Friendly Paper. St. John’s: City of Fire by Paul Butler will be printed on Ancient Forest Friendly paper that is acid-free, 100% post-consumer recycled, and processed chlorine-free. By doing so, Flanker Press will save 28 fully grown trees, 12,239 gallons of water, 16 million BTUs, 1,349 pounds of solid waste, and 2,663 pounds of greenhouse gases.
Flanker Press is committed to protecting the environment and to the responsible use of natural resources. For more information, contact Laura Cameron, Flanker Press, (709) 739-4477 ext. 24, lcameron@flankerpress.com.
11. Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference – 2008
The National Executive Committee of the 2008 Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference is encouraging young leaders from Canada’s voluntary and non-profit sector to actively consider applying to join the unique two-week conference. The application process is open until September 30, 2007.
“The Conference brings together 230 young leaders from sectors and communities across Canada,” said Penelope Rowe, CEO of the Community Services Council of Newfoundland and Labrador, and a member of the conference National Executive. “We want to ensure that Canada’s social economy is represented by our best, brightest and most promising young leaders.”
All Conference members share one thing: they are high potential individuals selected on the basis they are expected to achieve senior leadership positions in their organizations and communities within 10 years. The participants come from a wide variety of relatively narrow experiences. By the time they leave the Conference, they will have many of their assumptions challenged and their comprehension enlarged as a result of working, traveling and discussing with people from different backgrounds and different perceptions.
“The theme of the 2008 Conference – ‘leadership and community’ � goes to the core of our sector’s work,” noted Ms. Rowe. “The non-profit sector plays an essential role in building communities and accounts for about 10% of all employment in Canada. We are going to ensure the emerging leaders of Canada’s social economy are well represented on this Conference.”
The Conference opens June 6, 2008 in Banff, Alberta, and closes two weeks later in Ottawa-Gatineau. The deadline for applications is September 30, 2007. Participant expenses for all travel, food and lodging are covered by the Conference with the exception of travel to the opening plenary and from the closing ceremony.
Detailed information and online applications can be obtained at leadershipcanada.ca .
12. Green Speak Radio, Mondays 4-5pm, 93.5FM or www.chmr.ca
Green Speak Radio, Mondays 4-5pm, 93.5FM or www.chmr.ca
The August 13th episode of Green Speak Radio will feature an interview with the Codroy Valley Green Team with musical guests the Cormiers.
Have an idea for a feature guest or artist for Green Speak Radio?
Email your suggestions to greenspeakradio@gmail.com
Green Speak is sponsored in part by the NL Environment Network, the
Western Environment Centre, MUN Project Green, the Wellness Coalition
St. John’s Region and 93.5 CHMR-FM.
13. Newfoundland and Labrador’s Invasive Alien Species: Workshop at MUN Botanical Garden
Think you’re the only one whose garden is being taken over by that big
“bamboo-like” plant? If so, then you need to join us on September 22 from 9
to 12 at the MUN Botanical Garden for an informative session on invasive
alien plants. Due to the overwhelming success of our first workshop, we’ve
decided to have a second. Join us and learn about the little (and sometimes
enormous) green aliens creeping around in your back yard and wilderness
areas. Help us fight back with our “Eyes Across the Province” monitoring
campaign. Pre-registration is required. To receive more information call
Costa or Joy at 737-8590 or visit the Garden’s website at
www.mun.ca/botgarden. Cost is $10 per person and a light snack will be
provided.
Become the ‘eyes across the province’ and take a closer look at some of the
“green aliens” that may be invading our natural areas. Find out how these
alien species are spreading. Learn about using native trees and shrubs to
beautify your own garden. Encounter some of our “Canadian Bandits” and
learn how you can help prevent an invasion of alien species
* A Message for NLEN Members
This E-update is intended to announce your meetings and showcase your interests and events. Please send notices by Friday 10 a.m. as a paragraph with 12 point font, no bold/italics/underline/all caps, single spaced and left hand justified. Notices less than 200 words, and with no attachments, are best.
** A Message to Readers of the NLEN E-update
Attempts are made to cover a range of environmental issues and events. You are welcome to contribute information by Friday 10 a.m. At this time not all submissions are guaranteed.
*** What is the NLEN about?
The NLEN (www.nlen.ca) is a network of more than 30 member groups and associates throughout the province. The goal of the NLEN is to facilitate communication between non-government environmental organizations, and assist members with initiatives through non-advocacy means. Member groups operate to conserve, protect or restore the Earth’s ecosystem through action, education; stewardship and/or modeling ecologically sound ways of life. All provinces and the Yukon have environmental networks funded by the Canadian Environment Network. Visit CEN /RCEN at www.cen-rce.org.
The NLEN recognizes the link between environment and health and therefore is a member of the Environmental Health Working Group of the Provincial Wellness Advisory Council as well as a member of the Wellness Coalition � St. John’s Region and a member of its’ Healthy Environments Sub-Committee.
The NLEN is located on the third floor of the Environmental Gathering Place, sharing space with 5 environmental groups including: Protected Areas Association, www.paanl.org; Northeast Avalon Coastal Action Program, www.naacap.ca; Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society-NL, www.cpawsnl.org ; and the Atlantic Canada Sustainable Energy Coalition.
**** For information about the environment, NLEN mandate and membership, or this E-update (comments, contributions, subscribe, unsubscribe, preference for E-update with NO attachments) contact:
Katie Temple
Executive Director
ph: 709-753-7898, fx:709-726-2764
Newfoundland and Labrador Environment Network, www.nlen.ca
Located at the Environmental Gathering Place
172 Military Road
P.O.Box 5125, Stn.C
St. John’s, NL
A1C 5M3
The NLEN is a member of the Wellness Coalition – St. John’s Region and recognizes the link between environment and health. The NLEN also recognizes the link between environment and adventure tourism. All provinces and the Yukon have Environment Networks, funded by the Canadian Environment Network.


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