Ecodriving, Child Menus, & Fresh Water Movie – GC News #638

638: 29 June 2009 – Published by Green Communities Canada

WELCOME. Greater Sudbury Environment Network was approved as full member at last week’s GCC Board meeting. Projects include an Environmental Resource Centre, workshops, Earth-Day Festival, film fest, alternative transportation, newsletter, etc.

EXECS. Last week the GCC Board met and re-elected Brent Kopperson as Chair, Bruce Pearce as Vice-Chair, and Brian Charleton as Treasurer. Elected new to the executive committee as Secretary is Paul-Antoine Troxler of Éco-quartier Peter-McGill.

BIKE RIDE. Participants in Équiterre’s bicycle-touring expedition, Libre comme l’air, discover local craft people and taste local foods with 220 other cyclists of all ages and abilities. 50 to 70 km a day, 7-9 August.

ECODRIVING FOR CHARITY. Thanks to Windfall Ecology Centre EcoDriver program, Ontario March of Dimes will incorporate ecodriving fuel-saving driving habits and vehicle maintenance tips in some of its car rally events in 2010.

ROLE-MODEL. Sue McGregor-Hunter, Executive Director of Peterborough Green-Up was one of four presenters at the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s Eastern Ontario Environment Day. Grant Review Committee members attended the meeting to learn more about environmental activities in Eastern Ontario. "People were impressed with the activities of Green-Up and wanted to know how to start a green community in their own community".

NORTH NEWS. Artic Energy Alliance’s newsletter discusses wind energy, wood pellets and thinning Arctic ice pack. It also mentions a new billboard in New York City that displays a real-time total of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere.

COMPOSTING. Clean Calgary ecoStore sells bokashi compost kits. Bokashi is a Japanese term for fermented organic matter and is a form of anaerobic intensive composting using efficient microbes. … Eight new schools will join Clean Calgary’s School-wide Composting Program in the fall: volunteers built 15 compost bins in June.

WALK IN THE DARK. A Canadian Institute of Wellbeing report indicates that Walking Alone after Darkis one of the indicators of a community’s vitality.

VOLUNTEERS. "Proactive support of volunteer involvement dramatically increases its potential achievement level", says Blue Avocado article that recommends that Board members develop an organizational vision for volunteer involvement, participate actively in their recruitment and create a board committee on volunteerism.

MONEY. Cutbacks in income force some environmental groups to reduce staff and programs, says Edmonton Journal article. Several rely on foundations which get their money from the interest earned on the principal they hold … Low salaries and nonexistent retirement funds make it hard for life-long nonprofit staff to save for retirement. Blue Avocado looks at how organizations can help their staff with retirement benefits.

FRESH WATER MOVIE. Waterlife follows the cascade of the Great Lakes from Lake Superior to the Atlantic Ocean, telling the story of the last huge supply of fresh water on Earth.

ORGANIZATION GOVERNANCE. Improving Non-Profit Governance is an online facilitated course from Dalhousie University aimed at executive directors and others involved in the leadership of voluntary and non-profit sector organizations in Canada. The program runs from September 2009 to January 2010.

CHILD MENU. Real Food for Real Kids prepares and delivers nutritious hot lunches and snacks using locally grown, natural and organic ingredients for over 4000 children everyday in daycares and schools in the Greater Toronto Area.

GREEN PRODUCTS. "Out with the candy bars", says Green Students Fundraising, an organization that provides responsible fundraising program and educational resources.

JOBS. Green Communities Canada, Administrative Assistant. Peterborough, due 10 July … Victoria City Green has four positions: Financial Assistant, due 10 July; Bookkeeper, due 3 July; Administrative Assistant, due 1 July and Certified Energy Advisors, no due date …Waterloo Region-Residential Energy Efficiency Project (REEP) has two positions: Customer Service and Operations Assistant, Kitchener, due 1 July; and Finance/Office Manager, due 5 July … Real Food For Real Kids, Client Relations Representative and Project Coordinator. Toronto, due 6 July.