Last EON Meeting of the Year

Click here to see the minutes from our last meeting.

You'll find the most important announcement in 20 years, a list of EON's major accomplishments for the year, and what you've all been waiting for: next semester's election results!

Green Projects Development Summer Intern (Baltimore)

Would you like to make a tangible difference in the fight against poverty? Work for a greener future? Help shape the rapidly expanding home energy efficiency industry?

Civic Works, a non-profit leader in green jobs training and home energy efficiency, is hiring a Green Projects Development Intern. The Intern will work with the Green Projects Development Coordinator to provide assistance in expanding the size of Civic Works’ current green training programs, developing additional career training programs, and expanding our home performance business. Current college students gain the kind of real-world experience they can’t find in a typical internship.

Civic Works’ green programs have been highlighted by Green for All, The Washington Post, and the US Council of Mayors. Civic Works operates 12 programs in the areas of Community Revitalization, Education, Energy Conservation, and Workforce Development. We provide green job training opportunities, convert vacant lots into community gardens, rehabilitate homes for low-income residents, improve home energy efficiency for low-income residents, and tutor and mentored thousands of students in Baltimore City and County schools.

The mission of Civic Works’ Green Projects is to harness the power of green jobs as a pathway out of poverty for Baltimore residents. The purpose of this internship will be to help develop and expand Civic Works’ Green Careers Initiatives. Since 2003 our B’More Green program has prepared unemployed and underemployed Baltimore residents for brownfields mitigation careers. Beginning in summer 2010, Civic Works will start offering an Energy Efficiency Retrofit Installer training course. Along with these training programs, Civic Works operates a full service home performance company, offering energy audits, energy retrofits and cool roofs.

This is an unpaid internship. However, we will be able to provide a $1,000 scholarship to be applied towards education expenses.

Responsibilities

• Research, write and edit grant proposals.
• Develop presentations to be given at community meetings.
• Communicate regularly with Civic Works’ community partners
• Assist the Energy Retrofit Project Manager in identifying areas to cut costs, improve quality and increase customer satisfaction.
• Conduct research for the development of new energy auditor and energy retrofit installer training curricula.
• Write content for Civic Works’ website and marketing materials that motivates homeowners to implement residential energy efficiency retrofits
Regularly contribute posts on energy efficiency topics to Civic Works’ blog and new media sites.

Qualifications

• Strong analytical and organizational skills
• Ability to prioritize and multi-task and work under strict deadlines
Excellent oral and written communication skills are a must
Commitment to the environment and social justice

Benefits

• Receive a $ 1,000 scholarship to be applied towards higher education expenses
• Healthcare benefits
• We are willing to work with your academic institution if you are interested in receiving credit.
Gain experience and skills in marketing, community outreach, grant writing, coalition building, business and program development.

Time Commitment

20-40 hours a week for 7-10 weeks. The expected start date is June 7.

How to Apply:

Please send a cover letter and resume to:

Eli Allen
Green Projects Development Coordinator

eallen [at] civicworks [dot] com

Socially Responsible Investing Coalition Meeting: May 4th

Weapons Manufacturing. Dirty Energy. Border Militarization. Environmental Racism. Discriminatory Hiring Practices. Deforestation. Tar Sands Oil Extraction. Natural Gas "Fracking." Animal Testing. Privatized Military Contracting. Factory Farming.

Did you know that Wesleyan invests in all of these practices?

Socially Responsible Investing Coalition Mass Meeting

Date: May 4th

Time: 7:30 PM

Location: Woodhead Lounge

As Wesleyan students, we have the unique opportunity to influence the behavior of the socially irresponsible corporations in which we invest. We also have the potential to push for Wesleyan to shift its investment strategies towards more ethical alternatives.

If you are interested in changing our investments to better reflect your values, come to the first mass meeting of the grassroots, student-led initiative called the Socially Responsible Investing Coalition (SRIC). The SRIC is a brand new, multi-issue coalition that strives to facilitate communication and action between various student groups and individuals who come together in order to assert our student voice in our school's investments.

At our mass meeting on May 4^th, we’ll discuss where everyone’s interests and goals lie, begin to shape the way the coalition will function, and set plans in motion to mobilize for next semester. Anyone should come to this meeting, whether you already have a specific idea for how you’d want to engage with our schools investments, or if you just want to find out more.

If you would like to come chat with the founding organizers of the SRIC, we will be tabling at Usdan from 12-1 all week. Please stop by if you have any questions!

A Friendly Reminder for Spring Fling.

Spring Fling is this Thursday!

If you choose to participate in the festivities on Foss, enjoy the music, great company, and gorgeous weather (forecast: 79 degrees)!

Just remember to clean up after yourselves and help keep our campus beautiful!

Children in the Fields: The hidden problem of child labor in America

WesFRESH presents another event for their week of food politics, this time on farm worker justice:

Hundreds of thousands of children work in agriculture throughout the U.S. Child farmworkers as young as twelve often work twelve- and fourteen-hour days under dangerous and grueling conditions. They risk pesticide poisoning, injuries, and suffer fatalities at five times the rate of children working in other jobs. As a result of their long hours, they drop out of school at alarming rates. Nationally, barely half graduate from high school.

Although agriculture is one of the most dangerous occupations in the U.S., child farmworkers are exempt from the legal protections granted to all other working children in the U.S. This briefing will give you an overview of these issues by Human Rights Watch as well as an opportunity to sign a letter addressed to local Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro urging her support of the Children’s Act for Responsible Employment (CARE Act, HR 3564), legislation that would greatly improve the lives of children in the fields.

Date: April 30 - April 30
Time: 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Place: Usdan 110

Earth Day 2010

Earth Day Week 2010 at Wesleyan

Wesleyan’s SAGES (Sustainability Advisory Group for Environmental Stewardship) has compiled a calendar of events sponsored by a variety of student, University, and community groups happening this Earth Day Week.

MONDAY, APRIL 19

Students for a Just and Sustainable Future (SJSF) Sleep Out
Foss Hill

Screening of No Impact Man
5:30 pm
Judd 116
Free dinner beforehand and short discussion afterward

TUESDAY, APRIL 20

SJSF Sleep Out

Foss Hill

2:00- Field Organizing Strategy

Lunchtime SAGES talk with Bill Nelligan, Director of Environmental Health, Safety, and Sustainability
12:00-1:00 pm
Usdan 136

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21

SJSF Sleep Out
Foss Hill

Farmer's Market
11:00 am-2:00 pm
Usdan Courtyard

THURSDAY, APRIL 22

Bon Appétit’s Low Carbon Day

Brian Stewart's Third Annual Earth Day Rant
4:30 p.m., refreshments at 4:15
Exley 58

SJSF Sleep Out / WesFRESH / Farmer’s Market Feast
6:30 pm
Foss Hill

Wesleyan Earth Day Celebration Panel Discussion and Film Screening
8pm
CFA Hall
Free Admission

FRIDAY, APRIL 23

WesFRESH Cooking Demonstrations
Attend cooking demonstrations in kitchens across campus.
check back here for times and locations!

Reggie Wilson / Fist & Heel Performance Group
8pm
CFA Theater
Pre-performance talk by Pamela Tatge and Allison Hurd on Friday at 7:15pm, CFA Hall (formerly CFA Cinema)

SATURDAY, APRIL 24

Reggie Wilson / Fist & Heel Performance Group
8pm
CFA Theater

Screening of Home
2 pm
Goldsmith Family Cinema

Riverfront Clean-up
9:00 am-1:00 pm
Harbor Park, Middletown
Sponsored by Middletown Lions Club and The Jonah Center for Earth and Art

CT Trail Maintenance Outing
Bicentennial Park in Berlin, CT
8:30 am-2:00 pm

SUNDAY, APRIL 25

Bus to DC for the Earth Day Network rally
Email weseon at gmail.com if you want to reserve a spot

Panel on the Present and Future of Sustainable Foods
4:00 pm
Usdan, room TBD

ONGOING

TAP THAT! Campus water fountain awareness
Look for signs and information about campus water fountains and facts about bottled water presented by the TAP THAT! Bottled Water Awareness week, an Earth Day Week program of the Environmental Organizers Network (EON).

For events happening after Earth Day Week (including several WesFRESH events, a screening of Food Inc., and an Earth Day 5K) check back here at the Green Scene!

For more information about sustainability at Wesleyan, visit http://www.wesleyan.edu/sustainability/

Vote for Sustainability in the WSA Elections: Feiring & Firke

Micah Feiring and Ben Firke are running for WSA President and VP and they need your help! Micah and Ben have pledged to do all they can to make Wesleyan more sustainable.

Ben was a crucial ally in passing the Green Fund this year, creating tens of thousands in sustainability funding, and Micah campaigned vigorously during the student referendum. Next year, Micah and Ben plan to finally bring a comprehensive composting system to Wesleyan, promote the Green Fund to ensure the best possible submissions come through, hold the ECS-Prize again, work with Physical Plant to reduce utility waste, and bring renewable energy to campus in some form.

See their campaign video on Wesleying.

The election is open NOW at wsavoting.wesleyan.edu. Micah and Ben thank you for your support.

Reggie Wilson / Fist & Heel Performance Group: The Good Dance—dakar/brooklyn

Friday & Saturday, April 23 & 24, 8pm in the CFA Theater
Pre-performance talk by Allison Hurd ’11 on Friday, April 23 at 7:15pm, CFA Hall (formerly CFA Cinema)
http://www.wesleyan.edu/cfa/events.html#breaking

Brooklyn-based Reggie Wilson and Andréya Ouamba’s Compagnie 1er Temps based in Dakar, Senegal, have collaborated to create a highly charged and expressive movement vocabulary that explores the secular and religious traditions of Central Africa and their parallels with the Mississippi Delta culture. The Good Dance--dakar/brooklyn features over 300 water bottles on stage. The CFA has collaborated with the TAP THAT! Bottled Water Awareness week, an Earth Day Week program of the Wesleyan’s Environmental Organizers Network (EON), to responsibly handle the purchase, distribution, and disposal of the bottles and the water contained within them. During the Q&A sessions following the performances, EON will distribute the water from the bottles to the audience and information about bottled water will be available in the lobby. After the performance, EON plans to reuse the bottles in an art installation in the Usdan Campus Center, after which all of the bottles will be recycled.

Joining Art and Science to Engage Environmental Issues

Wesleyan Earth Day Celebration: Joining Art and Science to Engage Environmental Issues
Thursday, April 22, 8pm in the CFA Hall. Free Admission

Are the arts and sciences natural allies in communicating environmental issues to the public? Join Marda Kirn Executive Director, EcoArts Connections; Geoffrey Bourne, Associate Professor of Biology, University of Missouri, St. Louis and Director of the CIBA Biological Station, Guyana; Cassie Meador, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and Barry Chernoff, Professor and Chair of Wesleyan's Environmental Studies Program for a discussion moderated by Jeremy Isard, '11 followed by the world premiere of Connections Within A Fragile World, a documentary produced and directed by Paul Horton about co-teaching art and science during the 2007-09 Feet to the Fire project.

Co-sponsored by the Environmental Studies Program and the Center for the Arts with support from Arts Presenters Creative Campus Innovations Program, a component of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation

See http://www.wesleyan.edu/cfa/events.html#special

4-Course Earth Day Dinner at O'Rourke's!

4-Course Earth Day dinner with live music here at O'Rourke's on Thursday, April 22nd at 6:00pm. Tickets are only $35 per person and include tax and gratuity.

First Course - Soup: Asparagus & Champagne Bisque

Second Course - Salad: Mixed Greens with Sweet & Sour Cabbage

Third Course - Entree: Grass-Fed Beef Stuffed Portabella Mushroom OR Roasted Vegetable Stuffed Portabella Mushroom

Fourth Course - Dessert: Barm Brack Bread Pudding with Seasonal Fruit Topping

They are selling tickets in advance at the diner, so hurry up before spots run out!

GreenAnswers.com

GreenAnswers.com is a user-generated question and answer site dedicated to environmental issues. GreenAnswers provides a forum for people to debate, discuss, and learn about important environmental issues.

A good place to begin exploring GreenAnswers is the homepage.

You might also be interested in their guest contributor program. This program is a great way to present your work in the environmental field to the large community of people on GreenAnswers.

Buy a Compost Bin, Rain Barrel, or Green Cone

The City of Middletown is again selling compost bins, rain barrels and Green Cones. If you need an order form for a green cone or rain barrel, contact:

Kim O'Rourke

Middletown Recycling Coordinator

245 Dekoven Dr

Middletown, Ct 06457

860-344-3526

kim.orourke@cityofmiddletown.com

Help Indigenous Farmers in Nicaragua

MADRE is an international women’s human rights organization. MADRE’s has collected over 25 million dollars worth of aid for women and children in Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. In light of Earth Day we are reviving a campaign called Harvesting Hope, which will provide organic vegetable seeds to women on the North Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua, where three-quarters of the population suffers from malnutrition.

Climate change and rising ocean temperatures are causing intensified storms in Nicaragua, devastating farmers’ harvests, and depleting local food sources. This past November severe flooding from Hurricane Ida ruined crops at the time of harvest. To recover from this storm, local Nicaraguan farmers will need to plant new seeds by May.

MADRE is working with our sister organization, Wangki Tangni, in Nicaragua to train Indigenous Miskito women in organic farming and sustainable livestock-management. Harvesting Hope emphasizes sustainable land use methodologies, safeguards traditional Indigenous knowledge of natural resource management, and strengthens women’s economic self-sufficiency and participation in public life. Harvesting Hope focuses on helping local farmers since exploitation of the region’s natural resources by timber, mining, and fishing corporations has threatened the biodiversity on which Indigenous Peoples depend.

MADRE needs help in order to raise awareness of the effects of climate change, and to help the Indigenous farmers in Nicaragua. Any donation of unexpired organic vegetable seeds you could make, however small or large, would make a huge difference in the daily life of the recipients. If you would like to get involved in another way, you could also raise money to buy seeds, or host an event at your school. We’d be happy to work with you if you have any ideas or questions about getting involved. Please feel free to contact us at 212-627-0444 or helpinghands@madre.org

Rock to Rock Earth Day Ride

*New Haven, CT -- Saturday, April 24, 2010*

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day! Explore New Haven's parks and neighborhoods. Raise funds for great local environmental organizations.
Check out the details below, and register today at www.rocktorock.org.

*Explore New Haven by bicycle!* Rock to Rock is a day-long celebration of Earth Day, and of New Haven's rich environmental and cultural resources. Here's how it works: You and a few hundred others will travel between West Rock and East Rock, with celebrations on both sides of the city. Along the way, you will eat tasty food, hear great music, take on environmental service projects, explore Edgewood and Beaver Ponds Parks, and ride Farmington Canal Trail and official city bike lanes. Think you're hard-core? Take detours to the top of the two rocks. Have a little kid in tow? Join us from Common Ground to Edgewood Park. Families and college students, 20-something hipsters and teenagers, young and old, serious riders and weekend warriors will all be welcomed.

*Support great local environmental organizations!* Rock to Rock raises funds for the following a bunch of great environmental organizations: The Urban Resources Initiative, Common Ground, Solar Youth, New Haven Parks Department, Friends of East Rock Park, Friends of Beaver Pond Park, Friends of Edgewood Park, New Haven-Leon Sister City Project, Sierra Club's Inner City Outings, and Elm City Cycling. All of these organizations share a commitment to helping New Haven residents explore and learn from the city's parks. And all of these organizations need of additional resources in order to keep their important work strong and growing.

If you have any questions about Rock to Rock, visit www.rocktorock.org, or contact Maggie@solaryouth.com.

Design A Better Coffee Cup and Win $20,000!

From Betacup's website:

58 billion paper coffee cups are thrown away, unrecycled, each year. The betacup challenge is an effort to reduce this waste – and we need your help.

We invite you to submit ideas but also to comment and rate others’ ideas, and engage in discussions with other betacup community members and contest jurors.

You should consider:

Waste Reduction – how does the Idea reduce the number of non-recycled coffee cups thrown away each year?

Resources Required – what resources will it take to implement the Idea? (money, energy, water, materials, time, etc)

New or Existing Capabilities – does the Idea use existing technologies or approaches? If not, what must be created or invented to implement the Idea?

The Whole experience – Don’t forget the importance of the “whole experience”. Alternatives to paper cups are available today but they are not being widely used. How effective is the Idea likely to be in achieving its goal?

A different contest format (hint: we’re encouraging collaboration)
The betacup differs from most contest formats, because it is open. We are using jovoto, so when you submit an idea, your ideas are open to the public for comment and ratings.

We think this feedback process will help make ideas even better, so we encourage you to submit ideas early and benefit from the feedback. Don’t have an idea? No problem, you can still help out by offering feedback to others.

How will the $20,000 prize be awarded?
The top idea as decided by a jury will earn $10,000.

The top 5 ideas as decided by community ratings will have $10,000 divided amongst them.

It is our intention that ideas submitted belong to the person submitting them. However, because the ideas are posted publicly, we encourage you to discuss possible intellectual property issues with an intellectual property lawyer before submitting. Additional please review the ownership and licensing terms are discussed in the contest rules.

This international contest starts on April 1, 2010 and ends on June 15.

If any members of the Wesleyan community are interested in collaborating as a team, contact:

Rabbi David Leipziger Teva

Director of Religious and Spiritual Life

University Jewish Chaplain

Wesleyan University

Middletown, CT 06459

860-685-2278

TAP THAT! Campus water fountain awareness

Look for signs and information about campus water fountains and facts about bottled water presented by the TAP THAT! Bottled Water Awareness week, an Earth Day Week program of EON.

We are also coordinating with the CFA to collect and distribute water from the 350+ water bottles used in the upcoming performance of Reggie Wilson / Fist & Heel Performance Group: The Good Dance—dakar/brooklyn (for event details, see the CFA website!)

Panel on the Present and Future of Sustainable Foods

This panel will discuss the challenges and successes associated with small-scale local food systems and independent food stores versus large-scale industrial organics and corporations such as Whole Foods. We will also discuss the difficulties of incorporating sustainably grown food into university food services. Panelists will include local food activists like Doug Peterson, a former owner of a health food coop and current produce buyer for the Whole Foods in Milford, CT, and farmers from our area. The panel will be moderated by Courtney Fullilove, Assistant Professor of History.

Date: Sunday, April 25

Time: 4:00 pm

Location: Usdan 107 or 108 (TBD)

Riverfront Clean-up

Sponsored by Middletown Lions Club and The Jonah Center for Earth and Art

Join us for spring cleaning at Harbor Park with special attention to Lions Landing at the north end and Columbus Point at the south end. This spring, the cleared portion of the park will be freshened up by raking debris and naturalizing the fence line by planting native Connecticut day lilies and ferns to keep out the vines. For the more energetic volunteers, the historic brownstone ferry docks will continue to be uncovered and made accessible for hiking and fishing. The southern portion of the park is bordered by Sumner Brook (next to Wesleyan's boathouse and Columbus Point). The north bank of the brook will be cleared of Japanese knot weed, bittersweet vines and Chinese Sumac saplings.

Volunteers are encouraged to wear long sleeved shirts and pants, hats, sunglasses, gloves and sturdy shoes. We will finish our work with a 1:00 p.m. BBQ at Lions Landing.

Please register your intention to join the effort and tell us if you plan to attend the BBQ by calling Lisa Santangelo at 860-346-1815.

Date: Saturday, 4/24

Time: 9:00 am-1:00 pm

Location: Harbor Park, Middletown

Earth Day Farmer's Market

Get Fresh. Get Local. Get outside and bask in the sun while you eat delicious food from area farmers providing you with cheese, yogurt, bread, jams, baked goods, sweets, honey, maple syrup, soups, produce, and more. Bon Appetit will be there cooking up a local lunch so you can use your meal points to support the market!

Date: Wednesday, 4/21

Time: 11:00 am-2:00 pm

Location: Usdan Courtyard

Feast on Foss

Come enjoy free local food from the Farmer's Market with folks doing Wake up, Sleep out for a Clean Energy Future and WesFRESH, Wesleyan’s new food activism student group!

Date: Thursday, 4/22

Time: 6:30 pm

Location: Foss Hill