Rep. Higgins to Introduce McMurray at Endorsed Candidate Event

The Sierra Club Niagara Group is holding an Endorsed Challengers Meet & Greet Rally which will be FREE and open to the general public. This is an opportunity to hear each candidate briefly describe his/her platform and their views on a variety of environmental topics.

As a highlight of the event, Congress Member Brian M. Higgins has been confirmed to introduce candidate Nate McMurray, who is running for U.S. Congressional District 27.

Friday, October 12, 5pm-7pm, UAW Region 9 Hall, 35 George Karl Blvd, #100 (just off Wehrle Drive, near Transit), Williamsville, NY  [Map]

Besides meeting the candidates, attendees will have an opportunity to donate money and/or volunteer for those campaigns which they choose to support. FREE food and beverages will be available.

Turnout in New York’s September 13^th primary was almost triple that of the 2014 primary for governor.  Interest in this year’s elections is sky high with both the U.S. House of Representatives and the NY State Senate in play.  Excitement is building and a big crowd is expected for this event.

Candidates who will be featured at the Meet & Greet Rally are listed below.

Name                                      Race

Nate McMurray                       (US Congress, District 27)

Joan Elizabeth Seamans       (NY Senate, District 61)

Carima El-Behairy                   (NY Senate, District 60)

Karen McMahon                     (NY Assembly, District 146)

Patrick Burke                          (NY Assembly, District 142)

Michelle Roman                      (Mayor of Lockport)

Luke Wochensky                    (NY Assembly, District 147)


Watch this Video shared by Bill Nowak:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1107460882712472/

(After opening the link, click the Speaker symbol to hear the sound)

COMMUNITY FORUM: Educational Presentations on Mitigating Climate Change

ADK Niagara Frontier Chapter

Conservation Committee

presents a

CONSERVATION CONVERSATION

on

 Mitigating Climate Change

September 16, 2017

 Free and Open to the Public.

 

The program will discuss methods that are currently being utilized or are being researched to decrease the effect of climate change on people, communities and aquatic ecosystems. This program is offered at no charge as part of an educational outreach to educate individuals, policy makers and community activists about climate change and how each one of us can participate in decreasing the effect it has on the planet.

 

Our expert speakers will share a wealth of knowledge on a topic they are passionate about:

• Christopher Page, MS – Senior Biologist, Mote Marine Laboratory in the Florida Keys will speak about Coral Re-skinning to mitigate the effect of climate change on coral reefs. He will discuss the importance of coral reefs and the impact climate change is having on them.

• Zoé A. Hamstead, PhD – Assistant Professor, University at Buffalo School of Architecture & Planning and Director of the Community Resilience Lab, Dr. Hamstead will share her research on the impact of extreme heats on communities and the development of socially equitable, livable & healthy urban communities.

• Leah B. Bernhardi, BS, MS, J.D. will share her experience in December 2015 when she spent a week in Paris, France attending the 21st Conference of the Parties for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. She will discuss the Paris Agreement, what other countries are doing and what we can do about climate change

 

LOCATION:

Daemen College
Schenck Hall / Auditorium Room 107
4380 Main Street
Amherst, NY 14226  [Map - Click here] 

 

Doors open at 8:30 am, refreshments will be available.
Presentations start at 9:00 AM. The program ends at noon.

For more information, contact Jay Wopperer at jgw423@hotmail.com

Co-sponsored by:  Daemen College Global & Local Sustainability Department

 

 

COMMUNITY FORUM: Regional Vision and Values - Where Do We Want to Go?

Please join us and our partners as we launch One Region Forward, a new effort seeking to coordinate our region’s efforts towards creating a more sustainable economy, environment and community.
The creative contribution and informed support of the citizens of the Buffalo Niagara region is critical and we need to hear your voices as we chart this course.                                                                                                         

To learn how you can get involved and share your thoughts on the vision and values that should guide this effort, please join us at one of our two “Community Congress” meetings scheduled over the next few weeks.

If you are interested, please sign up to participate for one of the two events listed below:
*January 29^th, 7-9pm, Asbury Church
http://www.oneregionforward.org/event/community-congress-1-erie-county/
*February 2^nd, 2-4pm, Niagara Falls Conference Center
http://www.oneregionforward.org/event/community-congress-2-niagara-county/

To learn more about the project, check out our website at www.oneregionforward.org.

EVENT: Voters In, Money Out - Reclaiming our Democracy

[Click image to enlarge]

Vigil: Spiritual Call to Ban Hydrofracking

Some of the most powerful social change movements have been fueled by faith. The movement to ban hydrofracking in New York is no exception.  

Please join us for: 

"A Spiritual Call to Ban Fracking" 
Vigils to Protect Our Sacred Land & Water

Monday, October, 29 at 6:30 PM

Delaware Park at Hoyt Lake, Buffalo, NY
New Location due to Rain:
Church of the Assumption, 435 Amherst St., Buffalo

Faith is a strong, deeply held force that can inspire people to action, articulating messages, rich with shared values and common virtues, that strike a chord with all of us. Over 300 interfaith leaders from across New York have joined us in declaring that fracking is a moral issue.  Will you join their call on October 29th at a vigil near you? 

EVENT: CITY of NIGHT - Saturday, Sept. 8, 4pm-2am

For details on activities at the CITY of NIGHT event, Click Here.

~ ~ ~

Check out Silo City on the Buffalo River continues to emerge as a site for interesting artistic collaborations at Artvoice.

~ ~ ~

Does anyone recall a song that mentions "City of Night"? It also mentions "City of Light." The song has nothing to do with the City of Night Event in Buffalo (The City of Light), but here is part of one verse:

"Are you a lucky little lady in the city of light?
Or just another lost angel, city of night, city of night,
City of night, city of night, whoa, come on!"

Click here for the answer and turn up the sound volume.
 

Community Forum: Hydraulic Fracturing for Natural Gas

"Gas Wells: What You Don't Know Could Hurt You"

Information Program on

Horizontal Hydraulic Fracturing for Natural Gas

WHEN: Thursday, May 19, 2011
WHERE: Senior Center, Town of Colden, NY [Map]
HOST: Mike Essrow

AGENDA:

• 7:00pm - Welcoming Remarks and Introduction of Panelists

• 7:15pm - A film excerpt from "Split Estates" [Video]
  

• 7:40pm - Presentations by Dennis Holbrook, Norse Energy Corp., and Brad Gill, Independent Oil and Gas Association of NY
  

• 8:00pm - Presentations by Elise Able, Community Activist, and Albert Brown, Community Activist

• 8:20pm - Questions for Panelists - Questions from Guests (less than 1 minute long), followed by Responses from panelists
  

• 9:00pm - Wrap-up

For earlier reports and videos about Horizontal Hydraulic Fracturing, click here.

Buffalo Niagara GREEN EXPO - April 30th

You are cordially invited to attend the annual Buffalo Niagara GREEN EXPO. This year’s event will be held on Saturday, April 30th from 10am to 6pm.

Save the date and please share this printable flyer with your “green minded” friends.

This year there will be many of the same great exhibitors as last year, and some great new exhibitors as well! There are a few tables left for additional exhibitors with green products, green ideas and green projects.

The GREEN EXPO is hosting some great new components this year including:

• Electronic Recycling by Sunnking Electronics (9am-1pm) to benefit Camp Good Days & Special Times thru their E-Scrap for Camp Program

• UNYTS will host a blood drive (10am-5pm)

• Music Is Art will collect instruments (10am-6pm) for their school program

• Green Options Buffalo will collect bicycles (9am-1pm) for their Recycle-A-Bicycle program

• Eco-art & Eco-fashion components

• Kids zone/Teen zone with www.kidwind.org

• Rain Barrel Display & Contest (painted by students) from Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper

Please visit the GREEN EXPO website for updates on events. Click the tabs at the top for information on Eco-Art & Fashion, Recycle, Youth, Exhibitors, Location, and exhibitor Registration.

CONTACT: Mary Fisher, Exhibitor Chair, 716-833-2929 ext 117

Volunteer for the Spring Shoreline Sweep

Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper asking citizens to join the Spring Shoreline Sweep to clean up the shorelines in Western New York on Saturday, April 16, 9am to noon. We encourage all volunteers to participate in the movement to beautify Buffalo and Niagara’s waterways.

Families, community groups, employee groups, service clubs, school clubs, scouts, churches, and individuals can help at over 40 sites across Erie and Niagara Counties. Sites in great need of volunteers include: Scajaquada Creek, Broderick Park, Amherst State Park, Ellicott Creek Park, South Park, Gratwick Park and more. For a complete list of sites, to register, and for more information, please visit bnriverkeeper.org/clean, or call Joy Knowlton at 716.852.RIVER ext. 19. Register by Thursday, April 7.

Site Captain registration is also open. Sites that still need captains include Beaver Meadows Audubon Center in Java, Cazenovia Creek Park, Dann Lake Park in East Amherst, Dingens Park and Street, Ellicott Creek at Ellicott Creek Park in Tonawanda, Erie Basin Beach and Marina, Houghton Park, LaSalle Park of Buffalo, North Creek South Creek Park, Ontario Street Boat Launch, Seneca Bluffs, Smokes Creek, South Park and Times Beach.

Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper is grateful for the sponsorship of the M & T Charitable Foundation, the Buffalo Sabres Green Team, and our many sponsors of materials and services.

STUDENTS: Power Shift in Washington DC, April 15-18

Power Shift 2011 will be held in Washington DC’s Convention Center — the largest available space in the nation’s capital — on April 15-18.

The event is organized by the Energy Action Coalition, a coalition of 50 youth-led environmental and social justice groups working together to build the youth clean energy and climate movement. Here is what Power Shift is about:

Power Shift 2011 is our opportunity to come together and define the way forward for our movement. Together we'll celebrate our grassroots success stories, hear from movement leaders, and learn from and train each other to launch new campaigns. We'll take bold action to set the tone in Washington and show them what true leadership looks like. If it's anything like years past, Power Shift 2011 is bound to be historic.

Power Shift 2007 and 2009 were the largest convergences of young environmental and social justice activists in U.S. history. The 2009 event was the largest lobby day ever on Capitol Hill.

Learn More about Power Shift 2011 here.

To REGISTER, click here (Deadline March 13th)


Additional Web links:

• An extensive post about University at Buffalo student involvement in Power Shift 2009 is here.

• Power Shift 2011 FaceBook Page is here.

• UB students also held a local Power Shift event in 2010.

• To see earlier posts about Power Shift 2009, click here.

Sustainability Bazaar at UB on April 8

The Sustainability Bazaar will be held on Friday, April 8 at the University at Buffalo. The Bazaar formally begins at 11:00am and ends at 2:00pm, with set up beginning at 10:30am and take-down concluding at 3:00 pm. We will provide tables and any other accommodations you may need, such as electrical outlets.

We encourage you to bring posters, pamphlets, handouts, and any other literature with you. You have the opportunity to meet with students who are interested in your organization as both potential customers and interns or employees. If you would like to sell your products at this event, please let us know. You will need to file a permit to do this. In addition, if you would like to donate products or gift certificates for a raffle or giveaway that day, these donations would be appreciated greatly.

The Sustainability Bazaar will be taking place in the Student Union on the North Campus of the University at Buffalo. Parking passes will be provided courtesy of the Student Association. As a reminder, we are asking for a nominal $10 fee to attend this event, with further donations appreciated. Checks should be made out to Student Association with Sustainability Bazaar in the memo line. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

If you wish to participate in this event, we ask that you fill out the information request form and send it to wjbecker@buffalo.edu.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Environmental Information Fair at Buffalo State College

Buffalo State College and NYPIRG will be hosting the 4th annual Environmental Information Fair on Tuesday, April 19 from 11:30-1:30. This event will serve to create awareness among the campus and surrounding community, and will promote a cleaner Western New York as we inform the community about going green!

We are looking for interested organizations to host tables for this event and provide the community with information about the services that they offer. We are also looking for donations for raffle prizes.

The fair location is outdoors under tents in the Perry Quad on campus – rain or shine.

We will supply tables, covers, chairs, and organization signs. “Hands-on” displays are encouraged.

If interested, or if you have any questions please feel free to contact Lauren Bostaph at 716-878-6835 or at whitela@buffalostate.edu.

Annie Leonard to Speak at SUNY Fredonia

2011 Sustainability Series at SUNY Fredonia

Keynote Speaker: Annie Leonard

The Story of Stuff - How Our Obsession with Stuff is Trashing Our Planet, Our Communities and Our Health - and A Vision for Change

• When: March 8th @ 7:00 pm

• Where: SUNY Fredonia, King Concert Hall (Map )

• Cost: $5 with student ID, $15 general admissions (tickets can be purchased Online Here - enter the codeword EDUCATE and pay only $10, not $15)

Annie Leonard is the founder of the Story of Stuff film series, several 20-minute videos that explain some of the world’s most significant environmental dilemmas using easy, down-to-earth language that gets the message across to people of all ages, backgrounds and education levels. She was named one of the “Five Most Important Environmental Movement Leaders” by the Washington Examiner in 2010.

Since her initial film’s launch in 2007 — which to date has generated more than 12 million online viewers — Leonard has leveraged it into a project (www.storyofstuff.com) and a 2010 book of the same title (made from 100 percent recycled and compostable materials, of course). She has become one of the nation’s foremost authorities on the topic of consumer behavior and its impact on the environment, appearing in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, the Huffington Post, Wired and Fast Company magazines, and on Comedy Central’s “Colbert Report,” among other major media outlets.

Check out Annie Leonard and her Story of Stuff on the Colbert Report:

***

An earlier blog post about Sustainability and the Story of Stuff is here.

Chautauqua County GREEN EXPO

Announcing the

2nd Annual Chautauqua County
GREEN EXPO

and

Household Electronics Recycling Event

and

Sustainable Taste of Fredonia

FREE and Open to the Public

• WHEN: Saturday, March 26, 2011 -- 10 AM to 6 PM

• WHERE: SUNY Fredonia, Steele Hall [Map]
  

• WHAT: Featuring Exhibitors, Vendors, and Organizations with Green products, services, or concepts to inform local residents about Green alternatives to fundamental household and consumer needs.

Concurrently, also featuring:

• 4th Annual Household Electronics Recycling Event from 10 am until 2 pm
• A 'Sustainable Taste of Fredonia' Event, with local restaurants serving organic and locally grown foodstuffs.

Exhibitors and Vendors: Please REGISTER ONLINE NOW

For a Printable Flyer, Click Here.

Green Expo Website: Click Here.

Additional Information: Please contact Sherri Mason, Sustainability Coordinator, at mason@fredonia.edu or (716) 673-3292.

Clean Up the West Valley Nuclear Site

Let NY State Know

it's time to

Clean Up the West Valley Nuclear Site

Bring your mop, bucket and broom to a West Valley Cleanup Crew Media Event!

• WHAT: News Conference and Media Event
  

• WHEN: Tuesday, September 1, at Noon (Please arrive at 11:45 AM)

• WHERE: NYS Energy Research & Development Agency, Larkin Building, 726 Exchange Street, Buffalo [Map]

Join a coalition of environmental, religious, conservation and community groups and state policymakers. The media event will alert the public to the end of the public comment period on the West Valley cleanup plan and announce a "Phone-a-thon Day" on September 2nd where people are asked to call the Department of Energy in support of a full cleanup.

The main theme of the event is to have a "cleanup crew" of people with mops, buckets and brooms call on the state and federal agencies to approve a full cleanup of the West Valley site to protect Lake Erie.

Sponsored by Center for Health, Environment & Justice, Catholic Charities, Citizens' Environmental Coalition, Great Lakes Sports Fishing Council, Nuclear Information & Resource Service, Sierra Club Niagara Group and others. For more information, contact Diane D'Arrigo, NIRS, at dianed@nirs.org

Information on the need to cleanup the West Valley Nuclear Site, click here.

Information on the decommissioning of the West Valley Nuclear Waste Site is here.

Event: Climate Change and Policy

The Heat is On -- Climate Change and Emerging Policies

Speaker: Mary G. Wilson, National President, League of Women Voters

This special event honors Taffy Tarbell, an accomplished League of Women Voters leader and tireless advocate.

• More Information

• Registration Form -- Reservations due by April 15.

Burchfield Penney Art Center,1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo [Map]

Business Gets Green: December 11th

On Thursday, December 11th, from 5:30 to 7:30pm at the Buffalo Museum of Science, Buffalo's Green Gold Development Corporation will host the 6th monthly session of Business Gets Green, a networking series for green businesses and businesses that want to explore going green. All are welcome and admission is Free. The session will feature presentations by:

• Gary Hydock, GCS Radiant, on radiant floor heating

• David Lanfear, Bale-on-Bale Construction, on building a model green house, featuring superinsulation, solar hot water, photovoltaics, reclaimed materials, and a completely insulated slab with radiant heat. Video presentation.
  

• Brian Reilly, Buffalo Economic Development Commissioner, on the new South Buffalo Greenbelt proposal to redevelop the South Buffalo brownfields as a hot bed for green business
  

• David Hahn Baker, CAO's Environmental Justice Center, will present a proposal to turn one of CAO's buildings into a showcase for green technology. Video presentation.

• David Majewski, Premium Services, will talk briefly about synergies in Low Impact Development (LID) that are continuing to grow as a result of green businesses communicating with each other.

Presentations at this session, like those at earlier Business Gets Green sessions, will be videotaped and shown on LCTV. To see videos of earlier presentations, check out the VideoWebWorks Business Gets Green Group on YouTube.

For more information, e-mail Bill Nowak at bill.nowak2@verizon.net
.

Green Jobs Conference

NY State Assemblyman Sam Hoyt

will host a

GREEN JOBS CONFERENCE

• WHEN: Saturday, November 22, 8am to Noon

• WHERE: Erie Community College, 121 Ellicott St, Buffalo
  

• MAP: Click here
  

• RSVP: Click here

The Green Jobs Conference will be an in-depth discussion of how we can overcome existing obstacles, including lack of training and a need to recruit new employers, to create new jobs at all skill and wage levels. Economic growth based on careers for “green” industries has the potential to create both long-term fiscal stability for the region and a healthier, more environmentally-conscious community. Topics will include community revitalization, manufacturing, transportation, energy, creating opportunities and industries, training programs, waste management and recycling, public awareness and education, public health and food. The conference is open to the public.

For more information on how Green Jobs benefit the economy, Click Here.
.

Environmental Summit at Daemen College

4th Annual Environmental Summit

"My Environment, My Choice"

This FREE event will include multiple workshops to address questions about greening your home and promoting environmental responsibility. The full AGENDA is here.

WHEN: Saturday, September 27, 8:30AM to 12:30PM
WHERE: Daemen College, 4380 Main St., Amherst, NY [Town MAP]
MEETING: Wick Center [Campus MAP]

REGISTER: Click here, or Phone 839-8524.
An event FLYER is here.

The Summit will include a "GREEN JOBS NOW" event hosted by Brenda Young as part of a National Day of Action. The local Apollo Alliance chapter will have an informational table and speak briefly about green jobs. For more information, and to register, click here.

GREEN JOBS NOW is project of Green for All, 1Sky, and the WE Campaign.

Business Gets Green: Session IV

The next session of Business Gets Green will be Thursday, September 18 at the Buffalo Museum of Science from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. If you are interested in giving a 1 to 2 minute filmed introduction of your business at the beginning of this session, please e-mail Bill Nowak at bill.nowak2@verizon.net .

Cheryl Zanghi, Director, Buffalo's Green Hospitality Initiative, wherein the Convention and Visitor's Bureau is working with local hotels and others to provide a green and clean experience for visitors to conventions and conferences in WNY.

Frank Kennedy, from one of the original local Green Gold businesses, will discuss his patented insulated block, which has been used to build over one hundred highly energy-efficient buildings throughout the US. Thermal insulated block offers a tremendous opportunity for builders, developers, architects, and engineers to reduce our carbon footprint using a proven, available, economical alternative to standard block.

David Hahn Baker, a member of the Green Gold board,is a consultant to the Community Action Organization which for over 40 years has administered the county's Head Start programs. Dave is helping design CAO's environmental program which is working on projects to prevent lead poisoning, foster brownfield redevelopment, educate the community on environmental issues, reduce exposure to air pollutants, and foster urban agriculture.

Dave Bauer, President of Sustainable Earth Solutions, where in the empowerment and training of youth and small business owners is used to achieve sustainable action plans on environmental issues. SES applies the world-wide, research-based model of creative problem solving in achieving its clients' goals.

Business Gets Green is sponsored by the Green Gold Development Corporation.