Regional Conference on Building ReUse

Buffalo ReUse and the Building Materials Reuse Association are co-sponsoring the Great Lakes Building ReUse Conference in Buffalo, NY. This will be the first regional conference on developing and implementing building deconstruction and other creative solutions to address problems and solutions surrounding vacant and abandoned structures.

The purpose of the conference is to share creative strategies that foster community, develop job opportunities, and strengthen the local economy for all residents. Participants include community activists, students, policymakers, architects, city planners, grant makers, funders, contractors, building owners and other people eager to initiate and expand programs that employ building reuse and vacant property stabilization in "rust belt" cities surrounding the Great Lakes and throughout the country.

WHEN: Sunday, November 16 to Tuesday, November 18

WHERE: Hyatt Regency Buffalo, Two Fountain Plaza [ Map is HERE ]

SCHEDULE: Click HERE

FEATURED PRESENTATIONS: click HERE
Monday, Nov. 17: Tyree Guyton & Jenenne Whitfield of The Heidelberg Project
Tuesday, Nov. 18: Mayor Jay Williams of Youngstown, Ohio

WORKSHOPS: Six on Monday, Nov. 17, and three on Tuesday, Nov. 18 [ Click HERE ]

FREE TO THE PUBLIC: Tuesday, Nov. 18: 5–7pm
Local Vacant Property Summit. Buffalo residents and local policymakers strongly encouraged to attend. Moderated by Michael Groman of Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and Anthony Armstrong of LISC Buffalo.
[Note added on 11/15: A story about Michael Groman's work on greening Philadelphia appears in today's Buffalo News]

REGISTER at www.greatlakesreuse.org.
Several registration levels - including nonprofit and student rates - are available.
For more information, send E-mail or call 716.885.4131

Help Him Change the World

"We can choose hope over fear, unity over division; the promise of change over the power of the status quo. I’m Barack Obama. If you give me your vote on Tuesday, we won’t just win this election – together, we will change this country and Change the World." -- Senator Obama, Democratic Radio Address, Nov. 1, 2008

The Buffalo News will cover the election live on the Web. Following the election on Tuesday, Nov. 4, Barack Obama will appear in Chicago's Grant Park to deliver a speech. Hopes are high among many Americans, including me, that election day will end with a victory speech in Grant Park and a real celebration. If we want it, we can make it happen by getting out the Vote for Obama!

The possibility of an election day celebration in Chicago's Grant Park reminds me of a song from the early 70's, "Saturday in the Park", by the rock group that bears the city's name, Chicago. It's an upbeat song mixed with some politically-charged phrases of the day, like "listen children, all is not lost", and "will you help him change the world". I hope that the celebratory feeling of the song will reflect the election outcome. Check out the song and video here.

Help him change the world...vote for Barack Obama on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

The Buffalo News has endorsed Obama. The News has a Web page for voters that provides a convenient comparison of Obama's and McCain's stands on a variety of policy issues. The Web page is here. It also shows the News endorsements for local election contests including Congress, State Senate and Assembly, District Attorney and State Supreme Court. Check it out, and get out and vote on Tuesday!

Polling Place Finder and Map: click here
=

Great Lakes: Restore the GREATness

The Great Lakes basin contains 90% of the surface fresh water in North America, and 20% of the world's supply. Unfortunately, the Great Lakes aren't doing so great these days. Sewage from surrounding cites, toxic sediments, and invasive species are diminishing the quality of the water. The pollution and environmental destruction have raised cries from many who advocate that a major cleanup of our precious waterways is long overdue. Promises were made by President Bush in his 2004 re-election campaign, but little money to actually perform the cleanup has been provided by the federal government.

The Great Lakes basin in the U.S. includes New York, Illinois, Michigan as well as five other states that are crucial in the current presidentional race: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Senator McCain is said to be for a cleanup, but has yet to put forward a plan. Senator Obama is a co-sponsor of legislation to implement the restoration of the Great Lakes, a part of his environmental plan. Heather Zichal, Obama's energy and environmental policy director, has said that Obama, hailing from a Great Lakes state, understands the lake's dire situation and would give them top billing. For the full story in the Buffalo News, click here.

The Great Lakes are a vital part of our environment. The lakes are the source of fresh water for millions of people, and they support regional agriculture, recreation, tourism and a muti-billion dollar fishing industry. The waterways are also economically important for hydropower, shipping and manufacturing. Restoring a healthy environment by cleaning up the Great Lakes needs to be strongly supported by our next president. The League of Conservation Voters gave Senator McCain a very low lifetime rating based on important environmental legislation, while Barack Obama was given the highest lifetime rating. McCain has no environmental plan on his website, while Obama does. To read Obama's environmental plan, including a section on "Restore the Great Lakes", click here. Obama has also proposed a trust fund towards implementing the full restoration of the Great Lakes.

Political Candidates discuss Sustainability

Candidates confirmed to attend are Jerry Schad , Sam Hoyt,
Alice Kryzan and Joe Mesi.

MAP to Allen Hall is HERE.

This event is sponsored by the student-led
UB Environmental Network

For more on Sustainability, and an informative and clever video, click here.

Buffalo News: Obama for President

Buffalo News -- EDITORIAL -- Sunday, Oct.19, 2008

Obama for President
Voters should seize the chance to elect a transformative leader

The only thing we have to fear, a great president once said, is fear itself. Barack Obama is not afraid. Concerned. Alert. Maybe even a little alarmed. But the Democratic candidate for president of the United States is not afraid and, of perhaps even more importance, he does not seek to be elected by making us afraid.

If Americans want a future where our leaders respond to challenges with judgment and principle, rather than panic and rashness, they will elect Barack Obama president. We recommend they do so.

For the full endorsement, visit BuffaloNews.com.

Many Americans agree with the endorsement. Yesterday, a record crowd of 100,000 people turned out in St. Louis, MO, to hear Senator Obama speak!
A picture is below, and the full text of the speech is HERE.

[click to enlarge]

Local Candidates endorsed by NYLCV

The New York League of Conservation Voters, the political voice for New York's environmental community, has announced its "green" slate of candidates for the Nov. 4, 2008 general election.

"Now more than ever, we need innovative elected officials who will lead the fight against climate change, end our dependence on foreign oil and create a new ‘green' economy," said Marcia Bystryn, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters. "Members of our 2008 slate understand these challenges and will help lead New York State toward a cleaner, greener future."

Local candidates endorsed by NYLCV include, Alice Kryzan for Congress, Antoine Thompson and William Stachowski for State Senate, as well as Sam Hoyt and Mark Schroeder for State Assembly. Click on the candidate's name for links that include district maps and information about each candidate's eco-accomplishments and agenda to combat climate change and other environmental issues. To see a list of all the endorsed candidates from Western and Central NY, with links to their district maps and additional information, click here.

For additional information on the local election races reported in the Buffalo News, click here.

Business Gets Green: October 16th

The next session of Business Gets Green will be Thursday, October 16th, at the Buffalo Museum of Science from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. There is no admission fee.

Business Gets Green has been an exciting and dynamic series where businesses get to network, learn about going green, and promote themselves all at the same time! The lineup for major presentations at October's session will feature:

Paul Vargovich, Jr., National Solar Technologies:
NST is a WNY manufacturer of renewable lighting and power systems for a multitude of applications. These include portable power systems, commercial power systems, street lighting, parking lot lighting, area/walkway lighting, flood lighting and custom-engineered lighting and power systems. NST is a GSA Contractor that provides its products and services throughout the US Federal Government.

Judy Einach, Exec. Director, NY Sustainable Agriculture Working Group
Erwin Rakoczy, Maker of Fine Hard Ciders, Farmers' Market Aficionado
Christa Glennie Seychew, Founder of Feed Your Soul, exclusive culinary events:
Strengthen Our Local Food System & Grow the Green Economy is the title of this presentation. It will offer insight into the role and impacts of a strengthened local food system on the regional economy, provide an overview of the proliferation of farmers' markets and what this means to farmers, consumers and the local economy, and report on recent activities and planned activities connecting local farmers with local chefs and consumers.

Andy McLellan and David Scott, UNYS / Environmental Education Associates, Inc.:
Since 1987, EEA has been training workers to safely handle and remove asbestos, lead, mold and other hazards. They are the largest environmental certification training provider in Upstate New York.

Kerri Bentkowski, Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper:
The presentation will highlight the Riverkeeper campaign to distribute thousands of rain barrels to collect rainwater and cut the impact of polluting storm water runoff. This is an exciting, readily available, low tech tool that businesses and homeowners can use to reduce their environmental footprint.

Those interested in giving a 1 to 2 minute filmed introduction of their business or organization at the beginning of this session should contact Bill Nowak at bill.nowak2@verizon.net.

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

WNY Climate Action: FREE MOVIE NIGHT

FREE MOVIE NIGHT

sponsored by the

WNY Climate Action Coalition

• When: Wednesday, October 15, 7 pm. Refreshments at 6:30pm

• Where: Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo, Elmwood Ave at West Ferry St.

FIGHTING GOLIATH: To see the film trailer, click here.
"The heart of this film is really about the issues of health, future generations, and the value of our own land and resources. The film was made to support the story of the Texas coalition and their struggle against a giant power company. It is our way of giving other states and communities a model for what can happen when people take personal responsibility and get results. We want people to know that they don’t have to give up hope."
- Robert Redford, Film Narrator

BLOOD AND OIL: To see the film trailer, click here.
The notion that oil motivates America's military engagements in the Middle East is often disregarded as nonsense or mere conspiracy theory. In Blood and Oil, bestselling author and Nation magazine defense correspondent Michael T. Klare challenges this conventional wisdom and corrects the historical record. Blood and Oil calls for a radical re-thinking of US energy policy, warning that unless we change direction, we stand to be drawn into one oil war after another as the global hunt for diminishing world petroleum supplies accelerates.

WNY Climate Action Coalition meetings are open to the public. Meetings are held at the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Buffalo at 7 PM on the third Wednesday of every month, and the WNYCAC is grateful to the church’s Social Justice Task Force for its sponsorship. For more information, contact Walter Simpson, enconser@buffalo.edu.

Business Gets Green IV: Videos

The fourth session of Business Gets Green was held on September 18th at the Buffalo Museum of Science. Links to Videos of the presentations are listed below.

Featured Presentations:

• Frank Kennedy, President, NRG Insulated Block

• Deborah Robins, Vice President, RubberForm Recycled Products

• David Hahn Baker, Consultant, Community Action Organization of Erie County

• Dave Bauer, President, Sustainable Earth Solutions

Short Presentations: click here

Videos are courtesy of LCTV and videographer Jon Allen.

The next session of Business Gets Green will be held on October 16th. If you are interested in giving a 1 to 2 minute filmed introduction of your business or organization at the beginning of this session, please let Bill Nowak know via email at bill.nowak2@verizon.net.

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