We will be planting 12 raised beds at Lamp Ministries on South 26th and Jefferson as well as installing a rain barrels, so we need everyone to come out. The starts have all been donated and the beds are built. All we need to do is put them in the ground. Show up at 10am and bring some gloves!

See you all out there!

4:00 PM Vegan Cooking Class–”See Amanda serve up Sea Vegetables!”
6:00 PM Plant-based/Vegan/veggie Potluck (This is Earthsave’s central tenet.)
7:00 PM — 2011 is the year of the backyard garden. And Dr. Martin.
8:30 PM Enviro/Health/Food/Ethic music and conversation

Special Event: Just after the speaker, there will be a special showing of Carbon Nation — Inspiring in the midst of a lot of confusion and consternation about the climate/environment.

Sponsored by EarthSave Louisville
Home Location: United Crescent Hill Ministries
150 State Street
Louisville, KY 40206

You can learn more here at their website.

Tomorrow is our first Garden Liaison meeting in a season long series that will train you in sustainable urban agriculture and put you in touch with community members wishing to start their own garden. This meeting will be an introduction to the Garden Liaison program, its objectives, and the basics of food justice.

Starting a community garden can be daunting and very rewarding. One of the most important factors in a successful community project is community support. As a Garden Liaison you will guide a garden through the season, sharing what you are learning at our meetings.

You do not need to have extensive knowledge on gardening as we will be teaching you everything you will need to know throughout the summer at the Garden Liaison meetings, so please do not be shy. Volunteering is a great way to learn something new and a great way to give back to the community you live in and love!

So even if you are just curious and trying to figure out if you’re interested in being a part of this program please join us.

6-7pm
The Shady Fern Garden
1622 Fernwood Ave
Louisville, KY 40205

You can find more information on our website.

There is a small chance of heavy rain, in which case we’ll move it to next weekend, but I can’t think of a better way to give back to our community. If you’re wondering if it’s still on give me a call: 502-724-1509

Tree seedling species include dogwood, redbud, paw paw, white pine, bald cypress, black gum, sycamore, shellbark hickory, black oak, and possibly Kentucky coffeetree, willow oak, and black walnut.

Volunteers are welcome in 3 shifts: 8:30am to 11:00; 11:00 to 1:30; and 1:30 to 4:00pm. Volunteers can just show up and help Forester Bean, Jack Francis, or Stephen Spanyer. If you know ahead of time that you want to volunteer please send Mason an email just so we can get a round about number.

As always, thanks for your continued support.

www.unep.org/billiointreecampaign

www.highlandsarborday.info

Tonight we are hosting a screening of Gown in Detroit at the Henry Clay building on Chestnut and 3rd after a talk by Wes Jackson, the founder of the Land Institute, in partnership with the Festival of Faiths. It’s fun, educational and free. After the film we will have a panel discussion, moderated by New Roots, about the impact of urban gardens on the community. Please come out and show your support!

*6-8PM *
*Wes Jackson: An Ecological Approach to Agriculture*
Founder President of the Land Institute. *MORE INFO HERE.*

*8:30PM*
*Sacred Soil Film Series:*
Grown in Detroit film & discussion *MORE INFO HERE.*

One last thing, I am speaking at the Green Convene this Friday at 4:00pm and Saturday at 10am. The Green Convene 2010 will showcase sustainability successes in an engaging program focusing on climate change, green building design, local foods, land conservation, transportation, and more. This unique and inspiring two-day program will present real world examples of sustainable actions from industry and grass roots experts, panel conversations, general interest, and technical breakout sessions.

Confirmed Speakers include:

* Mary Lou Northern, Sustainability Director, Louisville Metro Government
* Tom Fitzgerald, Director of the Kentucky Resources Council
* Dr. Keith Mountain, Glaciologist at University of Louisville
* Paul Kaplan, Office of the Secretary, Finance and Administration Cabinet, administrator of “The Green Bank of Kentucky”
* LMH Architecture, K. Norman Berry Associates
* Luckett & Farley Architects

We need volunteers for this event – any amount of time you can give.

Friday, November 12 – 11:00am-5:30pm

Saturday, November 13 – 8:00am-4:30pm

* Greeters/Wayfinders,
* Registration desk
* AV support
* Moderators

Volunteers do not need to commit to the whole day but rather to particular time slots according to their availability. Please contact Sarah atsylvangrl@gmail.com or (502) 432-2677 for more information and to sign-up! Here’s their website: http://www.greenconvene.org/

So come out, get involved and I will be looking forward to seeing you all soon.

All the best,
Mason

The next day we were blessed to be included in the culminating dinner for the 10/10/10 Work Day dinner. Throughout the day different community projects were conducted ranging from working in community gardens to installing solar panels on roofs. These projects were selected to highlight the attainable solutions we have to our environmental problems. This gave us a chance to connect with each other as well as the 7,347 other project happening around the world. Nothing feels better than feeling the power a community has when it acts together, especially a global community.

You can check out a slide show of the projects at 350.org.

Thank you to all who attended and please come out and see us at the Global Village 10/29/10 at YUM Center Downtown before the My Morning Jacket concert. If you have an event that you would like us to attend or help “green” please contact us using the Contact page.

It must seem life forever since we have done an event so we have taken on participating in three great ones over this next month:

10/9/10 –
10am-2pm –
Willow Pond in Cherokee Park –
Join us for a celebration of Beargrass Creek! Fishing lessons, Canoe & Kayak demos, music, vendors and more!

10/10/10 –
4pm-8pm –
UCHM, 150 South State St. (at Frankfort Ave.) –
This is a nation wide event meant to raise awareness of sustainability issues and the local groups committed to working towards a better future. Also, free food at 5:15pm – bring some can good for donation.

10/29/10 –
YUM Center Downtown –
“Local Village” event before the My Morning Jacket Concert which will showcase local non-profit groups.

Come out, enjoy the fall weather and get to know us better!

Also, the Internships applications deadline has been EXTENDED until this Wednesday February 24th. Please continue to encourage students to apply. Information for the Garden Commons and the applications for internships an be found here: http://louisville.edu/culturalcenter/garden.

Lastly, the build date is still on for March 3rd at 2:00pm! We are counting on you to spread the word about all of this and keep the momentum going. Thank you all for your work and commitment to this exciting initiative and we will be in touch soon!

We will assemble and spell out “350″ with our bodies at 3:50 PM. There will be music, speakers, exhibits, puppets, theater, and an aerial flyover to take a photo for the worldwide 350 event. Come be part of the solution! Everyone is welcome and don’t forget to visit our booth!

“350 parts per million is what many scientists, climate experts, and progressive national governments are now saying is the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere.

Accelerating arctic warming and other early climate impacts have led scientists to conclude that we are already above the safe zone at our current 390ppm, and that unless we are able to rapidly return to 350 ppm this century, we risk reaching tipping points and irreversible impacts such as the melting of the Greenland ice sheet and major methane releases from increased permafrost melt.”

Check out 350.org for more information on the movement.