From Susie.Shields@deq.state.ok.us Tue Mar 1 22:04:36 2005 From: Susie.Shields@deq.state.ok.us (Shields, Susie) Date: Tue, 1 Mar 2005 16:04:36 -0600 Subject: [ok-sus] dolphin-safe tuna Message-ID: Dolphin-safe tuna available in U.S.=20 (from Earth Island Institute www.dolphinsafetuna.com = ) * StarKist Seafood Company (Del Monte)=20 * Chicken of the Sea (ThaiUnion Int.)=20 * BumbleBee Seafoods Inc. From Robert Waldrop" Big Garden Day! We spent all day today working on the garden. Hired 3 folks to help, plus two of us. We did a lot of clean up, and made two new beds out of logs, one of them is 4 X 30, the other about 3 X 10. What's the point in having a garden if you can 't move things around as you please, that's what I say. It helps if you have help, of course. Added some new vertical elements, an 8 foot windmill I got on sale, and two 6' metal arches. Dewberries will grow up the windmill and grapes up and over the metal arches. They are placed so that as the grapes grow, they will nicely shade my favorite "sittin' log", part of one of the old elm trees that were original tenants of this property (we counted the tree rings after the ice storm knocked it down and it was older than the neighborhood by about 20 years.) Planted some 7-top turnips (which are grown primarily for their greens), some "mustard spinach" (described as heat and drought tolerant on the package) and "rainbow" chard, which has a picture of a highly variegated chard on the cover, should be very attractive. A lot of the cleanup involved the area where the old garage had been. Just behind that was an area of soil, but the top layer was heavily contaminated with asphalt from roof shingles that had disintegrated and were knocked off by wind and rain. Regretfully we consigned that to the dump, as I couldn't think of anything to do with mulch and soil that was completely combined with asphalt shingle bits and pieces. We used 4 bales of straw making the new beds and adding mulch "all around". Looking at the former garage space, I found places for about 10 more edible shrubs, which is good because I have more coming with this year's bulk purchase of edible shrubs and trees. I can also see my outdoor kitchen and bread oven, I need to accumulate some more bricks so we can start that this summer. Looking at the concrete pad, and the placement of the existing trees, it looks to me like we will have some nice shady sittin' areas too for the summer heat. We got the first blooms four days ago, two Nanking cherry bushes. We have had light freezes the last couple of nights, they seem to be coming through fine. One of the peach and one of the apricot are on the verge of full bloom, it seems early to me, but our winter has been very mild, with lots of "mild March weather" in February. March truly has come "in like a lamb" this year. Yesterday was a fine day for gardening, a bit chilly in the morning but by early afternoon we were doing fine. To make the new beds, we removed the sod, then put down two layers of heavy cardboard (appliance boxes), a layer of straw, then topsoil, compost and straw mixed together, then topped that with a layer of straw mulch. For the sides, we used logs, some standing up, some laying down. The "Lincoln log lawn" landscape I guess you would call it. I cut up the seed potatoes and laid them out to harden a bit, I will plant them tomorrow in buckets, in a mixture of vermiculite, compost, and soil. We'll see how this lighter planting mix works this year. Robert Waldrop www.bettertimesinfo.org/2005garden.htm From Robert Waldrop" This essay reports some interesting research on the value of buying local food to local economies. Robert Waldrop, Oklahoma Food Cooperative www.oklahomafood.coop\ VOTE WITH YOUR FORK! www.fogcity.blogs.com/jen/2005/01/vote_with_your_. html Vote with your fork: Buying locally means more to the local economy A couple of months ago, I went to an event called "Food Fight" hosted by the San Francisco Professional Food Society. It was an afternoon full of people who are committed to making their mark in changing the food industry. The keynote speech was by Anuradha Mittal, executive director of the Oakland Institute. I wish that I could afford to duplicate her speech and send it out to all corners of the nation -- it was a powerful argument for local and non-corporate food purchasing. There is such a focus on the bottom line for corporations that the amount of food that is moved from place to place is astonishing. Using California as an example, Ms. Mittal cited: > 20% of Californian table grapes are sent to China. China is the world's largest producer of table grapes. > Half of all processed tomatoes that California exports go to Canada. At the same time, the U.S. imports $36 million of Canadian processed tomatoes yearly. > California exports brussels sprouts to Canada and imports brussels sprouts from Belgium. > $70,000 of California pistachios are sent to New York, then travel by ship to Italy, while California imports $50,000 of pistachios from Italy. > The US imports $19 million of Canadian cherries a year, while Canada is the second most important destination for California cherries. In his book Eat Here, Reclaiming Homegrown Pleasures in a Global Supermarket, Brian Halweil points out that local crops bring more dollars to the local economy than imported crops, stating: "A study by the New Economics Foundation in London found that every £10 spent at a local food business is worth £25 for the local area, compared with just £14 when the same amount is spent in a supermarket. That is, a pound (or dollar, peso, or rupee) spent locally generates twice as much income for the local economy. The farmer buys a drink at the local pub; the pub owner gets a car tune-up at the local mechanic; the mechanic brings a shirt to the local tailor; the tailor buys some bread at the local bakery; the baker buys wheat for bread and fruit for muffins from the local farmer. When these businesses are not owned locally, money leaves the community at every transaction." Imagine the multiplying effect on our own communities and even more so on developing countries! So what do we do with all of this information? We can continue to spread the word, and talk about the importance of buying local. When purchasing food, we can look at where it is coming from. We can ask ourselves if there are any local, in season alternatives to buying imported food. We can vote with our forks (or our pieholes - as my mother would say). Unlike so many things that are out of our control in this world, this is a decision that we can make daily, several times a day. Even if we all made the decision to by 10% of our products locally, that would begin to make a huge difference in our communities -- and maybe more importantly, it would begin to send a strong message to our government and to the large corporations that these are issues that we care about, and that it is something that we are going to pay attention to. * Special thanks to the Oakland Institute for providing Ms. Mittal's speech. For more information, or to sign up for email updates, see The Oakland Institute website WHO WE ARE: This e-mail service shares information to help more people discuss crucial policy issues affecting global food security. The service is managed by Amber McNair of the University of Toronto in association with the Munk Centre for International Studies and Wayne Roberts of the Toronto Food Policy Council, in partnership with the Community Food Security Coalition, World Hunger Year, and International Partners for Sustainable Agriculture. Please help by sending information or names and e-mail addresses of co-workers who'd like to receive this service, to foodnews@ca.inter.net From maura@oklatel.net Thu Mar 3 14:46:43 2005 From: maura@oklatel.net (Maura McDermott) Date: Thu, 3 Mar 2005 08:46:43 -0600 Subject: [ok-sus] CSAs in Oklahoma Message-ID: <00af01c51fff$d1b8d500$957596d8@5t6g501> Growing Food and Community: CSA Takes Root in Oklahoma Small family farmers struggling to make a living, tasteless produce shipped thousands of miles from pesticide-drenched fields to supermarket shelves, and a state full of kids (and parents) who aren't eating enough fresh fruits and vegetables to stay healthy…. Many people are tired of hearing about all the problems with food and farming in Oklahoma. Rather than throwing up their hands, though, some modern-day Oklahoma pioneers are digging in to plant an innovative solution: CSA. Those initials stand for "Community Supported Agriculture," or, as some prefer to call it, "Community Sustaining Agriculture." Others use the term "subscription farming," which gives a hint as to what's actually going on. In CSA, a farm's customers commit to buy a share of the season's produce. As members, they receive weekly baskets of that pre-paid bounty throughout the growing season. This arrangement lets the people who eat the food take on some of the financial risk of farming, literally putting their money where their mouths are when it comes to supporting family farms and sustainable agriculture in Oklahoma. For the rest of the article and a list of CSAs in Oklahoma (now's the time to sign up!) go to: http://www.kerrcenter.com/community_food/CSA_takes_root.htm Maura McDermott Communications Director Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture PO Box 588 Poteau, OK 74953 918.647.9123 www.kerrcenter.com "There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world: and that is an idea whose time has come." --Victor Hugo From Susie.Shields@deq.state.ok.us Thu Mar 3 20:12:01 2005 From: Susie.Shields@deq.state.ok.us (Shields, Susie) Date: Thu, 3 Mar 2005 14:12:01 -0600 Subject: [ok-sus] OSN conference carpooling and registration notes Message-ID: The Oklahoma Sustainability Network (OSN) would like to announce the = availability of a forum set up for carpooling to the 2005 conference = April 8 in Stillwater. You may post your request here: = http://lists.oksustainability.org/forum/ You may also register for the conference on-line or print a registration = form to mail (cut-off for $25 registration fee is March 30; after that = date the fee is $40; there is also a reduced student fee available): = http://lists.oksustainability.org/conf_registration.php The conference agenda may be viewed here: = http://www.oksustainability.org/conf2005/2005osnagenda.pdf We greatly appreciate your help in spreading the word about the = conference! Hope to see you April 8 in Stillwater . . . From Chikaskia@aol.com Fri Mar 4 02:46:47 2005 From: Chikaskia@aol.com (Chikaskia@aol.com) Date: Thu, 3 Mar 2005 21:46:47 EST Subject: [ok-sus] road transport of food costs Message-ID: <9d.5abe732c.2f592617@aol.com> --part1_9d.5abe732c.2f592617_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Subj: [reinhabit] Road transport of food costs ("Go local is the key...")= =A0 =20 Date: 3/3/05 2:38:17 PM Central Standard Time=20 From: jeanbean@baymoon.com =20 Reply-to: reinhabit@lists.riseup.net =20 To: reinhabit@lists.riseup.net =20 Sent from the Internet (Details) =20 =20 The New Scientist=A0=20 March 2, 2005 http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=3Ddn7092 Driving food home can cost the Earth By Andy Coghlan Buying home-grown produce instead of exotic imports will not help save the planet if it must then be driven home. That is the message for consumers from a comprehensive analysis of the hidden environmental and economic costs of food in the UK. The report could have implications for all industrialised nations with similar patterns of food production and distribution. "Go local is the key, and you create a benefit by not driving," says Jules Pretty of the University of Essex in Colchester, UK, who led the study. It concluded that shuttling food around by road and rail within the country imposes a far greater environmental burden than so called "air-miles" widely touted by green campaigners as the greatest menace. Using data from previous studies, Pretty and his colleagues estimated the hidden economic cost of environmental damage caused by a number of factors, including car transport, farm pollution and government subsidies. These produce hidden impacts, such as that of exhaust pollution on respiratory health and the capacity of vehicle emissions to accelerate global warming. Repairing this damage is not factored into the price of food, and so is a "hidden" cost. Combining these estimates with published data on national food consumption patterns and freight distribution, Pretty and his colleagues worked out that in total, hidden costs would add a further 11.8% to the price of the average UK food basket, and by far the biggest contribution to this comes from transport within the UK. Taking food from farm to shop accounts for 29% of the hidden costs, and taking it home 16%. Tiny contribution The other big contributions come from government subsidies (36%) and the unmet costs of environmental damage on farms, such as cleaning up pollution or replanting hedgerows (19%). But the air- and ship-miles contribution is tiny, less than 0.1%, the study suggests. Of the two million tonnes of produce imported into the UK by air each year, just 110,000 tonnes are fruit, vegetables and meat, says Pretty. And this compares with a massive 1.58 billion tonnes of food transported by road internally, much of it shuttled between geographically distant distribution hubs and processing plants by farmers and retailers. Pretty doubts whether this pattern of distribution is likely to change to one that is more locally focused unless there is a shock to the system, such as a huge increase in oil prices. "It all works within the context of transport being artificially cheap," he says. Van delivery So for now, says Pretty, the only hope is for consumers to cut the amount of car journeys, but he accepts that only the environmental hard core are likely to respond to the call. And if walking, cycling or public transport is out, the next best option is to order by van. "One trip going to 20 houses is better than each house making a return trip to the supermarket," he says. "The paper shows that more needs to be done to support local food systems and networks, and the rule of thumb is to source within 30 miles (50 kilometres)," says Ben Reynolds of Sustain, a UK-based alliance lobbying for more sustainable food and agriculture. The British Retail Consortium, which represents the country's supermarket chains and retailers, says it would "welcome the opportunity to introduce further transport efficiencies". Journal reference: Food Policy (vol 30, p 1) --part1_9d.5abe732c.2f592617_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Subj: [reinhabit] Road transpo= rt of food costs ("Go local is the key...")=A0
Date: 3/3/05 2:38:17 PM Central Standard Time
From: jeanbean@baymoon.com =20=
Reply-to: reinhabit@lists.ri= seup.net
To: reinhabit@lists.riseup.net=
Sent from the Internet (Details)

The New Scientist=A0
March 2, 2005

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=3Ddn7092

Driving food home can cost the Earth
By Andy Coghlan

Buying home-grown produce instead of exotic imports will not help save the planet if it must then be driven home. That is the message for consumers
from a comprehensive analysis of the hidden environmental and economic
costs of food in the UK. The report could have implications for all
industrialised nations with similar patterns of food production and
distribution.

"Go local is the key, and you create a benefit by not driving," says Jules Pretty of the University of Essex in Colchester, UK, who led the study. It concluded that shuttling food around by road and rail within the country
imposes a far greater environmental burden than so called "air-miles"
widely touted by green campaigners as the greatest menace.

Using data from previous studies, Pretty and his colleagues estimated the hidden economic cost of environmental damage caused by a number of factors,<= BR> including car transport, farm pollution and government subsidies. These
produce hidden impacts, such as that of exhaust pollution on respiratory
health and the capacity of vehicle emissions to accelerate global warming. Repairing this damage is not factored into the price of food, and so is a "hidden" cost.

Combining these estimates with published data on national food consumption patterns and freight distribution, Pretty and his colleagues worked out
that in total, hidden costs would add a further 11.8% to the price of the average UK food basket, and by far the biggest contribution to this comes from transport within the UK. Taking food from farm to shop accounts for
29% of the hidden costs, and taking it home 16%.

Tiny contribution

The other big contributions come from government subsidies (36%) and the
unmet costs of environmental damage on farms, such as cleaning up pollution<= BR> or replanting hedgerows (19%). But the air- and ship-miles contribution is tiny, less than 0.1%, the study suggests.

Of the two million tonnes of produce imported into the UK by air each year,<= BR> just 110,000 tonnes are fruit, vegetables and meat, says Pretty. And this compares with a massive 1.58 billion tonnes of food transported by road
internally, much of it shuttled between geographically distant distribution<= BR> hubs and processing plants by farmers and retailers.

Pretty doubts whether this pattern of distribution is likely to change to one that is more locally focused unless there is a shock to the system,
such as a huge increase in oil prices. "It all works within the context of transport being artificially cheap," he says.

Van delivery

So for now, says Pretty, the only hope is for consumers to cut the amount of car journeys, but he accepts that only the environmental hard core are likely to respond to the call. And if walking, cycling or public transport is out, the next best option is to order by van. "One trip going to 20
houses is better than each house making a return trip to the supermarket," he says.

"The paper shows that more needs to be done to support local food systems and networks, and the rule of thumb is to source within 30 miles (50
kilometres)," says Ben Reynolds of Sustain, a UK-based alliance lobbying
for more sustainable food and agriculture.

The British Retail Consortium, which represents the country's supermarket chains and retailers, says it would "welcome the opportunity to introduce further transport efficiencies".

Journal reference: Food Policy (vol 30, p 1)
 --part1_9d.5abe732c.2f592617_boundary-- From Chikaskia@aol.com Fri Mar 4 07:19:39 2005 From: Chikaskia@aol.com (Chikaskia@aol.com) Date: Fri, 4 Mar 2005 02:19:39 EST Subject: [ok-sus] food and water Message-ID: --part1_e3.e76eb80.2f59660b_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit pardon fellow okies, but i am going to take you all on a wild ride on the carpet of my imagination. these are some thought in reading the article about transportation of food i just shared on the list, and it's point about reducing the amount of driving to bring home food. i really got going and i think i have some juicy stuff to share~ i started with thinking about how to get food from the csa / grower fields to the denziens of a thriving metropolis such as tulsa using the least amount of energy, and also anticpating community gardens / year round farmer's markets that featured fresh produce from within walking/bicycling distance. i envision the restoration of early-mid century neighborhood markets each accompanied by bicycle powered home delivery folks. many of these buildings still exist in our state, i live within sight of the page grocery between carthage and denver on fourteenth, here in tulsa, and can point out many others, yeakey's in cherry street which is now in the final stages of renovation into yet another upscale coffee joint, a chain none the less called camille's, all of those classic cantilever safeways, many of which are being razed. in ponca city, there was miller's market at about tenth and highland, and the piggly wiggly near first and highland. you all know these stores. each store could be a community center, could have a small deli and garden center, a decentralised semi-non-profit store that would be radically different from wild oats by the absence of the miles of exotic packaging. and that the profits would be going directly back into the community the stores could also function as an extended season farmer's market, since we are seeing that we have to raise food locally, will we not also be looking into solar heated green houses on large community scales to provide fresh vegetables for cold season consumption? (contemplating this caused me to think fondly back to the cheyenne community green house) Mother Earth News: Cheyenne's Solar Greenhouse these green houses are related to at least in terms of system theory and architecture to community/municipal scale organic water treatment systems, which in turn can produce tilapia. John and Nancy Jack Todd - The Restoration Of Waters Natural Systems International (and see accompanying post about constructed wetlands) the stores could also have small book / magazine / appliance sections featuring things like recycled rodale and other gardening books / local indie zines / new and used champion juicers /solar food dryers and ovens / wood stoves / inline water heaters / ram pumps / dutch light/cold frame/hot bed kits. maybe sometimes even a small scooter and bicycle shop off to the side. locally harvested pecan wood bundles for cooking could be vended. right now the places like wild oats and akins are privately held capital/profit venues that are only marginally beneficial to the community, laden with slick expensive packages and frequented by a crowd that is conspicuously caucasian and upwardly mobile (got to love those dreads and birkenstocks!) a far cry from cherry street's middle path and boulder's rustic green mountain grainery with it's wooden bins of yore. no one else is going to create this sustainable society but us. food (and water) as well as preservation of the healthy stasis of ecosystems are key. we have this near magical food coop network set up. now, how do we rise to this next level, of coordinated neighborhood by neighborhood, county by county coordination of the physical / cultural society we wish to create. how do we get communities / civic / county administrations, landowners / financiers to recognise the long term wisdom of our proposed path. i am not saying we are not making strides, just dreaming! curtis andrew beckwith --part1_e3.e76eb80.2f59660b_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable pardon fellow okies, but i am going= to take you all on a wild ride on the carpet of my imagination. these are s= ome thought in reading the article about transportation of food i just share= d on the list, and it's point about reducing the amount of driving to bring=20= home food. i really got going and  i think i have some juicy stuff to s= hare~

i started with thinking about how to get food from the csa / grower field= s to the denziens of a thriving metropolis such as tulsa using the least amo= unt of energy, and also anticpating community gardens / year round farmer's=20= markets that featured fresh produce from within walking/bicycling distance.<= /I>

i envision the restoration of early-mid century neighborhood markets each ac= companied by bicycle powered home delivery folks. many of these buildings st= ill exist in our state, i live within sight of the page grocery between cart= hage and denver on fourteenth, here in tulsa, and can point out many others,= yeakey's in cherry street which is now in the final stages of renovation in= to yet another upscale coffee joint, a chain none the less called camille's,= all of those classic cantilever safeways, many of which are being razed.&nb= sp; in ponca city, there was miller's market at about tenth and highland, an= d the piggly wiggly near first and highland.  you all know these stores= .

each store could be a community center, could have a small deli and garden c= enter, a decentralised semi-non-profit store that would be radically differe= nt from wild oats by the absence of the miles of exotic packaging. and that=20= the profits would be going directly back into the community 

the stores could also function as an extended season farmer's market, since=20= we are seeing that we have to raise food locally, will we not also be lookin= g into solar heated green houses on large community scales to provide fresh=20= vegetables for cold season consumption?  (contemplating this caused me=20= to think fondly back to the cheyenne community green house)
Mother Earth News: Chey= enne's Solar Greenhouse

   these green houses are related to at least in terms of system t= heory and architecture to  community/municipal scale organic water trea= tment systems, which in turn can produce tilapia.
John and Nancy Jack Todd - The Restoration Of Waters Natural Systems International 
(and see accompanying post about constructed wetlands)


  the stores could also have small book / magazine / appliance sections= featuring things like recycled rodale and other gardening books / local ind= ie zines / new and used champion juicers /solar food dryers and ovens / wood= stoves / inline water heaters / ram pumps / dutch light/cold frame/hot bed=20= kits. maybe sometimes even a small scooter and bicycle shop off to the side.= locally harvested pecan wood bundles for cooking could be vended.

  right now the places like wild oats and akins are privately held capi= tal/profit venues that are only marginally beneficial to the community, lade= n with slick expensive packages and frequented by a crowd that is conspicuou= sly caucasian and upwardly mobile (got to love those dreads and birkenstocks= !) a far cry from cherry street's middle path and boulder's rustic green mou= ntain grainery with it's wooden bins of yore.

no one else is going to create this sustainable society but us.  food (= and water) as well as preservation of the healthy stasis of ecosystems are k= ey.

we have this near magical food coop network set up. now, how do we rise to t= his next level, of coordinated neighborhood by neighborhood, county by count= y coordination of the physical / cultural society we wish to create.  h= ow do we get communities / civic / county administrations, landowners / fina= nciers to recognise the long term wisdom of our proposed path.  i am no= t saying we are not making strides, just dreaming!

curtis andrew beckwith --part1_e3.e76eb80.2f59660b_boundary-- From Chikaskia@aol.com Fri Mar 4 07:20:04 2005 From: Chikaskia@aol.com (Chikaskia@aol.com) Date: Fri, 4 Mar 2005 02:20:04 EST Subject: [ok-sus] Sewage Treatment by Constructed Wetlands & Hyper Wetlands Message-ID: <1b9.e86a104.2f596624@aol.com> --part1_1b9.e86a104.2f596624_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Sewage Treatment by Constructed Wetlands & Hyper Wetlands A Report by the Friends of Douglas County Michael S Almon, 15 April 2000 Smart Growth & Waste Treatment The Friends of Douglas County consider wetland waste water technology to be=20= a=20 significant component of smart growth, worthy of consideration for urban and= =20 rural sewage treatment. As an alternative to centralized activated sludge=20 systems, wetland waste water technology can help reduce the infrastructure c= osts=20 associated with urban growth. And as an alternative to individual septic or= =20 lagoon systems, wetland waste water technology can more effectively assure=20 environmental health. Therefore, we believe it fulfills our three Smart Gro= wth=20 guidelines: growth must pay for itself, quality of life is good economics, a= nd=20 growth must promote environmental integrity. =20 Conventional Waste Water Systems in Douglas County The municipalities of Lawrence, Eudora, Baldwin City and Lecompton all have=20 centralized collection systems and some form of centralized treatment. The=20 balance of the county is served by household septic or lagoon systems. Beca= use=20 of rapid population growth, all but Eudora are currently either over-capacit= y=20 or experiencing performance limitations, or both. The Lawrence treatment plant has a design capacity of 9 million gallons a=20 day. Both the collection system and the treatment system are over-capacity,= with=20 yearly reports of sewage discharges to the ground surface or to the Kansas=20 River. The system's 33 pump stations are an inordinately large number for=20= a=20 city of 80,000. A planned expansion by 3.5 million gallons a day will cost=20 $40.5 million. By continuing to rely exclusively on a centralized plant to s= erve=20 our ever sprawling developments, we will be saddled with pump stations in=20 greater numbers subject to ever increasing operating and repair costs, upgra= de and=20 replacement costs, and failure rates. =20 Baldwin City's central sewage system with a flow rate of about 500,000gpd ha= s=20 excess capacity that will be used up within two years, at their present=20 growth rate. Currently they are hard pressed to budget for any expansion of= the=20 system. Lecompton's central treatment of about 80,000gpd is done by two sew= age=20 lagoons, with a third to be added by September of 2000. The routine=20 discharges to the Kansas River are only primary level, with occasional repor= ts of raw=20 sewage discharges. In better shape is Eudora with an activated sludge syste= m=20 of a 900,000gpd design capacity, and typical daily load of 750,000gpd. They= =20 expect to have capacity to meet ten more years of growth. Finally, there is= a=20 growing crisis of rural septage disposal, because the Lawrence treatment pla= nt=20 will not have the capacity to accept most of it, and septic services are=20 resorting to land surface disposal. System Diversity Benefits Whether any of these existing systems continue unchanged or are upgraded, we= =20 feel it would be wise to incorporate decentralized wetland technology option= s=20 into the overall mix. Not only would decentralized wetland technology be le= ss=20 costly for construction and operations, but there would be considerable=20 avoided costs in sewer infrastructure. We would also benefit from greater=20 flexibility in land use planning, cluster development, and open space and wa= tershed=20 protection. Finally, wetland waste treatment technology makes a good neighb= or,=20 being a virtual botanical garden with zero discharge of waste products or=20 odors. =20 What Is a Wetland? Essentially a wetland is Nature's water filter. Natural wetlands occur in=20 low lying areas, accepting runoff from adjacent upland terrain and dischargi= ng=20 it into adjacent streams. Unlike humans, Nature's first priority is=20 maintaining clean streams, and a natural wetland ecosystem by definition pur= ifies water.=20 Constructed wetlands mimic the same processes of natural wetlands, and are=20 far from being a primitive stepchild of conventional activated sludge=20 treatment. =20 Constructed wetlands, and to a greater extent, hyper wetlands derived from=20 the NASA technology transfer program. While working at the Stennis Space Ce= nter=20 in Mississippi, microbiologist Bill Wolverton first developed wetland plant=20 combinations to purify waste products on space craft. On Earth, Wolverton's= =20 work led to more than 100 "marsh filters" being used to treat sewage across=20= the=20 South, and ultimately to the industry of commercial constructed wetlands. Two Wetland Technologies There are two wetland waste water technologies that could operate=20 independently or in combination with existing systems: "constructed wetlands= " and "hyper=20 wetlands". Both of these technological systems are modeled after, but not t= he=20 same as, a natural wetland. A natural wetland is an open system subject to=20 all the variable impacts of Nature. Wetland waste water technology is a clo= sed=20 system, contained in a specific area and receiving and discharging a=20 regulated flow of influent and effluent. Whereas a high strength influent f= rom human=20 activities could easily overwhelm an unregulated natural wetland, a hyper=20 wetland can purify extremely concentrated municipal and industrial waste pro= ducts. Constructed Wetlands A constructed wetland is an array of sealed and impervious beds containing=20 gravel or soil, and wetland flora and fauna. It accepts a given concentrati= on=20 of nutrients, and purifies it passively to a target level by means of=20 design-flow specifications and period of detention. Drawbacks are overall s= ize, cold=20 weather limitations, influent surge and toxins response limitations. Benefi= ts=20 are relatively low construction cost, secondary treatment capability, and no= =20 or low cost of operations. =20 As stand-alone systems or in combination with other treatment systems such a= s=20 lagoons or septic systems, constructed wetlands are being used successfully=20 by industry and communities, mostly in warm climates but also in colder zone= s. =20 The City of Columbia, MO uses constructed wetlands for part of their=20 municipal waste water treatment. Similarly, the City of El Dorado, KS has h= ad such=20 success with a one acre constructed wetland, they are planning to expand it=20= to=20 150-250 acres. Hyper Wetlands Hyper wetlands, being considerably smaller than constructed wetlands, are a=20 sophisticated industrial analog of wetlands ecology. Hyper wetlands=20 concentrate and accelerate the natural water clarifying processes, using sol= ar input=20 inside a greenhouse setting, and a computer micro-processor to control the w= aste=20 stream. They can be effective in any climate as stand-alone systems or in=20 conjunction with natural wetlands or constructed wetlands. =20 Essentially, hyper wetlands are a series of anaerobic and aerobic chambers=20 containing wetland ecosystems of plants, amphibians, snails, fish and bacter= ia. =20 This highly diverse biotic community can treat a widely divergent waste=20 stream. Because they are more efficient than constructed wetlands, hyper we= tlands=20 require about 2% of the land area for an equivalent design flow. More=20 importantly, hyper wetlands are more efficient and less costly than conventi= onal=20 activated sludge systems. =20 =20 Advantages of Hyper Wetlands ) Secondary level treatment can discharge into wetlands, absorption fields,=20 or irrigation. ) Tertiary level treatment capabilities in combination with reedbeds and UV=20 disinfection. ) Can be situated anywhere in a watershed, as a decentralized,=20 multiple-facility system. ) Decentralized locations could minimize the need for pump stations and forc= e=20 mains. ) Could eliminate those unsavory raw sewage discharges that are an=20 environmental, administrative and political blight. ) Are highly resilient in absorbing shock loads to the system. ) Will minimize or eliminate the need for chlorination of effluent, or of an= y=20 chemical use. ) Biosolids accumulation is less than conventional treatment, and requires n= o=20 polymer enhancement ) Greenhouse aquatic environment is beautiful, odor-free, and easy to=20 operate. ) Modular design is easily expanded at lower per unit cost. ) Capital outlay and operational costs are generally less than for activated= =20 sludge systems. System Comparisons Some comparisons can be made between various waste water treatment systems,=20 but for the most part it's "apples to oranges". Waste lagoons are the simpl= est=20 and least effective system. They are essentially holding ponds that rely on= =20 time to kill pathogens by sequestering them from the environment. Septic=20 systems are the next step in complexity, both mechanically and biologically.= =20 Their two stage process of settling tank followed by leach field percolation= =20 exposes pathogens to competing soil organisms. Problems arise from tank ove= rload,=20 septage disposal, and leach field surface discharges. Activated sludge treatment takes the septic concept to greater mechanical an= d=20 chemical complexity, though not greater biological complexity. For example,= =20 aeration partially disinfects by exposing pathogens to airborne microorganis= ms=20 instead of soil organisms. Also, waste digester tanks are inoculated with=20 anaerobic "designer microbes" that actively break down the waste but can be=20 disrupted by nutrient shock loads. And because the system discharges to str= eams=20 instead of into soil, other factors must also be addressed such as BOD=20 (biological oxygen demand), ammonia concentrations, and chlorine removal. =20 Constructed wetlands, on the other hand, utilize a simpler mechanical setup=20 but a considerably more sophisticated polyculture of natural agents. The=20 mechanics of standard constructed wetlands operate by gravity alone, but the= =20 natural aquatic polyculture is highly resilient under stress and highly effe= ctive in=20 purifying the waste stream to secondary level. The system does take up abou= t=20 twice as much space as an activated sludge system, mostly because of require= d=20 over-sizing to compensate for slower metabolism during winter cold. Hyper wetlands are the most sophisticated system, with mechanics of a solar=20 greenhouse interior, a limited amount of pumping , and aerobic and anaerobic= =20 digesters. The aerobic digester ecology is a highly diverse biotic communit= y of=20 plants, amphibians, snails, fish and bacteria. The symbiosis among the=20 organisms makes them both highly effective and resilient under stress. The=20= system=20 takes up smaller space than both passive constructed wetlands as well as=20 activated sludge systems. Performance and Cost These are the most difficult comparisons to make. First of all, there are=20 many factors that come to bear such as application size, site location, weat= her=20 conditions, permit requirements, component design variables, design and=20 manufacturing agents, and use combination of systems. Activated sludge syst= ems are=20 physically impossible below a certain scale, while constructed wetlands, and= =20 especially hyper wetlands, can be built at household scale and perform=20 satisfactorily. Both systems are subject to economies of scale, although Gr= een=20 Development Services of the Rocky Mountain Institute indicate that hyper wet= lands=20 are cost effective at 300 homes and larger (about 75,000gpd). Generally speaking, constructed wetlands will require higher land acquisitio= n=20 costs and show lower capital and operational costs than hyper wetlands or=20 activated sludge systems. Hyper wetlands will have lower land acquisition c= osts=20 and equal or lower capital costs and operational costs than activated sludge= =20 systems. To truly determine which system would be cost effective for a give= n=20 application, it is necessary to do comprehensive design and cost projections= =20 for each of the systems under consideration. To do an "apples to apples"=20 comparison, a local developer or governmental jurisdiction would need to pro= pose a=20 given project at a given location to meet a given demand, and seek competiti= ve=20 bids for each of the different systems. Regulation and Guidelines Over the past thirty years, thousands of constructed wetlands and scores of=20 hyper wetlands have been built to successfully serve public and private=20 facilities of various sizes. While KDHE has been behind the learning curve=20= in=20 accepting the concept, they now have permitted constructed wetlands pilot pr= ojects. =20 Although KDHE presently is not promoting constructed wetlands, they would=20 consider the technology if they were to receive a permit application for a=20 specific location, size and application. Kansas State University Extension, on the other hand, does promote=20 residential scale constructed wetlands in place of leach fields. They publi= sh a=20 two-document guide on the subject. The first is the design and construction= manual=20 #MF-2340, and the second is the maintenance manual #MF-2337. Likewise, the US Environmental Protection Agency has recently coordinated a=20 multi-agency effort to compile uniform guidelines, design parameters,=20 resources, and oversight of constructed wetlands. Titled "Guiding Principle= s for=20 Constructed Treatment Wetlands", a draft version is now available, and the f= inal=20 version should be available by November 2000. Copies are available by=20 contacting Shanna Draheim at the EPA, (202) 260-6218 or .=20 System Design and Manufacturing Hyper wetlands are designed and manufactured by two private companies: Living Technologies in Burlington, VT designs and manufactures Living=20 Machines=AE. Ecological Engineering Associates of Weston, MA designs and manufactures=20 Solar Aquatics=AE. Constructed wetlands are designed and manufactured by dozens of private=20 companies. A listing of several are included in the appendix, but no listin= g in=20 this literature is to be construed as an endorsement. --part1_1b9.e86a104.2f596624_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Sewage Treatment by Constructed Wet= lands & Hyper Wetlands
A Report by the Friends of Douglas County
Michael S Almon,  15 April 2000

Smart Growth & Waste Treatment
The Friends of Douglas County consider wetland waste water technology to be=20= a significant component of smart growth, worthy of consideration for urban a= nd rural sewage treatment.  As an alternative to centralized activated=20= sludge systems, wetland waste water technology can help reduce the infrastru= cture costs associated with urban growth.  And as an alternative to ind= ividual septic or lagoon systems, wetland waste water technology can more ef= fectively assure environmental health.  Therefore, we believe it fulfil= ls our three Smart Growth guidelines: growth must pay for itself, quality of= life is good economics, and growth must promote environmental integrity.&nb= sp;
Conventional Waste Water Systems in Douglas County
The municipalities of Lawrence, Eudora, Baldwin City and Lecompton all have=20= centralized collection systems and some form of centralized treatment. = The balance of the county is served by household septic or lagoon systems.&= nbsp; Because of rapid population growth, all but Eudora are currently eithe= r over-capacity or experiencing performance limitations, or both.
The Lawrence treatment plant has a design capacity of 9 million gallons a da= y.  Both the collection system and the treatment system are over-capaci= ty, with yearly reports of sewage discharges to the ground surface or to the= Kansas River.  The system's 33 pump stations are an inordinately large=   number for a city of 80,000.  A planned expansion by 3.5 million= gallons a day will cost $40.5 million. By continuing to rely exclusively on= a centralized plant to serve our ever sprawling developments, we will be sa= ddled with pump stations in greater numbers subject to ever increasing opera= ting and repair costs, upgrade and replacement costs, and failure rates.&nbs= p;
Baldwin City's central sewage system with a flow rate of about 500,000gpd ha= s excess capacity that will be used up within two years, at their present gr= owth rate.  Currently they are hard pressed to budget for any expansion= of the system.  Lecompton's central treatment of about 80,000gpd is do= ne by two sewage lagoons, with a third to be added by September of 2000.&nbs= p; The routine discharges to the Kansas River are only primary level, with o= ccasional reports of raw sewage discharges.  In better shape is Eudora=20= with an activated sludge system of a 900,000gpd design capacity, and typical= daily load of 750,000gpd.  They expect to have capacity to meet ten mo= re years of growth.  Finally, there is a growing crisis of rural septag= e disposal, because the Lawrence treatment plant will not have the capacity=20= to accept most of it, and septic services are resorting to land surface disp= osal.
System Diversity Benefits
Whether any of these existing systems continue unchanged or are upgraded, we= feel it would be wise to incorporate decentralized wetland technology optio= ns into the overall mix.  Not only would decentralized wetland technolo= gy be less costly for construction and operations, but there would be consid= erable avoided costs in sewer infrastructure.  We would also benefit fr= om greater flexibility in land use planning, cluster development, and open s= pace and watershed protection.  Finally, wetland waste treatment techno= logy makes a good neighbor, being a virtual botanical garden with zero disch= arge of waste products or odors.



What Is a Wetland?
Essentially a wetland is Nature's water filter.  Natural wetlands occur= in low lying areas, accepting runoff from adjacent upland terrain and disch= arging it into adjacent streams.  Unlike humans, Nature's first priorit= y is maintaining clean streams, and a natural wetland ecosystem by definitio= n purifies water.  Constructed wetlands mimic the same processes of nat= ural wetlands, and are far from being a primitive stepchild of conventional=20= activated sludge treatment. 
Constructed wetlands, and to a greater extent, hyper wetlands derived from t= he NASA technology transfer program.  While working at the Stennis Spac= e Center in Mississippi, microbiologist Bill Wolverton first developed wetla= nd plant combinations to purify waste products on space craft.  On Eart= h, Wolverton's work led to more than 100 "marsh filters" being used to treat= sewage across the South, and ultimately to the industry of commercial const= ructed wetlands.
Two Wetland Technologies
There are two wetland waste water technologies that could operate independen= tly or in combination with existing systems: "constructed wetlands" and "hyp= er wetlands".  Both of these technological systems are modeled after, b= ut not the same as, a natural wetland.  A natural wetland is an open sy= stem subject to all the variable impacts of Nature.  Wetland waste wate= r technology is a closed system, contained in a specific area and receiving=20= and discharging a regulated flow of influent and effluent.  Whereas a h= igh strength influent from human activities could easily overwhelm an unregu= lated natural wetland, a hyper wetland can purify extremely concentrated mun= icipal and industrial waste products.
Constructed Wetlands
A constructed wetland is an array of sealed and impervious beds containing g= ravel or soil, and wetland flora and fauna.  It accepts a given concent= ration of nutrients, and purifies it passively to a target level by means of= design-flow specifications and period of detention.  Drawbacks are ove= rall size, cold weather limitations, influent surge and toxins response limi= tations.  Benefits are relatively low construction cost, secondary trea= tment capability, and no or low cost of operations. 
As stand-alone systems or in combination with other treatment systems such a= s lagoons or septic systems, constructed wetlands are being used successfull= y by industry and communities, mostly in warm climates but also in colder zo= nes.  The City of Columbia, MO uses constructed wetlands for part of th= eir municipal waste water treatment.  Similarly, the City of El Dorado,= KS has had such success with a one acre constructed wetland, they are plann= ing to expand it to 150-250 acres.
Hyper Wetlands
Hyper wetlands, being considerably smaller than constructed wetlands, are a=20= sophisticated industrial analog of wetlands ecology.  Hyper wetlands co= ncentrate and accelerate the natural water clarifying processes, using solar= input inside a greenhouse setting, and a computer micro-processor to contro= l the waste stream.  They can be effective in any climate as stand-alon= e systems or in conjunction with natural wetlands or constructed wetlands.&n= bsp;
Essentially, hyper wetlands are a series of anaerobic and aerobic chambers c= ontaining wetland ecosystems of plants, amphibians, snails, fish and bacteri= a.  This highly diverse biotic community can treat a widely divergent w= aste stream.  Because they are more efficient than constructed wetlands= , hyper wetlands require about 2% of the land area for an equivalent design=20= flow.  More importantly, hyper wetlands are more efficient and less cos= tly than conventional activated sludge systems. 

Advantages of Hyper Wetlands
) Secondary level treatment can discharge into wetlands, absorption fields,=20= or irrigation.
) Tertiary level treatment capabilities in combination with reedbeds and UV=20= disinfection.
) Can be situated anywhere in a watershed, as a decentralized, multiple-faci= lity system.
) Decentralized locations could minimize the need for pump stations and forc= e mains.
) Could eliminate those unsavory raw sewage discharges that are an environme= ntal, administrative and political blight.
) Are highly resilient in absorbing shock loads to the system.
) Will minimize or eliminate the need for chlorination of effluent, or of an= y chemical use.
) Biosolids accumulation is less than conventional treatment, and requires n= o polymer enhancement
) Greenhouse aquatic environment is beautiful, odor-free, and easy to operat= e.
) Modular design is easily expanded at lower per unit cost.
) Capital outlay and operational costs are generally less than for activated= sludge systems.
System Comparisons
Some comparisons can be made between various waste water treatment systems,=20= but for the most part it's "apples to oranges".  Waste lagoons are the=20= simplest and least effective system.  They are essentially holding pond= s that rely on time to kill pathogens by sequestering them from the environm= ent.  Septic systems are the next step in complexity, both mechanically= and biologically.  Their two stage process of settling tank followed b= y leach field percolation exposes pathogens to competing soil organisms.&nbs= p; Problems arise from tank overload, septage disposal, and leach field surf= ace discharges.
Activated sludge treatment takes the septic concept to greater mechanical an= d chemical complexity, though not greater biological complexity.  For e= xample, aeration partially disinfects by exposing pathogens to airborne micr= oorganisms instead of soil organisms.  Also, waste digester tanks are i= noculated with anaerobic "designer microbes" that actively break down the wa= ste but can be disrupted by nutrient shock loads.  And because the syst= em discharges to streams instead of into soil, other factors must also be ad= dressed such as BOD (biological oxygen demand), ammonia concentrations, and=20= chlorine removal. 
Constructed wetlands, on the other hand, utilize a simpler mechanical setup=20= but a considerably more sophisticated polyculture of natural agents.  T= he mechanics of standard constructed wetlands operate by gravity alone, but=20= the natural aquatic polyculture is highly resilient under stress and highly=20= effective in purifying the waste stream to secondary level.  The system= does take up about twice as much space as an activated sludge system, mostl= y because of required over-sizing to compensate for slower metabolism during= winter cold.
Hyper wetlands are the most sophisticated system, with mechanics of a solar=20= greenhouse interior, a limited amount of pumping , and aerobic and anaerobic= digesters.  The aerobic digester ecology is a highly diverse biotic co= mmunity of plants, amphibians, snails, fish and bacteria.  The symbiosi= s among the organisms makes them both highly effective and resilient under s= tress.  The system takes up smaller space than both passive constructed= wetlands as well as activated sludge systems.
Performance and Cost
These are the most difficult comparisons to make.  First of all, there=20= are many factors that come to bear such as application size, site location,=20= weather conditions, permit requirements, component design variables, design=20= and manufacturing agents, and use combination of systems.  Activated sl= udge systems are physically impossible below a certain scale, while construc= ted wetlands, and especially hyper wetlands, can be built at household scale= and perform satisfactorily.  Both systems are subject to economies of=20= scale, although Green Development Services of the Rocky Mountain Institute i= ndicate that hyper wetlands are cost effective at 300 homes and larger (abou= t 75,000gpd).
Generally speaking, constructed wetlands will require higher land acquisitio= n costs and show lower capital and operational costs than hyper wetlands or=20= activated sludge systems.  Hyper wetlands will have lower land acquisit= ion costs and equal or lower capital costs and operational costs than activa= ted sludge systems.  To truly determine which system would be cost effe= ctive for a given application, it is necessary to do comprehensive design an= d cost projections for each of the systems under consideration.  To do=20= an "apples to apples" comparison, a local developer or governmental jurisdic= tion would need to propose a given project at a given location to meet a giv= en demand, and seek competitive bids for each of the different systems.
Regulation and Guidelines
Over the past thirty years, thousands of constructed wetlands and scores of=20= hyper wetlands have been built to successfully serve public and private faci= lities of various sizes.  While KDHE has been behind the learning curve= in accepting the concept, they now have permitted constructed wetlands pilo= t projects.  Although KDHE presently is not promoting constructed wetla= nds, they would consider the technology if they were to receive a permit app= lication for a specific location, size and application.
Kansas State University Extension, on the other hand, does promote residenti= al scale constructed wetlands in place of leach fields.  They publish a= two-document guide on the subject.  The first is the design and constr= uction manual #MF-2340, and the second is the maintenance manual #MF-2337. Likewise, the US Environmental Protection Agency has recently coordinated a=20= multi-agency effort to compile uniform guidelines, design parameters, resour= ces, and oversight of constructed wetlands.  Titled "Guiding Principles= for Constructed Treatment Wetlands", a draft version is now available, and=20= the final version should be available by November 2000.  Copies are ava= ilable by contacting Shanna Draheim at the EPA, (202) 260-6218 or <drahei= m.shanna@epamail.epa.gov>.
System Design and Manufacturing
Hyper wetlands are designed and manufactured by two private companies:
Living Technologies in Burlington, VT designs and manufactures Living Machin= es=AE.
Ecological Engineering Associates of Weston, MA designs and manufactures Sol= ar Aquatics=AE.
Constructed wetlands are designed and manufactured by dozens of private comp= anies.  A listing of several are included in the appendix, but no listi= ng in this literature is to be construed as an endorsement.
 --part1_1b9.e86a104.2f596624_boundary-- From Robert Waldrop" Message-ID: <002101c520da$5d89f9d0$82a7d242@bobcomputer> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_001C_01C520A8.11BE5CD0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable From: Chikaskia@aol.com=20 we have this near magical food coop network set up. now, how do we rise = to this next level, of coordinated neighborhood by neighborhood, county = by county coordination of the physical / cultural society we wish to = create. how do we get communities / civic / county administrations, = landowners / financiers to recognise the long term wisdom of our = proposed path. i am not saying we are not making strides, just = dreaming! My original vision of the Oklahoma Food Cooperative is a cooperative = store within bicycle riding distance of everybody in the state. The = present order-delivery service is a way to bootstrap ourselves into such = a system. But we are far away from having even one store, much less a = statewide network of neighborhood stores, because the infrastructure = just isn't there. There aren't enough producers for the local = marketplace. We did not have one co-op order last year in which all = the vegetable orders were filled. For better or wose, we have a = push-pull market-based system. More growers make more products = accessible and affordable and more customers encourage more producers to = produce. But natural and organic agriculture is not an instant = on-demand event. Production decisions can take two to ten years to come = to market.=20 The primary way this will happen is by growth from the grassroots up. = If we want to see a more sustainable agricultural system, then there = must be a market for the products of that system. There must be = customers willing to buy the products of organic farmers, otherwise, = there will be no organic farmers. It is all well and good to say "we = need more organic fruit", but an organic fruit orchard with a surplus = for the public is a work of years. Organic pecans? A decade.=20 A second aspect of this is the need for more urban agriculture, = community gardens, personal gardens, etc. Now is the time to plant your = spring potatoes and other cool season crops like spinach, mustard, = chard. Also fruit trees, berry bushes, and perennial vegetables like = asparagus and rhubarb. Most garden stores have these items available = now. For information about composting and starting your own garden, = visit www.bettertimesinfo.org/2004index.htm . Robert Waldrop Oklahoma Food Cooperative ------=_NextPart_000_001C_01C520A8.11BE5CD0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
we have this near magical food coop = network set up.=20 now, how do we rise to this next level, of coordinated neighborhood by=20 neighborhood, county by county coordination of the physical / cultural = society=20 we wish to create.  how do we get communities / civic / county=20 administrations, landowners / financiers to recognise the long term = wisdom of=20 our proposed path.  i am not saying we are not making strides, just = dreaming!
 
 
My original vision of the Oklahoma Food = Cooperative=20 is a cooperative store within bicycle riding distance of everybody in = the=20 state.  The present order-delivery service is a way to bootstrap = ourselves=20 into such a system.  But we are far away from having even one = store, much=20 less a statewide network of neighborhood stores, because the = infrastructure just=20 isn't there.  There aren't enough producers for the local=20 marketplace.   We did not have one co-op order last year in = which all=20 the vegetable orders were filled.   For better or wose, = we=20 have a push-pull market-based system.  More growers make more = products=20 accessible and affordable and more customers encourage more producers to = produce.  But natural and organic agriculture is not an instant = on-demand=20 event.  Production decisions can take two to ten years to come to=20 market. 
 
The primary way this will happen = is by growth=20 from the grassroots up.  If we want to see a more sustainable = agricultural=20 system, then there must be a market for the products of that = system.  There=20 must be customers willing to buy the products of organic farmers, = otherwise,=20 there will be no organic farmers. It is all well and good to say = "we need=20 more organic fruit", but an organic fruit orchard with a surplus = for the=20 public is a work of years. Organic pecans? A decade.
 
A second aspect of this is the need for = more urban=20 agriculture, community gardens, personal gardens, etc.  Now is the = time to=20 plant your spring potatoes and other cool season crops like spinach, = mustard,=20 chard.  Also fruit trees, berry bushes, and perennial vegetables = like=20 asparagus and rhubarb.  Most garden stores have these items = available=20 now.  For information about composting and starting your own = garden, visit=20 www.bettertimesinfo= .org/2004index.htm=20 .
 
Robert Waldrop
Oklahoma Food Cooperative
 
 
------=_NextPart_000_001C_01C520A8.11BE5CD0-- From tvinson@mail.utexas.edu Mon Mar 7 21:38:05 2005 From: tvinson@mail.utexas.edu (Thomas Vinson-Peng) Date: Mon, 7 Mar 2005 15:38:05 -0600 Subject: [ok-sus] Weekly Calendar compiled by UTenvironment.org In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Well Susie y'all are always welcome to come on down to Austin and visit us! I think OK is well on it's way with the sustainability network. I came up there from Austin, and was VERY impressed with the broad range of involvement and commitment I saw. Since then I have followed the thoughts y'all shared on this list serve, and use it as a source of information and inspiration...so keep it coming! Thomas Vinson-Peng Southwest Network for Zero Waste University of Texas 10100 Burnet Rd. CEER-R 7100 Austin, TX 78758 Phone: 512/232-7149 Fax: 512/471-1720 www.zeroWasteNetwork.org tvinson@mail.utexas.edu The Southwest Network for Zero Waste is a proud member of the National Pollution Prevention Resource Exchange http://www.p2rx.org -----Original Message----- From: ok-sus-admin@lists.oksustainability.org [mailto:ok-sus-admin@lists.oksustainability.org]On Behalf Of Shields, Susie Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2004 12:04 PM To: OSN Sustainability List Serv (E-mail) Subject: [ok-sus] Weekly Calendar compiled by UTenvironment.org I wish we had more of these types of activities in Oklahoma! --Susie ************************* Environmental Events in Austin ************************* This weekly compilation of environmental events in Austin is published by UT's Campus Environmental Center, www.UTenvironment.org. Please submit events to events@UTenvironment.org. ************************* Contents ************************* Environmental Events at UT and in Austin: - Emissions Reduction & Energy Leadership Summit - Keep Austin Beautiful Annual Awards nomination deadline extended - The 2nd Annual School Gardening Workshop - It's My Park! Day 2005 - Swim at Barton Springs Other Announcements: - Recommended Course Volunteering, Jobs, and Internships: - Texas Solar Energy Society Job Opening - Volunteer at the Sierra Club! - US Fish and Wildlife Service and USDA Forest Service Internships - Southwest Network for Zero Waste Internship - Food and Nutrition Program Officer - Women for Sustainable Development - Tomato picker solidarity at-home activism ************************* Environmental Events at UT and in Austin ************************* Emissions Reduction & Energy Leadership Summit The purpose of this summit is to encourage awareness of and participation in improving air quality and environmental health through energy efficiency and renewable energy applications. The summit will feature the following tracks: * Texas Emissions Reduction Program (TERP) * Green Building * Sustainable Technologies * Student Awards Program * Education Credits more info: http://www.sanantonioenergyleadership.org/ When: December 14-17, 2004 Where: Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center ***** Keep Austin Beautiful Annual Awards nomination deadline extended The Keep Austin Beautiful Annual Awards nomination deadline has been extended to 5:00 pm, January 6, 2005. For 20 years, Keep Austin Beautiful has honored individual volunteers, community organizations, schools and responsible corporations at our Annual Awards Luncheon. Our Annual Awards Luncheon highlights the service and efforts of the people and groups who work throughout the year to keep Austin clean and beautiful. Please don't miss your chance to nominate someone for a Keep Austin Beautiful award! Fill out the online nomination form at http://www.keepaustinbeautiful.org/nominations02.php For more info, see http://www.keepaustinbeautiful.org/page.php?p_page_child_id=33 When: January 6th, 5:00 p.m. ***** The 2nd Annual School Gardening Workshop Why is this in January? Why so early in January? - Austin is unique - January is planting time for many veggies - a great time to get started. - January is also a new semester - your class can keep pace with the Spring Gardening season. - If you want a Spring Garden in Austin, you should start in January. Who Should attend? -It is Basics for Beginners - Teachers, Teachers Aids/Interns, Administrators, Staff, Parents, Volunteers. A simple approach you can use right away. -For Gardeners who teach and Teachers who Garden, it will be good review and get new pointers/techniques - raised beds, stop Bermuda grass, intensive planting. -Anyone who would like to know how to fit gardening into science, biology, chemistry, math, history, English, special ed, multi-lingual/cultural, etc. What will be covered: -Basics: Site review, garden location, garden bed preparation, intro to soil, water, sunshine, climate, seeds, plants, tools, planting, trees. -Introduction/discussion of curricula - what's available, what works -Basics of Parent, Teacher, Administrator, Community involvement -Case histories on P/R, Communications, and Funding -Hands-on Experience - build a bed, prep it, plant it; plant a tree, have fun outdoors When: Saturday, January 15th 8:30 - 1:00 Where: Travis Heights Elementary School, 2010 Alameda Dr., Austin 78704 ***** It's My Park! Day 2005 Saturday, April 23rd will be the third annual It's My Park! Day citywide park event! Got a park near you that needs a little sprucing (or live-oaking) up? Consider being a Park Host and teaming up with Austin Parks Foundation to make your park vision a reality. To find out more, or arrange a presentation for your next neighborhood meeting, email jcrow@austinparks.org. more info: http://www.austinparks.org/ When: April 23rd 2005 ***** Swim at Barton Springs Barton Springs will be open all day, every day (except Thursdays from 9-7 for regular pool cleaning) for free swimming until March. ***** ************************* Other Announcements ************************* Recommended Course FS 118 Course Description - Spring 2005 Environmental Change Unique #: 34425 W 3-5 * GEO 2.216 Dr. Jay Banner, Dept. of Geological Sciences This forum seminar will explore the range of environmental problems that have been created by human activity and population growth. Among the major issues to be addressed are water resources, climate change, biodiversity, and possible solutions to these problems. The roles of science, policy-making, and economic interests will be examined in the context of these issues. For a start on information about environmental science at UT-Austin, visit the Environmental Science Institute at www.geo.utexas.edu/esi/website. ***** ************************* Volunteering, Jobs, and Internships ************************* Texas Solar Energy Society Job Opening Assistant to the Executive Director Status: 1/4 time, hourly, contract labor Work Schedule: flexible, to be arranged between successful candidate and E.D. Location: TXSES Austin office and some telecommute possible Minimum Starting Pay: $12/hour Job Responsibilities: Assist Executive Director as needed. Specific duties to be mutually agreed upon, to come from within the following areas: database maintenance; membership (renewals, recruitment, etc.); web site management (update vendor lists, calendar, etc.); help represent TXSES at events, meetings, conferences; quarterly newsletter assistance (editing, delivery, etc.); respond to emails, phone calls, written inquires as directed; prepare mailings; assist in preparation for Board meetings. Other areas of interest to be mutually explored. To apply, contact Kathryn Houser, Executive Director, 512-326-3391, info@txses.org ***** Volunteer at the Sierra Club! WEBMASTER POSTION The Sierra Club Southern Plains Region is in need of a volunteer webmaster. Applicants will need to have a strong understanding of various ftp programs and applications. The webmaster will be in charge of updating the regional website with postings from field organizers, campaign updates, action alerts, the regional calendar, and other timely information. This position will require about 4 to 5 hours a week. If you are interested in this position, please contact Traci Laird at 512-472-9094. DATA ENTRY POSITIONS Sierra Club is looking for six great volunteers in the Austin area who can dedicate two to three hours a week during business hours entering data into our online database and identifying key volunteers. Now is possibly the most important time in history for America's clean air, clean water and open spaces and wildlands, so we need to energize and mobilize our growing grassroots movement. Volunteers can look forward to being trained in database management, connected closely with exciting campaigns, and involved with a great team. If you, or anyone you know, are interested in these volunteer positions, please contact Chris Wilhite or Phyllis Dunham at 512-472-9094. ***** US Fish and Wildlife Service and USDA Forest Service Internships In 2005, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and USDA Forest Service will sponsor 60-80 paid summer internships with a primary focus on recruiting and exposing freshman and sophomore Hispanic, African-American, Asian and Native American students to the conservation field. The Conservation Careers Diversity Intern Program is a collaboration between FWS, FS, and the Environmental Careers Organization. Each summer internship offers: a $4,800 stipend ($400/week for 12 weeks); $1,000 housing allowance or free housing; $300 minimum to help with relocation expenses. Students who are currently majoring in or have an interest in the following or other related academic fields are urged to apply: Biology, Botany, GIS, Ecology, Plant Science, Cartography, Wildlife Science, Hydrology, Forestry, Fishery Science, Geology, Soil Science, Natural Resources, Chemistry, Parks and Recreation, Range Conservation, Physical Science, Environmental Education For more information, please contact: Josephine Xiong Program Manager 617-426-4783 x.142 jxiong@eco.org www.eco.org/conservation ***** Southwest Network for Zero Waste Internship We are part of a nationwide network that works with companies to show how reducing pollution makes good business sense. We do this by showing the benefits to preventing pollution BEFORE it is generated. This is done through workshops, web based tools, telephone technical assistance, identification of successful projects, networking, marketing, and publications. A critical part of our mission is to develop the next generation of environmental professionals. Our unique approach gives interns a chance to learn about a broad array of environmental issues. A variety of technical and non-technical skills can be sharpened, and your projects will depend largely on your interest, ability and desire to learn. You may find yourself developing a web page, giving a presentation at a workshop, interviewing a metal finisher, finding news stories, programing in ColdFusion, providing technical assistance to an industrial facility. Funding for one part-time UT student position is expected to be available soon. Volunteers who have developed pollution prevention skills, and a demonstrated commitment to our work will be given consideration for funded positions. Contact: Thomas Vinson-Peng Southwest Network for Zero Waste University of Texas 10100 Burnet Rd. CEER-R 7100 Austin, TX 78758 Phone: 512/232-7149 Fax: 512/471-1720 www.zeroWasteNetwork.org tvinson@mail.utexas.edu ***** Food and Nutrition Program Officer There is a position open for a food and nutrition program officer. Please contact Laura Hannibal, the program coordinator at the The Happy Kitchen/La Cocina Alegre. Sustainable Food Center P.O Box 13323 Austin, TX 78711 512.236.0074 fax: 512.236.0098 ***** Women for Sustainable Development The Women for Sustainable Development (WSD) Initiative, sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), is designed for undergraduate women in the US and Mexico and offers career building skills and educational opportunities to participants. Participants selected for the WSD Initiative will attend a 3-day conference in Washington, D.C., January 7-9, 2005, where they will meet with professionals working in the sustainable development field. During the spring semester, participants will organize a campus or community outreach event aimed at increasing public awareness regarding international sustainable development. For more information about WSD and to request an application please contact Kelly Rand at 202-797-6622 or email at population@nwf.org. Check out the National Wildlife Federation on the web at www.nwf.org/population ***** Tomato picker solidarity at-home activism In support of higher wages for Florida farmworkers, please help a local campaign to remove Taco Bell from the Texas Union. This is rare: activism you can only do alone (takes little time to do) with a huge impact for the chief target in our campaign: Henry Jackson, Aramark's Director of Texas Union Dining Services. Also, you can win a roundtrip ticket anywhere in the US by helping us. go to: http://collegediningsurvey.com/ut-austin Aramark, who decides if Taco Bell stays on their contract (and thus in the Union), is hosting a survey on their dining services. At the very end, there is a space for extra comments. we adamantly encourage you to explain why a yearly salary of $6574 ($50 per two tons of tomatoes handpicked and hauled) is outrageous, the unacceptability of five slavery rings uncovered and prosecuted in the last seven years in Florida, and how industry leaders with more power to affect conditions for workers than government (in the difficult-to-enforce farmlands of desolate Florida) should take responsibility for where their tomatoes originally come from. UCLA cut their contract with Taco Bell last week; Notre Dame ousted theira few months before. UT would become number 21 nationwide. ***** ************************* Subscribing & Unsubscribing ************************* To post events to the weekly environmental events list (environment@lists.cc.utexas.edu), email them to events@UTenvironment.org. To subscribe or unsubscribe from the list, email listproc@lists.cc.utexas.edu with subscribe environment or unsubscribe environment in the body of the message. Also consider subscribing to these email lists: - AustinEcoNetwork - For networking and environmental news in Austin. Higher traffic. To subscribe, send an email to AEN@AustinEcoNetwork.org with SUBSCRIBE (or SUBSCRIBE DIGEST) in the SUBJECT line. - SustainUS - The US youth network for sustainable development. SustainUS-Opportunity-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To see the archive of all AustinEcoNetwork messages visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AustinEcoNetwork/ To leave this list send email to AEN@AustinEcoNetwork.org with UNSUBSCRIBE in the SUBJECT line. To switch to the digest version (one message daily) send email to AEN@AustinEcoNetwork.org with SUBSCRIBE DIGEST in the SUBJECT line. To post a message to the list, send to the moderator at AEN@AustinEcoNetwork.org. _______________________________________________ To unsubscribe or change to digest delivery mode: http://lists.oksustainability.org/mailman/listinfo/ok-sus Go to the bottom of the website, enter your email address, and then edit your options. To subscribe: http://lists.oksustainability.org/mailman/listinfo/ok-sus From Robert Waldrop" On Boxed Macaroni and Cheese and Cream of Mushroom Soup and a Secret Meeting at the Department of Agriculture http://www.oklahomafood.coop/bobsblog/ Today was a busy day. I had to go all the way past Nicoma Park on NE 23rd to pick up the new trailer that the Oscar Romero Catholic Worker House has bought. It was built by a craftsman, an independent business in Nicoma Park, Tillsdale Implements. It is a 16 ft long flat-bed trailer with stake holes so we can add sideboards. Four wheels, two axles, brakes, lights, non-treated wood for the bed (we are going to use linseed oil on it), painted a nice blue with an attractive pinstripe. It's a great new toy. We'll use it to haul 5000 pounds of food each month from the Regional Food Bank so we can make up bags of food to give to the poor. We'll use it to haul all the stuff we have to bring to delivery day, and it can be used on routes as needed, and as we grow. Then in the afternoon I gave a presentation on the Oklahoma Food Cooperative and sustainability to an Architecture and the Environment class at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. It was a big class - 90 were enrolled, 60 or so were there today. Many of them took copies of the Better Times Almanac and a brochure about the cooperative, and one guy came up afterwards who raises heirloom geese! The class is taught by Jay Yowell, architect and president of the Oklahoma Sustainability Network. The OSN annual meeting is coming up Friday April 8th in Stillwater - be there or be square, as they say. This is the best place to find the leading edge of the sustainability movement in Oklahoma, our particular bioregion. Go to http://www.oksustainability.org/ for more info. While I am talking about conferences, I'd also like to mention the Kansas Farmers Union meeting in Lindsborg, Kansas on "Regional Food Systems and Marketing Opportunities." ( http://www.kansasruralcenter.org/calendar.html , scroll down to the entry for the conference) Kim Barker and I are both speaking, as are others from organizations such as the Ogallala Commons, the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, the National Geographic Magazine. I'd particularly like to point out that Mary Hendrickson, of the Dept. of Rural Sociology at the University of Missouri at Columbia is on the agenda, and she is certainly the grandmother of this food cooperative. I was living in Kansas City, Missouri when I began to discover local foods. The diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph organized a conference, "Food, Justice, Community," which brought together the Sierra Club, the Kansas City Food Circle, and the Dept. of Rural Sociology with members of the Kansas City faith communities. She was on the organizing committee. We had a local food dinner at that conference, which is I think where I got the idea of always having local food at our events. Bob Mailander, of the Cooperative Development Center of the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, called me today to set up a conference call next week with a couple of people in his office. Apparently they are thinking about doing a similar co-op in Colorado, they've also been talking to Kim Barker through the Ogallala Commons organization. And there was another phone call, from the editor of the Cooperative Grocer magazine. He read about us in the sustainable business magazine, the name escapes me at the moment. Their editor interviewed me a couple of weeks ago. So like I said, it was a busy day. Breakfast was fried sausage (from Natural Farms) on whole wheat bread. Fast forward to dinner, no lunch, and it's 7 PM and I'm wondering what's for dinner. We had some leftover cabbage from yesterday's repast (Kim Barker's grass-fed ground beef made into patties, browned, and then finished in the oven in a dark brown gravy made from that stock we simmered for 18 hours last month, plus garlic, onion, herbs, and chipotle peppers. Cabbage and mashed potatoes finished out that meal. No leftovers except for some cabbage, we had a guest, and everybody was hungry. So I decided, what the heck, it has been a long time. . . and so it came to pass that I opened two boxes of macaroni and cheese and cooked them according to the package directions, cooked the buffalo, added some herbs, and what a disappointment that was. What a disservice to that wonderful buffalo. Oh well, the cabbage was even better today than it was yesterday, and the dogs really seemed to appreciate the mac and cheese and buffalo. I found myself reflecting on this, because it wasn 't so very long ago that I thought that boxed macaroni and cheese was one of the basic food groups. I have been buying it all of my life, and using it often, until a couple of years ago. Now it tastes like yucky moosh. What's up with that? The same thing happened last month with a can of cream of mushroom soup. If you were to find a copy of the first edition of the Better Times Almanac, which I published in 1997, you would find a lot of recipes that included cream of mushroom soup. Or cream of chicken, or cream of cheese and broccoli, etc. Well, I was making a casserole in January and thought, "I haven't used this in a long time," and poured it in and finished it as usual and that was another disappointment. It was like I had added a half cup of sugar to the recipe. My problem is that I have been buying local foods for my kitchen for long enough that my tastes are changing. I can't drink a soft drink anymore, they are waaaaaaaay too sweet. Well, a shot of bourbon or two will still make Coca Cola drinkable, but that indulgence is only an irregular event with me. I used to drink a liter of soft drinks every day. What a waste of money for nothing but empty calories, and a taste that only makes you thirsty for more. That whole "drink an ice cold coke on a hot summer day" gig is hogwash propaganda. I could buy nearly a year's supply of grass-fed hamburger through the co-op for what I used to spend on soft drinks. But wait, this isn't a problem, this shows how the quality of my life has increased over the last 2 years. That's a journey from cheap feedlot mystery meat made from cattle from six countries and boxed macaroni and cheese made in a factory to ground buffalo from a free ranging grass fed animal, bought from someone that I know right here in my own area, a home-made sauce, using basic ingredients of local origin, and the one touch of the agribusiness system, pasta. One of these days I'll get a pasta maker. It would have been just as easy tonight to cook some pasta, cook the buffalo, and then make a nice brown gravy with the buffalo using some more of that stock we made earlier this year. Mix that with the macaroni, add home baked yeast rolls from dough made last week and kept in the fridge, and voila, peasant food fit for a king. And it would have been just as cheap and easy and convenient too as the boxed macaroni and cheese. But I succumbed, for a brief moment, to the false promise of "manufactured food convenience", and was once again reminded of why I think the Oklahoma Food Cooperative is so important. It is almost unsettling to get all these calls from people in other states who have been watching our progress and learning from our experience. They seem to think we know what we're doing, and that's a scary thought. There is so much that needs to be done to bring this cooperative to a sustainability that incorporates economic viability, social justice, and environmental stewardship. But it is also exciting to think that others may be launching their own cooperatives. I want to see how others deal with the issues we are confronting, and what new approaches may come from the wider scope of experience that this will create. In the meantime, we continue to do the work of the cooperative. The March order is still open, and I encourage everybody to order some of this good food. Start small, that's fine, that's what I did, before the cooperative even started. Nobody goes from "no local foods" to "80% local foods" overnight, although we have an increasing number of cooperative members who seem to be aiming for that. Start with 5%, or 10%. I also have to say that I expect that we are only beginning the process of coming to an understanding with the regulatory authorities about our business. We conceived of and implemented a brand new business model, and it seems to me that we don't quite fit any of their categories. So they may be in the process of trying to cobble together a new category for us. I heard a rumor today that there is a meeting this week at the Department of Agriculture where all the stakeholders in the Department of Agriculture are to meet with representatives of the health departments of Oklahoma, Cleveland, Logan, and Tulsa counties. So another thing I did today was contact Ron Hitt, of the Meat Inspection Department, to ask him about that meeting. He confirmed that indeed such a meeting was scheduled. So I asked him if I could attend. He said no, it was a private meeting. I am not sure but the meeting may have been today, when I called this morning the person answering the phone said he was in a "big important meeting" and he would call me when he got out about 1 PM, which he did. Here is what I told him, very politely, and I think also with a lot of love. I believe in the power of love (and I don't care if people think that is weird), so I said I believed in the good faith of the Department of Agriculture, and that I believed that small farmers had a right to access the marketplace. I said that we were strong believers in food safety, and were supporters of science based regulation in the interest of protecting the common good. But I also said that the way that regulations are written can have impacts on market access for small farmers, and that I thought that we ought to have a seat at the table where these things were being talked about. I reminded him that they might not realize the impact of their decisions upon people, and that they should work with us to negotiate a system that would meet their needs while not unduly burdening or hindering the market access of Oklahoma's small farmers. I also told him that as a consumer, my decision to buy local foods incorporated political, ethical, and religious reasons, and that those were constitionally protected rights and they should take that into consideration in making their regulations. He said he "heard what I was saying" and they would talk to us, but he also said that we might not like all of their decisions. So if you haven't written your letters, please do so right away. Please follow those letters up with phone calls and requests for personal meetings. Please let the Department of Agriculture know how you feel, add Terry Peach, Secretary and Commissioner of Agriculture to your list of people to contact about this. The squeaking wheel gets the grease. All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men and women to do nothing. So all you good men and women out there, let's all do something, so that good will triumph. The issues in play here are fundamental, they go to the very core of our rights as human persons. I know there are many demands on everyone's time, but if you have ever wanted to really make a difference on an issue, here it is, right before you, a chance to make history and do something really practical and productive for the movement towards environmental and economic sustainability. You don't have to run into a burning building and risk your life. You don't have to spend a lot of money. All you have to do is write letters, make phone calls, and ask for personal visits - and be persistent at it. If you don't get an answer right away, write again, call again, don't take no for an answer. Be polite, be loving even, but stand up for what you believe in, and help make it easy for our politicians and the Dept. of Agriculture folks to do the right thing. There are plenty of them who really want the good guys to win here, but we have to lead so they can follow. Keep on bon apetitin. Buy and eat that good, authentic, Oklahoma food. Learn the unique tastes of our own local region. Plant some fruit and nut trees and berry bushes this spring. Share these good things with your families and friends. Stand up for your rights to do this. Settle for nothing less than justice. Robert Waldrop, President Oklahoma Food Cooperative PS to Oklahoma Food Cooperative members: You are all my heroes, every single one of you, and I love all of you for joining this cooperative and doing something so incredibly positive and hopeful in the midst of all the craziness out there. From Robert Waldrop" If you haven't contacted your legislators and the Dept of Ag on behalf of the Oklahoma Food Cooperative, please come to our assistance and help the environment by contacting/writing them today. Robert Waldrop, Oklahoma Food Cooperative The Honorable Terry Peach Commissioner and Secretary of Agriculture Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry 2800 N. Lincoln Blvd. Oklahoma City, OK 73105 via fax to: 522-0909 Dear Secretary Peach: I am writing you in reference to the recent actions of the Meat Inspection folks of the Department of Agriculture who have classified the Oklahoma Food Cooperative as a "third party" and thus banned us from facilitating farmer-direct sales of on-farm processed poultry. I would first like to compliment the inspectors who came to our February delivery day to enforce this new regulation. Although this obviously was a difficult task, they handled it very professionally, and while we of course disagree with their interpretation of the law and their actions, they were polite and courteous and that is always a good thing. However, we strongly object to being classified as a third party in this matter. We only do business with and between our members, who are producers of Oklahoma food (and some non-food) products and the customers who want to buy them. The cooperative itself never has title to any of the products that move through our system. All products are owned either by the producers or the customers who have bought them. We consider the cooperative to be an extension of the farmers' and the customers' persons. Furthermore, speaking as a customer who buys 80% of my household's food directly from Oklahoma farmers through the Oklahoma Food Cooperative, many of the customers who buy food through the cooperative do so for reasons that are rooted in ethics and religion and we consider these purchases to be a type of speech, perhaps even for some it is a matter of politics. These are all constitutionally protected rights, and to have those rights abrogated by a department regulation is a matter of very grave concern to all of us involved with the cooperative. I cannot emphasize enough to you just how grave we view this. We are very committed to food safety. If we kill off all our customers, we will hardly have any business in the future. But we think that regulations and laws relating to this should be based on science, and they should be written and enforced in a way that does not unduly restrict the market access of small producers and the urban customers who wish to buy their products. In the present situation, it would be perfectly fine for the producer to drive to Oklahoma City and hand the products to the customers. But it is against your regulation for the producer to drive to Oklahoma City, hand the chicken to us, we put it in a superinsulated ice chest with a chunk of dry ice, and then the customer comes and picks it up. We can find no science based reason for discriminating against these kinds of transactions, especially when you consider the constitutionally protected reasons for which many of the customers make these purchases. We understand that there must be a regulatory process to protect the public safety, but we firmly believe it should be about protecting public safety, not restricting market access. Thus, we think that transparency is important in the preparation and enforcement of such regulations. I heard earlier this week, for example, that there was to be a meeting at the Department of Agriculture this week between the Department of Agriculture stakeholders and representatives of the Health Departments of Oklahoma, Tulsa, Logan, and Cleveland counties. I spoke with Ron Hitt who confirmed that such a meeting would take place. I asked if I could attend, and he said "no". Leaving aside any questions about the laws governing secret meetings, why shouldn't we be welcome at such a meeting? Large farm organizations, and corporations such as Tyson's and Cargill, often insist on a place at the table, and we think that we should be part of the process too. We think it is bad public policy to prepare regulations and then surprise people who will be impacted by those regulations with an enforcement action. Mr. Hitt said that his Department had been aware of our activities since we began, and we have to wonder if the present regulation was directed specifically at us. At no time in the last year has his department ever contacted us to share their concerns. Besides the constitutionally protected reasons outlined above, we think our work is important for the economic development of rural Oklahoma. Oklahoma has thousands of part-time farmers, they have small acreages, and can't make a full-time living from farming so they have a job in town and farm on the side. We think that one of the easiest and fastest and cheapest ways to create new jobs in rural Oklahoma is to help those part-time farmers become full-time farmers. If a man has 80 acres, he isn't going to make much of a living off it growing wheat and selling that into the globalized marketplace. But he and his family could make a middle class income off of 80 acres, by raising a diversified mix of market garden crops and livestocks to sell directly to the public. For many such farmers, poultry would be an essential part of their product mix. But if these regulations are allowed to remain in their present form, they will hurt our efforts to create new jobs in rural Oklahoma. And regarding our economic development efforts, I would like to point out that we have been completely self-financed through selling shares to our members. We have not asked for any economic development money, and have no intentions of doing so. Regarding economic development, one of the big issues in rural Oklahoma is helping the next generation of farmers to get started. I recently spoke with Charles Horn, of Horn Organic Farm in Cordell, one of our producers who has been negatively impacted by this regulation. He says the inspectors told him that his sons could not raise chickens and then process them at his (their father's) processing facility. I hope that he misunderstood this, because you know as well as anybody that it is almost impossible for a young man to get started in farming without his family's help. His family has been on their land since 1889! Indeed, that's the way that farming has been passed from father to son (and sometimes daughter) over the generations, the older generations helping the younger ones get started. In my family, boys received a female calf at about age 10. This was to be the beginning of your own herd. It would be a shame if the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture prohibited poultry farmers from helping their sons get started with their own flocks. It should also be noted that "local food" is the next "big thing" in food. Throughout the nation, "celebrity chefs" are looking for locally and regionally produced ingredients. Farmers markets are springing up, Community Supported Agriculture farms are opening their doors, and people are interested in buying "food with a story", which is what you get when you buy food directly from a farmer. I was a delegate last year to the Terra Madre 2004 Slow Food event in Turin, Italy, which brought together 5000 small farmers, members of food cooperatives, and others with an interest in local foods. You may not know this but we invented our system from the ground up, and are unique in the nation in our approach to facilitating direct sales between farmers and urban customers. This work has not gone unnoticed outside of the state. I have spoken to groups in Arkansas and Nebraska who are interested in organizing cooperative similar to ours. Next week I have a conference call with representatives from the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union in Colorado who are also interested in following our example. Kim Barker, a rancher from Waynoka who is on our board, and I are speaking the week after Easter at a meeting of farmers in Lindborg, Kansas about our cooperative. The national sustainable business magazine, In Business, has a story about us and I had a call earlier this week from the editor of the nationally published Cooperative Grocer magazine. I just received an invitation to speak to a meeting in Ohio in the fall. The March April Oklahoma Today magazine has an article that tells our cooperative's story as part of the great picture of Oklahoma food. Oklahoma is well positioned to be a leader in the new local foods movement. Our diverse climate provides opportunities for raising a wide variety of food products that people want to buy directly from farmers. It would be very sad if the Department of Agriculture were to act to stop this movement, just as it is getting going and getting national attention. Three of my four great-grandfathers came to Oklahoma before statehood. Two of them drew land in the last land lotteries that settled Tillman County. All four of my great grandfathers were farmers, their sons my grandfathers were farmers, and my father was a farmer. One of my great-grandfathers, L.E. Waldrop, was at one time earlier this century a member of the state Board of Agriculture. I am the first man in my family to not be a full-time farmer in four generations. Throughout its history, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture has done good work in helping and protecting Oklahoma farmers. I hope that your department will continue to keep faith with its history, its tradition, and with the people who remain this day on the land, and work with us to resolve the present problem. I look forward to an opportunity to meet with either you or your staff to discuss these issues further. We would appreciate it, however, if consideration of this could be expedited, being as how we are talking about the livelihoods of small farmers here, farming operations with small margins who are now losing sales because of this regulation. Farm production waits on no man or woman, when the flocks are ready for processing, they are ready for processing. They aren't going to stop growing. They need to be fed. Loans and mortgages have to be paid. The future of family farms are on the line. Meanwhile, in the cities, there are customers who want to buy these on-farm processed chickens and turkeys. How can you help resolve this problem? Thank you for your consideration of the issues I raise in this letter. Sincerely, Robert M. Waldrop, president Oklahoma Food Cooperative www.oklahomafood.coop From chiefseneca@hotmail.com Mon Mar 14 00:06:31 2005 From: chiefseneca@hotmail.com (Seneca Scott) Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2005 18:06:31 -0600 Subject: [ok-sus] (no subject) Message-ID:

Aren't our current primary forms of energy, i.e.; coal, gas and oil subsidized in one form or another?

Seneca

 

Wind power: hot air or valid energy source?
By RUSSELL RAY World Staff Writer
3/13/2005

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Wind power is the newest member of Oklahoma's energy family.

All of Oklahoma's major electric utilities have entered agreements to build and supply wind-generated power, a form of energy beloved for its nominal effect on the environment.

But Dobie Langenkamp, a critic of renewable energy, says wind power is costly and inefficient and that Oklahoma should think again before more wind farms are built in the Sooner State.

"Before we impose a green-power mandate and force people to take wind power, we ought to have a discussion on the impacts of wind," said Langenkamp, director of the National Energy-Environment Law & Policy Institute at the University of Tulsa.

During an interview, Langenkamp, who served as deputy assistant secretary of energy under President Carter and President Clinton, said wind pow er is unreliable and provides no solution to the nation's surging demand for electricity.

"The United States is producing less than 1 percent of its electric power from wind," Langenkamp said.

In addition, wind farms operate about 30 percent below their reported capacities, he said.

"You just don't get as much power as you think you're getting, because the wind doesn't blow all the time," he said. "The turbine doesn't start spinning until it's 14 miles an hour. It stops spinning when it gets to 40 or 50 miles an hour. You have to cut them off because they can't handle it."

He dismisses claims that wind power is cheaper than coal- or gas-fired power.

"If wind power is cheaper, why do we have to subsidize it?" he said.

Wind farms receive a federal tax credit for wind power production -- 1.8 cents per kilowatt hour.

Others disagree with Langenkamp.

The construction of wind power must continue because it is important to the preservation of valuable energy supplies in the United States, said Greg Adams, president of the Oklahoma Renewable Energy Council.

"If we continue burning fuel at this rate, we have approximately 200 years of fossil fuels left," Adams said. "We either make a gradual turn to renewables or we run headlong into complete depletion of fossil fuels."

Coal accounts for 53 percent of U.S. electric generation while natural gas represents 15 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

"Those are very precious chemical feedstocks," Adams said. "We need to find ways to utilize renewable energy sources to save those precious feedstocks for other uses in our society."

But a report by Cornell University downplays the impact of renewable energy sources. It says that even if used to their fullest extent, renewable sources would replace just half of the oil, gas and coal consumed in the United States.

AEP-PSO, the state's second-largest electric utility and Tulsa's chief power provider, is on the way to becoming the state's largest supplier of wind-generated electricity under new agreements approved by state regulators.

Although American Electric Power-Public Service Co. of Oklahoma will not disclose the cost of its contracts, company officials say they will not raise consumer costs.

Adams backed up the utility's claim, saying the cost of AEP-PSO's recently approved contract with Zilkha Renewable Energy is below the cost of conventional gas-fired power.

"That number is well below combined-cycle natural gas generation costs," he said.

Under its 10-year deal with Zilkha, AEP-PSO will buy up to 151.5 megawatts from Zilkha's Blue Canyon II wind farm project north of Lawton. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Before its contract with Zilkha, AEP-PSO agreed to buy 106.5 megawatts of wind power from the Weatherford Wind Energy Center, which is under construction. The Weatherford facility is expected to begin commercial operation this spring.

Supporters of wind power such as Adams admit that its reliability is a problem and that difficulties in projecting wind speeds could lead to millions of dollars in penalties for utilities.

"The resource we're dealing with is a variable resource," he said.

The Southwest Power Pool is working on changes that would account for the difficulties of projecting wind speeds and lessen utilities' exposure to penalties for failing to supply enough power when it is needed.

"The issue is with scheduling because the wind is not that predictable," said Drake Rice of the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority. "If it's not addressed, it will be a problem. We believe it will be addressed."

Wind power accounted for 8 percent of OMPA's electric generation in 2004.

Langenkamp said the money being spent on wind power development in the United States should instead be put toward advancing the use of liquefied natural gas, nuclear power and clean-coal technology.

The nation's energy supplies could best be bolstered through conservation, he said. "The amount of power we waste in this country is phenomenal."

Russell Ray 581-8380
russell.ray@tulsaworld.com


Related Photos & Graphics

Dobie Langenkamp talks about alternative energy sources in his office at the University of Tulsa, where he is the director of the National Energy-Environment Law & Policy Institute. Langenkamp dismisses wind power as unreliable.
DAVID CRENSHAW / Tulsa World




From Susie.Shields@deq.state.ok.us Tue Mar 15 17:14:40 2005 From: Susie.Shields@deq.state.ok.us (Shields, Susie) Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2005 11:14:40 -0600 Subject: [ok-sus] GREENBUZZ for March 14, 2005 Message-ID: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C52982.78F3A608 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable This issue includes much information on Life Cycle Assessment . . . = =20 If you are having trouble reading this page, you may view the current = issue by go to http://www.greenbiz.com/enewsletter=20 = GreenBiz.com's GreenBuzz - Published Weekly March 14, 2005 = =09 = = = =09 = = =09 Search: GO = News = | Reference = | Toolbox = | Jobs = | Bookstore = = =09 =09 =09 =09 Taking Care of Business You've heard about corporate social responsibility, but what about = "corporate social opportunity"? To help you understand this new spin on = an old concept, we present a meaty question-and-answer session = = with George Carpenter, director of corporate sustainable development at = Proctor & Gamble. Find out how the consumer-products giant is entering = developing markets with an eye toward making a profit while also = achieving specific social goals.=20 Also this week: Three excellent resources on life cycle assessment and = product stewardship.=20 =20 Headlines The Latest News on Business and the Environment = Survey: Rechargeable Battery Recycling Program Low = on = Juice=20 A new survey finds that the recycling efforts of the Rechargeable = Battery Recycling Corporation are falling well short of the mark.=20 =09 = Toyota, Daihatsu Create New Low-Emissions Car Paint = =20 The Japanese carmakers have developed a new painting technology that not = only eliminates emissions of volatile organic compounds but also reduces = emissions of carbon dioxide.=20 =09 = Energy-Efficient Phone Adapter Scoops EPA Design = Award=20 A San Jose circuit maker has been named Grand Champion in the category = of Efficiency Challenge 2004, an international design competition for = power supply efficiency.=20 =09 Paper = Trade Group Forms Alliance to Cut Down = = Illegal Logging=20 The American Forest & Paper Association and Conservation International = have joined forces to create the new Alliance to Combat Illegal Logging. = =09 = Citigroup Leans on Logging Company to Clean up Its = Act=20 The U.S.-based financial institution now requires Southeast Asian timber = client Rimbunan Hijau to obtain independent, third-party certification.=20 =09 Put = GreenBiz news on your site for free! Learn = more... =09 = More Headlines... =20 Resources and Tools A Wealth of Hands-On Help Life = Cycle Assessment: A Guide to Approaches, = Experiences, and Information Sources=20 A practical guide for businesses and industries to address the growing = issue of life cycle assessment.=20 =09 Life = Cycle Assessment Links = =20 While a Ph.D. candidate at Tufts University, Thomas Gloria compiled this = list of Web links on life cycle assessment (LCA), the process of = evaluating and ameliorating the environmental impact of a product or = activity.=20 =09 Life = Cycle Engineering Guidelines = = EPA guidelines for implementing LCE concepts, information, and = techniques in engineering products, systems, processes, and facilities.=20 =09 More Tools... = | More Web Sites... = =20 =20 Columns and Features Insight and Inspiration from the Experts = Corporate Social Opportunity? = =20 George Carpenter, director of corporate sustainable development at the = Procter & Gamble Company, explains how the company envisions to link = business opportunity with corporate responsibility to create a concept = called "corporate social opportunity."=20 =09 Wanna = write for GreenBiz? Let us know if you'd like to write a guest column or = feature reflecting your experiences or opinions in the environmental = business world. Send a brief query to Editor@greenbiz.com | Read our = editorial = guidelines =09 More Columns... = | More Features... = =20 =20 Ask the Experts! Your Questions Answered I'm = thinking of becoming an independent = = practitioner; what suggestions can you provide to increase my chances of = success (Part 3 of 3)?=20 =09 = Experts! Archive...=20 Ask a Question: =09 Your Name:=20 (Optional) =09 Your E-mail:=20 (Optional) =09 =20 Send This Newsletter to Colleagues Spread the Word! Amaze Your Friends! Win Our Gratitude!=20 Your Name: =09 Your E-mail: =09 Colleague's E-mail(s): Separate each address with a comma (,) =09 =09 View Our Privacy = Policy = Apply Now!=09 =09 Is your production facility in need of a makeover? U.S. DOE is offering = $1 million in new funds = to help = industrial plants find ways to save energy. The new solicitation offers = up to $100,000 per facility to carry out a plant-wide assessment to = examine energy-intensive processes, determine which plant systems offer = the greatest energy savings potential, and identify specific actions to = achieve those savings. Proposals are due by May 3.=20 =09 =09 Featured Event = =09 EECO 2005 Environment and Energy Conference = =20 Host: GLOBE Foundation of Canada=20 Date: May 25-27, 2005=20 Location: Toronto, Canada=20 Conference brings together government and business leaders from the U.S. = and Canada to discuss how to enhance business competitiveness through = corporate environmental leadership and technology innovation.=20 Submit Your = Event =09 =09 =20 = Sustainable Business Forum = Business Ethics = GolinHarris = lohas = GreenerPrinter.com = EnvironmentalPartnership = GreenerBuildings.com = = http://makower.typepad.com/joel_makower/ =20 =09 Our Sponsors=09 =09 =20 Founding Sponsor: = =20 Major Sponsors:=20 = =20 =20 = HP =20 =20 =20 = =20 =20 = =20 _____ =20 SUPPORT GREENBIZ! Become a sponsor or advertiser, reaching tens of thousands of businesses = every week. 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This issue includes much information on=20 Life Cycle Assessment . .=20 .

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If you are = having=20 trouble reading this page, you may view the current issue by go to=20 http://www.greenbiz.com/enewsletter

3D""=20 GreenBiz.com's GreenBuzz - Published = Weekly March 14, 2005 3D""=20
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Also this week: = Three=20 excellent resources on life cycle assessment and product=20 stewardship.=20

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Headlines
The Latest News on Business and the=20 Environment

3D""=20 Survey: Rechargeable Battery Recycling = Program Low=20 on Juice
A new survey finds that the recycling = efforts=20 of the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation are = falling=20 well short of the mark.
3D""=20 Toyota, Daihatsu Create New Low-Emissions = Car Paint=20
The Japanese carmakers have developed a new = painting=20 technology that not only eliminates emissions of = volatile=20 organic compounds but also reduces emissions of carbon = dioxide.
3D""=20 Energy-Efficient Phone Adapter Scoops EPA = Design=20 Award
A San Jose circuit maker has been named = Grand=20 Champion in the category of Efficiency Challenge 2004, = an=20 international design competition for power supply = efficiency.=20
3D""=20 Paper Trade Group Forms Alliance to Cut = Down=20 Illegal Logging
The American Forest & = Paper=20 Association and Conservation International have joined = forces=20 to create the new Alliance to Combat Illegal Logging.=20
3D""=20 Citigroup Leans on Logging Company to = Clean up Its=20 Act
The U.S.-based financial institution now = requires=20 Southeast Asian timber client Rimbunan Hijau to obtain = independent, third-party certification. =
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A=20 Wealth of Hands-On Help

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A = practical guide=20 for businesses and industries to address the growing = issue of=20 life cycle assessment.
3D""=20 Life Cycle Assessment Links
While = a Ph.D.=20 candidate at Tufts University, Thomas Gloria compiled = this=20 list of Web links on life cycle assessment (LCA), the = process=20 of evaluating and ameliorating the environmental = impact of a=20 product or activity.
3D""=20 Life Cycle Engineering Guidelines =
EPA=20 guidelines for implementing LCE concepts, information, = and=20 techniques in engineering products, systems, = processes, and=20 facilities.

More Tools... | More Web Sites...

3D""=20

Columns and Features
Insight and Inspiration from the=20 Experts

3D""=20 Corporate Social Opportunity? =
George=20 Carpenter, director of corporate sustainable = development at=20 the Procter & Gamble Company, explains how the = company=20 envisions to link business opportunity with corporate=20 responsibility to create a concept called "corporate = social=20 opportunity."
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#HTML= Comment#=20 ------_=_NextPart_001_01C52982.78F3A608-- From chiefseneca@hotmail.com Wed Mar 16 23:26:59 2005 From: chiefseneca@hotmail.com (Seneca Scott) Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2005 17:26:59 -0600 Subject: [ok-sus] Daily Oklahoman 3-16-05 Message-ID:





Senate votes to open Alaskan oil drilling

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A closely divided Senate voted Wednesday to approve oil drilling in an Alaska wildlife refuge, a major victory for President Bush and a stinging defeat for environmentalists who have fought the idea for decades.

By a 51-49 vote, the Senate put a refuge drilling provision in next year's budget, depriving opponents of the chance to use a filibuster to try to block it. Filibusters, which require 60 votes to overcome, have been used to defeat drilling proposals in the past.

Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, who has fought for 24 years to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil companies, acknowledged it still could be "a long process" before a final drilling measure clears Congress. Lawmakers must agree on the final budget, something they failed to do last year, or Wednesday's vote would have been for naught.

Also, the House did not include an Arctic refuge measure in its budget, a difference that will have to be worked out in future negotiations.

Nevertheless, the Senate made clear by Wednesday's vote that a majority now supports tapping what is believed to be 10.4 billions or more of barrels of oil within the refuge's 1.5 million-acre coastal plain, said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. Two years ago, a similar attempt to use the budget process to open the refuge failed by three votes.

But that was before Republicans last November expanded their majority, adding a number of GOP senators who favor drilling. Only seven Republicans, all moderates, bucked their party Wednesday and voted with most Democrats against opening the refuge.

The oil industry has sought for more than two decades to get access to the oil. In 1980, Congress said the oil could be developed, but only if lawmakers specifically authorized the Interior Department to sell oil leases. Repeatedly Congress has failed to do so.

Environmentalists for years have fought such development, contending it would lead to a spider web of drilling platforms, pipelines and roads that would adversely impact the calving grounds of caribou, polar bears and millions of migratory birds that use the refuge's coastal plain.

"The fact is it's going to be destructive," Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said during debate on an amendment that would have stripped the drilling language from the budget measure. Democrats fell two votes short of the 51 needed.

Kerry and other drilling opponents argued that more oil would be saved than ANWR could produce if Congress enacted an energy policy focusing on conservation, more efficient cars and trucks and increased reliance on renewable fuels.

Drilling supporters countered that the refuge's oil can be pumped while still protecting the environment and wildlife.

Modern technology, drilling techniques and environmental restrictions would dramatically limit the industrial footprint that would be left on the tundra and protect wildlife, said Murkowski. "We know we've got to do it right. ... It's a fragile environment."

One GOP senator after another argued that with foreign imports accounting for more than half of the oil the country uses, every available barrel should be pursued. The Alaska refuge represents the largest potential onshore oil find in the country, they said.

"Some people say we ought to conserve more. They say we ought to conserve instead of producing this oil. But we need to do everything. We have to conserve and produce where we can," said Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

But drilling opponents rejected the suggestion that ANWR's oil would have much impact on global markets, today's high oil and gasoline prices, or the continued U.S. reliance on foreign producers.

"We won't see this oil for 10 years. It will have minimal impact," argued Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. It is "foolish to say oil development and a wildlife refuge can coexist."

Cantwell and other Democrats accused Republicans of trying "an end run" by attaching the refuge provisions to the budget, saying the question of drilling in an ecologically pristine refuge - a "special place" as many environmentalists called it - should be debated as separate legislation or as part of a broad energy bill.

"It's the only way around the filibuster," countered Stevens, defending the use of the budget process. He said that approach is justified for issues that have special importance such as getting at ANWR's oil, something he characterized as a matter of "national security."

While Democrats led the opposition to drilling, three Democratic senators voted with the GOP majority: Sens. Daniel Akaka and Daniel Inouye of Hawaii and Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana.

The seven Republicans who voted against drilling were Sens. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island; Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine; Mike DeWine of Ohio, John McCain of Arizona, Gordon Smith of Oregon and Norm Coleman of Minnesota.

---

On the Net:

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee:



From adamsranch@pldi.net Sun Mar 20 02:26:59 2005 From: adamsranch@pldi.net (Greg Adams) Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 20:26:59 -0600 Subject: [ok-sus] Energy Subsidies in the U.S. In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <030701c52cf4$4bc80810$0100a8c0@hal> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0308_01C52CC2.012D9810 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Seneca, You recently asked the following question on the sustainability net. "Aren't our current primary forms of energy, I.e.; coal, gas and = oil subsidized in one form or another?" Below is some info from AWEA (American Wind Energy Association), = relating to that subject. Below that is AWEA's response to some mis-information = about wind energy from a former COAL company exec. "Mr. Glenn Schleede" that = were very similar to the "quotes" I read in the Tulsa World article (below). =20 As you can see, "Wind Energy" only receives 2/10's to 4/10's of ONE = PERCENT of the total energy subsidies the United States "allows" for energy production according to www.earthtrack.net . =20 NOTE --- Wind Farms in western Oklahoma generate electricity approx. 75 = to 85% of the time and achieve annual capacity factors above 40%. This is = much better than the "National Average" numbers AWEA quotes below. =20 Greg Adams =20 Tax incentives provided to wind plant developers should be viewed in the larger context of U.S. federal energy subsidies to all energy = technologies. According to = http://www.earthtrack.net/earthtrack/library/FedSubs2003.pdf , a report prepared for the National Commission on Energy Policy, a low-end = estimate of these subsidies for the latest year available (2003) is $37 billion to = $64 billion. Total wind energy production credit payments for that year were approximately $155 million (American Wind Energy Association estimate), = or four-tenths of one percent of the minimum federal energy subsidy total = of $37 billion.=20 One of the largest categories identified in the report is some $26 = billion over 5 years for accelerated depreciation of energy infrastructure = property, with the energy industries benefiting identified as "oil, natural gas, coal-electric, gas-electric." Obviously, wind energy is not alone in receiving depreciation benefits.=20 =20 =20 4. Is wind energy costly? =20 Mr. Schleede claims that wind energy is too costly, and points out that = it is subsidized by the federal government. =20 The cost of electricity from new wind plants is competitive with the = cost of new conventional (coal, gas, nuclear) power plants, with the federal = wind energy production tax credit taken into account. It is true that few = wind plants would be built without this incentive/subsidy. However, it is = also true that the traditional energy industries are generously subsidized in = a variety of ways, ranging from the federal government pledging its = financial backing to the nuclear industry in case of an accident like Chernobyl to payments of about $350 million annually to coal miners suffering from = black lung disease. =20 More importantly, coal, our largest electricity source, receives an = enormous hidden subsidy due to the fact that its environmental costs are not = included in its market price. A recent article in the scientific journal = "Science" placed the cost of electricity from a new coal plant at 3.5 to 4 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), but = added that its true cost to the public is 5.5 to 8.3 cents/kWh when environmental costs such as air pollution and acid rain are added in. This amounts to a = subsidy ranging from 60% to more than 100%(!). As long as the economic system = does not reflect such costs, it is good public policy to provide offsetting subsidies to clean energy sources such as wind. =20 =20 7. Is wind unreliable? =20 Mr. Schleede claims that wind energy is unreliable, and is not always = clear as to whether he is talking about the wind itself or about wind = generators. Let's be clear--the wind does not always blow, but wind turbines are = highly reliable, and ready to generate electricity when it does. Average wind turbine "availability" (readiness to generate) is actually higher than = the average availability of conventional power plants (98% for wind, approximately 95% for conventional power plants). Furthermore, wind = projects consist of many relatively small turbines rather than one or two large generators like conventional power plants. Therefore, the likelihood of = a sudden, unanticipated loss of all power from a wind plant is = significantly less than that for a conventional power plant of equivalent size. =20 The wind is definitely variable, but utility system operators are always dealing with a changing situation, as consumer demand fluctuates and = power plants (conventional as well as wind) start up or shut down. Adding = 10-15% percent of wind generation to a utility system has very little effect on = a system already designed to handle this level of variability. If wind = were the ONLY power source, then major changes to the system would be = needed--but no one envisions that. =20 Mr. Schleede frequently states that wind turbines generate electricity = only 25% to 35% of the time. This is not true. A typical wind turbine = operates 65% to 80% of the time, although it often generates at less than full = power (and thus generates, over a full year, only 25% to 35% of the = electricity it would generate if it ran at full power all of the time). The reason for this is that wind turbines are designed to generate electricity as inexpensively as possible and to take advantage of as wide a range of = wind speeds during the year as possible. =20 =20 Wind power: hot air or valid energy source?=20 By RUSSELL RAY World Staff Writer=20 3/13/2005=20 View in Print (PDF) Format=20 Wind power is the newest member of Oklahoma's energy family.=20 All of Oklahoma's major electric utilities have entered agreements to = build and supply wind-generated power, a form of energy beloved for its = nominal effect on the environment.=20 But Dobie Langenkamp, a critic of renewable energy, says wind power is costly and inefficient and that Oklahoma should think again before more = wind farms are built in the Sooner State.=20 "Before we impose a green-power mandate and force people to take wind = power, we ought to have a discussion on the impacts of wind," said Langenkamp, director of the National Energy-Environment Law & Policy Institute at = the University of Tulsa.=20 During an interview, Langenkamp, who served as deputy assistant = secretary of energy under President Carter and President Clinton, said wind pow er is unreliable and provides no solution to the nation's surging demand for electricity.=20 "The United States is producing less than 1 percent of its electric = power from wind," Langenkamp said.=20 In addition, wind farms operate about 30 percent below their reported capacities, he said.=20 "You just don't get as much power as you think you're getting, because = the wind doesn't blow all the time," he said. "The turbine doesn't start spinning until it's 14 miles an hour. It stops spinning when it gets to = 40 or 50 miles an hour. You have to cut them off because they can't handle = it." He dismisses claims that wind power is cheaper than coal- or gas-fired power.=20 "If wind power is cheaper, why do we have to subsidize it?" he said.=20 Wind farms receive a federal tax credit for wind power production -- 1.8 cents per kilowatt hour.=20 Others disagree with Langenkamp.=20 The construction of wind power must continue because it is important to = the preservation of valuable energy supplies in the United States, said Greg Adams, president of the Oklahoma Renewable Energy Council.=20 "If we continue burning fuel at this rate, we have approximately 200 = years of fossil fuels left," Adams said. "We either make a gradual turn to renewables or we run headlong into complete depletion of fossil fuels."=20 Coal accounts for 53 percent of U.S. electric generation while natural = gas represents 15 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.=20 "Those are very precious chemical feedstocks," Adams said. "We need to = find ways to utilize renewable energy sources to save those precious = feedstocks for other uses in our society."=20 But a report by Cornell University downplays the impact of renewable = energy sources. It says that even if used to their fullest extent, renewable sources would replace just half of the oil, gas and coal consumed in the United States.=20 AEP-PSO, the state's second-largest electric utility and Tulsa's chief = power provider, is on the way to becoming the state's largest supplier of wind-generated electricity under new agreements approved by state regulators.=20 Although American Electric Power-Public Service Co. of Oklahoma will not disclose the cost of its contracts, company officials say they will not raise consumer costs.=20 Adams backed up the utility's claim, saying the cost of AEP-PSO's = recently approved contract with Zilkha Renewable Energy is below the cost of conventional gas-fired power.=20 "That number is well below combined-cycle natural gas generation costs," = he said.=20 Under its 10-year deal with Zilkha, AEP-PSO will buy up to 151.5 = megawatts from Zilkha's Blue Canyon II wind farm project north of Lawton. = Construction is expected to be completed by the end of this year.=20 Before its contract with Zilkha, AEP-PSO agreed to buy 106.5 megawatts = of wind power from the Weatherford Wind Energy Center, which is under construction. The Weatherford facility is expected to begin commercial operation this spring.=20 Supporters of wind power such as Adams admit that its reliability is a problem and that difficulties in projecting wind speeds could lead to millions of dollars in penalties for utilities.=20 "The resource we're dealing with is a variable resource," he said.=20 The Southwest Power Pool is working on changes that would account for = the difficulties of projecting wind speeds and lessen utilities' exposure to penalties for failing to supply enough power when it is needed.=20 "The issue is with scheduling because the wind is not that predictable," said Drake Rice of the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority. "If it's not addressed, it will be a problem. We believe it will be addressed."=20 Wind power accounted for 8 percent of OMPA's electric generation in = 2004.=20 Langenkamp said the money being spent on wind power development in the United States should instead be put toward advancing the use of = liquefied natural gas, nuclear power and clean-coal technology.=20 The nation's energy supplies could best be bolstered through = conservation, he said. "The amount of power we waste in this country is phenomenal."=20 _____ =20 Russell Ray 581-8380=20 russell.ray@tulsaworld.com=20 Related Photos & Graphics = = =20 Dobie Langenkamp talks about alternative energy sources in his office at = the University of Tulsa, where he is the director of the National Energy-Environment Law & Policy Institute. Langenkamp dismisses wind = power as unreliable. DAVID CRENSHAW / Tulsa World _______________________________________________ To unsubscribe or change = to digest delivery mode: http://lists.oksustainability.org/mailman/listinfo/ok-sus Go to the = bottom of the website, enter your email address, and then edit your options. To subscribe: http://lists.oksustainability.org/mailman/listinfo/ok-sus=20 ------=_NextPart_000_0308_01C52CC2.012D9810 Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Message

Seneca,

You recently asked the following question = on the=20 sustainability net.

        = "Aren't our = current=20 primary forms of energy, I.e.; coal, gas and oil subsidized in one form = or=20 another?"

Below is some info from AWEA (American Wind Energy = Association),=20 relating to that subject.  Below that is AWEA's response to some=20 mis-information about wind energy from a former COAL company exec. = "Mr.=20 Glenn Schleede" that were very similar to = the=20 "quotes" I read in the Tulsa World article=20 (below).

 

As=20 you can see, "Wind Energy" only receives 2/10's=20 to 4/10's of ONE PERCENT of the total energy = subsidies the=20 United States "allows" for energy production according to www.earthtrack.net=20 .

 

NOTE --- Wind=20 Farms in western Oklahoma generate electricity approx. 75 to = 85% of=20 the time and achieve annual capacity factors above 40%.  This is=20 much better than the "National Average" numbers AWEA quotes=20 below.

 

Greg=20 Adams

 

Tax incentives provided to wind = plant=20 developers should be viewed in the larger context of U.S. federal energy = subsidies to all energy technologies. According to http://www.earthtrack.net/earthtrack/library/FedSubs2003.pdf=20 , a report prepared for the National Commission on Energy Policy, a = low-end=20 estimate of these subsidies for the latest year available (2003) is $37 = billion=20 to $64 billion. Total wind energy production credit payments for that = year were=20 approximately $155 million (American Wind Energy Association estimate), = or=20 four-tenths of one percent of the minimum federal energy subsidy total = of $37=20 billion.

One of the largest categories = identified in=20 the report is some $26 billion over 5 years for accelerated depreciation = of=20 energy infrastructure property, with the energy industries benefiting = identified=20 as "oil, natural gas, coal-electric, gas-electric." Obviously, wind = energy is=20 not alone in receiving depreciation benefits. =

 

 

4.  Is wind energy = costly?

 

Mr.=20 Schleede claims that wind energy is too costly, and points out that it = is=20 subsidized by the federal government.

 

The=20 cost of electricity from new wind plants is competitive with the cost of = new=20 conventional (coal, gas, nuclear) power plants, with the federal wind = energy=20 production tax credit taken into account. =20 It is true that few wind plants would be built without this=20 incentive/subsidy.  = However, it is=20 also true that the traditional energy industries are generously = subsidized in a=20 variety of ways, ranging from the federal government pledging its = financial=20 backing to the nuclear industry in case of an accident like=20 Chernobyl=20 to payments of about $350 million annually to coal miners suffering from = black=20 lung disease.

 

More=20 importantly, coal, our largest electricity source, receives an enormous = hidden=20 subsidy due to the fact that its environmental costs are not included in = its=20 market price.  A recent = article in=20 the scientific journal "Science" placed the cost of=20 electricity

from=20 a new coal plant at 3.5 to 4 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), but added = that=20 its

true=20 cost to the public is 5.5 to 8.3 cents/kWh when environmental costs such = as air=20 pollution and acid rain are added in. =20 This amounts to a subsidy ranging from 60% to more than = 100%(!).  As long as the economic system = does not=20 reflect such costs, it is good public policy to provide offsetting = subsidies to=20 clean energy sources such as wind.

 

 

7. =20 Is wind unreliable?

 

Mr. Schleede claims that = wind energy is=20 unreliable, and is not always clear as to whether he is talking about = the wind=20 itself or about wind generators.  = Let's be clear--the wind does not always blow, but wind turbines = are=20 highly reliable, and ready to generate electricity when it does. Average = wind=20 turbine "availability" (readiness to generate) is actually higher than = the=20 average availability of conventional power plants (98% for wind, = approximately=20 95% for conventional power plants). Furthermore, wind projects consist = of many=20 relatively small turbines rather than one or two large generators like=20 conventional power plants. Therefore, the likelihood of a sudden, = unanticipated=20 loss of all power from a wind plant is significantly less than that for = a=20 conventional power plant of equivalent=20 size.

 

The wind is definitely = variable, but=20 utility system operators are always dealing with a changing situation, = as=20 consumer demand fluctuates and power plants (conventional as well as = wind) start=20 up or shut down.  Adding = 10-15%=20 percent of wind generation to a utility system has very little effect on = a=20 system already designed to handle this level of variability.  If wind were the ONLY power = source, then=20 major changes to the system would be needed--but no one envisions = that.

 <= /P>

Mr. Schleede frequently states that wind = turbines=20 generate electricity only 25% to 35% of the time.  This is not true.  A typical wind turbine = operates 65% to=20 80% of the time, although it often generates at less than full=20 power (and thus generates, over a full year, only = 25% to=20 35% of the electricity it would generate if it ran at full power all of = the=20 time).  The reason for = this is that=20 wind turbines are designed to generate electricity as inexpensively as=20 possible and to take advantage of as wide a range of = wind=20 speeds during the year as=20 possible.

&n= bsp;

=  

Wind power: hot air or valid energy = source?=20
By RUSSELL RAY World Staff = Writer=20
3/13/2005

View in Print (PDF) Format

Wind power is the newest member of Oklahoma's energy family.

All of Oklahoma's major electric utilities have entered agreements = to build=20 and supply wind-generated power, a form of energy beloved for its = nominal=20 effect on the environment.

But Dobie Langenkamp, a critic of renewable energy, says wind power = is=20 costly and inefficient and that Oklahoma should think again before = more wind=20 farms are built in the Sooner State.

"Before we impose a green-power mandate and force people to take = wind=20 power, we ought to have a discussion on the impacts of wind," said = Langenkamp,=20 director of the National Energy-Environment Law & Policy Institute = at the=20 University of Tulsa.

During an interview, Langenkamp, who served as deputy assistant = secretary=20 of energy under President Carter and President Clinton, said wind pow = er is=20 unreliable and provides no solution to the nation's surging demand for = electricity.

"The United States is producing less than 1 percent of its electric = power=20 from wind," Langenkamp said.

In addition, wind farms operate about 30 percent below their = reported=20 capacities, he said.

"You just don't get as much power as you think you're getting, = because the=20 wind doesn't blow all the time," he said. "The turbine doesn't start = spinning=20 until it's 14 miles an hour. It stops spinning when it gets to 40 or = 50 miles=20 an hour. You have to cut them off because they can't handle it."

He dismisses claims that wind power is cheaper than coal- or = gas-fired=20 power.

"If wind power is cheaper, why do we have to subsidize it?" he = said.

Wind farms receive a federal tax credit for wind power production = -- 1.8=20 cents per kilowatt hour.

Others disagree with Langenkamp.

The construction of wind power must continue because it is = important to the=20 preservation of valuable energy supplies in the United States, said = Greg=20 Adams, president of the Oklahoma Renewable Energy Council.

"If we continue burning fuel at this rate, we have approximately = 200 years=20 of fossil fuels left," Adams said. "We either make a gradual turn to=20 renewables or we run headlong into complete depletion of fossil = fuels."

Coal accounts for 53 percent of U.S. electric generation while = natural gas=20 represents 15 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. =

"Those are very precious chemical feedstocks," Adams said. "We need = to find=20 ways to utilize renewable energy sources to save those precious = feedstocks for=20 other uses in our society."

But a report by Cornell University downplays the impact of = renewable energy=20 sources. It says that even if used to their fullest extent, renewable = sources=20 would replace just half of the oil, gas and coal consumed in the = United=20 States.

AEP-PSO, the state's second-largest electric utility and Tulsa's = chief=20 power provider, is on the way to becoming the state's largest supplier = of=20 wind-generated electricity under new agreements approved by state = regulators.=20

Although American Electric Power-Public Service Co. of Oklahoma = will not=20 disclose the cost of its contracts, company officials say they will = not raise=20 consumer costs.

Adams backed up the utility's claim, saying the cost of AEP-PSO's = recently=20 approved contract with Zilkha Renewable Energy is below the cost of=20 conventional gas-fired power.

"That number is well below combined-cycle natural gas generation = costs," he=20 said.

Under its 10-year deal with Zilkha, AEP-PSO will buy up to 151.5 = megawatts=20 from Zilkha's Blue Canyon II wind farm project north of Lawton. = Construction=20 is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Before its contract with Zilkha, AEP-PSO agreed to buy 106.5 = megawatts of=20 wind power from the Weatherford Wind Energy Center, which is under=20 construction. The Weatherford facility is expected to begin commercial = operation this spring.

Supporters of wind power such as Adams admit that its reliability = is a=20 problem and that difficulties in projecting wind speeds could lead to = millions=20 of dollars in penalties for utilities.

"The resource we're dealing with is a variable resource," he said. =

The Southwest Power Pool is working on changes that would account = for the=20 difficulties of projecting wind speeds and lessen utilities' exposure = to=20 penalties for failing to supply enough power when it is needed.

"The issue is with scheduling because the wind is not that = predictable,"=20 said Drake Rice of the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority. "If it's = not=20 addressed, it will be a problem. We believe it will be addressed." =

Wind power accounted for 8 percent of OMPA's electric generation in = 2004.=20

Langenkamp said the money being spent on wind power development in = the=20 United States should instead be put toward advancing the use of = liquefied=20 natural gas, nuclear power and clean-coal technology.

The nation's energy supplies could best be bolstered through = conservation,=20 he said. "The amount of power we waste in this country is phenomenal." =

Russell Ray 581-8380
russell.ray@tulsaworld.com=


Related Photos & Graphics

Dobie Langenkamp talks about alternative = energy=20 sources in his office at the University of Tulsa, where he is the = director of=20 the National Energy-Environment Law & Policy Institute. Langenkamp = dismisses wind power as unreliable.
DAVID=20 CRENSHAW / Tulsa World

=




__________________________________________= _____=20 To unsubscribe or change to digest delivery mode:=20 http://lists.oksustainability.org/mailman/listinfo/ok-sus Go to the = bottom of=20 the website, enter your email address, and then edit your options. To=20 subscribe: http://lists.oksustainability.org/mailman/listinfo/ok-sus=20
------=_NextPart_000_0308_01C52CC2.012D9810-- From chiefseneca@hotmail.com Mon Mar 21 23:24:45 2005 From: chiefseneca@hotmail.com (Seneca Scott) Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2005 17:24:45 -0600 Subject: [ok-sus] Daily Oklahoman 3-20-05 Message-ID:
Phosphorus pollution mars once-pristine Illinois River

TAHLEQUAH - Al Herrin remembers a time on the Illinois River when the water was so clear he could count each pebble in the sand as the glistening gravel bottom smiled back at him.

He would put in his boat near the Arkansas line and wave goodbye to his wife, who had driven him to his drop-off point. Often, Frankie, the second great granddaughter of Cherokee Chief John Ross, would be the last person he would see for days as he fished his way downstream, separated from the world by the river's broad shoulders.

"The river was beautiful and pristine," he said. "To the Cherokees, the river was a sacred thing. They called it the long person because the river connects the spirit of all things."

That is why Herrin, 68 and the owner of a bed-and-breakfast below the Highway 62 Bridge, refuses to treat the gradual degradation of the river and the cross-state dispute it has spawned like it is merely water under the bridge, a straggler who can't keep up with the inevitable march of time.

"The river is part of my church," said Herrin, who calls Park Hill Presbyterian the other part of his church. "The things I have seen happening on the river are a violation of a sacred place."

The river that Herrin, whose grandfather was an original Cherokee enrollee, would float down as a boy in a 16-foot flat-bottom offers more than peace and serenity. There is a communication that takes place, and he says "it is not just small talk."

While the river may have much more to say in its defense, the debate over the future of one of the state's major tourist attractions has moved to higher, more disputed ground, namely the courts and the halls of the state Capitol.

Oklahoma and Arkansas officials seem to agree on the overall goal -- to reduce the amount of phosphorus, a mineral and highly effective fertilizer, that can be discharged into the watershed. Phosphorus triggers brown algae growth and, as Herrin has witnessed, can turn a gravel bar in the middle of the river into a jungle of weeds.

The two states are in less agreement when it comes to determining when to test for phosphorus, where to test and how to interpret the results.

The biggest sticking point has been how much phosphorus is too much for the river's good and how much Arkansas' proliferation of chickens and people is to blame.

The phosphorus that finds its way into the Illinois River comes from two sources: point-source dischargers, such as municipal wastewater treatment plants, and nonpoint sources, such as litter from large poultry operations, which is applied as fertilizer on farm land.

Although Oklahoma state officials and municipalities in northwest Arkansas have a timetable for reducing point-source discharges, the Illinois River now serves as a dividing line in a dispute between Oklahoma water quality officials and Arkansas poultry companies, which for decades kept commerce alive in the Ozarks.

Oklahoma Secretary of Environment Miles Tolbert said Arkansas officials fought hard to pass their nutrient management law but are still fighting to adopt the rules to carry it out.

"Even if they succeed and put these in effect next year, the rules will still allow litter application at almost four times the rate permitted in Oklahoma," he said. "The politics of Arkansas make it very difficult to properly address nonpoint source pollution."

Oklahoma politics may prove to be an even bigger obstacle, as Oklahomans now are arguing among themselves.

Frustrated by the slow pace of negotiations with poultry companies, Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson threatened to file a lawsuit in an attempt to get Arkansas poultry companies to accept more responsibility for the over-application of litter on the land.

Supported financially by the poultry companies, the Oklahoma Farm Bureau fired back in January with an advertising blitz aimed at what they said was Edmondson's perceived lack of concern of Oklahoma poultry growers, who are contracted by poultry companies to grow birds and feel like they are caught in the middle.

"We want the companies, growers and the appropriate government officials to sit down together and work out a solution that we can all live with," Farm Bureau spokesman Sam Knipp said.

That was followed by Rep. Fred Morgan's successful attempt in the state House of Representatives to restrict the attorney general's ability to file some civil lawsuits without legislative or gubernatorial approval. The bill is now in the state Senate.

It has bought more time for the poultry companies and left Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission Administrator Ed Fite to wait and worry about what further damage a stormy spring will bring to the river.

"We had an atypical warm winter and I already have seen earlier signs of algae," he said. "One major storm water event generally will have more impact on the river than the rest of the year."

Fite acknowledges that the mayors of Fayetteville, Rogers, Siloam Springs, Bentonville and Springdale have demonstrated that they want to be good neighbors by spending millions to upgrade their treatment facilities.

Northwest Arkansas has a lot at stake. As one of the fastest-growing regions in the nation, it suddenly can't get pipe water to the foothills west of Interstate 540 fast enough.

"I don't think the general population really knows what is going on in Benton and Washington counties," Fite said.

Herrin hopes that day never comes.

"I'm hoping that in the future people will be more respectful," he said. "People have to realize what a treasure we have here."

Much of that treasure is Herrin's to know and pass on to subsequent generations. He knows where the fish school, where the beavers work and where the mink play.

"There is a much broader and universal religion connected to the river, to the Creator and to the spiritual world. I believe in the goodness of the Creator and that humans should try to live in harmony with nature and with each other."

These days, faith is being put to the test on the Illinois River.





From Robert Waldrop" Below is the letter I received today from, Terry Peach, Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture. He seems to think this issue is now over, but I want to assure everyone that we have only begun this battle. In particular, look at paragraph 3. I find it very sad that the Secretary of Agriculture of Oklahoma has such a low opinion of Oklahoma farmers. Robert Waldrop, OKC Dear Mr. Waldrop, Thank you for your letter expressing your concerns that the Oklahoma Food Cooperative should be allowed to distribute uninspected poultry to its members. The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry is sympathetic to the choices you wish to make in the type of food products you and your family consume, and is very active in the development of agricultural products grown and processed in our State. We must balance this development with the food safety protection of the people who consume these products. The Oklahoma Poultry Inspection Program is required by Federal Law to have a State poultry product inspection law that imposes requirements that are at least equal to the Food Poultry Products Inspection Act. The enforcement of theseprovisions of the Oklahoma Poultry Products Inspection Act is consistent with the policies of the United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection service, that there be no third party involvement, including cooperatives, in the distribution of exempt poultry products. This is not a new regulation. Through the rule making process we added language to the existing regulation in 2004 to clarify the long standing intent of the rule. The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry does not have any atitutde in the enforcement of these provisions. The purpose of the Poulotry Products Inspection Act is to protect the consuming public from poultry products that are adulterated or misbranded. In most cases, the uninspected poultry produced under exemption are processed by individuals who have received no formal training in poultry pathology. As a result the people who process this poultry are not qualified to make decisions about whether each bird is free of disease and is toherwise wholesome and fit for human consumption. During the last year, our Food Safety Services Director and his staff have been working with representatives of the small poultry producers in the development of an inspected poultry slaughter/processing plant at the Food and Agricultural Products Center on the campus of Oklahoma State University. Poultry that has been slaughtered and processed in an inspected plant would be eligible to be distributed by cooperative and would receive no objection from the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. Sincerely, Terry L. Peach, Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture From Reinhild.E.Meissler-1@ou.edu Tue Mar 22 22:21:14 2005 From: Reinhild.E.Meissler-1@ou.edu (reinhild meissler) Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 16:21:14 -0600 Subject: [ok-sus] carpool & conference Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20050322162114.00a62e10@pop.ou.edu> So far there's only one person for the carpool to the conference (he's in Oklahoma City). Is anyone going from Norman? Reinhild From Robert Waldrop" The typos in my earlier email reporting Secretary Peach's letter were my fault. He sent a paper letter, I transcribed it, and forgot to run the spell checker. oops. Robert Waldrop, Oklahoma Food Cooperative From Robert Waldrop" Brett Jones; El Reno Tribune, 2-20-05 Opinion / Editorial Page RAIL SHOULD NOT GO INTO MOTHBALLS Oklahoma's Heartland Flyer could soon be pulling out of the station for good. Amtrak's rail service that links Oklahoma City to Fort Worth appears to be living on borrowed time as President Bush has buried his budget ax in the rail service's back, taking funding from $1.2 billion approved in 2005 to $0 for 2006. If that elimination holds, it will mean the rail service would be forced to "transform," a term coined by U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta last week that means downsizing and selling assets. Operating in 46 states, Amtrak would likely liquidate all but profitable East Coast commuter routes. For other routes to stay open, it would take a combination of state and local funding to keep the trains on track. Last week, Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett seemed to indicate that without federal funding, the end of the Flyer could come as early as September. Meanwhile, Gov. Brad Henry seemed to offer some hope that the state would step up to the plate and pay the $4 million it is estimated to cost each year to keep it running. The problem with the federal Amtrak cut is that it is just another in a growing list of shortsighted decisions for an increasingly mobile society. Over the last six months, Americans have been deluged with stories talking about increased vehicle congestion on the nation's roads, crumbling streets and bridges, and more hours lost to sitting in traffic. While the Heartland Flyer is hardly a commuter rail line in Oklahoma City, it is just one more sign of how the United States is devaluing all forms of transportation except automobiles. By forcing everyone onto the road, we not only make our streets less safe, but we increase congestion leading to lost hours on the road that impact both our families and our workplaces. Worse yet, it becomes a tax on our country's elderly and poor who may not be able to afford their own vehicle and become economically trapped because they are unable to gain access to reliable mass transit. According to the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University, the cost to drivers of commuting in Oklahoma City in time and fuel in 1996 was $76 million. That number nearly doubled in 2002 to $144 million. In 1996, Oklahoma City's total cost due to congestion ranked the city 56th in the country while in 2002 the city had climbed to 51st. The reality is that a healthy national economy requires a vibrant and efficient transportation system that is able to move goods and services while holding down the cost. Not only that, but Oklahoma communities become more attractive places for businesses and residents to call home when they put an emphasis on transportation systems. Those systems can be in the simplest forms -- such as making sure builders of new subdivisions construct sidewalks -- to the more complex -- such as operating bus and rail systems that allow residents to connect with jobs and retail markets. In the late 1990s, Oklahoma City officials flirted with the idea of constructing a light rail commuter train system similar to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system. However, the idea fell flat with the help of U.S. Rep. Ernest Istook -- a lawmaker who has made it his life's work to kill Amtrak funding and who is no fan of the light rail idea, either. That is, he strongly opposed it for Oklahoma but at the same time gave the thumbs up for Salt Lake City's new system. It is hard to get funding for a plan when your lawmakers stop representing the needs of the community and instead represent an ideology. While Amtrak may not be the best form of rail service, the reality is that we as a country need a diverse transportation system that can handle our increasingly mobile society. Rail should be a part of that. Lawmakers, though, will claim poverty when it comes to funding any mass transportation programs, including Amtrak, though President Bush has pledged $100 million to upgrade the Polish armed forces, $660 million to construct a new embassy in Baghdad, $400 million for two funds to aid economic development in countries that supported the United States in the Iraqi War and billions more to the U.S. Missile Defense system that continues to be more science fiction than fact, conducting failed test after failed test at a cost of $85 million each (U.S. Department of Defense estimate). Those are just a few examples showing how much money is available if you look hard enough. The last point is that support of multiple forms of transit may be key in the future of our nation's airports. With many air carriers in bankruptcy protection and the joy of flying pretty much dead on arrival thanks to the increased security measures now in place, the airline industry may one day find its future in the hands of a government subsidy. America needs to support a robust transportation network, and rail should be part of that. If the federal government does walk away, it may be up to Oklahoma and Texas lawmakers to preserve our service as Gov. Brad Henry said may be possible. Either way, we need to save the heartland Flyer. www.elrenotribune.com From Susie.Shields@deq.state.ok.us Wed Mar 23 19:31:41 2005 From: Susie.Shields@deq.state.ok.us (Shields, Susie) Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2005 13:31:41 -0600 Subject: [ok-sus] [EE-News @NAAEE] March 23, 2005 Message-ID: EE-NEWS@NAAEE March 23, 2005 The bi-weekly email bulletin provided by the North American Association=20 for Environmental Education (NAAEE), with funding from the Environmental = Education and Training Partnership (EETAP). EE-News is a compilation of=20 some of the new links added to the EE-Link web site over the past two=20 weeks. Visit http://eelink.net/ for the rest of the story. =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D NAAEE Announcements =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D NAAEE 34TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE - CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS CFP Deadline extended to March 29, 2005 NAAEE is seeking presentation proposals for its 34th Annual Conference=20 on the theme SUSTAINABILITY AND EE: FOCUS ON THE FUTURE, October 25-29=20 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Full details of the revised CFP: http://naaee.org/conferences/newmexico/cfp_2005.pdf 2005 AWARDS - CALL FOR NOMINATIONS Nomination Deadline: June 1, 2005 The NAAEE Awards Committee announces its Call for Nominations for the=20 prestigious annual awards that will be presented this year in=20 Albuquerque, New Mexico at the Association's conference in late October. = This is your opportunity to recognize individuals and organizations that = excel in EE by nominating those who deserve wider recognition for their=20 accomplishments. For complete details about the nomination process and awards visit: http://naaee.org/members/profiles.php If you have any questions, contact either of the NAAEE Awards Committee=20 co-chairs: Tim Grant at tim@greenteacher.com or Jennifer Tucker=20 Visitacion, jenv@usee.org =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D News from the Community =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D EE Community Mourns the death of dedicated NAAEE stalwart, Dr. John=20 Baldwin, Associate Professor at University of Oregon Dr. John Baldwin passed away on March 7th, at the age of 54, in Eugene,=20 Oregon after an illness that lasted several months. Considered a dear=20 colleague and a dedicated NAAEE stalwart, Dr. John Baldwin served as=20 NAAEE president in 1993, was on the NAAEE board from 1983-86 and 1993-94 = and was the chair of the NAAEE Annual Conference in 1983. =93He is survived by his wife, Karen, and three children. He was a=20 wonderful colleague and friend to me, a good friend to environmental=20 studies and environmental education internationally, and a good friend=20 to the environment. He was an excellent teacher and had a joyful = spirit=94. Contributed by Arthur Sacks, Past President, NAAEE, 1984-85. More details about John's career can be found: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~jbaldwin/ ------------------------- Dr. Alan Hankin, head of Emerson Science Program unexpectedly passed=20 away on March 1st at the age of 56. Among his many achievements, Dr. Hankin was also the founding executive=20 director of the Katharine Nordell Lloyd Center in Dartmouth, Project=20 Director of the Massachusetts Environmental Education Plan, helped found = the Coalition of Buzzards Bay, and acted as advisor to the secretary of=20 the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs. Emerson President Jackie=20 Liebergott, quoted in Emerson Academic Affairs news, "We were shocked=20 and deeply saddened to learn of Alan's death. He was beloved by his=20 students and respected by his colleagues on the faculty and within the=20 administration. His passing is an enormous loss for all of us=20 personally, as well as professionally. We extended our heartfelt=20 condolences to members of his family and his numerous friends and=20 associates." Contributed by Amy Cabaniss Sun Coast Today article:=20 http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/03-05/03-03-05/a03lo226.htm =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D REMINDER: NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION WEEK 2005 April 10 - 16, 2005 =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Coordinated by the National Environmental Education & Training=20 Foundation (NEETF). Participate in the single, largest environmental education event in U.S. = history! http://www.eeweek.org Contact Samantha Blodgett at blodgett@neetf.org =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Awards, Grants, Contests =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D 1. INTERNATIONAL PAPER EE AWARD 2. VISION OF SUSTAINABILITY ESSAY CONTEST 3. EARTHBOUND3 CHALLENGE 4. DOMINIAN FOUNDATION K-12 GRANTS =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D International Resources =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D 5. EDUCATION ABOUT & FOR SUSTAINABILITY 6. VOLUNTEER NEPAL =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D National Events, Training, Announcements =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D 7. MARITIME HERITAGE EDUCATION CONFERENCE ~ VIRGINIA 8. SUMMER TEACHER INSTITUTE ~ ALABAMA 9. PRESENT & ATTEND INT'L WOLF CONFERENCE ~ COLORADO 10. ASCD ANNUAL CONFERENCE ~ FLORIDA 11. GLOBAL CHANGE INSTITUTE ~ MICHIGAN =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Resources for Students & Educators =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D 12. NEW FACTBOOK 13. LITTLE GREEN SCHOOLHOUSE REPORT 14. WAKULLA SPRING: A GIANT AMONG US 15. MUSIC & ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES 16. EE-LINK EARTH DAY RESOURCES 17. NSTA EARTH DAY RESOURCES 18. TEACHING GREEN - THE ELEMENTARY YEARS =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Research and Publishing Opportunities =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D 19. NSTA SURVEY 20. NATIONAL INTERPRETERS WORKSHOP (NIW) - CFP 21. CELP SEEKING SYLLABI FOR WEBSITE 22. AEOE STRATEGIC PLAN SURVEY =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Awards, Grants, Contests =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D 1. INTERNATIONAL PAPER EE AWARD Nomination Deadline: April 15, 2005 International Paper in partnership with the Conservation Fund=20 Environmental Education Award honors educators or university faculty or=20 staff who have developed innovative approaches to environmental=20 education that results in significantly improved comprehension of of the = linkage between environmental protection and economic growth. http://www.internationalpaper.com/our_world/philanthropy/guidelines.asp 2. VISION OF SUSTAINABILITY ON CAMPUS ESSAY CONTEST Submission Deadline: April 11, 2005 "Vision of Sustainability on Our Campus in 2025" essay contest,=20 sponsored by North Carolina State University (NCSU) Sustainability=20 Coalition. There are $250 prizes in each of five categories:=20 Undergraduate Students; Graduate Students; Faculty/Staff; Alumni &=20 Friends; and K-12 Community. Questions about the contest should be directed to EarthDayEssay@ncsu.edu http://www.ncsu.edu/environmental_sustainability/earthday.pdf 3. EARTHBOUND3 CHALLENGE Submit plans: Immediately Spend Spring and Summer implementing project and compiling material to=20 report by deadline: September 29, 2005. Earthwatch Institute Earthbound3 = Challenge for groups of adults and students worldwide to submit a plan=20 of action at home, implement that program, and report on the group=92s=20 progress from now until Fall 2005 when decisions will be made on which=20 teams made the most impact in their community. Winning teams will be=20 awarded cash prizes to join the expedition of their choice in 2006. See guidelines and timeline:=20 http://earthbound3.earthwatch.org/about_contest_2.html 4. DOMINIAN FOUNDATION K-12 GRANTS Deadline: May 2, 2005 The Dominion Foundation, the giving arm of energy producer Dominion will = award educational partnership grants in a five-state area (NC, OH, PA,=20 VA, & WV) for amounts up to $5,000 to encourage the development of new=20 education programs in grades K-12. Proposals must align with one of the=20 targeted areas: parental involvement, closing the gap, or environmental=20 education. http://www.dom.com/news/dom2005/pr0228.jsp =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D International Resources =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D 5. EDUCATION ABOUT AND FOR SUSTAINABILITY To address the role of Business Schools in progressing the=20 sustainability agenda, a study was commissioned by the Australian=20 Government Department of the Environment and Heritage. Australian=20 Research Institute in Education for Sustainability (ARIES) conducted=20 this study into the mainstreaming of sustainability education.=20 Electronic copies can be downloaded from the ARIES website. http://www.aries.mq.edu.au/news.htm 6. VOLUNTEER NEPAL Volunteer Nepal is a community-based, non-profit organization that=20 co-ordinates local and international work camps with community groups or = institutions in need of voluntary labor or service to empower community=20 self-help initiatives. Some volunteer programs are in the areas of=20 community sustainable development; education & capacity building;=20 information & communication technology literacy; economic self=20 sustaining activities; women & children issues. http://www.volnepal.np.org/ =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D National Events, Training, Announcements =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D 7. MARITIME HERITAGE EDUCATION CONFERENCE ~ VIRGINIA November 18-20, 2005 ~ Norfolk, Virginia National Marine Sanctuaries' Maritime Heritage Education conference will = bring formal and informal educators together to promote the sharing of=20 maritime heritage related education partnerships, programs and products. = To be held at Nauticus: the National Maritime Center, conference will=20 feature guest plenary speakers, concurrent sessions, a book room and=20 social gatherings. Topics will include lighthouses, whaling and fishing=20 heritage, native canoe cultures, shipping and port heritage, shipwrecks=20 and more. http://www.sanctuaries.noaa.gov/education/mhec/welcome.html 8. SUMMER TEACHER INSTITUTE ~ ALABAMA July 17-25, 2005 ~ Birmingham, Alabama Application Deadline: April 29, 2005 The Legacy EE Summer Institute is a comprehensive, hands-on training=20 course designed to equip teachers with hands-on teaching strategies,=20 field experiences and content material relevant to protecting our=20 environment. Any K-12 teacher currently teaching in Alabama is eligible=20 to attend the Institute. Legacy, Inc. pays all expenses for the=20 Institute including housing, meals and materials. http://www.legacyenved.org/workshop/workshops_summer.htm 9. PRESENT & ATTEND 2005 INT'L WOLF CONFERENCE ~ COLORADO October 1-4, 2005 ~ Colorado Springs, Colorado CFP application deadline extended to April 1, 2005 Join the International Wolf Center as a presenter or attendee at an=20 international conference, Frontiers of Wolf Recovery: Southwestern U.S.=20 and the World. Topic for educators includes: Wolf education curriculum,=20 human dimension of wolf management, teaching diverse viewpoints, model=20 education programs, wolves as a tools for character education,=20 environmental ethics and much more. http://www.wolf.org/wolves/wolfconference/presentationcall.asp 10. ASCD ANNUAL CONFERENCE ~ FLORIDA April 2-4, 2005 ~ Orlando, Florida Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) conference = theme is "Voices of Education: Unleashing the Power, Passion, and=20 Promise." With more than 600 sessions, including topics such as: No=20 Child Left Behind and IDEA; Urban and Rural Issues; Education Research;=20 Higher Education; Closing the Achievement Gap; and many more. Also=20 offering one-, two-, or three-day Pre-Conference Institute, starting=20 March 30th. http://www.ascd.org/annualconference/ 11. GLOBAL CHANGE INSTITUTE ~ MICHIGAN July 11-16, 2005 ~ Houghton, Michigan Application Deadline: April 1, 2005 This intensive, interactive six-day Institute is designed to involve=20 middle and high school teachers in physical, chemical, and biological=20 research on global change using the forest ecosystem as the classroom. http://wupcenter.mtu.edu/education/Global_Climate_Change/ =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Resources for Students & Educators =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D 12. NEW FACTBOOK OF ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL INDICATORS Online version of new Organisation for Economic Co-operation and=20 Development (OECD) Factbook of economic, environmental and social=20 indicators for the world's core economies. "The OECD Factbook will=20 become a key reference for anyone interested to know 'where we are' and=20 'where we are going' in terms of social, economic and environmental=20 development." http://new.SourceOECD.org/factbook 13. LITTLE GREEN SCHOOLHOUSE REPORT Report from the Green Schools Initiative, The Little Green Schoolhouse:=20 Thinking Big About Ecological Sustainability, Children's Environmental=20 Health and K-12 Education in the USA. This report establishes a=20 framework that brings together a variety of school-related environmental = health and sustainability issues under one conceptual and strategic=20 roof. Report presents a vision of green and healthy schools and offers=20 policy recommendations. http://www.greenschools.net/report/index.html 14. WAKULLA SPRING: A GIANT AMONG US Located in the Florida Panhandle near Tallahassee, Wakulla Spring is a=20 colossal spring system. On average, more than 250 million gallons of=20 water flow from Wakulla Spring every day forming an nine-mile river that = reaches the Gulf of Mexico. Take a tour of Wakulla Spring in this=20 special, in-depth Interactive Spring Feature. Learn about the history,=20 people and geology that define this amazing spring system located within = the Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park. http://www.floridasprings.org/exploration/featured/wakulla/ 15. MUSIC & ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES Music and Environmental Studies in The Journal of Environmental=20 Education 36(1): 45-52. This paper by Kate Turner and Bill Freedman is a = publication of the Canadian Environmental Literacy Network (CELP). It=20 analyses historical and contemporary connections between music and=20 nature, and examines how music can be harnessed to teach about the=20 natural world and inspire conservation values. A corresponding teaching=20 module, including an interactive PowerPoint presentation, can be=20 accessed by educators on the website. Requires Registration. >From http://www.celp.ca go to: Educators/Presentation Modules/Music=20 and Nature http://celp.ucis.dal.ca/Educators/login.php 16. EE-LINK EARTH DAY RESOURCES Are you looking for ways to celebrate Earth Day with your students?=20 Check out the EE-Link Earth Day Activities page with over 40 links to=20 help you plan activities for the day, week, or celebrate all month! http://eelink.net/eeactivities-earthday.html 17. NSTA EARTH DAY RESOURCES National Science Teacher Association (NSTA) lists a number of Earth Day=20 teaching materials and activities for students of all ages. http://science.nsta.org/nstaexpress/nstaexpress_2005_02_28_esteme.htm 18. TEACHING GREEN - THE ELEMENTARY YEARS Until April 8th, Green Teacher is offering a pre-publication discount on = its upcoming publication, Teaching Green - The Elementary Years:=20 Hands-on Learning in Grades K-5. This 240 page book contains over 50 of=20 the best teaching strategies and activities contributed to Green Teacher = magazine during the past decade - all updated and revised for this=20 special 2005 anthology. For more details, visit http://www.greenteacher.com =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Research and Publishing Opportunities =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D 19. NSTA SURVEY National Science Teacher Association (NSTA) survey for teachers to=20 comment on their use of the internet for resources and as a tool for=20 teaching. http://science.nsta.org/survey_internet_resources/ 20. NATIONAL INTERPRETERS WORKSHOP (NIW) - CFP Submission Deadline: April 1, 2005 NIW 2005 Workshop "Full Speed Ahead" November 8-12, 2005, in Mobile,=20 Alabama, will feature more than 100 sessions in 13 different tracks.=20 Submit online or call NAI at 888-900-8283. http://www.interpnet.com/niw2005/ 21. CELP SEEKING SYLLABI FOR WEBSITE The Canadian Environmental Literacy Project (CELP) is seeking=20 environment-related, senior high school/university level course syllabi=20 to post on the CELP website. The purpose in posting syllabi is to help=20 other instructors in developing similar courses. All teaching resources=20 on the CELP website are available free to educators at www.celp.ca. Please email sbone@dal.ca with environment-related syllabi, teaching=20 resources, or questions. 22. AEOE STRATEGIC PLAN SURVEY To be completed by April 30, 2005 Survey being conducted by the Association for Environmental and Outdoor=20 Education (AEOE) in California to engage stakeholders in assisting in=20 the development of organizational priorities and foci. http://aeoe.org/survey/external.html Please e-mail questions to delamazah@earthlink.net **************************************************************** EE JOBS database service for job seekers or employers seeking staff. To receive the bi-monthly Jobs Report, please subscribe by submitting a=20 blank email to: jobs-report-subscribe@naaee.org To view job postings, visit: http://eelink.net/eejobsdatabase.html To submit a job to the database:=20 http://eelink.net/cgi-bin/ee-link/add_job.cgi **************************************************************** The mission of the North American Association for Environmental=20 Education is to provide environmental educators with quality resources,=20 training, publications and networking opportunities to enable them to=20 effectively educate people about the environment. If you are receiving EE-News as a forwarded message or from a listserv,=20 and would like to subscribe directly, please send a blank email to:=20 ee-news-subscribe@naaee.org If you would prefer not to receive EE-News announcements please=20 unsubscribe by sending a blank email to: ee-news-unsubscribe@naaee.org If you have problems with the mailing list, please send them to:=20 ee-news-owner@naaee.org Previous issues of EE-News can be accessed at: = http://eelink.net/ee-news/ The EE-News moderator will review all messages and new announcements=20 will be posted to the list approximately every two weeks. All=20 submissions should be 75 words or less. Please send submissions to Mary=20 Ocwieja at: maryo@naaee.org Educators and others may copy or distribute the information in EE-News=20 for the noncommercial purpose of educational advancement. Please credit=20 the North American Association for Environmental Education for EE-News=20 excerpts. For information on how to run a paid listing in EE-News, please contact=20 Paul Nowak at: paul-pd@naaee.org . Posting of resources or events on EE-News does not constitute=20 endorsement of those materials or activities by the North American=20 Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), U.S. EPA, or EETAP. EETAP is a project of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, College = of Natural Resources. EETAP is funded by U.S. EPA's Office of=20 Environmental Education. --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: ee-news-unsubscribe@naaee.org For additional commands, e-mail: ee-news-help@naaee.org This is an announcement-only email list. If you would like to join an email discussion list, please send a blank email to: ee-news-subscribe@naaee.org From Leslie Moyer" This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0155_01C52FF8.3E334730 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/21562/ The Secret Life of Dust=20 By Beverley Thorpe=20 AlterNet.org=20 Tuesday 22 March 2005=20 The first US study to test chemicals in household dust found a toxic = cocktail in our homes, made of hazardous chemicals emitted from commonly = used products. Chemicals bring new and functional products into our lives. They = allow food to stay fresh longer, carpets to be stain resistant, cookware = to be non-stick, and rain gear to repel water.=20 But the range of chemicals in our household products come with a = hidden cost. The dangers are outlined in a report released Tuesday, = March 22, entitled, "Sick of Dust: Chemicals in Common Products a = Needless Health Threat in Our Homes." The study, which analyzed dust = samples in 70 homes across the country, reveals widespread = contamination. Every one of the composite samples contained all the = chemical classes we analyzed for: phthalates, pesticides, alkylphenols, = brominated flame retardants, organotins and perfluorinated chemicals. = These chemicals are linked to hormone disruption leading to reproductive = and developmental problems. They are also associated with allergies, = cancer and immune system damage.=20 How did these chemicals end up contaminating common household dust? = For those who live near a refinery or a chemical production facility, = there is direct exposure from emissions. The government's annual Toxic = Release Inventory report confirms this. For most others, exposure comes = from the ingredients used to make common household products. This = information is disturbing, not least because studies show we spend up to = 90 percent of our time indoors; most of that at home. Children may take = in five times as much dust as adults, since they play and crawl on the = floor, making them more vulnerable while their organ and immune systems = are developing.=20 Brominated flame retardants, for example, commonly used on carpets, = sofas and in electronic consumer goods are toxic to developing nervous = systems. They can disrupt the thyroid which regulates growth and = development in newborns. It has long been known that small decreases in = thyroid hormone levels can impair learning abilities in children. Yet we = now find these chemicals in dryer lint, on the inside film of windows, = and - as our study shows - in common household dust.=20 The "Sick of Dust" report also found toxic plasticisers used to make = vinyl soft, stabilizers used in rigid PVC products, emulsifiers used in = detergents and cosmetics, and stain-resist chemicals used in Goretex and = Teflon pans. All the chemical classes we tested for are internationally = recognized as Chemicals for Priority Action, yet to date government = regulators have passed no laws to phase out their use.=20 Our federal chemicals regulation needs a complete overhaul. Our = regulations should promote the use of safe chemicals in products, not = justify the ongoing use of known carcinogens and reproductive toxins. = The issue should not be defined by what level these chemicals are safe = to use. The question should be: why take chances with our children's = health when safer alternatives are readily available?=20 Forward-thinking companies and retailers have not waited for = government action. They are restricting the list of chemicals their = product suppliers can use and are actively seeking sustainable materials = and design ideas for their products. Clean Production Action sent a = questionnaire to 35 leading companies and retailers to see if they have = a chemicals policy or if they were even aware of the types of chemicals = in their product lines. We found furniture manufacturers such as Herman = Miller and Ikea had progressive policies to research and use safe = chemicals, and carpet manufacturer Shaw Carpets is working closely with = green chemists to design chemically-safe and recyclable carpets.=20 Likewise leading TV and computer brand names such as Dell and = Samsung are aggressively researching safer chemicals and replacements = for all brominated flame retardants and PVC uses. Aveda and Unilever are = working to eliminate the use of any materials known to persist in the = environment or damage the hormone system. Unfortunately, such chemicals = policies are not standard practice in the retail trade and most = companies have no chemicals policy at all.=20 Faced with similar concerns, the European Union, home to the largest = chemical industry in the world, is overhauling its chemicals regulation. = Europe will soon make its chemical industry provide missing health data = for all its chemicals in commerce as well as require strict = authorization for hazardous chemicals production. Many believe this will = help set Europe on a path to innovation in safe chemicals. The U.S. = needs to follow suit. In the absence of a federal overhaul of chemicals = policy some state governments are taking action to phase out certain = hazardous chemicals and pesticides. Although progress is slow and faces = ongoing opposition, these approaches are building momentum for national = reform.=20 We owe it to the next generation to get our chemicals management in = order. Some universities have set up Green Chemistry departments, which = is a start, but it's not the sole solution. The Bush administration = needs to reverse the failure of past chemicals regulation. It can begin = by targeting the chemicals we now find in our household dust.=20 -------------------------------------------------------------------------= ------- Beverley Thorpe is the international director of Clean Production = Action. ------=_NextPart_000_0155_01C52FF8.3E334730 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
http://www.alternet.= org/envirohealth/21562/
 
The Secret Life of = Dust=20
    By Beverley Thorpe=20
    AlterNet.org=20

    Tuesday 22 March 2005=20

The first US study to test chemicals in household dust = found=20 a toxic cocktail in our homes, made of hazardous chemicals emitted = from=20 commonly used products.

    Chemicals bring new and functional products = into our=20 lives. They allow food to stay fresh longer, carpets to be stain = resistant,=20 cookware to be non-stick, and rain gear to repel water.=20

    But the range of chemicals in our household = products=20 come with a hidden cost. The dangers are outlined in a report released = Tuesday,=20 March 22, entitled, "Sick=20 of Dust: Chemicals in Common Products a Needless Health Threat in Our=20 Homes." The study, which analyzed dust samples in 70 homes across = the=20 country, reveals widespread contamination. Every one of the composite = samples=20 contained all the chemical classes we analyzed for: phthalates, = pesticides,=20 alkylphenols, brominated flame retardants, organotins and perfluorinated = chemicals. These chemicals are linked to hormone disruption leading to=20 reproductive and developmental problems. They are also associated with=20 allergies, cancer and immune system damage.=20

    How did these chemicals end up contaminating = common=20 household dust? For those who live near a refinery or a chemical = production=20 facility, there is direct exposure from emissions. The government's = annual Toxic=20 Release Inventory report confirms this. For most others, exposure comes = from the=20 ingredients used to make common household products. This information is=20 disturbing, not least because studies show we spend up to 90 percent of = our time=20 indoors; most of that at home. Children may take in five times as much = dust as=20 adults, since they play and crawl on the floor, making them more = vulnerable=20 while their organ and immune systems are developing.=20

    Brominated flame retardants, for example, = commonly=20 used on carpets, sofas and in electronic consumer goods are toxic to = developing=20 nervous systems. They can disrupt the thyroid which regulates growth and = development in newborns. It has long been known that small decreases in = thyroid=20 hormone levels can impair learning abilities in children. Yet we now = find these=20 chemicals in dryer lint, on the inside film of windows, and - as our = study shows=20 - in common household dust.=20

    The "Sick of Dust" report also found toxic=20 plasticisers used to make vinyl soft, stabilizers used in rigid PVC = products,=20 emulsifiers used in detergents and cosmetics, and stain-resist chemicals = used in=20 Goretex and Teflon pans. All the chemical classes we tested for are=20 internationally recognized as Chemicals for Priority Action, yet to date = government regulators have passed no laws to phase out their use.=20

    Our federal chemicals regulation needs a = complete=20 overhaul. Our regulations should promote the use of safe chemicals in = products,=20 not justify the ongoing use of known carcinogens and reproductive = toxins. The=20 issue should not be defined by what level these chemicals are safe to = use. The=20 question should be: why take chances with our children's health when = safer=20 alternatives are readily available?=20

    Forward-thinking companies and retailers have = not=20 waited for government action. They are restricting the list of chemicals = their=20 product suppliers can use and are actively seeking sustainable materials = and=20 design ideas for their products. Clean Production Action sent a = questionnaire to=20 35 leading companies and retailers to see if they have a chemicals = policy or if=20 they were even aware of the types of chemicals in their product lines. = We found=20 furniture manufacturers such as Herman Miller and Ikea had progressive = policies=20 to research and use safe chemicals, and carpet manufacturer Shaw Carpets = is=20 working closely with green chemists to design chemically-safe and = recyclable=20 carpets.=20

    Likewise leading TV and computer brand names = such as=20 Dell and Samsung are aggressively researching safer chemicals and = replacements=20 for all brominated flame retardants and PVC uses. Aveda and Unilever are = working=20 to eliminate the use of any materials known to persist in the = environment or=20 damage the hormone system. Unfortunately, such chemicals policies are = not=20 standard practice in the retail trade and most companies have no = chemicals=20 policy at all.=20

    Faced with similar concerns, the European = Union, home=20 to the largest chemical industry in the world, is overhauling its = chemicals=20 regulation. Europe will soon make its chemical industry provide missing = health=20 data for all its chemicals in commerce as well as require strict = authorization=20 for hazardous chemicals production. Many believe this will help set = Europe on a=20 path to innovation in safe chemicals. The U.S. needs to follow suit. In = the=20 absence of a federal overhaul of chemicals policy some state governments = are=20 taking action to phase out certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides. = Although=20 progress is slow and faces ongoing opposition, these approaches are = building=20 momentum for national reform.=20

    We owe it to the next generation to get our = chemicals=20 management in order. Some universities have set up Green Chemistry = departments,=20 which is a start, but it's not the sole solution. The Bush = administration needs=20 to reverse the failure of past chemicals regulation. It can begin by = targeting=20 the chemicals we now find in our household dust.=20

    Beverley Thorpe is the international director = of Clean=20 Production Action.
------=_NextPart_000_0155_01C52FF8.3E334730-- From emma@redearthdesign.com Mon Mar 28 09:40:01 2005 From: emma@redearthdesign.com (Emma - Red Earth Design) Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2005 01:40:01 -0800 Subject: [ok-sus] Student Summer environmental training programs Message-ID: <08eb01c5337a$1d759900$7d01a8c0@redearthdesign> Please share with any students that may be interested in leadership and environmental trainings. Summer Training Programs (SPROGs) Every summer, the Sierra Student Coalition holds a series of grassroots organizing trainings. This year's Sprogs will be held: Southeast: June 13-19 at Booker T. Washington State Park, TN, near Chattanooga Midwest July 11-17 at Pere Marquette State Park, IL, near St. Louis Northwest July 18-24 at Lewis & Clark State Park, WA, near Portland Northeast July 24-30 at French Creek State Park, PA, near Philadelphia Trade Issue Sprog August 8-14 at Foster Lodge, CA, near San Diego For more information and to register online, go to http://www.ssc.org/t/sprogs.htm From Robert Waldrop" FEAST OF THE FIRST ASPARAGUS and an update on our political/regulatory troubles/opportunities Besides being Easter, yesterday was also the Feast of the First Asparagus at our house. Holy Week is a bit busy for me (11 religious services in 7 days, each with a different music program, including choruses by Handel and Mozart), so our Easter feast wasn't as elaborate as say Thanksgiving. Because this week is so tightly scheduled for me, I did a lot of cooking ahead. I kept a "dough bowl" in the fridge and thus we were able to have home made bread rolls all week, for just the time of rolling them out and letting them rise and bake while I did other things. Yesterday we had buffalo chicken fried steaks (they were so very good), with mashed potatoes, gravy and cabbage, and I made extra cabbage and potatoes to have them for dinner today (Easter). Earlier this month we got a whole pig from Bud Phelan of 5 F Farms, and it has truly been a treat. The butcher processed it exactly the way I wanted it. I asked for extra hot sausage and that' s what we got. He's got a great cure for the pork chops and hams (we had one ham sliced as has steaks). And the pork steaks in the crock pot with a bit of stock and some seasonings and herbs? Falling apart tender. I am kicking myself though because I forgot to specify on my cutting order that I wanted the bones too, cut in 3 inch sections. When you process a whole animal, you pay for the processing by the hanging weight, which includes the bones. Since I didn't tell him that I wanted the bones (for soup and stock making of course), I just wasted all of that value. I confess this publicly to remind everybody not to throw value away when they process an animal, either for themselves, or for sale through the cooperative. Once you've made stock from fresh basic ingredients, you'll never be satisfied with boullion again (he says as he eyes the dwindling quarts of stock in his freezer while wondering if any of the producers will have bones for sale in April). Remember what my grandmother Dovie used to say: "We used all of that pig except for the squeal." That attitude is critical to our success. Waste not, want not. Our main dish for Easter was grilled pork chops. Cabbage on the side, and then I made another side dish with the mashed potatoes by sauteing some garlic, onion, and Italian herbs, and mixing that with the mashed potatoes. I topped the spuds with some shredded Christian cheese and popped them in the oven. They were great. We also had whole wheat rolls (from the fridge dough bowl), and earlier in the afternoon snacked on some deviled eggs and home made cheese spread. And of course, the first asparagus of the year. Just a few bites for each of us, but my goodness what a delicious treat. I think asparagus may be like corn, it's best to kind of just bend it over into a boiling pot and then snap it off so it falls directly into the pot and starts cooking immediately. My garden is springing to life! Peach, plum, nanking cherries, clove currants, apricot, sand plums and sand cherries are all in bloom right now. Mulberry and apple and chokecherry are on the verge of opening up. The garlic, shallots, and multiplying onions I planted last fall are standing tall and are a bright green. The spinach, mustard, chard, and turnips I planted last month are coming right on up through the mulch. Alas, I must have gotten a bad batch of carrot seed as I haven't had even one sprout! Regarding our political and regulatory troubles and opportunities. . . I think it is fair to say we have done a tremendous amount of consciousness raising at the state Department of Agriculture. Even though Secretary Peach's form letter response was a bit disappointing, we have opened some new communication links with various people at the department, and we have also done quite a bit of good over at the legislature. The same day I received the letter from Mr. Peach, I had a visit from Ron Hitt of the Meat Inspection Department. We spoke for nearly an hour, and among other things, we may have found a rather innovative way for our poultry people to comply with the state regulations. They aren't yielding an inch regarding on-farm processing of uninspected poultry, but they have offered to help our producers become state inspected poultry processing sites. The idea is that the producers would schedule their monthly processing days with one or more roving poultry inspectors, who would come to the farm on that day and inspect their processing. The birds would then have the state inspected label, the farmers would be free of the 1000 bird limit, and the birds could be sold anywhere - through the cooperative, in stores, to restaurants, schools, etc. And there is no charge for the inspection service. The inspectors would come to the farms for free! The one aspect of this that we have to clarify is the amount of capital investment involved with remodeling/building a facility to their specs, but Mr. Hitt assured me this would not be an impossible thing as he says that some of the state licensed processing sites are very small and did not require huge amounts of money to get going. It remains to be seen how the state follows through on this, but he says they will actually send somebody to the farm to help our producers understand what they need to do. There is also a possibility of getting some grant money to help the producers comply. This of course would be a better deal than what we were originally asking for. So our strategy is evolving in this direction: Strictly comply with the existing law, BUT find innovative/unexpected ways to comply, while at the same time laying the groundwork for making changes in the laws and regulations to accommodate our needs. This isn't an overnight strategy, I can't wave my magic wand and make everything all better overnight, but we knew this wasn't 3 day wonder in the very beginning. Many thanks to all who have been writing letters (and sending us copies!). The copies we've been reading have been very encouraging. I hope everybody is looking forward to the April order, I sure am. Also in April we will be doing a food outreach, cooking a banquet for the Oklahoma Coalition Against the Death Penalty annual meeting. (Please note that the cooperative by preparing this banquet the cooperative is not making a statement on this issue, we were invited to prepare the meal, the organization is buying the food from our producers, and we think we can pick up new members there, so it is strictly a matter of "advertising".) This will be April 23rd, if you would like to help cook, please send an email to volunteers@oklahomafood.coop . We will need help from about 12:30 through the evening, although volunteers would not necessarily have to be there the whole time. We will be serving buffalo pot roast, bulgur pilaf, hopefully we will be able to get some spring greens for both salad and cooked mixed greens, and cakes and breads from the cooperative. Kim Barker, Shauna Struby, and I are headed out this afternoon to Wichita, Kansas, to speak to a group interested in starting a cooperative like ours, and then we're going to Lindborg, Kansas to do a presentation at the Kansas Farmers Union meeting. I did a 2 hour conference call with some guys from the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union who are interested in starting a local foods cooperative, and they will be there too. Oklahoma - Colorado - Kansas - Nebraska, sounds like a rising on the plains to me. I am looking forward to getting away for a couple of days, the conference publicity says "LOCAL FOODS AT ALL MEALS", to which I say WOO HOO!!! The conference publicity is at http://www.kansasruralcenter.org/calendar.html#RFSC and the sponsors read like a Who's Who of sustainable ag in this part of the planet, and include our own Oklahoma based Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture. Mary Hendrickson of the U of Missouri Dept of Rural Sociology, who as I have said before is one of the "grandma's" of this cooperative, will be there and she is bringing a copy of the federal poultry regs for me so we can do some fact checking of the statements of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture. Hopefully a good time will be had by all. I have also just booked a presentation in the fall in Ohio! Meanwhile, I am going to go fix myself a late breakfast of certified organic eggs, potato cakes (made from yesterday's leftover potato casserole of course) and some great sausage, with some hot rolls on the side. We're bon apetitin' at our house, and I hope that is true for YOU TOO! Robert Waldrop, Oklahoma Food Cooperative http://www.oklahomafood.coop/bobsblog/ From chiefseneca@hotmail.com Tue Mar 29 19:07:04 2005 From: chiefseneca@hotmail.com (Seneca Scott) Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2005 13:07:04 -0600 Subject: [ok-sus] Farm Conference Message-ID:


Women in Agriculture & Small Business
"Breaking New Ground"
Thursday, March 31, 2005
8a.m.-5p.m.
Southeast Expo Center In McAlester, Okla
 
Attend the workshop and learn how to make your farm/small business more productive and profitable, meet other women involved in agriculture, become part of a network of support, get insights on investment options for the future, organize your records, improve your management skills, and take home a wealth of contact information and reference materials. Open to the public. Fee $25 with lunch. For information call 918-423-2479 or email Linda.Parkhurst@ok.usda.gov
 
Conference hosted by Ouachita Mountains RC&D, Inc.
 
 



From chiefseneca@hotmail.com Tue Mar 29 19:13:11 2005 From: chiefseneca@hotmail.com (Seneca Scott) Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2005 13:13:11 -0600 Subject: [ok-sus] Tulsa World 3/27/05 Message-ID:


Specialty-crop farms sprouting in area
By ANGEL RIGGS World Staff Writer
3/27/2005

View in Print (PDF) Format

When two Tulsa couples began a career in farming, they faced a crop of challenges.

They had the land, drive and an open market, but a drought of capital held them back. Looking for seed money, the couples borrowed a farming concept popular on the nation's coasts -- they took their start-up operations public.

Nuyaka Natural Farm in Bristow and Three Springs Farm in Tulsa both allow customers to purchase "shares" of seasonal produce.

Customers pay a few hundred dollars in early spring, and the farmers use the money to buy supplies. The dividend comes later in the form of fresh Oklahoma produce being delivered weekly for five months -- everything from okra and potatoes to peppers and salad mix.

"It allows us to draw up-front capital to begin the season with," said James Cooper, who co-owns Nuyaka Natural Farm with his wife, Jennifer.

Called community-supported agriculture, the concept sprouted 20 years ago in response to a growing interest in where and how food is produced. Especially with smaller CSAs, consumers can put a face with their food, which is often chemical-free or grown under organic standards.

The pre-payment also gives the investors a stake in the
farmer's risk.

Through Nuyaka's program, consumers typically receive enough vegetables to feed two adults 10 vegetable-based meals a week, according to the farm's brochure. The basic cost for the program is $450, which averages about $22.50 per week. There are discounts and extras, such as an egg share.

Despite Oklahoma's abundant farmland and blossoming farmers' markets, the CSA practice is relatively unknown in the state. That's exactly why the Coopers and another couple -- Three Springs Farm owners Emily Oakley and Mike Appel -- picked the Sooner State for farming.

Oakley and Appel both traveled the world learning to farm, though most of their experience in running a CSA came from working at a large operation in California.

"We wanted to move back (to Oklahoma) because it's really an open market," Oakley said.

The Coopers, too, believe they're in the right region.

"It's a nice time to be in Oklahoma doing this," said James Cooper, 26. "We're on the forefront."

Jennifer Cooper, a 25-year-old conservation biologist, grew up with a small backyard garden in a rural area of the East.

She and her husband could be considered among a new generation of pioneers -- urban young people with extensive education and work experience in agriculture who've come to the land with big ideas for small spaces.

The owners of both farms took different paths to a career in agriculture -- their interests vary from conservation to social justice.

"It's not a radical idea by any means," James Cooper said of starting the CSA. "People in every state are more concerned about how their food is raised."

"We looked for properties," he said. "And we found this one in the Tulsa World."

The Coopers have farmed in Oklahoma for four years. However, they set out on their own last year with their first CSA and a goal to preserve wildlife and land. About 10 of their 80 acres is under cultivation.

"The way we treat our soil is to make it better," he said.

Some of their produce is set aside for local restaurants, while part will be sold April through September at the Cherry Street Farmers' Market. Experts say such diversification is vital to earning a living from small-scale farming.

The couple also plans to have a diverse role in the community. Someday they'd like to offer cooking classes at an outdoor kitchen -- they've already hosted tasting parties.

They also plan to participate in the Oklahoma Food Policy Council's Farm-to-School program, which supplies school lunchrooms with local produce.

"My favorite thing is knowing that we're doing something that's going to benefit the community," Jennifer said.

Oakley and Appel, the Three Springs Farm owners, arrived in the industry with Oakley's interests in seed saving, or preserving heirloom varieties, and Appel's concern with social justice in food production.

Oakley, a native Oklahoman, and Appel, a former New Yorker, are both 27 and live in Tulsa, growing their food on two leased acres near the edge of the city.

It's an arrangement that's worked well, they said. When they asked for more land to expand this year's crop, their landlord didn't hesitate to give it to them, Oakley said.

Oakley and Appel already have a waiting list for their CSA, though it's only their second year. The CSA grew to about 30 families this year, after providing food for 10 last year.

Like the Coopers, some of their produce will be for sale at the Cherry Street Farmers' Market.

Both couples' youth may contribute to their success so far.

Computer- and marketing-savvy Generation Xers, each has a brochure, and Oakley and Appel even keep track of the food in customers' weekly deliveries on a spread sheet.

"What's really important for a CSA is growing a variety of crops," Oakley said. "Nobody wants 20 weeks of cabbage."

While customers may get a head of lettuce each week, she said, they won't receive the same kind.

Oklahoma has about 26 officially listed farmers' markets and about five CSAs, said Doug Walton, community foods coordinator at the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture in Poteau. Nuyaka and Three Springs are the only ones listed in the Tulsa area.

However, the list isn't exhaustive, and advertising is often by word-of-mouth. Farmers' markets are a good place to find CSA owners. Those markets, popular in the 1970s, have experienced a resurgence, Walton said.

And there's a growing link between the markets and CSAs.

"I think the main connection is the increasing interest by consumers to have both fresh seasonal foods in their diets and also have more connection to the food," Walton said.

There are many varieties of CSAs, including those that have consumers pick their own produce or help with the farming.

This year Oakley and Appel plan to offer a limited trial-run of a debit-system CSA. Like the traditional model, consumers pre-pay for their produce. However, instead of receiving weekly deliveries, their farmers' market purchases are deducted from their "account."

Since CSA farmers have more control of their produce, their profits don't include a middleman, Walton said.

"That's the thing about speciality crops," he said. "On a per-acre basis, they're much more valuable than commodity crops. Part of what makes them valuable is the way they can be sold."

The CSA concept has worked well for Sandi Dittmann of Tulsa, a farmers' market regular who signed up for the Coopers' program.

"It's so fresh and just so Oklahoma," she said.

Dittmann added that she often has enough vegetables to share with neighbors. The Coopers "add the personality to it, too."

"It's just those two -- two young kids growing that whole farm. I respect them for that," Dittmann said.

The Coopers will continue to sign up members through mid-April. Oakley and Appel's list is full, but their debit-system plan still has openings.

More information

Nuyaka Natural Farm
Phone: 752-0628. E-mail: nuyakanaturalfarm@hotmail.com

Three Springs Farm
Phone: 712-9571. E-mail: farmers@threespringsfarm.com

Cherry Street Farmers' Market
Saturdays, 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., April 9-Oct. 1
Wednesdays, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., May 4-Sept. 28.

Angel Riggs 581-8413
angel.riggs@tulsaworld.com


From chiefseneca@hotmail.com Wed Mar 30 00:01:05 2005 From: chiefseneca@hotmail.com (Seneca Scott) Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2005 18:01:05 -0600 Subject: [ok-sus] Daily Oklahoman 3-29-03 Message-ID:
Battle over aquifer moves to Capitol screening room

By Ryan McNeill
The Oklahoman

A southern Oklahoma citizens group fighting removal of water from the Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer spent several hours showing a film promoting their side of the argument Monday at the state Capitol.

Serving up sandwiches, cookies and chips to anyone who came to watch the 12-minute film in a room next to the governor's office, members of the Citizens for the Protection of the Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer handed out copies of the film and a pamphlet with background information on the aquifer.

The Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer, the main water source for several cities including Ada and Durant, is under 500 square miles of southern Oklahoma. It also feeds several streams and rivers in the area, as well as the Chickasaw National Recreation Area.

"For many, many years, the city of Durant depended on the Blue River as its sole source of water," Durant City Manager Paul Buntz said in the video. "We have people coming to look at our community -- new industrial prospects -- the fact that we have the Blue River is very important to them."

Controversy has centered around the aquifer since several communities, mainly in Canadian County, sought to build an 88-mile pipeline to the area. Canadian County leaders are wanting to create a new water source for their area because it now mostly depends on Oklahoma City.

Southern Oklahoma residents, meanwhile, managed to get Senate Bill 288 passed in 2004 by the Legislature. It creates a moratorium on issuing any temporary groundwater permits for municipal or public use outside any county above the aquifer.

The moratorium won't be lifted until a study of the aquifer is completed.

Landowners seeking to sell their water, treated as private property under Oklahoma law, sued in 2003 to have SB 288 declared unconstitutional. But an Oklahoma County judge declared it constitutional last year, and the landowners group is now appealing to the state Supreme Court.

From Leslie Moyer" This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0071_01C5353C.93F53E00 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable (You can find other versions of this same report at http://grist.org -- = I just checked and this story isn't up there yet, but should be before = the end of the day, I think.)=20 http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=3DECOREPORT-03-29-05&cat=3DAN= Report: humans changing environment faster than ever By JOAN LOWY Scripps Howard News Service March 29, 2005=20 - Over the past 50 years, mankind has changed the natural environment of = the planet faster and more extensively than at any other time in human = history, according to the first comprehensive evaluation of the world's = major ecosystems.=20 Attempts to meet growing global demand for food and other natural = resources have resulted in a "substantial and largely irreversible" loss = in the diversity of life on Earth, said the report, the Millennium = Ecosystem Assessment, to be released Wednesday.=20 The report - an attempt to come to grips with the relationships between = ecosystems and human well-being - was written by 1,360 experts from 95 = countries and reviewed by 850 experts and government officials.=20 About 60 percent of the planet's "ecosystem services" - uses of the = natural environment that benefit people such as freshwater for = irrigation or ocean fishing - are being degraded or used unsustainably, = the report said.=20 "Many of the changes under way to ecosystems are so intense that they = are unprecedented," said University of Oregon marine biology professor = Jane Lubchenco, a former president of the American Association for the = Advance of Science and a contributor to the report. "We are really = entering terra incognito here."=20 The report warns that dangerous environmental surprises - the sudden = collapse of fisheries, the appearance of "dead zones" in coastal waters, = outbreaks of new and reemerging diseases like SARS and regional shifts = in climate - are increasingly likely.=20 "There is no simple fix to these problems since they arise from the = interaction of many recognized challenges, including climate change, = biodiversity loss and land degradation, each of which is complex to = address in its own right," the report said.=20 This alarming picture "could grow significantly worse" during the first = half of this century since most of the factors driving the degradation = of ecosystems are continuing or growing in intensity, the report said.=20 Nevertheless, the report cites many policy and technological changes = that could lessen or reverse environmental decline. However, many of the = recommended changes - such as removal of certain agricultural subsidies, = stronger limits on ocean fishing, better forest management practices, = the development of markets for trading and pricing freshwater - are = controversial and are generally not under way yet, the report noted.=20 U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, who launched the assessment four = years ago, applauded the report as "an unprecedented contribution to our = global mission for development, sustainability and peace."=20 "Only by understanding the environment and how it works can we make the = necessary decisions to protect it," Annan said.=20 John Turner, assistant secretary of state for oceans and environment, = said the report "contributes to the body of work on sustainability and = ecosystem management."=20 "The United States continues to work hard at home and abroad through a = wide range of initiatives that protect our natural resources and = biodiversity, and promote sustainable development globally," Turner = said.=20 Stanford University biology professor Hal Mooney, who co-chaired a panel = that reviewed the report, likened the assessment to a business balance = sheet that compares profit and loss.=20 "The message we want to say is that we're running down the account," = Mooney said. "We're not balancing our budget and we have to turn our = attention to what we're doing."=20 Other findings in the report:=20 - More land has been converted to cropland since 1945 than was = cultivated in the 18th and 19th centuries combined. About 30 percent of = the Earth's land area is devoted to some kind of agriculture.=20 - About a quarter of the world's coral reefs have been badly damaged or = destroyed in the last several decades.=20 - The amount of water impounded behind dams has quadrupled since 1960. = Six times more water is held in reservoirs than flows in natural rivers. = - More than half of all synthetic nitrogen fertilizer ever used on the = planet has been used since 1985.=20 - Since 1750, atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased = about 32 percent primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels and land = use changes. About 60 percent of that increase has taken place since = 1959.=20 - Between 10 percent and 30 percent of all mammal, bird and amphibian = species are threatened with extinction.=20 The report was underwritten by the United Nations Environment Program, = the World Bank, the U.N. Foundation, the David and Lucille Packard = Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, among = other government and private organizations.=20 On the Net: www.wri.org=20 -------------------------------------------------------------------------= ------- (E-mail Joan Lowy at LowyJ@shns.com.) ------=_NextPart_000_0071_01C5353C.93F53E00 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
(You can find other versions of this = same report at=20 http://grist.org -- I just checked = and this=20 story isn't up there yet, but should be before the end of the day, I = think.)=20

 
http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=3DECOREPORT-03-= 29-05&cat=3DAN
 

Report: humans changing environment faster than ever

By JOAN LOWY
Scripps Howard News Service
March = 29,=20 2005=20

- Over the past 50 years, mankind has changed the natural = environment=20 of the planet faster and more extensively than at any other time in = human=20 history, according to the first comprehensive evaluation of the world's = major=20 ecosystems.=20

Attempts to meet growing global demand for food and other natural = resources=20 have resulted in a "substantial and largely irreversible" loss in the = diversity=20 of life on Earth, said the report, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, = to be=20 released Wednesday.=20

The report - an attempt to come to grips with the relationships = between=20 ecosystems and human well-being - was written by 1,360 experts from 95 = countries=20 and reviewed by 850 experts and government officials.=20

About 60 percent of the planet's "ecosystem services" - uses of the = natural=20 environment that benefit people such as freshwater for irrigation or = ocean=20 fishing - are being degraded or used unsustainably, the report said.=20

"Many of the changes under way to ecosystems are so intense that they = are=20 unprecedented," said University of Oregon marine biology professor Jane=20 Lubchenco, a former president of the American Association for the = Advance of=20 Science and a contributor to the report. "We are really entering terra = incognito=20 here."=20

The report warns that dangerous environmental surprises - the sudden = collapse=20 of fisheries, the appearance of "dead zones" in coastal waters, = outbreaks of new=20 and reemerging diseases like SARS and regional shifts in climate - are=20 increasingly likely.=20

"There is no simple fix to these problems since they arise from the=20 interaction of many recognized challenges, including climate change,=20 biodiversity loss and land degradation, each of which is complex to = address in=20 its own right," the report said.=20

This alarming picture "could grow significantly worse" during the = first half=20 of this century since most of the factors driving the degradation of = ecosystems=20 are continuing or growing in intensity, the report said.=20

Nevertheless, the report cites many policy and technological changes = that=20 could lessen or reverse environmental decline. However, many of the = recommended=20 changes - such as removal of certain agricultural subsidies, stronger = limits on=20 ocean fishing, better forest management practices, the development of = markets=20 for trading and pricing freshwater - are controversial and are generally = not=20 under way yet, the report noted.=20

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, who launched the assessment four = years=20 ago, applauded the report as "an unprecedented contribution to our = global=20 mission for development, sustainability and peace."=20

"Only by understanding the environment and how it works can we make = the=20 necessary decisions to protect it," Annan said.=20

John Turner, assistant secretary of state for oceans and environment, = said=20 the report "contributes to the body of work on sustainability and = ecosystem=20 management."=20

"The United States continues to work hard at home and abroad through = a wide=20 range of initiatives that protect our natural resources and = biodiversity, and=20 promote sustainable development globally," Turner said.=20

Stanford University biology professor Hal Mooney, who co-chaired a = panel that=20 reviewed the report, likened the assessment to a business balance sheet = that=20 compares profit and loss.=20

"The message we want to say is that we're running down the account," = Mooney=20 said. "We're not balancing our budget and we have to turn our attention = to what=20 we're doing."=20

Other findings in the report:=20

- More land has been converted to cropland since 1945 than was = cultivated in=20 the 18th and 19th centuries combined. About 30 percent of the Earth's = land area=20 is devoted to some kind of agriculture.=20

- About a quarter of the world's coral reefs have been badly damaged = or=20 destroyed in the last several decades.=20

- The amount of water impounded behind dams has quadrupled since = 1960. Six=20 times more water is held in reservoirs than flows in natural rivers.=20

- More than half of all synthetic nitrogen fertilizer ever used on = the planet=20 has been used since 1985.=20

- Since 1750, atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has = increased about=20 32 percent primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels and land use = changes.=20 About 60 percent of that increase has taken place since 1959.=20

- Between 10 percent and 30 percent of all mammal, bird and amphibian = species=20 are threatened with extinction.=20

The report was underwritten by the United Nations Environment = Program, the=20 World Bank, the U.N. Foundation, the David and Lucille Packard = Foundation and=20 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, among other = government and=20 private organizations.=20

On the Net: www.wri.org=20

(E-mail Joan Lowy at LowyJ@shns.com.)
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