Student Seeking Ideas, Connections...

Hey folks -

Just wanted to let everyone know that Dara Gammon, who is taking Nature Conservation 3601 is undertaking an assignment and is looking for more information on people, groups and/or projects that are currently underway at Dalhousie regarding, well... nature and conservation.

If you have info to share with Dara, please contact her at: dr910308@dal.ca

DWC: Chocolate Vaginas (Only $2.00!)

The Dalhousie Women's Centre would like to offer up the following message (and product!):

Break Taboos!! Challenge Stereotypes!!! Make the world Vagina Friendly!!!

Buy a Belgian Chocolate Vagina Pop!!

The Belgian chocolate vagina pop was created by the Dalhousie Women's Centre to create awareness around issue of violence against women in our community and to fundraise for the Centre.

The Vagina pop helps the world become more women friendly by challenging commonly held taboos about vaginas.

Vagina pops are available at the centre year round for 2 dollars. They can also be purchased at Venus Envy. All proceeds raised go toward the Dalhousie Women's Centre and its programs.

For more information, contact the DWC from 10am-5pm, at:

6286 South Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia
902-494-2432

Email: dwc@dal.ca Website: www.dalwomenscentre.ca

Cape Breton University Students - Fighting the Green Fight!

Cape Breton University has engaged it's environmental side with the promotion of their "Campus Green Initiative". The initiative is oriented around the following:

To promote awareness and encourage the CBU and wider community to actively take part in the 3 R’s of environmental awareness, the Campus Green Committee invites you to participate in the upcoming CBU Green Week, from FEBRUARY 4-8! There are lots of activities including lunch n’ learns, a Green Trivia Challenge, short documentary showings including, “Planet Earth”, “Turning Down the Heat” and full lengths documentary films including “Manufactured Landscape”, “Who Killed the Electric Car” and “Inconvenient Truth”. A special guest speaker from An Inconvenient Truth, Walt Palmer, will also be on campus.

To find out more information about CBU's Campus Green Initiative, their facebook site or just to support our brothers and sisters in their 'good fight', here's the necessary info:

Email: scuddle_6@hotmail.com
jill@cbusu.com

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6474519629

Dalhousie Workshop on Environment and Sustainability: Towards Innovative Academic Programming

Last day to register for the workshop: Thursday January 31st, 2008

Please send an e-mail to maychair@dal.ca as soon as possible if you would like
to participate.

***NOTE: see previous post below for more information.

Speaker Series: Clive Doucet on "Surviving Climate Change In Cities"

Clive Doucet will deliver a talk "Streetcars, Streetcar Values and Surviving Climate Change in Cities" as part of the 2008 Killam Lecture Series.

The lecture takes place Wednesday, January 30, 7 p.m. in the Potter Auditorium, Kenneth C. Rowe Management Building. It's free.

For more information, please visit: http://dalnews.dal.ca/2008/01/29/killam.html

Environment and Sustainability: Towards an Innovative, Integrated Curriculum at Dalhousie

In mid 2007, the Deans of Faculties across Dalhousie University offering programs related to the environment and sustainability, indicated broad support for a university discussion of the possibility of new interdisciplinary academic programming in these areas. The Faculties involved thus far are Architecture and Planning, Arts and Social Sciences, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Law, Management and Science. Ad hoc committees have been set up within these faculties and an inter-faculty Steering Committee was established, with the purpose of initiating a university-wide dialogue on potential opportunities for Dalhousie to become "greater than the sum of its parts" in this area.

Weekly meetings will be held on Tuesdays from 10:30-12:00 to move this forward. The workshop described will take place on February 15 and 16. It would be great to have you join in! Please contact Natasha LaRoche (494-8443) with any questions
or email epss@dal.ca

Web Find: TreeHugger.com

TreeHugger is the leading media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream. Partial to a modern aesthetic, they strive to be a one-stop shop for green news, solutions, and product information. At TreeHugger they know that variety is the spice of life, so you can find all you need to go green in their up to the minute blog, weekly and daily newsletters, weekly video segments, weekly radio show and user-generated blog, Hugg. They also extend their expertise to companies looking for a little green guidance.

Check it out at treehugger.com

Green Week 2008: Ideas & Involvement

The first planning session for Dalhousie's Green Week 2008 was held last week - thanks to all of those who attended and for their great ideas! Green Week 2008 will take place from March 10 - 14.

The initial brainstorming for this year's Green Week include the following:

Activities/Ideas:

-Concert/Musical event
-Carla suggested the band Anew Airship
-Venues suggested: Grawood, McInnis Room, T-room
-Concerns/issues: availability
-Open mic night
-Trivia night
-Appropriating trivia night for our own agenda
-Bicycle maintenance workshop
-Possibly held in the SUB
-Art with bike pieces
-This idea needs to be given a little more thought....where are the pieces going to come from?
-Green Art competition
-Talk to nature conservation class...maybe they want to showcase their art projects for this week
-Art with Tim Hortons cups
-Parking meter parties (May need approval from Dalhousie Security ? there is a shortage of parking on this campus and upsetting administration could be counter productive)
-Barbeque/Potluck
-Dalhousie science society might be holding one this week
-Ultimate Frisbee on the quad
-Superstore going bagless
-Some sort of community support event/encouraging students
-Petition/banner/letter writing session
-Tackling plastic cup usage at campus bars
-Representation of EAC and other environmental organizations
-Sustainability related scavenger hunt
-Use of Dalhousie tiger mascot ? school spirit...?
-Moosehead game Wednesday at 7pm
-Maybe have some sort of event before hand to make it relate to sustainability
-Idea of t-shirts was brought up
-Instead of purchasing a large number of t-shirts what if we had students bring
in old t-shirts and we tie dyed them?

Causes:

-Earth hour
-Gold Mine on Eastern Shore
-NS Power tidal energy trials

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We're looking to get anyone and everyone involved - remember, a sustainable campus requires sustainability in the areas of social, political, economic, gender, religion, etc. So if you have any other ideas or would simply like to get involved (perhaps by tackling one of the already listed ideas), be sure to contact:

Sarah Applebaum, Promoter, DSUSO at dsu.sustain@dal.ca

***NOTE: There is an upcoming Green Week planning meeting (date TBA), for those interested in participating. The date of this meeting will be posted in short order.

Speaker Series: Daniel Rainham "Health & Sustainability"

To all those interested in sustainability, Daniel Rahim will be speaking on GOVERNANCE & HEALTH CARE. If you are interested, please find the necessary information included below:

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The International Health Speaker Series presents:

Daniel Rainham
"A Sense of Possibility: What Does Governance for Health AND Sustainability Look Like?"

Wednesday, January 30
Tupper Theatre B, 5:00 pm
5850 College St.

All are welcome. Admission is free. For more information, please e-mail: nashton@dal.ca

Brought to you by the International Health Office and the Global Health Initiative.
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First DSUSO Meeting With Rochelle Owen

Just a reminder to Dalhousie students and societies concerned with issues of campus sustainability, that the first official meeting between Mark Johnston (DSUSO Liaison) and Rochelle Owen (Dalhousie Administration's Director of Sustainability) is taking place on Wednesday, January 30th, 2008.

The agenda for the meeting includes the following items:

1) Projects: Rochelle is interested in knowing about the ideas and interests for projects from students and student groups. She would also like to pose some ideas and projects herself.
Discussion will also revolve around funding, partners etc. of projects of potential mutual
interest.

2) Information Sharing: Both Rochelle and I will share information on upcoming events,
publications, reports, etc

3) Volunteer Opportunities and Student Research: Brainstorming volunteer opportunities that exist through the student organizations. As well, Rochelle will bring some ideas forward from the Administration's Sustainability Office - which may include positions for carrying out sustainability research in the areas of energy efficiency on campus during the summer semester.

Additionally, ideas put forth regarding "double sided paper printing on campus" and "how the Dalhousie administration is going to involve itself in Green Week 2008" will be tabled.

Look for a future entry detailing the outcome of the meeting.

Sierra Youth Coalition - Atlantic Sustainable Campuses Conference

Come get involved in our 2008 Atlantic Regional Conference! Join youth from across the Atlantic Region as they come together and share experiences, ideas and a passion for the environment.

Conference participants get to:

* Attend workshops, activities, discussions, and guest speakers!
* Be inspired, motivated and come away with amazing ideas!
* Gain the skills and tools to implement your amazing ideas!
* Build a supportive network of like-minded students!
* Have fun!

FEBRUARY 8-10, 2008 at the University of Moncton, New Brunswick.

For more information please visit: http://syc-cjs.org/sustainable/Atlantic+Sustainable+Campuses+Conference&bl

Student Employment - Nova Scotia Youth Conservation Corp (NSYCC)

There are two programs with the Nova Scotia Youth Conservation Corp looking to fill vacancies:

1. Environmental Leadership

2. Summer Program

Deadline date for student applications: Feb 15^th (ELP) and March 15^th (Summer Staff)

***NOTE: Click on the above images for more information. Feel free to download the images as well, simply right-click the opened image and "save as".

Membership in Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)

Dalhousie is a new member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). Any member of the Dalhousie community can use their email address as a user name and generate a password to logon to the AASHE site [http://www.aashe.org/members/memberlogin.php]. The site has a resource centre with topic areas such as academics, operations, and institutional commitment.

You can also keep current on the evolving landscape of campus sustainability by subscribing to AASHE Bulletin, a weekly compilation of the latest sustainability news, resources, events, and opportunities at colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada. To subscribe, go to: http://www.aashe.org/archives/bulletin.php (you can read archived issues here), or email info@aashe.org with a request to be subscribed.

For more information on this membership or upcoming activities of the University Office of Sustainability contact Rochelle Owen, Director of Sustainability, Dalhousie University, rjowen@dal.ca, 494-7448.