Environmental Club members& supporters,


Last week's trivia meeting was a success -team Lucy won... a bunch of Luna bars! We also discusseddifferent ways members can plug in. Environmental Club has anothermeeting next week on Thursday at 4:30 pm in the GreenSpace and a volunteeractivity with SOLV the following Saturday, Nov 7. We alsointroduced our first biweekly Action - unplug your cellphonecharger (and other appliances not in use). See below for more infoon all these!


Environmental Club events:
Plugging in with the Environmental Club
Interested in...

• Take Back the Tap? ContactLisa Meersman at ecpsu.redwood@gmail.com ORjust come to our nextmeeting!
• Recycling andcomposting on campus? Contact Honore Depew at honoredepew@gmail.com. Thereare plenty of opportunities to make surecomposting and recycling are fully utilized at events and throughoutcampus.
• Gardening activities,indoors and outdoors? Workshops will be starting in November.
• Energy efficiency?Contact David Nokovic in Sustainability Leadership Center atdnokovic@gmail.com
  
• Climatechange? Attending Powershiftin Eugene? Contact Jesse Boudart in Cascade Climate Network at boudartj@pdx.eduOR contact Jenny Bedell-Styles at Sierra StudentCoalition at jenny@ssc.org
• Environmental law? Staytuned for future workshops in collaboration with the Pre-Law Society!

Also, PSU'sSustainability Leadership Center has started a generalvolunteer sign-up for all campus-related sustainability events andissues - check it out, fill it out, get involved!


Next Environmental Club meeting
Thursday, Nov5, 2009
4:30 pm - 6 pm
GreenSpace, Smith 28

Activities to be announced!


Volunteer with Env Club and SOLV - Polishthe Pearl
Saturday, Nov 7, 2009
8:30 am - 1:00 pm
Start at Urban Grind, 911 NW 14th Ave

Environmental Club is helping out SOLV with one of their activities.Come join us! Should be fun. Please RSVP to ecpsu@pdx.edu.

Meeting Location: Volunteers will meet at Urban Grind for some wake-upcoffee! Theleaders will be visibly at a table.

ProjectActivities: At Urban Grind, volunteers will form teams to clean litterfrom thestreets. Volunteers will be briefed on safety and techniques.Activities include: Litter Pickup. Afterwards there will be a mealandraffle at Blitz Pearl.

Coordinator: Alison Wallisch
Contact Email: alison@nwnw.org
Contact Phone Number: 503-823-4265 x †††

Safety Issues: Traffic, Hazardous Materials/Needles, Homeless Camp Site.


Action #1: stopphantom energy - unplug your appliances when not in use
Ever heard of phantom energy?

Treehuggerexplains:
Many of the electronic devices in your home stay on, even whenthey're "off." Chargersfor cell phones, digital cameras, power tools and other gadgets drawenergy even when they're not in use. Appliances like televisions,computer monitors and DVD players can also draw power whenever they'replugged into an outlet. All together, "phantom energy" use accountfor about 5 percent of an individual's home's electricity use.

You can take some simple steps to reduce the financial andenvironmental impact from these "vampire" appliances. Unpluggingdevices is the simplest way to solve the problem, but can be a hassle.Plugging a couple of your devices into a surge protector that can beclicked on and off can make things easier.

Environmental Club, in conjunction with the GreenSpace, is starting abiweekly action for individuals to do in their own lives. Hope you takepart and learn some new sustainable habits!


GreenSpace mentioned in the DailyVanguard
Today's Daily Vanguard mentioned the GreenSpace - the EnvironmentalClub's new shared office space! Here's an excerpt:

GreenSpace is a sustainability hub working to build a strongcommunity of students interested and involved in sustainability oncampus. It is part of an ongoing effort by Portland State students toimprove sustainability initiatives.

Opened at the end of May, GreenSpace is an office forsustainability-related student groups such as the Environmental Club,Permaculture Guild, PSU Bicycle Advocacy Collective and Students forLeadership in Ecology, Culture and Learning (SLECL).

GreenSpace is located in the basement of Smith Memorial Student Unionbuilding, next to Food for Thought CafÈ. Their office hours are between10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Friday.

It is a shared community space that is open to any student working onsustainability.

See the full article at - http://www.dailyvanguard.com/gathering-to-get-green-1.2038823


Campusevents:
Set thestudent agenda for Oregon Student Association
The Oregon Student Association (OSA) is a statewide organizationrepresenting over 100,000 students at universities and communitycolleges. Through organizing and advocacy the OSA works to expandaccess to affordable, quality post-secondary education for allOregonians. The OSA is governed by three boards: the Board of Directors(BOD), the Oregon Students of Color Coalition (OSCC) and the OregonStudent Equal Rights Alliance (OSERA).

Each board has developed a short survey to help determine which issuesto fight for during the next two years. You can help set the agenda ofthe student movement in Oregon by filling out at least one of thefollowing surveys. Your answers will remain confidential.

http://www.orstudents.org/osa/survey


Signup for the EcoWiki Bulletin
The EcoWiki Bulletin is publishedelectronically twice each month bythe Sustainability Leadership and Outreach Office.† In each issue, youwill be provided with the most-up-to-date information pertaining to thePSU community.† Each bulletin will include news, upcoming events, andopportunities for students, staff and faculty to become sustainabilityleaders.

http://ecowiki.pdx.edu/sign-up-for-the-bi-monthly-ecowiki-bulletin.html


Communityevents:
City's Climate Action Plan
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
2:00 pm
City Hall, 1221 SW 4th Ave.
Council Chambers, 2nd Floor

The City and County willbe adopting the updated "Climate Action Plan" next week.† PSU students,faculty and other interested folks are invited to wear green and packthe Council chambers in support. Theplan that is proposedfor adoption, along with the City Council hearing info is at thislink:† www.portlandonline.com/bps/climate

I (PJ) will be going down there - let me know if you want to joinme! We can walk down together.


Junk to Funk Recycled FashionShow Contest
Saturday, November14, 2009
Doors will open at 7:00, show starts at 8:00
Crystal Ballroom
$17 for advancepurchase, $20 at the door, or $40 for VIP preferred seating (preferredseating 21 and older only)

"Trashion Edutainment for the Masses"

(Portland, Oregon) ñ Portlandís favorite trashion show continues!†November 14th will mark the fourth annual Junk to Funk Recycled FashionShow Contest, once again hosted by Mayor Sam Adams, joined by TheMercuryís Fashion Editor Marjorie Skinner.† The show will feature 25pieces of newly constructed wearable art and couture fashion creativelytransformed from ìtrashî.† After selling out of the Wonder Ballroom in2008, we are excited to announce that this yearís Junk to Funk RecycledFashion Show Contest will be held on November 14th at the CrystalBallroom and for the first time will be an all ages event.†

Contestants will compete for prizes up to $500 and will be judged bypanel of local note worthies rightfully dubbed the ìJunk Juryîcomprised of local designer Adam Arnold and representatives from Scrap,The Regional Arts and Culture Council, Portland Fashion Week and theOregon Association of Recyclers.† Winners will be determined based onthe percent of recycled material used, design innovation, out of thebox use of materials, quality of craftsmanship and wow factor inpresentation.†

Portlandís Mayor Sam Adams and The Mercuryís Marjorie Skinner will hostthe event. Additionally the event will feature a premier performance byPortlandís junk orchestra ìJunkquestraî, a ìGreen Carpetî interviewswith Sustainable Today Television, craft vendors selling their recycledaccessories, a DIY junk accessory table provided by SCRAP and asalways, audience junky costumes are encouraged!

Doors will open at 7:00, show starts at 8:00; attendees are encouragedto come early to enjoy additional activities.† Tickets are availablethrough the Crystal Ballroom, Scrap (general admission only) and allTicket Master locations and are $17 for advance purchase, $20 at thedoor, or $40 for VIP preferred seating (preferred seating 21 and olderonly).†

Junk to Funk
www.junktofunk.org
503-789-2018
P.O. Box 15163††
Portland, OR† 97293


Crunch those soggy leaves,

PJ Houser
Portland State University
Environmental Club coordinator
Campus Sustainability Office Assistant

Environmental Club members& supporters,


Our first meeting of the year went well - we came upwith ideas for the year, gardened, and drank apple cider. Our nextmeeting will be Thursday, October 22 at 4:30. See below for otherupcoming events.


Food and Water Watch Day
Wednesday,October 14th all day
Portland State University
Parkway North

Stop by and visit the Environmental Club table, buy a Klean Kanteen,sign a petition against Nestle building a bottling plant in theColumbia Gorge, and learn about Take Back the Tap.


Sierra Club Presents the PopulationJustice Environment Book Tour
Thursday,October 15th 7:00 pm
Portland State University
Smith Memorial Student Union Room 296

A Pivotal Moment: Population, Justice and the Environmental Challenge

Sponsored by the Sierra Club Global Population and Environment Program
Co-sponsored by the Columbia Group Sierra Club Third Thursday Program

The Sierra Club is proud to sponsor the Population Justice EnvironmentBook tour featuring a new book, A Pivotal Moment: Population, Justiceand the Environmental Challenge, edited by Laurie Mazur, and publishedby Island Press.

As part of the Sierra Club’s Population Justice Environmental ChallengeCampaign, the tour aims to generate awareness and mobilize action forrenewed U.S. global leadership on human rights, community health,gender equality and environmental protection.

Author Laurie Mazur will be joined by international youth environmentalactivist Karina de la Torre Garcia from Quintana Roo, Mexico, andSierra Club Global Population and Environment Program staff memberCassie Gardner for a panel discussion of the intersection between humanrights, reproductive health and rights, gender equity, and theenvironment.

Contact: Ramona Rex at ramona.rex@oregon.sierraclub.orgfor moreinformation.


Action Art Fest
October 24, 2009  12:00 - 4:00 pm
Hawthorne Theatre
1507 SE 39th Ave

Websitefor Action Art Fest

The international climate negotiations are coming up in less than twomonths and a recent report by the United Nations predicts our planetwill warm by 6.3 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century even ifthe world's leaders fulfill their current climate pledges. We need toconvey the urgency and seriousness of the looming climate crisis anddemand a bold and science-based approach to the threat of a globalclimate disaster.  Participants will create artworks on the theme ofclimate change (impacts, solutions, causes and activism).

At this event we will show that Oregonians don't desire empty promisesand lofty rhetoric to safeguard our future. To that end, we will gathertogether to create works of art, crafts and creative expression of allshapes and sizes, at all skill levels, to force our decision makers tounderstand the urgency of the climate crisis. After the event, we willbe sending a few selected pieces to our decision-makers asking them tofight on behalf of the public they are sworn to represent. Some of theart made during this event will also be showcased throughout the cityin the month following the event and some pieces might be featured inthe media. We will also invite the Oregon delegation to attend theevent. At the event we will have booklets with a page for each dayleading up to the international climate negotiations. Each page willhave an image of a climate impact and a daily activity to take (such aswrite a letter, come to an event, make a phone call, write a LTE etc).


Earth Days
Friday, October 16th
Living Room Theaters
 

Earth Days explores thehistory of the modern environmentalmovement in the U.S., from the perspective of its earliest pioneers andactivists. It is a great tool for education and advocacy, and we haveworked with environmental non-profit groups, academic departments andGreen Drinks and Slow Food chapters around the country to get the wordout to engaged audiences. 

 

You can watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsdKxew6FM8

Good-bye sunshine,

PJ Houser
Portland State University
Environmental Club coordinator
Campus Sustainability Office Assistant


Check out our updated website at http://eclub.groups.pdx.edu

Also, check out the EcoWiki at http://www.ecowiki.pdx.edu/

P.S. If you don't want to receive these emails, please reply with"remove me from the list" in the subject line.

First meeting of the year

Environmental Club members & supporters,


Thursday at 4:30 is the first meeting of the year!Spend some time in the garden with us, and come with your ideas for a more sustainable campus and city. Let's talk about them over donuts and apple cider.


Our first meeting of the year - Native Garden Meet & Greet
Thursday, October 8, 2009
4:30p - 6:00p
GreenSpace - Smith rm 28 (in the basement next to Food for Thought)

Join us for our first meeting of the year! We will be meeting in our new shared office - the GreenSpace in Smith's basement, room 28. Hopefully, we'll all fit! From there, we will head over to the Native Gardens for a quick 15 minute weeding. Don't worry - we won't make you get dirty in the garden. We'll also spend time listening to your ideas for the Environmental Club - what we should do this year, what we should work on, or what events we should have. And finally, we have Voodoo donuts and apple cider for our first Fall meeting! We hope to see you there.


Training on Renewable Energy for the Developing World - FREE for 2 Env. Club members
2.5 days -- October 23--25, 2009
Partners: In coordination with the Portland chapter of Engineers Without Borders and the PSU Environmental Club
Cost: $250 (FREE for 2 Environmental Club members who volunteer for at least an hour at any of our events or new office, the GreenSpace. Email me for more info!)
Location: at Portland State University -- TBA
Contact: Jason at (503) 284-5774 -or- jason@greenempowerment.org

Come join us!  This workshop covers the skills necessary to design and wire a solar system on a community building, health center, or school --and-- the skills needed to size a water pumping system to deliver clean water to a village of rural farmers. In addition, the course includes information not usually discussed in other programs -- working with partner NGOs overseas, engaging in social and cultural issues, identifying and training local villagers to operate and maintain systems, completing the logistics of equipment purchase, identifying possible productive uses of the system in addition to lighting, and discussing case studies from GE's wealth of experiences over the last 12 years. Hands-on exercises are an integral part of the curriculum.  Please check out a blog overview of last October's course:
http://greenempowerment.wordpress.com/2008/10/30/anatomy-of-a-technical-training/


Zoe Weil talks about her book Most Good, Least Harm
Friday, October 9th, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Portland State University
School of Business Administration Building, Room 170
Co-sponsored by Students for Leadership in Ecology, Culture, Learning (SLECL) and the Social Sustainability Network.

Please join SLECL (Students for Leadership in Ecology, Culture, and Learning) and the Social Sustainability Network for a free talk by Zoe Weil, author of Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life.

MORE INFO:
info@HumaneEducation.org
(207) 667-1025
http://www.humaneeducation.org/
http://zoeweil.com/


Sustainability Classes at PSU
Students can now see all sustainability classes offered at PSU.  Here's a link to the page.  Feel free to spread the word.
http://www.ecowiki.pdx.edu/class-projects/fall-2009.html


Is it really Fall?

PJ Houser
Portland State University
Environmental Club coordinator
Campus Sustainability Office Assistant


Check out our updated website at http://eclub.groups.pdx.edu

Also, check out the EcoWiki at http://www.ecowiki.pdx.edu/

P.S. If you don't want to receive these emails, please reply with "remove me from the list" in the subject line.