◀ ▶ February 2012

Welcome back!
 
We hope you had a great summer and are now looking forward to getting some important (and exciting!) work done with KU Environs. We can't wait to see you at the ECM (across from the Oread Hotel) this Wednesday night from 5:30-6:30. Don't worry if you can't make the meeting this time. You can come to the next one and jump in a committee--no problem.
 
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=133125686776797
 
Make sure to grab a piece of paper and a pen/pencil from the coordinators when you walk in. I'll tell you why when we get started.
 
See you there! We'll bring the snacks ;).
 
KU Environs
 
P.S. Our first potluck is this Friday at 7 p.m. at Monica Melhem's house. Please come to the meeting for directions or check out the Facebook page.

Hey, everyone! It's moving time again, and we all know what that means: broken and used appliances and other "junk" that we want to get rid of. Instead of leaving this stuff on the curb, here are some more sound options! 
 
Habitat Restore: http://www.lawrencerestore.org/
Second Time Around Appliance: http://2ndtimelawrence.com/ 
 
Both take some used appliances and items in need of minor repair.
 
Also, remember the thrift stores around town will take used appliances that are in working condition! Haskell Recycling and a few other recycling companies take e-waste, but it would be more ideal to REUSE rather than this option. We hope moving goes smoothly for everyone and look forward to a new beginning. Thanks!!

We have a great semester ahead of us in Environs! Whether you are a returning member or never found time to come to meetings before, please feel free to stop by our first (informational) meeting on Wednesday, February 2nd @5:30pm at the ECM. The ECM is located just north of the Kansas Union and Across the Street from the Oread Hotel. Please note that our meetings will now be held on WEDNESDAYS instead of TUESDAYS at the same time and same place.

• Environs Spring 2011 Dynamics:
  • Environs has so many people with so many great ideas that we feel it is most productive to split into 4 committees during most meetings. Each committee is specialized according to the interest of the coordinators and members within it. Every three meetings we hold a “Big Group” meeting where Environs brings in an educational guest speaker. Speakers in the past include Eileen Horn (Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Lawrence), Mike Caron (Wetlands Expert), Scott McVey (Energy Conservation Manager), and many more. We will also take field trips once a month to locations such as the Kansas Field Station or the Wakarusa Wetlands and of course host parties and potlucks.

–Here are our committees for the Spring 2011 semester. Please note that there are now only four instead of five committees:
 
Educational Creative Outreach (ECO)
We are focused on spreading awareness to campus and the local community through projects and events. We are excited to participate in activities such as Wetland Learners, fun and engaging Earth Day adventures, and advertising for and actively engaging in the new student farm. In addition, we will spend time promoting and tabling in hopes of increasing awareness about Environs and environmental events around campus.
 
Local Food
The Local Foods committee has continued working this semester on various projects to educate and promote local foods. We are currently planning the screening of a documentary that will be shown later in the semester to increase awareness about the food industry in general. We also participate in many farm tours and recently attended the Kaw Valley Farm Tour to increase our knowledge of gardening techniques and healthier eating. And finally we are utilizing the University of Kansas Student Farm to learn from and grow our own produce!
 
Environmental Preservation
We are building and continuing relationships with various environmental friends, both new and old–the KU field station with trail maintenance, the ECM with compost upkeep, the Potter Lake Project with pond restoration and cleaning, as well as the Wetlands Preservation Organization. Last semester we held a fundraising event at the Jackpot in support of Haskell’s eco-walk project.
 
Resource Conservation
Our committee is continuing the project to bring LED street lights to Jayhawk Boulevard, funding has been acquired and we are in the final stages of planning. We are also planning a bike safety awareness week in the spring to promote safe bicycle riding through the Lawrence community and campus. Our campaign for this year is to promote the use of aluminum and discourage plastic on campus. Our first step is to bring a filtered water bottle filling station to the Union which counts the number of water bottles saved while using the machine (just like the ones that already exist in the rec center).