Monday, May 24, 2010

This Week's Sustainability Events

Bruegger's Bagels wants to help the Bearcats Bike Share raise some dough

The UC Bearcats Bike Share program started on April 22 and has been a great success so far, but is still short of its fundraising goal. Help us create the on-campus bike shop and have the funds needed to maintain and expand the program, simply by patronizing any local Bruegger’s Bagels location! Bruegger’s is anxious to help the bike share program and will be donating 15% of all sales to our supporters on the following dates:
Monday, May 24 6am-close
Sunday, June 6 6am-close
Monday, June 7 6am-close

You MUST show the flyer (click on link below) in order to have the proceeds go toward our fundraiser. You may print and share the handbills or can show the PDF from your smartphone or laptop. Please share this opportunity with friends and family. You can go as often as you want on these four days. Feel free to schedule your Monday meetings at Bruegger’s or just stop by for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Anyone can support the UC Bearcats Bike Share!


For information on the bike share and how you can help, please visit:


UCsustainability, MainStreet, and Keep Cincinnati Beautiful present a free workshop:

Paper MakingSave your paper and come to this workshop! Recycling paper uses plant fibers over and over again, it uses less electricity, less water, a lot less pollution, and it saves trees from being cut down. Keep Cincinnati Beautiful will teach us how to make our own paper and creative ideas that we can add to our paper for that unique look!
Free and open to the public

Date: Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Time: 5:00pm - 6:00pm
Location: Catskeller (back porch)

UCsustainability, MainStreet, and UC Libraries present the free film premiere of:
"Dreamland is a film about a nation standing at cross-roads. Leading up to the country’s greatest economic crisis, the government started the largest mega project in the history of Iceland, to build the biggest dam in Europe to provide Alcoa cheap electricity for an aluminum smelter in the rugged east fjords of Iceland. Today Iceland is left holding a huge dept and an uncertain future.
The nation with an abundance of choices gradually becomes caught up in a plan to turn its wilderness and beautiful nature into a massive system of hydro-electric and geothermal power plants with dams and reservoirs. Clean energy brings in polluting industry and international corporations. It’s the dark side of green energy."

Date: Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Time: 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Location: MainStreet Cinema
Free and open to the public.

Monday, May 17, 2010

This week's sustainability events!

UCsustainability, MainStreet, and Clifton Community Garden present a free workshop:

Community Gardening

We will meet at the Catskeller at exactly 5pm and walk or ride the bike share bicycles (your preference) to the Clifton Community Garden located on the corner of Dixmyth and Clifton Ave. Will Lameth will introduce us to the new Clifton Community Garden which is set to break ground in mid-May. Stick around and help with the garden or just watch as Will demonstrates proper garden techniques.

Free and open to the public

Date: Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Time: 5:00pm - 6:00pm
Location: Meet at Catskeller



Queen City Bike presents Bike to Work Commuter Stations

Volunteer your time and help distribute free coffee or show off your mechanical skills while tuning up fellow commuter's bicycles! You can receive free coffee and goodies for just riding your bike! (see locations below)

Sign up for Queen City Bike membership and pick up a Bike Month T-shirt for $20. Bikes will be all over town all week long. If you are a first-timer, Queen City Bike will be there to help you!

Clifton Heights: Campus Cyclery/Rohs St. CafĂ©, 241 E. McMillan St.Clifton/Ludlow: Cinci. Firehouse Engine 34/Bruegger’s Bagels, 301 Ludlow Av.

Date: Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Time: 6:00am - 9:00am
Location: Clifton @ Ludlow and Jefferson @ University



UCsustainability and MainStreet present the free film premiere of:


Writer/director David Novack examines the explosive conflict between the coal industry and residents of West Virginia. Confronted by emerging “clean coal” energy policies, local activists watch a world blind to the devastation caused by coal's extraction. Faced with toxic ground water, the obliteration of 1.4 million acres of mountains, and a government that appeases industry, our heroes demonstrate a strength of purpose and character in their improbable fight to arouse the nation's help in protecting their mountains, saving their families, and preserving their way of life.

sponsored by Campus Progress

Free and open to the public.

Date: Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Time: 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Location: MainStreet Cinema

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

This Week's Sustainability Events!

UCsustainability, MainStreet, and Reser Bicycle Outfitters present a free workshop:

Bike Repair & Maintenance

Come learn the basics of bicycle repair and maintenance. Reser Bicycle Outfitters will introduce how improve your bike knowledge and ride preparedness by knowing how to repair and maintain your bicycle!

Free and open to the public

Date: Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Time: 5:00pm - 6:00pm
Location: Catskeller (back porch)


UCsustainability and MainStreet present a Climate 101 lecture with support from UC Central Utilities and College of Engineering and Applied Science:

UC's Exploration of Using Waste as Fuel

Joe Harrell, Executive Director of Central Utilities, and undergraduate engineering students will present their research on biodiesel, methane, paper pellets and other explorations of using waste as fuel.

*Please note that this was originally scheduled in MainStreet Cinema but is now moved to TUC 400C

Date: Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Location: TUC 400C (moved from MainStreet Cinema)


UCsustainability and MainStreet present the free film premiere of:
The film follows three teenage boys born into the trash trade and growing up in the world's largest garbage village, on the outskirts of Cairo. It is the home to 60,000 Zaballeen, Arabic for "garbage people." Far ahead of any modern "Green" initiatives, the Zaballeen survive by recycling 80 percent of the garbage they collect. When their community is suddenly faced with the globalization of its trade, each of the teenage boys is forced to make choices that will impact his future and the survival of his community.

sponsored by Campus Progress

Date: Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Time: 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Location: MainStreet Cinema

Monday, May 3, 2010

This Week's Sustainability Events!

Come take a free tour of one of the most advanced recycling sort centers in the U.S.

Rumpke’s new system uses optical sorters to more efficiently recover and process recyclables collected from the curb. With the new equipment the capacity has increased from 14 to 26 tons processed hourly!

Date: Monday, May 3, 2010
Time: 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Location: Cincinnati Material Recovery Facility (MRF):
Transportation provided.
Meet at CRC circle in front of ERC on Uptown West Campus.
Cars leave promptly at 1:00pm

Please RSVP at green@uc.edu



UCsustainability and MainStreet present a Climate 101 lecture:
Curitiba, Brazil: Sustainable City

Carla Chifos, PhD Planning, gives a Climate 101 lecture on her work in one of the most sustainable cities in the world: Curitiba, Brazil. The city of Curitiba provides the world with a model in how to integrate sustainable transport considerations into business development, road infrastructure development, and local community development. Curitiba is a thriving example of how to 'dismantle' a problem before it starts.

Followed by a regional film premiere of "A Convenient Truth: Urban Solutions from Curitiba, Brazil."
Date: Monday, May 3, 2010
Time: 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: MainStreet Cinema



UCsustainability and MainStreet present the regional film premiere of:
A Convenient Truth: Urban Solutions from Curitiba, Brazil

There is hope! A Convenient Truth: Urban Solutions from Curitiba, Brazil is an informative, inspirational documentary aimed at sharing ideas to provoke environmentally-friendly and cost-effective changes in cities worldwide.The documentary focuses on innovations in transportation, recycling, social benefits like affordable housing, seasonal parks, and the processes that transformed Curitiba into one of the most livable cities in the world. The film shows a city where urban solutions are not just theory, but a reality. Cities should be a solution, not a problem for humans, and Curitiba has demonstrated for the past 40 years how to transform problems into cost-effective solutions that can be applied in most cities around the world.

sponsored by Campus Progress

Date: Monday, May 3, 2010
Time: 8:00pm - 9:30pm
Location: MainStreet Cinema

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

The 40th Earth Day!

Please join us to celebrate the kick-off of the Bearcat Bike Share program with a:

Bike Parade down MainStreet

the parade starts at 12:00pm at University Pavilion Plaza, will wind its way down MainStreet, pausing at TUC for an official announcement and then will finish in front of ERC

If you're interested in riding one of the 30 new bike share bikes, please email me at green@uc.edu immediately to reserve your spot. If not, please bring your own bike and join the parade or just come and watch to show your support.

Date: Thursday, 22 April 2010
Time: 12:00 - 12:20
Location: MainStreet


Please join us to plant 10 native trees (red oak and dogwood) in a new grove of trees in the heart of West Campus.
Gloves and shovels provided. Please wear closed-toe shoes and clothing that can get dirty.Meet at the big trees on McMicken Commons, just west of Swift Hall.

Dinner provided.

Please RSVP to green@uc.edu

Date: Thursday, 22 April 2010
Time: 15:00 - 17:00
Location: McMicken Commons


Join UC as we sponsor recycling at the Earth Day home Reds game against the L.A. Dodgers. The game is free for our volunteers.

Please RSVP to green@uc.edu

We will be meeting at 7:00pm at the Great American Ballpark on Thursday, April 22. Please come to the north side of the ballpark along East 2nd Street to the entrance called “Gapper’s Alley” where there is a large opening in the side of the stadium. From here, we will get our volunteer credentials and be able to enter the ballpark and enjoy the game until the 6th inning when we will return to Gapper’s Alley and get our t-shirts, gloves and bags to start recycling. Please wear closed-toe shoes and clothes than can get dirty.

Date: Thursday, 22 April 2010
Time: 19:00 - 22:00
Location: Great American Ballpark


UCsustainability and MainStreet present a free Climate 101 lecture:

Neoliberalism and Climate Change Politics

Dr. Adrian Parr, Women's Studies, will speak in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day about the current politically-charged debate over climate change and how the environmental movement is positioned in today's age of neoliberalism.The lecture will occur on the steps of MainStreet, weather permitting, in public speaker style.


Date: Thursday, 22 April 2010
Time: 14:00 - 15:00
Location: MainStreet (TUC Atrium rain location

Week of Events

UCsustainability and MainStreet present a free workshop:

Make Your Own Birdhouse/feeder

Join us to learn how easy and fun it can be to make a home or feeder for birds, using reusable items like milk cartons and orange juice containers.
reUC is the sponsor for this workshop

Date: Tuesday, 20 April 2010
Time: 17:00 - 18:00
Location: Catskeller (front porch)

Student Sustainability Coalition has a new day, new place, new time!
Come hear about the exciting new related to recycling on campus and the kick off the Bearcat Bike Share program and help with last-minute preparations for Earth Day and the Ohio Sustainability Conference next week.

Stick around after the meeting for a special Climate 101 lecture and film premiere about Earth Day!

Date: Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Time: 17:00 - 18:00
Location: TUC Atrium
UCsustainability and MainStreet present a Climate 101 lecture:

The Environmental Crisis and Earth Day, 1970

Dr. David Stradling, History, will discuss the history of the environmental movement in the 1960s and the crises that led to the creation of the EPA and Earth Day, both in 1970. This special lecture will commemorate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.Followed by a regional film premiere of "Earth Days."

Date: Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Time: 18:00 - 19:00
Location: MainStreet Cinema

UCsustainability and MainStreet present the regional film premiere of:
It is now all the rage, but can you remember when everyone in America was not “Going Green”? AMERICAN EXPERIENCE’s Earth Days looks back to the dawn and development of the modern environmental movement through the extraordinary stories of the era’s pioneers — among them Former Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall, biologist/Population Bomb author Paul Ehrlich, Whole Earth Catalog founder Stewart Brand, Apollo Nine astronaut Rusty Schweickart, and renewable energy pioneer Hunter Lovins.

Date: Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Time: 19:00 - 20:30
Location: MainStreet Cinema

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

UC|sustainability Spring Events

Cincinnati Regional Food Congress
Saturday, April 10, 9:00am-3:00pm, Niehoff Urban Studio, 2728 (Short) Vine Street

The Food Congress is a day-long event aimed at creating and educational forum among a diverse and inclusive group of stakeholders to communicate about the Cincinnati food system, its programs and practices and vision for a change. In response to the economic recession and consequential increased food insecurity, discussion of practical steps to increase food access and food security, along with methods of implementation will serve as the overarching theme for the Food Congress events.

Structured Discussion Topics
1. What is food policy?
2. Living without food, what it means to be food insecure
3. Promoting local food distribution
4.Urban Agriculture and youth growers

To register: food.project@uc.edu
UC Community Design Center



Town Hall Meeting: An Informal Conversation with Wendell Berry, Wes Jackson and Gene Logsdon
Sunday, April 11, 7:00pm, Cintas Center Arena, Xavier University

Wendell Berry, Wes Jackson and Gene Logsdon are farmers, among other things. To most of us, they need little or no introduction. They know the land, they know farming, and they have all been visionaries in their own way about the land as our inheritance and our future. All have written books, poetry and articles- non-fiction and fiction- that inspire us. Sometimes they confuse or infuriate us, but they always make us think, and they teach us what it means to have a deep connection to the land.

Presented By:
Ethics/Religions and Society Program, Xavier University
Edward B. Brueggeman Center for Dialogue, Xavier University
President's Advisory Council on Environment and Sustainability, University of Cincinnati

Friday, March 5, 2010

Bearcat Bike Share fund-raising campaign and survey launched

The Bearcat Bike Share is a student-led initiative to provide free bicycles to anyone with a UCid. A bike share works like a library and riders can check out the bikes to use on or off campus. Free bikes at UC will increase health, wellness and community, while decreasing carbon emissions, traffic and parking issues. The Bearcat Bike Share is one part of the UC Bike Plan, published in December 2009, which includes many recommendations for increasing bicycle use at UC in order to create a more healthy and sustainable campus environment. The first phase of the program will be on UC’s Uptown East and West campuses. An online survey will help create a better program and those who complete the survey will be entered into a drawing for lots of prizes including a bike!

The Bearcat Bike Share program is set to debut on Earth Day (April 22, 2010) and we must meet our fund-raising goal of $12,500 by March 31. Fund-raising efforts for the Bearcat Bike Share program are being lead by the Student Development Council (SDC) and the Student Sustainability Coalition (SSC). The program is being administered by UCsustainability with the support of Campus Recreation. Donations can be made online using a credit card. For other methods of donating, please see below.

Students are driving the process of planning and fundraising for this endeavor. The Student Sustainability Coalition and the Student Development Council are working together to raise funds and solicit donations and participation from local businesses. Student volunteers will maintain and repair the bicycles. Campus Recreation is partnering to provide staff to check out the bikes.

To get this program started, our goal is to raise $12,500 to purchase or acquire 30 bicycles, 3 bike racks and the necessary equipment such as locks, headlights, etc. The Bearcat Bike Share will be launched on Earth Day, April 22. This is an exciting opportunity to help shape the future of the University of Cincinnati. Each bike will be branded with the Bearcat Bike Share logo and could have your organization indicated as the donor.

There are a few ways to make a donation to the Bearcat Bike Share program:
1) Online with a credit card through the UC Foundation's website.

2) By mailing a check or money order to:
The University of Cincinnati Foundation
Attn: Meridy Glenn
P.O. Box 19970
Cincinnati, OH 45219-0970

3) By calling the UC Foundation at 513-556-6788 to use a credit card over the phone.

Please be sure to indicate in your comments or on the check that you’d like the donation to go toward the Bearcat Bike Share and any other designation (College, Department, organization) or person you would like to honor. These donations will count toward the 2010 Proudly Cincinnati Faculty/Staff Campaign.

We also need volunteers and are accepting in-kind donations, such as bicycles (in relatively good condition) or bike parts and equipment. If you are interested in getting more involved or donating materials, please contact Shawn P. Tubb, Sustainability Coordinator, at shawn.tubb@uc.edu.

Thank you so much for your support of the Bearcat Bike Share!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Container Gardening

part of the UCsustainability workshop series, brought to you by MainStreet

Corina Bullock, the Education Coordinator from the Civic Garden Center will teach us how easy it is to make our own garden! Even with limited space in an urban apartment, you can grow fruits, vegetables, flowers and shrubs just about anywhere.

The first 25 people get to make their own container and take it home, please RSVP at green@uc.edu

Tuesday, March 2, 2010
5:00pm - 6:00pm
Catskeller
110 Tangeman University Center
Cincinnati, OH

FREE and open to the public

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Rescheduled events for this week

**Films and workshop that were postponed due to weather are taking place Wednesday and Thursday**

No Impact Man preceded by the short film The Story of Stuff
part of the UCsustainability film series, brought to you by MainStreet

No Impact Man (2009) is a documentary about a year in the life of a Manhattan-dwelling family who decides to go for one year with creating as little impact on the environment as possible. Fu...nny, inspiring and frustrating, this film helps highlight the myriad ways in which our high-tech, fast-paced lifestyles have created an enormous impact on our planet every day.The Story of Stuff (2008) is a short web-based documentary combining simple yet powerful animation, combined with narration by activist Annie Leonard. Like No Impact Man, it very persuasively makes the audience reassess the amount of energy going into every product and piece of packaging we use, and then where it goes after we use it.
UCsustainability film series (FREE)
Time:7:00PM Wednesday, February 17th
Location:MainStreet Cinema



Powaqqatsi: Life in Transformation (rescheduled from Monday)
part of the UCsustainability film series, brought to you by MainStreet

Powaqqatsi (1988) is a documentary film directed by Godfrey Reggio and with score by Philip Glass. The film consists of scenes shot primarily in the developing world, contrasting traditional lifestyles and natural e...nvironments with the rapid industrialization and Westernization occurring in these countries. The film does not have narration or dialogue, but includes voices of singing along with the haunting Glass score. In the Hopi language, the word powaqqatsi means "parasitic way of life" or "life in transition." The film is the second in the Qatsi trilogy of films: it is preceded by Koyaanisqatsi (1982) and followed by Naqoyqatsi (2002). The trilogy depicts different aspects of the relationship between humans, nature, and technology.

UCsustainability film series (FREE)
Time:
9:00PM Wednesday, February 17th
Location:MainStreet Cinema


Vermicomposting (rescheduled from Tuesday)
part of the UCsustainability workshop series, brought to you by MainStreet

Pat Agnew from Cincinnati Parks will lead this educational workshop where you can learn how easy and fun it can be to reduce your waste and create great compost by using the power of worms! These little crawlers can decompose your kitchen scraps in no time, in an odorless process known as vermicomposting. And it can all fit in a small bin under your counter. Come see how it works and how easy it will be to make yourself.
UCsustainability green workshop series (FREE)
Time:
5:00PM Thursday, February 18th
Location:Catskeller

Friday, February 5, 2010

MainStreet and UC|sustainability present Koyaanisqatsi


Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance


part of the UCsustainability film series, brought to you by MainStreet


Koyaanisqatsi (1982) is a documentary film directed by Godfrey Reggio and with score by Philip Glass. The film consists primarily of slow motion and time-lapse photography of cities and many natural landscapes acros...s the United States. The visual tone poem contains neither dialogue nor a vocalized narration: its tone is set by the juxtaposition of images and music. In the Hopi language, the word Koyaanisqatsi means "crazy life, life in turmoil, life out of balance, life disintegrating, a state of life that calls for another way of living." The film is the first in the Qatsi trilogy of films: it is followed by Powaqqatsi (1988) and Naqoyqatsi (2002). The trilogy depicts different aspects of the relationship between humans, nature, and technology. Koyaanisqatsi is the best known of the trilogy and is considered a cult film.


FREE and open to the public

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

regional premiere of Tapped

Please join us for the regional premiere of Tapped
Wednesday, February 3
9:00pm
MainStreet Cinema

Is access to clean drinking water a basic human right, or a commodity that should be bought and sold like any other article of commerce? From the plastic production to the ocean in which so many of these bottles end up, this inspiring documentary trails the path of the bottled water industry and the communities which were the unwitting chips on the table.

From the producers of Who Killed the Electric Car and I.O.U.S.A., this timely documentary is a behind-the-scenes look into the unregulated and unseen world of an industry that aims to privatize and sell back the one resource that ought never to become a commodity: our water.

http://tappedthemovie.com/ Part of the UCsustainability Film Series.

FREE and open to all!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK


Say good-bye... plastic bottles are out!


Economically and environmentally, bottled water doesn't make sense. Bottled water costs up to 1,900x more than tap water and uses up to 2,000x more energy to produce and deliver. Sure, now you can recycle your bottles, but even recycling takes energy! Get a reusable bottle, you’ll save money and dramatically reduce the amount of plastic you use! Click on the link to for more information about BOTTLED WATER!


Tuesday, January 26, 2010

2 Sustainability Events Today!!

Don't miss out on 2 exciting Sustainability Events Today:

Climate 101 Lecture: Alan Vicory will speak about sustainable management of the Ohio River at 2:00 in MainStreet Cinema

Green Workshop: Intro to Permiculture at 5:00 in the Catskeller

See you all there!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

UC|sustainability presents workshops, films, and lectures


UCsustainability announces major lineup of events for Winter quarter 2010. These events are free and open to everyone!

http://www.uc.edu/af/documents/sustainability/Sustainability%20events%20Winter%202010.pdf

Friday, January 8, 2010

Student Sustainability Coalition Special Sessions

RecycleMania Meeting!
The RecycleMania competition is starting soon! So that means we need to get together and discuss this competition, decide roles, and start brainstorming advertising schemes. Let's show everyone that UC recycles! Everyone is encouraged to participate!

When? Monday, January 11th at 7:00
Where? 6th Floor of Steger


Bike Share Program
The University of Cincinnati is in the process of creating a Bike Share program and would like your input to help make the program a success. Join us for a meeting to brainstorm the logistics of this program along with fundraising details!
**Everyone is welcomed**

When? Wednesday, January 13th at 6:30
Where? 6th Floor of Steger

Thursday, January 7, 2010

A FILM PREMIERE INTRODUCED BY THE FILMMAKER


Director to speak at UC and screen regional premiere of One Water
On Thursday, January 14 at 12:30pm in the MainStreet Cinema, Ali Habashi will present his recent film One Water, a documentary about our changing relationship to potable water and the global water crisis. This Climate Commitment 101 lecture will kick off both our Winter 2010 lecture series and film series. Ali Habashi is a filmmaker and professor at the University of Miami and the Director of the Arnold Center for Confluent Media Studies. One Water is a unique collaborative project initiated in 2003 at the University of Miami between the School of Communication, College of Engineering and the Frost School of Music to address the global freshwater crisis. The film was shot in 14 countries and features interviews with the Dalai Lama, Vandana Shiva, Robert Kennedy Jr., Felipe Fernández-Armesto and Oscar Olivera - among others.
This Climate Commitment 101 lecture will kick off both our Winter 2010 lecture series and film series. Join us on Thursday, January 14 at 12:30pm in the MainStreet Cinema.
Everyone Welcomed!!