ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES PROGRAM
NEWSLETTER
MARCH 19, 2007
In this issue:
** UPCOMING EVENTS: No ES Colloquium this week, Tuesday night the
Green House is hosting
a GREENER COLBY panel discussion
** CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY: National Wildlife Federation's Chill Out
Contest, Be sure to
VOTE
** BEYOND COLBY: March 24th Symposium "Who Owns Maine's
Water?", Boreal Bird Petition
** SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: 2007 Brower Youth Award
** JOBS & INTERNSHIPS: Sierra Student Coalition,
Apprenticeships at MOFGA, Endangered
Species Act Guardians Coordinator, Volunteer Coordinator, &
More
====================================================================================================
** UPCOMING EVENT:
(No ES Colloquium this week)
GREENER COLBY
The Green House hosts a panel discussion on Tuesday, March 20 at
7:00 pm
Join us for a tray dinner at 5:30 in the Robbins room in Bob's. We
will have a sign up
sheet at the front desk if you do not have a
1. Sara Lovitz from the NRCM, will be discussing The Regional
Greenhouse Gas Initiative,
or RGGI.
2. David Kaufman from Energy Solutions (http://energyforbuildings.com)
will be doing an
analysis of Colby's potential capacity for solar power. He's
visiting from Portland.
3. Pat Murphy will be showing the video about Climate Change, and
just talking in general
about Colby's efforts to become greener.
4. Zack Schuman will be discussing his project regarding the
potential
use of wind energy at Colby/his research.
** CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY
Colby EAG has submitted a video called "Making a Choice"
as part of the National Wildlife
Federation's Chill Out Contest. This contest is part of a
campaign to reverse global
warming at colleges and universities all across the United States
and abroad. If we are
a winner, Colby College will receive a $500 grant and be featured
on a nationally
televised program on Earth Day 2007! The winners are
determined by on line voting so
please go to the website and vote for Colby's video! To do this
(1) go to www.youtube.com/group/nwfchillout
note: you have to be a member of "youtube" and logged in
to vote, but it is very easy to
do and costs nothing
(2) On this web page, find Colby's Video called "Making
a Choice"
(3) After viewing it, I am sure you will agree it deserves 5
stars! so click on the star
to the far right to give it an "awesome" rating!
The voting starts immediately and ends on March 31, 2007!
Please vote today. If you
have any trouble voting, please contact PPD at X5000! Thanks for
your help!
** BEYOND COLBY:
Boreal Bird Petition
The Canadian Boreal region, stretching from Yukon across the
continent to Newfoundland,
contains some of the world 's most intact
forests and wetlands. It represents both an unprecedented conservation
opportunity and a
place at great risk as a frontier for
extractive natural resource industries. Already much of Canada's
southern Boreal has been
allocated for resource development. It is
increasingly clear that the window for conserving the ecological
integrity of the region
is limited. Recently over 100 Ph.D. scientists from Canada, the
U.S., and throughout the
world signed the letter below to urge Canadian policy makers to
recognize the importance
of the Boreal and their responsibility for its protection.We
invite scientists to sign
the letter to show the Canadian government and the world that the
scientific community,
as represented by hundreds of scientists, recognizes the
Boreal as one of our world 's
last great conservation opportunities.
Read the letter below for more details and then consider adding
your name in support.
Please pass this on to your colleagues. They can sign-on at
http://
www.borealbirds.org/petition/
As part of efforts to maintain the ecological integrity of this
largely still intact
ecoregion (one of only a handful of pristine
ecoregions left in the world), over 100 prominent scientists have
signed a letter that
will be sent to Canadian government leaders to
explain the scientific rationale for conservation of the Boreal
and urge further
conservation efforrts while there is still an
opportunity to do so.
To increase the effectiveness and impact of the letter, a
general invitation has been
sent out to scientists across the world to add
their names to the letter. A website has been set up for
scientists to easily read the
letter and sign on at:
http://www.borealbirds.org/petition/
The goal is to have 500 signatures by April first as there is some
urgency to release the
letter soon because of the timing of political
events in Canada.
Please feel free to forward this invitation as well to scientist
colleagues.
www.borealbirds.org
March 24th Symposium "Who Owns Maine's Water?"
Farmington, Maine -- On Saturday, March 24, 2007, the Defending
Water for Life in Maine
campaign is sponsoring "Who Owns Maine's Water? A Symposium
on Water Commons" at the
University of Maine, Farmington, featuring local and international
speakers and
interactive workshops. The event runs from 9:30am to 4:30pm.
Maude Barlow, co-author of Blue Gold: The Fight to Stop Corporate
Theft of the World's
Water and renowned international speaker/advocate on water as a
fundamental right for
all, will describe how citizens around the world are becoming the
"keepers" of the fresh
water systems in their localities.
In describing the nature of water, Barlow says, "Water is
nature's lifeblood and must be
held as a commons for all living things for all time. We
must be stewards of this
precious resource and stop the corporate theft of water."
She continues, "If corporations are allowed to own and sell
water at whatever price the
market will bear, who will buy it for Nature? How will clean water
be made available to
the poor? The Earth's water belongs to the earth and all species,
and therefore must not
be treated as a commodity to be bought, sold and traded for
profit."
Penobscot tribal elder Butch Phillips will begin the day with an
opening ceremony.
Claudia Torrelli, with Friends of the Earth, Uruguay, will share
the story of how a
movement was built to drive the right to water into the Uruguay
constitution and Colin
Woodard, author of The Lobster Coast will speak about the
"Triumph of the Commons: How
Maine's Lobstermen Built a Sustainable Fishery." Ed
Friedman, chair of Friends of
Merrymeeting Bay, will make the case for why we should enact a
formal Public Trust
Doctrine to protect our rivers. Workshops include an
interactive presentation on the
"Tapestry of the Commons," weaving the cultural and
natural commons together, led by
Nancy Price, co-chair of the Alliance for Democracy.
Registration is sliding scale: $15-50 (please pay what you can),
students $10. Coffee,
tea, muffins & bagels available in the morning. Lunch included
for
pre-registrants(includes vegetarian options). The location is
wheelchair accessible. For
further information and to register, please visit:
http://defendingwaterinmaine.org/commons.html or contact
conference coordinator Kate
Harris, at kate@defendingwaterinmaine.org or (207) 338-9509.
Sponsored by: the Alliance for Democracy's "Defending Water
for Life in Maine" campaign.
Co-sponsors include: Maine Council of Churches Environmental
Justice Program, Sierra
Club-Maine Chapter, Peace Action Maine, Maine Fair Trade Campaign,
Portland League of
Young Voters, Peace through Interamerican Community Action (PICA),
Corporate
Accountability International, Friends of Merrymeeting Bay, Food
& Water Watch, SEA-Change
of UMaine Farmington and Women's International League for Peace
& Freedom (WILPF)-Maine
Chapter.
** SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES:
Brower Youth Award
Do you know any teens or young adults in North America who have
led a dynamic
environmental campaign or project? Do you work with youth groups
or inspiring new
leaders? Are you someone 13-22 years old who fits this
description? Read on!
CALL FOR AWARD ENTRIES (Deadline May 15):
2007 Brower Youth Award
www.broweryouthawar ds.org
Awards for youth ages 13-22 working for the Earth
Has your effort been in the realm of conservation, preservation,
or restoration? Could
you use the publicity and funds from an award to further your work
and support your group?
If so, apply today for a Brower Youth Award! Each year, this
annual national award
recognizes six young people for their outstanding activism and
achievements in the fields
of environmental and social justice advocacy. The winners of the
award receive a $3,000
cash prize, a trip to California for the award ceremony and
wilderness camping trip, and
ongoing access to resources and opportunities to further their
work at Earth Island
Institute and develop leadership skills.
Who can apply?
...Young leaders ages 13 to 22 as of July 1, 2007 living in North
America
When are applications due?
...Completed application must be postmarked or emailed by May 15,
2007.
More questions?
...Call or email Sharon Smith at sharonsmith@ earthisland. org
or 415-788-3666 x144.
** JOBS & INTERNSHIPS:
The Sierra Student Coalition is looking to support talented
student organizers to
implement our Building Environmental Campus Community (BECC)
campaign during the Fall
2007 semester on select campuses nationwide. BECC organizers will
work with an
environmental group to conduct a hard-hitting campaign for clean
energy on campus. As a
BECC fellow, you will have the opportunity to attend an advanced
training that will
provide you with skills to win victories on your campus.
Fellowships are intended for the
leader of student groups who are currently enrolled in college. A
limited number of
$1,500 scholarships are available for exceptional applicants. The
deadline to apply for
the Fall semester is April 29.
Learn more about the BECC program.
In other news...
The deadline for the Red, White and Green climate change grant has
been extended!
Youth Service America and the Civil Society Institute are excited
to announce the second
round of the Red, White & Green Climate Change Grant. This
opportunity offers $500 to
young people in the United States between the ages of 15-25 and to
organizations that
engage youth ages 15-25.
Applicants are expected to develop and implement a
service-learning project about climate
change that engages their community, policy-makers and candidates
running for election in
2007 and 2008. We welcome projects where youth work in partnership
with adults (parents,
coaches, teachers, youth leaders, etc.): but the projects should
be youth-led, and must
take place between May 1 and October 31, 2007.
Selected grantees will share the outcomes and next
steps of their service projects
with each other and with climate change experts. They will also
present their
recommendations to high-level policy-makers. Applicants need to
download application
materials at www.YSA.org/awards. BOTH the Introduction &
Requirements document (.pdf
format) and the Application & Guidelines document (word
format) are required to submit a
competitive application. We encourage applicants to review the
evaluation form before
filling out their application, although only grantees will need to
complete the
evaluation after their projects take place. A list of grantees and
project descriptions
from the first round of Red, White & Green! grants is
available at
http://www.ysa.org/Awards/rwgwinners.cfm
Questions? Email redwhiteandgreen@ysa.org.
Extended deadline March 23, 2007 5pm EST.
MOFGA's Farm Apprenticeship program connects people wanting to
learn organic farming with
experienced farmers willing to share their expertise. The typical
arrangement involves an
exchange of labor for room, board, a stipend, and informal,
intensive training and
experience in farming. Read about the 60+ Maine farms hosting
MOFGA Apprentices.
Farm Apprenticeships provide opportunities for training in:
Organic vegetable, herb, and flower production at many different
scales
Marketing techniques, including direct marketing strategies such
as Community Supported
Agriculture
Raising livestock, including cattle, goats, sheep, horses, pigs,
and poultry
Using draft animals for cultivation and woods work
Homesteading skills, including housebuilding, food preservation,
and alternative energy
Dairy farming and cheese making with cows, goats, or sheep
Maple sugaring, orchard pruning, cider pressing, and meat
processing
Seed saving
Making value-added products with farm resources
Grass-based and intensive rotational grazing farm systems
For more information:
http://www.mofga.org/Programs/FarmApprenticeships/tabid/502/Default.aspx
Endangered Species Act Guardians Coordinator
Description:
Protecting the Endangered Species Act itself is essential given
assaults against this law
by the Bush Administration and anti-conservation allies in
Congress. This project entails
mobilizing the public to assure that our decision makers support
the ESA. The coordinator
will help develop, assemble, and disseminate information kits to
Endangered Species Act
Guardians (volunteers who commit to defending the Endangered
Species Act), and recruit
new Endangered Species Act Guardians. The project involves close
coordination with the
Conservation Director and Outreach Director in establishing and
reaching campaign goals.
Qualifications:
Outstanding verbal communication skills; and a willingness to
engage strangers and travel
with our Outreach Coordinator.
Duration:
1-3 months
Hours:
full or part-time
Compensation:
unpaid
Application Procedure:
Forest Guardians internships are generally flexible regarding
start and end dates, though
some projects are seasonal (see below). Most positions are based
in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
We also have opportunities in our Denver, Colorado office and in
Boulder, Colorado. While
we want interns to gain the experience of working in a small,
non-profit office, in some
cases, interested applicants can work remotely from their homes or
universities. Please
complete and return
<http://www.fguardians.org/guardians/forest-guardians-internship-application_2-07.doc>our
application form along with:
A cover letter if you wish to elaborate on your interests,
experience, availability, or
goals;
A rŽsumŽ (directly applicable experience not required);
A writing sample (a school paper, excerpt, or similar work);
A course list of applicable coursework experience, if any.
Return your application to Lori Colt. Preferred method is to send
application
electronically to lcolt@fguardians.org. You can
also mail your information to Lori at:
Forest Guardians
312 Montezuma Avenue Suite A
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Volunteer Program Coordinator
Volunteer Program Coordinator
(5 months, starting May 21, 2007)
New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, Mahwah, NJ
Duties: Coordinate the collection and data-entry of up-to-date
volunteer data, process
volunteer assignment information in database for the Bear Mountain
Project at Trail
University and the general volunteer program, document and improve
the volunteer
assignment process in conjunction with the trail conference staff
and volunteers (30%);
create and conduct volunteer follow up and exit surveys and
procedure to collect feedback
from volunteers on their experiences (30%); assist with the
coordination of workshops and
volunteer training activities, including curriculum development,
workshop logistics, and
volunteer enrollment processing and follow up (15%); actively
recruit new and existing
volunteer via telephone calls and emails and other techniques
(10%); participate in all
SCA Corps-wide trainings and service projects, as well as project
evaluation and
reporting (15%).
Learn more at:
www.theSCA.org/Internships_%26_Field_Jobs/Internships/Hudson_Valley_AmeriCorps/
Qualifications:
Required: Experience working with relational databases, good
written and oral
communication skills and ability to problem solve.
Desired: Experience with volunteer recruitment and management.
Admissions Assistant Intern
Description:
The Admissions Assistant Intern will seek out students to apply for
the Woolman Semester
at Sierra Friends Center. The Woolman Semester offers high school
students the
opportunity to focus a semester of studies on peace, justice and
environmental
sustainability. The intern will spend most weeks preparing for,
and following-up on,
outreach trips to designated cities around the U.S. Approximately
7 to 10 days of each
month will be spent visiting those cities in search of prospective
students for the
Woolman Semester. The assessment and development of marketing
materials and strategies
will take place throughout the year.
Qualifications:
We are seeking someone who will be a self-starter with good
organizational and public
relations skills. The Admissions Assistant intern must work well
independently while away
on outreach trips as well as collaboratively on campus.
Effective communication in person, by phone and in writing with
students, parents, and
staff is imperative. Proficiency with the Microsoft Office Outlook
database and related
applications is desirable.
Duration:
6 months to 1 year
Start Date:
January 2007
Hours:
30 hours average per week
Compensation:
Full room and board and $200/month. Health Insurance. Paid travel
to cities around the
U.S.
Application Procedure:
Applicants need to supply the following:
Cover Letter
Resume
References
Phoenix Farm
191 S. Monmouth Rd., Monmouth, ME.04259, offers free room and
board, with whole grain,
mostly vegetarian, international cooking, a private room, shared
use of the large living
room entertainment area, internet access, and $250 per month
stipend for apprentices
willing to commit 2, or preferably 3 months to applied biology
learning and work
activities. Students don't need any farm or science background,
but should like exercise,
be willing to tolerate hot, dry and damp, cool working conditions,
have a good work
ethic, be curious and questioning and want to become a good
observer. Physical strength
isn't so important as a willingness to use your body to the best
of it's ability, and
preferably already participate in regular physical activity. Work
includes seeding
vegetables with a push seeder, transplanting seedlings from the
greenhouse into the
field, hoeing, picking, washing, weighing, and bagging vegetables,
collecting insects,
and observing plant diseases and insect activity. Apprentices can
come from May through
September, if you commit to 40 hours work per week, with
consecutive 2 days off, for at
least 2 months. On the weekends apprentices will be working with
Nancy Chandler, the
farmer, and shareholders, guiding them in the same activities.
Formal learning
opportunities are available on other farms almost weekly, and
informal learning about
many ecology, biology, farm economics, marketing and policy topics
happen in the fields,
limited only by the curiosity, interests and thinking processes of
the apprentice. To
learn more about the farmer, and fill out an application at no
cost, go to www.mofga.org,
select programs, then farm apprentices, then information for
apprentices. Phoenix Farm is
listed as KEN 07. Benefits include working in beautiful fields,
swimming and kayaking in
local lakes, experiencing wildlife, participating in increasing
health of yourself, the
environment and others, plus practical and academic knowledge
about growing many plants.
Also available are free concerts and dance at nearby Bates and
Bowdoin Colleges, and
Lewiston, and $10 plays at Theater at Monmouth. Please call Nancy
Chandler
at(207)933-9370 to discuss this apprentice opportunity and fill
out an application at
www.mofga.org.
====================================================================================================