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Recognizing
Faith Communities Taking Environmental Action
All Souls Unitarian Universalist
and Village Presbyterian Churches
by Patty Brown, THB ExCom
 Patty
Brown, Frank Drinkwine, Terry Wiggins, and Reverend Jim Eller
accepting the Faith in Action award on June 19 presented by
Melissa Hope.
photo by Jerry Rees |
The Sierra Club
has proudly released its first ever report on this subject, entitled
“Faith in Action: Communities of Faith Bring Hope for the Planet,”
which highlights one exceptional faith-based environmental initiative
from each of the fifty states, and illustrates a growing trend.
Almost all of the major religions have teachings and traditions
that address how humans should relate to the natural world. These
are now being revived to bring new energy and vision to the environmental
movement.
Read more...
Clean
Commute Week 2008
by David Anderson, THB ExCom
 The
City of Kansas City, Missouri has set the goal of becoming
Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Community by 2020. At a press
conference Mayor Mark Funkhouser was joined by Shawnee, KS
Mayor Jeff Myers, KCMO City Councilmember Russ Johnson (2nd
District), and KCMO Bike/Ped Coordinator Deb Ridgway.
photo by Eric Rogers |
The THB Group organized
a bike safety workshop that was the opening event for Clean Commute
week on May 10, 2008. The workshop presented the practices and equipment
needed to ride a bicycle safely in the city for commuting to work
as well as running types of errands. The
workshop was one of numerous events conducted for 2008 Clean Commute
week. The centerpiece of the week was the car free challenge website
where people could log their daily miles traveled by foot, bike,
bus or carpool
Read
more...
At
War With The World: Derrick Jensen’s
Now This War Has Two Sides
by
William Gresham
Among those who
have read the works of Derrick Jensen (including A Language Older
Than Words, The Culture Of Make Believe, and, most recently
[with artist Stephanie McMillan], the graphic novel As The World
Burns: 50 Simple Things You Can Do To Stay In Denial), many have
had the opportunity to see and hear him in person. It is not overstating
the case to call what Jensen does performance. Jensen’s newest
release is a recording of the talk he’s been doing, more-or-less,
since the publication of Endgame in 2006. This recording
was made live in Vancouver, BC (the liner notes indicate “fills
from various other shows”).
Read more...
National
Public Lands Day Celebrating Swope Park
Saturday,
September 27, 2008,
9 a.m. to Noon
To
Battle!
November
1, 2008, 9 a.m. to Noon.
Read
more...
The
Sierra Club invites you to: Nature Book Discussion Group
More: Population,
Nature and What Women Want has recently been written by Robert
Engelman. With rising concerns about world hunger, disease, water
shortages and the climate crises, it is time to talk about overpopulation.
Population is something that very much affects both the environment
and the quality of life for women and children, so it is another aspect
of environmental justice. The author takes a sometimes humorous
and historical journey to show how the title's subject areas have
intersected and what is possible for the future. Read
more...
Kansas
City to St. Louis – More travel options than you think
Travelers between Kansas City and St. Louis typically think of two
choices -- drive or fly. But there are other options. Amtrak, Greyhound,
and Megabus can get you across the state in as little as 4 hours and
15 minutes. There's no discount on a round-trip ticket, so feel free
to "mix and match" -- for example, go by Megabus and return
by Amtrak. We've compiled a schedule and other info about the the
three carriers for your convenience. Make your next trip more earth-friendly.
Read
more...
Changes
in Store for Hidden Valley Natural Area
by Doris Sherrick
 Demonstrating
the building of a debris dam to control erosion.
Photo by Jimmi Lossing |
Exploring, enjoying and protecting Hidden Valley Natural Area (HVNA)
will become easier in the future as new hiking and accessible trails
are constructed, erosion control features are put in place, and work
to eliminate invasive exotic species continues.
Read
more... Environmental,
Community Groups Announce Important Energy Agreement with Major
Utility
March
20, 2007 Sierra
Club, Kansas City Power & Light and Concerned Citizens of Platte
County Put Forward Agreement to Reduce Emissions, Spur Clean Energy
Development
(Kansas City,
Mo.) — In a groundbreaking agreement that can serve as a model
for environmental groups and utilities working together, the Sierra
Club, Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L), and the Concerned
Citizens of Platte County (CCPC) have agreed on a set of initiatives
to offset carbon dioxide (CO2) and reduce other emissions for the
Kansas City-based utility. Under the agreement announced today,
KCP&L agrees to pursue offsets for all of the global warming
emissions associated with its new plant through significant investments
in energy efficiency and renewable energy, and cut pollution from
its existing plants in order to improve air quality in the Greater
Kansas City metro area. The agreement proposes other investments
in clean energy, significant decreases in emissions and resolves
four appeals pending between the Sierra Club, CCPC, and KCP&L.
Full implementation of the terms of the agreement will necessitate
approval from the appropriate authorities, as some of the initiatives
in this agreement require either enabling legislative policy or
regulatory approval. Read
more...
KCP&L’s
Dirty Air Permit Challenged!
April
2006
Sierra Club in favor of Smart Energy Solutions
The Missouri Ozark Chapter of the Sierra Club has challenged the
PSD permit issued to Kansas City Power and Light (KCPL) to build
an 850 megawatt coal-fired power plant—known as Iatan II—30
miles northwest of the Kansas City metropolitan area. The air permit
is called a Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permit
in the language of the Clean Air Act. It controls the amount of
pollutants allowed to be emitted such as those which cause smog,
acid rain, cardiac health problems, and mercury. State regulations
curtail the emissions, but still allow large amounts in the permit.
Read
more...
Peak
Oil, the Chamber, and a Regional Energy Strategy
April
2006
Matt Simmons, oil industry investment advisor and author
(Twilight in the Desert: the Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World
Economy) spoke on February 21 to an audience of about 150 at a luncheon
sponsored by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. Read
more...
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