12th Annual Watershed Leadership Conference, February 27-March 2 in Montgomery, AL

Bringing water issues to the Alabama state capitol this election year.

http://www.alabamarivers.org/

Keynote Speaker, Janisse Ray

Event: Invitation to Best Practices in Sustainability

Lynn Leach is going to this event. Anyone else want to go??

You are cordially invited to the Corporate Social Responsibility Best Practices Conference on October 15th. Featured speakers will share best practices in sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and green issues.

Corporate Social Responsibility Best Practices Conference
When: Thursday, October 15th,
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Where: ADTRAN East Tower
Conference Center 901 Explorer Blvd. Huntsville, AL 35806
Registration: 8:30 a.m.
Lunch: Served at Noon
Keynote Address: Huntsville Mayor - Tommy Battle

Please Register

Conference Hightlights

> Driving innovative environmental improvements in products, operations, and supply chain
> Designing, constructing, and operating a LEED Silver Certified building
> Developing environmental initiatives and sustainability activities within manufacturing operations and the corporation as a whole
> Incorporating CSR into the company's culture
> Monitoring and managing enterprise assets for increased energy efficiencies with EAM tools

Event: Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful Flint River Clean Up Call for Volunteers

Protect the Flint

Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful
Is hosting its 6th Annual
Flint River Clean-up

on October 24, 2009

Location and Time: Canoes/Kayaks
meet at the Georgia Power Dam at
8:30 a.m. in Albany, GA

Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful is looking for
volunteers that have canoes & kayaks, and for those
who can serve as bank walkers!
Send email to kkirkman@jonesctr.org to register.

Take out will be the Radium Landing
(near Marine ditch).
Why: Water Is Our Planets Most Precious Resource

Rivers Alive is a state initiative
that encourages clean ups along all 70,150 miles of
Georgia ’s rivers, lakes, and streams.

Event: Electronics Recycling & Mercury Collection - Saturday, October 17, 2009

Mark your calendars!

Bring your old electronics and mercury containing items to our
Electronics Recycling & Mercury Collection Event

Saturday, October 17, 2009
9 am to 3 pm
Joe Davis Stadium

Sponsored by
City of Huntsville Operations Green Team
Madison County Commission
City of Madison
Covanta Energy
The Solid Waste Disposal Authority of the City of Huntsville

We will be collecting (free of charge) computers (CPUs, laptops, mainframes and peripherals), monitors, telephones, cell phones, telephone systems, fax machines, printers, copiers, rechargeable batteries, stereo equipment, electronic games, PDAs, electronic circuit boards, and components as well as thermometers, thermostats, mercury batteries, mercury switches, and other mercury containing items.

Fluorescent light bulbs will not be accepted at this event, please bring them to the Household Hazardous Waste Collection held on the 1st Saturday of the month.

Televisions will be accepted for a $10 fee.

Covanta Energy is offering $10 gift cards for the mercury thermostats (limited to the first 50 people bringing mercury thermostats) and $5 gift cards for mercury thermometers. A $50 gift card will be given to the first person bringing in a mercury thermostat and mercury thermometer.

If you have more than 10 items, please contact SWDA at 256-880=6054.

Our community is partnering with Creative Recycling Systems from Nashville. Creative Recycling Systems' data sanitization methods exceed U.U. Dept of Defense specifications for security and electronics disposal.

For more information contact Operation Green Team
256-532-5326 (53-CLEAN).

Event: Energy Forum - October 13-14th - Register and promote to your networks

Energy Forum 2009: Challenges and Possibilities for Alabama. October 13-14 2009, at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens Sign up now! And send the attached Energy Forum 2009 flyer and schedule, along with a personal note, to your colleagues, friends, and work and faith communities.

Consider becoming an exhibitor or sponsor, and invite others to contribute as well. Energy Forum 2009 is hosted by the Interfaith Environmental Initiative of Alabama“Engaging faith and science to sustain and enhance the life of Earth” www.interfaithenvironmental.org

Please consider how you would like to help make Energy Forum 2009 be the success we all hope it will be. Thanks for all you are doing for Care of Creation. See you at Energy Forum 2009! Ginny and Eleanor Virginia N. Brown, M.S.E.M., Co-Convener, Interfaith Environmental Initiative of Alabama browngnbrown@charter.net Eleanor McKenzie DelBene, D.Min., Co-Convener, Interfaith Environmental Initiative of Alabama Liaison, Episcopal Diocese of Alabama Task Force for The Stewardship of Creation eleanor@presence.org

Event: Saturday, Sept.12 2009 - Interfaith Mission Services Volunteer Day

Just a reminder that Saturday Sept.12 is the Interfaith Mission Services Volunteer Day and one of the environmental projects is clearing trails at Hayes Nature Perserve. Please register and get all information at http://www.interfaithmissionservice.org/unity2009.html

The Day is designed for those who want to improve our community through opportunities to connect through service. There are projects for all ages and abilities - some are local agencies, others global - all can be completed in just a few hours. As we work we do that most human thing- we talk, we dialogue, we recognize one another as people who care about this world we share. The physical work will be completed that day but the experience of working with others who have differences but believe that together we can create a better world will be long-lasting.

Citizens will arrive between 7:30 and 8:00, gathering for breakfast and fellowship. From 8:00 to 8:30 there will be a unity celebration, creative dialogue, and a time of matching of people with diverse teams that will then leave to work at their site locations. The day will end at each site mid-day. The score of service sites located across Madison County with a variety of great projects will allow people to connect and serve working through diverse teams “side by side” with other members of your community.

Event: Flint Riverkeeper: Cookout, Campout, and Canoe to help Protect the Flint

Join the Georgia Conservancy and the Flint Riverkeeper on the banks of the Flint River at the Gerald I. Lawhorn Scouting Base (about an hour south of Atlanta) on Thursday September 24th for a cookout and a bluegrass concert featuring the world famous Packway Handle Band.

The evening will also feature leading experts on protecting the Flint River including Georgia Conservancy President Pierre Howard and Flint Riverkeeper board chair Paul Deloach. There will be the opportunity to campout (tents and air mattresses provided) and take a canoe trip the next morning on the Flint River (canoe, paddle and safety equipment provided).

• Who: Friends and members of the Flint Riverkeeper and the Georgia Conservancy
• Cost: $25 for cookout ($40 for two tickets), $50 for cookout, campout, paddle, $150 family cookout, campout, canoe
• Where: Gerald I. Lawhorn Scouting Base, Molena, Ga (south of Pine Mountain and north of Sprewell Bluff)
• Description: A fun evening on the Flint River - guests have the option to camp out and paddle the next day

Event: National Public Lands Day Clean up on the Flint River - September 19, 2009

National Public Lands Day Clean up on the Flint River - Flint River Conservation Association
Plan to attend. Details coming soon!

Questions contact: flintriverconservation@gmail.com

Save the date: September 19, 2009

Event: Free Alabama Water Watch Workshop - Saturday, August 29

Free Alabama Water Watch Workshop - Flint River Conservation Association

Attend this free workshop to learn how to test water chemistry to determine if water contains e-coli bacteria. More information coming soon!

Questions contact: flintriverconservation@gmail.com

Save the date: Saturday, August 29

Event: Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream Symposium - Sunday, July 5, 1:30-4:30

Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream Symposium
Sunday July 5, 1:30 pm --4:30 pm
Unity Church on the Mountain,
1328 Governor's Drive SE, Huntsville.

The purpose of the Awaken the Dreamer, Change the Dream Symposium is to explore an emerging world vision built on sustainability, spiritual fulfillment and social justice. Through dynamic group interaction, leading edge information presented in a multimedia format, participants will explore the state of our industrial world and the thinking that got us where we are today and critical concerns of our times, new ideas of what really matters, greater realization of our deep connections, the new global paradigm that is emerging to reclaim our planet’s future, how each of us is part of it, and the synthesis of surprising new answers empowering individuals to make a global difference through actions in one’s own back yard.

Awaken the Dreamer, Change the Dream Symposium was designed through the collaboration of some of the finest scientific, indigenous, and activist minds in the world in partnership with The Pachamama Alliance. Among the leaders who have come together and given this symposium, which began in 2005, in dozens of countries are South African cleric and activist, Desmond Tutu, Budhist monk and peace activist, Thich Nhat Hahn, environmental activists Paul Hawken, Julia Butterfly Hill,social justice advocate, Van Jones, author, cosmologist and educator, Brain Swimme, artist, environmental and social activist, Majora Carter, Achauz leader Domingo Paez and others. This collaboration explores our plante’s biggest challenges and opportunities from a new perspective and connects the participants with a powerful global movement to reclaim the planet’s future. This symposium is meant to shake up, inspire and move participants to action in accelerating an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, and socially just human presence on this planet.

Event: The big green bus visits UAH campus June 30, 2009

A group of Dartmouth students is touring the country in a bus powered by vegetable oil
spreading the word about climate change awareness and action.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009: 1pm Event at the University of Alabama campus.

Wednesday, June 31st, 2009: Depart for Memphis, TN.

Please spread the message.

http://www.thebiggreenbus.org/

Event: Household Hazardous Waste Collection - Huntsveille/Madison Co - July 4, 2009

Household Hazardous Waste Collection (free)

Solid Waste Disposal Authority of Huntsville/Madison County
4100 Leeman Ferry Road, Huntsville, just south of the Leeman Ferry and Johnson Road intersection

Saturday, July 4 (8 am to noon)

http://www.swdahsv.org/household.html

Event: Saturday, June 20th @5:00 First Annual Green Coalition Potluck at the Yurtgarden

Your invited to the first Annual Green Coalition Potluck at the Yurtgarden.

Come around 5:00 and stay until....

Directions to the Yurtgarden.

From Governor's Drive. Go over Monte Sano mountain, the road turns into Hwy 431. Make a left at the Exxon Station at the corner of 431 and Old 431 at the Hampton Cove sign. Stay on Old 431 pass Hampton Cove on the left. Get far right lane at ball field, and continue on Old 431 approximately 2 miles. Make a left on Cherry Tree Rd. Stay on Cherry Tree 2 or so miles, left on Horse Cove, stay on Horse Cove, it turns into Shooting Star. See the sign for the Yurt garden pointing down a gravel driveway on the left. The next house on the right is 307. If you pass it, turn around and go back to the first driveway on the right. Follow it around the garden, and the barn and park beside the barn.

You can also go over the Cecil Ashburn road which brings you through the intersection of 431, staying straight on it, as it turns into Old 431 at the Publix Shopping center

You can travel Hwy 72 from town. Head towards Gurley, pass the High School on the left. See the Mc Mullen Cove sign, take the next right on Rock Cut road. Make a right on Little Cove, go down until you see Mc Mullen, left on Mc Mullen stay on it until it comes out on Cherry Tree. Left on Cherry Tree, left on Horse Cove.

If anyone has any questions e-mail me at lynnaleach@gmail.com. Can't wait to see everyone on Sat. June 20 at 5. Bring your favorite food to share and the beverage of your choice.

Hike: Lunch Loop - Sunday, June 21, 2009

Lunch Loop, Wade Mountain Preserve (easy hike)

http://www.landtrust-hsv.org/events/event/spring-hike-wade-mtn-lunch-loop/2009-06-21

Huntsville-Madison County Public Library and The Land Trust of Huntsville and North Alabama

Sunday, June 21 (2-4 pm)

Events: Household Hazardous Waste Collection - Huntsveille/Madison Co - June 6

Household Hazardous Waste Collection (free)

Solid Waste Disposal Authority of Huntsville/Madison County

4100 Leeman Ferry Road, Huntsville, just south of the Leeman Ferry and Johnson Road intersection

Saturday, June 6 (8 am to noon)

http://www.swdahsv.org/household.html

Event: "Splash for Trash" - Flint River Cleanup - Saturday, June 6, 2009

"Splash for Trash" - Flint River Cleanup (by canoe or on river banks)

Flint River Conservation Association and Green Team Volunteers meet at Publix parking lot in Hampton Cove or Winchester Road Barbeque to follow

Flint River Conservation Association and Green Team

Saturday, June 6

Event: Inaugural Mayor's Bicycle Ride with Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle -

Inaugural Mayor's Bicycle Ride with Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle - Free

Children’s Fountain, 320 Fountain Circle at corner of Fountain Circle and Williams Street, Huntsville

Saturday, May 2 (10 am; arrive early to sign up)

Event: Green Cities Summit - Huntsville May 11, 2009

Just taking the chance to again remind everyone about the Green Cities Huntsville Planning Summit – please see registration information below.

With the recent announcement about my Council for Green Sustainability (Green 13), I’m hoping our area is taking note of what a critical role Huntsville can play in the “Green Economy” movement.

Apart from the work the Green 13 is doing, I am personally asking for your participation in the inaugural Green Cities™ Huntsville Planning Summit. This will be an invitation only event seeking to engage our regions’ most innovative thinkers through a process to envision and identify the resources needed to address the challenges facing our community and region. Your input during the Planning Summit will determine the agenda for a Green Cities™ Alabama conference in the fall of 2009 which will focus on advancing the business and science of sustainability for our region.

This Summit will be held Monday, May 11 from 1pm to 6pm, at the U. S. Space & Rocket C enter, Educator Training Facility, One Tranquility Base, Huntsville, AL 35807 .

Mr. Mike Italiano, founder, President, and CEO for Market Transformation to Sustainability (MTS) and Capital Markets Partnership will address the Summit on strategies for financing the green economy. His long career includes founder of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and LEED. He is a Director of USGBC, USGBC CEO Board, and served as former Director of ASTM and Chairman of ASTM E50.

Mr. Stephen Cochran, an internationally recognized leader, speaker, writer, and advocate of sustainable enterprise, will facilitate the dialogue and planning portion of the Summit. Mr. Cochran is the founding chair of the Washington DC-based United States Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development, and a consultant in national and international sustainability imperatives.

The event will be supported by the EPA award winning event producers, Seven-Star, Inc from Asheville, NC, and their local ambassador 4SITE, Incorporated, a local land planning and design firm that partner with others to build more sustainable communities.

The City of Huntsville will be the host for both of these prestigious events which will be catalysts for accelerating the community and region towards a more sustainable and vibrant future.

I look forward to your participation with me in this historical event. If for some reason you are unable to attend please consider designating a representative to send on your behalf.

I’ve made a commitment that the City of Huntsville will do all it can to lead the nation in the Green Sustainable Industry movement–and I’d like for you to be a part of that.

Sincerely,

Tommy Battle
Mayor

For more information visit www.GreenCitiesAlabama.com

Please RSVP on or before 5pm, May 4, 2009 by email to: summit@greencities.com or by phone at: (800) 957-1424

Hike: Iron Family Hike - Sunday, May 17, 2009

Iron Family Hike
Wildflower Trail in Blossomwood Subdivision off Cleermont Drive

http://www.landtrust-hsv.org/events/event/spring-hike-wildflower-trail-b-/2009-05-17

Huntsville-Madison County Public Library and The Land Trust of Huntsville and North Alabama

Sunday, May 17 (2-4 pm)

Event: Senior Expo "Around the Globe" - May 5, 2009

Senior Expo "Around the Globe" (entertainment, food, prize drawings)

Maynor & Mitchell Eye Center, sponsor
Von Braun Center South Hall

Tuesday, May 5 (9 am - 4:30 pm)

http://www.al.com/events/index.ssf?pagetype=results&SearchLocation=Huntsville&SearchDate=2009-05-03&SearchDateEnd=2009-05-10&s=e&start=20