Educational

National Trails Day Hike

Jason Baker — Thu, 22 May 2008 11:19:11 -0500

Members of the Town of Chapel Hill's Greenways Commission will celebrate National Trails Day on Saturday, June 7, by leading a short, two-mile hike at noon along the Lower Booker Creek Greenway across the street from the Eastgate Shopping Center.

Those interested in participating should meet at Great Outdoor Provision Company in Eastgate. Commission members will provide information and maps to the public on community trails and greenways at a table from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. inside the store.

The Town Council is working to complete more than 28 miles of trails that will allow pedestrians and bicyclists to quickly and safely access almost every part of our town. Among the trail projects being planned are the Morgan Creek, Bolin Creek, and Dry Creek Trails.

Haw River Festival

Jamie Bort — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 07:07:38 -0500

Festival Details and Directions:

Come enjoy a Celebration of the Haw River with music, art, puppets, environmental displays and activities. You can go down to Bynum Beach and try some river monitoring and kids can take a short guided canoe ride on the river. Kids can also paint their very own critter cut-out made by Bynum’s own Clyde Jones. A fabulous Old Town canoe will be raffled and there’s a silent art auction that includes works by Clyde Jones. There’s the ‘river of chalk” art project happening on the bridge, and much to learn about the river, Jordan Lake and other environmental issues in our watershed. The great cooks at the Ruritan Club will have tasty food for sale all day.

Proceeds from the Haw River Festival help fund our work throughout the year to protect the Haw River and Jordan Lake. We are requesting a $5 donation for adults and $3 for kids under 14 years old (babies are free).

DIRECTIONS:

Sustainable Transportation: A Future Worth Creating.

Jamie Bort — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 18:45:39 -0500

Sustainable Transportation: A Future Worth Creating.

Dave Erb is an automotive engineer who has designed electric and hybrid electric vehicles, as well as vehicles using gasoline, diesel, biodiesel, alcohol, and natural gas power trains. An active auto racer with engineering and business degrees, he will share his excellent information and experience, his deep commitment to the environment, and his understanding of its impact on social justice. Come and learn about the energy balance of all kinds of biofuels, some alternatives to biofuels, what fuels NASCAR, and more: The Multipurpose Room of Building 2 at Central Carolina Community College. Sustainable Sustenance (i.e., organic refreshments). May 14 at 7 p.m.

Co-sponsored by Chatham Alliance for Sustainable Energy

See Building B on this map:

Our Vanishing Night: A Program on Light Pollution

Jason Baker — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 04:06:53 -0500

For generations, everyone experienced the breathtaking beauty of an unspoiled night sky, with views into our Universe of thousands of stars, the Milky Way and even another galaxy. Inspired by the sky, those who came before us told imaginative stories about the patterns they saw in the stars. But when many of us go home tonight and look up, we may not see much more than a washed-out orange glow.

During this program, we'll use the Zeiss VI star projector to reveal how light pollution--the illumination of the atmosphere by outdoor lighting--robs us of our heritage of a natural dark sky. And we'll experience the sky studded with stars--and stories--as our ancestors did and as our grandchildren might, if we commit to better designed outdoor lighting.

"The Role of Media in Politics": Schneider to give Benton Lecture

BrianR — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:28:51 -0500

Bill Schneider, CNN senior political analyst and one of the country’s leading political commentators, will deliver the Nelson Benton Lecture at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication on March 27 at 6 p.m. in the Carroll Hall auditorium.

Schneider’s talk, “The Role of Media in Politics,” is free and open to the public. He joins notable journalists who have spoken in the series including Walter Cronkite, Charles Kuralt, Sam Donaldson, Bob Schieffer, Cokie Roberts and Dan Rather.

East West Partners discuss LEED-ND

Jason Baker — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 11:57:15 -0500

Via an email...

Please join the Triangle Chapter EGB and East West Partners as we talk about the East 54 community development project in Chapel Hill. East 54 is currently under construction as one of the only LEED-ND pilot participants in North Carolina. East West Partners will be discussing the LEED-ND rating system, which credits they are incorporating into East 54, as well as any challenges they have faced while designing the project.

For more information on East West Partners, please visit their Website at: http://www.ewp-nc.com/
And for more information about East 54 (and a construction webcam!) Visit: http://www.east54.com/index.php

Free Composting Class

Jason Baker — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 17:28:09 -0600

"Anybody anywhere can make their own compost!" says Muriel Williman of the Orange County Solid Waste Management Department. "Even apartment dwellers with a couple of houseplants can make a windowsill garden thrive by composting indoors with worms. A single person can reduce the amount of waste produced by as much as 40%, simply by composting their fruit and vegetable scraps."

Muriel will conduct a demonstration on the lawn at Weaver Street Market in Carrboro on Saturday, March 22 from 11:00 am - 12:30 pm to teach the principles of indoor and outdoor composting. She will show a variety of feedstocks that can be used to create compost and will demonstrate how to build, maintain, and harvest a worm bin. (No registration is required, but please be prompt.)

Camp Wellstone

Ruby Sinreich — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 08:34:07 -0600

Camp Wellstone is coming to North Carolina, March 28-30, 2008. Reserve your space today! Don't miss out on this exciting training opportunity to gear up for the 2008 elections. This 2.5 day training, based on the late Senator Paul Wellstone's model, combines lectures from highly experienced trainers, stimulating exercises, and interactive simulations. We're counting on you to organize around issues that matter and elect progressive candidates to office.

Discussion: "The Great Debaters"

Ruby Sinreich — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 17:24:47 -0600

From a CHCCS press release:

5th Annual NC Sustainable Energy Conference

Mike Swaim — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:41:10 -0600