tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26985580043636724482024-02-19T12:16:44.014-05:00Mason Goes GreenThe posts on this blog belong solely to their author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of George Mason University or the Office of Sustainability.
We'd love to hear your thoughts on our posts. Please add comments and the authors will do their best to respond to your points or questions.Lenna Stormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03868019331607328541noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698558004363672448.post-73329771819786319762011-11-08T16:31:00.001-05:002012-02-02T14:40:43.641-05:00Tar Sands, Pipelines, and Our Changing Climate<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">In an effort to raise awareness and encourage the Mason community to stand against the proposed construction of the Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline, George Mason’s Environmental Action Group shifted the agenda of their November 2nd meeting to devote the entirety of their evening to host a discussion <span style="color: #333333;">on how the implementation of the proposed Keystone XL Tar Sands oil pipeline would lead to catastrophic and perilous consequences for both the natural environment and humanity. Yiming, an organizer with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network and Sieren, an environmental consultant who specializes in carbon emissions reduction, led the discussion. Both Yiming and Sieren have been at the forefront of the movement to stop the Keystone XL Pipeline. In fact, after meeting at a Tar Sands related action, Yiming and Sieren decided to stay in contact. After much discussion, they decided to work together to develop a presentation that would cover highlight the overarching issues and conflicts surrounding the debate over the implementation of the Keystone XL.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;"> What resulted from this collaboration was a 45-minute presentation entitled “Being the Change We Hope For,” a compelling and thoroughly researched overview of the inherently unsafe nature of the Keystone XL pipeline. In the course of the evening, Yiming and Sieren discussed how the installation of the pipeline and subsequent extraction of tar sands oil would adversely affect the Canadian Boreal Forest, one of the world’s largest intact ecosystems in the world. While Yiming and Sieren highlighted the regional environmental problems the pipeline would produce, the majority of their talk laid stress on the pipeline’s adverse contributions to the global environment and TransCanada’s misrepresentation of the pipeline’s economic benefits. To emphasize the severity of the situation, Sieren explained how the burning of tar sands oil would lead to rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which would in turn result in increased ocean acidification and rising sea levels. Audience members dryly noted that this was hardly a recipe for stability in these trying economic times.To wrap up their talk, Yiming and Sieren urged the roughly 30 members of the Mason community in attendance to come to the November 6<sup>th</sup> Circle of Hope action.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">With the conclusion of the talk, members stuck around to watch the film “H2Oil,” a documentary about the war waging between water and oil in the middle of Canada’s boreal forests. While many members left the screening feeling shocked and horrified about the extent of tar sands expansion in Canada, Jason Von-Kundra, a member of the Environmental Action Group’s Steering Committee stated, “While this was hard to watch, I want everyone to know that we’re going to win this fight. This documentary was released a few years ago and since then, our numbers have grown. We will continue to fight this fight, and we can do this.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica;">Von-Kundra had a point. When a member of the group asked how many people would be attending on Sunday, more than two-thirds of the audience raised their hands. </span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12821470282283921727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698558004363672448.post-85363988248867402442011-08-24T19:04:00.016-04:002011-09-11T18:34:20.161-04:00Mason's Green Plan Slated in Gold: $100,000 sustainability fund established<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Mason wasn’t kidding when it said it was committed to becoming more sustainable. Recently, university administration approved the Patriot Green Fund (PGF), an innovative student-led initiative to accelerate George Mason University’s sustainability transformation and commitment to climate neutrality via the Presidents’ Climate Commitment. The fund was established to foster an environment where Mason can flourish academically through the practice of environmental, social, and economic stewardship. Beginning in the fall of 2011, the PGF will provide $100,000 annually to finance projects that have a high value in all three of these areas of sustainability. The fund will also work to raise awareness of and support for building a culture of sustainability on campus and in our communities. The PGF will empower students by providing them with an unprecedented opportunity to lead and direct projects that will create positive change. </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Lenna Storm, University Sustainability Manager, is excited about the new program, “This is an unprecedented opportunity for students to make a visible and direct impact on sustainability at Mason, and it would not have happened without the dedication of the campus’ environmentally-minded students.” Students, faculty, and staff will be able to submit applications for funding starting in fall 2011. For the Mason community that was involved in this effort to get the green fund passed, the significance of the achievement can’t be understated.</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In 2008, members of the Environmental Action Group (EAG) developed a strong desire to raise additional funds to speed up Mason’s commitment to advancing sustainability and achieving climate neutrality. “In spring 2009, our group had a frank discussion, and realized that if we were really going to walk the walk, we’d have to do more than host a few campus cleanups a semester. Then we got to work, and haven’t slowed down since,” said Alexandra Tyson, a rising senior involved with the PGF campaign since her freshman year.</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">According to Jason Von-Kundra, who became involved with the PGF campaign in 2009, what really stirred him up about the campaign was how innovative it is. “This fund will give students the opportunity to design projects that will create positive environmental, social, and economic impacts. For example, a student could conduct an original research project, or create a program to increase composting on campus. This will enhance student research and engagement throughout campus, which in turn, will help Mason fulfill our commitment to achieve climate neutrality” said Von-Kundra, referring to Mason’s pledge to emit net-zero carbon emissions by the year 2050. </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Over the course of the campaign, the EAG collected 2,012 signatures from members of the student body who pledged to support the fund. The symbolism of the number isn’t lost on the group. “It’s pretty funny. A lot of people have been speculating that in 2012, the earth is supposed to undergo a new beginning. Well, we see the PGF as part of this shift; it’s a stepping stone in the path to a clean energy future,” said Anartia Gamboa, one of the PGF campaign’s coordinator. </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Presently, the Office of Sustainability (OoS) and PGF Committee are working to develop the governing documents for the PGF, as well as the PGF application forms, application guidelines, and samples. The OoS is planning to promote the PGF heavily. Ce Garrison, an intern at the Office of Sustainability, is planning to hit the streets. “We believe people are more inclined to remember a face than an email. PGF projects will require working with a diverse group of people throughout Mason, and we want to show students that they’ll have a ton of support if they decide to get involved.” </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">For more information on the PGF, application deadlines and how to apply for funding please go to <a href="http://pgf.gmu.edu/">pgf.gmu.edu</a>.</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 115%; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img height="453px;" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/IdWNKLlALW-zkrBFygY2Gj0kitNklztZSzuO8KtQ5BoBwAVpi2qtfEYEXHxriHYlRTT0RV_d9F-njJSVi3-9pv5vxcWZESU1Vx-9YZYlE1USstyHmK8" width="604px;" /></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">GMU Student Lauren Peery showing her support for the Patriot Green Fund. Photo Credit: Colin Bennett</span><br />
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While they may have joined environmental groups in high school, the transition to becoming a full-fledged environmentalist usually doesn’t occur until college. This was not the case for Jason Von-Kundra.</p><p style="position: relative; margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; ">Jason was born on a fall day in Fairfax, Virginia to a mother who currently teaches classes in Southwest Virginia about Permaculture, a principled design system for ecological living which strives to integrate ecologically sustainable qualities into our individual lives and communities. To say Jason was conscious of the environment at a young age would be something of an understatement. In fact, Jason credits childhood experiences for leading him to his current work. While other kids traveled outside armed with their My Little Pony or Power Rangers backpacks, Jason brought a different kind of bag: a recycling one. As Jason put it, “I was raised to recycle. Whenever we went to the mall, my mom would make us take our recycling bags. We would just carry them around.” And carry he did. No matter whether Jason was in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, where he attended high school, or back in Fairfax, Jason has always been passionate about environmental protection.</p><p style="position: relative; margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; ">When Jason arrived at Mason after transferring from Northern Virginia Community College, Jason initially thought he would major in physics After some time he considered geology. Yet, his zeal for environmental protection couldn’t be satiated. As Jason noted, “My background is looking at the science of the issue.” Jason felt that his penchant for logical reasoning would be advantageous when studying environmental science. His sharply analytical mind was noticed; Jason was elected co-chair of the Environmental Action Group (EAG) after just one semester in Fall 2009. Within his first week in the club, Jason jumped at the opportunity to help organize Virginia Powershift, a conference for students and youth that informed students about pressing environmental and social justice issues. Since then, Jason has hardly slowed down. After Powershift, Jason helped lead a sustainable food campaign on campus. As part of the campaign, Jason met with dining staff and personnel, and lobbied dining services to include more vegetarian and vegan options on campus. His efforts on behalf of the EAG have helped steer dining services to lay groundwork for the establishment a new vegetarian restaurant on campus.</p><p style="position: relative; margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; ">In addition to his previous achievements, Jason’s biggest accomplishment has just been made public. After lobbying the administration for nearly three years, the EAG helped pass the Patriot Green Fund. The Patriot Green Fund came about after students at Mason began to develop a strong interest in raising additional funds to enable Mason to move ahead in executing projects to reduce Mason’ greenhouse gas emissions. Students proposed the Patriot Green Fund, which was to assess a small fee per student to support this desire. The administration agreed with the students that more funding was needed, and requested the creation of a pilot for the Patriot Green Fund. As of July 1, 2011, the Budget and Planning Committee will provide $100,000 per year to accelerate our ability to achieve our goals outlined in CAP. This fund will significantly expand efforts to bring Mason into the sustainable future that faculty, students and President Merten are calling for, while allowing students to play a direct and important role in deciding which projects will be funded.</p><p style="position: relative; margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; ">To Jason, the establishment of the fund signifies coming a step closer to his vision of Mason in the future. According to Jason, “ My favorite things about Mason are the incredible community of passionate students, faculty, and staff that are working hard to create positive social change, for the environment and other issues.” To him, the PGF and the community that helped pass it are integral to helping create a sustainable Mason. Jason states, “ I want to make Mason sustainable in a way where we have a close-loop system. {By} actually using the gardens on campus. Providing the food in cafeterias. Composting it down, using the soil to fertilize plants so we can provide our needs on our own.”</p><p style="position: relative; margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; ">As a full-time student who has consistently worked throughout college (presently at the Office of Sustainability), one might wonder how Jason manages to do so much. Jason asserts that his tireless work ethic comes from an intrinsic force within, and a particular visit to coalfields in Appalachia. When defining the moment in his life that changed his outlook most significantly, Jason quips “One of the most important moments of my life was going out to climate ground zero, the Appalachian coal fields plagued with mountaintop removal. There I made the decision that I will do whatever it takes to protect our planet and its inhabitants.” This shocking vision of environmental degradation fueled Jason’s fire. Jason states, “I’m motivated to preserve the planet for future generations. We’re taught to pick up after ourselves. But we haven’t been doing that. We’re handing a planet to the next generation that isn’t in the same condition it is now. Why I do what I do is to enable future generations to have an inhabitable, clean, safe planet to live on. Your family is the most important thing in the world. I want to have kids one day. I think they deserve the same things what I was given.”</p></ul></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12821470282283921727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698558004363672448.post-66160299840839921702011-04-29T02:22:00.000-04:002011-04-29T02:23:25.604-04:00Farmers market future in question<div><i>from Broadside <a href="http://broadsideonline.com/2011/04/25/farmers-market-future-in-question-3501/">http://broadsideonline.com/2011/04/25/farmers-market-future-in-question-3501/</a></i></div><div><br /></div><div><h5 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; ">By Jeffrey Giorgi / Asst. News Editor</h5><div id="attachment_3502" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(243, 243, 243); border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); text-align: center; width: 460px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; "><img class="size-medium wp-image-3502 " src="http://broadsideonline.com/files/2011/04/famers-market-450x300.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="300" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 4px; border-right-width: 4px; border-bottom-width: 4px; border-left-width: 4px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-color: initial; border-top-color: rgb(92, 92, 92); border-right-color: rgb(92, 92, 92); border-bottom-color: rgb(92, 92, 92); border-left-color: rgb(92, 92, 92); " /><p class="wp-caption-text" style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(66, 66, 66); font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; ">While the farmer’s market is not currently going to appear at Mason, there is a possibilty that it will return in the future. File photo</p></div><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">On Earth Day 2009, amidst blue skies, rain and even hail, the farmers market made its debut at George Mason University. Students and faculty were able to buy organic fruits, vegetables and various all-natural foods. Since then, the market has moved around campus, but now, they may be without a home for the future.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">“We were only active for about a month before the students left,” said Jean Janssen, president of Smart Markets Inc. of the farmers market’s first appearance at Mason. “They put us in Lot K for the summer where we did very, very poorly. We didn’t have any way of letting the community know we were there because they wouldn’t let us put any signs up.”</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">For Mark Kraner, executive director of retail operations at Mason, the handling of the farmers market was a matter of logistics.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">“One of the things we asked was for it to be focused toward the people on our campus. Trying to bring more bodies onto our campus that are not a part of [the Mason community] is not always the best thing to do,” Kraner said. “We weren’t trying to get the neighborhood to come in, especially since there are two farmers markets in Fairfax.”</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">Many of the vendors were hesitant to come back after the initial outing because of poor profits. But in fall 2009, the farmers market reappeared on the North Plaza, a spot that, while better, still had problems.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">“Almost every week when we arrived, there was something set up,” Janssen said. “We weren’t plugged into the life of the university enough to know what was happening in the plaza.”</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">The market left Mason in October 2009 after a successful and stressful two months.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">“Everyone could see the potential to do well,” Janssen said. “It was just a matter of managing it. Those two months all the vendors could see a potential profit.”</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">The market was supposed to reappear in spring 2010 but more issues arose and the re-opening was delayed.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">“We decided not to open until last fall and then it would be a year-round market,” Janssen said.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">So the market made its return, this time just outside of Southside. With a plan to remain on campus year round, things looked bright for the future of the market.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">“We came to an agreement and came up with a space-use agreement for this year,” Kraner said. “[Janssen’s] request was thatthey not be located on the plaza and we worked out a space for it, and it was by Southside. It was a mutual agreement as to location. She chose the day and time which she thought would be best.”</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">However, what looked good on paper did not pan out, and a drop in profits ultimately caused the market to close again.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">“We just didn’t get the foot traffic,” Janssen said. “On this campus you don’t have students crossing through large parts of the campus throughout the day. They park and go straight to their classes, and foot traffic was so bad that all our vendors dropped out.”</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">Janssen added that the process was part of the problem.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">“If we were a part of the university where we worked with a committee, or a working group, we would be hearing the voices that tell us that location is a bad idea,” Janssen said.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">Only speaking with one part of a community can make planning difficult and a lack of community can create problems where there might not otherwise be any if multiple factions were involved, Janssen said.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">“That is why I’ve always felt we lost the opportunity to do on this campus what other markets are doing on other college campuses,” Janssen said.<br />On Thursday at 1 p.m. a meeting will be held to discuss the farmer’s market at Mason.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">“We’re going to be looking at the market in general,” said Dan Waxman, professional and alumni development manager. “Things like a desire to have a market here on campus and if the community will want it because there is an express interest from people on campus.”</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">Whether the farmers market will return remains undetermined.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">“Why [Janssen] hasn’t come back this spring, I’ll be honest,” Kraner said. “I have sent her a letter asking when she’s going to return and she has not replied so I can’t answer the question, because she hasn’t communicated that to me.”</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">The Prince William campus hosts a successful farmers market on Thursdays. Prince William focuses on attracting the surrounding communities, and Mason focuses solely on drawing its students and staff.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">“When you think about it logically, it may not be the best thing for a farmers market,” Kraner said. “That’s what we think is happening, but we don’t know for a fact.”</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">But according to Janssen, the potential for return still remains, under the right circumstances.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">“We wouldn’t try to come back in the summer unless … you actually get the Skins here,” Janssen said. “And if the traffic circle is no longer in need of construction … I don’t see why we can’t just set up for three hours a day.”</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">Some feel the market has provided the opportunity for students to have a healthier diet and to help the community.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; ">“Our farmers market has provided a great addition for university life here at Mason and served as another resource for learning about the planet and the value of food,” Waxman said.</p></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12821470282283921727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698558004363672448.post-6307365286888468572011-04-25T15:21:00.001-04:002011-04-25T15:26:45.609-04:00Bike to Mason Day a success<div><i>from Broadside 4/25/2011 <a href="http://broadsideonline.com/2011/04/25/bike-to-mason-day-a-success-3508/">http://broadsideonline.com/2011/04/25/bike-to-mason-day-a-success-3508/</a></i></div><div><br /></div><div><h2 style="margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: 'Myriad Pro', Arial, Helvetica; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 2em; clear: both; width: auto; "><a href="http://broadsideonline.com/2011/04/25/bike-to-mason-day-a-success-3508/" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(207, 119, 0); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">Bike to Mason Day a success</a></h2><h5 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; ">By Nathan Dorfman / Staff Writer</h5></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; "><div id="attachment_3509" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(243, 243, 243); border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); text-align: center; width: 460px; "><img class="size-medium wp-image-3509 " src="http://broadsideonline.com/files/2011/04/bikeworkday-450x299.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="299" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 4px; border-right-width: 4px; border-bottom-width: 4px; border-left-width: 4px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-color: initial; border-top-color: rgb(92, 92, 92); border-right-color: rgb(92, 92, 92); border-bottom-color: rgb(92, 92, 92); border-left-color: rgb(92, 92, 92); " /><p class="wp-caption-text" style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(66, 66, 66); font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; ">Mason has hosted a 5k for Victims’ Rights Week for the past 15 years. Photo by Gregory Connolly</p></div><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; ">About 100 students, faculty, staff and community members traveled via bicycle to George Mason University in celebration of Bike to Mason Day on Thursday.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; ">Participants biked to Mason for numerous reasons.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; ">“It’s a great stress relief,” said Nancy Bagwell of Arlington. “I’ve been on a bike since I was 6 and I’ve never stopped riding. My 68th birthday is coming up next month.”</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; ">For others, money played into their decision.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; ">“Gas is almost $4 a gallon, but it didn’t cost me anything to get here today,” said Rick Holt, a human resources trainer at Mason and member of the Mason Bike Advocate Council. “I get my workout right there in two hours and have more energy.”</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; ">By biking, you save money and help the environment at the same time, Holt said.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; ">“I support the campus efforts for this,” said Bethany Usher, associate director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Mason. “We biked on a multi-use path from Burke Centre.”</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; ">The Washington region hosted a Bike to Work Day for a long time, but it always fell on Mason’s commencement weekend, said Josh Cantor, director of Mason Parking and Transportation. For this reason, Mason started its own Bike to Mason Day in 2007.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; ">The League of American Bicyclists has named Mason a bicycle-friendly university. Mason earned this status through five E’s: engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation, Holt said.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; ">Cantor said he seeks to make biking a more accessible means of commuting to Mason, by adding bike lanes, racks and shelters around campus.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; ">Students interested in biking can get involved with the on-campus Bike Village program, which repairs bicycles and provides bicycles at a reasonable price.<br />“I hardly ever bike on the road with cars,” said Bagwell, who primarily cycles on trails and sidewalks. “There are plenty of trails around here.”</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; ">Commuters can also use a multi-modal approach by biking part of the way and then taking a shuttle or the Metro.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; ">A lot of people think they cannot bike to campus, but doing it once a week, or even once a month, is more reasonable and more impactful than people realize, Cantor said.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; ">“It’s not an all-or-nothing proposition,” Cantor said.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; ">The transportation office is also looking for a bike intern, Cantor said.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; ">Faculty and staff interested in biking can join the Bicycle Commuter Benefit Program. Members of the program can earn two free parking passes from the transportation office and a $20 voucher for use at local bike shops.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; ">The Bicycle Commuter Benefit Program may be available to students in the future.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; ">“Biking is a continual effort and part of a larger transportation program,” Cantor said.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; ">The transportation program at Mason, which also incorporates shuttles, carpooling and walking, discourages driving alone.<br />“We’re always open to feedback,” Cantor said.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.4em; width: auto; ">For more information, you can visit transportation.gmu.edu</p></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12821470282283921727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698558004363672448.post-5827756842064264902010-11-18T00:06:00.000-05:002010-11-18T00:06:33.532-05:00Mason Groups Work Together to Promote Sustainable Food: Multiple Events On The Table<div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.898594873258844" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By Nya Jackson</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.898594873258844" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.898594873258844" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While most students are excited about sharing a Thanksgiving meal with their family or friends, Mason’s agriART class and the Environmental Action Group (EAG) are more concerned with educating students about how that home cooked meal is sourced. The EAG is co-hosting a </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=173804545964017&index=1"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0070c0; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Vegan Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> this Thursday, November 18th with Mason’s Animal Rights Collective. The dinner will be in the Potomac Heights Kitchen and Dining Area from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. The agriART class is hosting Screens and Greens, a film and local food festival, Friday November 19th in the School of Art Building, Room 1007 from 4:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The EAG will be enjoying an environmentally friendly Thanksgiving dinner free of any animal products. Jason Von Kundra, co-chair of the EAG, “encourages non-vegans to come and taste how delicious vegan food is”. The EAG will be collecting donations for </span><a href="http://www.farmsanctuary.org/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0070c0; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Farm Sanctuary</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> who “works to protect farm animals from cruelty, inspire change in the way society views and treats farm animals, and promote compassionate vegan living.” For every $30 donated, Farm Sanctuary is able to rescue and rehabilitate one turkey. While event attendees are encouraged to donate, it is not required.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The EAG’s Facebook event page for the </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=173804545964017&index=1"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0070c0; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Vegan Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0070c0; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">encourages students to “find out why vegan food is better for the environment” and provides a link to the </span><a href="http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/environment.html"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Vegan Outreach</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> website. According to David Brubaker, PhD, at the </span><a href="http://www.jhsph.edu/environment/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Center for a Livable Future</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> at Johns Hopkins University, “the way that we breed animals for food is a threat to the planet. It pollutes our environment while consuming huge amounts of water, grain, petroleum, pesticides and drugs. The results are disastrous.” The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Notes from Underground </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">that “a single dairy cow produces about 120 pounds of wet manure per day, which is equivalent to the waste produced by 20–40 people.”</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To learn more about the environmental impact of consuming meat visit the </span><a href="http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/environment.html"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Vegan Outreach</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> website; to taste home-cooked vegan food stop by the EAG’s </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=173804545964017&index=1"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0070c0; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Vegan Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0070c0; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The agriArt class at Mason, which explores the connection between art and agriculture, will be showing two movies during their film and local food festival on Friday. The first movie is </span><a href="http://www.foodincmovie.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Food Inc</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, an Academy Award Nominee for Best Documentary Feature examining the American food industry that is largely hidden from consumers. The second film featured is </span><a href="http://www.dirtthemovie.org/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dirt</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! which examines the relationship between humans and ‘living dirt’. Shanna Carvell, an agriART student, stated the goal of the event is to, “inform participants of American food culture and world ecology involving food.” Part of the event is a project for the agriART class where they are providing all local food for a family style pot-luck. While most advocates of local food define local as within a 200 mile radius, the agriARTclass stipulates that ingredients for the dinner must come within a 100 mile radius from campus.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To aid students in finding local ingredients for their dishes the agriART class has “contacted local farms in the area for produce, dairy and meat and are in the process of making orders”. They are also mapping where the ingredients in all of the dishes came from for participants in the film festival to show students that it is possible to eat local and still enjoy some of their favorite foods. The first feature,</span><a href="http://www.foodincmovie.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Food Inc.,</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> will begin at 4:00 p.m. The family style dinner will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the First Floor Lobby. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own utensils and plates to cut down on waste. The second feature,</span><a href="http://www.dirtthemovie.org/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dirt</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! will begin at 7pm.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The event is being sponsored by the agriART class, the </span><a href="http://gmugarden.wordpress.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">GMU Organic Garden Association</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="http://www.green.gmu.edu/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mason’s </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #3b5998; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sustainability Office</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and </span><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YOrT39H5A2JwIObN7jcTqdHZWZNqVVL3zmNvT4L_dX0/SoA%20Green%20Garden"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #3b5998; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SOA Green</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. For more information please contact Shanna Carvell at </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">s</span><span style="background-color: #fff7d9; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">carvell</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">@gmu.edu</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698558004363672448.post-77340345333103810282010-11-06T20:32:00.003-04:002010-11-07T21:29:09.459-05:00Mason Campus Garden Consortium<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Last Thursday members from the three organic gardens on campus, the</span><a href="http://gmugarden.wordpress.com/" style="font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Mason Organic Garden</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">, </span><a href="http://soagreen.blogspot.com/" style="font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">SoA Green</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> Garden, and the Child Development Center Garden, met to discuss pooling their resources to strengthen sustainable gardening efforts on campus. The meeting was organized by the </span><a href="http://green.gmu.edu/" style="font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Office of Sustainability </span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Project Specialist, Danielle Wyman, who also manages the</span><a href="http://gmugarden.wordpress.com/" style="font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Mason Organic Garden</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> behind Potomac Heights Student Apartments. Attendees included Sustainability Coordinator Lenna Storm, AgriArt Professor Mark Cooley, Auxiliary Enterprises Project Manager Daniel Waxman, Child Development Center (CDC) Director Tina Morris, CDC Lead Teacher and Garden Operations Manager Dorothea Tyree,</span><a href="http://gmugarden.wordpress.com/" style="font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Mason Organic Garden</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> members Amanda Wall, Cassondra Coleman, and Nya Jackson, and </span><a href="http://soagreen.blogspot.com/" style="font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">SoA Green </span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Garden members Justin </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=677621974" style="font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Raphael Roykovich</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">, Vina Sananikone, and Liz Edwards. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><br />One of the common concerns discussed among the three gardens was summer maintenance. Wyman noted that the</span><a href="http://gmugarden.wordpress.com/" style="font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Mason Organic Garden</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> struggled with finding enough volunteers to manage the garden over the summer and had to hire former</span><a href="http://gmugarden.wordpress.com/" style="font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Mason Organic Garden</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> member, Yuka Taylor, to assist with daily maintenance. The </span><a href="http://soagreen.blogspot.com/" style="font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">SoA Green </span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">garden expressed similar concerns. “I was here last summer and managed the garden but all of the </span><a href="http://soagreen.blogspot.com/" style="font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">SoA Green </span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">leadership will be graduating making volunteer recruitment or sharing important” said </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=677621974" style="font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Roykovich</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">. </span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Lenna Storm, the Campus Sustainability Coordinator suggested “maintenance free summer planting”. If we can incorporate permaculture principles into the gardens it will minimize the daily maintenance and we won’t need as much volunteer labor which is difficult to find during the summer. Cooley agreed it was important to get more students involved in the gardens but believes there are shortcomings with the organizations created to manage the gardens. </span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Eventually the leaders of these groups graduate and there’s no guarantee that we’ll be able to recruit more members. “We need to work the gardens into the curriculum” stated Cooley. Cooley also suggested following the community garden structure where members of the Mason community pay for plots during the summer and are responsible for maintaining the plots and entitled to the produce harvested. Wyman supported this idea saying a few Resident Advisors (RA’s) had expressed interest in garden plots. While no decision was made regarding summer garden maintenance the discussion did get the group thinking ahead about summer plans.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">The group also discussed sharing funding among the three gardens. In April the</span><a href="http://gmugarden.wordpress.com/" style="font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Mason Organic Garden</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> received a $5,000 grant from Transurban-Fluor which expired November 1st. Wyman expressed the difficulty she expressed with spending the grant. “It’s hard when you’re used to operating with no money and then you have $5,000 to spend. $5,000 is a lot for one garden.” said Wyman. </span><a href="http://soagreen.blogspot.com/" style="font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">SoA Green </span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">was more than happy to help with spending money. “We don’t have any money. We can definitely use some” said Sananikone. The CDC is also interested in sharing grant money depending on the stipulations from the grant making organization. </span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Lastly the group discussed the name of the</span><a href="http://gmugarden.wordpress.com/" style="font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Mason Organic Garden</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">. Waxman noted that since all three gardens don’t use pesticides or other chemicals they’re all organic and suggested the</span><a href="http://gmugarden.wordpress.com/" style="font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Mason Organic Garden</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> change its name to the Potomac Heights Garden.</span><a href="http://gmugarden.wordpress.com/" style="font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Mason Organic Garden</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> manager, Danielle Wyman and member Nya Jackson agreed. Jackson told Waxman she would get back to him with a final decision after she spoke to fellow garden members and got their approval.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">The Mason Campus Garden Consortium ,which encompasses the three gardens present at the meeting, have agreed to meet again in late February to begin planning for the 2011 growing season. The</span><a href="http://gmugarden.wordpress.com/" style="font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Mason Organic Garden</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> will organize the meeting. In addition to the Mason Campus Garden Consortium, there are other efforts on campus to collaborate and combine efforts. This Monday the</span><a href="http://green.gmu.edu/" style="font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Office of Sustainability</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> is hosting a</span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=103016803102474&index=1" style="font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Sustainability Lunch and Learn</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> to bring Mason students, faculty, and staff together to discuss how to promote sustainability at Mason. If successful the</span><a href="http://green.gmu.edu/" style="font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Office of Sustainability</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> is looking to make it a weekly occurrence. The</span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=103016803102474&index=1" style="font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Sustainability Lunch and Learn</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> will take place in the Paul Robeson Room in the Johnson Center from 12pm-1pm. For more information please contact the</span><a href="http://green.gmu.edu/" style="font-size: medium; "><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Office of Sustainability</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> Outreach Coordinator, Colin Bennett, at </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">cbennet6@gmu.edu</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">For more information about the Mason Campus Garden Consortium please contact Sustainability Projects Specialist, Danielle Wyman, at </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">dwyman@gmu.edu</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12821470282283921727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698558004363672448.post-13780360346813102252010-10-27T12:14:00.002-04:002010-10-27T12:17:59.392-04:00Images From Mountain Justice Fall SummitAll photos by Colin Bennett. To see the piece that accompanies these images, please click <a href="http://masongoesgreen.blogspot.com/2010/10/eag-continues-fight-against-mountaintop.html">here</a>. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhicZ5Yp09IJ1CHw8WP0wdpI4rzm-wCHqKuYsWL-KYvptLHlVRgNhpU154qiPomE9SbE_TB7yY8Xx8FpLlEJECzkntjhngrTKv8_lkoaj5qjYYazVhAxMxugSL0heVaG58D7OEUy6PJxZAI/s400/mtr+on+kayford.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mountaintop removal from a distance</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTcIyP0osHuhw00vsf1VhB52uNsnSZUBtOcUWDijVRsr5swIgQUQPCqCfP1bUwAhYO4Gww0HteO7YLbXvgJwuZDxBpYmiTceSZcu0RhwSb3gAHblMgiLCOxk0OFTqhr1HBHFGd7sdh2yo/s400/mtr-+surveying+the+site.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Surveying a mountaintop removal site on Kayford Mountain</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTcIyP0osHuhw00vsf1VhB52uNsnSZUBtOcUWDijVRsr5swIgQUQPCqCfP1bUwAhYO4Gww0HteO7YLbXvgJwuZDxBpYmiTceSZcu0RhwSb3gAHblMgiLCOxk0OFTqhr1HBHFGd7sdh2yo/s1600/mtr-+surveying+the+site.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEqQpO9NzH9DZteib4eambzpXvojSDTZnG4idb17KBHQtAuMxmbT9c9Fa_ajlphLpDFgaZ9ywaDIgZQQLOHam_m0Glt-ZEN-hTUcqjiUixI0cUNEqf_77r9c2X2eCOmJ883l4JFhfuPWZ0/s400/mtr-+walking+through+the+woods.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marching through the woods</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhicZ5Yp09IJ1CHw8WP0wdpI4rzm-wCHqKuYsWL-KYvptLHlVRgNhpU154qiPomE9SbE_TB7yY8Xx8FpLlEJECzkntjhngrTKv8_lkoaj5qjYYazVhAxMxugSL0heVaG58D7OEUy6PJxZAI/s1600/mtr+on+kayford.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEqQpO9NzH9DZteib4eambzpXvojSDTZnG4idb17KBHQtAuMxmbT9c9Fa_ajlphLpDFgaZ9ywaDIgZQQLOHam_m0Glt-ZEN-hTUcqjiUixI0cUNEqf_77r9c2X2eCOmJ883l4JFhfuPWZ0/s1600/mtr-+walking+through+the+woods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUetQqFSzHZdqB4s1VR4pRNqKj_5yk7Eeb7-vG09TM1a01SkJ2ZJYbYhFBSvnflvIoAIpPSQR0oHRTAjNdvmihBC0cnewOMHSK_7poK2BJSJElBTsEWo9ZZoewQ4tzu2FOhAD6Gs-UAhcD/s400/mtr-+Entering+the+site.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entering the MTR site</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUetQqFSzHZdqB4s1VR4pRNqKj_5yk7Eeb7-vG09TM1a01SkJ2ZJYbYhFBSvnflvIoAIpPSQR0oHRTAjNdvmihBC0cnewOMHSK_7poK2BJSJElBTsEWo9ZZoewQ4tzu2FOhAD6Gs-UAhcD/s1600/mtr-+Entering+the+site.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Johnson at the rally </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhetYzruBqol8-n_ykl2-3L-xdg5_FIUfZx2Ad3oZlpJt4ZhIRjofzBQR7dfHt3Ri0KWJLi6ITJUHXZ6p_3UtXQfXmBu3lCtFGKTLS5DSgpJVe6JzKFdamuh-tzwcOEPUcxvNZYe0Nki3uy/s1600/mtr-+john+at+rally.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiCwsUdblow4i8Jd6__o_aTI6sc129mPg3Oi2xUnB_au6vaCc0E_15PwzCV1hpB9fDXTRFT-_O5_gDy8a1rMVEgNPfRM5V6DFuI2JvWBDFVr3HDyKksZ7GI6HHFNEcMOcfzRapx-zQa9AE/s400/mtr-+On+the+mound.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Planting trees</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiCwsUdblow4i8Jd6__o_aTI6sc129mPg3Oi2xUnB_au6vaCc0E_15PwzCV1hpB9fDXTRFT-_O5_gDy8a1rMVEgNPfRM5V6DFuI2JvWBDFVr3HDyKksZ7GI6HHFNEcMOcfzRapx-zQa9AE/s1600/mtr-+On+the+mound.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8OlLDIL6pGPb7eRjcjKviBGW4FgQCFZITi7ZEtdh0POI17F7knqzMZLk8Wprmg_zeCTCEF5jV_yB3xejbgR0k4fZd0w333iC-_5u-huFDpV3SZvjBPNCW2g7odpUnOoM0rWK2PKoKxMd/s400/mtr-+quit+coal.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quit coal</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8OlLDIL6pGPb7eRjcjKviBGW4FgQCFZITi7ZEtdh0POI17F7knqzMZLk8Wprmg_zeCTCEF5jV_yB3xejbgR0k4fZd0w333iC-_5u-huFDpV3SZvjBPNCW2g7odpUnOoM0rWK2PKoKxMd/s1600/mtr-+quit+coal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnIIN7T6fyp39JhmA-87RTiEmsGouUuzbkXur-tH2melQ6ukHGnG5kJ8fNRI4OhepWhlBs9H-pKO1LrTCEIXllApS1IcIUkv7ksNcYLtttaAhw2TUC6uIleYp1eEQOliYC9Sry2Pnq35m/s400/mtr-+robbie+digging.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="296" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Planting trees</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnIIN7T6fyp39JhmA-87RTiEmsGouUuzbkXur-tH2melQ6ukHGnG5kJ8fNRI4OhepWhlBs9H-pKO1LrTCEIXllApS1IcIUkv7ksNcYLtttaAhw2TUC6uIleYp1eEQOliYC9Sry2Pnq35m/s1600/mtr-+robbie+digging.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwvpAucPV7prY7tSp6OOUoaqv_dxUHRYU-61EEOtscdOWz0ZmNdj5N7SHkyHu6Acgr4KunREg3xNeE1xfcQ0S6v3ML31oa3WEEyoanG6UIoEspNq5KI2iwd_lKR9UC2i7irVjUF-G47fTg/s400/mtr-+walking+down+the+slope.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking onto MTR site</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwvpAucPV7prY7tSp6OOUoaqv_dxUHRYU-61EEOtscdOWz0ZmNdj5N7SHkyHu6Acgr4KunREg3xNeE1xfcQ0S6v3ML31oa3WEEyoanG6UIoEspNq5KI2iwd_lKR9UC2i7irVjUF-G47fTg/s1600/mtr-+walking+down+the+slope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKK1AlXAv_Sm1p2L9x0-IPeZLQqsoOXJ9bsehU7dKO0KzbfxuKlEtSoYpr_ongQCKdXBUUsLntmpc4EZysHEiOc1Ee6V6qUP9NP4gJTQ7UPBTR1J0PKWRzVwsbumFuGFcgLmEwTbAQH_G/s400/mtr-+ken,+mike,+jesse,+larry.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left: Ken Hechler, Mike Roselle, Jesse Johnson, Larry Gibson</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKK1AlXAv_Sm1p2L9x0-IPeZLQqsoOXJ9bsehU7dKO0KzbfxuKlEtSoYpr_ongQCKdXBUUsLntmpc4EZysHEiOc1Ee6V6qUP9NP4gJTQ7UPBTR1J0PKWRzVwsbumFuGFcgLmEwTbAQH_G/s1600/mtr-+ken,+mike,+jesse,+larry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698558004363672448.post-58282284963572431192010-10-27T11:44:00.003-04:002010-10-27T12:23:19.938-04:00EAG Continues Fight Against Mountaintop Removal- Two Students Risk Arrest in West Virginia<span id="internal-source-marker_0.7038617373582322" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This past weekend seven people from Mason traveled to Kayford Mountain in southern West Virginia to attend the annual Mountain Justice Fall Summit. Mountain Justice Fall Summit is an anti-mountaintop removal event designed, according to its description, to give participants the chance to, “Stand up for the mountains and future of Appalachia.” This was the third consecutive year that Mason students attended the event. Two people from the Mason group, Allison Rutledge and Robbie Krieger, were among several dozen individuals that risked arrest by participating in direct action. Specifically, they trespassed on a mountaintop removal site to plant trees as a form of symbolic protest.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The three day event featured educational components including workshops, panel discussions, movie showings, and site tours of an active mountaintop removal site. It also included camping and live bluegrass music. “The festive air of music, campfire, and the really friendly people reminded me of the church mission trips I took every summer in high school,” said Mason student Krieger, “you always walk away fulfilled.” The week’s activities culminated with a rally and more direct action activities.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Speakers at the rally included Larry Gibson, a well-known, long-time mountaintop removal opponent; Mike Roselle, co-founder of Earth First!; Jesse Johnson, Mountain Party candidate for U.S. Senate in West Virginia; and Ken Hechler, former secretary of state and Congressperson from West Virginia. Many people in attendance cheered loudly when Hechler, a longtime opponent of mountaintop removal, proudly proclaimed, “I may be 96 but there’s a fire in my belly. I’m here to help save these beautiful mountains of West Virginia and put people back to work doing useful things.”</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ce Garrison, one of the Mason students who traveled to West Virginia, said, “I attended the event because I wanted to know what the people of West Virginia are going through. I wanted a chance to see firsthand what I had been fighting against for the past year.” She saw MTR sites before this one, but she was particularly moved by a panel discussion featuring coalfield residents, “The people were so open and honest about their situations, and it was heartbreaking. I cannot imagine having to get permission [from a coal company] to visit my loved one's grave sites.”</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Now that the summit’s over, Garrison proclaimed she is more motivated than ever to end MTR and help the coal field residents. “Larry Gibson and the others were such an inspiration to me and I want to help them find a place in the world where their homes are safe from destruction and their bodies safe from poison. I want to find an alternative for people in West Virginia to work that won't have them choosing between their families and their jobs.”</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Krieger feels as though he now has an idea of what the people in Appalachia are dealing with. He grew up in a log cabin where as a child he played with his friends. When he was 15 the area, “was ransacked in favor of multi-million dollar McMansions.” He feels that after this experience he knows, “what it’s like to lose precious property.” Partly as a result of that he was one of the approximately 35 people to risk arrest by planting trees on the site. “At first I was nervous about the action's uncertainty, but after talking with like-minded people I felt I should go out and fight the good fight with my comrades.”</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Emily Miles, another Mason student, said her favorite part of the event was, “seeing my friends bravely walking onto the reclamation site and being there to support them.” She feels the event was a symbolic action, “in which [we] are taking back the mountains and doing the job that the big coal companies are legally required to do, restore the ecosystems of the mountains, but don't.” She concluded, “I thought the action was a great way to involve a large group of people that want to abolish mountaintop removal.”</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In addition to planting trees, several attendees unfurled a banner at the site stating, “Reclamation FAIL,” in reference to what opponents of mountaintop removal say is a refusal of coal companies to put sufficient effort into attempting to repair the ecosystems that they have destroyed. Although security for the coal company arrived on scene and called the police, ultimately no arrests were made. Now that it’s over Krieger says, “though it was a long few days, West Virginia residents and their families are going to continue to be threatened by these hungry firms every single day. Now I just want to keep the fire burning and keep the message alive.”</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">To see more pictures from the event, click <a href="http://masongoesgreen.blogspot.com/2010/10/images-from-mountain-justice-fall.html">here</a>. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVRa2g6h753oB5CVIATDzRxyMQwI4qw1jTPX8vcfGuuB_JqfdxmRds8AddECYTTQvJ6_I6XmlFjINJ73_tcYypq26TjZAunDbD_caHFEtXqSPfovTLUn2Pnj5XBds-E9rAUV52zM2u4T4/s400/Entering+the+site.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Protesters trespassing on coal company property to plant trees. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVRa2g6h753oB5CVIATDzRxyMQwI4qw1jTPX8vcfGuuB_JqfdxmRds8AddECYTTQvJ6_I6XmlFjINJ73_tcYypq26TjZAunDbD_caHFEtXqSPfovTLUn2Pnj5XBds-E9rAUV52zM2u4T4/s1600/Entering+the+site.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Editor’s Note: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This trip was part of Mason students’ active campaign to help abolish mountaintop removal. Their previous actions include </span><a href="http://masongoesgreen.blogspot.com/2010/04/environmental-film-festival-success.html"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">raising awareness</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> about the issue on campus, </span><a href="http://masongoesgreen.blogspot.com/2010/08/epa-holds-first-public-hearing-on-coal.html"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">t</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">estifying at a recent EPA hearing</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> on coal-ash disposal, </span><a href="http://masongoesgreen.blogspot.com/2010/03/mason-students-support-historic_03.html"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">lobbying at the state capital</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">in Richmond, </span><a href="http://masongoesgreen.blogspot.com/2010/10/mountaintop-removal-students-rally-to.html"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">attending Appalachia Rising</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> in Washington D.C., and participating in civil disobedience at the</span><a href="http://masongoesgreen.blogspot.com/2010/09/mason-students-risk-freedom-to-end.html"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">White House</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and at the </span><a href="http://masongoesgreen.blogspot.com/2010/07/three-mason-students-join-others-in.html"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">EPA Headquarters</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. On Monday, the EAG </span><a href="http://masongoesgreen.blogspot.com/2010/10/mountain-justice-comes-to-mason.html"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">cosponsored an event</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> featuring, Tricia Shapiro, the author of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">the</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> just-published</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> book </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mountain Justice: Homegrown Resistance to Mountaintop Removal, For the Future of Us All</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">" to continue to bring attention to the issue. More events and activities will be taking place throughout the end of the semester and into next year; announcements will be made as they become available. Stay tuned for a video companion piece to this which will posted soon.</span>GMU Environmental Action Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15018307995325763043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698558004363672448.post-7715340685472614202010-10-21T23:08:00.005-04:002010-10-21T23:19:27.268-04:00Mountain Justice Comes to Mason<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" id="internal-source-marker_0.922749337104607">Next Monday, October 25th, the GMU Environmental Action Group (EAG) and Mason’s Office of Sustainability </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=139807909400389"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">will be hosting Tricia Shapiro</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, author of the just-published book "</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mountain Justice: Homegrown Resistance to Mountaintop Removal, For the Future of Us All</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">" at Mason. Tricia Shapiro has been covering anti-mountaintop removal activism as an “embedded freelance writer” since 2004. Her discussion will be in Meeting Room B of the Johnson Center at 7:30 p.m. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This event, which is sponsored by </span><a href="http://campusprogress.com/"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Campus Progress</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, is part of Mason students’ active campaign to help abolish mountaintop removal. Their actions previous include </span><a href="http://masongoesgreen.blogspot.com/2010/04/environmental-film-festival-success.html"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">raising awareness</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> about the issue on campus, </span><a href="http://masongoesgreen.blogspot.com/2010/08/epa-holds-first-public-hearing-on-coal.html"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">testifying at a recent EPA hearing</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> on coal-ash disposal, </span><a href="http://masongoesgreen.blogspot.com/2010/03/mason-students-support-historic_03.html"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">lobbying at the state capital </span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">in Richmond, </span><a href="http://masongoesgreen.blogspot.com/2010/10/mountaintop-removal-students-rally-to.html"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">attending Appalachia Rising</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> in Washington D.C., and participating in civil disobedience at the </span><a href="http://masongoesgreen.blogspot.com/2010/09/mason-students-risk-freedom-to-end.html"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">White House</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and at the </span><a href="http://masongoesgreen.blogspot.com/2010/07/three-mason-students-join-others-in.html"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">EPA Headquarters</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. This weekend the EAG will be attending the </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=139807909400389"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">2010 Mountain Justice Fall Summit</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> on Kayford Mountain in West Virginia which, according to event planners “will build on the momentum of Appalachia Rising”.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jason Von Kundra, co-chair of Mason's Environmental Action Group hopes this event will lead to more than increased awareness, "helping to end mountaintop removal has been one of our priorities for a long time and we are gaining momentum. I'm hoping that people come to this event get inspired to take action. As students, we have tremendous potential to make change," he concluded, "as more people at Mason learn about the issue, they inevitably feel compelled to do something about it."</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Don Vanstory, a senior at Mason, has attended previous EAG events focused on mountaintop removal including the film screening of </span><a href="http://www.coalcountrythemovie.com/"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Coal Country</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. Don believes mountaintop removal is an example of “corporate elite’s greed triumphing the concerns of Appalachian residents”. Don admits he doesn’t know a lot about the topic but hopes the Tricia Shapiro event will teach him more about the issue.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ms. Shapiro will be leading a free discussion on mountaintop removal, which is open to the public, describing the experiences of Appalachian residents living in communities effected by mountaintop removal, and recent efforts to end the devastating form of strip-mining including Appalachian Rising and Mountain Justice Fall Summit. She will also discuss her experiences with the Mountain Justice and Climate Ground Zero organizations while writing the book.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">While Ms. Shapiro has been active in the fight to abolish mountaintop removal, her new book focuses on the accounts of other participants rather than her own experiences. According to Steve Fisher, editor of </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Fighting Back in Appalachia: Traditions of Resistance and Change</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, “Shapiro allows the participants in this battle to speak for themselves about their motivations, hopes, and fears. And it is from these voices that we come to understand that their fight is our fight too.”</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Colin Bennett, Mason's Sustainability Outreach Coordinator is thrilled that Ms. Shapiro will be speaking at Mason, "mountaintop removal is an issue of growing concern among the Mason community, especially Mason students. Everyday more people are realizing exactly where much of our electricity comes from- coal obtained by blowing up mountains which destroys communities throughout Appalachia, including right here in Virginia. Having Ms. Shapiro at Mason, a person so obviously knowledgeable about mountaintop removal, will certainly raise awareness about the issue.”</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />The <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">book, Mountain Justice, is available from</span><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;font-size:12pt;color:transparent;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Justice-Homegrown-Resistance-Mountaintop/dp/184935023X/">Amazon.</a>...<br /></span><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVmsxPQOEGgbxnhNHDKdNncE5hPS2UR5rSRTXLroGJJ48riykf65Jtd7tl3cGBc6e82BiUXvif8hP80GzrJet3DPPNS_yv0olSsauSvosOV5qc3upV__7qqM9pHdsjc3PdFH9ripOEO4/s1600/33539_636208077207_45602945_35778809_5182303_n.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVmsxPQOEGgbxnhNHDKdNncE5hPS2UR5rSRTXLroGJJ48riykf65Jtd7tl3cGBc6e82BiUXvif8hP80GzrJet3DPPNS_yv0olSsauSvosOV5qc3upV__7qqM9pHdsjc3PdFH9ripOEO4/s320/33539_636208077207_45602945_35778809_5182303_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530703520914140866" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;font-size:12pt;color:transparent;" ><br /></span><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:transparent;" ><br /></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Justice-Homegrown-Resistance-Mountaintop/dp/184935023X/"><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:transparent;" ></span></a>GMU Environmental Action Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15018307995325763043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698558004363672448.post-40367993528101986182010-10-20T22:44:00.003-04:002010-10-20T23:13:33.828-04:00Is Mason America's Most Vegan-Friendly School? Not According to PETA.Perhaps you missed it (most people did) but Mason was recently competing in <a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Ffeatures.peta2.com%2FVeganColleges2010%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFnP40jBIsrTKwE-av5w6-WuJievw">PETA2’s Most Vegan Friendly College competition</a>. The contest’s blink-and-you-missed-it first round ended yesterday and Mason was knocked out by our perennial rivals: UMD. The news here isn’t that we lost, it’s that we were even competing at all. Ask any vegan at Mason how they feel about their food choices on campus and you’ll most likely get a barrage of complaints against Sodexo and Mason Dining and the lack of vegan options at Mason.<br /><br />The contest, which started in 2006, works like this: schools are put into one of three categories- small colleges, large colleges, or colleges in Canada. In both the small and large college categories, 32 schools are divided into eastern and western divisions and pitted against each other in pairs. Each school is supposed to get its fans to go the website and vote for it. Mason was put into the large college category in the eastern division, head-to-head with UMD. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Terps won. In some of the other match-ups, NYU beat Cornell, BU bested UConn, and the University of Florida topped VCU. UMD now faces off against Towson in round two.<br /><br />Luckily, Mason’s populace hasn’t been hoodwinked into showing school pride where it doesn’t deserve it. The profile of GMU on PETA2’s website claims, “Prospective students wanting to be within a stone's throw of the U.S. capital and within arm's reach of delicious vegan food—look no further. Within the past year, GMU has really kicked its vegan offerings into high gear, in direct response to negotiations and discussions with students.” It even goes so far as to say, “it's easy to see why GMU has been called the number one up-and-coming university in the U.S.!” To many vegans, this seems like a slap in the face. According to oft-quoted co-chair of Mason’s Environmental Action Group Jason Von Kundra, “There are no good vegan options on campus and there is hardly any ingredient transparency at most dining locations. I, along with several other vegans at GMU, get all of our food outside of campus because it's so bad.”<br /><br />While it would be nice to to actually be a vegan-friendly school, Mason still has a long way to. To have received recognition this year, even by simply making it out of the first round, would have been a step in the wrong direction as it would have allowed Sodexo to pat itself on the back for the few paltry measures they have implemented. Hopefully by next year, with the help of the Environmental Action Group and other concerned students, Mason will have something to be proud of in terms of its dining options. The EAG <a href="http://masongoesgreen.blogspot.com/2010/10/more-sustainable-foods-at-mason.html">is currently pushing Sodexo </a>and Mason Dining to adopt sustainable food practices, including offering more vegan and vegetarian options. The EAG is even demanding an all vegan/vegetarian eating establishment on the Fairfax campus. That would go a long way toward giving Mason something to be proud of.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Editors Note:</span> When asked for the specific results of the competition, a representative from PETA2 refused to provide numbers beyond saying that last year, “more than 20,000 votes were cast in the competition.” It remains unclear as to how many people actually voted or how many votes Mason received.GMU Environmental Action Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15018307995325763043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698558004363672448.post-43224046493379698572010-10-18T18:28:00.005-04:002010-10-18T18:59:21.286-04:00More Sustainable Foods at MasonLast Thursday the Environmental Action Group’s Sustainable Foods Working Group met with Mason Dining Services senior administration to discuss the use of more local, sustainable foods in Mason dining facilities. The group met with Sodexo Resident District Manager Denise Ammaccapane, Executive Campus Chef Peter Schoebel, and Mason Dining’s Dietian Lois Durant. The student lead group consisted of Environmental Action Group members Darius Salimi and Jason Von Kundra, GMU Organic Garden Association member Nya Jackson, and Sustainability Projects Specialist Danielle Wyman. The delegation claimed to be representing over three hundred and fifty members of the Environmental Action Group.<br /><br />The largest concern of the student lead delegation was the lack of local, organic produce in Mason’s dining services. Executive Campus Chef Peter Schoebel responded to student concerns by stating that he does use local produce, when available, but “we [the students] just don’t know it”. Keany Produce Company, Mason’s produce provider, provides local fruits and vegetables by default when they are available. Due to Schoebel’s time limitations he stated that “I don’t have the time to go through the produce order list and create labels for which food is local”. The Sustainable Food Working Group will be working with two service learners, appointed to work with Dining Services, to assist with creating local food labels to be prominently displayed at Mason Dining facilities to make the Mason community aware of which foods and ingredients are being sourced locally. Denise Ammaccapane, Sodexo Resident District Manager, has also volunteered her marketing student interns, to help with designing labels for locally sourced produce. <br /><br />Signs for locally sourced produce wasn’t the only labeling issue discussed at the meeting. Environmental Action Group Co-chair, Jason Von Kundra, who is a vegan, expressed his discontent with the prominent labeling of vegan dishes at Southside. Currently, there is a binder with the list of ingredients that are present in dishes but Von Kundra doesn’t think this current system of labeling is convenient. “The list of ingredients should be directly in front of the dishes they correspond to not over in a corner somewhere” said Von Kundra. The Sustainable Foods Working Group also wasn’t satisfied with the current symbols used to identify gluten free dishes, and dishes containing soy, dairy, peanuts, and other ingredients students might possibly be allergic to. The student group will be working with Mason Dining’s Dietian Lois Durant, who is directly employed by Sodexo, to improve the allergy symbols used. Schoebel also claims to be working with Mason’s IT department to fix the labeling glitches. <br /><br />The conversion of George’s to a vegetarian restaurant was also discussed during the meeting. Ammacaccapane said converting George’s to a vegetarian restaurant had been discussed in the past but there wasn’t enough support for the restaurant. Salimi expressed the need for a vegetarian restaurant on campus. “It’s crazy that I pay $9 to get into Southside to eat without a meal plan and only have one or two vegetarian options available to me. I want the same number of food options as non vegetarians” said Salimi. Ammacaccapane, Schobel, and Durant seemed open to the idea but asked for more information from the student group including where they would like to have a vegetarian restaurant on campus, what the menu and staffing would look like, and what students are willing to pay for a meal. Schoebel volunteered to do a cost analysis of a vegetarian restaurant to see if it is feasible. <br /><br />Lastly the group discussed the use of garden produce in Southside. Last month the Organic Garden Association donated over 10 pounds of basil to Southside for them to use for their menu that day. The basil wasn’t used in the menu that day. Schobel stated that if the produce from the garden is to be used in Southside he needs advance notice of produce available from the garden that he can use in the next week or two. He also suggested that the Organic Garden Association consider using the garden produce in other dining facilities that have more flexibility in their menus since they are dealing with a lesser volume of customers. <br /><br />The group will be meeting again in two weeks to discuss their progress and further areas where they can work together. Some members of the Sustainable Foods Working Group seemed optimistic after their meeting. Danielle Wyman, Office of Sustainability Projects Specialist, expressed her excitement after the meeting. “I feel very excited and encouraged that Sodexo seems ready to really move forward with what we all are asking for!” Others have chosen to wait until after some results have been seen to call the meeting a success. Von Kundra of the EAG had this to add. “At the 2010 Longwood Sustainability Conference I was impressed with all the sustainable initiatives Aramark, one of Sodexo’s biggest competitors, is doing at Longwood University. I was even more impressed when I learned that Longwood does not have any environmental group. At GMU, our environmental group has presented the issue and the ball is the hands of Mason Dining and Sodexo to make changes here on campus. I can’t consider [the meeting] a success until we see some changes made.”<br /><br />If you are interested in learning more about the Sustainable Foods Campaign please contact the Environmental Action Group at gmueag@gmail.comGMU Environmental Action Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15018307995325763043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698558004363672448.post-77172710036483376242010-10-13T19:06:00.004-04:002010-10-13T19:13:26.946-04:00Exciting Gardening Events This WeekendBy Nya Jackson, Senior Staff Writer<br /><br />This weekend GMU’s Organic Garden Association (GOGA) will be celebrating the season with two exciting garden-themed events. On Saturday October 16th the group will be hosting a permaculture workshop from 10am-4pm in Research Building 1, Room 161. On Sunday October 17th from 4:30pm-8pm they will be hosting their first-ever Fall Harvest Festival in the Art and Design Building.<br /><br />In an effort to teach the Mason community about sustainable agriculture GOGA is offering a permaculture workshop lead by expert Cassa Von Kundra. Permaculture is an approach to gardening that designs agriculture systems that minimize work, turns “wastes” into resources, increases productivity and yields, and restores natural environments.<br /><br />Danielle Wyman, Sustainability Projects Specialist in Mason’s Office of Sustainability expressed her excitement about the upcoming workshop. “I am really looking forward to Mason's first-ever permaculture workshop! This will truly give Mason's community a full-circle understanding of the pillars and practical applications of sustainable agriculture." The workshop will include a discussion about sustainable agriculture lead by Von Kundra and a hands-on component to give participants a chance to get their hands dirty. If you are interested in attending this free event please register at <a href="http://tinyurl.com/gmu-permaculture-workshop">http://tinyurl.com/gmu-permaculture-workshop</a>. Lunch will be provided to event attendees.<br /><br />To celebrate its fall harvest the Organic Garden Association will host its first ever Fall Harvest Festival on Sunday. The festival will feature dishes prepared by Mason’s own Café-GMU made from fresh produce from the garden. There will also be live music and a garden tour at 5pm. The extra food harvested from the garden this fall will be donated to Food for Others.<br /><br />Amanda Wall, GOGA President, is excited about having this informal partnership with Food for Others.“ The garden crew and Food for Others both have similar missions of providing our community with nutritional food during their time of need. The garden crew is excited to be able to donate fresh food to go with the other food given to clients”. In addition to the food the Organic Garden Association is donating from their fall harvest they are asking those who attend the event to bring a can of food to donate to Food for Others. A representative from Food for Others will be at the event to collect the donations. If you are interested in attending this event the Organic Garden Association is asking everyone to register at <a href="http://tinyurl.com/gmu-harvest-fest">http://tinyurl.com/gmu-harvest-fest</a>. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhat2yTsbXv8-LHkeZunMJx-YDnWfLjwE23_bdNn5KI5i-vBMl4LzsYuL66aGcLk-PoPz0K-cnIKGThAucIinvxpPJzPTjS9331i9r98s6q7v-oLQUijacfYSQToMgcw3Mryno_zlSTWY4/s1600/61752_286757474978_508029978_1087475_2155065_n.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhat2yTsbXv8-LHkeZunMJx-YDnWfLjwE23_bdNn5KI5i-vBMl4LzsYuL66aGcLk-PoPz0K-cnIKGThAucIinvxpPJzPTjS9331i9r98s6q7v-oLQUijacfYSQToMgcw3Mryno_zlSTWY4/s320/61752_286757474978_508029978_1087475_2155065_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527672319130679746" /></a>GMU Environmental Action Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15018307995325763043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698558004363672448.post-9967728035078444742010-10-05T23:52:00.007-04:002010-10-05T23:59:06.573-04:00Mason to Visit Appalachia<span id="internal-source-marker_0.38680585528535194" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This weekend people from Mason will be joining other folks from the Capitol region on a trip to central Appalachia. Specifically they will be traveling to </span><a href="http://mountainkeeper.blogspot.com/p/about.html"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Kayford, West Virginia</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, in the heart of the Appalachian coalfields. The purpose of the trip is twofold: to learn about and see the devastation caused by mountaintop removal firsthand and to celebrate Appalachian culture that is under siege from it. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The plan is to travel west on Friday afternoon, stopping at the </span><a href="http://littlegrillcollective.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Little Grill Collective</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> in Harrisonburg for dinner. From there, the group will head into West Virginia and camp on Friday night. Saturday morning they will tour mountaintop removal sites and hear stories from coalfield residents that have been directly impacted by it. Saturday afternoon and evening will be spent at the </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=154406827911384"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Changing of the Leaves Festival</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> on Kayford Mountain. The event, hosted by well-known anti-mountaintop removal crusader Larry Gibson, promises live music, a potluck dinner, and new friendships. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">According to the website for </span><a href="http://mountainkeeper.blogspot.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Keepers of the Mountains Foundation</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Larry’s family has been living on Kayford mountain since the 1700's. Coal companies began stripping the mountain in 1986 and Larry has been fighting for his land ever since. Mason’s Environmental Action Group has been active in the struggle against mountaintop removal, educating the Mason community about the </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">On Sunday morning the group will head back to suburbia but not before stopping at Virginia Safari Park for some fun with animals.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">All-in-all, the weekend promises to be a great time for all that attend. Although this is not an official Mason trip, anyone interested in attending is encouraged to send an email to </span><a href="mailto:gmueag@gmail.com"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">gmueag@gmail.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> for more information or check out the Facebook event: </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=119787218077025"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Awesome Appalachia Weekend</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. For people that would like to learn more about mountaintop removal and how to join the fight against it but already have plans for this weekend, there is another, similar event on October 22nd through 24th also on Kayford Mountain: </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=149003438474054"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Mountain Justice Fall Summit</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. Mason will definitely have a presence at this event as well so be on the lookout for more information which will be coming soon.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">See a video of Larry Gibson from the recent Voices of the Mountains conference (which was part of <a href="http://appalachiarising.org/">Appalachia Rising</a>): </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TQcwE436kmY?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TQcwE436kmY?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object> </span>GMU Environmental Action Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15018307995325763043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698558004363672448.post-22248496925291997792010-10-05T10:07:00.003-04:002010-10-05T14:58:31.128-04:00Obama Does the Right Thing: Solar Power to Return to White House<span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;color:transparent;" >Ea</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Early Tuesday morning news broke that solar power will be returning to the White House. According to the AP, the panels will provide both hot water and electricity for the most famous residence in the country. This is good news for environmentalists and clean energy advocates that have been pushing Obama to reinstall the solar panels that were put on the White House by Jimmy Carter and subsequently taken down by Reagan. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Last month, organizers led by environmental author and activist Bill McKibben (who spoke at this year’s Fall for the Book) brought one of the original panels that graced the White House roof some 30 years ago to Washington with the request that Obama led the way in creating a clean energy economy by reinstalling the panel. At the time, officials from the White House denied the request. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This news comes on the heels of an announcement made last week by the White House that, “a company called BrightSource plans to break ground this month on a new, revolutionary type of solar power plant [in California]. This will put about 1,000 people to work building the facility. And once completed, it will power up to 140,000 homes, making it the largest such plant in the world.” Obama takes credit for this step toward creating a clean energy economy claiming that his administration’s clean energy incentives made this project possible. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The AP reports that “the plans will be formally announced later Tuesday by White House Council on Environmental Quality Chairwoman Nancy Sutley and Energy Secretary Steven Chu."<br /><br />See a video of the announcement: </span><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;color:transparent;" > See"<br />See<br />r</span><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;color:transparent;" ><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZCDwffQcMdo?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZCDwffQcMdo?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br /></span>GMU Environmental Action Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15018307995325763043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698558004363672448.post-62490483872482125592010-10-04T18:35:00.008-04:002010-10-04T18:46:01.489-04:00Mountaintop removal: Students rally to help Appalachia<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> 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mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="c0" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;"><span class="c1" style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:black;">By Holly Smucker</span></span></p><p class="c0" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><p class="c0" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span class="c1" style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:black;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The piece originally appeared in Broadside, George Mason University's student newspaper, on Monday, October 4, 2010. </span><br /></span></span></p><p class="c0" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span class="c1" style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:black;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="c0" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span class="c1" style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:black;">On Monday, September 27th more than 2,000 people from all over the nation gathered in Washington, DC to protest mountaintop removal in a movement called Appalachia Rising. Preceding Monday’s events there was a two-day conference held at Georgetown University consisting of workshops, speakers, and live music preparing participants for the day of action. Several Mason students from the Environmental Action Group attended the conference and march. Three students, Emily Miles, Jason Von Kundra, and myself, along with more than 100 other people got arrested while trying to bring attention to the issue.</span></span></p><p class="c0" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <p class="c0" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span class="c1" style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:black;"> </span></span></p> <p class="c0" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span class="c1" style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:black;">Occurring specifically in the Appalachian Mountains, mountaintop removal (MTR) is an extremely destructive form of strip mining</span></span><span class="c1" style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:black;"> where coal companies clear-cut the forests on mountaintops then blow them up with explosives to get to the coal that lies underneath. The solid debris from this is then dumped into the valleys burying the forest and streams. The liquid waste from coal washing is stored in slurry impoundments which contain heavy metals that are toxic to human health. These impoundments have frequently leaked into the streams and into ground water, harming and depleting the indigenous species. Since many of the residents of Appalachia depend on wells for their drinking water, families throughout the region can’t drink the water from their taps. Many people have died, or have been become extremely ill from the combination of polluted water and coal ash disposal.</span></span></p><p class="c0" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <p class="c0" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span class="c1" style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:black;"> </span></span></p> <p class="c0" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span class="c1" style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:black;">Several different workshops were offered at the conference over the weekend, including sessions on coal ash, climate change, post-mined lan</span></span><span class="c1" style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:black;">d use, and mono-economies. Unable to attend them all, I chose to attend sessions on natural gas hydrofracking, direct action, and non-violence trainings. In the hydrofracking session we discussed what it is, how it’s done, and the effects it has on the environment. Hydraulic fracturing is a process of fracturing rock in order to release the natural gas within the shale formation. While not directly related to MTR, natural gas hydrofracking is still an environmental crisis because it too contaminates ground water. In the other two sessions we debated on what the best form of direct action is and were shown how to act when encountering the police during Monday’s protest.</span></span></p><p class="c0" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <p class="c0" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span class="c1" style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:black;"> </span></span></p> <p class="c0" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span class="c1" style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:black;">At the protest I was joined by a vast array of people coming from all over the US and even Canada. Many residents from the Appal</span></span><span class="c1" style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:black;">achian Mountains spoke to us about their first-hand experiences with MTR and lead the march to the White House. Starting at Freedom Plaza, we marched through the streets of DC to the Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters where we demanded they “do their job” by enforcing the Clean Water Act. Next we stopped and chanted outside PNC Bank because they fund MTR projects. The march ended at Lafayette Park where several Appalachian residents spoke a few last encouraging words before those who chose to risk arrest headed toward the White House.</span></span></p><p class="c0" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <p class="c0" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span class="c1" style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:black;"> </span></span></p> <p class="c0" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-family:arial;"><span class="apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:black;">My friends, Lianne Roe and Allison Rutledge, who are also Mason students that participated in</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:black;"> </span></span><span class="yiv901096613yiv1402129044yshortcuts" style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:black;">Appalachia</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:black;"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:black;">Rising, were there supporting</span></span><span class="apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:black;"> me at the</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:black;"> </span></span><span class="yiv901096613yiv1402129044yshortcuts" style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:black;">White House</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:black;"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:black;">on the other side of the police tape.</span></span><span class="c1" style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:black;"> Deeply concerned about MTR, Lianne told me, “I was willing to participate for three entire days and in the rain because I love the mountains. My family is from the region and we're at risk health-wise due to valley fills and sub-standard coal ash disposal practices. It simply isn't right that the most bio-diverse, beautiful, and environmentally essential places in our country are being destroyed.” Allison, also very passionate about the issue, asserts “There are people out there who don't have clean drinking water because of it [MTR]. More than 500 mountains have already been obliterated and over 2,000 miles of streams have been buried forever. This has to be stopped and it’s why I to continue the fight.”</span></span></p> <p class="c0" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" class="c1" ><span style="color:black;"> </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" class="c1" ><span style="color:black;">Helping to end mountaintop removal is one of the Environmental Action Group’s priorities this year. They will be taking several trips to Appalachia in October to see the devastation caused by MTR first-hand. To learn more or to get involved, send an email to</span></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" class="apple-converted-space" ><span style="color:black;"> </span></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" class="c3" ><u><span style=""><a href="mailto:gmueag@gmail.com">gmueag@gmail.com</a></span></u></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" class="apple-converted-space" ><span style="color:black;"> </span></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" class="c1" ><span style="color:black;">or visit </span></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" class="c3" ><u><span style=""><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gmu.edu%2Forg%2Fenvironment&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHbBwRKqaiifHnacS0KupVoGtz4IA">www.gmu.edu/org/environment</a></span></u></span></p><p class="c0" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" class="c3" ><u><span style=""><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gmu.edu%2Forg%2Fenvironment&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHbBwRKqaiifHnacS0KupVoGtz4IA"><br /></a></span></u></span></p><p class="c0" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Over 100 people got arrested at the White House for protesting against mountaintop removal.</span><br /></span></p><p class="c0" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrBE4iTZBz7i3W8I1J2YgGdB6LQGVz2tA-1-pyEAuC93YwGZOIJjI_D9Kcs1mxW62k_9t5bcuUK8FwtbuTo2WFBIp3-k4a-f1uhz-DEc8xXySazlbk-f2N81cNTOyM0d_7Qp39UM5kQoo/s1600/Arrestees.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrBE4iTZBz7i3W8I1J2YgGdB6LQGVz2tA-1-pyEAuC93YwGZOIJjI_D9Kcs1mxW62k_9t5bcuUK8FwtbuTo2WFBIp3-k4a-f1uhz-DEc8xXySazlbk-f2N81cNTOyM0d_7Qp39UM5kQoo/s320/Arrestees.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524325255560078530" border="0" /></a></span></p><p class="c0" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Photo copyright Lauren Peery</span><br /></p>GMU Environmental Action Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15018307995325763043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698558004363672448.post-89924572782246967402010-09-28T21:57:00.009-04:002011-09-11T18:19:56.452-04:00Mason Students Risk Freedom to End Mountaintop Removal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="c1"><span class="c0">For the past three days members of Mason’s Environmental Action Group attended </span><span class="c3"><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fappalachiarising.org%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFVnyBGBtU34qJYbVcMmv7xzSi8jg">Appalachia Rising</a></span><span class="c0">, an event designed to galvanize people in the fight against mountaintop removal. According to the event’s organizers it was “an unprecedented gathering of Appalachian people and their allies in the movement to abolish all forms of surface mining”. The weekend featured workshops, speakers, and live music all focused on ending the environmental and human health catastrophe that is mountaintop removal coal mining</span></div><div class="c1"><span class="c0"> </span></div><div class="c1"><span class="c0">The event culminated on Monday with a rally, march around downtown D.C., and a protest at the White House with more than 2000 people, including a contingent from the EAG. In order to bring attention to the issue, over 100 people intentionally got arrested for non-violent, civil disobedience, including three Mason students.<br />
</span></div><div class="c1"><span class="c0"> </span></div><div class="c1"><span class="c0">Holly Smucker, a first-year music education major was one of those that got arrested. According to Smucker, “Mountaintop Removal is an awful practice that is not only destroying the mountains, but polluting the water and killing the citizens of Appalachia. Our message yesterday to the EPA and to Obama needed to be voiced loud and clear: we weren’t going to move until they abolished mountaintop removal. In fact, if they hadn’t arrested us we might have still been out there square dancing and chanting.”<br />
</span></div><div class="c1"><span class="c0"> </span></div><div class="c1"><span class="c0">Allison Rutledge attended all three days of Appalachia Rising but did not get arrested on Monday. That said, she is equally passionate about the issue, “Mountaintop removal is an extremely destructive and devastating practice. It not only destroys mountains but entire communities as well. There are people out there who don't have clean drinking water because of it. More than 500 mountains have already been obliterated and over 2000 miles of streams have been buried forever. This has to be stopped and it’s why I to continue the fight.”<br />
</span></div><div class="c1"><span class="c0">See photos from the protest below.</span></div><div class="c1"><span class="c0"> </span></div><div class="c1" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="c0 c2">Check out more coverage of the rally and protest:</span></div><div class="c1"><span class="c0"> </span></div><div class="c1"><span class="c0">NPR</span></div><div class="c1"><span class="c3"><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2Ftemplates%2Fstory%2Fstory.php%3FstoryId%3D130173751&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFuv9ohvLfqYU5wuQ51mI4WjN2MFw">http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130173751</a></span></div><div class="c1"><span class="c0"> </span></div><div class="c1"><span class="c0">CNN</span></div><div class="c1"><span class="c3"><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2010%2FPOLITICS%2F09%2F27%2Fwhite.house.protest%2Findex.html&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFaKl0zeMPxw_TdLHTz9ZhEMMWLOg">http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/09/27/white.house.protest/index.html</a></span></div><div class="c1"><span class="c0"> </span></div><div class="c1"><span class="c4">Washington Post</span></div><div class="c1"><span class="c3"><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fwp-dyn%2Fcontent%2Farticle%2F2010%2F09%2F27%2FAR2010092702615.html&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEbeLGFDeIFMbsqTAFaLYIgg8q40g">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/27/AR2010092702615.html</a></span></div><div class="c1"><span class="c0"> </span></div><div class="c1"><span class="c0">WYMT Television </span></div><div class="c1"><span class="c3"><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wkyt.com%2Fwymtnews%2Fheadlines%2F103889689.html&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFmbnAD5H8Ofkzb1B5kkSWG_7WAXw">http://www.wkyt.com/wymtnews/headlines/103889689.html</a></span></div><div class="c1"><span class="c0"> </span></div><div class="c1" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="c0 c2">Learn more about mountaintop removal and what you can do to help:</span></div><div class="c1"><span class="c3"><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ilovemountains.org%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEovH01nQW-uboAVzKO6fYDvwdwnQ">http://www.ilovemountains.org/</a></span></div><div class="c1"><span class="c0"> </span></div><div class="c1" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="c0 c2">Join the EAG in their efforts to end mountaintop removal and other environmental initiatives: </span></div><div class="c1"><span class="c3"><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gmu.edu%2Forg%2Fenvironment%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHO-9ej1v3dzFiHguE4TUwKp08W6g">http://www.gmu.edu/org/environment/</a></span></div><br />
All photos copyright Lauren Peery.<br />
<div class="c1"><span class="c0"> </span></div><div class="c1"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIrnpaNa0_HY1rrrjFUCXz-O5iFZM1g9dBFe5pHhA9Wcy-q263uSsjOzvhsnwwnjLgw3hSviaImJhFF4rzzVHPzox_qG41JjVpvBboPRWWf987LkFjIT02d7bqgX8_d9pGJQuc2kEf3v4/s1600/Holly+Smucker.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522148850499380338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIrnpaNa0_HY1rrrjFUCXz-O5iFZM1g9dBFe5pHhA9Wcy-q263uSsjOzvhsnwwnjLgw3hSviaImJhFF4rzzVHPzox_qG41JjVpvBboPRWWf987LkFjIT02d7bqgX8_d9pGJQuc2kEf3v4/s320/Holly+Smucker.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 214px; width: 320px;" /></a></div><div class="c1">Holly Smucker</div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CKCv9i3i08VY2OZbTRHTj20PC3sn8_NNx8eiIM-NxAi_O2Qvizr9GkyLqts6Eia2j-vQDvUeQlOx6BJrKHfmKEUmRbI60hZ0rQbrYJ2ACje1-EOqR-JhxmkXqvqjU2jFe3fGf3FVN2k/s1600/Jason+Von+Kundra.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522149531141655490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CKCv9i3i08VY2OZbTRHTj20PC3sn8_NNx8eiIM-NxAi_O2Qvizr9GkyLqts6Eia2j-vQDvUeQlOx6BJrKHfmKEUmRbI60hZ0rQbrYJ2ACje1-EOqR-JhxmkXqvqjU2jFe3fGf3FVN2k/s320/Jason+Von+Kundra.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 214px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
Jason Von Kundra</div>GMU Environmental Action Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15018307995325763043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698558004363672448.post-69523225380043266712010-09-22T13:07:00.000-04:002010-09-22T13:49:33.599-04:00Appalachia Rising: A Movement to Abolish Mountaintop Removal<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 11px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: italic; line-height: 17px; ">This piece appeared in the September 20th issue of Broadside in the GMU Environmental Action Group's weekly column, the Mason Ecosphere.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 11px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: italic; line-height: 17px; "><br /></span></b></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">From September 25th through the 27th members of the Environmental Action Group (EAG) will be participating in Appalachia Rising, a mass mobilization in Washington D.C. to end mountaintop removal (MTR), a devastating form of coal production. Unlike traditional mining that extracts coal from underground, mountaintop removal does exactly what its na</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">me implies- the tops of mountains are blown off in order to reach the seams of coal underneath. The resulting debris is then pushed into the adjacent valleys, completely burying the streams and rivers located there. The result are enormous areas throughout Appalachia that are almost completely devoid of life. Not only is mountaintop removal an environmental catastrophe, it's also a violation of human rights because it destroys the homelands of coalfield residents and damages their health and lifespans through toxic substances that contaminate their air and water. To date more than 500 mountains in Appalachia have been destroyed, over 2000 miles of streams and rivers have been buried, and an estimated area in excess of 1 million acres has been lies in ruin. The goal of Appalachia Rising is to demand a permanent end to mountaintop removal and a just transition to a clean energy economy in Appalachia.<br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><br /></p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1TTZ69rPKKbGKBxHfXSo-PrsMGsNEnEbymavmbC4h2PdMWaXb6N2evD8GyIqH0SbhW373HerbBWjuRag8nWwgrbAHqn6v-4BJJQ2RBOhyphenhyphenolu6Qb9fCDvj6UiZa5IO85upqXfkuuYM-55F/s400/Red+River+Site4.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 114px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519787694174060578" /><i>Mountaintop Removal Site near Appalachia, Virginia. Five EAG members visited this site in Spring 2010. Photo by Christi Kruse</i><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; "><br />Appalachia Rising will consist of two major parts. The first part will focus on providing participants with the skills they need to be effective allies in the fight against MTR. On Saturday, informational workshops will be offered on mountaintop removal and other issues related to coal. Topics include coal ash disposal, stopping new coal-fired power plants, coal and climate change, and the human health impacts of mountaintop removal. On Sunday, skills-based workshops will focus on training participants on how to organize to end MTR. For both of these days events will take place at George Washington University starting at 9:00 a.m. The second part of Appalachia Rising will focus on mass mobilization to end mountaintop removal. The plan is to pressure government leaders to eradicate this violation of human rights by holding a rally at Freedom Plaza and then marching to the White House to bring the issue to the attention of President Obama.<br /><br />Thousands of concerned people are expected to be participating in these events, and we would like for Mason students to join us. You can register to be a part of Appalachia Rising at <a href="http://appalachiarising.org/">http://appalachiarising.org/</a>. If you are interested in joining a large group of Mason students that will be participating in Appalachia Rising, please email the Environmental Action Group at gmueag@gmail.com. We hope that you will join us in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet thousands of other environmental and human rights organizers while contributing to the end of one of the most environmentally destructive practices in the the history of this country. We can bring an end to mountaintop removal but we need your help- please join us. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; ">Register at </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; "><span><a href="http://tinyurl.com/gmu-appalachia-rising" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" style="cursor: pointer; color: rgb(59, 89, 152); text-decoration: none; ">http://tinyurl.com/gmu-app</a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; "><a href="http://tinyurl.com/gmu-appalachia-rising" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" style="cursor: pointer; color: rgb(59, 89, 152); text-decoration: none; ">alachia-rising</a></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12821470282283921727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698558004363672448.post-45301279059820414152010-09-08T00:06:00.000-04:002010-09-08T00:09:27.038-04:00An Exciting Semester with the EAG<span style="font-style:italic;">This piece appeared in the September 7th issue of Broadside in the GMU Environmental Action Group's weekly column, the Mason Ecosphere.</span><br /><br />Mason Ecosphere<br />Jason Von Kundra<br /><br />From everyone here in the GMU Environmental Action Group (EAG), we welcome you to campus. The EAG is honored to continue writing our weekly column, the Mason Ecosphere in Broadside this semester.<br /><br />In addition to having more of our usual hikes, movie nights, and famous dance parties, this fall the EAG is running three big campaigns: ending mountaintop removal coal mining, advocating for more sustainable foods on campus, and passing the Patriot Green Fund.<br /><br />The EAG has worked on ending mountaintop removal for the past two years and will continue to work on the issue until this social and environmental devastation stops. Mountaintop removal is a form of surface mining where coal companies clear-cut forests on mountains, blow up the mountaintops with explosives, and dump the waste containing heavy metals in valleys and streams. This practice is destroying mountains, watersheds, and communities throughout Appalachia. The EAG is organizing a screening of the documentary film Coal Country and a panel of experts on mountaintop removal. Then the EAG will be taking action with thousands of other concerned citizens involved in the struggle by participating in Appalachia Rising, a mass mobilization in the District of Colombia on September 25th through the 27th where people will call for an end to this destructive practice.<br /><br />Sustainable foods is also an important issue which connects to every student that eats on campus. The EAG is starting a new campaign this semester in which students will advocate for more local, organic, vegetarian, and vegan food options. We are also looking at the entire environmental impact of our dining service including packaging, shipping, and the disposal of food.<br /><br />Finally, the EAG is campaigning to pass policy through the administration that will provide funding for a green endowment, sustainable capital improvements, and research funding for student projects related to sustainability. The Patriot Green Fund, a proposal currently being considered by the university is expected to be presented to the Board of Visitors in the spring. If passed, students will soon see solar panels and wind turbines on campus that will help Mason to reach its goal of climate neutrality. President Alan Merten committed George Mason to climate neutrality by signing the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment in 2007.<br /><br />To join the EAG or get more information, check out our website at gmu.edu/org/environment and make sure to join the Facebook group. We meet every Wednesday at 7:30pm in the Johnson Center Meeting Room A.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12821470282283921727noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698558004363672448.post-85637318019343367232010-08-31T06:33:00.000-04:002010-09-22T13:07:06.415-04:00EPA Holds First Public Hearing on Coal Ash Proposal<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH4rpMTrOY4Xk4Uw5YBLjoDMtwdFq4V0lFu8lmPFu7xrmx3FAYA8tWvf0c7wGkU0isOEUh3EBgKMzGBHgXkMxReCZ_SwYuiO_qxga_oIMtp9Ybl45QkJOimq-MeCafrDXIxwo71W84J_Oc/s1600/Coal+Ash+Hearing.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH4rpMTrOY4Xk4Uw5YBLjoDMtwdFq4V0lFu8lmPFu7xrmx3FAYA8tWvf0c7wGkU0isOEUh3EBgKMzGBHgXkMxReCZ_SwYuiO_qxga_oIMtp9Ybl45QkJOimq-MeCafrDXIxwo71W84J_Oc/s400/Coal+Ash+Hearing.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519785525720977490" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal">On Monday, August 30th, the Environmental Protection Agency held its first public hearing on a proposal to address risks of unsafe coal ash disposal. <span style=""> </span>The EPA is proposing an unprecedented national rule to ensure the safe disposal and management of coal ash from coal-fired power plants. Students from George Mason, Virginia Tech, and University of Maryland joined hundreds of other citizens at the hearing in Arlington, VA to deliver statements in support of strict regulation of this hazardous waste.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Coal is dirty from mining to burning. Coal ash, a byproduct of the combustion of coal at power plants contains contaminants such as mercury, cadmium and arsenic, which are associated with cancer and various other serious health effects. Coal ash is disposed of in liquid form at large surface impoundments and in solid form at landfills. The dangers associated with structurally unsafe coal ash impoundments came to national attention in 2008 when an impoundment holding disposed waste ash broke open, creating a massive spill in Kingston that covered millions of cubic yards of land and river. The spill displaced residents, required hundreds of millions of dollars in cleanup costs and caused widespread environmental damage.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In testimony at the hearing, GMU student Emily Miles criticized the coal industry for “continually putting profits over people”. She urged the EPA to regulate the coal industry to limit their destruction. “As a concerned citizen, I am here today to tell the EPA to do its job and protect people and the environment.” Kara Dodson, a student at Virginia Tech working on their Beyond Coal Campaign, described the negative health effects that coal ash from her campus’ coal-fired power plant has on students. Jason Von Kundra, an earth science major at Mason, delivered a statement urging the EPA to put stricter regulation on the coal industry to embrace the “clean energy economy that our country and our president are calling for”.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Six more hearing on the proposed rule to address coal ash are scheduled for September. Public comments may also be submitted by email to <a href="mailto:rcra-docket@epa.gov">rcra-docket@epa.gov</a> and should be identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-RCRA-2009-0640.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12821470282283921727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698558004363672448.post-20548931134608147962010-07-08T23:10:00.001-04:002011-09-08T19:51:11.663-04:00Three Mason Students Join Others in Creative Sit-In at EPA Headquarters to Call for Stronger Action on Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieDY5puiUd3dA2UoDo0Oq-hekdAPimyHFeqrdx4NQkmK9LNdjcQyJiRXvbY_h0qGAV3DHNZuUtQ9pL0eintSr7Jq9Q2qdzTu5z0gMBG0o9N-joc0vc9UrWT8N5CF-b5BUitaU6noefICiS/s1600/927743363_A5Zu8-O.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieDY5puiUd3dA2UoDo0Oq-hekdAPimyHFeqrdx4NQkmK9LNdjcQyJiRXvbY_h0qGAV3DHNZuUtQ9pL0eintSr7Jq9Q2qdzTu5z0gMBG0o9N-joc0vc9UrWT8N5CF-b5BUitaU6noefICiS/s400/927743363_A5Zu8-O.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519790366857504498" /></a><br /><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; ">WASHINGTON— Today, activists with the Rainforest Action Network staged sit-in at the EPA headquarters to demand stronger protection for Appalachia’s drinking water and an end to the devastating practice of mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining. Three of the activists inside the EPA building are Mason students including Allison Rutledge and Jason Von Kundra.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black">After entering the EPA building, activists sat down in the center of the lobby, locked themselves together with metal ‘lock boxes,’ and began to play West Virginia’s adopted state song, John Denver’s ‘Take me Home, Country Roads,’ with intermittent sounds of Appalachia’s mountains being blown apart by MTR explosives spliced into the song. An additional activist climbed to the top of the EPA front door on Constitution Ave and hung a banner reading: ‘Blowing up mountains for coal contaminates Appalachia’s water, Stop MTR.’<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black">“We’re sitting down inside the EPA to demand the EPA stand up to protect Appalachia’s precious drinking water, historic mountains and public health from the devastation of mountaintop removal,” said Scott Parkin of Rainforest Action Network, who participated in the sit-in. “At issue here is not whether mountaintop removal mining is bad for the environment or human health, because we know it is and the EPA has said it is. At issue is whether President Obama’s EPA will do something about it. So far, it seems it is easier to poison Appalachia’s drinking water than to defy King Coal.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black">With the nation’s eyes on the BP disaster, the EPA, without publicly announcing the action, recently gave the green light for a major new mountaintop removal coal mining permit in Logan County, West Virginia. The permit would allow the destruction of nearly three miles of currently clean streams and 760 acres of forest, in a county where at least 13 percent of the land has already been permitted for surface coal mining. This is the first permit decision the EPA has issued under the new MTR guidelines, which came out last April and were anticipated to provide tougher oversight of the practice.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black">“This is a devastating first decision under guidelines that had offered so much hope for Appalachian residents who thought the EPA was standing up for their health and water quality in the face of a horrific mining practice,” said Amanda Starbuck of the Rainforest Action Network. “The grand words being spoken by Administrator Jackson in Washington are simply not being reflected in the EPA’s actions on-the-ground. Moving forward, it is clear that the EPA cannot end mountaintop removal coal mining pollution, as it has committed to, without abolishing mountaintop removal all together.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black">For decades, Appalachian residents have been decrying the impact of mountaintop removal coal mining—the practice of blowing up whole mountains (and dumping the toxic debris into nearby streams and valleys) to reach seams of coal. Environmentalists, leading scientists, congressional representatives and even late coal state Senator Byrd have all called for the end to this mining practice.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black">A paper released in January 2009 by a dozen leading scientists in the journal<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em><span style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"">Science</span></em>concluded that mountaintop coal mining is so destructive that the government should stop giving out new permits all together. “The science is so overwhelming that the only conclusion that one can reach is that mountaintop mining needs to be stopped,” said Margaret Palmer, a professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciences and the study’s lead author.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black">Since 1992, nearly 2,000 miles of Appalachian streams have been filled at a rate of 120 miles per year by surface mining practices. A recent EPA study found elevated levels of highly toxic selenium in streams downstream from valley fills. These impairments are linked to contamination of surface water supplies and resulting health concerns, as well as widespread impacts to stream life in downstream rivers and streams. Further, the estimated scale of deforestation from existing Appalachian surface mining operations is equivalent in size to the state of Delaware.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black">The Pine Creek permit is currently awaiting approval from the Army Corps of Engineers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">Here are some <a href="http://rainforestactionnetwork.smugmug.com/Mountain-Top-Removal/epa-pine-creek-sit-in/12854012_5JDRZ#927696223_RKiZK">photos</a> from today's action.</span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">Here is the sound <a href="http://ran.org.s3.amazonaws.com/cr.mp3">track</a> played on loop from within the building.</span></span></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12821470282283921727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698558004363672448.post-60492053956460707752010-06-02T11:54:00.000-04:002010-06-02T12:00:24.093-04:00An open letter to all opponents of coal<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">By Colin Bennett </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Coal is dirty. Everyone knows that. Saying otherwise is like saying that the Earth is flat; it’s just not true. The negative connotation that comes when people think about coal is practically part of our national psyche. Consider that the majority of children raised in the United States during the last century grew up being told that if they were bad, they would get a lump of coal for Christmas. Or, consider the images of a boy from 19th-Century America like Dick Van Dyke’s chimney sweep character in Mary Poppins, covered in soot, holding his broom. Even more people can probably picture a miner, face darkened with coal dust, sick, even dying, from black lung.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The point is that people already know that coal is dirty; thus, in the fight against mountaintop removal and the expansion of coal-fired power plants, we already have the advantage. But the coal industry and its supporters are feeling the heat; just a few short years ago, very few people were talking about coal. I certainly don’t remember seeing any advertisements about coal at all. Now, in face of looming climate legislation, they are spending vast sums of money spreading the lie of so-called "clean" coal. Unfortunately, though the deck is stacked against them, they are gaining ground. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Take the 2008 presidential campaign, for instance: both Senator John McCain and then Senator Barack Obama espoused "clean coal," while they crisscrossed the country. The reason for their language is obvious (albeit inconsequential). What is important is the fact that they got away with it. The coal industry, in a few short years, has successfully bamboozled much of the U.S. public into believing that "clean" coal is possible. President Obama even talked about “clean coal” his State of the Union address. Unfortunately, so many current anti-coal campaigns are perpetuating the problem; they are using the language of the coal lobby thereby legitimizing that position. The </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-_U1Z0vezw"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Coen Brothers television spot</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> (put out by <a href="http://thisisreality.org/">thisisreality.org</a>) is cute but it ultimately just legitimizes the coal lobby’s claim. Quite frankly, I am disappointed. We are letting the coal industry frame the debate, thereby losing the high ground. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">We can still regain the upper hand and win the fight against coal. In order to do that we need to stop using the term, "clean coal," even when it is immediately followed or preceded by "there’s no such thing as." Simply saying, "clean coal," puts a wedge into people’s minds that clean coal could be a reality. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Let me give you an example: Santa Claus. As soon as you hear, or in this case, read, the words "Santa Claus," an image of a jolly old man with a white beard and a red suit pops into your head. The same is true when you hear about the Easter Bunny, or the Tooth Fairy, or unicorns. Everyone knows that these things do not actually exist, yet, most people could describe, probably in vivid detail, what each of these mythical beings look like, all the while knowing they don’t exist. Of course, each of these examples are present, be it in children’s books, Hollywood movies, or embodied by a person in a red suit ringing a bell on a street corner in December. Even though "clean" coal fortunately doesn’t have quite the same status as Santa Claus, the coal industry’s goal is clearly to get the idea that coal can be clean into the minds of as many people as possible. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Many people have undoubtedly seen the picture of the shiny black piece of coal with a power cord sticking out of it, accompanied by the caption "Clean coal means celebrating our energy independence 365 days a year." There’s nothing apparently dirty about that shiny black piece of coal. In fact, one could argue that the shiny black piece of coal looks downright clean. This is their attempt to create an image of ‘clean coal’ that people can reference in their minds when they hear the term "clean" coal; like Santa Claus and unicorns, although fantastical, ‘clean coal’ will exist if repeated enough. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">So here is my suggestion: stop validating the term "clean coal" with its use. Completely eliminate the term from everything you do. Coal is dirty. Period. Perpetuate that reality, not the myth of so-called "clean" coal. Reinforce the images that people already have of coal. We should spend our money and time showing people the images that will remind them about how dirty coal really is. Although I’m not in the advertising industry, I have a suggestion for a television commercial. It’s just a rough description but you should get the picture.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Start with historical shots that exemplify the fact that coal is dirty: begin with the miner and the boy covered in soot, show chimneys billowing black smoke circa 19th century Pittsburgh, and men shoveling coal into furnaces. The narrator (I’m thinking Dick Van Dyke) says <i>"Coal is dirty. Since the time that humans first started burning coal, first for heat, then for transportation, and now for electricity, we have been polluting our atmosphere at an astronomical rate."</i> With each example, a corresponding image should be presented, such as: a coal stove, a steam engine, a coal-fired power plant, a city shrouded in smog. The narrator continues, <i>"Now, with mountaintop removal, coal companies are destroying entire communities and ecosystems, making coal dirtier than ever, yet the coal companies are spending millions upon millions of dollars trying to trick you into thinking otherwise. Don’t believe the hype. Coal is dirty. Period." </i></span><i></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It might not be perfect but I definitely think it gets the point across: Coal is dirty. Repeat that message and repeat it often. The cards are stacked in our favor; if we play our hand correctly we can win this battle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: x-small;">Mountaintop removal coal mining in southwest Virginia. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698558004363672448.post-38690135333959774572010-05-05T23:12:00.000-04:002010-05-14T11:40:05.738-04:00Mason Farmers Market: “Where Innovation Meets Tradition”<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">By Nya Jackson </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mason’s prospective students webpage proudly boasts that George Mason University is an institution “Where Innovation Meets Tradition”. As a student at Mason for three years I have found this statement to be true, which is why it’s saddening that the Mason’s Farmers Market has not returned and might not be returning next year either. Last fall, Smart Markets Inc., the premiere farmers' market in Northern Virginia, contracted with Mason to create the Mason Farmers' Market. It quickly became a popular alternative to Mason Dining as one of the few options available for students to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables and other foods. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mark Kraner, Assistant Vice President of University Life, has been working to ensure that the farmers' market returns to campus in the fall. Mr. Kraner says the reason Smart Markets did not return to campus this semester was due to “a few of the vendors that conflicted with the contract with Smart Markets”.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">While it is important that all contracts are honored, the solution to the breach of contract is not to kick Smart Markets off campus but to create a better contract that allows the Mason Farmers' Market to become a welcomed tradition at Mason. According to Jean Janssen, founder of Smart Markets, “prepared food vendors are the attraction at campus markets because students want food that is already prepared, especially when many students don’t have kitchens in their dorms to prepare fresh, uncooked produce.” <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">The previous contract between Smart Markets and Mason last fall didn’t allow for vendors to cook food on site or serve foods that were offered for immediate consumption and current talks about not having prepared food vendors will result in a market that isn’t attractive to students or potential vendors. "Mason left a lot of vendors stranded without income when they kicked us off campus after the fall semester and many of them are not willing to come back unless we are confident we will be here year-round” says Ms. Janssen who is concerned about ensuring all of her vendors have a stable market to sell their produce.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">According to Derek Luhowiak, part owner of LocalSixFortySeven, a street cart owned by him and his wife, who source all the ingredients locally and cook everything to order, the university receives approximately 15% of sales from Sodexo and “of course we could not compete with Sodexo”. Derek went on to say “I was under the impression that universities were a place of higher learning and free thinking, a place where ideas were created. Not anymore; it’s all business and money.” <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">Upset vendors aren’t the only frustrated group Mason has to deal with, students are upset as well. “If the market doesn't come back I will lose faith in the university's sense of responsibility towards its students" says Kyleigh Purks, creator of the<i> 'Rescue the Mason Farmers' Market’ </i>Facebook group. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">The question becomes<span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">: </span>What is a market worth? According to Janssen and her vendors the combined revenue from the three prepared food vendors in the market was in the neighborhood of $5200. That means that the most Mason lost to the market in the two months the market was on campus was 15% of $5200 or about $750 and that assumes that all of that $5200 would have otherwise been spent on university food services. It seems safe to say that $750 isn’t a tremendous loss, certainly not when you consider all of the tangible and intangible benefits of the market. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">The market allows us to support our local economy. Normally only about 17 cents of every dollar that we spend at the grocery store goes to a farmer but with the farmers' market all of the money goes to the farmer. The Mason Farmers' Market allowed students, faculty, and staff to reduce their ecological footprint since locally-grown produce does not travel as far as food sold in grocery stores and served by Sodexo. The difference in mileage saves fossil fuels and puts Mason on the right track toward achieving climate neutrality, to which President Merten has committed the university by signing the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">While University Life wants the Masons Farmers' Market to return to campus next September and remain through the entire school year, it can’t happen with the contract they had with Smart Markets last fall. According to Ms. Janssen, “we need to have more control over who is in the market to make up for the losses we suffer in the winter months when the produce is no longer coming to market”. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">If we stop thinking about how much money the University could be “losing” each week to the vendors we might begin to realize that the market does bring something to campus rather than take anything away. When will we see the value of the market and make the Mason Farmers Market another example of “Where Innovation Meets Tradition” to boast to prospective and current students alike?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698558004363672448.post-76601337064647316502010-04-30T13:20:00.000-04:002010-05-03T11:24:28.277-04:00Environmental Film Festival a SuccessBy Colin Bennett <br />
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On April 26, just a few days after the 40th anniversary of the first Earth Day, Mason celebrated, in part, with an environmental film festival. Thanks largely to the help of <a href="http://campusprogress.com/">Campus Progress</a> four films were screened and over two dozen people attended at least one of the movies, each showcasing salient environmental issues. <br />
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The day started with <a href="http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/earthdays/"><i>Earth Days</i></a> a look "back to the dawn and development of the modern environmental movement—from its post-war rustlings in the 1950s and the 1962 publication of Rachel Carson’s incendiary bestseller Silent Spring, to the first wildly successful Earth Day celebration in 1970 and the subsequent firestorm of political action." <br />
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<i>Earth Days</i>, was followed by the heartbreaking film, <a href="http://www.thegardenmovie.com/"><i>The Garden</i></a>. This movie provided an "unflinching look at the struggle between these Latino urban farmers, the City of Los Angles and a powerful developer who wants to evict them to build warehouses."<br />
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The last two movies in the series examined mountaintop removal, a hugely destructive form of coal mining that is devastating entire communities throughout Appalachia from Tennessee to Maryland. <a href="http://www.burningthefuture.org/"><i>Burning the Future</i></a>, examined "the explosive conflict between the coal industry and residents of West Virginia." <i><a href="http://deepdownfilm.org/">Deep Down</a>: A Story From the Heart of Coal Country</i> showcased one family's struggle as they were pressured by a coal company to sell their land so it could be destroyed for the coal underneath. <i>Deep Down</i> was screened through an arrangement with folks involved with making the film. Their goal is to get the movie in front of as many people as possible to showcase the devastation that is mountaintop removal.<br />
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According to Mason student Nya Jackson, "The movies really made me examine my own choices as they relate to the environment; from where my food comes from to how my electricity is produced, I'm now even more dedicated to making responsible decisions so I can do my part to protect the planet."<br />
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Another Mason student, Anthony Murray echoed Nya's sentiments, "These films did a great job of raising awareness about important environmental issues. I'm glad that so many students came out to see them; hopefully they will go back and spread the message to their friends."<br />
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Considering the success of this event, the Office of Sustainability, is planning on hosting more film screenings in the future. In the fall, they plan on hosting a series of films looking at different aspects of the climate crisis as part of their Climate Education and Outreach Campaign. <br />
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Once again, thanks goes out to Campus Progress for their help with this event. To learn more about the Office of Sustainability's effort to combat the climate crisis, please see their website at <a href="http://green.gmu.edu/">green.gmu.edu</a>. <br />
<a href="http://deepdownfilm.org/" onmousedown="UntrustedLink.bootstrap($(this), "e2e65", event);" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><br />
</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698558004363672448.post-61762266307918828222010-04-30T11:01:00.000-04:002010-04-30T13:11:29.497-04:00Coca-Cola has No Place at Mason<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This piece was originally published on Connect2Mason on 4/27/2010 </span><a href="http://www.connect2mason.com/content/letter-editor-coca-cola-has-no-place-mason"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">http://www.connect2mason.com/content/letter-editor-coca-cola-has-no-place-mason</span></a></i><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 20px; font-family:Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border- font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; font-family:inherit;color:initial;"><strong face="inherit" color="initial" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border- font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></strong></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">By Jason Von Kundra</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; font-size:medium;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">According to Killer</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Coke</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, a campaign against the Coca-Cola corporation, the company is guilty of a "</span><span style="color:#500050;"><a href="http://www.killercoke.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0658B5;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">gruesome cycle of murders, kidnapping, and torture</span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">," perpetrated mainly against union organizers in</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Columbia</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and other South American countries. In</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">India,</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Coke </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">has been accused of</span></span><span style=" color: rgb(80, 0, 80); font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style=" color: rgb(80, 0, 80); font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.indiaresource.org/news/2010/1001.html" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0658B5;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">illegally siphoning from local ground water supplies</span></span></a></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, a practice Indian farmers say has caused severe droughts. What was a company like that doing at Mason's Earth Week celebration and why is Mason doing business with</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Coke </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">in the first place?<br /><br />The Coca-Cola corporation</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style=" color: rgb(80, 0, 80); font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/brands/brandlist.html" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0658B5;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">makes more than just soda</span></span></a></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. Powerade,</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Minute Maid, Dasani (bottled water), Gold Peak tea (served in Southside), Vitaminwater and even the supposedly eco-friendly Odwalla are all made by</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Coke</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">.</span></span><span style=" color: rgb(80, 0, 80); font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2008-02-05-coke-honest-tea_N.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color:windowtext;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Coca-Cola also owns 40% of Honest Tea</span></span></a></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">with the option to purchase the company outright in 2011. The point is,</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Coke </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">is ubiquitous, everywhere you turn there are</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Coke </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">products. In fact, at Mason,</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Coke </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">products are just about the only beverages you can buy.<br /><br />Fortunately, people across the world are taking action against the corporate behemoth. According to the</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style=" color: rgb(80, 0, 80); font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.indiaresource.org/news/2010/1003.html" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0658B5;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">India Resource Center</span></span></a></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, "the High Power Committee established by the state government of Kerala in India has recommended that Coca-Cola be held liable for [$ 48 million] for damages caused as a result of the company’s bottling operations in [India]."<br /><br />Cokejustice.org, the website for the International Campaign to Hold Coca-Cola accountable, says that</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style=" color: rgb(80, 0, 80); font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.indiaresource.org/campaigns/coke/2004/Brochure.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0658B5;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">over 20colleges and universities in the U.S. and U.K. have stopped doing business with the company</span></span></a></span><span style=" color: rgb(80, 0, 80); font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">over the last several years. </span><span style="color:#500050;"><a href="http://www.indiaresource.org/news/2009/1036.html" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0658B5;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In Norway, students successfully campaigned last year to get rid of Coke on their campuses</span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. The Foundation for Student Life in Oslo made the decision not to renew Coca-Cola's exclusive contract and applies to</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">colleges and universities</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">across Norway.<br /></span><span style="color:#500050;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.studentsagainstsweatshops.org/docs/CokeOrganizingManual.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0658B5;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">United Students Against Sweatshops</span></span></a></span></span><span style=" color: rgb(80, 0, 80); font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">report that, "Rutgers University, had a ten year contract with Coca-Cola that, among other things, let the company create specially designed Rutgers-themed vending machines and marketing materials. The university had received a million dollars a year in return from Coca-Cola. In May 2005 after a two year campaign around</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Coke</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">'s human rights abuses, Rutgers did not renew the contract and removed all</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Coke </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">products from its campus." In addition to Rutgers, other schools that have removed</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Coke </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">products from their campus includeBard College, Carleton College, Lake Forest College,</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Oberlin College, and</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Salem State College.<br /><br />The cause of these boycotts is simple: the Coca-Cola corporation is an irresponsible company that is causing misery and suffering all over the world.<br /><br />The case against</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Coke </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">goes on-and-on. A simple internet search will return dozens of accusations of</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Coke</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">'s wrongdoing from the alleged murders in Columbia and ground water draining in India, to its use of high-fructose corn syrup and aggressive marketing to children. Knowing this, how can Mason continue an exclusive contract with Coca-Cola? It's time for Mason students to do the right thing and demand Mason to end its relationship with</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Coke </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">once and for all.</span></span></p></span></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12821470282283921727noreply@blogger.com0