[Sust-mar] EAC July 2008 e-Newsletter

Thu Jul 10 11:19:58 EDT 2008

Ecology Action Centre 2008 July e-Newsletter
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1. EAC SPECIAL EVENTS & INITIATIVES
2. PROJECT UPDATES AND RESOURCES
3. EAC NEEDS AND WANTS
4. GET INVOLVED WITH THE EAC

1. EAC SPECIAL EVENTS & INITIATIVES

* 2008 JAZZ FEST HITS HALIFAX The Atlantic Jazz Festival celebrates 
their ongoing partnership with the EAC, and announces the debut of the 
Atlantic Jazz Fest Green Team! The 2008 TD Canada Trust Atlantic Jazz 
Festival sees the return of Canadian songstress extraordinaire Holly 
Cole, plus Duane Andrews, Argentina’s Orquesta Tipica Imperial, and 
Algerian-French vocalist Rachid Taha, and more! This is only the tip of 
the proverbial iceberg – there are concerts daily in the festival tent 
for the whole family and many more concerts in venues throughout the 
city. Look for the EAC tent at the main stage. To be an EAC volunteer 
for the event (and get a free pass!), contact Miranda McQuade at 
429-2202 or membership at ecologyaction.ca. For tickets and information 
head to www.jazzeast.com or call 492 2225.

* EVERYBODY LOVES A PARADE Join the Ecology Action Centre and Jazz Fest 
Green Team for the Jazz Fiesta parade down Spring Garden Road, Saturday, 
July 12, starting at 1 pm. Sponsored by the Spring Garden Area Business 
Association, the parade is a special green event, featuring no 
mechanization except that which is “People Powered”. Spring Garden Road 
will be closed to traffic for the event. Congratulations to the Spring 
Garden Area Business Association for sponsoring the event, and 
compliments to the Jazz Festival and SGABA for providing an inspiring 
Open-Streets style party right in the heart of our downtown.

MISS THE SOUND OF NIGHTHAWKS ON A SUMMER EVENING? Attend For Our Birds, 
Sharing the Science, Conservation Education About Birds in Nova Scotia, 
Nov.15-16, 2008, Dalhousie University. For more information or to get 
involved contact Mark Butler at forourbirdsatecologyaction.ca

SUPPORT NEW PROTECTED AREAS Support needed for new "candidate" 
Wilderness Areas: The Department of Environment is conducting public 
consultations now on the potential final designation of two new 
Wilderness Areas - Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes in Halifax and the 
Shelburne River in Queens County. Please add your voice of support. Go 
to: www.gov.ns.ca/nse/protectedareas/participation.asp.

NATIVE TREES FOR SALE: Native trees from the HelioTrust Tree Nursery are 
available at very reasonable prices. Pine, spruce, maple, oak, elm, 
birch, hemlock, ash, black cherry, and sumac. Contact 
janice.ashworth at gmail.com to place a request.

SUBMISSIONS NEEDED ON NOVA SCOTIA’S NATURAL RESOURCES Spread the word! 
If you were unable to participate in the Voluntary Planning 
consultations, it’s not too late to submit your thoughts in writing. 
Comment online: https://vp.gov.ns.ca/projects/resources/submission
or download the form: https://vp.gov.ns.ca/files/u4/submission_form.pdf .
Visit our website and join the Forest Alert email list for updates: 
www.novascotiaforests.ca. Volunteer your time – contact us to find out 
how: (902) 429-1335 or forests at ecologyaction.ca.

WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT STRATEGY CONSULTATIONS. When: Consultations 
underway! Where: See website Info: 
http://www.gov.ns.ca/nse/water/WaterStrategy.asp Phone: 902-424-5300 
Nova Scotia Environment and Labour (NSEL) is taking the lead in 
developing a comprehensive provincial water resources management 
strategy. On March 30th, 2007 the Ministry of Environment and Labour 
announced that NSEL is embarking on a 3-year process to develop the 
water strategy. Please visit their website for more details. 
http://www.gov.ns.ca/nse/water/WaterStrategy.asp

2. PROJECT UPDATES AND RESOURCES
THE ACTIVE AND SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROGRAM of the Ecology Action 
Centre is seeking community recreation groups to participate in an 
exciting, experiential Active Transportation Safety Education pilot 
program during the summer of 2008 (pedestrian, cycling, skateboarding, 
and in-line skating safety). Contact Cheyenne Dickinson at 
walk at ecologyaction.ca or call 442.5055 for more information.
SOLAR CONSULTATIONS Interested in determining how solar thermal energy 
will cut down your fossil fuel consumption in your business, industry or 
an institution you’re involved with? Do you want to know how much energy 
can be saved by adding this renewable resource to heat your water or 
building? The Solar Gain project at the EAC offers free consultation 
services, site visits and solar energy assessments to help you through 
the process. Call us at 442-0300 or visit www.solargain.ca.
STAFF CHANGES While we are sad to lose Heather McKibbon (Membership and 
Outreach) and Brendan Haley (Energy), who are returning to school this 
fall to pursue higher education, we are pleased to welcome Charlene 
Boyce Young and Cheryl Ratchford who take over their duties, 
respectively. Also, the Coastal Issues Committee welcomes Sadie Beaton 
as a new beach researcher, and our new intern Monica Gunter. Welcome, all!

3. EAC NEEDS AND WANTS
NEEDED: GRAVEL AND WATER PLANTS. EAC is looking for gravel and some 
water heavy plants such as lilies or cat tails for one of our drainage 
projects on the exterior of the building. If you have either of these 
that you are able to donate, please contact Jocelyn Knoester at 
info at ecologyaction.ca or
429-2202.
NEEDED: BIRD CRAZY VOLUNTEER. The numbers of most bird species are 
dropping, some are plummeting. The EAC is helping to organize a 
conference entitled For our Birds 2008: Sharing Science, Conservation 
and Education which will raise public awareness and identify steps to 
protect birds in Nova Scotia. A reliable and keen volunteer is needed to 
assist with all aspects of the organizing. Time requirement 1-2 
hours/week. The organizing committee meets approximately once a month. 
Please contact Mark Butler at action at ecologyaction.ca or 429-5287.
NEEDED: URANIUM MINING MORATORIUM VOLUNTEERS.
In the 1980s the EAC played a key role in convincing the provincial 
government to implement a moratorium on uranium mining. With the growing 
demand for uranium the present government is musing about lifting the 
moratorium. The EAC would once again like to play a key role in 
convincing the government to reaffirm its support for the moratorium and 
introduce a legislated moratorium. A loose coalition of organizations 
and individuals are organizing events and raising public awareness. We 
want to establish an EAC committee to do this work in HRM. Events are 
planned for the fall with a planning meeting scheduled for late July. 
Please contact Mark Butler at actionat at ecologyaction.ca or 429-5287.
COMPOST MATERIALS AND BUILDERS WANTED
The Ecology Action Centre needs a volunteer builder who is interested in 
helping build compost bins for the urban gardens in Halifax, and could 
offer a small honorarium for someone to build the bin with a group of 
volunteers. Preferably someone interested in using recycled wood. Also 
needed are some basic tools (saws, maybe circular power saw, drills, 
etc.) if you are willing to loan them out for a workshop that would be 
really lovely. Please contact Garity Chapman, Urban Garden Coordinator 
Ecology Action Centre, urbangarden at ecologyaction.ca.

4. GET INVOLVED WITH THE EAC
* VOLUNTEER WITH THE CENTRE
For volunteer opportunities contact Emma Boardman at
volunteering at ecologyaction.ca or fill out a volunteer profile on our 
website.
* EAC MONTHLY MEETINGS -- all welcome! Our most important work is done 
by people like you. You can get involved just a little -- or a lot. Call 
us, drop by the office, or drop in on a meeting at the EAC, 2705 Fern 
Lane, Halifax
* COASTAL ISSUES - last Thursday of each month, 5:30pm
Jen Graham: (902) 442-5046 / coastal at ecologyaction.ca
* ENERGY - 3rd Tuesday of each month, 5:15pm
Cheryl Ratchford (902) 442-0199 / energy at ecologyaction.ca
* FOOD ACTION - 3rd Monday each month, 5:30pm
Marla MacLeod (902) 429-2202 / foodaction at ecologyaction.ca
* MARINE ISSUES - last Tuesday of each month, 5:30pm
Susanna Fuller(902) 446-4840 / marine at ecologyaction.ca
* TRANSPORTATION - 1st Monday of each month, 5:15pm
Laena Garrison(902) 429-0924 / trax at ecologyaction.ca
* BUILT ENVIRONMENT- 2nd Thursday of each month, 5:30pm
Judy Cookey builtenvironment at ecologyaction.ca
* WILDERNESS ISSUES- 3rd Thursday of each month, 6:00pm,
Raymond Plourde (902) 442-5008 wilderness at ecologyaction.ca
or Jamie Simpson (902) 429-1335 / forests at ecologyaction.ca
* HOME MAINTENANCE – Last Wednesday of each month, 5:30pm
* EAC WORK PARTIES – Second Saturday of each month, from 10 – 2.
Call to confirm: (902) 429-2202 info at ecologyaction.ca
* MAGAZINE - "BETWEEN THE ISSUES" - call for details (902) 442-0198 
betweentheissues at ecologyaction.ca

You can contact us at:
(902)429-2202 or
info at ecologyaction.ca

-- 
Charlene Boyce Young
Development & Outreach Coordinator

Ecology Action Centre
2705 Fern Lane
Halifax NS
B3K 4L3

902.442.0198 (p)
902.405.3716 (f)