Category Archives: Environment
Recordings Preserve Stories on African Wildlife
Paula Kahumbu has created a project whose aim is to preserve the lore and wisdom of community elders in Africa regarding the local wildlife. To this end, she and her team are in the process of creating over 50 recordings and/or videos of elders relating their stories. Kahumbu, a noted Kenyan environmentalist, created this as her project in Landmark Education’s self-expression and leadership programme. The prx website shows many of these wild African stories.
Renton Group Builds Soft Surface Trails
The town of Renton, Washington, has a plan for building soft surface trails in its open areas, but budget constraints are making the plan move very slowly. Rudy Case created a project in Landmark Education’s Self-Expression Program to make this vision a reality.
The project titled Renton Trails, and featured in an article in RentonPatch, is taking on fundraising to new trails, having volunteers use GPS devices to map new trails, taking on cleaning up open areas, habitat restoration and more. While the town will have the final say on where the new trails go, Case sees plenty of opportunity for individuals to demonstrate leadership and make a difference.
Kalamazoo Water Festival – a Good Time and a Call to Action
The project created by Mark Duval in Landmark Education’s Self-Expression and Leadership Program resulted in the first Kalamazoo Water Festival, held this past Saturday at the Arcadia Creek Festival Place. According to the Western Herald, the newspaper of Western Michigan University, Duval was a “vital igniter” of the festival launch.
In addition to taking part in Landmark’s SELP, Duval was inspired by Seth Bernard, who has held water festivals across Michigan. Duval began by creating a partnership with the Kalamazoo River Watershed Council, a non-profit dedicated to working with local groups to protecting the Kalamazoo River. Proceeds from the festival went to the Watershed Council.
With the one million gallon oil spill in the Kalamazoo River having recently taken place, the festival was a call to action for the community. Speakers and information booths supported attendees in how they could make a difference.
Additionally, entertainment was provided by a wide variety of local musicians – festival coordinator Michael Beauchamp performed with his band, Red Tail Ring, and band Red Sea Pedestrians performed a new song inspired by the Enbridge Oil Spill. Duval performed with his own band, Who Hit John? Many other bands from the thriving Michigan folk music scene also performed at the festival.
Green Day Comes to Grass Valley
According to Oakland Local, a non-profit, independent, community news and information hub, a green day of environmental education is being held at Oakland’s Grass Valley Elementary School, out of the project created by Ilyse Opas in Landmark Education’s Self-Expression and Leadership Program.
The reason for the day is environmental education, creation and inspiration, and features a variety of workshops, crafts and musical activities.
The day is being held Saturday, June 5th, starting at 9:30 in the morning with a compostable waffle breakfast, for which a $5 donation is suggested. At 10 there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of the new school garden. The garden actually began in the fall with planter boxes provided by the school’s Dad’s Club – student grown vegetables from the planter boxes will be on sale at the Green Day.
According to Opas, the project was designed to “create community, empowerment and education centered around caring for our planet and for each other.”
To find out more, call Opas at 510-879-1220. Here is the Oakland Local story.
Pay it Forward Program Encourages Community Pride
The Daily Herald newspaper of suburban Chicago is highlighting the Landmark Self-Expression and Leadership Program project of Kara Cermak and her employees to allow community residents to take part in beautifying four properties.
Cermak is the owner of 37-year old family company Rowell, Inc., which manages about 30 different home and condo complexes in the Chicago suburbs. Cermak and Rowell are inviting residents – including renters, owners and village officials – to take part in the ‘Pay it Forward’ planting project created in the Landmark program, planting bushes, trees and perennials and causing connections in the community.
Getting people involved and connected to one another is one of the main goals of the project, according to Rowell assistant manager Christine Cott. Hanover Part police officers have taken up on that idea at one of the work sites, taking part in the planting to build better relations with the community. The full story can be read at the site of the Daily Herald.
Aurora Green Lights Environmental Fair
In the Landmark Self-Expression and Leadership Program, Vernon LaVia created the idea of Aurora Green Lights to educate others on the environment, and then turned the leadership of his project away to Mavis Bates. Aurora Green Lights is putting on an environmental fair this summer on June 12, which has attracted the attention of The Beacon-News newspaper.
The green fair created by Bates is titled “Summer Solstice Celebration – Growing Greener Every Day”, and is being held at the Prisco Community Center in Aurora, Illinois. A full-fledged, all day environmental festival is being planned, with music, food, vendors with environmental products, demonstrations, educational workshops, and more. The fair is being modeled off Elgin, IL’s ECCO Green Expo.
To get involved with Aurora Green Lights or to find out more information about it or the Summer Solstice Celebration/environmental fair, call Bates at 630-605-9244 or go to www.auroragreenlights.org.
