The Waynedale Green Alliance has announced several planning sessions for “GreenFEST: A Celebration of Earth Day”.  This event will take place on April 25, 2009.  More information from the e-mail:
Waynedale Green Alliance is happy to announce a series of planning sessions that will take place for the following event “GreenFEST: A Celebration of Earth Day”. The celebration will take place at the Southwest Conservation Club at 5703 Bluffton Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana on April 25, 2009 from noon to five. Community Harvest is also partnering with us and a donation of a canned good will be the only form of admittance fee.
Our planning sessions are as follows and will be held at the Waynedale Library, 2200 Lower Huntington Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana, beginning at 10:00 am.
- March 7: Organizational Meeting
- March 21: Status
- April 4: Update of Planning Sessions
We will be working throughout the next month and a half to form a great celebration for the Waynedale community and for all those who would love to celebrate Earth Day. This celebration will include those from the community who will represent recylcing efforts, local food sustainability, such as community gardening, and seeding, clean water projects, alternative transportation methods and projects, and a lot of fun and games. The “GreenFest” A Celebration of Earth Day” is a wonderful opportunity to bring together all those who are involved in any way with the opportunities inherent in greener living, playing, and doing business.
If you would be interested in getting involved in the planning sessions, please write me at aprilsmythe@gmail.com or just show up at the Waynedale Library on March 7. Your presence is encouraged and more than welcome in any way that you choose.
Recently, I received an article by Jesse Kharbanda, Excecutive Director of the Hoosier Environmental Council that was recently published at the Journal-Gazetter, from Grace Strahm who sits on the Board of Heartland Communities. I am including it with this announcement in order to inform and generate excitement for what, we at the Waynedale Green Alliance, believe is the cause of the 21st century.
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Published: January 26, 2009 3:00 a.m.
Green initiatives will create jobs, improve environment
by Jesse KharbandaJust as you think Indiana is on the cusp of “going green,” reality hits: Steep cuts in state funding have been proposed for forests, recycling, pollution prevention and air quality protection. Some Hoosiers may be persuaded to believe that cutting back on our efforts to green the Hoosier economy is sound in the face of our severe economic storm.
However, in this moment of crisis for our state’s economy, the Hoosier Environmental Council encourages all Hoosiers to advocate for smart environmental policies as part of a comprehensive economic recovery strategy for our state.
Let’s pass a Green Jobs Bill in Indiana this year.
According to a 2008 manufacturing report by the Renewable Energy Policy Project, more than 1,300 Hoosier manufacturing businesses could be retooled to produce renewable energy components, giving Indiana the second-highest potential in the country for such jobs.
The proposed, bipartisan Indiana Green Jobs Development Act would create thousands of jobs throughout the state, from wind turbine manufacturing to installation of energy-efficient appliances in scores of aging buildings. Such a bill would spark entrepreneurial activity in green technology by carving out part of our electricity market for clean energy resources, such as wind and bio-power and energy efficiency.
Let’s make Indiana a more attractive investment destination by building up – not tearing down – the agency charged with improving environmental quality.
Business leaders differentiate between prospective investment destinations by their amenities – such as environmental quality.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Indiana’s toxic disposal and emissions rank in the top five nationally – on an absolute basis – putting us in a poor position for investment.
To improve our state’s environmental quality, Hoosiers must urge the governor and our legislators to enhance the Indiana Department of Environmental Management – not strip it of its important role in protecting public health – as might occur from recent, sweeping policy changes at IDEM.
Let’s support good use of taxpayer resources by investing more in public transit and road upgrades, not in unnecessary multibillion-dollar highways.
In the midst of a deep recession, Indiana’s state government is pushing ahead with a projected $3 billion highway – Interstate 69 from Evansville to Indianapolis – when we could upgrade an existing one for half the cost and save thousands of acres of forests.
If Hoosiers spoke up for shifting money away from unnecessary new highways and into road upgrades and public transportation, we would achieve significantly higher returns on our public investment: a more diverse number of jobs and better environmental quality.
In the coming weeks, I encourage fellow Hoosiers to embrace the opportunity to engage with their elected officials to communicate how important smart environmental policy is to our economic recovery.
In Indiana – in the midst of serious economic distress – we can create a better future for our state by making smart public policy decisions that improve our environment while strengthening our economy.
Jesse Kharbanda is the executive director of the Hoosier Environmental Council. He wrote this for Indiana newspapers.
You may visit the Waynedale Green Alliance at their website. Â Information about the planning sessions may be found here. Â Further information about world wide Earth Day celebrations may be found here.