Meeting Agenda with Notes March 12, 2010

Amador Valley High School
Environmental Club Meeting Agenda
March 12, 2010 12:45 PM – 1:21 PM
Mrs. Turner's room, E5

1. Welcome and Introductions: New members.

2. Discussion of paper conservation (2/26/10 – 3/12/10)
- Notes: Taylor printed double –sided, used the backs of old binder paper for new assignments. Liana tried writing smaller to save room.

3. Pleasanton Unified School District Environmental Awareness Committee meeting
- March 24 at 4:30 PM in Bernal Room at PUSD District Offices 4665 Bernal Avenue
- Amador student presentation about Environmental Club’s projects, successes
- Volunteers: Emily and Swethaa

4. 40th Earth Day/Week Celebrations (week of April 19 – 23; Earth Day is April 22nd)
- Reminder to look at Earth Week calendar on blog and in email. Mohr Garden project work day April 23 to be planned.

- Club Events:

Saturday, April 17
Livermore Earth Day Celebration. YES / NO
8:30 AM – 11:30 AM (Volunteer community clean up)
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM (Earth Day Celebration)
Free to the public. Location: Robertson Park, 3200 Robertson Park Road, Livermore. The goal of this volunteer community clean up, non-profit event is to recognize, celebrate and promote the region’s unique beauty and to educate the public regarding how to conserve, preserve and protect our local and global resources.

OR

Earth Day at Forest Home Farms YES / NO
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM at Forest Home Farms, 19953 San Ramon Valley Blvd., between the Bollinger and Alcosta exits off the 680 freeway. San Ramon, CA
Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day while helping to spruce up Forest Home Farms Historic Park for spring! There'll be projects in the vegetable garden, the wildlife garden and around the farm. Bring your own gloves and garden tools. Refreshments will be provided. This is a FREE, volunteer event perfect for scout groups and service clubs.
The club will be attending this event as an informal activity—not school sponsored and the school is not liable. We will have parent drivers for carpooling.

Wednesday, April 21
AVHS Environmental Club presents Flow
Irena Salina's award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century - The World Water Crisis. Salina builds a case against the growing privatization of the world's dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel.
Location: AVHS multipurpose room
Time: 7 – 9 PM. Free admission; popcorn, cookies and water will be sold.
We need to ask teachers if they will offer extra credit for attending.

5. Additional events/activities:
- Alviso Adobe “Tools from the Ancient World” March 27 2PM to 3PM
- Earth Hour March 27, 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM turn the lights off! (www.earthhour.org/); Farmer’s Market to pass out fliers 9AM The club will be meeting at the Farmer’s Market on this day, and everyone is welcome to attend. It’s informal, not school-sponsored, etc.
- School black out April 22 We have to write a proposal to submit to administration. There will be different levels/stages of “greenabilty” that teachers can achieve for this day.
- National Agriculture Day March 20: Fact Sheet & Video



6. These Come From Trees: Guerilla Paper Waste Elimination Project: thesecomefromtrees.blogspot.com $1 donations?

7. Did anyone check energy meter? Check it out before our next meeting.

8. Share DOTs (Do One Thing).
- billionactsofgreen.net
- Post your DOT on our Facebook page or group to share your idea.
- Liana pledges to take shorter showers. We discussed unplugging electronics to save energy.

9. Food scrapping discussion. We have decided not to apply considering the fact that the bins do not cost anything to obtain. We may consider applying for grant money for solar lights, but for now we will plan on obtaining some bins and possibly starting the food scrap program this school year. We will, at least, obtain them and figure out logistics, etc. We hope to work with Leadership and other clubs (Interact, etc.) to get the process going.

10. Brief discussion of focus group ideas. Taylor will make a list of teacher suggestions to make cards at our next meeting.


11. ACE lesson plan. (We did not discuss this and will discuss it at a future meeting.)

12. Next week’s bulletin green tip #7: Bring your own bag.
- Interesting facts about plastic bags:
We didn’t have time to talk about them, so a bulletin green tip post will be added to the blog including information about plastic bags.

13. Interested bloggers? Check out Taylor's new green blog at taylorconfessions.blogspot.com

Thank you everyone who attended today's meeting!

Tentative Agenda for March 12, 2010 Meeting

This is a tentative agenda; items may change/be added, but here's a general idea of the plan for Friday's meeting (March 12).

Amador Valley High School
Environmental Club Meeting Agenda
March 12, 2010 12:35 PM – 1:06 PM
Mrs. Turner's room, E5
1. Welcome and Introductions: New members & focus group sign ups.

2. Discussion of paper conservation (2/26/10 – 3/12/10)
- Notes:

3. Pleasanton Unified School District Environmental Awareness Committee meeting
- March 24 at 4:30 PM in Bernal Room at PUSD District Offices 4665 Bernal Avenue
- Amador student presentation about Environmental Club’s projects, successes
- Volunteers:

4. 40th Earth Day/Week Celebrations (week of April 19 – 23; Earth Day is April 22nd)
- Reminder to look at Earth Week calendar on blog and in email.
- Club Events:

Saturday, April 17
Livermore Earth Day Celebration. YES / NO
8:30 AM – 11:30 AM (Volunteer community clean up)
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM (Earth Day Celebration)
Free to the public. Location: Robertson Park, 3200 Robertson Park Road, Livermore. The goal of this volunteer community clean up, non-profit event is to recognize, celebrate and promote the region’s unique beauty and to educate the public regarding how to conserve, preserve and protect our local and global resources.

OR

Earth Day at Forest Home Farms YES / NO
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM at Forest Home Farms, 19953 San Ramon Valley Blvd., between the Bollinger and Alcosta exits off the 680 freeway. San Ramon, CA
Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day while helping to spruce up Forest Home Farms Historic Park for spring! There'll be projects in the vegetable garden, the wildlife garden and around the farm. Bring your own gloves and garden tools. Refreshments will be provided. This is a FREE, volunteer event perfect for scout groups and service clubs.

Wednesday, April 21
AVHS Environmental Club presents Flow
Irena Salina's award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century - The World Water Crisis. Salina builds a case against the growing privatization of the world's dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel.
Location: AVHS multipurpose room
Time: 7 – 9 PM. Free admission; popcorn, cookies and water will be sold.

5. Additional events/activities:
- Alviso Adobe “Tools from the Ancient World” March 27 2PM to 3PM
- Earth Hour March 27, 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM turn the lights off! (www.earthhour.org/)
- School black out April 22 (Alex Pickert)
- National Agriculture Day March 20: Fact Sheet & Video



6. These Come From Trees: Guerilla Paper Waste Elimination Project: thesecomefromtrees.blogspot.com


7. Did anyone check energy meter?

8. Share DOTs (Do One Thing).
- billionactsofgreen.net
- Post your DOT on our Facebook page or group to share your idea.

9. Food scrapping discussion – ACE grant application.

10. Brief discussion of focus group ideas.

11. ACE lesson plan.

12. Next week’s bulletin green tip #7: _______________

13. Interested bloggers? Check out Taylor's new green blog at taylorconfessions.blogspot.com

Ooops...Confession #1

I have recently been using plastic water bottles up the yin yang. I can't seem to get myself to make the effort to fill my reusable one up and/or reuse whatever plastic one is empty...I don't know how to get out of this rut, and I honestly don't really want to because of the convenience. Plus, the water taste's kind of funky in my reusable bottle. I have to figure out some motivation...

adios. Taylor

This was originally posted at Confessions of an Environmental Noob on March 2.

Welcome to Fresh Air, Biggest Noob Ever.

I hiked the ridge today, for the first time, might I add. I think with being environmental friendly comes being more friendly to my body as well. I am so used to dancing in an inside, air-conditioned, away-from-nature studio. This hike was a much needed welcome back into the natural world, and a great form of alternate exercise. Don't get me wrong, it was tough: I huffed, and puffed, and fell down many times. Yet, there is definitely something to be said for being outside, breathing in the surroundings and fresh air, everything seems so much more interconnected and meaningful, but I don't mean to sound cliche and dramatic. The trees surrounding the trails give off oxygen which takes a journey through my lungs, so I am able to keep going and enjoy the beauty of the trees; it's a beautiful circle that I now know I should take advantage of more often. It's nice to step away from my hectic life and cherish the peace hiking and nature bring. It has also inspired me to go back, and perhaps, take my camera to document the beauty and serenity.

adios. Taylor

This was originally posted at Confessions of an Environmental Noob on February 28, 2010.

Welcome to Reality, Biggest Noob Ever.

Alrighty, so, truth be told, I have never really cared much about issues concerning the environment. Environmental awareness is something people can easily avoid since its not so noticeable in our hectic, 100 miles-per-hour lives. Granted, I have been informed, I just never took it upon myself to do anything about it. I felt like it was too big a problem, so if I couldn't fix the whole thing, why try at all, right? Wrong. Finally, after hearing my good friend Melissa talk about being environmental friendly for three years, I have started to actually listen.

Since I'm starting from scratch on this whole sustainable living thing, I might as well fess up to all the stuff I would never admit to environmentalists:
-I grab a new plastic water bottle from the fridge every day
-I enjoy my showers for way too long
-I use a new piece of binder paper when I don't like how I wrote my name
-I am an unaware driver when it comes to saving gas
-I drive to school when its a ten minute walk from my house
...I could go on an on, but essentially: I'm an environmental noob.

The thing is, I look at people who truly live environmental friendly/sustainable lives, and I feel like it would be too overwhelming to try to do the same. I like taking long showers, its easier to just grab a water bottle and go, and vegging out in front of the television and computer screen is my choice activity...So where do I find the balance?

I think I should start slow. Change one or two things until they are habit, and then add something else. Making each change a habit will make it so much easier to stick with it.

Things I have already started to do:
-take smaller notes utilizing the whole page
-print things on the front and back of a paper
-joined my schools environmental club
-unplug unused items from outlets
-turn off a light in my house if no one is in the room

On this blog I will confess my struggles and successes with trying to be environmental friendly in everyday life. Taking it slow will take away the pressure to change everything right at this exact moment. Hopefully, someone will take this journey with me after they read this.
Remember, green is good.

adios. Taylor

This was originally posted on Confessions of an Environmental Noob on February 27, 2010.