Art Photographer who documents American Excess visits KC - Free Presentation

"American Consumerism: Through the Lens" with Chris Jordan Friday, November 14,2008 from 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM  Kansas City, MO

Celebrate America Recycles Day by attending a presentation by internationally acclaimed artist and advocate for social change, Chris Jordan. Chris' stunning and captivating images reveal the sheer scale of our American excess. Through his art we have the opportunity to reflect on the impact of our collective consumption, and how we can take steps to reduce, reuse and recycle.

This free event is brought to you by Sprint in partnership with the Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City and Bridging the Gap. We invite you to join the presentation as Chris shares and discusses the work in his series "Intolerable Beauty: Portraits of American Mass Consumption" and his latest project, "Running the Numbers." In addition, local experts will be on hand to share how you can help lessen our impact on the world around us. Afterward, meet up with Chris at The Bistro for a private reception.

5th Grade Environment Club delivers books to Gordon Parks School

Lunch time Monday November 2 the PH 5th Grade Environment Club loaded up Principle Barry White's truck with a boxes full of books they had collected and then delivered them to Gordon Parks Elementary School. Thanks to Language Arts teacher, Amy Velder and parent drivers: Reed Hickock, Bethany Humphries and Jonathan Chester most of the 15  club members were able to make trip. This charter school on Wyoming St off 39th St. draws its 225 students from all over the inner Kansas City.  Named after the famous African American photographer, artist, musician and filmmaker Gordon Parks who was born and buried in Fort Scott, Kansas the school has only been going for 10 years. While the beautiful old school building was very impressive, the eye opener for Pembroke students was the raised vegetable garden beds the Gordon Parks students tend and then they learn to cook from the produce they have grown.

The schools Executive Director, Lynne Beachner, explained the Gordon Parks program to the club members and that the books would be distributed to families rather than go to the school library.

Electronic Recycling at SM East: Oct. 25th, 9 am - 2 pm

Fellow recyclers, here's your big chance to do the right thing with that old electronic equipment cluttering up your garages, basements, and storage areas. Drop it off for recycling at Shawnee Mission East High School parking lot, Saturday October 25th between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. 

There is no charge to recycle computer CPUs, keyboards, mice, VCRs, stereos, scanners and personal printers. Charges of $10 to $25 will apply to computer monitors, televisions and large printers.

For more details, visit the Overland Park City website.

Please pass this news on to others in the PHS community. 

Bring Your Own Bottle

Did you know that Pepsi Aquafina and Coca-Cola Dasani bottled water both come from public water sources? A study by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that bottled water is generally no safer than tap water, and is sometimes less safe, even containing elevated levels of arsenic and bacteria.

According to National Geographic's Green Guide, Americans threw away 22 billion plastic bottles in 2006 alone.  Producing all of that plastic has its own environmental impact, consuming 1.5 million barrels of oil per year in the U.S. That's a lot of pollution and waste for the sake of the tiny convenience of having portable water on hand.

How do you break the bottled water habit?  Start a new habit: Bring Your Own Bottle. Buy a hip new set of stainless steel bottles, keep them near the door, and fill them from your tap before you head out. Keep some empties in your car, so you can easily fill up at school functions, while grocery shopping, or at fast food restaurants. Take them on walks and runs, to the gym, to school, to meetings, to work, on road trips, everywhere. At the end of the day, put the bottles and their lids in the dishwasher.

Our tap water is safe and clean, but if you're interested in extra purity, install a filter. Most plumbers would be happy to set you up with an extremely effective reverse-osmosis filter. I have one at my kitchen sink and one in the boys' bathroom upstairs for late night hydration.

Two excellent stainless steel bottles are Sigg and Klean Kanteen. Check them out at www.siggstore.com and www.kleankanteen.com.  For more complete information on the subject of water quality and bottled water, go to www.thegreenguide.com/doc/121/bottle.

Clothesline Sale: The Ultimate Sustainable Fundraiser

The Clothesline Sale is a 57-year-old tradition at Pembroke Hill School. The basic idea behind it is to collect the cast-offs of our school community and sell them at a massive sale to the Kansas City community. The concept may be old and (literally) dusty, but it couldn't be more relevant. It just might be the most environmentally sustainable fundraiser around.

Unwanted household items are given a new life. They are carefully sorted into sale departments or packed for delivery to local charities. The bags, boxes and packing material that come in with the items are saved and reused for delivery and storage. Used shopping bags are collected through a bag-drive. Paper, cardboard, plastic, and wire hangers are recycled. If the volunteers could find a way to re-use tape, they would do it!

  

Do your part for the most eco-friendly of fundraising efforts. Sign up to volunteer at clothesline@pembrokehill.org. Drop off your unwanted household items at the Wornall Campus on January 31st. Save your shopping bags and drop them in the entry boxes at the Early Childhood-, Intermediate-, Middle- or Upper School building. Shop the sale. The Clothesline Sale helps our Parents Association raise money, but even more important: it sets an example of sustainable fundraising -- reducing, reusing and recycling -- for our children and for our community.

Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge - Fall Outing

The midwest has some special wildlife opportunities at certain key times of the year. One biannual highlight is the migration of the birds on the central fly way between the Arctic and the  Gulf of Mexico.  The Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge just an hours drive N.W. of Kansas City is one of the main stopping points as the head north in the spring and south in the fall.   In October and  November between 250,000 and 35o.000 Snow Geese can be seen at the refuge just south of Mound City.

This is a wonderful fall overnight or one day outing.  The really keen birders are there at dawn but if you leave the city early it can be done easily in a day.  The interpretation center has maps guides and very helpful Rangers.  PEAC members are planning a trip there early in November.  Keep watching the blog for more details.