Weekly Meetings

Here you can read the summaries of our weekly meetings. This school year, we meet on Wednesdays at 5:00 pm in Temple Hall. See map. No notes posted for the dates we don’t meet.

Note: Starting in April, this blog will no longer be updated regularly.

Wednesday (March 17, 2010)

Another quick meeting this week. In brief, we mentioned these events.

• Springfield Clean Energy Forum
  Tuesday, March 30, 7:00 to 8:30 pm, Temple Hall 2
• Energy Cafe: The Wind Connection
  Monday, March 22, 6:00 to 7:30 pm, Farmers Gastropub
• Workshop for Integrating Sustainability into Curriculum
  Bull Shoals Field Station, Saturday, March 20, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
• Show Me Sustainability Conference
  Weekend of March 19-21, at the University of Missouri (Columbia, MO)

Wednesday (March 3, 2010)

This evening we wrote letters to Senator McCaskill, asking her to support America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, especially with regard to the lands proposed as wilderness areas in Missouri and Utah.

Libby announced that, as a new alum, she will resign at the end of March from her positions as secretary and web director of the club in order to concentrate on a job search.

Later in the evening, some of us attended a session of the Springfield chapter of the United Nations Association. There we watched Sisters on the Planet, hosted by Oxfam; participated in a panel discussion; and joined in activities to encourage legislative action.

Wednesday (February 24, 2010)

Lots of business this week!

Meeting highlights

• Synopsis of the the trip to Lowell Cave (Feb 20).
• Briefing about SUWA’s campaign for the Red Rock Wilderness Act.
  (More activity on this front at next week’s meeting with a special session at 4:45 pm.)
• Discussion of the half-dozen areas in Missouri proposed for wilderness designations.
• Letters written to Senator McCaskill asking for her support with eco-legislation.
• Coordination continues with Jeff Brown and other MSU representatives about campus-wide recycling.

Wednesday (February 17, 2010)

Not much new business this week. Clay summarized Matt O’Reilly’s talk (Feb 16) about Green Circle Shopping Center, which is LEED-certified (Platinum).

Upcoming activities

• Thursday, February 18 (5:00–6:00 pm, PSU auditorium)
  Presentation by C. Daughenbaugh regarding SUWA & the Red Rock Wilderness Act
• Saturday, February 20 — Trip to Lowell Cave outside of Conway, MO
  Meet at Clay’s house at 10:45 am

Wednesday (February 10, 2010)

In this fun & very informal meeting, we wrote valentines to deliver to Sen. McCaskill, asking her to vote “Yes” on the Comprehensive Climate Bill. During the SSF meeting which followed, members of Sierra Club and Students for a Sustainable Future worked on proposals to submit for the sustainable fund.

The university’s Office of New Media developed plugins for campus blogs, such as a slideshow and a calendar. I’ll work through the tutorials this weekend and add the features. Meanwhile, see Events & Activities.

Wednesday (February 3, 2010)

The hiking trip to Hercules Glades was a soggy success. Read Clay’s poetic description.

Student Sustainability Fund

Talk continues about proposals for the Student Sustainability Fund. Please bring ideas to our next meeting so that we can get Missouri State closer to being a green school, as ranked by the national Sierra Club.

Upcoming events

• Instead of co-hosting a party to celebrate graduation, Libby will sponsor an outing for our club in mid-February.
• On Thursday, February 18 at 5:00 pm in the PSU theater, Clayton Daughenbaugh of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) gives a free photo-presentation about the preservation campaign.
• February 16 is the deadline for early registration ($10) to attend the Show Me Sustainability Conference, March 19-21, at the University of Missouri (Columbia, MO).
• Recycled notebooks from Students for a Sustainable Future will be sold at the MSU bookstore on an ongoing basis. Hurray!

See you next week.

Wednesday (January 20, 2010)

This meeting was quick and clean.

Ongoing business

Clay talked about the first Energy Cafe, featuring Lindsay Berger’s keynote address regarding the climate summit in Copenhagen. Libby reported about the meeting held this morning at PSU as part of the Veterans for American Power Tour / Operation Free. Tyler, Jake,and Clay described some great hiking trips.

We again discussed the need for students to submit proposals for projects funded by the Student Sustainability Fee.

Upcoming events

• Kickoff for Clean Energy Missouri Campaign – Wednesday, January 20
  7:30-8:30 pm, Brentwood Branch Public Library, Springfield
• Clothing Exchange – Saturday, January 23, noon to 4:00 pm, PSU
• Trip to Hercules Glades – Saturday through Sunday, January 23-24
• Sisters on the Planet (Film & panel discussion) – Friday, January 29
  6:00-8:00 pm, Heritage Cafeteria at Battlefield & Fremont, Springfield
  (Sponsored by United Nations Association of Springfield)

Wednesday (January 13, 2010)

For our first meeting of 2010 and the new semester, approximately twenty-five people attended—a strong turnout. The officers introduced themselves. Then we completed a round-robin where members and guests introduced themselves and spoke about what they would like to accomplish as a club.

New business

• This semester we’ll continue to meet on Wednesdays at 5:00 pm in Temple Hall.
• An assortment of colorful, slightly used notebooks and folders, salvaged from previous campus duties, are available for another semester of service.

Sustainability: the saga continues

President Clay, V-P Jake, and officers of SSF talked about the ongoing need for students to submit proposals to the Sustainability Commission in order to use the funds dedicated for sustainability projects. The commission has received only one proposal.

Jake shared his findings from an informal fact-gathering mission. During the past couple of months he asked students what type of projects they would like supported. Most people want to have interactive projects that are educational and innovative rather than simply funding efficiency improvements and money-saving measures for the university. Favorite ideas were about greenhouses, gardens, and other such plans.

If you have a proposal, or even a rough idea about a possible project, please contact Jake, Clay, or another officer for more information. We’d really like to put the dedicated funds to good use!

Upcoming events

• Potluck at the Green House (aka the home of Clay, Jake, Miles, et al.) – Thursday, January 14, 6:30 pm
• Kickoff for RecycleMania – Sunday, January 17, all day, MSU
• Energy Cafe – Monday, January 18, 6:00 pm at Farmers Gastropub
  Lindsay Berger, delegation leader for Focus the Nation, speaks about the UN Climate Change Summit, which took place in Copenhagen.
• Alternative Spring Break – Sunday, March 7 through Friday, March 12
  Want to spend spring break getting dirty while cleaning part of an ecosystem? Participate in a cleanup along the Ohio River in Louisville, KY with Living Lands and Waters. Students are responsible for costs of transportation, lodging, and most meals. Want details? Follow this link to the website of LLW.

League of Conservation Voters & Clean Energy Campaign

After our session, Students for a Sustainable Future met.

Carina Barnett-Loro of the League of Conservation Voters, affiliated with Clean Energy Works, talked about the Clean Energy Missouri Campaign. She distributed information cards for interested people to complete.

Wednesday (December 2, 2009)

We signed into the Clean Energy Economy Forum, hosted by the Obama administration, to interact with youth leaders from across the country. Thanks go to Liz of Students for a Sustainable Future for serving as our technician.

Before hooking into the forum, we talked about arranging a prefinals hiking trip. Anybody interested? Contact Clay.

Wednesday (November 18, 2009)

No meeting this week or next. Today, we’ll be at the MSU sustainability fair in PSU, (Continuing Path to Sustainability). Next week is Thanksgiving break.

We’ll meet again on December 2 at Temple Hall, 5:00 pm.

Wednesday (November 11, 2009)

Secretary absent.

Sierra Club goes to the MSU sustainability fair in PSU

Want a break from studying? Come to the student union on Wednesday, November 18, and join in the special events for Missouri State’s Continuing Path to Sustainability, 8:00 am – 9:00 pm. It’s an information fair with exhibits, presentations, a theatrical production (Heartland), and a documentary (Fresh).

Got questions for or about Sierra Club? Stop by our booth in PSU, 4:00 – 7:00 pm.