Clean North e-news

[Kathie Brosemer <kathie@cleannorth.org>]

In this issue, so very very much to do this spring!  Pick one and get right 
on it, ok?  :)

1.  Action alert - stop the Pine Street Extension! Friday night...
2.  New Urbanism (End of Suburbia) April 3 at City Council
3.  Tree planting still needs sites
4.  Allard Street Gardens - spring registration
5.  Newsletter spring ish - deadline 17 April!
6.  City Haz Waste depot opens April 28
7.  Bus ridership project - get on the bus!
8.  Bike letter - it's time right now!
9.  Thank you to food donors at Christmas tree chipping
10. Bring Out Your Dead April 22
11. Garage Sale May 6
12. Thank you to Stone's Office Supply
13. Vermicomposter project
14. Working computers still for sale - on our website
15. Habitat Re-Store opens April 1

__________

1.  Action alert - stop the Pine Street Extension! Friday night...

This from Andre:

Citizens for Sustainable Transportation (CST) is a group of concerned 
citizens who object to the city's plans to extend Pine Street to deal with 
the so called traffic "congestion" on Great Northern Road.  The group has 
significant concerns with regards to several conclusions and 
recommendations in the recently completed Environmental Study Report and 
plan to request a Part II order with the Minister of the Environment.  We 
will be hosting a Open Public  Meeting at the Knights of Columbus Hall on 
Friday March 10 from 7 till 9 pm to present information and gather support 
for a bump up environmental assessment.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2.  New Urbanism (End of Suburbia) April 3 at City Council

As a result of the YEP group's recent screening of the documentary "The End 
of Suburbia," a group is interested in educating our city council and 
planners on preparing for the changes coming due to peak oil.  They've 
requested a time on Council's agenda for April 3.  If you can attend, it 
would be a good thing, as numbers count with council members.  email 
yep@cleannorth.org and express interest, and someone will make sure you 
have the info you need (date, time).

If you missed the screening and would like to borrow the DVD, it's at the 
public library and at the AUC library.  YEP donated copies.  Sweet.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

3.  Tree planting still needs sites

Don and his hearty shovel brigades have the trees, the muscle, and the 
desire.  They need the land.  Got any public (or public-access) sites that 
could use some greening?  email mcgormd@cleannorth.org.

#################

4.  Allard Street Gardens - spring registration

Something about some new garden beds being available, first-come, 
first-served.  Something about a date in April to register.  I am obviously 
not paying enough attention.  email wildgardener@shaw.ca if you want the 
straight dope.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

5.  Newsletter spring ish - deadline 17 April!

I know, you just got a newsletter.  But it was late, and we have so darn 
much happening in spring that we need a new one soon.  So here's your 
chance to be famous.  Write something!  email ed@cleannorth.org by April 
17th.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

6.  City Haz Waste depot opens April 28

But don't take your stuff there just yet!  They'll be busy.  Wait a week or 
two.  And pass the word - your family, friends, and neighbours are just 
dying to know when this will open for their spring cleanup finds.  Open 
Fridays and Saturdays, 8:30 to 4-ish, until October.  Maybe also open 
Thursdays, to be verified.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

7.  Bus ridership project - get on the bus!

The fuel tax grant to municipalities to improve transit services... has the 
locals thinking of nice ways to get more people on the bus.  Adding a 
route, tweaking existing routes, adding shelters and transfer points, maybe 
even 15 min service in a few areas...

Here's the catch.  Future grants depend on how much the city manages to 
increase ridership with what it does.  Now's the time to hop on the bus! 
Consider getting to/from work on the bus, if you don't already.  Consider a 
weekend shopping trip - the bus does go to the malls and to the Wal.  Now 
is a very good time to do this!

********************

8.  Bike letter - it's time right now!

Similarly, now is a very good time to write a brief note to your 
councillors about how you'd love to ride your bike more if the city just 
had better biking infrastructure.

They're planning some improvements for motor vehicles on Trunk Road, that 
will make bike travel even scarier.  They could easily build in some 
improvements for bikes at little to no extra cost, that would make it a 
whole lot less scary than it is now.  But they're saying people don't ride, 
won't ride, it doesn't matter.  So please write your letter now!  email 
back.motion@on.aibn.com if you feel you need more info to do so, but really 
you don't!  Just say you'd ride more if it were made less scary!  You can 
do that!

(((((((((((((((((

9.  Thank you to food donors at Christmas tree chipping

And sorry, too.  We inadvertently left your names off the thank you ad in 
the paper.  The list with your names is kept by one volunteer, the list 
with all the other volunteers' names is kept by someone else, and this time 
the two lists didn't get together.  We are sorry, and we wanted to let you 
know that we really, really appreciate your efforts.  It is so nice to have 
hot chili and homemade treats when working all day in the cold.  Thank you.

)))))))))))))))

10. Bring Out Your Dead April 22

Round up the usual suspects.  Location is still TBA, waiting for the PUC to 
confirm that great space we've been using at 550 Second Line.  But you can 
start talking about it to friends and neighbours.  Volunteers wanted too - 
email volunteer@cleannorth.org.

____________________

11. Garage Sale May 6

Andrew has got it organized.  At RYTAC, May 6th, 8 am to 1 pm.  This will 
be a great opening to the RYTAC season, too, and a lot of fun for us.

Needed:  your good junk!  Drop off at RYTAC on Thurs or Fri evening, May 
4th or 5th.

Needed:  volunteers!  help set up the tents on Friday night, help price 
stuff Friday night, help with the sale on Saturday.

email Andrew, ssmteacher@yahoo.ca, to offer your good humour and muscle 
power.  Thanks!

+++++++++++++++++++

12. Thank you to Stone's Office Supply

Stone's is giving us $500!  How nice of them!  See, they collect ink and 
toner cartridges from their customers, as a service, for recycling.  A good 
thing to do.  But they also get paid for these cartridges, as do we when we 
send off the ones we collect.

Rather than just putting that money into their profit column, they decided 
awhile ago to donate it to various local charities.  When they've saved up 
$500 in cartridge proceeds, they donate it.  Several local charities have 
benefited already, and this time they decided it's our turn!  Nice people! 
So glad we buy all our office supplies from them!

================

13. Vermicomposter project

Don's got plans!  A fancy-shmancy vermicomposter that collects compost tea 
and is really easy to harvest.  He's the expert after all these years, and 
if he says this unit is the cat's meow, I'll believe him.  So we're 
building them.  For sale, at cost (about $50).

If you think you'd like to try vermicomposting, whether in the apartment, 
the classroom, or elsewhere, watch for the article in the next newsletter. 
You can get on the list for one of these babies by phoning the CN office 
(945-1573) and leaving a message to that effect.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

14. Working computers still for sale - on our website

I'm about to go and post the list of equipment we still have for sale from 
the last computer reuse/recycling event.  It will be at 
http://cleannorth.org as soon as Mark emails it to me.  If you're in the 
market for a router or a spare computer for the kids, one of these may be 
just the ticket.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

15. Habitat Re-Store opens April 1

Rumour has it that the long-awaited building materials Re-Store (reuse 
centre) will open in the White Oak Drive area on April 1.  Congratulations 
to the local Habitat for Humanity volunteers.  Check it out!

> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >

Have a great spring!

--

Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been,
I have great faith in a seed - a, to me, equally mysterious origin for it.
Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders.
                                  - Henry David Thoreau