Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Haunted Earth House: Slytherin!

Hey again Hippogriffs,

I'm calling our year of focusing on the environment "Haunted Earth House" - and we're starting with Slytherin, which means water, snakes, lizards, fish, and of course potions!

So I've been chatting with Tom Ballieul, who heads up the Green Team at First UU. He's invited me to attend their next meeting which just happens to be right before OUR next meeting, August 12! So I'm going to talk with them about ideas for ways that the Enlightened Hippogriffs can partner with the Green Team in their effort that they just happen to already be planning for the coming year - to receive Green Sanctuary Certification from the UUA, which includes proposing a minimum of 12 projects in the categories of:
  • Worship and Celebration
  • Religious Education (youth and adult)
  • Environmental Justice
  • Sustainable Living
This is pretty awesome timing, right? Great minds think alike! And Tom says "having our young people involved is absolutely essential." That means YOU! Yeah, you!

So since our first focus is on water-related issues, I mentioned to him that we might start with fracking. He happens to be a geologist and has offered to come speak to us about this issue - possibly on the 12th as well but we are still working that out. It would help us plan if you all could let me know if you're planning to be at that meeting? I know everyone's got a lot going on in the summer so please rsvp so I can gage whether it would be worth Tom's time to plan to join us.

Meanwhile, I was thinking we could start thinking about water by participating in some of the creek-related activities that our local Metro Parks have scheduled this summer, including some that have direct impact on our environment - cleaning up and monitoring the health of our water. Here are three I'm especially interested in, the first being this Saturday. What say you?

Creek cleanup at Clear Creek park - this Saturday, 7/21:
http://reservations.metroparks.net/programs/22221/852371.10237/

Learn how to be a stream monitor at Battelle Darby Creek, Weds 8/15 (evening):
http://reservations.metroparks.net/programs/22179/852371.10237/

Creek exploration at Three Creeks park - Sunday, 8/12: (again the day of our meeting! lots going on that day!)
http://reservations.metroparks.net/programs/22365/852371.10237/

So please email me and let me know 1) can you come to our meeting 8/12 and 2) availability/interest in these park activities. Also any ideas you have that I can relay to the Green Team!

~Lynne

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