The Ayes have it! Sustainable Shawnee's Swap Party will be in June!

Sustainable Shawnee's Justine Thompson has graciously offered her home for our first swap party in early June! A swap party is when a group of people get together to trade items like CD's, books, DVD's, clothing or just anything at all! Swap parties promote recycling and generally living "more gently" on the earth. We'll invite all our members, their family and friends to join us. I encourage everyone interested in swapping to visit http://recyclingweek.planetark.org/involvement/swap.cfm for more information on organizing a swap party. We will need a small committee to see that the party runs smoothly so leave us a comment below if you'd like to Justine with this event. By leaving a comment on our blog, we can communicate on what our members would like Sustainable Shawnee to do in the future. Let's hear from you!

Buy Sustainable Shawnee Re-useable Bags at Local Businesses!

Sustainable Shawnee is selling re-useable bags at several local busineses. For no more than $10, plastic bags for your groceries will be a thing of the past! Stop by our booth and pick up a native, low-water use tree for your yard and a few re-useable bags for everything else!

"We're giving a bag away to every customer purchasing $100 or more at our store," said Frank Turner of Direct Colors in Shawnee. "We helped sponsor the bags with an ad and it's a good way for us to advertise as well as keep our customers happy."

Choosing re-useable bags reduces the number of plastic bags used in Shawnee by the thousands. If you don't believe me, watch the video of the continent-sized island of plastic trash currently floating in the Pacific Ocean to see where our waste ultimately ends up. Sustainable Shawnee bags are durable and large enough for most purchases. Remember, this isn't just about trips to the grocery store - take your bags with you everywhere you shop!Also, find Sustainable Shawnee Bags at the following local businesses:

House of Health No. 2 -314 W. McArthur
House of Health - 1017 N. Kickapoo
Hardesty Grocery - 200 W Hardesty Road
Batchelor's Hallmark & Wedding Shop - 110E. Main St.
Complete Landscape & Design LLC - 45th and Kickapoo Spur
GO Computers - 6 West Main St.
The Old Wishing Well Antique Mall - 225 E. Main St.
Expressions - 1725 N Kickapoo
Main Fruit Market - 730 E. Main St.
Direct Colors Inc. - 430 E. 10th St.

Support the efforts of Sustainable Shawnee to promote energy efficiency, water conservation, recycling, local foods and youth education efforts in our community. For more information on where to purchase your bags, contact Jo Davis or Shawna Turner.

2009 OSN Annual Conference is Around the Corner!

Sustainability: A New Declaration of Independence

University of Central Oklahoma - Edmond

March 20-21st

Reserve your place now at OSN's Eighth Annual Conference! We are pleased to announce that the 2009 Conference will be held at the Nigh Center located on the campus of the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Oklahoma. This year's two day Conference will be March 20 and 21, 2009. We are honored to welcome William Greider, a distinguished editor and author as our Key Note speaker. We are also proud to host a delegation from Greensburg Kansas, the town that has taken the challenge to rebuild itself using LEED and other sustainable practices after a devastating tornado.

For more information on this year's conference, visit the Oklahoma Sustainability Network website and to register online! See you there!

Clean Coal - Don't You Believe It!

Coal companies are spending huge sums of money marketing coal as "clean" rather than actually making it so. Many organizations are fighting back with the real risks of burning coal for energy in the United States. Here are some fast facts everyone should know:

Coal plants are the largest source of human-generated mercury, a potent neurotoxin, and emitter of Carbon Dioxide in the US. Mountaintop mining, a significant source of US coal, is causing massive flooding and habitat destruction in West Virginia. The burning of coal generates more than 120 million tons of ash, slag, and sludge annually all of which cause dangerous pollution if not handled properly. Fine particulate pollution from US power plants cuts short the lives of thousands annually contributing to asthma, bronchitis and emphysema in both adults and children. Though AEP/Shady Point, coal-fired power plant in Poteau, has recently tabled plans to expand their facility in Poteau, Oklahomans need to be more aware of how burning coal affects their everyday lives. Sustainable Shawnee's Rosemary Crawford in conjunction with the Energy Foundation and the Center for Energy Matters is helping to educate Oklahomans about the dangers of burning coal for electricity. For more information on toxic emissions in your own backyard or anywhere in the U.S., visit http://www.scorecard.org/.