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/.

Demand Side Energy Management: A Note from OSN's Montelle Clark on Energy Efficiency and Public Utilities in Oklahoma

On November 14th the Corporation Commission voted 2-1 to adopt energy efficiency rules for our electric utilities. On December 4th the rules were formally submitted to the Governor and the Legislature. Next year OG&E and PSO will submit their proposals for specific programs. Across the country, Demand-Side Management (DSM) programs have a proven record of saving consumers money, delaying the need to build expensive new power plants, reducing our consumption of coal, and conserving our natural gas resources. Oklahoma is well behind most other States, but these rules could help us catch up. The OSN Board will continue to participate in this process and work with other stakeholders to encourage the development of ambitious and cost-effective programs. - Montelle Clark

Recycling Industry Slows As Consumers Shop Less

December 22, 2008
One of the unanticipated outcomes from our slowing economy has been the precipitous drop in prices for recyclables. Paper, plastics, metals and glass have all been affected but don't let that stop you from recycling at your home and office. Shawnee's recycling drop-off center located in the parking lot of Homeland's Independence and Kickapoo location continues to recycle plastic (#1 & #2), paper (newspaper, magazines, & office paper), metal cans, aluminum, and CLEAR glass. The center will soon begin collecting all glass - brown, green and clear. We'll keep you posted on that development. Until then, make recycling your New Year's Resolution and Keep it!

OG&E Nearly Doubles Wind Power Capacity in Oklahoma

December 11, 2008

OGE Energy Corp. announced that its electric utility subsidiary, OG&E, is requesting proposals from wind power developers for construction of up to 300 megawatts (MW) of new wind energy capacity. OG&E said that it intends to add the new capacity to its power-generation portfolio by late 2010.
"We previously announced and have been working on plans to significantly increase OG&E's wind power production," said Pete Delaney, OGE Energy's chairman, president and CEO. "We believe wind generation benefits our customers and the state as we position ourselves for a secure energy future."

For more information on this story and OG&E's wind power plans for Oklahoma visit, http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=54285

Shawnee Recycles Christmas Trees; Offers Free Mulch

The City of Shawnee will be having a Christmas tree recycling programfor this holiday season. Allied Waste will be picking up live Christmas trees on Tuesday, January 6th and Tuesday, January 20th, 2009. Please place your Christmas trees out for pick up on the regularly scheduled yard waste day. The City of Shawnee will turn the trees into mulch at no cost for Shawnee residents. The mulch will be available to the public from February 2nd-13th , Monday through Friday, between 7am-4 pm, south of the Public Works department property located at 111 S.Kickapoo.

OKC 49th in Sustainlane's 2008 US Cities Rankings

While the city is trying to improve in a few key areas, the metro area still has a long way to go in becoming a leader in sustainability. In fact, Oklahoma City finished 49th out of 50 with Tulsa ranking an overall 48th in the nation. Sustainlane's rankings explain how people's quality of life and city economic and management preparedness are likely to fare in the face of an uncertain future. Oklahoma City fared well in water quality, affordable housing, and metro street congestion while doing poorly in the areas of solid waste diversion, planning and land use, metro ridership, local food and agriculture among others.

For more information on how Oklahoma City performed, visit http://www.sustainlane.com/us-city-rankings/cities/oklahoma-city.

OSN Past President Moves on to Bigger Things!

Oklahoma 43rd in Promoting Energy Efficiency

A new report says Oklahoma is tied for 43rd in the nation for promoting energy efficiency to boost the economy, meet electricity demands, combat global warming and contribute to the nation's security. An analysis by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy states that Oklahoma's score was zero in five of eight categories that were examined, the Tulsa World reported from its Washington bureau.

Categories included efficiency programs and policies in the utility sector, transportation and land-use policies, appliance standards, energy efficiency in public buildings and research, development and deployment. Oklahoma's highest score — four out of a possible eight — came in the building code category. Its overall score was 5.5 out of 50. California topped the groups rankings with a score of 40.5, followed by Oregon, 37; Connecticut, 36; Vermont, 33; and New York, 32.5. Of Oklahoma's neighbors, Texas was ranked highest, with an overall score of 16 points, which put it in a five-way tie for 19th place.

Steve Nadel, the group's executive director, said energy efficiency should be viewed as the first fuel in the bid for a clean and secure resource because it is less expensive, cleaner and quicker to implement than others.