Oklahoma-based AES/Shady Point Calls Allegations Over Coal Fly Ash Site "Unsupported"

Update on Rosemary Crawford's activities on behalf of the citizens of Bokoshe, OK.

BOKOSHE, Oklahoma – An Oklahoma power company at the center of the environmental battle held a news conference to clear the air Wednesday. The fight is centered around a fly ash dump site in the tiny town of Bokoshe, in LeFlore County.

10/28/2010 Related Story: Oklahoma Fails Small Town In Fly Ash Regulation

Fly ash is a byproduct of burned coal. It's full of heavy metals like arsenic and lead that are known to be harmful to people. For ten years, the AES power plant has been transporting fly ash off their site by the truckload and dumping at a site in Bokoshe. It's become the largest dump site of its kind in the state.Bokoshe residents are fighting to stop the dumping. They claim it's caused various health problems including cancer and respiratory issues."We have had a very bad rash of cancers and respiratory problems." Charles Tackett, Bokoshe resident, said.

They say they can't prove the connection, but the closest residents to the fly ash site have come down with respiratory problems and a host of cancers. In fact, some of the residents recently put up a sign that says welcome to Bokoshe, home of a toxic fly ash dump. In a news conference Wednesday, a spokesman for the power company denied any link to illness, said they're tired of hearing the false accusations, and that they're not going anywhere.

For the entire story including photos and video, visit http://www.news9.com/Global/story.asp?S=13640741

Sustainable Shawnee's Christmas Party!

Sustainable Shawnee's Annual Christmas Party was a blast as always. Enjoy the pictures of all the people who made 2010 a great year for our group. Thanks for everything!

Recipes from the 2010 Feast of Local Foods are here!

Sustainable Shawnee's 2010 Feast of Local Foods

Traci Westbrook has graciously provided the recipes for the wonderful food served at this year's Feast of Local Foods. Enjoy!

Traci's Recipes

Welcome 2011 Sustainable Shawnee Officers!

Sustainable Shawnee members elected new leadership 2011! Thanks to all the officers who have served this organization in the past and all the best to those just getting started!

President - Traci Westbrook
Vice President - Shawna Turner
Secretary - Melissa Odneal
Treasurer - Justine Thompson
Past President - Cody Deem

Recycling Centers Now Open at Lowe's

Lowe’s has recently installed permanent recycling centers in nearly all of its 1,700 stores throughout the U.S. to accept these items:

• Rechargeable batteries (of up to 11 pounds)
• Cell phones
• Compact fluorescent bulbs (most Lowe’s have been accepting used CFLs since March)
• Plastic shopping bags

For the press release, visit:

www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100928006319/en/Lowe%E2%80%99s-Launches-Recycling-Centers-U.S.-Stores

Walgreen's Launches Safe Prescription Drugs Disposal Program

Walgreens has launched the first ongoing, nationwide Safe Medication Disposal Program, a safe and environmentally responsible way to dispose of unused or expired medications. For $2.99, customers can purchase a specially designed envelope available at any Walgreens pharmacy counter that allows them to place, seal and mail prescription or over-the-counter medications they no longer use for safe, eco-friendly disposal. Once securely sealed, the envelope can be dropped into any U.S. Postal Service mailbox where it will be sent to an approved medication incinerator. Click here for the complete story.

A recent Associated Press investigation discovered trace amounts of a variety of pharmaceutical drugs in the drinking water supply of 24 major metropolitan areas across the country. Pharmaceuticals and personal care products are known to interfere with the normal growth and reproduction of fish and other aquatic life. Safely disposing of pills is a step in the right direction but reducing the amount of medication taken the US will greatly improve water quality. Discharges from waste water treatment plants and untreated sewage run-off into lakes, rivers and streams are by far the biggest source of pharmaceutical pollution. Presently, the EPA does not regulate pharmaceuticals as a pollutant so we must be extra vigilant personally to minimize the pills we take, especially hormone-related substances, which seem to have the most detrimental effect on wildlife.

From farms to feasts: Midtown restaurant in OKC to feature locally

Farm to table - the concept of using as many locally grown ingredients as possible for a meal - is carving out a spot in Midtown this month.

The restaurant Ludivine is scheduled to open in mid September in the Midtown Village area at Seventh and Hudson. The restaurant's menu is anything but static - as Ludivine's chefs scour Oklahoma's family-owned farms and ranches for ingredients, the meals will vary according to what they find.

"Rather than having an idea of the dishes you want to do, then trying to find the ingredients to fulfill that, you just take what's available from the farms, look and see what you have, then write the menu based on that," said Russ Johnson, owner and chef.

"The menu will vary a lot from week to week, and dramatically from season to season," he said. "Knowing where your food comes from and knowing the people who produce it - knowing what goes into it and what doesn't go into it - is really nice. It's something we've lost nowadays. People don't know a lot where their food comes from, and it's fun to try to change it.

Click here for the complete article. Sounds great!

A Feast of Local Foods A Great Success!

Here's this year's team! Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make this happen! We had 160 guests this year with seating indoors and out. Thanks to efforts of Traci Westbrook the food was the very best ever! Due to popular demand, we will post Traci's recipes from our meal on the website so stay tuned! Until next year, buy locally produced food whenever you can. It's healthier for you and the environment. Better still, it tastes outstanding!

The Chickasaw Nation ReUse Center: A Great Idea for Central OK!

Located in Ada, Oklahoma, the Chickasaw Nation ReUse Center, wholly owned by the Chickasaw Nation, is operated by the tribe’s Department of Environmental Services. Start-up funds for the center were provided by a grant from the Environ-mental Protection Agency (EPA). The partnership of funding between the Chickasaw Nation and the EPA’s grant has managed to fully support the operation of the center. As a result, there is no charge for any of the services pro-vided by the ReUse Center; it’s free and open to anyone to drop off or pick up any item that the center accepts for reuse. Since opening, business has been brisk – up to 75 customers visit each day the center is open. And while the Chickasaw Nation ReUse Center has had a measurable impact on the environment – the center’s staff has accepted more than 32,500 lbs. of reusable material and redistrib-uted more than 29,000 lbs. since opening–the impact the center has made as a much-needed community resource was unexpected.

The ReUse Center now regularly sees families in need who have been referred to the center by various local social service programs and churches. The demand for items, especially for children’s clothes, furniture and basic kitchen/household goods, often exceeds the supply of items available. The Chickasaw Nation ReUse Center has also initiated a number of community outreach efforts during its first year of operation. They hosted an appliance and television recycling drive to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.

The Chickasaw Nation ReUse Center is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and every other Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The center accepts reusable furniture, appliances, electronics, clothing, household and kitchen items, paint, cleaning products and building materials. For more information, call (580) 272-5451 or visit the Chickasaw Nation ReUse Center at 2205 N. Broadway in Ada.

Target Offers Recycling Stations At Stores Nationwide!

Target® has launched permanent community recycling stations in all 1,740 stores to kick-off a month-long cele-bration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Located at the front of each store, the recycling stations offer guests a convenient way to recycle aluminum, glass and plastic beverage containers, plastic bags, MP3 players, cell phones and ink cartridges. A full description of recyclables that are accepted is available at Target.com/eco-friendly. Target strives to be an environmental steward, taking a holistic approach to sustainability throughout its stores and operations. This includes building and maintaining energy efficient stores, improving transportation opera-tions and carrying a variety of eco-friendly products at Target and online at Target.com.