Sustainable Shawnee's 2013 Christmas Party!

Sustainable Shawnee held our annual Christmas Party at Zocalo's Mexican Restaurant in Tecumseh this year. We enjoyed a wonderful vegetarian and vegan buffet along with other carnivorous favorites! We had a stumpendous turnout including many members from the Shawnee Peace Fellowship! Thanks to everyone who attended and to the staff of Zocalo's who worked so hard to serve us. Remember Zocalo's offers fresh and healthy Vegan/Vegetarian dinner options every Saturday evening of the year so stop by often!
We look forward to working with the City of Shawnee on a new bike route plan and finding a cost effective way to bring curbside recycling to our community.       Merry Christmas to all and let's get ready for 2013!

Sustainable Shawnee Elects 2013 Slate of Officers!

Thanks to everyone who's offered to give their time in 2013! Here's next year's fabulous volunteers!

 

President - Shawna Turner
Vice President - Timothy McCollum

Treasurer - Cody Deem

Secretary - Shelby Shackelford

 

You don't have to be an officer to do your part! If you have an interest in water issues, recycling, community gardening, local foods or another topic we've never tackled before, we have a place for you. Questions? Comments? Contact us at sustainableshawnee@gmail.com!

GreenStar Recycling Speaks on the Economics of Recycling in Oklahoma

We had a hugely successful meeting with GreenStar Recycling executive, Robert Pickens. He provided best practice examples for what has been successful and what hasn't been so successful for recycling programs nationwide. He will be a well-informed and valuable asset to the City as they explore their curbside recycling options with the key stakeholders in our community.  We look forward to working with him in the coming days. Meanwhile, Sustainable Shawnee continues to work on our curbside recycling recommendations. The recycling committee will meet Monday, November 12th at 4pm at SIPS downtown to discuss our plans. Join us if you're free. We need your feedback and support to make curbside recycling a reality in Shawnee. Questions? Comments? Email us at sustainableshawnee@gmail.com. 

Fun Day at Shawnee's Community Garden!

Professor Timothy McCollum and his OBU students welcomed over twenty students to the Shawnee Community Garden this morning. Unfortunately, it was a cold start but the kids had a great time learning about farming and growing their own food. Many thanks to OBU for helping make our garden a place of learning for everyone! Visit Sustainable Shawnee's facebook page for more event photos and stay tuned for next week's Countywide article.

City of Shawnee to Submit Bike Route Plan to Traffic Commission

The City of Shawnee is presently working on a bike route plan for the community based in part on the Master Trails Plan approved in 2009. The plan is likely to include both on-street and off-street linkages to ensure bikers, joggers and walkers have safe routes throughout the city. "This is a huge step forward for Shawnee, says Sustainable Shawnee President, Shawna Turner. I would like to personally thank Justin Erickson, City Planning Director, and his staff for their support of this measure. They really made it happen."

The bike route plan will be submitted to the Shawnee Traffic Commission for public comment on Tuesday, November 27th at 6:30pm. The meeting will take place at the City Hall downtown in commission chambers. Everyone is welcome to attend and comments are encouraged. If you'd like a copy of the plan in advance contact the city clerk's office at 878-1604.

Oklahoma One of Three Most Improved States in Energy Efficiency

By Sarah Terry-Cobo
The Journal Record
Posted: 08:03 PM Monday, October 8, 2012

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma joins Montana and South Carolina as states that are most improved in energy efficiency, according to new rankings by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, or ACEEE. The Sooner State jumped eight spots to 39th among all 50 states and the District of Columbia, up from 47th in last year’s ranking by the energy-efficiency organization. While the most improved status is an accomplishment, some experts say there is still more progress to be made.
Ben Foster, senior policy analyst with the Washington, D.C.-based American ACEEE, said that updated building codes and Gov. Mary Fallin’s energy plan, which includes an effort to reduce energy use in state buildings, helped increase Oklahoma’s score from the previous year. Senate Bill 1096 directs state agencies and schools to become 20 percent more energy efficient by the year 2020.
The annual State Energy Efficiency Scorecard analyzes policies and programs such as utilities initiatives that encourage high-efficiency appliances, building energy codes, state government policy on energy efficiency and combined heat and power policies. Data comes from 2010 and 2011, the most recent years available.
Oklahoma’s ranking increased significantly in part because of the programs utilities Public Service Co. of Oklahoma and Oklahoma Gas and Electric implemented with automated electric meters, and more natural gas electric generation.

Click here for the complete article.

No More Phonebooks!

Victory at last! I know you'll find this hard to believe but I avoided the delivery of the most recent yellowpages at my home this year. I credit Lora Joyce Davis with my success and here's the link she shared with me that actually worked. Try it and let us know! http://corporate.yellowbook.com/contact-us/?searchSiteUrl=%2Fyellowpages%2F%3Fwhere%3Dtecumseh%252c%2Bok

Rainwater Harvesting Class Free in OKC

Oklahoma City residents wanting to learn about rainwater harvesting can attend a free class from noon to 1 p.m., Thursday, July 26 at the OSU-OKC campus in the Agricultural Resources Center, Room 196. Presenter Jason R. Vogel, Ph.D., P.E. Assistant Professor and Stormwater Specialist from the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at Oklahoma State University will discuss research and demonstration projects related to both large and small-scale rainwater harvesting systems. The class is free and open to the public. Registration is not required. Lunch is not provided, but participants are welcome to bring their lunch. This is the sixth in a series of free monthly green infrastructure classes offered through the City of Oklahoma City. Learn more about the green infrastructure education program at www.okc.gov/planning/gii/education/index.html.

Learn From OKC How to Make Shawnee a More 'Liveable" Community

Public Invited to Open House for City’s Comprehensive Plan - planokc

The public is invited to attend a summer update and open house about the development of Oklahoma City’s new comprehensive plan, planokc. The event will be held from 4 – 6 p.m., Tuesday, July 31 on the third floor in the Council Chamber of City Hall, 200 N. Walker.  A 30-minute meet-and-greet will be followed by a short presentation highlighting the goal creation process and the resulting goals. After the meeting participants can visit with City planners about each of the plan’s elements: future land use, transportation, environmental and natural resources, communities, appearance, parks and recreation, economic development, and public services.

The comprehensive plan is a long-range plan that will guide decisions about Oklahoma City’s growth and development over the next 20 years.  The plan is for the entire city and will strive to ensure a healthy environment, community and economy for its residents. The City’s Planning Department has involved more than 4,000 residents, business owners and neighborhood associations since the process kicked off in 2010.  Information about planokc can be found at www.okc.gov/planokc.