members e-news for January

[Kathie Brosemer <kathie@cleannorth.org>]

Members e-news for January 2003


1.  Thanks!
2.  Tree Chipping is this Sunday
3.  Newsletter list
4.  Office volunteers
5.  Calendar for Spring
6.  Paint and Fabric Extravaganza
7.  Carpeting Project - we need you!
8.  Envirothon Activity Days
9.  Rainbarrel party and Barbecue!
10.  A&P tapes
11.  Environmental Education Ontario - Jan 15 deadline - go and click!
12.  Transportation Working Group?

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1.  First on the list: Thanks to all of our members who responded to the 
Annual Appeal letter.  We
really appreciate it!  Ashley is getting all of your tax receipts ready and 
we'll be mailing them with a
thank you note, shortly, but I wanted to say thanks here, too.  We had a 
great response to the mailing
and it is very cheering to see that level of support and confidence in the 
organization.  It gives me a
boost when I open the mail.   So, thanks!

***************************

2.  Tree Chipping is this Sunday.  If you are inclined to come out and 
play, please do!  If we don't yet
have you on the schedule for helping on Sunday, and you want to help, 
please feel free to stop by the
site and sign your name on the Sunday schedule.  It's in the trailer.  9 am 
to noon is the intense chipping
activity, and we'll also need a hand in the "kitchen", noon to three it's 
quieter with chipping but we'll be
starting the cleanup, and three to five is the final site cleanup when we 
can really use your energy.

Also, we're collecting books for the Friends of the Library, and blankets 
for the Humane Society, at
the site this year.  A chance to clean out some closet space...

****************************

3.  Newsletter list

We've decided to revive the newsletter email list.  Not the members e-news 
list, the working group that
helps plan and put the paper newsletter out.  So, if you're interested in 
writing an article or two for the
newsletter, or contributing a cartoon, quote, or article borrowed from 
another publication, go ahead
and subscribe to the newsletter list at http://lists.cleannorth.org.  You 
won't get many emails from that
one, just a few around the time of newsletter planning and development, 
four times a year.

*****************************

4.  Office volunteers

Ever thought of spending two hours a week helping people find environmental 
information?  We could
use you!  Several Clean North members volunteer to come in once a week, to 
be in the office for the
public.  While they're there, they greet visitors and try to help them find 
out what they're looking for,
answer the phone and try to be helpful, and in between callers they do odd 
jobs, like fold and stuff
envelopes, fix the doorknob, tidy up a desk, or water plants.  Some with 
computer skills add things to
the website or update the membership list.  Can you see yourself in this 
picture?  Email
kathie@cleannorth.org and we'll talk!

****************************

5.  Calendar for Spring

*   next CN meeting - Tuesday, Feb 4, 7:30 pm
*   Feb 8th, all day, Paint and Fabric extravaganza in Imagination Station
*   Feb 22-23, Carpeting Project
*   Feb 25-27, Envirothon Activity Days
*   April 12th, Rainbarrel construction party and barbecue
*   April 26th , BOYD 4.0, our seventh semiannual computer recycling event

Note: No Garage Sale this year.  You can either save your unwanted stuff 
for a Clean North garage
sale in 2004, or you can donate it to another one of the many charity 
garage sales in town.  Just letting
you know in advance.

More on some of these events...

*******************************

6.  Paint and Fabric Extravaganza

On February the 8th, in Imagination Station, Steve Lewis the Paint Guy and 
Andrea Haft, the Fabric
Queen, are teaming up to provide a fun and highly decorative event!  It's a 
promotion of the paint
exchange program, and a fabric/yarn/patterns and notions swap.  Details are 
still under development,
but expect low, low prices on paint and fabrics, and get a credit for any 
fabric you bring in for
"swapping".  Phone Steve afternoons at the office 945-1573 for details.

*******************************

7.  Carpeting Project

Got Carpet Skills?  We need you!  Organized and detail-minded?  We _really_ 
need you!  Willing to
carry stuff from point A to point B for a couple of hours?  Please help!

We've got carpet.  We've got glue.  All we need is you.  (Hey that sounds 
catchy!)  February 22 is the
big day, and we'll schedule a couple of shifts on Feb 23 too, just in case 
we can't get it all carried back
and put back into place in one day.  We'll also need a few volunteers to 
bring food for the worker
shifts, and we can't just buy pizza - there's a fierce food allergy in the 
room.  If you can help, email
kathie@cleannorth.org and offer - I'll be most grateful.  Thanks!  This 
carpet is really nice stuff and I
just can't wait to get it all installed.

*****************************

8.  Envirothon Activity Days

The special event this year is Urban Sprawl.  We've worked with the 
Envirothon teams locally before
and it's really fun to spend a day with these intelligent, enthusiastic 
youth.  Andre Riopel is working on a
great activity to convey the problems and solutions of Urban Sprawl, and we 
could use a few people to
help out with that.   It's weekdays, daytimes, though, so not everyone's 
cup of tea.   If interested, email
kathie@cleannorth.org and we'll keep in touch.

*********************************

9.  The Great Rainbarrel Party, Summer Sun Dance, and First Barbecue of the 
Season!

April 12th, before the black flies come out, Peter McLarty is inviting us 
all to a barbecue!  All you have
to do is help make some rainbarrels.  He figures a group of us can make 36 
of them in just three hours,
allowing lots of time for fun and frivolity (barrel races, anyone?), and 
then we're set for the spring
demand for these beauties!  Also, making rain barrels is one of those 
karmic things, you know?  It
guarantees sunny weather and a fine spring!  If it suits your plans, you 
can buy yours and take it with
you on the spot...  So, mark your calendar and watch this space for more 
details as the date grows
nearer.

**********************************

10.  A&P tapes - we're still collecting them.  Our year ends at the end of 
January, then we have to add
them all up and get them off to the store to collect our cash.  Last year 
we made enough to cover a
month's PUC bill.  Not too bad for the effort involved.  So, if you've been 
saving them for us, please
bring them in so they can be counted.  Thanks!

**********************************

11.  Environmental Education Ontario

Many, but not all of you, have heard of the Environmental Educators of 
Ontario. I am sending you a
link for their Web site, because they are currently doing a survey 
(deadline Jan. 15th) about how best
to provide environmental education in Ontario. They are looking for input 
from people from all walks of
life, not just teachers!

Please consider filling out their survey -- I'm sure they would be very 
happy to receive your feedback!

The address is:  http://www.eeon.org

***********************************

12. Transportation Working Group?

Several of us have been interested in transportation issues for some time 
now.   Andre, of course, is
keen on bike commuting, and we've got a wonderful facility to promote that 
in the Community Bicycle
Workshop.  Marc is leading on the Anti-Idling campaign we're handing out 
leaflets about at the tree
chipping site.  And Peter is motivated to do something about improving 
public transit service and
perhaps seeing that rationalized with high school student transportation. 
All these ideas can use some
new energy - is it time for a Transportation Working Group?  If you're 
interested, send an email to
kathie@cleannorth.org, with Transportation in the subject line.  We'll get 
a mailing list started, maybe
call a first meeting to see where we go with this.

**************************

Keep warm, stay safe, wash your hands often (!) and be well...

Kathie