Rochester Environmental calendar

When	What	Where
The Saturday Sweeps will take place rain or shine, 9 a.m. -- 12 noon: • April 26, Genesee Valley Park, 131 Elmwood Ave. • May 10, Cobbs Hill Park, corner of Culver Rd. & Norris Dr. • May 17 Norton NET, 500 Norton St. • May 31 Edgerton Park, 41 Backus St.-	MAYOR ANNOUNCES DATES FOR ROCHESTER CLEAN SWEEP Mayor Robert J. Duffy joined Dept. of Environmental Services Commissioner Paul Holahan and Neighborhood Empowerment Teams Director Molly Clifford to announce the dates for “Rochester’s Clean Sweep...Showing Pride in Our City,” today at Cobbs Hill Park. Beginning Mon., April 21, the City will work alongside community volunteers beautifying Rochester’s neighborhoods during six-weeks of neighborhood spring cleanup activities. “This year, we are going after litter and illegal graffiti, incorporating our Rochester Blossoms planting day, supporting more than 400 local Boy Scouts and announcing a citywide e-recycling day,” said the Mayor. “This is the third year of Clean Sweep and it keeps growing. The more than 10,000 volunteers and the many organizations that have supported Clean Sweep realize how keeping our city clean and beautiful benefits our community’s public safety, education and economic development.” Groups and individuals can join the Mayor for one or more Saturday Sweeps, where volunteers receive a Clean Sweep t-shirt, have coffee and donuts, get assigned to a team, pick up their tools and then head out to beautify the streets. Graffiti removal kits will be available this year. At noon, they’ll meet up again for a picnic lunch. The City’s show wagon stage and a large tent are set up and music plays throughout the morning, making for a fun and festive scene. The Saturday Sweeps will take place rain or shine, 9 a.m. -- 12 noon: • April 26, Genesee Valley Park, 131 Elmwood Ave. • May 10, Cobbs Hill Park, corner of Culver Rd. & Norris Dr. • May 17 Norton NET, 500 Norton St. • May 31 Edgerton Park, 41 Backus St.--from Welcome to the City of Rochester	The Saturday Sweeps will take place rain or shine, 9 a.m. -- 12 noon: • April 26, Genesee Valley Park, 131 Elmwood Ave. • May 10, Cobbs Hill Park, corner of Culver Rd. & Norris Dr. • May 17 Norton NET, 500 Norton St. • May 31 Edgerton Park, 41 Backus St.-
Tuesday evenings beginning 6 - 8 p.m., Tues., May 27. through August 26.	PREFERRED CARE TUESDAY NATURE NIGHTS BEGIN MAY 6 An upcoming Tuesday Nature Night event includes a guided bike ride along the Genesee Riverway Trail and by road into the community, 6 - 8 p.m., Tues., May 27. Ride through downtown, Genesee Valley Park, Corn Hill, Susan B. Anthony’s neighborhood. Enjoy a one-mile preview bike ride along the world-class Rochester Twilight Criterium Bicycle Race loop. The ride starts at the High Falls neighborhood; meet at the Pont de Rennes pedestrian bridge behind the Centers at High Falls. Tuesday Nature Nights are a series of walks and rides on bicycles, on foot or in canoes for all ages at a leisurely pace with slight grade changes and are guided by City staff. The series continues through August 26. Bicycle helmets are required. For further information: 428-6770 or visit www.cityofrochester.gov.	The ride starts at the High Falls neighborhood; meet at the Pont de Rennes pedestrian bridge behind the Centers at High Falls.
through May	Shrub and Tree Seedling Sale - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) annual sale of tree and shrub seedlings is underway and will continue through May. DEC's Saratoga Nursery produces more than 50 species of trees and shrubs, many native to New York, for planting on public and private land. The objective of the program is to provide low-cost planting material to encourage landowners to enhance New York's environment for future generations -from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Monday May 12, 7 PM	Book Study Group - At the April meeting of the Sierra Club Book Discussion Group, we decided to try a couple new things for the last two meetings of this year (taking a break in July and August). For Monday May 12, one member of the group will bring a video of an interview with the author of Six Degrees, a book about the prospective effects of 1, 2, and up to 6 degrees of increase in global temperature. Short segments of the video will be followed by discussion time. On Monday June 9, we will gather at a place (preferably outdoors) yet to be determined, for a potluck picnic, with open discussion (always lively!) and to do some longer-range planning for next year's meetings. We hope people will come with suggestions for books to read, as well as how to publicize to the wider community the availability of our outstanding discussions. All are welcome to attend both sessions. The May 12 one, as usual, will be at the Friends Meeting House, 84 Scio St. (entrance on Charlotte St;, parking on the street or in the East End Garage) at 7:00 p.m. Please arrive promptly, as the door will be locked after 7:00. Time and place of the June 9 gathering will be announced later - keep watching this space! - Rochester Regional Group of the Sierra Club	The Friends Meeting House is bit south of the intersection of 84 Scio and E. Main St. The entrance is on Charlotte St., around the corner from Scio. Parking is OK on the street there at night. The East End parking garage, right across Scio, is free at night.
Tuesday, May 13, 7 PM - 9 PM	The next Living in Harmony meeting is Tuesday, May 13, 7 PM - 9 PM, Henrietta United Church of Christ, 1400 Lehigh Station Road. All are invited. We will watch and discuss the movie A CRUDE AWAKENING. Here is Amazon's review of the movie: An unforgettable and shocking wake-up call, A CRUDE AWAKENING offers the rock-solid argument that the era of cheap oil is in the past. Relentless and clear-eyed, this intensively-researched film drills deep into the uncomfortable realities of a world that is both addicted to fossil fuels and blissfully unaware of the looming "peak oil" crisis. Drawing on an international cast of maverick energy experts and thinkers, directors Basil Gelpke and Ray McCormack debunk the conventional wisdom that oil production will continue to climb, and instead stare bleakly at a planet facing economic meltdown and conflict over its most valuable resource....Amidst a dark and disturbing vision of our future, A CRUDE AWAKENING hints at a humbler way of life built around sustainability and alternative energy, providing a visually stunning, boldly prophetic testament which provokes not just thought but action.	Henrietta United Church of Christ, 1400 Lehigh Station Road
May 18-24,	ACTION Upcoming Events - Color Brighton Green Curb Your Car Week For at least one day during the week of May 18-24, walk, bike or ride the bus to work. “Way to Go” is a nationwide program encouraging the use of cheaper, healthier, and more earth-friendly transportation alternatives. During the week of May 18-24, if you normally use an automobile for daily transportation, please consider walking, biking, car pooling, or riding the bus as alternatives. --from Color Brighton Green
Thursday, May 29, 2008 10:00am - 3:00pm	Thursday, May 29, 2008 10:00am - 3:00pm Regional Cancer and Environment Forum in Rochester - Hosted by The Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester 840 University Avenue, Rochester, New York - Presentations on · Prevention of Weight Gain as a Strategy to Decrease Breast Cancer Risk · Phthalates, Obesity and Insulin Resistance: First Looks · The Estrogen Connection: Estrogenic Chemicals in Plastics, Personal Care Products and Electronics · The Rochester Healthy Home (including optional field trip following the program) Details to follow in a subsequent mailing. RSVP to Carmi at (607) 255-1185 or cso1@cornell.edu	840 University Avenue, Rochester, New York
Sunday, June 1, 2008 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm	Finger Lakes Water Day on Sunday, June 1, 2008. The event will be held from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm at Champlin Beach Park in Hammondsport on the south end of Keuka Lake. The event is sponsored by the Finger Lakes Group of the Sierra Club,the Steuben County Environmental Management Council, the Steuben League of Women Voters and the Schuyler County Management Council. The purpose of the event is to promote learning about the many aspects of water in our region. We are inviting organizations and schools located in the area to set up educational displays and conduct activities related to water for people of all ages. We will have activities on the lake shore with local science teachers for students and others to learn how to do basic water testing and identify water insects and plants. A wide range of organizations working on water issues are being invited to exhibit, including the Bath Fish Hatchery, DEC, Haudenausaunee Environmental Task Force, Keuka Lake Association, the Peaceweavers, soil and water associations, historical societies and libraries, sheriff’s offices, fishing and angling groups, local artists, and local publishers. Local musicians and authors will perform. Food will be available. Please let us know about organizations you think would be good to invite to participate in the event. The Water Day Planning Committee is Jim Trondsen (607-962-5157), Susanne Brown (607-382-3141), Rich Hurley (607-368-6292) and Rachel Treichler (607-569-2114). There is no charge for exhibiting at or attending the event. A flyer and registration form can be downloaded from our website at http://newyork.sierraclub.org/fingerlakes/waterday.html	On the shores of Keuka Lake Champlin Beach Park, Hammondsport, NY
Sunday, June 1 at 6:30 PM	Geneva Area Earth Alliance (GAEA) Location: First United Methodist Church 340 N. Main St. (at Seneca St.), Geneva, NY Please enter at back of church where there is plenty of off-street parking off Williams St.) Email: wadejarrett@juno.com <mailto:wadejarrett@juno.com> Partnering to Make a Better World - Hello and Greetings from the Geneva Area Earth Alliance (GAEA, for short): We are excited to announce that on Sunday, June 1 at 6:30 PM we are hosting a symposium of environmental groups in the greater Finger Lakes area at the First United Methodist Church. Your organization is invited to join our symposium to introduce your group. Refreshments will be provided afterwards. The symposium would not only be a chance for likeminded people to come together-perhaps for the first time-but for each group to express their “top current concern” in a roundtable discussion forum, thereby increasing their visibility and potential membership. The public is also invited to attend. GAEA is a group who has come together around a common concern over global warming, but shares an ever-expanding list of other concerns as well. (See our charter, below). Having been in existence for a year and-a-half, we are at a point in our evolution where we would like to expand our reach by partnering with likeminded groups to develop win-win relationships wherever and whenever we can. Perhaps we can not only find common cause in working together but we can also develop a sense of duty to help ensure each other’s success-a rare event it seems around the world these days, but a much needed one. Please RSVP to the e-mail address above to let us know if you can attend, or if not, how we still might be able to arrange meeting each other. For any questions you may have, please send an e-mail as well. Sincerely, Glen Silver Phone: 315-539-9987 Wade Jarrett GAEA CHARTER: Geneva Area Earth Alliance (GAEA) is an inclusive network of people supporting one another and our communities as we work together to explore, promote and implement energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, responsible consumption and sustainable practices to mitigate climate change and foster positive Earth stewardship.	First United Methodist Church 340 N. Main St. (at Seneca St.), Geneva, NY Please enter at back of church where there is plenty of off-street parking off Williams St.)
Saturday June 14th from 9:00 AM - 4:00PM	11th Annual Outdoor Expo - Have you ever wanted to just try a canoe or kayak but didn't know where to go? Have you ever wondered if there was a club with your outdoor interests? Here's your chance! The Genesee Valley Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club is hosting the 11th Annual Outdoor Expo on Saturday June 14th from 9:00 AM - 4:00PM on the beach at Mendon Ponds Park. The Genesee Valley Chapter has organized this event with YOU in mind! Just come see what you can do in the Rochester area! Demonstrations, discussions and activities will be offered all day on a wide variety of outdoor related topics. This is the perfect opportunity to connect with people that share the same interests as you all in one location! The annual Expo attracts hundreds of people who attend more than twenty workshops on various aspects of outdoor activities. Attendees also view and inspect outdoor gear and try out canoes and kayaks on the Hundred Acre Pond. ADK, other local outdoor clubs, and local outdoor retailers present all of the events. All this for FREE!! More details available at: http://gvc-adk.org/Expo	on the beach at Mendon Ponds Park.
September 3 - 6 Rochester NY	2008 Healthy Lakes Healthy Lives Tour A voyage to Protect and Restore the Great Lakes - This summer Earth Voyager will be the centerpiece of events in a dozen port cities to raise the profile of the Great Lakes and highlight the urgent need and the remarkable economic, social, and environmental benefits of restoring and protecting them. Events in each port are being organized by local groups with assistance from the Healing Our Waters® --Great Lakes Coalition and may include concerts, street fairs, lectures, receptions, film festivals—even photography and art exhibits on Great Lakes themes. At each port the festivities will conclude with a reception and press conference at which elected officials and other community leaders will have a chance to voice their support for the federal Great Lakes Restoration legislation. Following the press conference, a flotilla of local yachts, pleasure boats, fishing boats, and working boats of all kinds (plus a tall ship or two in some ports of call) will give a rousing send off as the photogenic Earth Voyager heads out to open waters for her next port of call. Goals of the tour include: • Heavy media coverage will raise profile of Restoration (the CBS affiliate in Erie is already committed to covering at least half the tour). • Presidential candidates and public officials from US and Canada will focus on Restoration as issue of national and international urgency. • Industry and Conservation groups will unite in voicing support for Restoration, based on confluence of economic and environmental benefits. (Restoration is a win-win for all.) • Build momentum to implement and fund Great Lakes Restoration. Tentative Tour Dates: June 4 - 7 Buffalo NY June 11 - 14 Erie PA June 18 - 21 Toledo OH June 24 - 28 Detroit MI June 29 – July 11 Port Huron MI July 12 - 14 Bayview Port Huron to Mackinac Race July 17 - 18 Chicago July 19 - 21 100th Chicago to Mackinac Race July 24 - 27 Petoskey or Traverse City August 6 - 9 Grand Haven MI August 13 - 16 Milwaukee August 20 - 24 Bay City MI August 27 - 30 Cleveland OH September 3 - 6 Rochester NY For More Information: Janice Littlefield (810) 985-4841 bythequay@comcast.ne t Peter Alexander (802) 380-3080 peter@talkingconservation.org Jeff Skelding (202) 797-6893 JSkelding@nwf.org - http://www.earthvoyager.org	September 3 - 6 Rochester NY
September 20, 2008	Join the NY Beach Cleanup September 20, 2008 - Plan to be at an ocean beach, a river, sound, stream, wetland, or lake on the third Saturday in September to join a cleanup team and participate in the New York Beach Cleanup, organized annually by the American Littoral Society as part of the International Coastal Cleanup, a worldwide effort of The Ocean Conservancy to document and remove marine debris. Litter is not only unsightly; it poses threats to humans and wildlife. Floating debris is a menace to navigation, fouling propellers and blocking intake valves. Birds become entangled in discarded fishing line and 6-pack ring holders; marine mammals ingest plastics that can obstruct their intestinal tract. Broken glass and metal picked up by haying combines cause fatal injuries to grazing livestock. In the 2007 beach cleanup, over 9,000 volunteers documented and removed over 143,000 pounds of debris from 285 sites across New York. In September, cleanup sites "at a beach near you" will be listed on the American Littoral Society's website: www.alsnyc.org You can also call the Beach Cleanup Hotline: (800) 449-0790 for information. For assistance in forming a cleanup team of your own, contact Beach Cleanup Coordinator Barbara Cohen at alsbeach@aol.com or (718) 471-2166.	In September, cleanup sites "at a beach near you" will be listed on the American Littoral Society's website: www.alsnyc.org You can also call the Beach Cleanup Hotline: (800) 449-0790 for information. For assistance in forming a cleanup team of your own, contact Beach Cleanup Coordinator Barbara Cohen at alsbeach@aol.com or (718) 471-2166.

	Ongoing Events
RRCDC: Reshaping Rochester! 2008 Get their full event calendar	RRCDC: Rochester Regional Community Design Center "The Rochester Regional Community Design Center is a group of design professionals, planners and citizens with a shared interest in defining, promoting and helping to implement design excellence and sustainability in the built environment." Want to become involved in your communities future and protect your environment, joining their efforts: RRCDC: Reshaping Rochester! 2008 - Get their full event calendar - *William Hudnut Former Mayor Indianapolis IN Senior Resident Fellow, Urban Land Institute Washington DC Third Presbyterian Church 4 Meigs Street 7–9 pm Bruce Katz Vice President and Founding Director Metropolitan Policy Program, Brookings Institution Washington DC St. Mary’s Church 15 St. Mary’s Place 7–9 pm Robert Campbell Architecture Critic Pulitzer Prize Recipient Boston Globe Cutler Union Memorial Art Gallery 500 University Ave 7–9 pm April 24 May 13 June 11 * David Boehlke Founding member Healthy Neighborhoods Alexandria VA Lutheran Church of the Reformation 111 N. Chestnut Street 7–9 pm *Richard Bernhardt Executive Director Nashville-Davidson County Planning Nashville TN Chapel Hill (formerly Sacred Heart Academy) 8 Prince Street 7–9 pm * Walter J. Hood, Jr. Landscape Architecture UC Berkeley Principal, Hood Design Berkeley CA Visual Studies Workshop 31 Prince Street 7–9 pm	RRCDC: Reshaping Rochester! 2008 Get their full event calendar
Wind Events Many Dates and locations	Wind Power Events and Events Around NYS. --from New York Wind Power Education Project. "To: NYS community, civic, and community organizations — There are many opportunities to learn about and discuss wind power in the next several weeks. Please consider attending these events and publicizing them to your membership. Also: The various regional planning councils in New York State have launched a program to help municipalities address wind power development. This effort, coordinated by the Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council, is described at: http://www.gflrpc.org/AboutTheCouncil/Newsletter/fall06.pdf -- About The NY Wind Power Education Project The NY Wind Power Education Project is a collaborative effort of the Pace Law School Energy Project, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, and NYPIRG to increase the public's understanding of wind power issues, including its environmental benefits, in the belief that a better informed public can participate more meaningfully in the environmental review process and other public discussions surrounding proposed wind facilities. Twice per month, the NY Wind Power Education Project will distribute this email bulletin on wind energy issues and events around New York State. If you would like to forward announcements for possible inclusion in the WPEP Bulletins, simply email Anne Reynolds, areynolds@law.pace.edu . (The same address should be used if you wish to be added or removed from the list.)
Second Monday of every month at 7 PM	From Green Party of Monroe County, New York -- Check out their blog: Green Pages Newspaper This Monday is the Green Party of Monroe County's Monthly Meeting. Our speaker this month is Elizabeth Henderson of Peaceworks Farms and Genesee Valley Organic Community Supported Agriculture (GVOCSA). Elizabeth will be talking about organic agriculture at the family level. Mothers & Fathers can learn how to help their children as well as themselves go organic. Also in attendance at this month's shindig will be Rachel Treichler, who has just been elected as the Western NY representative to the NYS Green Party Executive Committee. Come and give her feedback on the Greens at a state level. As if that weren't enough, we'll be voting on a platform plank, planning for upcoming events, elections and more. As always the meeting starts at 7pm at 179 Atlantic Avenue. It's handicap accessible and the meeting is free and open to the public so bring your friends!	179 Atlantic Avenue.
Last Friday of the month	Critical Mass - Rochester Wiki "Critical Mass is a monthly bicycle ride to celebrate cycling and to assert cyclists' right to the road. The idea started in San Francisco in September 1992 and quickly spread to cities all over the world. Critical Mass has no leaders, and no central organization licenses rides. In every city that has a CM ride, some locals simply picked a date, time, and location for the ride and publicized it, and thus the ride was born. CM is an idea and an event, not an organization." — criticalmassrides.info - To plan critical mass rides in Rochester or to find out when the next ride is happening, sign up for the - Rochester Critical Mass mailing list. Critical mass rides traditionally occur on the last Friday of the month. The ride departs from the Wilson Commons clock tower on the UR campus at 5:30 and from the Liberty Pole (downtown) at 6:00pm.
	Get the complete list of events for Rochester Birding Association: 2005 Rochester Birding Association / Genesee Ornithological Society Birding Field Trips You many need this browser plug-in to read this document. Free viewer software for Microsoft Office documents
	Lots of things going on over at Rochester Regional Group of the Sierra Club -- Check out their meetings and outings.
Every Tuesday., 7PM	Metro Justice: Every Tuesday., 7PM TV Dinner meetings, Metro Justice Office. 167 Flanders Street. Every Thursday - 8:30PM TV Dinner cable program, Cable channel 15.
	Local Web sites that have their own continual updating of Rochester-area Environmental Events