OUCH!

We were offlined and sidelined by illnesses and life as it sometimes happens… and…
Now it is THREE YEARS LATER!!!

Suzy is getting back on track… sorry for the sudden rude break in communications, and forever thank yous to our friends and family who have sustained US through some tough personal times.

So… are we BAAAACK?! Well, not at full steam ,but at least I will start updating links and answering comments/emails again – both personal and scanfairbanks.

Hello world. We are still here.

from: Kraig Smyth, web supporter of Suzanne Fenner and scanfairbanks

Community Potluck on Saturday, April 19th

The Sustainable Community Action Network for Fairbanks (SCANFairbanks) is hosting, with support from Organic Valley Foods, a Community Earth Potluck. This is to celebrate sustainable living, agriculture & harvest, hunting, gathering, gardening everything! Everyone is welcome! I want to invite restaurants that use local produce (and those that don’t), Cold spot feeds, Alaska Feed and many others. Please spread the word! Games & fun for the whole family! PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN DISHWARE AND UTENSILS, CLOTH NAPKINS, if you have them, and lots of food.

GOT MOOSE? Anything in the freezer to share? Fish, caribou, bacon from a home-raised hog? I’m bringing quiche, courtesy of my happy egg-laying hens. Preserves from last summer? Canned, dried, whatever you can make to bring to a potluck. This is a community “kick – off” event for Earth Week at the UAF campus for SCTF (Sustainable Campus Task Force).

TIME/LOCATION

April 19th, Saturday 4:30 – 6:30pm at the Fairbanks Community Foodbank, 725 26th Avenue, off of South Cushman (traveling south, turn right on 26th avenue, the building is on your left).

Our Flyer provides additional information. Hope to see you there!

Community updates

The Interior Issues Climate Change Task Force just had its second meeting this Wednesday morning, 9:00 – 11:00 am.  The Steering Committee includes Karl Monetti, Sarah Trainor and Luke Hopkins.  Many community members including some SCAN Fairbanks members were invited to join the process of determining the vulnerabilities of different sectors (transportation, energy, natural resources, etc.), develop recommendations and create an action plan.  Please see investfairbanks.org for more information, there are links on the FEDCO (Fairbanks Economic Development Corporation) sight.  This is some serious planning for the next 10, 20, 50 and 100 years!  Please don’t hesitate to ask questions of Karl, Sarah or Luke, or you can email polarsolar@gmail.com, and Suzy or Kraig can forward information to you.  We welcome anyone with a passion for these issues, can work collaboratively with the taskforce, and can make a commitment to meet with your sector subcommittee, as well as occasionally the main committee through September 2008 and potentially beyond.  We will have a public meeting soon;  the grassroots-public involvement part of this process is really important for the success.  Recommended reading is The Natural Step for Communities by authors Sarah James & Torbjorn Lahti, and see investfairbanks.org for links, more information and advised readings.  Please join us!

GOLDSTREAM SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY GATHERING March 6, 2008

Sustainable Community Action Network for Fairbanks  (scanfairbanks.wordpress.com)                                                                                                                                                 Suzy Fenner & Kraig Smyth  479-2345                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         for more information email: polarsolar@gmail      

Everyone is welcome to attend

on Thursday, 7:00-8:30pm

Ken Kunkel Community Center

off Goldstream road, past Ivory Jack’s heading west

This is a working, action-oriented group — see agenda below

Questions:  After reading “The Natural Step for communities”, how has
this changed your perspective on defining sustainability?  How can the
FNSB use this framework?

AGENDA

7:00 Welcome and announcements — Interior Issue Climate Change Task Force

7:15 Please bring any ideas for action, projects or workshop that you
would like to work on

8:15 Decide on another free location, time and date for next meeting

8:30 Close & Clean up
See you Thursday evening!

Attention Fairbanks – Calendar update

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNIT ROUND TABLE STUDY GROUPS 

This is a public forum for education and work sessions created to meet the needs of the community and environment through sustainable practices in economic development, ecological preservation and social and public health.  

For the Goldstream Area              

February 13th, Wednesday evening 7:00 – 8:30 pm — Ken Kunkel Community Center Goldstream Rd, past Ivory Jack’s restaurant and Goldstream General Store look for the Goldstream Lions Park – or if you take Sheep Creek Rd, drive past R&R tracks, past Murphy Dome Rd and look for the park!                                                      

* AGENDA:

7:00 pm   Welcome & Announcements  

*Latest developments of sustainable practices in Fairbanks – grassroots efforts, borough developments, private & public organizations

7:15 pm  Presentation of “The Natural Step for communities”   by Suzy & Kraig

7:45 pm  Each table will have a topic (see below) for discussion – please take notes!  Questions for discussion:  How does the four systems conditions of sustainability apply to the topic at your table?  What is one action your table or you individually can take towards sustainability?  Please decide on a regular meeting time & date.

8:15 pm  Each table gives a very brief report, action to take and next scheduled meeting suggestion.  READ “The Natural Step for communities” by the next meeting. Books will be available to purchase from Suzy Fenner & Kraig Smyth.

8:30 pm  Closing comments, see you next meeting!

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

For the University Area, 3rd meeting – UAF, Gruening Building, Rm. 208 (near Signer’s Hall)

*February 17th, Sunday afternoon 1:00 – 5:00 pm   (free weekend parking)

AGENDA 1:00 PM Welcome and announcementsLatest developments in sustainable practices for our community1:30 Discuss “The Natural Step for communities” by Sarah James & Torbjorn Lahti *Available at Gulliver’s (order 5 or more for a 20% discount) 2:00 Focus on your table’s topic, consider 1 – 3 issues, and decide on a concrete action to take after the meeting (short-term and long-term goals for the visioning process).4:00 Table reports, action plan and decide date and time for nest meetings.

4:45 Closing comments. 

5:00 See you next meeting.                                            

 TOPICS

Transportation  Green building  Land use                                   Sustainable agriculture  Public education    Economics/business    Social concerns   Renewable energy    Clean air & water (protecting biodiversity)     Recycling & resource management 

contact: Suzy Fenner or Kraig Smyth   479 – 2345 / 460 -1130

email: polarsolar@gmail.com
blog: scanfairbanks.wordpress.com   has available the agendas for these study groups, directions and links

Future meetings

*S.Cushman & Lathrop residents Community Meeting (on sustainability)      Jan. 19th, Saturday 2:00 – 3:30 pm   JPJones Community Development Center 2400 Rickert St. 24th avenue and South Cushman

*Goldstream Sustainable Community Round Table Study Group                     Feb. 13th, Wednesday, 7:00 – 8:30 pm       Ken Kunkel Community Center       Goldstream Road, near Ivory Jack’s

*University Sustainable Community Round Table Study Group                       Feb. 17th, Sunday  1:00 – 5:00 pm         UAF, Gruening Building, Room 208 

Thank you

Many thanks to the Cold Climate Housing Research Center, the Northern Alaska Environmental Center and the Fairbanks Community Foodbank for helping to publicize Jan. 13th and Jan. 19th’s Sustainable Community Round Table Study Groups.  All of you are helping making this possible! 

*South Cushman & Lathrop Community meeting (on sustainability) Jan. 19th, Saturday, 2:00 – 3:30pm, JPJones Community Development Center

*Goldstream Sustainable Community Round Table Study Group  Feb. 13th, Wednesday evening, 7:00 – 8:30, Ken Kunkel Community Center

*University Sustainable Community Round Table Study Group  Feb. 17th, Sunday afternoon, 1:00 – 5:00, UAF Gruening Bldg., Room 208

Future locations will be scheduled; co-facilitators are needed, please read the Natural Step for communities by Sarah James & Torbjorn Lahti

A Very Productive Meeting!

* The Sunday University Sustainable Community Round Table Study Group met from 1 to 6PM on Sunday the 13th.

*Some innovative ideas as well as some good old standards were brought forward. The notes will be posted here as soon as is possible.

*THANK YOU to all participants, special thanks to Mike and Ritchie Musick for the inspiring Natural Step presentation!

*We will start posting the amazing list of links we have planned ASAP, so please start leaving comments with your favorite sustainability related links to build it up!

 *The next meeting for the University Group will be February 17th, UAF location tba when it is properly scheduled.

* The first South Fairbanks Sustainable Community Round Table Study Group meeting will be held on Saturday, January 19th at the J.P. Jones Community Developement Center. We are excited! More details coming!

Torbjorn Lahti and Sarah James’ Presentations

In October of last year, Torbjorn and Sara were keynote speakers at the Sustainable Northern Shelter Conference in Fairbanks. The Cold Climate Housing Research Center, who hosted the event, has posted the audio and video of their presentations. This is a great way to gear up for the meeting this weekend.

Click here to hear Sarah’s Presentation.

Click here to hear Torbjorn’s Presentation.

To watch the Opening Ceremony of the conference which includes presentations by both Sarah and Torbjorn copy this full address

mms://catstream2.cat.uaf.edu/cchrc/1_heringopeningkeynotes.wmv

paste it into the address bar of your web browser and press Enter.

We hope to see you Sunday!

Jan. 7, 2008 Sustainable Community Round Table Study Group

*This Sunday, January 13th     1:00 – 6:00pm

*University of Alaska Fairbanks, Gruening Building, Room 208  (Between the Wood Center and Signer’s Hall)

*Agenda: welcome, announcements, brief presentation on The Natural Step, by Mike Musick, discussion & work session

*Topics: recycling & resource management, public education, green business & economics, transportation, energy, land use, transportation, building efficiency and others 

*Notebooks and pens provided.  Please bring dry erase markers for the marker boards, flip charts/markers, laptops

*Could someone please bring a  2 large coffeepots, tea, and condiments?  Please bring your mug!

*Contact Suzy or Kraig for more info: 479 – 2345 or 460 – 1130, polarsolar@gmail.com