Thursday, December 26, 2013

JANUARY S.A.V.E. LECTURE


The Tuesday, January 28, 2014 SAVE Lecture has been POSTPONED.

Due to the extreme weather conditions coming to our area this week, we have postponed our upcoming SAVE Lecture with Mr. Bryan Ellis of the University Church and Urban Farm Ministry. Science Alliance SAVE will announce the new date and time for Bryan Ellis's presentation soon. Thanks to everyone for their understanding.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014
7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Mr. Bryan Ellis, University Church - Urban Farming Ministry, will present on the Toledo and Northwest Ohio Urban Farming initiatives.

Urban farming has become a means to increase access to locally grown food and a way of reintroducing the public to the many aspects of food that we have lost as a culture.  How food grows, what grows regionally and seasonally are all important lessons and make a better informed urban consumer. 

Presenter, Brian Ellis, University Church, Urban Farming Ministry, will talk about the various aspects of the Urban Farming Ministry and how urban farms can be the front line of the food system.




This presentation is free and open to the public.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

NOVEMBER S.A.V.E. LECTURE


Science Alliance for Valuing the Environment – S.A.V.E. 

PRESENTS

THE ESSENTIALS OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

Dr. John Ikerd – Professor Emeritus, University of Missouri – Columbia.
Tuesday, November 12                 
7:30 to 9:00 p.m.
Lourdes University – Franciscan Center

According to John Ikerd, the core principles that drive sustainable agriculture include interdependence, diversity, trust, and the need for the carryover of kindness.  The intrinsic values involving present-day agricultural systems do not address relationships nor conform to a natural balance: maximum extraction is valued over restoration, large-scale agricultural systems do not promote interpersonal relationships between growers and consumers, environmental degradation and depletion affects more than the farm field.  Agricultural sustainability goes beyond self-sufficiency and towards greater behaviors including cooperation, trust, food access for all people and a continuing restoration of earth productivity.

At the present time, western agricultural methods favor large-scale systems.  Existing farms have built accompanying sub-systems to meet the challenges of such large-scale models.  Pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers have to be a scheduled input for maximum effect and productivity.  Sustainable farms recognize the value of respecting the bounds that nature places on all living things.  Sustainable agriculture will necessarily evolve toward smaller localized operations whereby cooperation, trust and a sense of commonwealth are integral.  Local advantages associated with sustainable agriculture add value to the greater community: increases in food security, reversal of social decay, reduction of the use of the fossil fuels, and the reversal of ecological depletion and degradation.

The movement toward Community Supported Agriculture is an important first step towards sustainable agriculture but must more must be done.  Presently, there are certain limits to production encountered by local farmers wanting to market in sustainable ways. Meat processing, dairy products, and bakery goods will all have to be scaled up to meet greater demands for locally-produced food products.

John Ikerd’s website can be accessed at:

The “Essentials of Sustainable Agriculture” is free and open to the public.

Friday, August 9, 2013

SEPTEMBER SAVE LECTURE SERIES FEATURES THE TOLEDO BLADE’S MATT MARKEY

Toledo Blade Outdoor Editor, Matt Markey, will be the presenter for the Tuesday, September 10 SAVE Lecture starting at 7:30 p.m. at the Lourdes University Franciscan Center, Conference Room A.  Markey will present on the topic “What Makes the Great Lakes Great”.  Since becoming the outdoor editor of the newspaper, Matt has researched both positive and negative issues affecting our Great Lakes area.  His presentation will highlight the advantages of living in our environmentally rich area.  This event is free and open to the public.

At last year’s presentation schedule, Matt was invited to present on the problems involving the migration of Asian Carp into the Great Lakes and particularly the Lake Erie water.  During last year’s talk, he mentioned that the Asian Carp had been located in the Fort Wayne, Indiana area – not too distant from the headwaters of the Maumee River.  Markey added that “if large enough rains hit this area causing extensive flooding, these fish could spill into the Maumee with devastating consequences.


Since then, Markey has written about the return of Bobcats into our area, the 2011 Algae Bloom mess serving as a wake-up call to action and the spawning waters of the Maumee River.  While writing for the Toledo Blade, Matt has captured top writing awards sponsored by the Outdoor Writers of Ohio.  Mark your calendars now to attend Matt’s presentation on our local environmental scene.