Accessible information for sustainable cities

Here is a topic that is right up the Green Shelf's alley.  Or in our wheelhouse.  Or whatever metaphor you prefer.

How to make cities sustainable through accessible information.

Natural Hazards Observer

We don't usually blog here over the summer unless something timely comes up.  I wanted to point out the latest issue of one of my favorite newsletters: The Natural Hazards Observer.  This month it is all about using art to recover from disasters.

Until the fall

Have a great and sustainable summer!  And remember: "A book has low carbon impact, if you don’t drive while you read.” - Carol Berry

Eva Gonzalès [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Move Out Madness!

From Western's Office of Sustainability:

Move-Out Madness, June 12^th from 12-5pm! Bring your unwanted items including landfill, recyclables, donation items, and non-perishable food to these neighborhood locations:

• York- Franklin Park; 400 Block of Whatcom St.
• Sehome- Laurel Park; Laurel & Indian St.
• Happy Valley- Gravel Parking lot; 26^th & Douglas

Open to all WWU Students, ID required.

Responsible resources for the madness of moving out.

Please respond if you are interested in volunteering to help students sort.

Can academia help the environment?

Interesting new ebook, available for free.  

Abstract : Twenty-first-century conservationists are contending with biodiversity loss on an unprecedented scale, compounded by the interrelated threat of climate change. These global challenges call for first-rate talent, highly sophisticated technology, and advanced financial and organizational tools that can be used across jurisdictional boundaries and professional disciplines. Academic institutions—from colleges and universities to research institutes and field stations—are surprisingly powerful and effective catalysts for integrating all these elements into strategically significant and enduring large landscape conservation initiatives. This edited volume gathers more than a dozen first-hand accounts of the long-term impacts academics are making on the ground, from the University of Nairobi to Harvard. With measurable results, their efforts are protecting wildlife habitat, improving water quality, building sustainable economies, and bettering public amenities around the world now and for centuries to come.

Solving a work problem with wheels

When your office is half a mile from your files, how do you solve the problem?  With a three-wheeled bicycle in a limestone cave.  Your National Archives at work! 

Happy Bike To Work Day!

Friday, May 15 is Bike to Work and School Day.  

  “The perfect day: riding a bike to the library.” - Peter Golkin