Staunton Green 2020

Switching to Grass and Fueling Staunton and Augusta County

Tue. Mar. 9 – 7pm @ Francis Auditorium (in the Pearce Science Center)
On the campus of Mary Baldwin College (corner of Coalter & Frederick Streets)
#14 on this map: http://www.mbc.edu/docs/admin_docs/campusmap.pdf

Growing switchgrass in Augusta County and burning it as a clean, local and profitable fuel source for boilers and furnaces. Featuring:

* Taylor Cole – President, Conservation Partners, LLC & Warm Season Grass grower

* Ken Convery – Biologist/Project Manager, Conservation Management Institute, VA Tech

* Dale Reeves – Local Farmer using switchgrass for poultry house bedding

* Robert Whitescarver – District Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service

LOCATION:
Mary Baldwin College – Francis Auditorium
(corner of Coalter and Frederick Streets)

By Bruce Dorries | The Staunton News-Leader, March 7, 2010

As spring marches —or rolls, sluggishly —into the Queen City this month, get ready for captivating close ups and breath-taking panoramas.

Lights, sound, camera, action! Very soon, we’ll see illuminating green scenes, if not yet in the landscape then on downtown big screens.

To begin this preview, two thumbs up for Patagonia’s Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival that begins 7 p.m., March 25 at the Visulite Cinema.

Wild Virginia, an area grassroots organization, hosts the event. The nonprofit works to preserve natural ecosystems in the Commonwealth’s national forests.

Wild and Scenic films portray our beautiful lands and the people of the communities who love and defend them. These movies entertain, but also highlight issues, provide solutions and call for action. That’s my kind of cinema — pragmatic escapism. If that’s possible.

Hold on to your stadium seating —you can take the whole family to see all eight short films at the festival, which runs about two hours. Anything is possible on celluloid.
Click here to continue reading.

The Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival.

Wild Virginia is hosting the 2010 Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival, Wednesday, March 24, at the Vinegar Hill Theater in Charlottesville, and Thursday, March 25, at the Visulite Cinema in Staunton.  Screenings will be at 7pm.  There will be 16 different short films in all, with an entirely different slate of films at each venue.  Admission is $8 each night and advance tickets are available at Blue Ridge Mountain Sports in Charlottesville and Mint Spring Frame Shop in Staunton.  For more information, see www.wildvirginia.org or contact David Hannah at dhannah@wildvirginia.org or 434-971-1553.

Did you know much of Virginia’s fresh water originates right here?

A new group, Friends of the Middle River has formed to “promote clean water and improve the health of the aquatic ecosystem in the Middle River Watershed of the Shenandoah – Potomac River System.” Find the Friends of the Middle River website here, or join their Facebook page.

Staunton and area residents are lucky to have neighbors who are committed to improving our waterways. Here’s a listing of projects completed in recent years.

Hi there Staunton Green 2020 friend,

This snowy and cold winter has us thinking spring and we have some great upcoming events up to welcome some less frosty weather:

~ Switching to Grass and Fueling Staunton: Tue. Mar. 9 @ 7pm in Francis Auditorium on the Mary Baldwin College campus (corner of Coalter and Frederick Streets)

Get inspired by a panel of experts on growing switchgrass and burning it as a local, clean and green fuel source.

~ Dirt, the Movie: Thur. Mar. 18 @ 7pm (doors open at 5:30pm for yummy dinner) at the Mockingbird Restaurant (co-sponsored with Transition Staunton Augusta)

Dinner and a free, fast-paced movie about something we entirely take for granted. Check out the trailer.

Wild Virginia Film Festival: Thur. Mar. 25 @ 7pm at the Visulite. More info.

April still comes on the heels of March and there’s much more…

~ Apr. 15 Fresh, the movie at the Mockingbird
~ Apr. 17 Earth Day in the Sunspots parking lot, downtown Staunton
~ Apr. 21 Converting your Front Lawn to Native Grass at City Hall

Looking forward to seeing you at these events,

steve grande and the Staunton Green 2020 Steering Committee

Do you want to learn about the community gardening efforts here in Staunton?

Join others with the same interest for a free event at Booker T. Washington this Wednesday, (3/3/2010), from 5-7pm.

Guest speakers will include:

• Amber Vallotton – Master Gardener
• Lisa Klein – Community Improvement
• Ophie Kier – Men’s Association
• Stephanie Diehl – Nutritionist

The Crawford Brothers Quartet will play, and they will be serving Italian Style Dinner. Contact Seed for more info: 540-886-3336.

Please join us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/stauntongreen2020

Watch for more announcements regarding our film series with Transition Augusta this Spring, held at Mockingbird (123 West Beverley Street)

Mark your calendars, we’ve set a date for the first biomass energy presentation. We’ve asked people to come and speak on the topic of growing switchgrass as a fuel alternative here in Staunton.

Where: Mary Baldwin College’s Francis Auditorium
When: Thursday, January 21 — 7-8:30 p.m.

There is no cost to attend but we will request an RSVP closer to the date.

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Tonight is your chance to comment on how the City of Staunton can enhance, restore and better manage our “green infrastructure” — an important meeting to attend! This is part of Staunton’s collaboration with the UVA School of Architecture.

Come to Bessie Weller Elementary School’s cafeteria to ask questions and give your opinion from 5pm until 7pm (Thursday, November 12).

Tuesday, November 17 the UVA students will hold a workshop with the steering committee to debrief public comments gathered at the Public Open House.  The workshop is scheduled for 9:00 am until 11:00 am in Council Chambers, City Hall.

For more information, check out the City of Staunton’s Planning and Inspections home page announcing the Public Open House.

…and by “grass” we mean exactly that: the green vegetation in your yard right now that is a hassle to maintain. Wouldn’t it be better if your grassy yard actually did more to benefit the environment?

It can, and, SG2020 will be exploring the issue in depth starting this January. As you may know, switchgrass is an alternative fuel source that can grow right here.

We’d like you to be involved. Send us your thoughts and ideas for this series of events.

• What would you like to know about switchgrass?
• Do you have suggestions about public or private places in Staunton to grow it?
• Would you be willing to allow us to replant your yard next Spring as an example?
• What other topics would be of interest for us to explore together?

Drop us an email (stauntongreen2020 ~at~ gmail.com) or leave a comment here or at Facebook.

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