Prevention does a Body Good: Healthy Environment - Healthy People
The Ecology Action Center would like to invite you to attend one or more of the 12 workshops that will be taking place the week of May 12-18 around the Bloomington/Normal community. Please bring friends, family members and come celebrate our healthy philosophy. "Prevention does a body good," what does that truly mean?
The goal of this collaborative educational campaign is to:
- Raise Awareness on environmental impacts on health.
- Encourage a precautionary approach to lifestyle and community policy.
- Celebrate actions that create a healthy environment for all.
Please see the information below for details on this new and exciting event! If you would like more information about each session, please go to www.iwu.edu/~wellness or call 309-556-3334.
We hope you can join us for one or more of the scheduled events. See the attached flyer for more information.
PREVENTION does a BODY GOOD week
Healthy Environment-Healthy People
A Collaborative Educational Campaign
Week of May 12-18, 2008
Rx for Prevention Workshops - All workshops are FREE, unless noted. Space is limited so RSVP and reserve early!
Mon. May 12, 6-7p, Yoga for Parent Child, Main St. Yoga, 418 Main St., Bloomington, RSVP 829-9618
Mon. May 12- 6-7p, the Good & Bad News about Radon, Community Cancer Center, 407 E. Vernon, Normal, RSVP 451-8500
Tues. May 13, 12-1p, A Greener, Cleaner You: Voting with Your Dollar, ISU Bone Student Center, Normal, Third Floor West Lounge, RSVP 438-8845
Tues. May 13, 5-6p Organic Gardening and Companion Planting, Illinois Wesleyan University Shirk North Classroom, 302 Emerson, Bloomington, RSVP 556-3334
Wed. May 14, 12-1p, Reset Your Body, Mind & Spirit: Massage, Heart Math & Reiki for Wellness, Immanuel Bible Foundation, 1301 S. Fell, Normal 454-3037
Wed. May 14, 5:30-7p, How Does Your Cookware Measure Up? $15, OSF St. Joseph Medical Center, Healthy Lifestyle Program, 2200 E. Washington St., Bloomington, RSVP 661-5151.
Thurs. May 15, 6-7:30p, Green Home Remodeling, Heartland Community College, Workforce Development Center, Room 1601, 1500 W. Raab Rd, Normal, RSVP 556-3334.
Thurs. May 15, 6-7:30p, Detoxing in a Toxic World, Community Cancer Center, 407 E. Vernon, Normal, RSVP 452-8500.
Fri. May 16, 5-8p, Organic Wine & Cheese Tasting Open House, A Renee, 306 N. Center St., Bloomington, No RSVP required.
Sat. May 17, 9-10a, Tai Chi for Health, Illinois Wesleyan University Quad, or Shirk Activity Center in case of inclement weather, RSVP 556-3334.
Sat. May 17, 10-Noon, Family Walk for a Cleaner, Greener Community, Park at Illinois Wesleyan University Shirk Parking Lot, 302 E. Emerson, meet at the outdoor track just behind parking lot. RSVP 556-3334.
Sun. May 18, 3-4:30p, Naturally Delicious Mother & Daughter Tea & Skin Care $20/pair, BroMenn Healthcare, Virginia & Franklin, RSVP 877-270-4968
Collaborative Educational Campaign Week sponsored by : Illinois Wesleyan University, Ecology Action Center, Illinois State University, BroMenn Healthcare, OSF St Joseph Medical Center, Community Cancer Center, McLean County Health Department, Heartland Community College, Phoenix Massage and Wellness, Main Street Yoga, A Renee, Contemporary Obstetrics and Gynecology.
For more information: 556-3334
How Businesses can find Green in being "Green"
Dan Esty, Professor of Environmental Law and Policy at Yale University and author of Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage, will speak at Illinois State University on Thursday, May 15, at 2 p.m. in the Caterpillar Auditorium in the College of Business Building. The event is free and open to the public and a reception will follow.
Esty will discuss his book about the environmental strategies and business practices of large corporations. His current research includes projects on environmental protection in the Information Age, a rethinking for corporate environmental strategy, global environmental governance, and "next generation" approaches to pollution control and natural resource management.
Esty's visit to Illinois State is made possible by State Farm® Insurance Companies. In addition to his presentation at Illinois State, Esty will address State Farm employees about his research on environmental strategies and business.
"We're thrilled Professor Esty could join us to talk about ways to sharpen our focus on our environmental strategy at State Farm. We've always been committed to improving the environment and think Dan's outside perspective will help us get even better," said State Farm executive vice-president Barbara Cowden. "We're also glad to partner with Illinois State to share Dan's expertise with students, faculty, and members of our shared community."
Sugar Grove Nature Center Annual
Native Plant Sale
Saturday, May 24, 9:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m.
Early Bird Members-Only Sale
Friday, May 23, 4:00 -7:00 p.m.
Plus all Sugar Grove Nature Center members receive a 10% discount on their total purchase both days! Not a member? Join now!
Bring back our natural heritage while attracting wildlife to your yard by planting native species. Not only are they beautiful, but they are adapted to our long, cold winters and hot, dry summers. They require no fertilizer and, once established, do not require watering.
Sugar Grove Nature Center is offering a wonderful assortment of harder-to-find native perennials, trees, and shrubs to diversify your garden with color, height, foliage, and beauty! These healthy, hardy, mature plants will arrive ready to begin landscaping your yard. Quantities are limited!
Shrubs- in 5 gallon pots, $20/each
Maple Leaf Viburnum, Viburnum acerifolium
Beautiful viburnum prefers sun but tolerates moderate shade; adapts to both moist and dry conditions; creamy white flowers in mid-summer; black berries are popular bird food; bright rose-red fall color; grows 4-6' H, 4-6' W.
Early Wild Rose, Rosa blanda
Pink flowers with yellow centers bloom late May to early June with an incredible aroma; large rose hips (3 = vitamin C of one orange); forms thicket; grows 4'H, 4-6' W.
Trees- in 5 gallon pots, $25/each
Paw Paw, Asimina triloba
A tropical looking tree, common in Funks Grove. Dark green leaves, silvery bark, deep purple spring flowers, interesting edible fruit (two trees needed for fruiting); part to full shade preferred; grows 15-20' H, 10-15' W.
Blue Beech, Carpinus caroliniana
One of the best mid-sized trees with smooth, gray, fluted bark; member of the birch family; fall color red, yellow, orange; highly adaptable to different soils and pH; in full-sun grows in formal, upright pattern/ in shade a loose, hedge-like pattern; in shrub form grows 15-20' H, 10-15' W.
Sour Gum, Nyssa sylvatica
Unbelievable, glossy orange to red fall color; silvery bark in winter; requires full sun and good soil, but tolerates both wet and dry conditions; dark blue fruit devoured by birds in autumn; grows 30-40; H, 25-35' W.
Forbs- in 3" pots, $4/each
Wild Geranium, Geranium maculatum Turtlehead, Chelone glabra
Jacob's Ladder, Polemonium reptans Monkey Flower, Mimulus ringens
Smooth Petunia, Ruellia strepens Great Blue Lobelia, Lobelia siphilitica
Thimbleweed, Anemone cylindrica Culver's Root, Veronicastrum virginicum
Columbine, Aquilegia canadensis Rosin Weed, Silphium integrifolium
Butterfly Weed, Asclepias tuberosa Blue Flag Iris, Iris virginica shrevei
Prairie Blazing Star, Liatris pycnostachya Purple Prairie Clover, Petalostemum purpureum
White Prairie Clover, Petalostemum candidum
For more information about Sugar Grove Nature Center events, phone 309.874.2174 or email infosugargrovenc@earthlink.net.
Sugar Grove Nature Center is located in beautiful, historic Funks Grove, Illinois just south of Bloomington-Normal off of Old Route 66.
Editor's Note: Usage of these low maintenance native species in your home landscaping is an excellent way to be "YardSmart" (see below).
Join us for the semi-annual Free-4-All. This is all about keeping good stuff out of the landfill. We will gather at White Oak Park in Bloomington on Sat. June 7 from 10 am – 2 pm. Bring usable ‘stuff’ in good condition that you no long have a use for to the park, and take anything that has been dropped off you can use. You do not need to bring things to take things and you do not have to take things if you just want to drop stuff off.
This free event is open to all and conducted in a similar manner to the Freecycle website (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/McFreecycle/). No firearms, food or beverages, or pets. No pick ups or deliveries, you must be able to bring or take the things on your own. If you have any questions, please call the Ecology Action Center at 454-3169
Agriculture + Conservation= Successful Farming
Agriculture + Conservation = Sucessful Farming
Demonstration Farm Open House
June 11, 2008 (June 12 rain date) 8:30am –3:00pm
Sponsored by The Nature Conservancy, McLean County Soil & Water Conservation District and Natural Resources Conservation Service
DIRECTIONS: The farm is located south of McLean County Hwy 8 (PJ Keller Hwy), approximately three-quarters of a mile west of the I-55 Lexington exit (178). Signs will be posted at the farm entrance on the day of the tour. TOUR a 250-acre private farm with its wide variety of conservation practices installed, including constructed wetlands, grass waterways, woodland restoration and prairie reconstruction. Experience a day on a working farm that incorporates these practices among blooming native prairie plants, remnant burr oak trees, and the beautiful Mackinaw River. LEARN how constructed wetlands, prairies, and woodlands work in agricultural lands and what cost-share programs are available in your area that can help maintain profits while protecting natural resources in the Mackinaw River watershed. VISIT with experienced staff from The Nature Conservancy, Natural Resources Conservation Service, McLean County Soil & Water Conservation District, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois, Illinois State University and other conservation partners.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
8:30am-12:00pm Check-In
9:30am-11:00am Farm Tours
11:00am-1:00pm Lunch and Speakers
1:00pm-3:00pm Farm Tours
Tours are free! Food available for lunch
Please RSVP to the McLean County SWCD Office by June 6 at 309-452-0830 Ext. #3
Ecology Action Center's Annual Yard Smart Garden Tour Join us for a lovely morning walk through a variety of yards utilizing Yard Smart practices such as reduced use of pesticides, creating wildlife habitat, chemical-free maintenance, or organic gardening on Saturday, June 28, 2008 from 9:00 am - 11:30 am. The Garden Tour will be followed by a discussion of low maintenance and environmentally sustainable lawn techniques. The event is free and open to everyone
The Yard Smart program is a voluntary effort to help reduce synthetic pesticide use, conserve natural resources and make room for wildlife. This encourages yard care practices that are safe for children, pets and the environment. The Yard Smart program aims to recognize local homeowners who use ecologically-sustainable practices in their yard care. Yard Smart Certification acknowledges that the homeowner realizes their lawn, garden, and landscaping decisions affect the health of the whole community.
More details on the Yard Smart Garden Tour to come - watch our website or the next newsletter!