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City Of Ann Arbor 2015 Sustainable Ann Arbor Forum: Sustainable Buildings
This series will include four events (held monthly and ending in April) with each focusing on a different element of sustainability from Ann Arbor’s sustainability framework (www.a2gov.org/sustainability).
The first event in this series centers on Sustainable Buildings and includes a discussion of how to increase efficiency of new and existing building and projects underway in the community.
A think tank of local stakeholders including representatives from community organizations, staff from both the City of Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County will join the public to discuss local sustainability efforts and challenges in our community. Each program will include a series of short presentations followed by a question and answer session.
The forums offer an opportunity to learn more about sustainability in the community and tips for actions that residents can take to live more sustainably.
Speakers for the Sustainable Building discussion include:
• Christopher Taylor, Mayor, City of Ann Arbor
• John Beeson, Architect, Resident, and Commissioner for the Ann Arbor Historic District Commission
• Jason Bing, Healthy Buildings Director, Ecology Center
• Nate Geisler, Energy Programs Analyst, City of Ann Arbor
• Knox Cameron, Principal Marketing Specialist Residential Programs - Energy Efficiency, DTE Energy
Details of this series will be posted online at www.a2gov.org/sustainability.
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Ten Thousand Villages And The Fair Trade Movement
Did you know that the global fair trade movement began with the founding of Ten Thousand Villages more than 60 years ago? Pioneering businesswoman Edna Ruth Byler was struck by the overwhelming poverty she witnessed during a 1946 trip to Puerto Rico and was moved to take action. She ignited a global movement to eradicate poverty through market-based solutions. For the next 30 years, Byler worked tirelessly to connect entrepreneurs in developing countries with market opportunities in North America. From humble beginnings, Ten Thousand Villages has now grown to a global network of social entrepreneurs working to empower and provide economic opportunities to artisans in developing countries.
Bill Henderson, store manager, and founding member Norene Kanagy share fair trade principles, the history, and mission and tell the local history of the formation of the Ten Thousand Villages store at 303 S. Main St., Ann Arbor.
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Foster Care In Washtenaw County
Approximately 14,000 children are in foster care at any given time in Michigan. How can we keep these children safe and cared for until they can be returned to their family? It is a community effort.
Join service providers from across Washtenaw County as they discuss the current state of Michigan's foster care, the innovative partnerships that have been created to address the challenges and ways that the community can help protect one of its most valuable resources. This event, held during Foster Care Month, features representatives from the following organizations:
CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate Association): Providing citizen-volunteers to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in courtrooms and communities;
Department of Human Services – State of Michigan: Raising hope and fostering dreams for Michigan's children and foster care families;
Faith Communities Coalition on Foster Care: Educating and motivating faith congregations in the support of Washtenaw County foster children and families;
Foster Care Navigators: Supporting the continuing growth of Michigan's foster parent population;
Our House: Providing support and resources for Washtenaw County youth aging out of foster care
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Annabelle Gurwitch Discusses Her New Book 'I See You Made An Effort: Compliments, Indignities, and Survival Stories from the Edge of 50'
Actress/comedienne/author Annabelle Gurwitch gained a loyal comedic following during her years hosting Dinner & A Movie on TBS. She has been a regular commentator on NPR and contributor to The Nation, More, Glamour, Marie Claire and a number of other national publications. Gurwitch is also the author of You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up which is now a play receiving its third national tour, and which became an acclaimed documentary and Showtime Comedy Special.
Every 7.5 seconds, someone in America turns 50. While some people like to say that “50 is the new 40,” Annabelle Gurwitch believes “50 is still F-ing 50.” In her wickedly funny new collection of essays, I See You Made an Effort, Gurwitch explores the hazards of reaching the half-century mark, aging out of your wardrobe, outsourcing your endocrine system, and falling in lust at the Genius bar. From the woman the Washington Post calls “hilarious,” this new book is the ultimate coming-of-middle-age story.
This event was co-sponsored by the AADL and the Jewish Community Center of Greater Ann Arbor a part of the 2014 Jewish Book Festival.
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Nerd Nite #17: Trees – Heroes or Villains in the Battle Against Air Pollution?
I’ll be looking at the role that certain chemicals produced and released by forests play in air pollution, and asking whether these chemicals alleviate or exacerbate the problems we encounter in such diverse places as LA and Beijing. I’ll be taking you into the nefarious world of plant communication, and letting you in on the secret of what stresses out a plant. We’ll also be considering how widespread these chemicals are and what their fate is once they leave the tree and hit the atmosphere. And of course, trying to decide which side trees are on…
About Kirsti Ashworth:
Kirsti is a Brit, who has only recently made it across the pond and into Michigan. She gained a PhD in Atmospheric Science from Lancaster University in 2012, where she pondered whether the cultivation of biofuels could affect human health and crop production. In between, she worked as a research scientist in deepest, darkest Bavaria – at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany’s premier alpine ski-resort (though sadly she did have to spend some time most days working). While loving the life in Ann Arbor, she does occasionally miss seeing the mountains!
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Nerd Nite #17: Autophagy: How Cells Recycle to Survive
Autophagy is a recycling process that our cells use to stay clean and healthy. Defects in autophagy can contribute to several diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. In this talk, I’ll be discussing how autophagy works, why maintaining the right balance of autophagy is important in preventing disease, and how expanding our understanding of how cells control autophagy is important for developing new treatments for diseases.
About Katie Parzych:
Katie is a PhD student at the University of Michigan, where she studies how yeast cells regulate autophagy in response to nutrient starvation. She is a recent participant of the RELATE workshop aimed at teaching scientists how to communicate their research to a wide range of audiences. When not geeking out about microbiology and yeast, Katie can usually be found acting on stage with a number of Ann Arbor’s local theatre groups.
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New York Times Bestselling Author Dr. Kathy Reichs Discusses Her New Mystery 'Bones Never Lie'
There are 30 million copies of Kathy Reichs's mysteries in print in 30 languages around the world. One of the longest TV series in the history of the FOX network – Bones – is based on her popular mystery books and returns on September 25. Her newest sure-to-be-bestseller, Bones Never Lie, is released in late September and promises to be another critical smash hit!.
Reichs is a forensic anthropologist—one of only about a hundred ever certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, as is her heroine, Temperance Brennan. Dr. Reichs’s signature trademark is her ability to weave unrelenting suspense, fascinating science and provocative human drama into unforgettable stories. In Bones Never Lie, Dr. Temperance Brennan wonders why she’s been asked to meet with a homicide cop who’s a long way from his own jurisdiction.
Photo Credit: Marie Reine Mattera
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Bright Nights: The Impact of Academic Stress on Student Mental Health
Some level of stress is a part of everyone’s life, but almost 40 percent of parents say their high-school student is experiencing a great deal of stress from school, according to an NPR poll conducted with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health. In most cases, that stress is from academics, not social issues or bullying, the poll found. Teenagers say they're suffering, too. A study by the American Psychological Association found that nearly half of all teens — 45 percent — said they were stressed by school pressures.
“Everyday stress” is a normal reaction to a variety of situations that we encounter in the real world, and can even be beneficial, motivating us to accomplish a task, or to avoid a situation that might be harmful. However chronic stress can lead to long-term health issues, affecting both physical and mental health – and can also negatively impact school performance, extracurricular activities, and relationships with family and friends. While it’s not possible to completely remove all of the stress from our lives, the good news is that there are strategies that students (and their parents!) can use to help manage their stress and improve academic performance.
To learn more about the impact of academic stress on student mental health, including strategies to prevent and manage stress, the University of Michigan Depression Center and the Ann Arbor District Library will present a Bright Nights community forum entitled, “The Impact of Academic Stress on Student Mental Health” on Tuesday, September 30, from 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the 4th Floor Meeting Room of the downtown Ann Arbor District Library (corner of S. Fifth Ave. and William).
Elizabeth Koschmann, PhD, Research Investigator in the U-M Department of Psychiatry and a member of the U-M Depression Center, will give a brief overview presentation outlining the connections between stress, anxiety and depression, and providing useful strategies to help relieve stress. This will be followed by questions and discussion with a panel of experts including Kate Fitzgerald, MD, Assistant Professor, U-M Department of Psychiatry; Amy McLoughlin, EdM, Counselor at Skyline High School; and Tom Atkins, MD, a private practice clinician in Ann Arbor.
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Online News And The First Amendment with Jennifer Dukarski
This National Library Week event, featuring attorney Jennifer Dukarski, is an in-depth look at online publishing and First Amendment issues and is co-sponsored by AADL and the Media Law Resource Center (MLRC) Institute a non-profit created to sponsor and support First Amendment education and research.
It covers a wide variety of subjects such as the intricacies of online publishing, interactivity, user generated content, crowd sourcing, defamation, privacy, copyright, and Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 and also features specific examples and significant case law relating to these issues.
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Tom Hayden: A Call to Battle Against the Climate Crisis
Tom Hayden, a U-M graduate and California environmental leader, discusses his work as an activist, and how Michigan and the Great Lakes region can move the U.S. towards the protections of a clean energy economy. He believes the problems of economic recession and climate crisis must be addressed in a Global Green New Deal.
After over 50 years of activism, politics, and writing, Tom Hayden is still a leading voice for ending the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan, for eradicating sweatshops, saving the environment, and reforming politics through a more participatory democracy. He was a leader of the student, civil rights, peace and environmental movements of the 1960s, and went on to serve 18 years in the California legislature, where he chaired labor, higher education and natural resources committees.