OUR VISION
What we eat, how our food is grown, and how we take care of the land can have
a positive or negative impact on ourselves, our community, and our world.
Our vision is to work collaboratively with others to find ways to reduce
these negative impacts by making better sustainable* choices.
OUR MISSION
Novato Live Well aims to work with and educate families, schools,
and our community about the positive benefits of choosing sustainable
ways of eating, gardening and living. We want to bring people
to the table to: Share what we have learned.
Have an open dialog regarding the issues. Collaborate to
find creative solutions. Advocate where change
is necessary. And provide educational opportunities.
NEW: Stay tuned for Fall 2008 News...
BELOW YOU WILL FIND:
2. School Compost Club Workshop, May 17, 2008, see our "gardens"
page for info.
2. ACTION ALERT on Redwood Landfill,
May 5, 2008
3. Lu Sutton Elementary School Successful Waste Audit,
February 28, 2008
4. Rethinking Plastics Forum Update
5. Apple Market/Harvest Market has gone "Locavore"
6. And more, also visit our other webpages (a ton of local info!)
2. ACTION
ALERT (May 4, 2008): Risk
factors in Redwood Landfill expansion
Please read an important
bulletin alert from the Green
Coalition for Responsible Waste / Resource Management, of which
the Novato Live Well Network board recently joined
as a member organization.
This alert provides information about
an important hearing on April 28 and May
5, at
1PM before
the Marin County Planning Commission, which is reviewing the expansion
plan of the Redwood Landfill. There are very significant
environmental and other risk issues that must be addressed,
and the Green Coalition needs our support. See Recent
Marin Independent Journal editorials, reports and opinion pieces:
Below are
some the
actions you can take:
- Learn more about this issues by going to: www.greencoalitionmarin.org.
You can also visit the County of Marin's Planning Commission
webpage to read the Redwood Landfill Resolution and a Staff Report www.co.marin.ca.us/SysApps/Calendar/pub/EventDisplay.cfm?event=12470
- Attend the May 5, 2008 Marin County Planning
Commission at the Marin County Civic Center, Room 330, at 1:00
pm. This will be a critical hearing for the public to express
its views.
- Submit your public comments to the Community Development
Agency via Kim Shine Commission Secretary (415) 499-6269, kshine@co.marin.ca.us
- Call or email Marin County Supervisor Judy Arnold and
share your concerns: jarnold@co.marin.ca.us,
(415) 499-7331 and say that any expansion alternative must incorporate
the Four Principles found in the attached document.
If you live in another district, also contact your Supervisor http://www.co.marin.ca.us/depts/BS/main/index.cfm.
April 22 was "Earth Day", but to take care of our earth
for ourselves and our children and grandchildren, we must participate
in such critical dialogs as they come up everyday. Decisions that
are made today can have positive or negative results in the future.
We must follow the "Precautionary Principle" mandate,
as stated in Article 15 of the Rio declaration of 1992:
“In order to protect the environment, the precautionary approach shall
be widely applied by States according to their capabilities. Where
there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of
full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing
cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.”
Please share this information with others
and join us in making a positive difference. Our voice
does matter.
3. LU SUTTON ELEMENTARY SUCCESSFUL MCC WASTE AUDIT:
We are is excited to announce
that after many months of planning, we rolled out the School
Waste Audit project in collaboration with Marin
Conservation Corps (MCC) and the Novato Unified
School District (NUSD). On February 28,
2008, Lu
Sutton Elementary (1800
Center Road, Novato) was the first of several schools
to participate in MCC's School Waste Audit program. “As
part of our 'Caught Being Green' environmental program,
the waste audit will help conservation 'come alive' for
our students!" said
Suzanne Thompson, Principal at Lu Sutton. Thompson added, "We
hope to empower our students to take action when there is a problem,
and to understand that their collaborative efforts with our community
can have significant impact beyond right here, right now.” The
Waste Audit event involves the school staff, teachers and students.
A date is picked and all garbage for that day is collected, sorted,
weighed and documented. This will provide a benchmark for schools
and departments to improve on. Read
our press release and watch a video
clip of the event (scroll down).
If you'd like
to bring this program to your school, please
contact Veronica Valero 415-897-2302, NovatoLiveWell@comcast.net.
4. RETHINKING PLASTICS FORUM UPDATE: DVD's NOW
AVAILABLE
Our Rethinking Plastics Forum, held on
January 12, 2008, is now being broadcast on Novato Public
Access Television (NPAT) -- Novato Comcast Channel 26 on Thursdays
at 6:00 PM and Saturdays at 12 noon. For more info: www.npat.org.
For those who cannot view this station, DVDs
are now available,
cost $10. Contact Veronica Valero for more info: 415-897-2302
or NovatoLiveWell@comcast.net.
To learn what you can do regarding this plastic dilemma, visit
Green Sangha, our presenter's web page on plastics: www.greensangha.org/plastic.html.
There are many handouts that you can download to learn what you
can do to reduce your plastic consumption. In the next few weeks
we hope to provide additional information and resources.
You can
also purchase organic cotton canvas produce
bags, stainless steel
water bottles and other non-plastic items from EcoExpress. Another
informative web site on living beyond plastics is: www.nonurdles.com/.
5. "APPLE MARKET/HARVEST MARKET" HAS
GONE LOCAVORE!
On Thursday, January 31
Harvest Market (formerly Apple Market) located at 155 San Marin
Drive, (415-898-1925) Began selling produce from Marin County Farmers
Market. We want to thank Heidi Kertel our "Locavores
of Novato" Chair,
for her instrumental role in bring this about. See
our letters to the editors we sent to the Marin
Independent Journal and to the Novato
Advance. When
you go to Harvest Market, please let them know how much you appreciate
this. Also, let them know what products from local farms and
agricultural businesses you'd like them to carry.
6.
GREEN SCHOOLS FORUM: (See
Flyer) Sustainable
Novato had a successful "Green Schools
Community Forum" on Wednesday, January 30, 2008. Expert
Panelists included
Deborah Moore, Executive Director of the Green Schools Initiative;
Tim Rosenfeld, Director of the Marin Energy Management Team; Kristin
Heinen, Assistant Director of the Collaborative for High Performance
Schools, Inc (CHPS); and John Schlag, VP and Energy Chair of Sustainable
Novato.
We learned: Green schools create a healthier
learning environment, raise test scores, increase attendance, save
school districts money in the long run and reduce global warming
impact. With
climate change and environmental toxins threaten our children’s
health and future well being, schools can take a leadership role
in both education and practice in greening our schools. Fortunately,
proven and effective Green Schools programs already exist. The
forum will be aired at 8:30 p.m. every Wednesday and Sunday in
February on Comcast Channel 26 in Novato. For more info: www.npat.org and www.SustainableNovato.org.
DECEMBER 10, 2007 NLWN UPDATE, see PDF document for details:
1. The New Word is "Locavore"
2. Your Support, Shopping Power, & The Story of Stuff
3. Rethinking Plastics Forum: Save this date: Saturday, January 12, 2008, 7-9PM
4. This Fall in the Schools
5. Novato Community Garden
JULY 07 UPDATE: see PDF document for
details:
1. Health Forum July 21, 2:00-4:00 PM: Health in A Balance:
The Effects of Toxins…
2. $45,000 Grant for Novato School Gardens
3. A Year of Success in the Schools: NLWN Accomplishments 2006/2007
OUR VALUES
Novato Live Well values open dialog and the sharing of ideas.
We respect differences and the different choices people make
around food issues. We encourage learning all sides of an issue,
collaborating to find solutions, and the sharing of resources. To
learn more about our Vision, Mission, and who we are see our
"About Us" web page.
NON-PROFIT STATUS
The Novato Live Well Network is a sponsored project of Marin
Link, a California nonprofit corporation, exempt from federal
tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended.
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