Books For Africa... again!

Dear University of Guelph Community,

My name is Ana Perkovic and I am writing to you on behalf of Guelph’s Books for Africa team. We are running a Better World Books campus book drive to benefit Books for Africa (www.booksforafrica.org) and we would love to have your support! Our goal is to collect 1,500 books during our book drive - please help us by donating any university and college-level books from the past 5 years that you no longer need!

Starting on December 4th, 2006 we will set up big green and white collection boxes at the University Bookstore, Coop Bookstore, University Centre courtyard, and East Town Hall, which will remain up until December 15th, 2006. We’re looking to collect any book from the last 5 years that could be used in a college classroom – highlighting/writing in books is fine.

Please donate any books you are unable to sell back at buybacks! Many of these books will be sold online to raise much-needed funding for Books for Africa (100% of profits, after all costs, will go to BFA as unrestricted funding), and some books will be directly sent to BFA and distributed to African countries in need.

About our team:
We are a group of 11 students committed to sponsoring the Books for Africa book drive. We are always interested in getting to know more members of our community who are interested in donating books, helping collect books, promoting the book drive and anything else that will help us host a successful book drive. Last year, with the help of individuals like yourselves, we raised an enough books to stock over 15 schools in Tanzania (over 4,000 books!) and raised over $1,900 for Habitat for Humanity and $250 for Best Buddies. We hope that with your help, this year will be as successful as and possibly even more successful than last years’ book drives!

About Books for Africa:
Books For Africa (BFA) is the largest shipper of donated textbooks to the African continent. Founded in 1988, the St. Paul-based organization has delivered more than 14.3 million books to 27 African countries. According to Patrick Plonski, executive director of Books For Africa, the need for books on the African continent is great: “In many African villages, seven children share one book. Some village schools own no books whatsoever.”

Learn more by watching BFA’s 10-minute video: www.booksforafrica.org/video.html.

About Better World Books:
Better World Books (BWB) capitalizes on the value of the book to fund and support literacy initiatives locally, nationally, and around the world. Since its founding in 2003, Better World Books has raised more than $1.3 million for its non-profit literacy partners (including over $900,000 for BFA), provided more than 450,000 books for direct use & diverted in excess of five million pounds of books from landfills! Learn more at www.betterworldbooks.com.

Thank you in advance for your help with our project – please spread the word to everyone you know!

Sincerely,

Ana Perkovic
Co-executive, Personnel Director
Books for Africa team
University of Guelph
Email: aperkovi@uoguelph.ca

SFOAC Link

Our friends the aggies have moved websites!
Please note you can now find their page at www.aggies.ca!
(It is no longer www.oac.uoguelph.ca/sfoac/)
All their events, as well as other opportunities are listed on this site, so check 'er out!

Books for Africa

Interested in supporting a great cause? Why not help out with the
Books for Africa team in promoting our Book Drive and packaging books
during the Fall Semester buy-back period?

The book drive we run will not only help to fill libraries in Africa
that are in desperate need of high-quality resources, but we also
support the local charities of Habitat for Humanity and Best Buddies.
We've raised over $2000 last year and collected an equivalent of
filling 15 libraries in Tanzania just last year! So come be part of our
team that is bringing something great not only to Africa, but also to
Guelph!

For information, contact Ana Perkovic at aperkovi@uoguelph.ca,
Personnel Director, Co-executive Director, University of Guelph Books
for Africa Book Drive

Lecture with Prof. David Keith: Energy and the Environment

Click below to read the info on this special lecture available to students

Costa Rican Travel Opportunity

Want the opportunity to visit a sustainable village in Costa Rica? Here's the info; click on the image to enlarge.

Websites

I totally know how to blog but I totally CAN NOT figure out how to edit the outdated ESSE webpage.

I'm working on it.

Anyway, check out the website that was just put up for Symposium!!!!! It looks wonderful, and I am very jealous of the website-making skill that I lack.

The address is www.uoguelph.ca/~envsymp . So go now to see what they're getting planned for January - and they're still looking for volunteers/captains, so sign up!

Symposium Volunteers/Captains Wanted!

Attention Enviro Scis!

Tas, the director of this year's upcoming Symposium in Jan 2007, wants YOU to volunteer for the executive for Symposium!!!!
Email tvirani@uoguelph.ca if you'd like to be a captain or volunteer. From personal experience, it is very rewarding, and very fun. So Get Involved!

Yee Haw, get your Bike On

Well this summer I've been a bit behind the times, but as promised here is a summer event coming up in August (even though I'm posting this way after I recieved the email). This invite is coming from SFOAC, the Student Federation of the Ontario Agricultural College:

The SFOAC has decided to participate in the Big Bike for Stroke this summer in Guelph. The dates of this event are Aug 15th-Aug 17th from noon to 8pm. We are registered for the 8pm time slot on the Thursday (August 17th). We are to arrive half an hour before our scheduled time, so participants should be there at 7:30; we're on the bike for approximately 15 minutes. If you are interested please contact Katelyn at kmceachr@uoguelph.ca. We need 29 riders and each rider has to raise $50. It’s a great cause and a lot of fun! For more information please visit www.heartandstroke.ca/bigbike.


TEN GOOD REASONS TO RIDE THE BIKE

1. 40% OF ALL CANADIANS WILL SUFFER FROM HEART DISEASE OR STROKE IN THEIR LIFETIMES.
2. 60% OF ALL RESEARCH INTO HEART DISEASE AND STROKE IS FUNDED BY THE HEART AND STROKE FOUNDATION OF ONTARIO – MORE THAN THE FEDERAL AND PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS COMBINED.
3. THE HEART AND STROKE FOUNDATION HAS HELPED TO REDUCE THE INCIDENCE OF DEATH FROM HEART DISEASE AND STROKE BY 35% IN THE LAST 20 YEARS.
4. THE HEART AND STROKE FOUNDATION WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN ESTABLISHING A STROKE STRATEGY AND REGIONAL STROKE CENTRES, WHICH ARE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCING DEATHS AND DISABILITIES FROM STROKE.
5. WE ARE ONLY ABLE TO FUND ABOUT 60% OF ALL THE WORTHY APPLICANTS
6. THE BIG BIKE IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FUNDRAISERS FOR THE HSF, RAISING OVER 6.6 MILLION DOLLARS NATIONALLY IN 2005.
7. THE COVETED SPIRIT AWARD
8. YOUR PERSONAL CONNECTION - 70% OF CANADIANS WILL HAVE A FRIEND OR A FAMILY MEMBER AFFECTED BY HEART DISEASE OR STROKE
9. GREAT PRIZES! – CHECK THE BACK OF YOUR PLEDGE FORM OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT HEARTANDSTROKE.CA/BIGBIKE TO VIEW THE EXCITING PRIZES. YOUR TEAM CAN ALSO EARN A BALLOT FOR 29 BIKES!
10. IT’S THE MOST FUN YOU WILL EVER HAVE RIDING A BIKE – YOU WILL ENJOY THE COMPANY OF FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES, GET SOME EXERCISE AND LOTS OF LAUGHS – NOT TO MENTION THE FREE PIZZA!

Summertime, and the livin is easy

Hey Enviro Scis!

Rebecca Taylor here, your new VP. I just wanted to say HEY and I hope the summer months are treating everyone well.
For those of you still in the Guelph area, I'll be posting some events happening this season on campus and around the city.

Remember to email esse@uoguelph.ca if you have any questions/comments/or ideas for the coming year.
Otherwise, enjoy the sun, and we'll see you in the fall!

OAC Marketing Design Contest

ESSE ELECTION RESULTS

Voting went so well that we made quorum bite the dust!

The votes have been counted and here are your results:

President - Mary Jane Richardson
Vice President - Rebecca Taylor
Treasurer - Open
Operations Manager - Elizabeth Trenton
Community Link - Erin E. Sanderson
OAC Rep - Sarah Gutowsky
CBS Rep - Kenneth Poon
CPES Rep - Open
CSAHS Rep - Open
1st Year Rep - Open (to be filled Fall 06)
2nd Year Rep - Alex Szumilas for Fall 06 and Heather Hughes for Winter 07
3rd Year Rep - Kyle Lynch
4th Year Rep - Ashleigh Boucher

There will be bi-elections held in the first two weeks of Fall 06 for the "Open"
positions, for anyone interested. 1st Year Rep will be determined in the
ENVS*1010 class.


Your new Program Committee Undergraduate Members are:

Krystian Imgrund and Anastasia Richardson



The next Symposium Director(s) are

Tasneem Virani and - TBA


>>Congratulations to everyone!!<<

Great involvement this year, hope you're all proud because we definitely are!

Good luck on exams,

VOLUNTEER in GUELPH

Guelph Environmental Leadership needs your help now and through the summer!

GEL

Creative Earth Expo360 submissions due March 31

Winter 06 Newsletter 3

March Newsletter

SUMMER URA JOB

Summer URA position going begging!

I have been unsuccessful in hiring a student for my summer URA
position, which is to work on projects related to farmland preservation and
local food production in southern Ontario. You have to qualify as
needing financial assistance, and be a Canadian citizen or permanent
resident and be returning to UofG fulltime in fall 2006.

Please contact me immediately if you might be interested.

Stewart Hilts,
Chair, Dept. of Land Resource Science, and
Director, Centre for Land and Water Stewardship,
University of Guelph,
Guelph, Ont. N1G 2W1
519-824-4120 x 52447

Volunteer

Get involved and help the Canadian Cancer Society!

The off-campus residential canvassing “Blitz Night” is on Tuesday, April 4!!

We’ll be meeting in the University Centre basement (Peter Clark Hall) at 4:30pm
and go out from there, rain or shine!

We’ll try and organize teams into groups of 2 to 4 people. And there will be
snacks for everyone and prizes for the teams with the highest amount raised!!!
Bring a friend if you like; the more that come, the more areas get canvassed.

Please contact Michelle at mkean@uoguelph.ca to sign up.

Job Posting

Job Posting

Student Risk Management Co-ordinator
Student Risk Management (SRM) is an insurance policy held and monitored by students for all activities run by student groups.


Term: September 5th – December 15th
January 8th – April 14th, 2006
Hours: 7.5 hours per week
Positions: 1
Salary: $2,445.00 for the year (or $11.24/hour)
Supervisor: SRM Committee

Job Description:
• Primary responsibility will be to chair/facilitate the SRM Committee meetings.
 Enforces SRM policies and penalties
 Organizes meeting times, dates, and locations.
 Arranges agendas for the meetings.
 Remains in communication with all student groups between meetings through email, office hours, and phone mail.
 Handles requests for information on new initiatives.
 Oversees and maintains the overall SRM process.
 Maintains the SRM Records Room and handles all relevant forms
 Works with the committee Co-Chair to plan and implement a training session for the SRM representatives and alternates early in the fall semester.
 Ensures that Risk Management and the SRM Committee are continually promoted on campus by way visits to all student groups.
 Oversees last minute approval of student group events in accordance with the SRM Manual.
 To focus attention on soliciting funds for and expertise in designing a SRM Website to be launched as soon as possible
 To provide a minimum of 5 hours of training to the incoming staff member at the end of the contract.
 To be available for a minimum of 5 hours of training before the contract begins (honorarium available, $11.24/ hour).
 Experience with Student Risk Management is an asset

The SRM Co-ordinator is a paid position that is hired annually in the winter semester. Although this person on the CSA payroll for, the position is independent from the CSA and is accountable to the SRM Committee, who can revoke the position in the event of contract violation.

Qualifications:
• Excellent communication skills
• General knowledge of SRM and how it runs
• Arbitration and diplomacy skills
• Experience chairing meetings.
• Experience planning student-run events an asset
• Strong anti-oppression analysis
• Involvement within the executive/leadership structure of a student club or organization is not recommended while, at the same time, holding this position

Deadline for applications is Friday March 17th, 2005 at 4:00 p.m.
Resumes accepted at the CSA main office UC 274

February Newsletter

January Newsletter