In case you weren’t already aware, Earth Day is coming up next week on Tuesday, April 22nd. Earth Day always has events organized around it and this year is no exception. This is by no means a complete summary of events in Buffalo, but it’s a good start to getting involved in the Earth Day initiatives taking place. Starting on April 18th, from 11am to 2pm, is the second annual Enviro-Fair. It will be in front of City Hall and features a lot of booths and displays, not to mention giveaways. Mayor Brown will welcome guests who will get free…
Author: ElizabethSpavento
In 1971, a junior student at the University at Buffalo got involved with an organization called “Community Action Corps.” The 4,000 plus student organization placed volunteers throughout the city, and Robert Moss, a transfer student from NYC became a mentor to a child for the first time. From that one placement, Moss founded the Be-A-Friend Program, Inc. from which, Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Erie County was born. Moss says this without even a hint of pride, “We started with one match and now we service around 700 [children] a year. We’re the second largest program in New York…
It seems that these days you can’t go anywhere without hearing about the damaging effects humans have on the environment. Whether you think global warming is an immediate concern or a complete crock, one thing is for certain. We have the power to change our behaviors and attitudes that empower our region locally while cutting down on the wastefulness that has come to define the American lifestyle. Medaille College recognizes their role as a democratic and educational institution and has taken steps towards greening their campus. By participating in a nation-wide recycling movement called Recyclemania, the college has managed to…
The success of Urban Roots, Buffalo’s first and only cooperative gardening center, may have surprised its founders but not its neighbors. Having just bought two adjacent lots in March, the store doubled the size of its outdoor nursery, cementing the establishment’s position in the West Side community. As any good retailer knows, adding size means adding responsibility. Luckily, Urban Roots recruited Michael Murphy, the store’s new manager. Having moved to Buffalo this February from Atlanta, Michael has proven to be a knowledgeable and articulate advocate for Urban Roots and its mission to make positive changes on the West Side. Blair…
April promises to be a busy month for Buffalo’s thespians as the city gears up for the thirty-third anniversary of Shakespeare in Delaware Park. Every year, the Park transforms into a stage as thousands come to see Shakespearean plays performed in the gloaming by local actors and actresses. This summer season proves to be just as exciting and will feature two plays: King Lear and The Merry Wives of Windsor. Actors are needed to cast the roles of both productions. If thou hast the talent or the courage, auditions for this year’s performances will be held on Friday, April 11…
On Friday, April 4 the boys choir, Libera, will be performing their first show of the spring 2008 season at Asbury Hall at 7PM. This concert marks the beginning of the boys’ US tour, and is an excellent opportunity to see this internationally acclaimed and self-proclaimed alternative boy band. To most, the idea of attending a choral concert on a Friday night would seem like something that required a specific and perhaps a somewhat archaic palate of taste, but chances are you have heard Libera already, and you didn’t even know it. Ranging from age seven to age sixteen, the…
…And it’s not to late to sign up to help. If the idea of going green means more to you than driving your Range Rover to your local farmer’s market with a designer, organic cotton tote in hand, check out what’s happening literally in your backyard and throughout buffalo this spring. Volunteers are needed to help reforest the Buffalo Olmsted Park System, which is still recovering from that infamous October storm in 2006. Sponsored by the City of Buffalo, donations to Olmsted ReLeaf, and Entercom Radio, the Olmsted Community Tree Plantings are scheduled for Saturday, April 26 and Saturday May…
If you are anything like me, then you have had countless conversations about how great a place Buffalo is to live. Often, those conversations branch out to include discussions about how much better our city could be with a few motivated individuals and informed development. Thankfully, the opportunity to continue this important discussion has arrived. The conference was organized exclusively by graduate students in The Group for Social Engagement at UB, who will be hosting a two-day long public symposium on issues concerning new development in the city. Topics like space, identity, urban planning, cultural geography, and greening will be…
According to the Army Corps of Engineers, world oil production has peaked. This means that there will never be a higher yearly yield of oil then we’ve seen in the past. Since demand has been rising every year, pushing production higher, it also means that, now, there is a permanent supply shortage. Not one of those temporary ones that it will be relieved by an influx of crude sometime in the future, but a permanent one will affect the price for as long as there is demand. The last time the US faced a significant supply shortage was during the…
One of things you learn growing up where the deer and the antelope play is that nothing stops a buffalo unless the buffalo wants it to. That was the history of Buffalo in its first century and what built her into the Queen City. The ability, the resources and, with some people, the determination to be the Queen City again are still there. But our society is changing, so this Queen must rule a different realm if she is to reign again. Look at the diagram above. Buffalo has Human, Natural and Built Capital which it can use to restructure…