There are at least 4,330 new people in town this fall— if you know them, help make sure they know about this newsletter and its companion calendar by forwarding it along!
Light Pollution, By Addison Greene
Oxford Sustainability Newsletter is delighted to feature a guest article on light pollution from Addison Greene, a Senior at Talawanda High School. This article was written for Addison's Gold Award in Girl Scouting. Completing the survey at the end of the article helps Addison demonstrate the successful dissemination of the information in the article.
9/7/24 12pm-5pm Pollinator Fest at John Bryan State Park Featuring Keynote by Doug Tallamy
Join experts and community members to learn about the connection between renewable energy and environmental stewardship at this free event.
Presented by the Aviation Energy Center and Ohio State Parks Foundation, this fun-filled festival will include a Keynote presentation from Doug Tallamy who will be speaking about pollinator conservation and renewable energy Register here.
9/8/24 3pm-5pm Wild Ones Native Open Garden Tour– Springwood Subdivision
Wild Ones Miami Valley Returns with its 2nd Open Garden Tour, this year featuring the Springwood Subdivision. The Springwood subdivision was built in the 60-70s,and efforts were made at the time of construction to keep as many of the existing trees as possible. Re-wilding in this area has often focused on the beauty and wildlife potential of trees.. Drop-in and learn from your Oxford neighbors working to bring natives back to their suburban-style yards. Springwood subdivision is on the south side of 73 just outside Oxford. Follow directions to 110 Springwood to begin the tour. Consider joining Wild Ones to support the work of this nonprofit to re-build native ecologies.
9/11/24 5:30 PM, Willeke Lecture, Robert Bilott, Environmental Attorney, landmark PFAS court case depicted in 'Dark Waters'
Robert Bilot, speaker for the his year’s Willeke Lecture at the Institute of Environment and Sustainability, uncovered the worldwide impact of contamination by a group of “forever chemicals” known as polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that accumulate in the environment and in living things, including people. With a combination of innovative litigation, scientific understanding, and extraordinary perseverance, Bilott has achieved one of the most significant victories for environmental law and corporate accountability to date.
In a legal battle lasting over two decades, Bilott represented 70,000 people living near Parkersburg, West Virginia, whose drinking water had been contaminated with a toxic “forever chemical,” known as PFOA, released by the chemical giant DuPont. Expanding upon the concept of class-action litigation, Bilott eventually obtained over 1 billion US dollars in benefits for the victims, including direct cash settlements for thousands of disease victims, totalling over 753 million US dollars, and ongoing medical monitoring for those exposed.
As a result of the settlement of the lawsuit against DuPont, Bilott set up a unique scientific process which contributed significantly to the understanding of the global health risks associated with PFAS chemicals. Exposure to PFAS can cause severe health damage, including cancer and impaired reproductive capacity.
The landmark court case, also depicted in the movie Dark Waters (2019), has been followed by more lawsuits being filed not only across the US, but also in other countries. PFAS contamination has been in the news this week as the New York Times released this investigative piece on how the practice of putting sewage sludge on farmland has led to widespread contamination with “forever chemicals.”
9/14 9am-3pm, Nature’s Ark Photography Native Plant Sale
Native plants for sale at a very reasonable cost of $4 each. 685 Cascade Road. Information here.
9/21-9/29, MOON Co-op Auction and Annual Meeting
MOON Co-op is going on its 13th year as a community-owned cooperative grocery store. The co-op has flourished this last year, but has also racked up a lot of necessary expenses in lighting replacement, refrigerator repair, and point-of-sale system upgrades. Please consider donating to and participating in the upcoming MOON Auction to help defray these expenses. Email Board Member Charles Ganelin to donate an auction item at charlesganelin@gmail.com. Annual meeting of member-owners is Sunday 9/29 at 4pm.
9/21 9am-1pm Hike-a-Thon
Celebrate Miami + Oxford Trails during this beloved fall event. Nature-focused organizations station themselves near Dewitt Cabin and the 73 trailhead for the OATS, and folks come out to enjoy our incredible combined trail system. More information here. Find out more about Miami University Natural Areas here.
9/19-9/21 Oxford Presbyterian Church Rummage Sale
Oxford Presbyterian Women’s rummage sale is a longstanding circular economy resource in our community. We hope for donors, volunteers and shoppers– you can get all the times and details at this link.
9/28 10am-2pm Pollinator Fest, BCSWCD
Come celebrate pollinators and all the benefits they bring to our world at Butler County Soil and Water Conservation District. Purchase native plants, honey, nature-inspired art, and more. At Butler County Soil and Water Conservation District, 1802 Princeton Road.
Volunteer at Thread Up!
We need your help! Our community is coming together to sort clothes and other fabrics to better prevent textile waste. Volunteering your time will make a big difference in reducing landfill waste and supporting sustainable practices. Whether you have a few hours or a whole day, your efforts can help us create a cleaner, greener future. Open volunteering Tuesday-Friday 11am-4pm at the Thread Up Oxford location at 5156 College Corner Pike in Westgate Mall. Call/text 513-273-1701 with questions.
Waste Free Oxford
The City of Oxford has a nice summer tradition of focusing on different sustainability-related themes. Last year was focused on Biodiversity In Your Yard and Beyond. This year is focused on the details of our community’s work to reduce waste. The weekly blog posts focus on how our composting program works, the details of recycling, why reducing waste matters, and more. Hosting an event? Check out this brief guide to hosting waste-free events in Oxford.
Choose Your Own Sustainability Adventure
From the newsletter We Can Fix It by way of Olivia Herron, Miami University Sustainability Director comes this “choose your own adventure” experience that helps you customize the most important and productive actions you can take to protect the climate. If you haven’t checked this out, you should try it.
Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Open Thursdays 2-7pm through 11/21
You can properly dispose of a range of household hazardous waste on Thursdays at Republic Services, 3555 Yankee Rd. in Middletown through November 21. More details on this and other upcoming special collection events (including upcoming tire recycling event 10/26) here.
Work in Sustainability at Miami University!
Miami University has a position open for a Sustainability Coordinator, who will advance engagement with sustainability initiatives at the University. See details here.
Save the Date:
Audubon Miami Valley Volunteer Day in Hueston Woods State Nature Preserve will be Saturday, October 12, from 10am-12:30pm in the Maple Grove Picnic Area. Pizza for volunteers at 12:30. Please sign up with Gail Reynolds, greynolds27@gmail.com.
Wild Ones Visit to the Quail Ridge Conservation with Jon and Amy Costanzo Visit this incredible restoration project with Wild Ones MV.
Electrification Fair: The City of Oxford Climate Action Team may host a second Electrification Fair on Wed. October 23. You can find out about opportunities to use the IRA to save money here.
Sowing the Seeds of a Plant-Based Diet Dinner Dialogue Series: OPC’s C4C Team is delighted to announce our Fall 2024 Dinner Dialogue Series “Sowing the Seeds of Plant-Based Eating.” This will be the third year that our team has offered a three-part dinner and discussion series focused on creation care topics. The series will be on Wednesday nights October 9, 23, and November 6. All are welcome to join us for a meal at the Seminary Building (104 East Church St) at 5:30 followed by a discussion at 6:30. This year’s series will also feature two film screenings (dinner not included) at 7:00 on October 16 and 30.
50th Hefner Lecture: Miami University’s Hefner Museum of Natural History celebrates its 50th annual lecture, to be given this year by esteemed biologist Joe Roman, Ph.D. on Thursday November 14th at 7:30 PM in 100 Laws Hall. Dr. Roman will draw on his groundbreaking research on marine ecology to present on “The Wild Future: How Animals Make Our World.” Dr. Roman will present examples of how protecting and re-establishing wild animals can help rebuild ecosystems, leading to even further abundance of wild creatures. Don’t miss this optimistic vision of the future.
Thanks for reading! Please email events for future inclusion in the newsletter and calendar to oxohsustain@gmail.com