Previous SEMG Programs

SEMG Archive of Previous Programs
Programs are presented during SEMG's monthly General membership meetings. These meetings give members and non-members alike the opportunity to socialize, make environment-related announcements, and discuss SEMG business matters. Programs follow all this and vary in topic from an in-depth look at some local environmental issue to a guest speaker's adventures in the Alaskan wilderness.

General membership meetings now include a potluck dinner prior to the business meeting and program. To participate, simply bring a dish to pass and arrive by 6:00 pm. The business meeting will begin at 7:00 sharp.

Below is a description of previous SEMG programs. For a list of upcoming programs, click here.

Thursday, June 4, 2009
“Love Your Lawn, Love Your Lakes”
Healthy Lawn and Other Backyard Ecology Tips
by Dr Linda Schweitzer, Professor of Chemistry, Oakland U

There´s a threat in your backyard and you might not even know it- the pesticides and herbicides you are spraying on your lawn might be putting your children and pets at risk. Studies show that pesticide/herbicide use is linked to birth defects, immune deficiency, and cancer. Pesticides are also leaking into our water causing damage to our inland lakes as well the Great Lakes. The good news is that there's a way to protect your family and the natural environment. Dr Linda Schweitzer, Professor of Chemistry at Oakland University, will address the harms of pesticides and will provide alternatives to keeping a healthy and safe lawn.

Thursday, May 7, 2009
“The Buzz on Bees: Organic Beekeeping in Urban & Suburban Environments”
by Rich Wieske, Greentoe Gardens

Surveys reveal that very few Americans understand the process of pollination or the diversity of beneficial animals involved in pollinating plants. For most of us, pollen means allergies and bees mean stings. Yet, for every one out of three bites we eat, we should thank a bee, butterfly, bat, bird or other pollinator. Simply put, pollination (the transfer of pollen from one flower to another) is critical to fruit and seed production. However, according to the US Dept of Agriculture, we are facing an impending pollination crisis in which both wild and managed pollinators are disappearing at alarming rates due to habitat loss, pesticide poisoning, diseases and pests. In an era when human activities place increasing pressures on the environment, we must recognize our debt to these “forgotten pollinators” and work together with others to restore nature’s balance. From pollinator gardening and organic methods of pest and weed control to becoming a beekeeper yourself, please join in an evening of lively discussion as Rich Wieske, Royal Oak-based beekeeper, fills us in on the local buzz.

Thursday, April 2, 2009
“The Disappearance of Play & the Disconnect from Nature in Children’s Lives”
by Dr. Elizabeth Goodenough, Ph.D., University of Michigan

Free play in the natural world, which the baby-boomer generation and their parents took for granted, is something that many children today do not know. Sprawl, congestion and endless suburban development across America have moved children further & further into isolation. The “average home range” for suburban children has shrunk from a radius of one mile to 550 yards in two decades. A mere 10 percent walk or ride bicycles to school, and increasingly the rest are driven to school, furthering the isolation. Add to this the parental pressure to succeed, kids’ overscheduled lives, a media-driven fear of strangers, and a soaring divorce rate, and experts see serious potential for disaster.

Dr. Goodenough, a scholar in the emerging field of children’s studies, has noted that time outside school is increasingly filled with adult-organized activities and indoor electronic screen time. Children are less and less able to organize their own play or discover their own secret spaces in the woods, fields, parks and other semi-wild play spaces. Please join us for a though-provoking evening of discussion as we explore the subject of “nature deficit disorder.”

Thursday, March 5, 2009
“Inching Toward a Unified Regional Transit System:
Progress on the Home Front for Greater Detroit”
by Megan Owens, Transportation Riders United (TRU)

In early December 2008, the leaders of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb Counties plus the City of Detroit unanimously approved an official regional transit plan. It provides a good balance of immediate improvements in bus service and coordination. As well, it has established a long term effort to develop rapid transit throughout Metro Detroit. Within the next 3 years, it calls for the region’s first light rail line on Woodward Avenue, the first regional commuter train between Detroit, Metro Airport and Ann Arbor, and “Arterial Rapid-Transit” along most major corridors. A strong regional plan is one of the four critical steps that have to occur in order to develop a quality regional transit system. The unanimous regional support bodes well for the creation of an official regional authority (AKA a new and improved DARTA).

Step by step, inch by inch… I think we can, I think we can! Let’s get on board and ensure that this broad new support translates into a new direction in transportation priorities for greater Detroit. Please join us!

Thursday, February 5, 2009
“Fermi 3: Coming to a City Near You?!”
Presented by Michael Keegan, Don’t Waste Michigan, and Kay Cumbow, CACC

Federal officials are asking the public to suggest issues that should be considered during an upcoming review of the environmental impact of building and operating the proposed Fermi 3 nuclear power plant near Monroe, MI. While it is generally agreed within the environmental community that we must end our reliance on coal-based energy facilities, opinions regarding nuclear energy remain varied. Please attend this important meeting and get the latest on the proposed addition to DTE’s nuclear power conglomeration from one of Michigan’s most thoroughly educated and longtime opponents of the industry. Happy Holidays DTE!

Thursday, December 4, 2008
“SEMG Annual Merry Meet & Greet Holiday Party w/Slide Show & Silent Auction”
hosted by SEMG’s Outings Committee

It’s that time of the year again, folks…time to party with your brother & sister Sierrans as we wind out 2008! There will be the usual feasting so please bring your most festive dish to pass along with those new and/or gently used items for our silent auction.

In addition, those of you willing to do so, please bring 10-15 slides and/or digital images to share with the group from past adventures near and far. A fun time is guaranteed for all and we even make a little money for the group. Happy Holidays!

Hear about the 8 proposed new dirty coal fired power plants in Michigan. From the mine to the plant, coal is our dirtiest source of energy—causing asthma and other health problems, releasing toxic mercury into our communities, destroying mountains, and polluting drinking water sources. Michigan doesn't need any more dirty coal plants.

Our own Dr. Detroit, aka Mike Whitty, presents an inspiring and hopeful vision of sustainable Detroit 2030 and beyond. Professor Whitty is currently involved in a community building project on the Woodward Corridor in the north end of Detroit. He hopes to extend the Sierra Club’s Green Cruise from Ferndale to Palmer Park in Detroit by 2009. Whitty envisions a stronger link between the Greening of Detroit, rapid transit along the Woodward Corridor, and post-racial unity between Detroit and its near suburbs.

Join a discussion circle sharing our visions of the possible future for Detroit. Could we cross-network our causes and projects to create more collaboration in community building? Share your story and share your hopes in the belief that we are all Detroiters at heart. Professor Whitty is the former Director of the Institute for Building Sustainable Communities at U of D Mercy where he has taught for 40 years in the College of Business Administration.

Thursday, September 4, 2008
“Coming Home: Celebrating the Return of Detroit River’s Charismatic Megafauna”
by John Hartig, Detroit River Int'l Wildlife Refuge and Riverside Kayak Connection, Wyandotte, MI.

The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge (DRIWR) is the only wildlife refuge that can claim title to an international boundary in North America. Established in 2001, the refuge includes islands, coastal wetlands, marshes, shoals and riverfront lands along 48 miles of the Detroit River and western Lake Erie.

In the past 100 years, discharges from the steel and chemical industry and municipal sewage effluent, along with the effects of large, deep-draft vessels, have degraded the lower Detroit River ecosystem. However, over 35 years of pollution prevention and control have resulted in improvements in the water quality of both the Detroit River and western Lake Erie. The river and lake have responded with surprising ecological recovery, including the return of bald eagles, peregrine falcons, walleye, lake sturgeon, lake whitefish and mayflies.

On September 14th, the 4th annual “Paddle By Your Refuge” will occur which benefits the DRIWR and features both kayak instruction and tours along the Detroit River to the famous Humbug Marsh. The Sierra Club was among the coalition of environmental groups which fought and won the 7 year battle to save the last mile of undeveloped coastal wetlands on the US side of the Detroit River. The Humbug complex, considered one of the richest areas of biodiversity along the river, provides critical habitat for many species of fish, ducks, migratory birds, mammals, as well many valued plant species

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990, Cuba’s economy went into a tailspin. With imports of oil cut by more than half—and food by 80 percent—people were desperate. This film tells of the hardships and struggles as well as the community and creativity of the Cuban people during this difficult time. Cubans share how they transitioned from a highly mechanized, industrial agricultural system to one using organic methods of farming and local, urban gardens. The film opens with a brief history of Peak Oil, a term for the time in our history when world oil production reaches its all-time peak and begin to decline forever. While there remains some debate as to when we will reach peak oil, most experts agree the time is now. Cuba, the only country that has faced such a crisis, is an example of options and hope. Join us after the film for a discussion with invited members of the Detroit Agricultural Network and other local sustainability advocates.

Al Gore presented us with “The Inconvenient Truth” about global warming in 2006. Now comes “A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash” from the award-winning European journalists and filmmakers Basil Gelpke and Ray McCormack. This film tells the story of how our civilization’s addiction to oil puts it on a collision course with geology. Compelling, intelligent and highly entertaining, this documentary film interviews the world’s top experts and comes to the startling, but logical conclusion—our industrial society, built on cheap and readily available oil, must be completely re-tooled and re-imagined. After the film, please join us in a guided discussion about peak oil and sustainable “local future” strategies for metro Detroit.

June 7, 2007
Don’t Get Me Started! Thoughts from a Victim and Defender of America’s Personal Transportation Industry Mess
A Presentation by Dave Llewellyn, Sierra Club/SEMG

Hybrids, biofuel, flexible fuel, ethanol, CAFÉ standards, global warming, national security, free trade, terrorism, job security, prosperity. Add it all up in Southeastern Michigan and you get one of the most severely impacted regions that have been affected by the automotive industry’s crisis. How did this happen? Who can we believe? What can we do? Dave Llewellyn came to Michigan in the mid 1960’s to seek his fortune in the auto industry. His early employment with GM provided a draft deferment that kept him out of Vietnam and launched him into an engineering career that he is still determined to pursue. He rode the wave of prosperity that was crafted by GM and the UAW, failing to notice, like many others, that the wave was headed for a rocky beach.
Dave has been there and seen it all through the past 40 years. Dave has strong feelings about the future of the auto industry and its effect on our environment. Please join us!

May 3, 2007
Detroit is a River: A History of the Straits
A Slide Presentation by Robert Burns, Detroit’s Riverkeeper, Friends of the Detroit River

The Detroit River is a 32-mile long strait that connects Lake St. Clair with Lake Erie. Rich in history, it provides drinking water, jobs and recreation to more than 3 million people from 2 countries. The Detroit Riverkeeper slide presentation is a geographical, historical and ecological tour of the river starting from the mouth of Lake St. Clair, down past the Cities of Detroit and Windsor, through Detroit’s industrial corridor and south through the many islands that make up the lower river and which provide a diverse contrast between man-made structures and natural settings. This presentation is a unique mix of historical and present day depictions of life on the river with a number of aerial photographs that give a perspective of the river that few have seen.

April 5, 2007
Protecting Utah’s Redrock Canyonlands: The Future Awaits
A Presentation by Clayton Daughenbaugh, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance

Utah’s spectacular redrock canyonlands include the largest remaining unprotected wildlands in the lower 48 states. An exhaustive citizens’ inventory has identified 9.5 million acres that fall into this category. If you’ve ever visited one of Utah’s five national parks, climbed to the top of the slick rock and looked across the one hundred mile view, it’s these lands that you are seeing. The citizens’ proposal for Utah wilderness is embodied in “America’s Redrock Wilderness Act” which will be reintroduced into Congress in 2007. This may be the year to push for positive protections. Utah’s wildlands have been a favorite target of those who would exploit “America, the Beautiful” for private profit. One of 2006’s most egregious proposals to sell public lands and give the resources to local development projects focused on the Zion/Mojave area in southwestern Utah. In addition, the Bush administration has tested many of its worst ideas on Utah’s wildlands before spreading them nationwide. Will 2007 be a good year or a bad year for Utah’s redrock wilderness? That’s a question that calls for citizen across America to answer! Please join us in learning what we can do together to protect this special place.

March 1, 2007
Renewable Energy for the Developing World: A Costa Rican Adventure
A Multi-Media Presentation by Peg Collins, Sierra Club/SEMG

In February 2004, longtime SEMG Sierra Club member Peg Collins set out to attend a workshop entitled “Renewable Energy for the Developing World” sponsored by Solar Energy International and hosted by Rancho Mastatal in Puriscal, Coasta Rica. Peg decided upon a week of travel through Costa Rica before the workshop to enjoy the lush tropical surroundings and warm weather. However, the transition by bus to her planned destination of Rancho Mastatal proved to be challenging and even included an unplanned overnight stay in a local villager’s home. On this end of winter’s night of March 1st, join us in her traveler’s tale from Costa Rica. It is sure to prove an evening of rare beauty and frank discussion.

February 1, 2007
Appalachian Mountaintop Removal Road Show
Slide Show & Presentation by Dave Cooper, Kentucky Chapter Sierra Club

In West Virginia and eastern Kentucky, coal companies now blast as much as 600 feet off the top of the mountains, then dump the rock and debris into mountain streams. Over 300,000 acres of the most beautiful and productive hardwood forests in America have already been turned into barren grasslands. Mountaintop removal mining increases flooding, contaminates drinking water supplies, cracks foundations of nearby homes, and showers towns with dust and noise from blasting. The Mountaintop Removal Road Show includes a stunning slide show about the impacts of mountaintop removal on coalfield communities featuring traditional Appalachian mountain music and shocking aerial photos of decapitated Appalachian mountains.

December 7, 2006
SEMG Annual Merry Meet & Merry Greet Holiday Party, Silent Auction & Members’ Slide Show
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Yes, it’s that time of the year again…a time to celebrate the season of light with SEMG! Members are encouraged to bring 35mm slides (10-20) to share with the group that highlight a special trip, outdoor adventure, or simply your point of view about the environment. As well, new or “gently used” items to donate for our annual silent auction are appreciated. And don’t forget to bring a festive dish to pass for our ever-popular holiday feast! It ain’t easy being green…that’s why it’s even more important to celebrate all that we do & be together as SEMG! Please join us!

November 2, 2006
SEMG Annual Meeting with Anne Woiwode, Executive Director, Sierra Club, Michigan Chapter

Making a rare appearance in Southeast Michigan, our very own Michigan Chapter Executive Director, Anne Woiwode, will present the keynote lecture at our first official SEMG Annual Meeting. Anne became a Sierra Club volunteer in 1980 when she first moved to Michigan with her husband and 2 young children. Five years later she became staff and now works with both the state legislative program and the National Sierra Club Environmental Protection Education Campaign. Over the years, Anne has worked on a wide range of issues including forests, sprawl, and more recently, CAFO’s in Michigan. In coordination with Sierra Club’s Environmental Law Program, the chapter has settled 4 lawsuits that have forced factory farms to pay fines and implement improvements at preventing unlawful pollution of Michigan’s waterways. Through her tireless efforts, Michigan has gone from being one of the most backward in the United States to being one of the more aggressive in working to protect communities from factory farm pollution. Anne has promised to share her insights gained over the past 25+ years, her vision for the future of Michigan’s environmental movement, and the Sierra Club’s role in all of this. In addition to Anne’s keynote address, SEMG will conduct a brief, formal presentation from each of our local committees summing up the year’s activities. As well, you will have a chance to cast your ballot for the upcoming Board of Directors.

October 5, 2006
Getting to the Rock Bottom of Things: The Geology of Michigan
A Presentation by John Zawiskie, Cranbrook Institute of Science/WSU Dept of Geology

In a lively & intellectually stimulating approach, geologist John Zawiskie will unlock the secrets to Michigan’s past…and by that, I mean the geologic past as revealed in the rock & fossil record. As becomes evidently clear in the course of his presentation, Michigan and the Great Lakes have seen it all—from warm, tropical oceans to the frozen glaciers of the Ice Ages. Professor Zawiskie will also share with us the findings of his latest research project concerning an ancient submerged conifer forest in Lake Huron and the implications of climate change and fluctuating lake levels. It is guaranteed you will walk away from this meeting with a newfound awe and appreciation of our Great Lakes and the State of Michigan.

September 7, 2006
Living a Nightmare: Animal Factories in Michigan
Video & Discussion with Gayle Miller, Legislative Director, Sierra Club, MI Chapter

What’s all the ruckus about CAFO’s, you ask? First of all, what is a CAFO? Well, it’s short for “Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation” (spell that industrial-scale feed lots). Simply put, the CAFO phenomenon is an unregulated nightmare of air & water pollution that has found the State of Michigan pitted in the difficult position of deciding between economic growth and environmental protection. If it sounds like the same old story, it is…plus the fact that CAFO’s present a huge environmental justice issue for anyone living in the near vicinity of these monsters. What’s it like to live in a community literally swimming in the feces and urine of 12 polluting animal factories? Meet the residents of Lenawee and Hillsdale Counties—people whose lives are being destroyed by poisoned air, contaminated water, and plummeting property values. Released in March 2006, this 22 minute documentary produced by the Sierra Club, tells their story. Gayle Miller, our MI Chapter Legislative Director, will update us on the latest strategies in Lansing to regulate these factory farms and what we, as citizens of Southeast MI, can do to help. Gayle will outline the details for the Fall Lobby Day in October as well. Please join us!