DB Green

Hi all,
Just a quick round up of last nights meeting plus if anyone needs any boxes for packing up/moving house please contact Roxana- here’s her email:
As we have just moved house I now have a garage full of cardboard boxes – already flattened – about 70 in total medium size…If anybody wants any boxes to please feel free to come and collect them – as many as they want from 230 Seabee Lane. Tues, Thurs & Sat after 10.30am are the best days. My mobile is 61031440. I will only be hanging onto them for a week before shipping them off.
Meeting Thursday 24th April
Topics discussed:
Tree planting- more tree planting will be needed to finish off the last bunch. Peter Shaw gave us a rundown of last weekends planting which sounded like hard going plus I’ve attached an article written by one of the volunteers and published in an Indian newspaper – it’s the article on the right entitled “Saluting India’s farmers” where the tree planting gets a mention. Still need more money please.
Glass recycling- I am almost 100% sure that the glass recycling that the marina club does goes to the rubbish but we need a definitive answer and possible solution to find out if a small company in Hong Kong might be interested in our glass…
Dana’s interview with recycling company- Because I haven’t got much time, here is a cut and past of Danas answers to my questions (in the attachment) from the actual recycling company who purchases from DB. We will get this into another format but in the meantime fill your boots on this- Dana said she was nearly jumping up and down she was so excited! I am too- the general theme is separate as much as you can and if in doubt put it in!
Water testing/Air testing
A few emails going around but no news at moment. I am going to write to Disneyland. Is anyone free to do a bit of research for me on the different ways you can release the fireworks- ie the stinky polluting way that Hong Kong does vs how it’s done at other Disneylands – better I believe but I need to know more. Volunteer to help me with this would be great.
Books/Videos
Peter and Elspeth added some more. Please return any books you have to next meeting please. They also spoke of their eco holiday to Western Australia where they learnt and saw some Stramatolites- yes – I know- I’ll get them to write a little blurb about what they are and what else they saw and did. It sounds like a great holiday destination for learning more about all kinds of wondrous natural beings.

Will make next meeting Tuesday the 13th of May 7:30pm Pacific Coffee. Off to work- hope some of you can make it to movie on Sunday- have a great weekend!!!

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the-age-of-cheap-oil-is-over.doc
Sunday in Mui Wo
Here’s some of an email I’ve been forwarded for an event on Sunday (see attachment) and I’m most upset I’m not here- it sounds like it could be quite inspirational and be as life changing to me as An Inconvenient Truth was. Is anyone able to go and report back?

Dear all
I have attached a flyer for a screening of the award winning documentary ‘The End of Suburbia’ on Sunday 27 April at OWLS in Mui Wo from 10am-1pm. I think it’s an important film that shouldn’t be missed, and I hope as many people as possible will come to see it. It’s in English, though, so a good command of English is essential.
I’m hoping this will set in motion a process whereby we as a community look at ways of reducing our dependence on oil, hand-in-hand with reducing our CO2 emissions. In other words, we take positive steps to tackle, at a local level, the twin catastrophes of global warming and peak oil. My inspiration comes from the Transition Initiatives movement currently ‘going viral’ in Britain and elsewhere, the aim of which is to move from ‘oil dependency to local resilience’. Just some of the initiatives undertaken by these transition towns – plus a couple of ideas I’ve thrown in – are as follows:

The list is limited only by our imaginations and willpower. The potential of a transition town is great, and it can be a tremendously positive force, rebuilding resilience and cooperation within the community and restoring hope and purpose to the individual. This is something to fight for instead of something to fight against. Everyone is welcome.
The first step, however, is to get a clear idea of the predicament we’re in. Turning a blind eye – the act of denial – is criminal. The future of our children is at stake.
I hope to see you all at OWLS next week.
Don Latter

I hope some of you can make it. The ferry from DB Nim Shue Wan ferry pier is at 8:45am (http://dbtable.co.nr/) so you could nab a quick breakfast at a local restaurant before joining the movie goers. Or of course you could walk over. Details of location is on the flyer.

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Tree Planting from 10am till 4pm on both days. Pop up for an hour or 2 on either day between those times. John and Tiareti and the team will be there with all the necessary equipment and a container for that donation you may feel like making- but it is not necessary to donate to still participate in the planting. Likewise the reverse is equally agreeable- if you don’t want to plant but you do want to donate then fill your boots! This is also the day for inviting the DB public so all are welcome!

How to get there – Proceed up the Discovery Valley Road in the direction of the golf course, continue until reaching a narrow concrete road on the right that leads to the lookout. The tree planting area will be signposted; it is adjacent to this road. (If you reach the top of the reservoir dam you have gone too far.)

What to bring – Good footwear, long trousers and a small cash donation to help pay for the tree seedlings. We will provide a selection of indigenous tree seedlings, tools for digging, planting and watering on site.

Who – Everyone in the family, from the oldest to the youngest. For more information about this project please scroll down for Johns shortened proposal description.

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Earth Day event at Cyberport from Thu 10 Apr through until Apr 22 (Earth Day).

Some cool events for kids including Gavin Coates reading one of his stories – Earth Love (http://www.earthycartoons.com/books.asp) and also a 12 ft high walking tree man (http://www.earthycartoons.com/books.asp).

Catherine Touzard will have her Going Green book for sale and there are a number of eco products on display.

Details of the event can be found at http://arcade.cyberport.hk/home/

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Hello all,

I have got quite behind lately on letting you know everything that is going on so here is all the events coming up this month and there is A LOT!! Get out your diaries:

Tomorrow Saturday the 4th of April- Wine and Cheese Evening Again
My family all left tonight for Sydney so I’m by myself for a few days and wouldn’t you know those fantastic people at BCC Pacific have donated their latest samples to DB Green a few days ago. Seeing I had so much fun with a wine and cheese evening selling the samples last time I thought it would be a great opportunity to do a very last minute one tomorrow say from 6pm till 9pm for DB Green people and their friends before showing the public. My address is 2B, Block 2, Siena 2- that’s the first Siena lowrise as you head towards the tunnel on the corner of the main road and the road down to the Siena club. If you can’t make that time but would really like to see The Earth Collection samples I am probably home in the afternoon- just call me on 98109070 and you could come round and help hang them up with me while you search for the latest fashion that catches your eye. It will be great prices again!! And it would be great to see some of you in a social environment that is not picking up rubbish or wielding a pick axe!

Sunday the 5th of AprilWe have a stall at the Open Air Market- this is a great opportunity to talk to passers by about pet topics and even sell some clothes from The Earth Collection. As I haven’t let anyone know until now, I have no volunteers to help me on Sunday so I would really love any help, from helping to set up about 9:45am through till 5pm. Any assistance for an hour or 2 at any time during the day would be appreciated!! I will also collect money for the tree planting on this day.

Saturday and Sunday the 12th and 13th April- Tree Planting
Tree Planting from 10am till 4pm on both days. Pop up for an hour or 2 on either day between those times. Go up the main road that takes you to the golf course and at the dirt road that leads to the Lookout you’ll see some signs for the tree planting site. John and Tiareti and the team will be there with all the necessary equipment and a container for that donation you may feel like making- but it is not necessary to donate to still participate in the planting. Likewise the reverse is equally agreeable- if you don’t want to plant but you do want to donate then fill your boots! See attachment. This is also the day for inviting the DB public so all are welcome!

Sunday the 20th April- Flea MarketThe 3 monthly flea market. This is a wonderful way to have your items get a second life before they get recycled so bring those goods you no longer need or want down to the plaza at 12 noon. We have 3 stalls this time. I thought it could be neat for our members to have one stand for themselves to sell any particular items they want to keep the cash for, or if they want to donate to another charity. Eleanor is going to put out some items to raise money for the La Leche League and you are welcome to do the same for a cause you like, or your own wallet. Warning though- the spaces are pretty small so please don’t take up all the room and take home your items at the end of the day or donate to the Salvation Army. Likewise for the DB Green double stall we will have to take the items over to the Salvation Army at the end of the day as we just can’t store it- so if you have things that you’ve donated that didn’t sell- (and sometimes great things get lost amongst the enormous amount of goods) and you would like to see it have another chance rather than go to the Salvos, then please come and take it home at 5pm. The single stall number for any of you is 111 (just a few items each please) and the double stall for DB Green is 17 and 18. Again VOLUNTEERS will be needed to help out on the day. Pleeeaaase!! It’s always chaos, and I’m flying through the night to get back so I won’t have slept and will unlikely to be able to string a sentence together- I may need assistance to tell customers what the thingamedacky next to the whatchacallit costs.

Thursday the 24th April- Next Meeting7:30pm on Thursday the 24th of April at Pacific Coffee. Everyone is welcome.
Topics of discussion will be:
- the progress of the tree planting project,
- the latest on the recycling bins status
- news on the interview Dana did with the recycling company that buys DB’s recycling- VERY good news (Dana said she was so happy she was nearly jumping up and down and as she is a great sceptic I would have liked to see that!)
- swapping any green books or articles you have to share (please bring back any you have)
- general sharing of ideas
We would love to see you there!

Now I think that is quite enough for one month!! In May there may be a touch more tree planting to finish off any remaining seedlings, another Open Air Market on the 4th of May I’d like volunteers for, and another meeting. So far that’s it.

Please try and make it to one or all of the events especially the tree planting and have fun!!

Hope to see you tomorrow night at my place!

Cheers,
Kate

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Hi all,

Just to let you know that due to constraints with HKR for this Sunday we are unable to do any tree planting this weekend but it looks like we are on for next weekend the 12th and the 13th. Sorry to all of you who made plans for the weekend based around Sundays gardening day- I do hope you can make the following weekend.

I will get John to send out information to everyone during the week as I am away again (wedding 4 for this year!) but plans so far are to have planting on both days from 10am till 4pm. Please come up to the Lookout for an hour or two on either or both days and don’t forget to bring some dosh for the tree planting funds as we want to reach that $17500 bill and we’re at about $3500 right now. If you can’t make next weekend and want to donate please come to the plaza on SUNDAY for the open air market. We will have a stall there and I will have a bucket you can donate to. If you can’t make that then email treeplantingpledge@dbgreen.org and make a pledge and we’ll get the cash off you when we can!

I will attach the poster John has made- if you can think of some places around DB you are able to post it then by all means print it out and let your fellow DB friends and colleagues know about it. The weekend of the 12/13th is open to the public. Just be sure to be patient with equipment if everyone turns up at once and if, by chance, you have a spade and pick axe, bring it along!

Have a great weekend!

Kate

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