Events

• New to Bike Commuting?
  - UofL employees can participate in Get Healthy Now's new Safe Cycling Classes!
  - Experience a Free Escort Service with an experienced bike commuter! General routes and contact info here.
  - Stop in for a Free New Rider Clinic on Mondays 6:15-9pm, April 30th through June 11th at Waterfront Park's Yellow Parking Lot.
  - Take a free bicycling class for adults! "Bicycle Superhero Basics" will be held Saturday, May 19th and Saturday, May 26th 1-4:15pm; "Bicycle Superhero II" is Saturday, June 2nd 12-5pm.
  

• May 1-17: UofL teams finished amongst the top five of the Louisville Bicycle Challenge – a friendly competition to encourage friends, colleagues, and neighbors to start using bikes to get around regularly! Each trip by bike counted as one point. See the final results! Meet participants on Facebook.
• May 10th: Pedal with the President to UofL!
  On Thursday, May 10th, President Ramsey led a fun, easy 30-minute ride to campus to celebrate Bike Month! Photos. Coverage on WLKY.
• May 18th: UofL cyclists joined folks from around Louisville to celebrate national Bike To Work Day on Friday, May 18th from 11:30am until 1pm at Fourth Street Live! See the photos!
  

Dr. Brian Stone, Jr., Associate Professor of City and Regional Planning, will discuss the effects of climate change on cities and the role that trees can play in reducing the influence extreme heat events can have on our city. Various characteristics of urban environments contribute to elevated temperatures in our cities as compared to the surrounding countryside, known as the urban heat island effect. The amount of vegetation within a city is one of the leading factors in determining if a city can cool itself.

Recent studies have indicated that Louisville's tree canopy has been in a steady state of decline. This information has come as a great surprise to many as we often consider ourselves a "city of parks" and have not taken note of the overall reduction in trees due to damage and disease. Mayor Fischer has recently formed a Tree Advisory Board to develop policies to better care for and aggressively address the issue. Please join us on June 5th for an engaging and discussion with Dr. Stone, author of the new book The City and the Coming Climate: Climate Change in the Places We Live, as we learn how Louisville can cool itself down.

Space is limited so PLEASE REGISTER HERE by Monday, June 4th to reserve your seat. This event is free to the public. Food will be provided by Ramsi's Café on the World and Heine Brother's will be providing coffee. For more information please call 502.587.7015.

Learn more about the topic in the recent front-page story in the Courier-Journal. Brought to you by UofL's Urban Design Studio. This event is made possible by the Tree Commission with the generous support of Christina Lee Brown.

Get Healthy Now - Safe Cycling Classes
Location: Crawford Gym, Room 15
July 6 - August 10: Fridays, 2:00 p.m.
August 2 - September 6: Thursdays,12:00 p.m.
Enroll here

Safe Cycling Class is designed as a guide to the basic elements of bicycling safety and equipment. The class will implement various aspects of safety, such as basic equipment maintenance, skills, and rules of the road. Content is from the League of American Bicyclists' national BikeEd program. This central idea of this class is "Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles." Safe Cycling will help you to become a cyclist who rides with greater safety and confidence. Get Healthy Now encourages participants to ride bicycles for fun, fitness, and transportation, leading to a happier and healthier person, planet, and safer environment for all. Enroll here

Sustainability is being woven into Welcome Week events, including:

• Thursday, Aug. 16 - Morning Walk: Discover Old Louisville! (tentative)
  Highlighting local businesses and healthy local food options!
  Tentatively: 10 – 11 a.m., meet at the bottom of the Student Activities Center ramp

• Thursday, Aug. 16 - Car-Free Lunch Trip to Gray St. Farmers' Market
  11:00 a.m. meet up. Cyclists gather in front of the Red Barn. Bus riders bring UofL ID and meet at the TARC Route #18 stop across from the Floyd St. Garage and the Belknap Bus Station. Bring spending cash/debit card.
  All attendees will receive a reusable UofL Sustainability shopping bag made in the USA of 100% recycled materials!
• Saturday, Aug. 18 - Cardinal Quest (tentative)
  Tentatively: Sign-up at Red Barn any time between 9:45am and Noon. Begin your UofL adventure on Health Promotion’s Cardinal Quest Treasure Hunt. Come solo or bring your friends and complete the hunt by noon for a chance to win! Keep your eyes on the course for hidden treasure! Sponsored by Campus Health Services and Health Advocates, and featuring UofL Sustainability initiatives!
• Saturday, Aug. 18th - SOUL volunteer projects 2-6pm. For SOUL Welcome Week 2012, UofL's Sustainability Council is teaming up with Breaking New Grounds to co-host a volunteer site focused on Sustainable Urban Agriculture. Our goal is to introduce new UofL students to the complex issues of sustainability through the lens of food and compost production in an urban setting. We'll provide the tools and the oversight to put a group of up to 15 volunteers to work managing worm compost operations, community gardens, and hoop-house vegetable production in the middle of one of Louisville's "food deserts." We'll also introduce students to the Louisville TARC bus system and how to use it free with UofL ID. The trip departs from the SAC Multipurpose Room and involves a short walk to and from bus stops. Wear sturdy work shoes and clothes you can get dirty. Register to volunteer here.
  

• Symposium on Peace, Justice & Conflict Transformation - Thursday & Friday, Sept. 20-21st
  A speaker symposium in partnership with Liberal Studies for International Day of Peace, featuring Dr. Vincent Harding, an associate of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who now serves as Professor of Religion and Social Transformation at Illiff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado. He has written numerous books, including Martin Luther King: The Inconvenient Hero. More details to come.
• PARK(ing) Day - Friday, Sept. 21st
  An annual worldwide event where artists, designers and citizens transform metered parking spots into temporary public parks. Check out last year's photos! Again this year, UofL will be collaborating with several other groups to transform Louisville parking spaces into parklets to draw attention to how we use our public space and the importance of ending the violence on our streets caused by motor vehicles. Hundreds of people are killed and injured by cars on Louisville’s streets each year. Nationally, 32,310 people were killed on our roadways last year. It doesn't have to be this way. UofL's Sustainability Council wants to help stop by the violence on our streets by raising awareness about safer streets with fewer cars and slower traffic! More details to come.
• Take Back the Night - Tuesday, Sept. 25th
  This year's featured speaker will be Nancy Schwartzman, a filmmaker, media strategist, and catalyst for social change. Named one of the "10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2011" by Independent Magazine, Nancy Schwartzman's work explores the intersection of sexuality, new media, and the complexities of modern relationships. Nancy is the Founder and Executive Director of The Line Campaign, a non-profit using media and action to end sexual violence. With the creation of 'Circle of 6' iPhone app, Nancy's team won the highly competitive White House Apps Against Abuse Technology Challenge. 'Circle of 6' will help friends stay close and prevent violence before it happens.

Campus Community Partnerships for Sustainability Conference
Interdisciplinary Sustainability Symposium
Bluegrass Bioneers

• Coming Fall 2012...Over the course of four unforgettable days, UofL will be hosting three amazing events focused on sustainability!
  
• Bluegrass Bioneers plenary speakers will include Bill McKibben of 350.org, Michael Brune of the Sierra Club, and many others. Plug into the buzz now on Facebook and Twitter.
• Mark your calendars and plan to participate. More details to come...