Purpose:  Made up of students, faculty, community members, and workers, Eco-Justice strives to improve awareness of the ways environmental issues are inseparable from social and economic justice issues, like racism, classism, sexism, and colonialism. Eco-Justice believes in bearing witness, speaking truth to power and working for social and environmental justice through activism, cross-cultural communication, building coalitions across difference and working within and outsidet of the systems of power and in so doing strive to protect and restore the integrity of all God's creation

For this semester, we are meeting in the ECM at 5pm on Fridays.  The current projects we are concentrating on are working to finish the Eco-Walk project in the Haskell wetlands north of 31st street (due largely to an amazing gift from Elizabeth Schultz!), working with the low-income weatherization programs for Lawrence to increase the use by local residents, and researching the possibilities of duplicating the efforts from elsewhere in the country to impliment a local carbon tax. We are also attempting to increase coordination with Haskell University student groups including the Wetlands Preservation Organization, WPO, which meets Sunday evenings at Haskell University at 6:00pm. Location is in the Haskell Library and we can give rides if requested. 

We'll keep you posted on the issues for this semester!  We are currently involved in a lawsuit against that South Lawrence Traffic Way and are working closely with Haskell's WPO in the effort to protect and improve the wetland, through civil action, and raising public awareness. We are additionally working with WPO to construct a walkway to allow access to the Haskell portion of the Haskell-Baker wetland. 

For more information, check out our new website at: Eco-justice.info

KDHE COAL PLANT

October 14, 2010

 KDHE Bureau of Air,

    The Ecumenical Christian Ministries Advisory Board and Leadership Team at the University of Kansas ask you to deny Sunflower's most recent air permit application in relation to the Holcomb plant. We are contacting you because of our commitment to sustainability, earth care, and energy efficiency through the refurbishment of our building and mission as a campus ministry. We are installing much more efficient HVAC along with interior storm windows on an 18,000 sq.foot, 50 year old building recently placed on the National Historic Registry.

    The construction of the Holcomb plant, in many ways, tends to negate our efforts.  Given the urgency of the need to curtail health hazards, decrease energy consumption and our commitment to the well being of future generations, we object to the Holcomb plant construction.

    These comments are supported by both the ECM Advisory Board and Leadership Team. They are composed of students, faculty and others as voting members. We are "ecumenical" due to four denominations (Presbyterian (USA), United Church of Christ, Quaker, Church of the Brethren) having covenanted to be in ministry together.  ECM is one of the largest campus ministries at KU and serves over 1000 individuals a month who use our building and are involved in a variety of programs.

Thad Holcombe,

Campus Minister for ECM at KU

Click here to read the "Getting dirty and going green" (pdf file, page 1A and 6A) article is in the newspaper on Wednesday, September 22th, 2010 by The University Daily Kansan (UDK).