1.  IN MEMORIAM:  PATRICIA SWITZER

In December, 2011, Switzer Foundation co-founder Patricia Switzer passed away at the blessed age of 98.  She was surrounded by family and loved ones in New Bern, North Carolina.  Her enthusiastic support of environmental leaders will live on through the Foundation's mission and programs.  Read Lissa's blog post for more.

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2.  SPRING RETREATS!

CALIFORNIA RETREAT:

Register now for the California spring retreat:

The Inland Empire of California at the Crossroads:  an examination of land use and development in an increasingly resource-limited environment.

Date:  March 23-25, 2012

Location:  Corona, CA

Join our southern California Fellow hosts for another inside view at a region of California where the juxtaposition of expanding population and growth has placed extreme pressures on natural and human communities.  Join us for a full day tour of the region's challenges and opportunities with local leaders, and time for networking.  We will participate in a "toxics tour" hosted by the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice that will include exploration of goods movement issues, air quality and land use development impacts.  We will examine challenges and progressive approaches to water use, management and restoration with the Santa Ana Watershed Protection Authority and its inspiring General Manager, Celeste Cantu.  We have made arrangements with a local hotel (www.hotelpaseocorona.com) and suggest Friday evening arrival and Sunday departure.  We are in the process of exploring Friday afternoon and Sunday morning events, hosted by area Fellows.  PLEASE REGISTER EARLY and we will also explore carpool or rail travel from Los Angeles and/or Claremont Colleges area.  Some travel support is available for Fellows.

Thanks to the dream team of Nancy Steele, Center for Watershed Health; Francisco Donez, EPA Region 9; and Jessica Hall, Restoration Design Group for their planning and organizing efforts!

CLICK HERE to register. 

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NEW ENGLAND RETREAT:

We are planning a whalewatch tour and marine science day in late spring (to aim for more cooperative weather) and a day trip to focus on sustainable agriculture and/or urban sustainability in Boston.  Dates in play are April 7 or 14 for urban sustainability, so SAVE THE DATES while we continue developing plans!  Please let Lissa know if you want to help with planning or hosting.  We plan to cap the day's outing with a "film night" to watch some TEDx talks and learn from the pros!  Details will be sent to Fellows shortly - stay tuned.

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 3.  FEBRUARY HIGHLIGHTS:  SWITZER NETWORK NEWS, WEBINARS AND DISCUSSIONS

SWITZER NETWORK NEWS: "Greening Stonyfield Farm," with Switzer Fellow Tim Greiner.  

Tim Greiner (1992), of Pure Strategies, is our Featured Fellow this month.  You can view a short video about Tim's work with companies that want to infuse their organizations with sustainable practices, then find out how he helped Stonyfield Farm do just that during a webinar, "Greening Stonyfield Farm," scheduled for:

Date:  Friday, February 17, 2012

Time:  1-2 pm Eastern/10-11 am Pacific

WEBINAR DESCRIPTION:  As a consultant with Stonyfield Farm for the past 12 years, Tim will discuss efforts to broaden and deepen sustainability within the company.  He will discuss the company's efforts to track its environmental impacts, barriers the company had to overcome, and the environmental and financial savings the company has seen as a result of these efforts.  Tim will answer your questions, including:

• What are the key steps for establishing a sustainability vision for a company?
• How do you integrate responsibility for sustainability initiatives into core business processes such as manufacturing, sourcing, packaging and logistics?
• What mistakes were made in the process of greening the company that anyone seeking to do similar work should avoid?

Please check out Switzer Network News, and join us for the webinar!  (And feel free to pass this invitation to interested colleagues.)

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WEBINAR:  Working and Collaborating Remotely (Switzer digital webinar series)

Date:  Monday, February 27, 2012

Time:  1-2 pm Eastern/10-11 am Pacific

Telecommuting and telework are growing at an exponential pace in today's lean economy.  Learn about tools that can help you work and collaborate effectively in the cloud, and explore some workflows that have worked for others.  Click here for details and registration link.

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DISCUSSIONS:

"Whatever Happened to Mandatory Recycling?", asks Lynn Rubinstein (1993) of the Northeast Recycling Council.  Lynn offers Fellows an insider's view of the organization's recent report looking at bans versus mandatory recycling laws, and poses some provocative questions about how the United States got to this point . . . and where we might go from here.

Heard and Seen by Melissa Garren at the Smith Fellows' Federal Policy Workshop:  Melissa Garren (2010) attended the recent Federal Policy workshop offered by the Switzer Foundation through the David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellowship Program in Washington, D.C. in January.  The workshop focused on the implications of national policy-making for conservation professionals.  Ayana Johnson (2009), Eunice Blavascunas (2005), and Fellow and Switzer Trustee Jen Sokolove (2000) also attended the workshop.  

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4.  VIDEO SPOTLIGHT ON KENDRA KLEIN:  HEALTHY FOOD IN HEALTH CARE

This is our first offering in a series of brief video spotlights filmed at this year's fall retreats.  Kendra Klein (2011) discusses how hospitals can use their buying power and "moral authority" as healthcare organizations to push the food system towards more sustainable choices.  Click here to see the video.

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6.  SWITZER NETWORK INNOVATION IDEAS ARE HAPPENING!

Fellows are connecting under the Network Innovation Grants program!  Currently, we have discussions focusing on: 

• Flood Risk and Environmental Justice in California's Central Valley; 
• Filmmakers and conservationists connecting people, nature and climate; 
• Marcellus Shale research and white paper; 
• Addressing oil leakage from recreational boats in California; and 
• Food systems and sustainable agriculture.

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7.  NEW GRANTS AND AWARDS

We awarded $145,190 in Leadership and Collaborative Initiatives grants at our December board meeting.  Following are brief summaries, but please check out the web links for more information on each.

Leadership Grants:

The Nature Conservancy Adirondack Chapter and Switzer Fellow Jessica Levine:  Transportation Planning for Climate Change Adaptation and Aquatic Connectivity in the Adirondack Region.  Award amount:  $35,190.

Community Water Center and Switzer Fellow Carolina Balazs:  Cumulative Impacts and Sustainable Solutions, Central Valley, California.  Award amount:  $40,000.

Whale Trust and Switzer Fellow Meagan Jones:  Second year of funding for Meagan as the organization's first full time Executive Director.  Award amount:  $30,000.

Collaborative Initiative Grant:

(Please note that this is the final Collaborative Initiatives Grant to be awarded.  This program has been closed, and we are now funding Fellow collaborations under the Switzer Network Innovation Program.)

Todd Gartner and Josh Donlan, and the World Resources Institute:  Candidate Species Conservation: Developing a Pilot Policy for Preemptive Conservation.  Award amount: $40,000. 

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8.  MAKING THE MOST OF THE SWITZER WEBSITE

Did you know that the Switzer website shows up in Google searches in the top THREE results for over HALF of all Fellows?  Update your profile, learn how to connect with us on social media, and learn about useful Fellows-only resources on our website.

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9.  MISSED WEBINARS?  MATERIALS NOW AVAILABLE!

We held webinars with two Fellows (and one Fellow/staff member!) last month and you can watch them any time by following the links below:

Stuart Cohen and GreenTRIP: Creating great, low-carbon, affordable communities

Laura Wisland - California's Renewable Portfolio Standard

Lissa Widoff - Developing Your Leadership Learning Agenda

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