A+Community+Pitching+In

  // “Global warming is not a someday problem, it is now. We are already breaking records with the intensity of our storms, the number of forest fires, //// the periods of drought. By 2050 famine could force more than 250 million from their homes. . . The polar ice caps are //// now melting faster than science had ever predicted. . . . This is not the future I want for my daughters. It's not the future //// any of us want for our children. And if we act now and we act boldly, it doesn't have to be.” -Barack Obama // 

** What can I do? **

** Organizing a community clean up day! Here's how you can get involved with your community to clean up local parks, beaches, neighborhoods. Not to mention, everything will look a whole lot better!

** : How to Organize a Community Cleanup   [|Organize one Today!] 
 * 1) Set a date! Weekends are probably best if you want families to come together.
 * 2) Advertise your cleanup. You want everyone in the neighborhood to know about it.
 * 3) Get together equipment. Make sure that when you advertise you let everyone know what they should be bringing and what will be provided (garbage bags, gloves, etc.)
 * 4) On Cleanup day, set up a game plan. Have groups of people go to certain to areas of your neighborhood. Make sure the kids are with responsible adults, if not with their parents.
 * 5) Have someone driving around to pick up garbage bags and passing out snacks or water.
 * 6) Enjoy your clean community!

__What is UWM doing?

The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee has found ways of its own to help make our planet a better place.

UWM saving green by going green:__ 

<span class="uwm_caption_small">**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Above ** <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">: Kate Nelson, UWM’s first environmental sustainability coordinator, poses in Downer Woods. The woods include 11 acres of permanent conservation area. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> " <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sustainability is a process by which decisions are made regarding needs and growth that are ecologically sound, socially just, and economically viable that will not hinder the resource needs of future generations" <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">. ( [|Sustainability web site.]) <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> A sustainable UWM looks to maximize new uses for campus waste, educate all members of campus on energy conservation, and start to look for more creative solutions where all social, economic, and environmental means can be met.Sustainability at UWM will be a process that engages students, faculty, staff, and the community that it is a part of, both locally and globally.

<span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 130%;">__What can I do?__

Check out www.ecomall.com to see where you may be able to start __



**"We are not acting as good stewards of God's Earth when our bottom line puts the size of our profits before the future of our planet." - President Barack Obama**

__

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">**Get Involved -** **Adopt-a-Beach!** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">


 * The Great Lakes
 * Home to some of the most beautiful beaches and shoreline areas in the world.
 * It's our responsibility to ensure their health.
 * The Alliance’s Adopt-a-Beach™ teams are creating positive changes for our Great Lakes.


 * Adopt-a-Beach:
 * Thousands of volunteers -- families, schools, businesses and community groups
 * Participate in the Alliance's [|Adopt-a-Beach][|Ô] program.
 * Volunteer to adopt a beach year round, or for just one day in September!
 * Conduct litter removal and monitoring and water quality testing.
 * Adopters work with the Alliance to locate a beach to adopt, log the information they gather into our online database and use it for pollution prevention and educational purposes.

<span style="color: #076407; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">ADPOT A HIGHWAY PROGRAM
 * <span style="color: #076407; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The Caltrans Adopt-A-Highway
 * <span style="color: #076407; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Individuals, organizations, or businesses to help maintain sections of roadside within California's State Highway System.
 * <span style="color: #076407; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Groups have the option to participate as volunteers or to hire a maintenance service provider to perform the work on their behalf.
 * <span style="color: #076407; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Began in 1989, has been one of the truly successful government-public partnerships of our time. More than 120,000 Californians have cleaned and enhanced over 15,000 shoulder-miles of roadside.
 * <span style="color: #076407; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Participation can include one or more of the following activities:
 * <span style="color: #076407; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Removing litter (work frequency varies with location).
 * <span style="color: #076407; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Planting and establishing trees or wildflowers.
 * <span style="color: #076407; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Removing graffiti
 * <span style="color: #076407; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Controlling vegetation.
 * <span style="color: #076407; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Adoptions usually span a two-mile stretch of roadside and permits are issued for five-year periods. Groups in good standing may renew

[|Contact Adopt-A-Highway]

***Get Involved - Contact your legislators** Federal and State Legislators ** **Find your U.S. representative**: [|http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.html]
 * <span style="color: #18a2ec; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">

[]
 * Find your U.S. Senator:**

Representative and Senator: [|http://www.legis.state.wi.us/waml/]
 * State Legislator: Wisconsin **