About the Sustainability Action Network
History The Sustainability Action Network (S.A.N.) emerged in the Autumn of 2007 in response to an expressed community need to move beyond discussion and into personal and policy action. We organized to draw together members of the larger Kaw Valley community of Eastern Kansas to focus on issues involving the economic and social impacts of energy and resource depletion, climate disruption, and economic globalization. We agreed that a formal organization was needed to advance ecological sustainability on several fronts simultaneously and methodically.
S.A.N. incorporated as a not-for-profit in the State of Kansas on 15 April 2008, formed a governing board of directors, and ratified bylaws. On 21 October 2010, we achieved non-profit 501(C)(3) tax-exempt status.
We are actively pursuing community projects including the Kaw Permaculture Collaborative, the Kansas Permaculture Institute, Transition Kaw Valley, Electric & Human Powered Vehicles, Grower’s Land Trust, and a Weekly Newsletter. We have established collaborations with sister organizations, including Films For Action, The Light Center, Lawrence Complete Streets Committee, Kaw River Valley Food System, Transition Kansas City, Citizens for Responsible Planning, the Kansas River Valley Growers, the Kansas City Food Circle, and many more.
The S.A.N. Mission is to bring awareness of the global crisis caused by climate change, energy vulnerability and economic instability to communities in the Kansas River bioregion, and the tools needed to re-skill and re-localize our economy and create a more socially just and ecologically sustainable world.
The Sustainability Action Network advances ecological sustainability through societal scale actions. We pursue a wholistic, multifaceted approach to relocalization of economic exchange, food production, resource conservation, renewable energy, biological diversity, social justice, water rights, and watershed restoration. While we also support personal lifestyle changes for individuals to minimize their carbon footprint, there is an imperative for institutional change to respond to the rapid onset of the triple global crises of Energy-Ecology-Economy. We embrace the Permaculture ethic of care for the earth, for people and for community, equality of life, conservation, and limits to growth. As much as we are able, our organizational actions honor and respect all species and all peoples.
Our Vision Ecological sustainability means living in a way that is mindful of consequences for the future. We envision a community built around livelihood strategies that protect the commons of clean air, soil and water; deliver efficient, affordable, clean and renewable energy; prioritize local food systems; and promote biological diversity so that future generations of people and other species can also satisfy their basic needs.
In this context, “development” will mean improving the quality of life for all people in the Lawrence and Kansas City areas, fostering social justice in the distribution of available resources and opportunities, and fortifying our local economy toward the goal of mutual self-sufficiency. Social relationships are equally important to ecological sustainability; the society we advance will be built on mutual aid, trust, equity, and participatory democracy.
We envision the formation of an informational network, sponsorship of educational seminars and workshops, and community social and political activities. We envision planning to rebuild local community infrastructures including community supported agriculture, manufacture of basic commodities, renewable energy projects, resource utilization and environmental protection. We engage our local and state government representatives in formulating policies and legislation that may foster sustainable practices and lifestyles.
Our Governing Body S.A.N. is governed by its active membership, which meets annually to elect a board of directors and officers. We hold monthly membership meetings that are open to interested members of our community, and at which major organizational issues are decided. Policy issues are formulated by our Board of Directors by consensus, and ratified by a majority of our membership.
Our 2011 Board of Directors include:
position open, (Coordinator)
position open, (Co-coordinator)
Steve Moring (Treasurer), Vajra Farm & Kaw Permaculture, Oskaloosa, KS
Laura Odel (Secretary), student, Lawrence, KS
Maryam Hjersted (Events Coordinator), Prairie Lovesong Farm, Linwood,KS
Michael Almon, Forest Floor Permaculture, Lawrence, KS
Tim Hjersted, Films for Action, Lawrence, KS
Michael Hoey, Transition Kansas City, Kansas City, KS
Troy Karlin, All-N-One Landscape, Lawrence, KS
Dave Yates, Marketing Works, Lawrence, KS
To contact a member of our Board, please e-mail us at info@sustainabilityaction.net, or write to S.A.N., P.O. Box 1064 Lawrence, KS 66044-1064
