The Blog

The Binational Alliance invites you to join us to celebrate 10 years of Doors Open Niagara and 200 years of Peace between Canada and the United States on Saturday, August 31 at Jackson Triggs Niagara Estate Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

You’ll enjoy a magical evening of local wine and food, architectural exhibits from the University at Buffalo Architecture & Education program, photography exhibits from the first decade of Doors Open Art of Architecture and Architage contests, the Unbuilt Niagara video retrospective – the best designs never built, and a special binational dance showcase featuring dancers from Toronto’s Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre, Buffalo’s Configuration Dance Theatre and artists Amy Taravella, Lacey Smith and Veronica Lake.  We’ll be premiering two new Peace Dances choreographed by Gerry Trentham of Pounds per Square Inch and danced to a new musical composition by Julia Aplin and her band Heartsong.

Terry Lorenc’s photograph “Look Ma, No Hands,” shown here, was a finalist in 2011.

The Jamestown Audubon Society is in the final month of its Fourth annual Nature Photography Contest. Since its start in 2009, the contest has expanded to photographs from around the world that celebrate the wonderful animals and plant life on the planet. Currently, the Jamestown Audubon Society has received photographs from Spain, India, Sri Lanka, England, Wales, British Columbia, Ontario and 29 states.

The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation is providing funding to offer cash prizes for the competition, in addition to covering other expenses, including printing winning entries for exhibition at the Nature Center.

Part of Audubon’s mission is to connect people with nature. The photo contest helps it fulfill that mission in two ways: the photographer connects with nature while making images and the viewer becomes inspired to connect with nature by seeing the images. The contest also gives photographers an outlet to share their work and have it judged, while at the same time inspiring others to connect with nature and raising money to support the work of the Audubon Center & Sanctuary in Jamestown.

Youth groups from Western New York high schools that attended this March's Young Adults Environmental Leadership Program (YAELP) were asked to post articles on their projects to the Grow website. Here is the first in this series of articles.

Here is a picture of our Green Roof (“Before Shot”)

This article provides an update on an existing project to improve green space on our campus at the Nichols School in Buffalo, NY.  Our project originated out of the student conference Young Adults Environmental Leadership Program (YAELP) put on by Sustainable Earth Solutions.  The original project involved developing the land, with an environmental focus, where our old Math and Science building stood.  We have changed our area of focus but not our original intention.

Our original Environmental Action Plan was focused on the land where Moot Hall (the old Math and Science Building stood) and making that a landmark area that emphasized Nichol's environmental initiatives.  Moot Hall was deconstructed and recycled or reused (over 98%) in an exceptional process that involved sorting materials and including students in the deconstruction process.

Our ideas included community gardens, informational signs, picnic tables made from recycled plastics, student sculpture space, and a proposal for a small amphitheater constructed from recycled and reused materials.  Our administration listened to our proposal and is excited about the possibilities but any work on the area will not take place until after a campus planning exercise. The project is delayed.