Celebrating our Earth Today... and Every Day

Each year on April 22, we celebrate our Earth. At GBA, we believe Earth should be celebrated every day. With winter finally exiting and make way for spring, it's a great time to go outside and enjoy the Earth.

Here are a few ways to celebrate Earth Day:

1. Plant a tree
2. Plant some flowers native to your region
3. Create an organic vegetable garden
4. Conserve water with a rain barrel
5. Have a picnic in the park
6. Visit a nature center in your area
7. Participate in a neighborhood clean-up 
8. Recycle

The ideas can be enjoyed all year and we hope you celebrate Earth Day today and every day.

To find Earth Day events in your area, check out the EPA website.

Walking for Life

We have all been touched in some way by cancer. Our family members, friends, and co-workers have experienced the disease and we want to do our part to help find a cure. GBA has formed a team to participate in the Lenexa Relay for Life to raise money and awareness for the American Cancer Society.

 

On May 11, the team will take turns walking at Sar-Ko-Par Park. The event will take place from 2pm to 10pm. If you are interested in helping there are various opportunities to participate including:

• Join the team and walk on May 11
• Make a donation to the team
• Dedicate a Luminaria
• Show up to eat some BBQ made by GBA’s own Genuswine Brisket Authority team from 5 -7 (all proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society)
• Come cheer on the team any time from 2-10

We hope you will join in our efforts to end this disease. For more information about the event and the GBA team, please visit our team page.

Wind Energy Abuzz at University Environmental Conference

Community-scale wind will be on the forefront for the 63rd Annual Environmental Engineering Conference held at the University of Kansas. This presentation, featuring a case study of a 1MW wind turbine, will be provided courtesy of  Kurt Bookout, Director of Public Utilities for the City of El Dorado in conjunction with GBA’s Energy Studio Leader, Jennifer Gunby, PE, LEED AP. Participants will learn about the benefits of community-scale wind, elements to spearheading a successful project and the future of wind energy for the City of El Dorado.

The full day conference, hosted by the Continuing Education department and located on campus at Memorial Union, will commence on April 17. Following the keynote, attendees will have the opportunity to select from three tracks centering on sustainability. In addition to wind energy, air and waste management and nutrient control will be highlighted topics at the event.

Bookout and Gunby have worked in partnership since 2010 with the launch of a feasibility study to identify wind energy sources to power the El Dorado Wetlands and Water Reclamation Facility. With the installation of the 1MW wind turbine, the City is projected to see savings of $5-8 million over the next 20 years with a return on investment of six to eight years. This presentation will begin at 3:40 p.m. and will offer a unique insight on applications of community-scale wind.

GBA is heading to the Great Plains Waste Management Conference

For the past 57 years, professionals from across the country have converged upon LaVista, Neb. to learn about the newest trends, technologies and regulations in the water environment and solid waste management professions. The Great Plains Waste Management Conference includes more than 40 presentations, posters and tours.

Take a look at the schedule of events and be sure to attend as many as you can. Registration is still open.

In fact, make plans to stop at Waldo Margheim’s talk. He is presenting his paper “Private Service Lateral Rehabilitation Design Challenges: Johnson County Wastewater Nelson Pilot I/I Project.” Waldo, who is a GBA associate, will be speaking at 9 a.m., April 18 at the Embassy Suites. The lessons learned from this project will have national implications to how other municipalities will address I/I and rehabilitation issues.