Support ECOS Through AmazonSmile

When you do your Christmas shopping online, shop at AmazonSmile and you can support the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) at the same time. AmazonSmile is a simple and easy way to support ECOS when you shop for Christmas gifts, at no cost to you.

What is AmazonSmile?

AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to support the Environmental Council of Sacramento every time you use Amazon, at no cost to you. AmazonSmile is available at smile.amazon.com on your web browser and can be activated in the Amazon Shopping app for iOS and Android phones. When you shop at AmazonSmile, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added benefit that AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to the charitable organization of your choice. You can choose from over one million organizations to support.

How do I shop at AmazonSmile?

To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.com on your web browser or activate AmazonSmile on your Amazon Shopping app on your iOS or Android phone (found under settings on your app). On your browser, you may also want to add a bookmark to smile.amazon.com to make it even easier to return and start your shopping at AmazonSmile. When you’re using the app, always check for the “AmazonSmile” logo to ensure you’re activated for AmazonSmile.

Please choose Environmental Council of Sacramento Inc. as your nonprofit of choice. Thank you from all of us at ECOS.

Unique Opportunity to Invest in Some Fine Art and Help Save the Environment

Long-time regional environmental champions Mike Eaton and Charity Kenyon have moved from their Delta home and organic farm to the Bay Area. Mike was President of the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS in 1985-86) and went on to serve as Director of the Cosumnes River Preserve for over a decade. As a parting gift to the region, they have donated to ECOS three original Roman Loranc photographs of the Cosumnes River Preserve with the express understanding that we would sell them and use the money to fund the active lawsuits against Elk Grove (see expanded description of lawsuits at the end). Mike and Charity also gave ECOS three Roman Loranc photographic posters with the same understanding.

Consultation with a gallery in the Delta that sells Roman Loranc’s work indicates that the photos are worth between $1500 and $2000 each, the framed poster is worth $500, and the unframed posters are worth $200 each. The gallery would charge a fairly high premium to sell them. We are hoping to make a direct sale to a buyer without having to dilute the return by using a gallery’s services.

If you are willing to pay $1000.00 or more for one of these original photographs, please contact Alexandra Reagan at office[at]ecosacramento[dot]net. We would also be interested in offers on the posters. The photos and the posters will be at the ECOS office if you want to make an appointment to see them.

These photos were taken with a large format (4 x 5) film camera and were developed by hand by the artist himself. They would be a beautiful addition to anyone’s living space, and they are likely a savvy investment in fine art.


Biography of Roman Loranc

Roman Loranc is a living, modern-day master of fine art black and white photography. He was born in the city of Bielsko-Biala, southwestern Poland, in 1956 during the communist era. In 1982, at 26 years of age, he immigrated to Madison, Wisconsin, and in 1984 he moved from the Midwest to Modesto, California. Much of his early, better-known photographic work was created in California’s Central Valley. He moved to Northern California near Mt. Shasta in 2006 where he currently resides.

Before arriving in the United States he did not have access to the high-quality photographic books that are found so readily in America. What he remembers most about the work he saw in Poland was that it had a general dullness to the prints; so when he first saw original works by the great photographers Ansel Adams, the Westons and Morley Baer, he was in awe of the richness of tone, the depth of the blacks and the glowing light that seemed to come from the prints. He immediately knew that this is what he wanted to produce technically with his own work.

Loranc’s first inspiration as a visual artist came from the paintings of Chelmonski, Stanislawski and Pankiewiz. He was drawn to the richness of their work, their sense of drama and use of light and dark. A painter interprets his subject before it is painted, filtering the scene using his skill and artistic sensibility. This was something that he wanted to achieve with his photography.”

He enjoys photographing meditative things, like tule reeds, when the light is soft and just right for such photography. Such smaller intimate subjects, which are often overlooked because of their commonplace nature, he finds to be quietly expressive. He believes that minimizing what is included in the frame not only helps focus the viewer’s attention, but more clearly conveys the message of the photograph.

“I appreciate that light is a messenger,” he says, “revealing the world at every instant.” “The magic of photography is its ability to slice a moment out of time, which you can later hold as a print in your hands. There are special moments when I know that I have connected with something bigger than myself, when I have focused the camera on the essence of my subject. At that moment I feel a fullness that I cannot describe in words. It is a visual experience, and I can only refer you to my finished print to explain the fascination and connection I feel for the place I have photographed.”

Loranc first began photographing river tules at the Nature Conservancy (Consumnes River Preserve) in Galt, part of the Great Central Valley of California. His aim was to show the subtle beauty of the disappearing wetlands. Many people overlook this beauty because it is not easily accessible, but Loranc likes the idea that this area is being preserved more for wildlife than for people. He hopes that when people see his photographs they will want to help protect and preserve these fragile lands. This is the crucial impetus behind his efforts with the camera.

Today, Roman says he faces different challenges than he did many years ago when he first decided to make fine art photography his vocation. Originally, when he began to work solely on photography, he was challenged by not having a secure source of income. Now his biggest challenge is time. It is the essence of everything in life and how we spend it determines our happiness and personal fulfillment.

The work of Roman Loranc is not digital in any respect. Everything is done by his own hand and the toned, silver-gelatin prints he crafts are the final result. A computer display cannot convey everything that he is able to capture in his prints – not the depth or richness of blacks, the sparkle of the highlights, the subtlety of the tonality. There is a presence one feels when standing in front of a hand-printed photograph, it’s as if one can bear witness to the soul of the photographer. The computer display and the hand-printed silver-gelatin print are not equivalents!

Loranc doesn’t follow the traditional theory that one must have all the shades of gray plus complete black and complete white in order to have a great photograph. Each photograph demands a unique print interpretation in order for it to have voice and be compelling. The only thing all great art, including photographs, has in common is the intense passion of the artist for his or her work. Technical skills must be secondary to the overall impression of the photograph because they are craft and great art is more than technical skill. A great photograph is one that is infused with the artist’s passion.

Roman Loranc photographs with a Linhof 4×5 field camera. A good deal of his work is done with a 210mm Nikkor lens. He only uses Kodak Tri-X film, which he stockpiles in a freezer because he feels uncertain what the availability of film may be in the not-to-distant future. He develops his negatives with the Gordon Hutchings PMK formula from Photographer’s Formulary using a Jobo processor and then prints with Ilford glossy paper which is archivally washed, selenium and sepia toned and then archivally dry mounted. All work is done by the artist.


What Are The Two Lawsuits About?

The first is an effort to overturn a Local Area Formation Commission (LAFCo) decision to allow an expanded sphere of influence (SOI) that is the first step for Elk Grove to expand south of its current borders into an area that is invaluable to many of the species that call the Cosumnes River Preserve home. The lower reach of the Cosumnes River floods every seven to ten years inundating large swaths of the Preserve and surrounding areas. Migrants like Sandhill Cranes rely on the important upland habitats south of Elk Grove during these stochastic events, and with climate change and predicted sea level rise the need may be constant. LAFCo made this decision despite the fact that it was clearly evident that there was no demonstrated need for an expanded SOI at this time, and probably not for the next 30 years. LAFCo also completely ignored substantial evidence about the lack of available water.

The second lawsuit challenges Elk Grove’s decision to ignore its Swainson’s Hawk ordinance and allow for mitigation of their Southeast Planning Area to be twenty miles away in an area known to be at the very fringe of the hawk’s usable range in the Central Valley. Essentially Elk Grove wants to allow the destruction of an area that boasts usage by ten pairs of hawks for an area that has only one pair using it. If Elk Grove successfully makes an end run around its Swainson’s hawk ordinance we can expect that they will continue to do so on a regular basis because these mitigation lands are half the price of appropriate lands.
Gallery


Part 1: The Photos


Original photograph number 1 – SOLD
Description: Photo of a forest at the Cosumnes River Preserve
Frame size: 29” x 23”
Photo size: 19” x 14 ½”



Original photograph number 2 – SOLD
Description: Photo of a foggy forest at the Cosumnes River Preserve
Frame size: 22” x 38”
Photo size: 16” x 20”


Original photo number 3
Description: Photo of oak trees in water at the Cosumnes River Preserve
Frame size: 16” x 20”
Photo size: 9 ¼” x 11 ¼”


Part 2: The Posters



Framed poster (unsigned)
Frame size: 30” x 24”
Image size: 21” 16”



Poster number 1 (signed)
Description: Wetland
Poster size: 31 ½” x 27”



Poster number 2 (unsigned)
Description: Lithuanian church
Poster size: 27” x 34”

For this information in PDF, please click here.

Wild and Scenic Film Festival on Tour in Sac!

Don’t miss the Wild & Scenic Film Festival on Tour in Sacramento on Saturday, October 20th, 2018! We’re offering a diverse array of films that are all relevant to local environmental issues. We also have a raffle and silent auction that are an environmentalist’s dream!

Click here to learn more about the film festival.

Click here to buy tickets.

Check out our sponsors here.

Want to be a sponsor? Click here.

Consider the Environment on the Big Day of Giving

May 4th, 2017

24 Hours to Give Where Your Heart Is

From midnight to midnight on May 4, click here and give to our nonprofit, the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS). Our mission is to achieve regional and community sustainability and a healthy environment for existing and future residents. By working proactively with our members, member organizations, local government, and community groups, ECOS energizes and brings positive change to the Sacramento region as we strive to develop thriving communities.

Give Now or Give in the Moment

You don’t have to wait until May 4th to give! You can schedule your gift now, or join the excitement of the day and give anytime on May 4th. Watch as your favorite nonprofits climb up the leaderboard!

In The News

Big Day of Giving aims to raise millions for a record 600 local nonprofits this year” – SacTown Magazine

#BDOG2017

Big Day of Giving 2017

Big Day of Giving
Thursday, May 4, 2017

Mark Your Calendars! BIG Day of Giving is coming on May 4th, 2017. We are excited to join the Sacramento Regional Community Foundation for our 4th year of participating in the Big Day of Giving!

Some of the changes in this year’s Big Day of Giving campaign include:

  • the ability to take payments in any format, not just with credit or debit cards.
  • the ability to schedule payments ahead of time, e.g. if you are going to be out of town on May 4th, 2017
  • the minimum donation amount has been lowered to $15.00
  • a new online platform, called CiviCore, has been chosen to replace Kimbia
  • a phone bank has been established
  • a reduced transaction fee of 5.2%, down from 6.4%
  • donors can now sign up for monthly donations
  • Please consider giving to ECOS on May 4th, 2017.

More information about The Big Day of Giving can be found here.

Holiday Party – Dec 3

You are invited to the Annual Environmentalists’ Holiday Party, co-hosted by the Sierra Club Sacramento Group and the Environmental Council of Sacramento!

Saturday, December 3rd, 2016, 6 PM – 9 PM

Shepard Garden and Arts Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd, Sacramento, California 95816

Local musician and Environmentalist Jenn Rogar will perform live acoustics for us!

A main dish, a vegetarian option and some beverages will be provided. Please bring a beverage to share, along with your favorite side dish, salad or dessert to complete this holiday potluck.

Cost: $10 (to cover room rental and main dish)

Tickets to be sold at the door. Ticket proceeds will equally benefit the Sierra Club Sacramento Group and the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS).

Silent Auction to benefit the Sierra Club Sacramento Group.

Event photo taken by Ron Maertz of ECOS.

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