March 6, 2017
By Bonnie Lane Webber, Chair, Sustainability Series
The goal of our Sustainability Series is to educate people and encourage them to take action. Topics range from the most critical issues of our time to small, but fixable, problems. Each meeting includes qualified experts in the field, and there are usually two or more experts on hand to explain different aspects of the issue, or even opposing viewpoints. Their presentations are followed by lively audienc participation.
We meet on the second Wednesday of the month, from September through June at Seafarers & International House, 123 E 15th Street. Refreshments are served at 6:30 PM — much of the food is foraged from the highest quality stores, in keeping with our focus on avoiding food waste. The presentations are from 7 PM to 9 PM.
We’re always amazed at the quality of information available and the many wonderful people willing to come and speak on their issues.
SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM OVER 35 MEETINGS
UPDATE ON SANDY REBUILDING with Professor William Fritz, president of the College of Staten Island, who predicted Sandy’s storm surge to the block. http://www1.cuny.edu/mu/forum/2013/04/28/making-storm-warnings-a-more-exact-science/. Dr. Fritz’s website now states that CUNY will do everything possible to protect their undocumented students.
STOP BREEDING SUPERBUGS with Dr. Martin Blaser, author of Missing Microbes — How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues, a very worthwhile read. martinblaser.com.
SOLID WASTE TO SOLID GOLD: NYC can turn solid waste into compost, energy and recycled products. Anthony Fiore of the DEP explained how anaerobic digesters work and how compost will be put through our water treatment system. http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dsny/zerowaste/residents.shtml
TRANSPORTATION: NEW WAYS TO GET AROUND: A wonderful presentation on www.vision42.org, an auto-free light-rail boulevard proposed for Manhattan’s 42nd Street — a logical, comparatively inexpensive solution to traffic going river to river.
PROTECTING AND PRESERVING OUR NATIONAL TREASURES: NYC photographer Stan Honda showed images from the Grand Canyon (www.Stanhonda.com). Over 500 Sierra Club Arizona Chapter postcards were signed and sent to Obama, resulting in the creation of a national monument surrounding the Grand Canyon. Joshua Laird, commissioner of 10 National Parks in NY, NJ harbor and shorelines, told us that after the devastation by Sandy, NPS may not be able to let nature take its course. https://www.nps.gov/npnh/learn/index.htm.
OCEANS: FIXABLE MESSES —HOW CAN WE HELP: Judith Weis, author of Marine Pollution — What Everyone Needs to Know, is a member of Sierra Club National Marine Action Team. http://runewarkbiology.rutgers.edu/weis%20lab/home.html
SEX, DEATH AND THE PLANET: HOW POPULATION IMPACTS THE ENVIRONMENT was organized by the Population Committee and had a big turnout. Elizabeth Burleson talked about ways to overcome resistance to family planning. David Leven is former Executive Director of End of Life Choices (http://endoflifechoicesny.org), which seeks to ensure that patients have their healthcare wishes honored at the end of life and that they receive quality care, not unwanted care. Mark Harris, author of Grave Matters: A Journey to a Natural Way of Burial (http://grave-matters.blogspot.com) talked about the history of burial and recent trends in green or natural burial. He is happy to speak to groups and has an entertaining PowerPoint.
WASTED: HOW NYC AND YOU CAN WASTE LESS FOOD: Peter Lehner of Earth Justice (http://earthjustice.org/about/staff/peter-lehner#) suggested we encourage the national Sierra Club to get involved with redirecting the Farm Bill, which will be revisited in 2018. Michael Bosse is the contact at SC national. Eat less meat. Poultry has lower footprint than four-legged animals. NRDC’s Dating Game (https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/dating-game-report.pdf) produced by NRDC with Harvard, explains food labeling. Also, check out John Oliver on food waste.
PASSIVE HOUSES/BUILDINGS ARE HAPPENING IN NYC: Deborah Moelis, of Handel Architects, explained how they’re building the tallest passive building in the world for a Cornell dormitory on Roosevelt Island. (http://handelarchitects.com/projects/project-main/cornell-resmain.html). Ray Sage and Wendy Brauer built a passive three-family home in Brooklyn. http://www.greenmap.org/greenhouse/files/passivehouse_raywendy_12-16.pdf
OUR SCHEDULE FOR THE NEXT FIVE MONTHS
PULSES — SEEDS FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Ryan Yoder Yoder Farm in Vermont Speaker TBA — UN Food & Agricultural
Organization: 2016 Is the Year of the Pulses
MARCH 8: BOMB TRAINS, OIL BARGE ANCHORAGES & TRUMPISH HAPPENINGS
Roger Downs — Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter Conservation Director
APRIL 12: SEEKING A NEW CULTURAL ETHIC FOR THE PLANET
Travis Rieder, PhD — Johns Hopkins University, Toward a Small Family Ethic
Alex Loznak — Plaintiff in the Oregon children’s climate case, Juliana v United States
Joe Walston, PhD — Wildlife Conservation Society, on loss of biodiversity
MAY 10: WATER ISSUES BIG AND SMALL
David Lipsky — Sr. Policy Advisor for Sustainability, NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection
NYC Councilman Ben Kallos — Banning Sale of Bottled Water in NYC Parks
JUNE 14: YOUNG LEADERS FOR A GREEN FUTURE
Youth-led sustainability initiatives Antuan Cannon — Co-founder and CEO of Envirolution 1 http://envirolution1.com
Presentations by students from Green City Force, Engineers Without Borders & Others.