1/21/2025 Climate Change Effects on Insects
Presentation by Tom Powell: Darwin’s tangled bank in a changing world: the ecological and evolutionary implications of climate change for insects in temperate environments. Anthropogenic climate change poses multifaceted threats to insect diversity well beyond the intuitive stresses of warmer summer temperature. In this talk, I will discuss some of the major ways that insects in our region are expected to be imperiled by changing seasonal regimes in the coming decades, including the regulation of life cycle timing, aspects of overwintering physiology, and altered interactions with other species. I will use some examples of on-going research in these topics to highlight what biologists currently do and do not know about predicting insect responses to climate change, and I will discuss the potential for rapid evolutionary responses to these changes and what we can do to give insects the best fighting chance to keep pace with our changing planet.
Tom Powell is an associate professor of Biological Sciences at Binghamton University (BU). His research program at BU focuses on understanding the interaction between evolutionary and ecological processes in both the origin and maintenance of biodiversity. He integrates lab-based approaches like genomics and physiology with field-based studies of natural populations to address questions about how adaptation to new ecological opportunities drives the formation of new species and the factors that promote or constrain rapid adaptive responses to a changing world. Powell came to Binghamton in 2016 after postdoctoral positions in the Entomology Department of the University of Florida and the University of Toronto’s Koffler Scientific Reserve. He completed his PhD in 2012 from the University of Notre Dame. While an undergrad at Shepherd University, he started his research career in a conservation genetics lab at the USGS Aquatic Ecology Branch in Leetown. WV. After that initial foray into fish and other vertebrates, the majority of his research since graduate school has involved the most diverse group of organisms on the planet: plant-feeding insects and their parasitoids.
12/17/2024 A Guide to Creating a Bird-Friendly Backyard
This presentation will teach you how to make the place you call home into a welcoming place for both birds and people. For many people, backyard birding is an excellent introduction to learning about our local birds. Beyond feeders, there are many things we can do to enhance the habitat of where we live to be friendlier and safer for birds! This presentation includes everything from tips for putting up bird feeders to creating a bird-friendly habitat with native plants. I will also cover actionable tips on how to minimize threats to birds, such as window strikes and predation by cats.
Michelle Knuepfer (pronouns: she/they): "I am a lifelong nature enthusiast & naturalist who leads educational programming at the Waterman Conservation Education Center. Observing & teaching about birds is my passion, and I enjoy educating others about nature to spark a love for the natural world in people of all ages. I graduated from St. Lawrence University with a degree in Conservation Biology, and since then have had the opportunity to work in the wildlife conservation and education field both in New York state and other parts of the country."
11/19/2024 Wild Canis in the Northeast (Coyotes, Wolves)
This talk will discuss wolf recovery in the Northeast including the emerging science on the genetics of coyotes and wolves in the region, the need for habitat connectivity and how it increasingly converges with public policy. The gray wolf is classified as endangered and federally protected, and there is evidence of its attempts to return to the Northeast after decades of extirpation. In contrast, eastern coyotes are hunted nearly without limit, despite historically interbreeding with wolves and exhibiting many wolf-like characteristics. These two facts are beginning to converge, posing challenges and opportunities on the policy front and underscoring the growing need for policy change to protect and compassionately coexist wild Canis throughout the region.
sierra-club-ne-wolf-talk-nov-2024.pptx27.36 MBRenee Seacor currently serves as Carnivore Conservation Director at Project Coyote where she works to advocate and advance policy solutions aimed at compassionately coexisting with our wild carnivore neighbors nationwide. Renee is an interdisciplinary environmental advocate with a background in wildlife ecology and environmental law and policy. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Science from Rocky Mountain College in Montana and a J.D. with a concentration in environmental law from the University of Oregon School of Law.
10/15/2024 Three Steps to Savings and an Energy Efficient Home
Eileen Hanrahan will cover the following major points in his presentation:
First will be energy efficiency, insulation and air sealing, as well as incentives available for these projects.
Second, we talk about heat pumps and their incentives.
Finally, we will cover solar and renewable energy, with a focus on ways you can save money.
Eileen Hanrahan has been serving the Southern Tier as a Community Energy Advisor with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County.
9/20/2024 Transforming New York's Energy Grid with Clean Energy, Microgrids, and Smart Grid Technology
Rachael Cornick will cover the following major points in her presentation:
Ways we are already transforming NY’s electricity grid and deploying clean energy
Rooftop solar and community Solar
Vertical wind turbines (will share different technologies including Hover Energy)
Battery Storage
Demand response
How can microgrids support our communities during outages, improve grid reliability and accelerate decarbonization?
Residential and community microgrids
How can New York State speed up the deployment of renewable energy
Smart grid and energy efficiency projects, improve interconnection queue timelines, speed up permitting process, etc.
Rachael Cornick has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University at Buffalo and is a graduate of Union-Endicott High School. She began her professional career as a chemical engineer in operations at an industrial gas company, where she advocated for increased sustainability.
Seeking a more direct path to make an impact, she transitioned to clean technology and became a partner in a boutique commercial-scale solar, wind, and storage development company. Rachael has served as the Executive Director for a renewable energy nonprofit and has led operations teams deploying advanced smart grid and Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS) technology.
Currently, she is the VP of Operations at a local battery startup. She also teaches a clean energy course at Binghamton University and is the host of a NYS-focused clean energy podcast. Finally, she is a professional singer - when she finds the time, you can hear her sing at the Crooked Mouth Brewery in Endicott or other local spots!
6/11/2024 Pollinators with focus on Honey bees
Ken Lord from the Beekeeper's group gave a presentation on environmental effects on bees.
pollenator-presentation-sierra-club.pdf2.34 MB
5/14/2024 Endangered Species with Julian Shepherd
Endangered species are the focus of extensive worldwide efforts to conserve biodiversity. Julian Shepherd will talk about these efforts including the many laws and treaties that are designed to protect them. He will also relate and illustrate the histories of many of these iconic and beautiful species, and the past successes and further needs for preserving them.
Julian Shepherd was born in England, emigrated to U.S. as a child and grew up in Ithaca. He was educated at Cornell and Harvard in Biology, and spent 2 years in East Africa on tick research. He has taught at BU for 50 years, about insects, birds, wetlands, tropical ecology and conservation biology, and has been researching the life of moths and ticks. Julian has been an inspirational long term active advocate for environmental protection and has previously served as Chair of Susquehanna Group of Sierra Club.
sgsc-on-endangered-species-may-2024.pdf9.2 MB4/16/2024 How Cities Change Rivers: Lessons from the Mystic River Watershed in Boston - virtual only
Cities change rivers. That is, the landscape-scale changes that accompany urbanization fundamentally change the hydrology and ecology of streams, often in negative ways. Using data from the Mystic River in greater Boston, this presentation will step through some typical challenges of urban rivers. It will also tell positive success stories of how we can change our strategies for living in cities, side by side with nature.
Andy Hrycyna is watershed scientist at the Mystic River Watershed Association in Massachusetts. He manages water quality monitoring and regional stormwater programs, collaborating with federal and state regulators and local municipalities on projects to improve and restore the health of water bodies across the most urbanized watershed in New England.
how_cities_change_rivers_20240416.pdf12.12 MB3/19/24: VINES' Mission, History & Programs. Straw Bale Building
Amelia LoDolce, Executive Director of VINES, provides an overview of VINES' mission, history, and programs. The organization was founded in 2007 as a project of Earth Day Southern Tier and has quickly grown into a robust organization serving over 3,000 people per year through its 22 community gardens, 2.25 acre urban farm, year-round Grow Binghamton youth employment program, free Green Thumb workshops, and Farm Share program which distributes 300 boxes of fresh produce from multiple farms from June-October. She will also share information about the design and construction of their new office building which will be the first Net-Zero energy building in Binghamton and first straw bale commercial building in the North East. BIO: Amelia LoDolce joined VINES as the organization’s first Executive Director in February 2016. As a volunteer, Amelia began working with VINES in 2007 as a founding board member and the coordinator of the Liberty Street Community Garden. Prior to joining VINES, Amelia worked for United Way of Broome County spearheading the Healthy Lifestyles Coalition’s Eat Well. Play Hard. Binghamton! project (a pilot initiative working to improve the health of families on the North Side of Binghamton) and the City of Binghamton as the City’s Sustainable Development Planner. Amelia holds a Master’s degree in Agriculture, Food, and the Environment from Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. Having grown up on a farm in Otisco, NY, she enjoys working with other community members to make space in the urban neighborhoods for people to grow their own food and connect with the local environment.
2/20/24: A Conversation with Senator Webb
Senator Lea Webb covers some of her environmental priorities, including her work in the district with constituents, her budget priorities, and her legislative agenda for the year. She will also answer questions. BIO: New York State Senator Webb represents the newly drawn 52nd State Senate District, which encompasses Tompkins, Cortland, and part of Broome County. She is a lifelong Southern Tier resident and proud graduate of public schools. Webb is a first-generation college graduate of SUNY Broome and Binghamton University, where she earned a degree in neuroscience. She understands the importance of expanding opportunities for civic engagement and has worked as a trainer and advocate with organizations such as Vote Run Lead, Local Progress, and Citizen Action to increase marginalized voices in elected office. Senator Webb serves as the Chair of the Senate’s Committee on Women’s Issues and is a member of the Committees on Agriculture, Health, Higher Education, Procurement & Contracts, Mental Health, and Cities 2.
1/16/24: Beyond the City Limits: Managing the Chaos of Suburban Sprawl
Low density, lots of cars, retail expansion. We all know what sprawl looks like. But why do we have it? And what can we do about it? In this talk, George Homsy discusses the history of suburban sprawl and its causes. He describes the impacts through the lens of sustainability, which helps organize the environmental, economic, and social equity costs of sprawl. We will have to discuss the big question. What can we do about sprawl individually and collectively? As residents and as property owners? As citizens and as governments? George considers sprawl in the context of Broome County, but bring in examples from places around the United States. BIO: George Homsy directs the Environmental Studies Program at Binghamton University. George's research focuses on sustainability and local government policymaking. Currently, he is looking at sustainability leadership in local governments and energy policies impacting low- to moderate- income households. George received his PhD from Cornell University in city and regional planning. Before that he was a planning consultant working with communities in upstate New York. George began his investigation of local governments and sustainability as a journalist with the public radio environmental newsmagazine, Living on Earth, which he co-founded and co-produced.
To view the slide show for this presentation.
12/19/23: Getting to Zero Waste
Chris Burger discusses the why and how to get to zero waste. This will be told through the experience of a family of four who reduced their waste to nearly zero by 1992 and have maintained that level ever since. Strategies on how to create a zero-waste community will also be discussed. BIO: Chris Burger has degrees in Chemical Engineering, Sociology, and Economics. - Business owner: Horizon Enterprises. Serves as Resource Management Consultant. - College Instructor: Science, Technology and Society. - Waste reducer since first Earth Day in 1970. - Built energy efficient home in 1978. - Home has created close to zero waste since 1992. - Home has used close tto zero fossil fuel since 2012. - Electric vehicle (EV) owner since 2021. Current Community Involvement: Broome County Environmental Management Council, Member Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG), Member Network for a Sustainable Tomorrow (NeST), Co-founder and Board Chair New York Sustainable Business Council, Vice Chair American Sustainable Business Council, Circular Economy Working Group Sierra Club: Member: Sierra Atlantic Editorial Board, Gas Action Committee, Energy Committee Chair both NY State Zero Waste Committee, and National Zero Waste Team Tier Energy Network (TEN), Member Past Community Involvement: Broome County Legislator Broome County Soil and Water Board, Chair Cornell University Eco-Justice Project, Chair Southern Tier 8, Chair Economic Development Council of the Southern Tier, Vice Chair Sierra Club: NY State Executive Committee Authored: Recycling Program Definition Report, (Study for Broome County) Alternatives in Solid Waste Management, (Study for Broome County) Untangling the Waste Knot, (Education program for Cornell Cooperative Extension) He has been featured in newspapers, books, magazines, radio, television, and in national exhibits.
11/21/23: Federal Climate Funding: Is NY ready?
Adam Flint, Director of Clean Energy Programs at Network for a Sustainable Tomorrow (NEST), gives a presentation on Federal Climate Funding: Is NY Ready? With trillions of dollars in Federal Climate funding rolling out, this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will only succeed if States and communities are ready. Unfortunately, such readiness is the exception, not the norm. Learn what the situation is in NY, some ways this funding could be used and what needs to be done to prepare. This presentation covers: New York’s Climate Funding Readiness Are there any examples NY can follow? What projects can this funding support? What steps should be taken to improve the situation? BIO: For the last decade, Adam Flint has directed Clean Energy Programs in New York’s Southern Tier at the Network for a Sustainable Tomorrow (NEST). During the previous decade, his work was in higher education, where he served as Assistant Professor of Sociology at Hartwick College and as lecturer in Environmental Studies and Latin American Studies at Binghamton University. Adam co-founded the Tier Energy Network of the Southern Tier, where he coordinated TEN’s workforce development efforts, and also, the NY Energy Democracy Alliance, where he coordinates the Community Owned Shared Renewables Working Group. Together with a consortium of community based organizations and NYSERDA, he helped lead the co-design and launch of New York's $52m Regional Clean Energy Hubs, a permanent, one-stop education, outreach & workforce program based on a decade of implementation experience. Adam leads New York State Climate and Clean Energy Careers Working Group, a collaborative of stakeholders from across the sector dedicated to creating a system that is inclusive, equitable and capable of producing the thousands of skilled workers needed for the State’s clean energy transition.
10/17/23: Savings, Health and Comfort! Presentation by Diane Stefani of Climate Reality Project
Diane Stefani, a trained Climate Reality Project leader and co-chair of the Finger Lakes Greater Region chapter, will give a presentation on how you can achieve Savings, Health and Comfort via electrification with the help of money saving incentives. This presentation covers: The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) The 3 step home electrification process The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and New York State incentives for home electrification and electric vehicles. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) helps New Yorkers get the latest clean energy technologies and equipment that will save energy for years to come. From the cars we drive, to the ways we heat and cool our homes, the IRA is helping New Yorkers choose clean energy technologies that improve their health, safety, and quality of life. New Yorkers can combine IRA savings with New York State incentives and programs, helping homeowners cut energy use, save more money, contribute to a cleaner, healthier planet. Now is the time to start your clean energy future, free from fossil fuels including natural gas, oil, and propane.
BIO: Diane Stefani is a retired Human Resources leader. She says that throughout her career, she found leading teams and individuals through large scale change to be the most rewarding challenge. Guiding 25,000 people through organizational culture change was the epitome of this work. Diane is an active community volunteer. She draws strength and optimism from her fellow volunteers. She is a trained Climate Reality Project leader and co-chair of the Finger Lakes Greater Region chapter. She serves on the executive committee of Tier Energy Network, a regional network of industry, community and higher education representatives supporting the development of energy strategy for New York State. She taps into her professional background by focusing on workforce development strategy and implementation for clean energy jobs. She is also a Cornell Cooperative Extension Energy Navigator and, a former chair and on-going member of the Broome County Environmental Management Council. Diane and her husband love roaming the public lands of upstate New York. They adore their two adult children, their families, their friends and all the associated dogs, cats and other creatures.
9/19/23: How to Start a Community ReUse Center
Diane Cohen gives a presentation on how to start a self-sustaining, year-round community reuse center and lessons learned based on her experience as Chief Executive Officer of Finger Lakes ReUse, which has been in operation for over 15 years. From their website: ‘Tons of building materials, computers, electronics, household goods, appliances, and furniture unnecessarily enter the landfill. Used materials – too often wasted – are assets with overlooked economic value. Finger Lakes ReUse taps this value to strengthen our economy, build community, and protect our environment by re-directing materials from the waste stream into productive new uses.’ Finger Lakes ReUse operates two community-oriented shopping, and educational centers where the maximum reuse of materials is a priority; where safety, cleanliness, customer service, good business, education, and creativity are stressed; where living wage jobs are created and supported; where mentoring opportunities are available; and where education in the skills of repair and reuse is offered. Our aim is for everyone in the community to enjoy and partake in the services offered by Finger Lakes ReUse and, in time, to also assist other communities in the region to develop reuse services.
5/16/23: Home Energy Efficiency Incentives to Save Money!
Presentation by Paul R. Suarez, on how people could make their homes more energy efficient (insulation, better windows, weatherstripping, heat pumps, etc.) and utilize available financial assistance, such as tax credits, grants, and low interest loans, to help make this more affordable! This is timely and useful information, especially since there are changes in incentives from recent new legislation. Questions and discussion will be encouraged. Paul is the Community Energy Advisor at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome and Chenango Counties. He has been doing energy related workshops, on and off for over 10 years. He has also worked with two different local insulation companies in the areas of outreach and training. He has had energy efficiency upgrades done on three of his own homes so he has personal experience.
4/18/23: Climate Change vs Food, COP27 experience, legislation
Climate Change Impacts & Action in New York: Discussion with Ben Furnas, Executive Director, The 2030 Project, Cornell University Ben will speak about his experience in New York City when he served as Director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Climate and Sustainability, what work is being done at the State level, some of the research that people at Cornell University are working on, and some insights on how climate change is already impacting New York State, including agricultural impacts. Following Ben’s brief remarks regarding his experiences working on addressing the Climate Change problem, the meeting will facilitate a discussion, so please bring your Climate Change questions and comments! This is a critical decade for acting on Climate Change and there is much to talk about.
2/21/23: Binghamton-Johnson City Waste Water Treatment Plant
Susquehanna Group of Sierra Club public meeting featuring Superintendent Elliott Wagner giving a short overview presentation on the Binghamton-Johnson City Waste Water Treatment Plant. Joining as well will be Ron Warwick Assistant Superintendent and Adam Afify Senior Operator. Topics include: Current treatment processes, solids removal, Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) of regulated pollutants, photographs, and the plant's management team. Followed by Question and Answers. Elliott Wagner has been Superintendent of this treatment plant since 2019 and began working at the plant in 1995 as an electrician/instrumentation technician.
1/17/23: New Energy New York with Dr. Stanley Whittingham
Slides available to view here:
NENY Presenation.pdf7.97 MB
Dr. Stanley Whittingham, 2019 Nobel Prize laureate, gives a presentation on the New Energy New York (NENY) project, which recently received $113 million in grants to accelerate innovation in battery technology and to transform New York’s Southern Tier into a global hub of energy storage manufacturing.
NENY is a coalition led by State University of New York’s Binghamton University (BU), and New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium (NY-BEST), that will build a lithium-based battery development manufacturing facility, the Battery-NY Center, which will provide testing, certification, and scale-up capacity for new products and companies. NENY will also develop an energy product supply chain, expand workforce training, and engage community organizations to ensure that the economic benefits, estimated to grow to $2 billion, are equitable, accessible and shared across the region.
BU President Harvey Stenger gave credit for the spearheading of NENY with the following statement: “Distinguished Professor and Nobel Prize-winner Stan Whittingham and our Associate Vice President Per Stromhaug had an idea they believed was crucial to our nation’s energy security.”
Dr. Whittingham, who was awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry as an inventor of lithium-ion batteries, covers an overview of the project’s vision, existing project partners, progress on lithium-ion battery research, and how it will help enable the economic transition to renewable energy, which is a key to saving a habitable climate.
