North Jersey Sierra Group is excited to be a partner in this year’s NJ Climate Action Gathering, being held Saturday April 13 at the Rutgers University campus in New Brunswick.  The gathering is 10am-5p at the Rutgers Labor Education Center (50 Labor Center Way, New Brunswick, NJ).  Attendance is free, and a delicious lunch will be provided.

This event will be a chance to hear from NJ's leading intellectuals, grassroots organizers and advocates working in New Jersey's climate, environmental justice and labor movements. Together we'll share skills and knowledge, learn about priority climate, environmental justice and labor issues and campaigns in our state, build community with one another, and step into action!

We encourage everyone to join us for this free event. Sign up to join us here: https://www.mobilize.us/fww/event/609557/

You can learn more about the event at its website: https://NJClimateAction.com

LIGHT POLLUTION AND ITS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT IN NEW JERSEY

"Stephen Mariconda, an environmental advocate and graduate student at Rutgers School of Public Health discusses light pollution and its environmental impact in New Jersey. Learn what light pollution is and how it negatively impacts ecosystems, wildlife, human health, and how it obscures our view of the starry night sky. Learn about and discuss responsible environmentally friendly outdoor lighting practices and policy suggestions to reduce light pollution in North Jersey and beyond.

March 28, 2024 7-8 pm eastern time

Stephen Mariconda

Dark Sky Advocate

Graduate Student

March 28, 2024 7-8 pm Eastern Time

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/5155775397?pwd=TXkyckJxK3YvZXdlZ3Z3elZDbmVIQT09&omn=71210181701

Meeting ID: 515 577 5397
Passcode: 6kSDTm

NUCLEAR NOW MOVIE EVENT

The Sierra Club North Jersey is hosting a screening of "Nuclear Now!" as part of our commitment to fostering an open and inclusive dialogue about the future of our energy sources. This documentary, directed by Oliver Stone, explores the potential of nuclear energy in addressing the dual challenges of climate change and energy scarcity. By providing a comprehensive look at the nuclear industry in France, Russia, and the United States, the film invites viewers to reconsider the role of nuclear power in achieving a sustainable and carbon-neutral future. Our aim in presenting this film is to encourage a broad and informed discussion, allowing everyone to re-evaluate their perspectives on nuclear energy as part of our ongoing efforts to decarbonize the electric grid. We believe that by engaging with diverse viewpoints and exploring all available options, we can make more informed decisions about our energy policies and work together towards a cleaner, more sustainable world.

HERE ARE THE LINKS TO REGISTER FOR EACH EVENT:

Here are the REGISTRATION links for the meeting (required by Third Act). The meeting link will be sent by email after registration:

For the movie: April 3:

https://thirdact-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtceqprTMpHNLuYcVwA6rxY2V6cY9YFSd1

For the panel discussion April 16:

https://thirdact-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAvd--gqT0tHtLjw9Yq8kyKJaHxM4j5TK-X

Part 1 – Watch the Movie

Part 2 – Distinguished Panel Discussion

Tuesday April 16, 7-8:30pm

ZOOM LINKS coming soon

The Zoom links are REGISTRATION links only, not MEETING links. (Third Act requires this for their Zoom calls.) People should REGISTER asap, and they will receive the actual meeting link through return email from their registration.

“Nuclear Now” (nuclearnowfilm.com) is a pro-nuclear energy movie, directed by Oliver Stone and based on the book “A Bright Future” by Joshua Goldstein and Staffen Qvist. It is subtitled “Time to Look Again, Climate Change: The Existential Crisis & Challenge of Our Time”.

Please use this registration link immediately in order to receive the real Zoom meeting link. We need to get an accurate count of the number of people who will be screening the movie asap, currently limited to 100, but possibly expanded to 300 attendees. Thank you to the Sierra Club of NJ for supporting it.  When you attend the Zoom meeting, you will be given the direct link to the film company to enable you to register for the streaming version of the film and immediately watch it, after logging off the Zoom call. Or the movie can be watched any time after you register up until April 5 at 11:59pm. The Zoom call to give out the direct film link will only be available from 6:30-7:30pm on April 3.

Note: PC users will need to use Microsoft EDGE or Chrome as the browser for viewing the movie. Apple users can use Safari or Chrome. Firefox did NOT work during our test.

The second part of this series is a panel discussion of the movie on April 16 at 7pm by a distinguished group of experts. There will be a chance for the audience to ask questions in the Chat. Please obtain the registration link, distributed separately.

Thank you to Third Act for allowing their Zoom account to be used for this presentation.

You Must Use This Pre-Registration Link asap in order to get the Zoom meeting link sent to your email:

Preregister for 2-Part Nuclear Now Movie Event: Part 2 – Distinguished Panel Discussion

Tuesday April 16, 7-8:30pm

During Part 1 (separate registration link), we watched the movie Nuclear Now (nuclearnowfilm.com).

This Part 2 is a 1 hour panel discussion of the movie. The audience will also get a chance to ask the panelists questions. The panelists are all committed to the need to decarbonize our electric grid as quickly as possible, but they may differ on how best to do that.

The very distinguished panelists are:

1.       Anjuli Ramos, Director of the NJ chapter of the Sierra Club, the sponsoring organization for this presentation. Chemist and previously a Climate Change Research Scientist at the NJ Dept of Environmental Protection.

2.       Meredith Angwin, chemist, longtime utility company insider, pro-nuclear activist, author of “Shorting The Grid: The Hidden Fragility of Our Electric Grid”.

3.       Dr. Finis Southworth, consultant and retired CTO of Framatome Inc where he set R&D strategy, and led the development of a nuclear reactor. Many years at Idaho National Laboratory and Florida Power & Light where he led major improvements in safety and operation of nuclear plants, Professor of Nuclear Engineering at University of Illinois.

4.       John Simonelli, consultant and retired Director of Operations Support Services for ISO-NE, the operator of the New England power grid, author of 2021 IEEE/PES paper “Transmission Planning for 100% Clean Electricity”, winner of Lifetime Excellence award from ESIG for major contributions to planning for the reliable integration of wind and solar plants.

At the July 8 rally we will: 

• Mark the 11th anniversary of the Tragedy of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec by reading the names of the 47 children, women, and men who were killed in July, 2013.

• Call for passage of new Rail Safety legislation in New Jersey - A4460/S3389. 

• Stand in solidarity with the people of East Palestine, Ohio, in the fight for Federal Rail Safety legislation

• Call for a permanent ban on the transport by rail or train of Liquified Natural Gas and vinyl chloride through NJ 

When: Monday, July 8, 2024, 4:30 - 6:00 pm

Where: LOCATION CHANGED TO air-conditioned quarters. Knights of Columbus Hall, 829 Windsor Road, Teaneck

Dr. Barnett's Bookstaver Park (GPS 855 Windsor Road, Teaneck) across from the CSX rail tracks and the Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps, near Cedar Lane, bus routes and nearby parking

Program: We will read the names of the 47 children, women, and men who were killed in the Lac-Mégantic tragedy. Speakers will include Gilbert Carette, Lac-Mégantic Citizens Coalition for Railroad Safety, representatives of unions of first responders, bill sponsors and cosponsors,and more. We hope to have a speaker again from the Ohio Professional Firefighters as well as members of a statewide coalition that has been working on the rail safety legislation. The Solidarity Singers will sing. 

     The initial sponsors of the rally are the Coalition to Ban Unsafe Oil Trains, Food and Water Watch, NJ, and the Coalition of Neighborhood Associations - Working for a Better Teaneck, Hackensack Riverkeeper, Teaneck Peace and Justice Vigil. Additional co-sponsors are welcome.