HBG March Program

What: Preview of Outings

When: Tuesday, March 10, 2020 @ 7 PM

Where: Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville TN

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Southeast Climate Conference

www.citizensclimateeducation.org

Climate change is real, it's bad, it’s us…join us and learn how we can turn the Climate Crisis into Climate Opportunities.
 
The Greater Knoxville Chapter of the Citizens Climate Education Corporation will be hosting the Southeast Climate Conference on March 28-29, 2020, at the University of Tennessee Conference Center, 600 Henley St. Knoxville, TN 37902.  
Conference Planners state that this will be among the best conferences on the climate crisis we have seen in the Southeast, and it is coming to Tennessee.
 
Some program highlights include:

• Keynote, Victor Dover, Dover, Kohl & Partners – Car Optional Communities
• How to Create Sustainable Cities – Minimizing the Carbon Footprint
• Challenges to Enacting Climate Change Policy – Elected Officials Panel Discussion
• Creation Care Responsibilities- The Faith Based Perspective
• Electricity for the 21st Century and beyond – The Carbon-Free Energy Mix
• What the Science Tells Us – Projection Models From ORNL
• Agriculture and Carbon Sequestration – How soil can help us
• National Security and Climate Change– How the Pentagon is Planning

Registration for the conference can be found here https://2020cclse.eventbrite.com/

Tickets are $20 for students and $50 for adults.  Limited scholarships are available to qualified students and low-income individuals.  

Scholarship Inquiries can be made at chunt51@comcast.net.

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HBG Outings

Sat 3/7/20 Greenway Walk and Birding. Jean Teague & Ten Mile Creek Greenways, Knoxville.

Mural on Ten Mile Creek Greenway

Sat 3/21/20 Environmental Awareness, the Clearfork Valley Strip Mine Tour.

Sat 4/4/20 Backpack, Sycamore Creek (Cherokee NF) (Benton MacKaye Trail).
 
Sat 4/4/20  Oconee Bells Nature Trail and Pinnacle Mountain.

check the HBG outings page for future events.

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Newsflash

** Note to readers about accessing these articles

How to respond when asked how many people are in the Sierra Club? The answer: 3.8 million. This number refers to the number of people who we have a record of actively engaging in supporting the Sierra Club recently -- usually by signing a petition, becoming a member, making a donation, or RSVP-ing to a rally or national outing. Source: Sierra Club.


Migratory shorebirds in the Everglades.

Congress reacts to Trump Administration’s crippling of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act by introducing bill to restore long-standing protections. American Bird Conservancy, Jan 8.

Major Investment Firm Blackrock ($6.96 trillion in assets) shifts investments toward sustainability. "In a letter to investors Tuesday, Larry Fink, CEO of money management firm BlackRock, announced the company would prioritize the climate crisis in deciding on investments and strategies going forward—a major victory for the environmental movement.” Jan 14 article by Eoin Higgins in Common Dreams.

Anderson County leaders consider commissioning studies of coal ash dangers to residents near the Bull Run power plant. "Commissioner Catherine Denenberg told the audience at a hearing of the county's intergovernmental committee Monday night that she and her colleagues on the committee have been listening to complaints about coal ash, the toxic byproduct of burning coal to produce electricity.”  Jamie Satterfield article in Jan 15 News Sentinel.


Outline (in white) of area for proposed Coal ash landfill. Area in yellow includes a portion of Bull Run fossil plant site. Source: TVA.

The hot debate over TVA’s latest Long-term Partnership Contract with local utility companies continues. "Some of the largest local power companies, including Knoxville, Chattanooga, Memphis, and Huntsville, have not signed as of the time of publication, according to a source with direct knowledge of the situation. Memphis Light, Gas, and Water, TVA’s largest single customer, is currently studying the option to leave TVA altogether, which could raise rates by as much as 7.5% on the remaining LPCs.” Jan 20 Article by Daniel Tate in the Energy and Policy Institute.

Related news: Memphis City Council looks at cutting ties with TVA. Wayne Risher in the Jan 25 Daily Memphian.

(A google search will find additional articles.)

"The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) announced a precautionary fish consumption advisory due to mercury on Normandy Reservoir on the Duck River in Bedford and Coffee counties.” Jan 20 article in Elk Valley Times.

Money for an investigation by Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division and the University of Memphis of threats to Memphis’ drinking water supply is ready to flow again, after a six-month delay. Article by Wayne Risher in the Jan 25 Daily Memphian.

Vanderbilt, NES, TVA and Silicon Ranch Partner on Landmark Renewable Energy Deal. "A landmark agreement announced Wednesday between Nashville Electric Service, Vanderbilt University and the Tennessee Valley Authority will bring new, large-scale renewable energy to the Tennessee Valley through TVA’s Green Invest program. . . . The partnership is the first of its kind under the new program, which matches demand for green power from large business and industrial customers with cost-effective renewable projects.” TVA news release, Jan 22.

New Trump Administration rules that repeal or weaken some 100 environmental rules to be implemented in 60 days. Hard hit are Obama’s “Waters of the United States” regulations. Jan 22 article by Coral Davenport in the New York Times.

PFAS stands for per and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Why should we care?  "If something is waterproof or stain-repellent, like stuff that has Teflon, Scotchguard, or Gore-Tex, there is a decent chance that it has some kind of PFAS. PFAS ain’t just one thing but a family of nearly 5,000 different types of chemicals."  Studies show that when levels of PFAS in drinking water are above one part per trillion, humans may start having some problems. Guess what - most of the cities whose water has been tested are - you guessed it - well above the threshold! Jan 23 piece by Bruce Y Lee in Forbes.

Environmental group says Clarksville released 24 million gallons into Cumberland over 5 years. Tennessee Riverkeeper Inc., an Alabama-based organization with about 3,000 members, states that "Sewage is one of the biggest pollution threats to the Cumberland River and Clarksville is one of the worst sources of that pollution.” The Jan 27 article by Chris Smith is in the Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle.

Related news: EPA makes it easier for cities to dump sewage into rivers. Jan 24 article by Christopher Flavelle in the New York Times.

"Trump picks former House Speaker Beth Harwell and ETSU president for TVA board." Jan 28, Tennessean/USA Today Network.

Analysis of why Nashville’s 2018 Transit Plan proposal failed to get voter support. PDF of a Dec 2019 report by TransitCenter, a private foundation. Option - a shorter Jan 22 summary by Tony Gonzales of Nashville’s wplnnews.

Related piece on regional Transit issues: Pressure of 1.2 million new Middle Tennessee residents expected by 2045. Jan 30 piece by Jamie McGee of the Nashville Tennessean.

The battle over 2015 U.S. crude oil export ban. Environmental groups find that reinstating the ban could cut global co2 emissions by 181 million tons! Jan 28 piece by staff writer Jake Johnson of Common Dreams.

Q: How long does it take to get rid of 300 dirty, dangerous, coal-fired power plants? A: Ten years. Read about it in this Jan 30 piece by Mary Anne Hit.

TDEC and EPA call for additional public comment period on Oak Ridge Reservation Superfund site proposal. "New geological and groundwater studies have raised serious questions about whether the proposed landfill could effectively contain hazardous and radioactive waste." Feb 4 posting by SELC.

New research indicates little reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by use of fracked gas instead of coal. ". . . a more comprehensive accounting of the carbon dioxide and methane emissions linked to the production, distribution and combustion of coal and gas shows that little if any reduction in emissions has been achieved.” Feb 3, Common Dreams.
See the full Jan 2020 report by Food and Water Watch.

Related news: "A Nationwide Fracking Ban Would Be Invaluable for Human Health.”Feb 3 piece by Barbara Gottlieb, of Physicians for Social Responsibility, in Common Dreams.

And the anecdotal evidence on the cost of climate change is piling up! "Largely Driven by Climate Crisis, 9 Out of 10 Least-Reported Humanitarian Crises of 2019 Were in Africa.”; and here: "Record-Breaking Temperature of Nearly 65ºF Logged in Antarctica as Scientists Sound Alarm Over Rapid Ice Melt". (Both articles in Jan 28 Common Dreams, by Julia Conley.)

EPA discovers utility in “virtual" meetings. "The EPA's New Shameful Tactic: Avoid People Poisoned by Coal Ash. The Trump administration has rolled back requirements for public hearings regarding federal rules, making the fossil fuel industry even less accountable to communities.”
Feb 8 article by Anita Desikin in Common Dreams.

Read about other local events in Tennessee in our Chapter e-newsletters.

*** A democracy with informed citizens requires the professionalism that we have historically expected of credible news sources. Most “local" newspapers today are asking folks who access their online news stories to purchase a subscription to their paper. This is understandable generally, and reminds us that we should do our part to pay for the resources that result in publication of local news. Those of us who use summaries of published print news, as we do, are no exception, and we ask the same of our readers. However, we also believe that a person who only wants to see an occasional article published in a newspaper should not be required to subscribe. So if you believe that you are in the latter category - only an occasional reader, you may be able to read an article without a subscription if you "browse anonymously" or clear your browser cache before activating a link to an article. This may help you avoid many "pay walls" at these news sources (some sources restrict access even with anonymous settings). Another approach is to search for alternate source on the particular news item. But we recommend that our readers who find themselves accessing an online news source on a regular basis subscribe to an online version of the paper, which is generally much cheaper than a  print version.

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Please vote in Tennessee statewide elections!

Tennessee Statewide election dates
March 3, 2020: Presidential Primary
August 6, 2020: Primary
November 3, 2020: General election

We are approaching one of the most critical election cycles EVER.  Climate change is one of the REALLY BIG issues at stake. The officials we elect next will be the ones to carry out our response.  
Are you registered to vote in the spring 2020 primary and general elections? Are your friends and Relatives? If not you/they can do it online at  https://ovr.govote.tn.gov.

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UT News and Events

Climate Change: The Inside Scoop
LaToya Myles and John Kochendorfer, atmospheric scientists with NOAA
March 25, 6 PM
Strong Hall, Room B001

Unsustainable Planet in Crisis Art Exhibit at Ewing Gallery

Richard Alley, Climate Change Scientist, Pennsylvania State University

• The UT Recycling Free Store - a community-based resource meant to help UT students reduce their environmental impact and save money.
• UT Knoxville was recognized as a Tree Campus USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation in April 2018.
• A 2030 goal to convert UT into a Zero Waste institution by diverting at least 90% of all waste from the landfill through reducing, reusing, recycling, and composting practices.
• My Tiny Trash in offices to promote waste awareness, encourage environmental stewardship, increase recycling rates, and decrease landfill waste on campus. Traditional trashcans are replaced with three-quart Tiny Trash containers attached to a larger recycling bin.

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Other Events

Knox Climate Actions has the latest information and events related to climate activism.

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Can't donate now? Sign up for Kroger Community Rewards. Kroger donates a portion of what you spend to the Harvey Broome Group as long as you designate HBG as your preferred charity.

Here's how:

1. Go to the Kroger Community Rewards web page
2. Register (or Sign In if you already have an account.)
3. Enroll in Community Rewards (or Edit if you're already enrolled.)
4. Enter HBG's Community Rewards Number 27874.

That's it. Swipe your Kroger Card when you shop and know that you're helping protect your environment.

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Who We Are