I am an artist and documentarian working in pencil, pastel, and film to convey my love of people and the planet. Please subscribe to my irregular email.
Go nuclear? "Energy Realities" program tonight! Urban Trees Talk on November 11th!
Energy Realities
Dear Reader,
Our next program, "Energy Realities," is TONIGHT, and it promises to stimulate a lot of conversation, because it addresses the subject of nuclear energy. Most of us have heard that nuclear energy is not safe, and some of us have read about nuclear disasters that happened in our lifetime: i.e., Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, Fukushima.
Has nuclear energy evolved, and have nuclear engineers and government agencies learned from past mistakes? Let's find out! Our presenter, David Butz, is a grassroots citizen scientist and environmental advocate who has spent years researching which energy forms are the most reliable, effective, and least polluting. He has concluded that nuclear energy should be part of the energy plan here in the US, and elsewhere around the world. Whether you are a skeptic, a convert, or just plain curious, we hope you tune in and chime in!
Until then, here's some food for thought:
- A New Yorker magazine article that discusses the potential of nuclear fusion (not fission)
- A Subcommittee on Energy of the Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing on "Building a 100 Percent Clean Economy: Advanced Nuclear Technology's Role in a Decarbonized Future"
Energy Realities
Monday, November 8
Presented by David Butz
7:30-8:30 pm
(Audience Q&A from 8:00-8:30)
Register here.
Fossil fuels have been useful for almost three centuries, but we must bring this era to an end because they have serious negative effects, such as CO2 and other pollutants, which present multiple threats to life on our planet. For example, ocean acidification may be even more of an immediate threat than climate change. Seeking a solution, concerned citizens often turn to conservation and renewables (wind and solar), simultaneously rejecting nuclear energy. Humanity should carefully examine all possible solutions with an open mind. Science and arithmetic may lead us to some surprising conclusions about the best path forward.
Upcoming Climate Talks Hosted by the Tower Hill Botanic Garden
The CounterAct Climate Change Project is sponsoring a series of online “Climate Talks” with the Tower Hill Botanic Garden, which enables this webinar series to be free to the public!
These talks are for everyone from academics to laypersons, town planners, conservationists, professional horticulturists, and botanists; please share this webinar info with them! There is a limited number of spaces to attend these programs, so please do not hesitate to register to secure your spot!
The next one is:
Tree Equity, What is it? A Case Study in Boston
November 11 at 6:30pm
Register on the Tower Hill Botanic Garden site.
The unequal distribution of trees in our landscape has a long history tied to issues such as redlining, land use patterns, and geography. The patchwork of tree distribution has become referred to as "Tree Equity" and is tied to issues of race, class, and wealth. Using various sources of data, including environmental and demographic data, Speak for the Trees partnered with Boston University's Graduate Program in Urban Biogeoscience and Environmental Health (URBAN) to create an interactive map that explores the relationships between people, place, and tree canopy coverage in Boston.
In this talk David Meshoulam, PhD, Executive Director of Speak for the Trees, and Raquel Jimenez, graduate student in the URBAN program, will discuss their partnership and will share the results of their Tree Equity map and how it informs the work of the organization. They will also share tools available for similar analyses in other communities.
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Susan Adele Edwards
I am an artist and documentarian working in pencil, pastel, and film to convey my love of people and the planet. Please subscribe to my irregular email.
Live happily, you're worth it. From Porch to Print — Weaving Pen, Ink, and Imagination I often draw in pen and ink while sitting on my front porch (or wherever inspiration strikes :-) — sometimes with a little creature stopping by to keep me company. Once the drawings are done, I digitize them along with textures I’ve collected, like netting or lace. From there, I start composing digitally — layering, rearranging, and sometimes altering the drawings by adding or removing elements, like I did...
Live happily, you're worth it. Come to the Exhibit Closing Reception: Saturday, 4/26! "Journey to the Rhizosphere" has been going strong since April 1st at the Harris Center for Conservation Education; staff say visitors of all ages have been loving it! Join us for the closing reception on Saturday, April 26th, from 3:00 - 5:00 PM for a drop-in, sensory-filled celebration of soil life, art, and community. Here’s what’s in store: Make a miniature microbe mobile! Bioelectric underground signals...
Live happily, you're worth it. Thoreau’s Journals: Discovering Nature Through Drawing "Birch Bark"Illustration by Susan Edwards An invitation to lead a drawing class at Thoreau Farm’s upcoming Lichen Day (April 6) aroused my curiosity: “Did Henry David Thoreau sketch?” Indeed, he did! About 13 years into his journal writing, he began regularly illustrating his entries with pencil drawings. It’s likely he used pencils crafted in his family’s own factory, carrying them on his daily...