The Greening USA ‘Sustaining Our Community Award’ and CCAA officers Yvonne Chu and Peter Wirth at the awards ceremony. Photos provided by Yvonne Chu.
On May 5th, 2023 at the GreeningUSA 19th Annual Meeting, CCAA was awarded the 2022 Sustaining Our Community Award for leadership and commitment to sustainability. GreeningUSA Vice President, John Przepiora, presented a wonderfully detailed speech highlighting some of CCAA’s accomplishments since its founding in 2015 to present day. The speech included the growth of CCAA’s climate focused newsletter and the dedication of CCAA members in educating the general public about climate change and sustainability.
Yvonne Chu, CCAA President, was present to accept the award on behalf of CCAA’s members, acknowledging the importance of engagement from individuals in the community to help make large scale changes, especially in exercising individuals’ right to vote in elections.
Other winners of the 2022 Sustaining Our Community Award included:
Rachel May, New York State Senator, 53rd District
SUNY Oswego, Office of Sustainability
Onondaga County Department of Water Protection, Metro Plant Upgrade
Al Stirpe, Member, NYS Assembly
CCAA thanks GreeningUSA for recognizing its commitment to sharing climate change related information and to providing leadership to all peoples that want to make a difference in climate change.
Editor’s note: You can listen to Yvonne’s acceptance speech here.
Climate Change: A Local Perspective
Submitted by Kaitlyn Kriesel, Manlius Town Councilor and Chair of Sustainable Manlius
As smoke from wildfires descended on Central New York this month, concerts, sports and outdoor activities for children were canceled. Instead of enjoying what otherwise would have been a beautiful week in June, we were stuck inside.
The sun turned color and disappeared and our community was awash in an ominous, apocalyptic yellow light. Air quality rose to hazardous levels. Eyes watered, throats burned. Many of us discarded our masks from the pandemic, only to find we needed them again.
And this was nothing compared to what communities in Canada have been facing as they watch their forests go up in flames. The country is on track for its worst forest fire season of all time.
In our region, we have often been immune to the effects of climate change. We hear about the record-setting hurricane and tornado seasons. Extreme, unlivable heat waves are on the news, but we don’t experience them. Wildfires burn elsewhere. But it is getting worse around here, isn’t it?
What was our snowfall this year? Far below normal. How about the record-breaking heat at the end of May? Throughout June, we’ve been dangerously close to a drought. This after years of record floods and washed out creeks and brooks. How many basements had to be pumped out in 2021? That was the year we couldn’t go outside because of the rampant mosquitoes.
The Canadian wildfires are not normal. More than 11 million acres have burned or are on fire, decimating forests, killing wildlife and threatening homes. This is due to record drought, shifting weather patterns, and a changing climate. What’s to stop it from happening here? If you think the smoke was bad, wait until we have our own wildfires.
Climate change is real. As we burn fossil fuels to generate energy for transportation, electricity, and to heat and cool our homes, and as we produce meat and dairy, we are emitting carbon and methane. As these greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere, it is creating a greenhouse effect, warming our planet. As our planet gets warmer, weather patterns change, causing extreme temperatures, droughts and floods. As this continues, climate change worsens. The only solution is to decrease carbon and methane emissions.
We cannot continue to ignore this as if it is a problem in some distant location. As we experience the effects of climate change right here in Central New York, we must act. And there is so much you can do.
At the personal level, you can lease or buy an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle, get a free home energy audit, replace old windows, and seal and insulate your home. You can put solar panels on your house or sign up for community solar, install heat pumps to heat and cool your home, replace lightbulbs with LED bulbs, and switch to an electric or induction stove.
You can eat a vegan diet and get involved with local climate action organizations like Alliance for a Green Economy (AGREE) and Climate Change Awareness and Action (CCAA). You can join or start a sustainability committee like Sustainable Manlius. But personal measures are just a start. To tackle this emergency, we need ambitious policies and a concerted effort to pass them.
You can urge your local government to write a Climate Action Plan; install electric vehicle charging stations; procure electric vehicles; develop pedestrian, bicycle and mass transportation infrastructure; retrofit buildings to make them more energy efficient; run community education programs on sustainability and climate action; and complete actions to become a Climate Smart Community and a Clean Energy Community. The Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board can help your local government take these steps.
At the state level, we can pass legislation like the Home Energy Affordable Transition (NY HEAT) Act, divest the NYS Teachers Pension of dirty energy investments, and implement the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.
At the national level, we can scale up renewable energy, modernize the grid, build infrastructure for electric vehicles, end deforestation, and scale down use of fossil fuels.
We can elect representatives who will act on the climate emergency rather than coddling the fossil fuel industry. You can run for office and bring change to your community.
Congressman Brandon Williams tweeted that “‘Progressives’ crazy energy policies have driven up costs, hurting American families”. That is false. According to the Brookings Institution, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) “has the potential to lower energy costs, contribute to lower inflation, increase productivity, and raise economic output over time.”
And what about the economic costs of climate change? If we don’t act on climate change, it will cost the global economy $178 trillion by 2070. If we do take aggressive action on climate change, the global economy could instead grow by an estimated $43 trillion over the next five decades. The financial costs to our health from air pollution and climate change surpass $820 billion in health costs each year.
The smoke this month was not a one-time occurrence. Wildfires are becoming more prevalent, and as they do, we will feel that impact in Central New York. Unless we change course, we will continue to experience the effects of climate change, and they will only get worse.
We can act. We must act. We must reduce carbon and methane emissions and the greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, for our health, our economy, and our quality of life… For the future of our planet.
Climate Change CNY
Submitted by Debra DeSocio, member Sierra Club of Central and Northern NY and Conservation Committee Member
Climate change appears to be quite real. Our local DEC website states thatin New York State the average temperature has increased by three degrees Fahrenheit since 1970.It is projected to increase by an additional three degrees Fahrenheitby 2080. Yet, in a recent article in syracuse.com. upstate cities were deemed a place of safety to reside, as the country becomes hotter.
Central New Yorkers experienced the effect of drifting smoke from Canadian forest fires. This type of pollution affects humans and the environment in which all living organisms exist. This includestrees and plants, pets, wildlife and of course, people. We have all witnessed the cancelation of concerts, sporting events, picnics and barbeques and basic person to person interactions.Is this acceptable as a new normal?Increases in temperature and changes in precipitation is expected to increase forest fires in New York State by 10-20 percent.
In an article dated June 7, 2023 in the Washington Post written by D. Diamond, J. Partlow, et al., issues expressed include a statement by Aaron Bernstein, from the CDC’s center for environmental health.“When you breathe in wildfire smoke, you get sick on the same day – many people do.”“But we absolutely do see effects several days (later) after people breathe smoke pollutants.”
“People have said,”Well it’s a new normal?”“ The only thing that’s normal right now is that with climate change the situation is going to get progressively worse.”Werner Kurz,the senior research scientist with Natural Resources, Canada.
Extreme heat willcause evaporation in Lake Ontario and Lake Erie and our many streams. This will causedeclining fresh water fish populations of trout and bass. Poor oxygen quality will cause trout embryos to be under developed. (DEC.com)
Increases in heavy rain events will also affect runoff from fertilized lawns and septic systems, which will contribute to flooding and drainage into nearby lakes and streams.According to the EPA, phosphorus is the nutrient that runoffs from your farm, yard or garden into nearby water bodies.Phosphorus promotes abundant algae growth. In addition, warmer temperatures, abundant light and stable wind conditions increases toxic algae.Algae blooms are harmful to humans, animals, fish, and shellfish populations, as well as sensitive ecosystems.
If you think it is getting harder to sleep at night in summers you aren’t crazy. Especially, if you live in an urban area and don’t have air conditioning.
Air conditioning is a luxury which many of us take for granted. Growing up in NYC on the border between Queens and Brooklyn, I can still remember the round fan placed between my brother’s bed and mine that ran all night on a hot, humid, NYC summer night. This was before my parents bought their first window air conditioner. My parents’ brick house could really heat up on a summer night especially if it was in the 90’s a few days running.
In the Northeast, night time temperatures are rising. According to a news story on WCVB, Channel 5 nights, in Massachusetts are warming nearly twice as fast as daytime temperatures.
This actually affects the amount of sleep you get as studies show that on nights above 86 degrees, people sleep about 14 minutes less on average.
Unfortunately, air conditioning contributes to climate change in a massive way. Using air conditioners and electric fans to stay cool already accounts for about a fifth of the total electricity used in buildings around the world – or 10% of all global electricity consumption today. AC use is expected to be the second-largest source of global electricity demand growth after the industry sector, and the strongest driver for buildings by 2050.
We only recently got air conditioning in our home in Fayetteville when we had an electric, air sourced heat pump (also provides cooling) added to our heating system. Over the years we had our insulation upgraded and purchased sun block shades. During the day in the summer we would button up the house and pull down the shades. In the night we would open all the windows.
We also installed a ceiling fan with an ECM motor in our bedroom. This fan was twice as powerful and only uses a fifth of the power (20 watts at high speed) per hour as our old fan. Compare this to a window air conditioner which can use up to 1,400 watts per hour or a whole house unit can use up to 3,500 watts per hour. The ceiling fan works like a charm. Most of the time our home was quite comfortable during the summer.
What can you do.Upgrade the insulation in your home. Purchase sunblock shades for the side of your home that gets the morning sun. While more expensive than a traditional ceiling fan, buy fans with ECM motors. They cost way less to operate. From a climate change perspective the less energy used the better.
There is no one magic bullet to solve the climate change crisis. It is a hundred life style decisions made over years. I’ve lived in my house in Fayetteville for almost 20 years and still have more energy savings projects on my to do list.
As I look out the window of my home and see the haze and smell the smoke from fires burning in Canada it is clear that CNY is not immune to the impact of climate change. Years of higher temperatures in the North country have dried out the Canadian boreal forest. The “chickens are coming home to roost” as the number of fires and amount of land burned measures in thousands of sq. miles increases from year to year.
The science is simple. Increase the CO2 concentration from man-made burning of fossil fuels and the planet warms. Call it climate change, global warming or anything you want. This science is indisputable. If you don’t believe in science that is another matter.
The good news is that the technology to slow down and over time reverse the impact of climate change is available now. We have the “cure.” Renewable energy sources such as solar work fine in CNY and are one of the lowest cost producers of energy. Cold climate electric heat pump technology that can heat and cool our homes in CNY and even farther North have been available for years and continue to improve.
It is really a question of political will. Will we be shortsighted and unwilling to spend a few dollars more on the front end in new construction? Will we be unwilling to learn about new technologies and continue to install gas furnaces because that is what we are used to. Will we be unwilling to see solar farms and say “not in my backyard?”
With Micron coming to town Onondaga County will be experiencing tremendous growth in the next 20 years. And while they should be praised for their commitment to 100% renewable energy for their electrical usage this cutting edge, technology company is planning to use 100-year-old fossil fuel, greenhouse gas emitting technology to heat what will eventually be a 2.2 million sq. ft. building.
At the same time the 100-year Whitlock Building on Salina St. was redeveloped with electric heat pumps for heating and cooling and uses zero fossil fuels. The brand-new chip manufacturing plant will use 100-year-old technology based on burning fossil fuels and the 100-year-old Whitlock building will use cutting edge, heat pump technology. How ironic!
If we are to slow down and eventually reverse climate change we need to embrace non-fossil fuel energy for all new construction. Either that or get used to hazy, smoke filled skies with air quality that will shorten our lives.
The New York State Legislature is wrapping up its Session soon. It’s hard to tell which of the good and bad bills (from a climate perspective) will be adopted.
There is quite a bit at stake. The effort extends the life of natural gas in New York by amending the CPA to allow the effects of Green House Gasses to be measured over 100 years, rather than the 25 years in the law is very important. You may recall that the Governor supported the change and initially included it in her Budget Package, but pulled it after outcry from environmental and climate groups, including NYRenews. The 100-year measurement standard would take the focus away from natural gas, and is supported by the (publicly regulated!) utilities and of course the fossil fuel industry. The recent IPCC Synthesis Report made it clear that GHG emissions had to be sharply and quickly reduced if truly awful consequences of climate disruption are to be avoided.
The fossil fuel industry has pinned its hopes on using natural gas from fracking to stay in business as a ‘bridge fuel’ until they, the most profitable industry in the history of the world can receive enough government subsidies to scale up Carbon Capture, essentially a huge effort to remove some GHGs from the atmosphere, the very gasses that those companies managed to continue to emit, long after the impacts were known.
The Sixth IPCC report has emphasized scientific consensus that the ‘window’ to avoid exceeding the 1.5C warming threshold is much shorter than previously thought. In short the world is warming faster, and in fact the warming is accelerating fasterthan previously understood. Commitments from companies or governments that have goals of 20 or 30 years in the future are completely inadequate to the goal of curbing warming. It really is what will be done in the next 10 years that counts and it is why the debate in the Legislature over changing the way emissions are counted are so important.
The implementation of the Climate Act in New York needs support from those of us who want to see climate action succeed. There are two conditions necessary to move climate action ahead in this country. One is ever broader understanding of the fact of climate disruption and that burning and leaking fossil fuels are causing it. That condition can only be achieved by people hearing about it, and hearing about our concerns about it, everywhere and often. As those who would deny and delay increasingly turn to sources of information that does not and will not cover or provide it, it is crucial that they hear about it from their friends and colleagues, see it discussedin their childrens’ schools, and in their local governments. We are those friends and colleagues, and the voters who need to support climate sustainability and resiliency at the local level.
The second condition is that people realize that the efforts to avoid climate disruption bring a host of benefits besides. Chief among them are lower more stable energy prices. But in addition, cleaner air, indoors and out. Air pollution from burning fossil fuels is estimated to cause nearly 10 Million premature deaths world wide now. Indoor air pollution from heating and cooking with fossil fuels contributes significantly to asthma and other childhood and adult respiratory problems.
Electric School Buses (continued)
Editor’s Note: Recently, the issue of buying electric school buses was an item on school budget votes. Several of our members wrote letters to CNY newspapers. We are confident that because of their efforts, votes to approve the item were much closer than expected and sent the message to school districts that voters are encouraging them to purchase them. Below are excerpts from two of the letters that were published. Use this information to keep up the pressure!
Debra DeSocio: The expanse of renewable energy will yield cost advantages that cover the incremental costs of conversion to electric school buses.There are also grants to cover the cost of upgrading electrical facilities and installing charging stations. The charging stationscan also store electric power during down times that can be used in an emergency or sold back to National Grid.
Compared to diesel-fueled buses, electric buses reduce fuel and air filters changes, eliminate smog testing checks, transmission maintenance, and reduce brake pad and coolant changes.All of this leads to long term savings.The air will be cleaner for all children and staff in and around electric school buses. Students and staff with air passages affected by asthma, Covid, respiratory virus and flu will miss fewer days of school, save on health bills and have better health and learning.
Clean air initiatives will have a positive impact on the natural world and health of children and adults. We shouldencourage being open to new possibilities.The future is now. Now is the time to be proactive andencourage your school district to buy electric.
Sari Fordham: Electric buses have something for everyone.
1.) Electric school buses are actually cost effective. After New York state’s reimbursement, an electric bus would only cost our districts $5,600 more than a diesel bus would, a difference that would quickly be recouped by savings on fuel and maintenance costs. Electric buses are 85% cheaper to use and maintain than diesel buses.
2.) An electric bus emits 62% fewer emissions than a diesel bus. School buses, by design, drive through neighborhoods with children. We literally send our kids out to wait for the diesel bus and to breathe in diesel exhaust fumes. Every parent–I am one–should ask our school districts to prioritize the health of children and transition to electric school buses.
3.) Each electric bus reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 54,000 pounds a year. Kids learn about climate change in science class. Shouldn’t they also know that their schools are making budget decisions with sustainability in mind?
My child attends F-M school district and I love her school, but I am baffled that the school district is planning to replace diesel buses with diesel buses. It makes no sense. We have the opportunity to drive (sorry) into a better future. We should do it.
GreeningUSA
Image from GreeningUSA.com.
GreeningUSAis one of the most recognized environmental groups in the country. Founded with the purpose of advocating for sustainable communities to the benefit of local economies and environments, it achieves this by developinga variety of community initiatives.
Through the efforts of its Sustainability Academy which brings sustainable education to communities from the ground up; its 12 Traits of Sustainable Communities Rating System, helping community leaders understand what it means to be a sustainable community; and monthly Green Bag Lunches, offering relevant conversations about timely topics, it continually strives to make a difference. Its Annual Meetingsfocus on the excellent efforts of local, like-minded organizations thatfind ways to work together. And at those meetings, it announces theannual “Sustaining our Communities Awards”, recognizing efforts of persons, organizations, or businesses within the community that have made a significant contribution to creating a sustainable future.
Because GreeningUSA is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization with no paid staff, success has largely been due to the outstanding support from individual members, donors and volunteers. It is always looking for new members and ideas. CCAA urges its members to consider joining this outstanding organization.
To learn more, “like” it on Facebook, follow it on Twitter @GreeningUSA, and check out its YouTube channel where you will find recordings of all Green Bag Lunches and The Annual Meeting.
Podcasts are a great way to learn. Climate change is radically affecting life in the USA. Unless the change happens where you live, it is hard to see and even then, connecting the dots over time to see the big picture is a challenge.
In Onondaga County, we are blessed with great water resources which most of us take for granted. Water resources were a factor for micron choosing CNY to invest 100 billion dollars over the next 20 years in a high-tech chip manufacturing plant. However, even in CNY our water resources are not immune to the effects of climate change. Toxic algal blooms, a relatively new phenomenon, are starting to impact our lakes.
If you are interested in this issue, check our “PARCHED, a new NPR podcast which started April 18. The southwestern United States has been in a drought for more than 20 years. It’s created a serious problem for the Colorado River, and tens of millions of people in the region. Parched is a podcast about people who rely on the river that shaped the West – and have ideas to save it. Hosted by Michael Elizabeth Sakas, a climate and environment reporter for CPR News.https://www.cpr.org/podcast/parched/
Editor’s note: There are many worthwhile podcasts on climate change out there in the internet. We are looking for a volunteer that on a monthly basis would suggest one to threepodcasts a month that CCAA members would find helpful. Contact: pwirth2@verizon.net
Wednesday, July 12. GreeningUSA webinar at 7 p.m. TOPIC: “Beyond Plastics: Plastics and the Future of Our Planet”. A conversation with Bill McKibben and Elizabeth Kolbert. Information and registration here.
Calling all Town of Manlius residents! A public hearing on the draft Town of Manlius Climate Action Plan will be held at the Town Board meeting at 6:30pm on Wednesday, July 26. We’d like to encourage you to attend and voice your support of the Plan. The current draft is available online at https://www.townofmanlius.org/243/Sustainable-Manlius. Wednesday, September 20 to Friday, September 22, 2023 NYS Association of Conservation Committees Conference. Registration is FREE. This is a great way to engage in local, state, regional, and national happenings. Use this LINK.
Announcing the launch of GreeningUSA’sNEW WEBSITE. Check it out at: http://www.GreeningUSA.org And please note that GreeningUSA is taking the summer off and resuming its Green Bag Lunches in September. Stay tuned and we will list the dates.
Check out this article on using urban planning to deal with increasing heat.
Interested in knowing how eating less meat and dairy is the single most effective way that we as individuals can fight climate change? Some of the facts are astounding. Consider watching the video on YouTube titled “Easting less meat to save our planet. Click here.
RE: 2023 NYS Budget If you want to understand how the recently passed NYS budget will affect environmental issues go HERE:Be sure to open the “sliders” under each category for details.
EnergySmart CNY is currently looking to fill two staff positions.
RewiringAmerica is the leading electrification non-profit working to electrify our homes, businesses and community. Going electric is all about the prep workor getting Rewiring Ready. The organization offers an updated Go Electric guide that is downloadable right here.
YOUTH SUES STATE OF MONTANA: In Held v. State of Montana, sixteen plaintiffs ranging in age from 5 to 22claim that state officials have violated their stat’s constitutional right to a “clean and healthful environment” by choosing to support the fossil fuel industry over cleaner energy alternatives. They are demanding that the state transition to clean energy no later than 2050.
HEAT PUMPS…what do you know about them? Do they filter air? Find out at this site.
Attend the next Monthly CCAA Meeting When: Tuesday, July 11, 6:00 p.m. Each month, CCAA invites you to join us, in-person or over Zoom. Come meet people who are committed to working towards fossil-free communities. The meetings are held on the second Tuesday of every month, 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The room opens at 5:45 p.m. for socializing.
GreeningUSA Newsletter To subscribe to a comprehensive list of climate change and sustainability events, and to publicize an event you are organizing, email GreeningUSA: info@GreeningUSA.org.
Feel like saving the world?Why not donate a few dollars to CCAA? Maybe it won’t be quite enough to save the whole planet, but it will help keep us going, and that’s the next best thing! We appreciate your support.
CCAA Internships and Other Volunteering Opportunities If you are interested in volunteering with CCAA in any capacity, please contact us at newsletter@climatechange-action.com or call 315-308-0846. Don’t worry about your skill level. We are all learning. We need people who can:
Within NY Renews, the Youth Committee is a space mostly for high school and college age individuals. We’re moving towards bi-weekly trainings followed by community organizing to support our campaigns. Joining the youth committee is a great opportunity to level up your organizing, learn about campaigning, and get involved in the climate justice movement.
We meet every other week with additional time on projects for those interested. If you are interested, please fill out the sign-up form so we can get more info about your interests and experiences (it’s not competitive). We would love to hear from you!
We encourage you to follow our social media accounts to support CCAA and stay up to date on other environmental news.
