After Action Report on the May 18, 2024 FHA/Green Scene Annual Spring 3-in-1 Recycling Event

Thanks to all the volunteers for their generous contribution of time, talent and labor, and to all the residents who participated in the event, the FHA / Green Scene Spring Event on Saturday May 18, 2024 was another resounding success ! The success of such important community events obviously depends upon the efforts of a significant number of people before, during, and afterward.

We had 210 vehicles pass through the process. They brought 4,644 pounds (2.32 tons) of paper to be shredded   -  which is now on the way to a toilet paper factory in Georgia to be "reprocessed" into a useful product.

2.32 tons of recycled paper saves approximately 40 trees, the energy equivalent of 1,383 gallons of gasoline, 7 cubic yards of landfill space, 9,280 kilowatts of energy, and 16,240 gallons of water. This represents a 135% water savings, and 140 pounds less air pollution!  That's because one tree can filter up to 60 pounds of pollutants from the air each year.

The Chatham County Sheriff's Department collected 35.5 pounds of unneeded pharmaceuticals.  That's a lot of pills.  In fact, a 36% increase from the 26.1 pounds collected at our October 2023 Event. And the enthusiastic members of the North Chatham  Volunteer Fire Department distributed a variety of fire prevention tips to help keep our homes safe and secure from the risk of fires.

In addition to expressing my appreciation to all of you on site volunteers, I would also like to acknowledge the financial support of the FHA Board in funding the Shimar Recycling Shredding Truck.  And also for the very helpful blast email event "reminder" that Communications Director, Tony Carroll, sent to the entire community prior to the event.  

Kudos as well to Grounds, Infrastructure, Facilities, etc. Director, Patrick McGahan, for conceptualizing and then CREATING the NEW SHED in The Gathering Place parking lot. The new shed has already demonstrated its value by providing much needed, convenient, storage space to be used for items that support a variety of outdoor Gathering Place activities ( such as signs, road cones, tools, etc. ).  One of the first items to find a new home in "The Shed" is a large, free standing Umbrella   -  useful for protecting volunteer workers from rain and sun in activities such as the FHA / Green Scene,Spring and Fall Events.  We are grateful to Gillian and Gene Rogers for donating that Umbrella to the Fearrington FHA. Despite the dubious weather forecast, we were fortunate not have even one drop of rain during the event.

Planning ahead, consider circling the third Saturday in October (October 19, 2024) on your calendar, when we will have the opportunity to replicate our spring community recycling efforts.

Jason Welsch

Moderator, Fearrington Green Scene

Now Comes The Hard Part: Three Decarbonization Challenges That Can't Wait

Here is a clean PDF version of the article, which is much easier to read.

Now is the time to focus on the "deep" part of deep decarbonization-the technologies that don't exist yet, at least not in commercially viable form.

NOAA Releases Summer Weather Predistions for All 50 States -- HOT

Summer Heat

This summer is likely to be hot in the U.S., and not just because it is typically the season of swelter. Ocean temperatures, soil moisture, forecast models and long-term trends are all contributing factors in predicting a warmer-than-normal summer this year.

Chatham County (NC) Climate Change Advisory Committee Meeting February 23, 2023

 

Chatham County (NC) Climate Change Advisory Committee Meeting

• Date: 02/23/2023 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
• Location: Online or by phone
  

The Climate Change Advisory Committee meetings are held electronically via Zoom. Details about how to join are below. For more information, contact Kevin Lindley, Environmental Quality Director for assistance -kevin.lindley@chathamcountync.gov.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87282122430?pwd=ZVRzY1JWVnBpWHBUbDgxOW84amlFUT09

Meeting ID: 872 8212 2430
Passcode: 579788

Climate Change Causes Extreme Weather Events: Yes, No, or Wrong Question?

 

Climate Change Causes Extreme Weather Events: Yes, No, or Wrong Question?

Climate Change Education Corner NSTA Blog By Ann Reid, Executive Director, National Center for Science Education Posted on 2022-07-25 The tornado that struck Xenia on April 3, 1974, was part of what came to be called the .

Huge Heat Rise at Both of Earth's Poles Alarm Climate Scientists

Heatwaves at both of Earth's poles alarm climate scientists

Startling heatwaves at both of Earth's poles are causing alarm among climate scientists, who have warned the "unprecedented" events could signal faster and abrupt climate breakdown. Temperatures in Antarctica reached record levels at the weekend, an astonishing 40C above normal in places.

NEW Fearrington Environmentalists Blog Launched February 27, 2022

Fearrington Green Scene participant Gus Reed has created a valuable new environmental blog. Check it out, participate, and watch the content as it grows. https://fncenv.blogspot.com/

No Water, No Microchips: What Is Happening in Taiwan?

No Water No Microchips: What Is Happening In Taiwan?

Water wars are no longer from apocalyptic imagery. Something as dramatic is already happening in Taiwan, where a drought is causing chip manufacturers to compete with locals for water use. Starting on June 1, in fact, the country will cut water supply for the major chip making hub Taichung.

Earth is now trapping an 'unprecedented' amount of heat, NASA says

 

Earth is now trapping an 'unprecedented' amount of heat, NASA says

The amount of heat Earth traps has roughly doubled since 2005, contributing to more rapidly warming oceans, air and land, according to new research from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "The magnitude of the increase is unprecedented," said Norman Loeb, a NASA scientist and lead author of the study, which was published this week in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

A Decade After Deepwater Horizon, We're Still Cleaning Up Oil Spills The Same Way

A decade after Deepwater Horizon, we're still cleaning up oil spills the same way

Off the coastline of Sri Lanka, where a burning cargo ship has been spilling toxic chemicals and plastic pellets over the past two weeks, the government is preparing for the next possible stage of the disaster: As the ship sinks, it may also spill some of the hundreds of tons of oil in its fuel tanks.

Photo: The MV X-Press Pearl on June 2nd, 2021. [Photo: Sri Lankan Air Force/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock]

CDAC Discovery Challenge Awardees Train Data Science on Medicine, Clean Water, and Education

CDAC Discovery Challenge Awardees Train Data Science on Medicine, Clean Water, and Education | CDAC

As data science matures as a field, its power to tackle major challenges across all disciplines and industries rises. However, unlocking novel, powerful innovations and solutions for interdisciplinary challenges that benefit, and don't inadvertently harm stakeholders, is a non-trivial task that often requires matchmaking, stakeholder engagement, and a plan for coordination.

Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters: Overview

Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters: Overview

The U.S. has sustained 291 weather and climate disasters since 1980 where overall damages/costs reached or exceeded $1 billion (including CPI adjustment to 2021). The total cost of these 291 events exceeds $1.900 trillion. 2020 sets the new annual record of 22 events - shattering the previous annual record of 16 events that occurred in 2011 and 2017.

A Conversation About Chicago’s Stewardship of One of the Future’s Most Precious Resources: Water.

February 17, 2021

Click on the Poster to Launch Video.

Join Chicago Studies and guest lecturer Sabina Shaikh, Director of the Program on the Global Environment, for her presentation on The Blue City. This lecture will create a conversation about Chicago’s stewardship of one of the future’s most precious resources: water. This presentation was a part of our Chicago Futures series, a lecture series focused on imagining the future of Chicago through turbulent times.

“The Blue City” explored the latest thinking about water innovation, technology, architecture, and urban design to imagine how our region’s connection to fresh water can attract residents and businesses through water, and retain them through an equitable quality of life.

Panelists:

• Sabina Shaikh, University of Chicago
• Tony Briscoe, ProPublica
• Seth Darling, Argonne National Laboratory
• Martin Felsen, UrbanLab, IIT, University of Chicago
• Alaina Harkness, Current

Recommended Resources: 

• Build Back Bluer: Water innovation can drive inclusive recovery
• New Resources to Propel our Blue Economy
• Meet the entrepreneurs solving our most pressing water challenges

A Race Against Time to Rescue a Coral Reef From Climate Change

A Race Against Time to Rescue a Reef From Climate Change

In an unusual experiment, a coral reef in Mexico is now insured against hurricanes. A team of locals known as "the Brigade" rushed to repair the devastated corals, piece by piece. Members of a team calling itself "the Brigade" work to repair hurricane-damaged corals off the coast of Mexico. Credit...

Riskiest Spot for Rising Seas Is 50 Miles from the Ocean

Riskiest Spot for Rising Seas Is 50 Miles from the Ocean

The county most at risk for coastal flooding is not in Florida, North Carolina or New Jersey, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It's not even on a coast. It's Cowlitz County, Wash., population 102,000, about 50 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean on the Columbia River.

Climate Change Bringing Back Long-Lost Forms of Fungal Mycotoxins

Climate change is bringing back long-lost forms of food poisoning

Fungal toxins known as mycotoxins, including some thought lost to history, are claiming new territory as the Earth warms. Karen Jordan, a North Carolina dairy farmer and practicing veterinarian, knew she had trouble the minute her cows' hair began to stand up on end.

Belching Cows & Endless Feedlots: Fixing Cattle’s Climate Issues

Belching Cows and Endless Feedlots: Fixing Cattle's Climate Issues

New Climate Maps Show a Much Transformed United States

New Climate Maps Show a Transformed United States

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receiveour biggest stories as soon as they're published. According to new data from the Rhodium Group analyzed by ProPublica and The New York Times Magazine, warming temperatures and changing rainfall will drive agriculture and temperate climates northward, while sea level rise will consume coastlines and dangerous levels of humidity will swamp the Mississippi River valley.

Climate Change is Helping Northern European Farmers by Forming More Arable Land

Danish Wine, Anyone? How Climate Change Is Helping Farmers

This OZY original series takes you to the New Frontiers of Climate Change, where some of the most vulnerable nations are coming up with the most innovative solutions. Fredrik Andersson's family has run a farm in Arboga, Sweden, for three generations.

Rising Seas Could Menace Millions Beyond Shorelines, Study Finds

Rising Seas Could Menace Millions Beyond Shorelines, Study Finds

As climate change raises sea levels, storm surges and high tides will push farther inland, a team of researchers says. As global warming pushes up ocean levels around the world, scientists have long warned that many low-lying coastal areas will become permanently submerged.