Climate Reality Finger Lakes Chapter

April Book Group Meeting
2023-04-17 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
We will discuss “In This Together: Connecting with your community to combat the climate crisis,” by Marianne E. Krasny. Prof. Krasny will join us for the discussion.
From the Cornell University Press writeup: In This Together explores how we can harness our social networks to make a real impact fighting the climate crisis. Against notions of the lone environmental crusader, Marianne E. Krasny shows us the power of “network climate action”—the idea that our own ordinary acts can influence and inspire those close to us. Through this spread of climate-conscious practices, our individual actions become collective ones that can eventually effect widespread change.
Weaving examples of everyday climate-forward initiatives in with insights on behavioral and structural change, Krasny demonstrates how we can scale up the impact of our efforts through leveraging our community connections. Whether by inviting family, friends, or colleagues to a plant-rich meal or by becoming activists at climate nonprofits, we can forge the social norms and shared identities that can lead to change. With easy-to-follow dos and don’ts, In This Together shows us a practical and hopeful way forward into our shared future.
Note: The author is providing a discount at Cornell University Press to Book Group participants who would like to purchase the book.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 926 2795 7489
Passcode: [REDACTED]

March Informal Meeting
2023-03-27 18:00 - 19:00
No agenda. Join us for informal conversation and an opportunity to get to know your fellow Chapter members.

March Chapter Meeting - Who's Working Clean Energy
2023-03-16 19:00 - 20:30
Dr. Aloja Airewele, Energy Warriors Green Workforce Training Coordinator and Equity Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County; Diane Stefani, Co-chair of our chapter, Executive Committee member of Tier Energy Network and member of the Green Jobs Corridor project; and Jeff Smith, Board Member of Tier Energy Network and member of the Green Jobs Corridor project will lead us in a discussion about clean energy workforce development. The energy transition is going to mean jobs for our region. Our speakers will discuss the work they are doing to ensure that when those jobs become available, we are prepared and people can benefit.

January Chapter Meeting
2023-01-19 19:00 - 20:30
Chapter and Individual Goal-setting for 2023

After a quick review of 2022 accomplishments, we will work through goal-setting and possible initiatives for the Chapter. This exercise will help the Leadership Committee put together our Strategic Plan for 2023.

Following this, we will try to help members set some individual goals and actions for this year, both within Chapter initiatives and on their own.

The more members attending, the more effective these exercises will be.

Our chapter meetings are held on Zoom. Please join our chapter or our mailing list and look out for our email updates if you would like to join in!

Book Group Meeting
2023-01-09 18:30 - 19:30
We will discuss Unraveled: The Life and Death of a Garment by Maxine Bédat on Monday, January 9, 2023, 6:30-7:30 pm.

From PenguinRandomHouse.com website: “A groundbreaking chronicle of the birth–and death–of a pair of jeans, that exposes the fractures in our global supply chains, and our relationships to each other, ourselves, and the planet… Maxine Bédat is the founder and director of New Standard Institute, a think-and-do tank dedicated to turning industry into a force for good. She is a former lawyer and the cofounder of ethical fashion brand Zady.”

See Maxine Bédat’s TED talk, “The High Cost of Our Cheap Fashion.”

Our chapter meetings are held on Zoom. Please join our chapter or our mailing list and look out for our email updates if you would like to join in!

November Book Group Meeting
2022-11-10 19:00 - 20:00
We will discuss The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein.
Our chapter meetings are held on Zoom. Please join our chapter or our mailing list and look out for our email updates if you would like to join in!

October Informal Meeting (Happy Hour)
2022-10-24 17:00 - 18:00
Join us for informal conversation and an opportunity to get to know your fellow Chapter members.
Our chapter meetings are held on Zoom. Please join our chapter or our mailing list and look out for our email updates if you would like to join in!

October Joint Chapter Meeting
2022-10-19 19:00 - 20:30
Our presenter will be Cal Trumann from New Yorkers for Clean Power presenting “Green the Grid and Electrify Everything.” Cal will walk us through energy and emissions targets of the CLCPA and break down how to get there. Cal says the presentation focuses on positives and give folks a sense of optimism (yes there’s a plan and people are working it) and investedness (I, the attendee, now understand some of the changes that will happen in my life).
Our chapter meetings are held on Zoom. Please join our chapter or our mailing list and look out for our email updates if you would like to join in!

September Book Group Meeting
2022-09-19 18:30 - 19:30
We will discuss We Are the Middle of Forever: Indigenous Voices from Turtle Island on the Changing Earth, edited by Dahr Jamail and Stan Rushworth.
Our chapter meetings are held on Zoom. Please join our chapter or our mailing list and look out for our email updates if you would like to join in!

September Chapter Meeting
2022-09-15 19:00 - 20:30
Prof. Marianne Krasny of Cornell University, a member of our Chapter, will speak on how climate activists can influence the 2023-28 Farm Bill. This huge bill—slated to be funded at $648 billion ($160 billion larger than Inflation Reduction Act expenditures)—has multiple opportunities for reducing methane and nitrous oxide from livestock and dairy farms and for promoting eating that is healthy for humans and the planet. Hear about why we will not be able to reach our climate emissions goals without tackling food systems.

Marianne Krasny is a professor in Natural Resources and the Environment at Cornell University where she directs the Civic Ecology Lab. She volunteers for Elders Climate Action, Climate Action Now, and the Finger Lakes Chapter of Climate Reality. She is particularly focused on creating sign-on letters and educating people about food waste, plant-rich diet, and the Farm Bill.

Our chapter meetings are held on Zoom. Please join our chapter or our mailing list and look out for our email updates if you would like to join in!

August Informal Meeting
2022-08-22 17:00 - 18:00
Join us for informal conversation and an opportunity to get to know your fellow chapter members. Perhaps we will be able to celebrate the passage of the IRA. BYOB.
Our chapter meetings are held on Zoom. Please join our chapter or our mailing list and look out for our email updates if you would like to join in!

August Chapter Meeting
2022-08-18 19:00 - 20:30
Chapter Co-Chair Tom Hirasuna will present “The Truth in Ten Presentation – Content and Customization.” The Climate Reality slide decks are limited to use by trained Climate Reality Leaders. However, the slides in the Truth in Ten deck can be used by everyone. Tom will present “Truth in Ten” in its current form, then talk about possible customizations to suit different audiences.
Our chapter meetings are held on Zoom. Please join our chapter or our mailing list and look out for our email updates if you would like to join in!

July Book Group Meeting
2022-07-25 18:30 - 19:30
We’ll discuss Mark Lynas’ Our Final Warning: Six Degrees of Climate Emergency.
Our chapter meetings are held on Zoom. Please join our chapter or our mailing list and look out for our email updates if you would like to join in!

July Chapter Meeting
2022-07-21 19:00 - 20:30
Our July chapter meeting will feature Josh Enderle, Recycling and Composting Educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension, Broome County. Josh will discuss the challenges organics in the county landfill create, the amount of organics in the waste stream and the opportunity for large-scale composting. He will share experiences from Broome County and present some of the hinderances they have encountered to county-wide and/or curbside pick up composting.
Our chapter meetings are held on Zoom. Please join our chapter or our mailing list and look out for our email updates if you would like to join in!

Informal Chapter Meeting
2022-06-27 17:00 - 18:00, 2022-03-28 17:00 - 18:00

June Chapter Meeting
2022-06-16 19:00 - 20:30
Our June chapter meeting with be a joint event hosted by our chapter and the Western New York chapter.
Speaker: Lisa Taranto, “Thank the Soil for Everything!”
Beneath our feet there is a thin layer of complex and sophisticated activity which never fully stops. Some might call it magical. Trillions of life forms are constantly exchanging information and energy. And this tiny to microscopic life is what supports terrestrial viability. And like all natural systems, it is seriously compromised by human activity. The dynamic relationships between bacteria, fungi, decomposers and the rhizosphere are only recently revealing their stories to us, as they have been quietly working in the dark for eons. We will look at the BIG picture of the consequences our actions have had on global soils, and current understandings of where we are headed, and what can be done to rebuild respect and regeneration of this incredibly fascinating realm.
Our chapter meetings are held on Zoom. Please join our chapter or our mailing list and look out for our email updates if you would like to join in!

June Book Group Meeting
2022-06-13 18:30 - 19:30
We’ll discuss Gabe Brown’s Dirt to Soil: One Family’s Journey into Regenerative Agriculture.
Our chapter meetings are held on Zoom. Please join our chapter or our mailing list and look out for our email updates if you would like to join in!

May Chapter Meeting
2022-05-19 19:00 - 20:30
Guest Speaker Dr. Jonathan Zisk will talk about his experiences as an educator of college and high school students over a 30-year period. He will discuss the Envirothon competition, for which he coached one of the winningest teams in the state (Candor HS). He will also cover how to reach students as potential agents of positive change in this very difficult time.
Our chapter meetings are held on Zoom. Please join our chapter or our mailing list and look out for our email updates if you would like to join in!

May Informal Meeting
2022-05-09 17:00 - 18:00

April Book Group Meeting
2022-04-25 12:00 - 13:00
We will discuss Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet by Johan Rockstrom and Owen Gaffney. The documentary based on this book is available on Netflix. Please feel free to join whether or not you’ve completed the book.
Our chapter meetings are held on Zoom. Please join our chapter or our mailing list and look out for our email updates if you would like to join in!

Chapter Meeting: Initiatives, Goals and Activities
2022-04-21 19:00 - 20:30
Join us for a discussion to help us plan our upcoming chapter initiatives.
Our chapter meetings are held on Zoom. Please join our chapter or our mailing list and look out for our email updates if you would like to join in!

March Chapter Meeting
2022-03-17 19:00 - 20:30
Our chapter meeting will feature guest speaker Mark Lowery, who is the Assistant Director of the Office of Climate Change at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. He will share a presentation about the development of the CLCPA Scoping Plan.
Our chapter meetings are held on Zoom. Please join our chapter or our mailing list and look out for our email updates if you would like to join in!

February Book Club Meeting
2022-02-28 19:00 - 20:00
Join us for the February meeting of the Finger Lakes Greater Region NY Climate Reality Chapter Book Club!
We’ll be discussing “Electrify: An Optimist’s Playbook for Our Clean Energy Future,” by Saul Griffith. The book has been described by the publisher as “an optimistic—but realistic and feasible—action plan for fighting climate change while creating new jobs and a healthier environment: electrify everything.”
More info: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/electrify
Our chapter meetings are held on Zoom. Please join our chapter or our mailing list and look out for our email updates if you would like to join in!

February Chapter Meeting
2022-02-17 19:00 - 20:30
Tim Guinee, Legislative Coordinator for NYS Coalition, will discuss the different factors used in evaluating a NYS bill for possible support, the important bills for this session and how the NYS Coalition is working with other groups.
Our chapter meetings are held on Zoom. Please join our chapter or our mailing list and look out for our email updates if you would like to join in!

Informal Chapter Meeting: “Happy Hour on a Hump Day”
2022-02-09 17:00 - 18:00
Come meet other members for informal conversation, no agenda.
Our chapter meetings are held on Zoom. Please join our chapter or our mailing list and look out for our email updates if you would like to join in!

January Book Club Meeting
2022-01-24 19:00 - 20:00
We will be reading Solved: How the World’s Great Cities are Fixing the Climate Crisis by David Miller, former Mayor of Toronto.
Our chapter meetings are held on Zoom. Please join our chapter or our mailing list and look out for our email updates if you would like to join in!

January Chapter Meeting
2022-01-20 19:00 - 20:30
FLGR Chapter member and former Leadership Committee member David Kay will talk about his experiences at the COP26 Conference in Glasgow. He will present “Hurry Up Please, It’s Time: A COP26 Experience.” David attended as a representative of Cornell University, City of Ithaca and Mediators Beyond Borders International, Climate Change Project. He is a Senior Extension Associate in the Department of Global Development in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University.
Our chapter meetings are held on Zoom. Please join our chapter or our mailing list and look out for our email updates if you would like to join in!

January Informal Meeting – New Year Celebration
2022-01-10 19:00 - 20:00
We will celebrate the New Year, hoping that BBBA will have passed by then. This will be an informal meeting to get to know each other better, with no agenda. BYOB.
Our chapter meetings are held on Zoom. Please join our chapter or our mailing list and look out for our email updates if you would like to join in!

December Book Club Meeting
2021-12-13 19:00 - 20:00
We will discuss The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis, by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac. The authors present our options and tell us what governments, corporations, and each of us can, and must, do to fend off disaster.
Our chapter meetings are held on Zoom. Please join our chapter or our mailing list and look out for our email updates if you would like to join in!
