Hello Friends, A team of Cortland and Tompkins residents has been working for the past few months to put together a conference on climate to serve the interests of people in our communities. There are sessions on farming, public health, legal matters, business, government, youth empowerment, and the community. The Climate Smart & Climate Ready <http://climatesmartclimateready.org>conference will run Thurs-Sun, April 18-21 in Cortland and Ithaca.
You can view the conference schedule in its entirety here<http://climatesmartclimateready.org/event-schedule/>-- and link to the speakers and abstracts of the sessions. I wanted to particularly draw your attention to the Community Track. If you are someone concerned about climate change and how this affects your family, I designed these sessions with you in mind. This track will take you on a journey into the realms of the analytical, spiritual, emotional, inspirational, and behavioral. If we hope to be effective in addressing the climate and energy problem, we have to bring our whole beings into the effort, and consider the needs of our entire community. This track of the conference will provide you with a starting place for making a difference. If you need a scholarship to attend the Saturday conference, just let me know. Otherwise, you can register here<http://climatesmartclimateready.org/tickets-and-registration/> . Now is the time to engage on this challenge that we are all facing together. best, Gay SATURDAY COMMUNITY TRACK *11:00 Talking About Climate Using the Tools of Media Literacy* Many Americans report being confused about climate change because of mainstream media coverage that gives the impression that there is still significant debate about the existence or cause of global warming. Climate activists express great frustration over this persistent distortion of the facts. But, perhaps media coverage itself can be used as a teaching tool in our personal conversations to encourage other citizens to take action on climate. In this session, we will use examples from media literacy courses on climate change to explore ways to engage others in a useful dialogue about climate via shared analysis of the thoroughness, perspectives, and financial interests behind the media’s coverage of climate topics. Inviting others to take an active role in examining the climate “debate” might be one way to reduce confusion and lack of engagement. *1:00 Community Resilience: Developing an Inclusive and Regenerative Strategy* Responding to acute climate disturbance can become an opportunity for recreating our region as a thriving and resilient living system. Resilient organizations and communities are able to harness disturbance and conflict in the service of creative growth. The panelists represent 4 important foundations of a resilient culture and economy: assessing and optimizing local capacity at a systems level; building broad participation in food production; creating vibrant and diverse models of a sharing economy; and building an electronic infrastructure for deeply interdependent networks. The session will explore the challenge of how these building blocks can serve and be served by *all *sectors in our community, including those who often see themselves as marginalized. *2:15 Climate Justice, Climate Grief* Addressing climate justice and coping with climate grief. How are these two topics interlinked? We have set in motion perhaps the largest and longest-lasting episode of injustice — intergenerational, international, interclass, interspecies injustice — as those who had the least to do with climate disruption will face the biggest harm. Many climate activists struggle with profound grief over this trajectory. What do our spiritual and ethical traditions offer to help us resist the paralysis of grief and be effective in activating the principles and values of justice in our response to climate change? *3:30 Engaged on Energy* Feeling frustrated about motivating your friends and family to reduce their fossil fuel consumption? Are you met with blank stares when you suggest that your brother trade his SUV for a bicycle? Join this panel of experienced communicators for a candid discussion of the challenges, barriers, and opportunities associated with moving people to action on climate change. The panelists will share insights from their work with cooperative, team-based approaches, the power of relationships and real social networks, engaging marginalized populations, and other messages, frames and approaches that have led to action. You won’t find any magic bullets here, but expect an open and lively discussion between the panelists and audience about how to effectively talk energy and climate. -- ---------------------------------------------------- Gay Nicholson, Ph.D. President Sustainable Tompkins 109 S. Albany St. Ithaca, NY 14850 www.sustainabletompkins.org 607-533-7312 (home office) 607-220-8991 (cell) 607-216-1552 (ST office) 607-216-1553 (ST fax) [email protected] For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom Shelley, at [email protected].
