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Where Do We Go From Here? The Future of the Clean (Green) Economy Featuring Gina McCarthy
Where Do We Go From Here? The Future of the Clean (Green) Economy Insights from former EPA Administrator, Gina McCarthy Gina McCarthy, former administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a Menschel Senior Leadership Fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, gave an inspiring and uplifting talk about the future of the clean economy to more than 100 Land Alliance supporters and friends on April 5th at the Explorer’s Club. Despite recent significant changes to the EPA, McCarthy was very positive about the future of clean energy. During her talk, McCarthy emphasized that public health and the environment are inextricably interconnected. Air quality, environmental justice and health equity are all tied to water, land and natural resource protection – and all are part of the climate picture. She discussed the importance of getting the current generation outside to play. “In my generation, we went outside to play and did not come back home until the street lights came on and it was time for dinner.” As a child, she had hula-hoops, rode bicycles, turned over logs and looked at the creatures underneath them. “We got our hands dirty and it was ok.” Today’s kids have Hulu and other electronic distractions and do not play outside. For the future of our climate, we need to get kids outdoors and connect them with nature. “If kids are not connected to the natural world, they will not see the importance in protecting it.” McCarthy believes the current administration’s attempt to “turn back the clock” on environmental protection and clean energy will not succeed in the end and that the U.S. may simply “lose a little time” combating climate change. She added that the U.S. economy and many individual businesses are already committed to the course of clean energy. “The clean energy train has indeed left the station,” she said. McCarthy cited the automotive industry as an example; the leaders of some of the world’s largest automotive suppliers have invested millions of dollars in the development of cleaner vehicles to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Automobiles are designed 11 years in advance and it does not make good business sense to change the design when it will all be changed back in four years. She added that it is not just about climate, it is about clean air and clean water and healthy land. “Republicans and Democrats all want clean water and clean air. Because in the end, that is what it is all about – it is about protecting our kids from pollution and keeping those precious natural resources in the quality and quantity we need to continue to live well. And that’s a value to everyone.” McCarthy thanked the room filled with Land Alliance supporters and friends for their efforts to protect open space, which she stressed is critical to clean water and a healthy environment. “We know what the science says. We know what we need to do to protect our kids and ourselves. Clean air and clean water are core values in this country. It doesn’t really matter that references to climate change have been scrubbed from the EPA’s website; our core values are not going to change. We must be more diligent about making sure that we are speaking out, and we’re doing everything we can to protect our kids. We all can and must make a difference,” said McCarthy. About Gina McCarthy Gina McCarthy – a career public servant in both Democratic and Republican administrations – has been a leading advocate for common sense strategies to protect public health and the environment for more than thirty years. In 2013, President Obama appointed McCarthy as Administrator of the E.P.A after she had served as the agency’s Assistant Administrator in the Office of Air and Radiation. Known as President Obama’s “Green Quarterback”, McCarthy led the E.P.A.’s historic progress in achieving the Obama administration’s public health and environmental protection goals and Climate Action Plan. In 2015, McCarthy signed the Clean Power Plan, which set the first-ever national standards for reducing carbon emissions from existing power plants, underscoring the country’s commitment to domestic climate action and spurring international efforts that helped secure the Paris Climate Agreement. During her tenure, EPA initiatives cut air pollution, protected water resources, reduced greenhouse gases and strengthened chemical safety to better protect more Americans, especially the most vulnerable, from negative health impacts. #gallery-1 { margin: auto; } #gallery-1 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-1 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-1 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */ Thank You to Our Supporters Sponsors Steven A. Denning, Robert G. Merrill Carter Bales, Naomi and John Bralower, Jack Foley and Stewart Title Associates Georgia and Don Gogel, Anne and Michael Golden, Stewart Greenfield, Lawrence Linden Bridget and John Macaskill, Avantika and Juno Madan, Edward Nelson, William C. and Joyce C. O’Neil Charitable Fund – Hollis Russell and John Crabill, Trustees Barry Osborn, Elizabeth and Douglas Paul, Carol and Nick Paumgarten, Ronald Shifton Donors Debra and Claudio Del Vecchio, Patricia and Hugh O’Kane, Patricia Petersen, Helen and Robert Pilkington Eileen and Thomas Pulling, Hope and John Reese, Cynthia and James Stebbins, Silda Wall Spitzer
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NY Lecture Series: The New Climate Economy Featuring Jeremy Oppenheim
The New Climate Economy Featuring Jeremy Oppenheim On Wednesday, April 8, 2015, North Shore Land Alliance held its sixth annual New York Lecture Series event at the Explorers Club in New York City. This year’s featured speaker was Jeremy Oppenheim, Program Director of the New Climate Economy Project. Oppenheim, a distinguished speaker on global resource productivity and sustainability and author of Resource Revolution: Meeting the World’s Energy, Materials, Food and Water Needs, led an engaging and important discussion on how to combine economic growth with the protection of irreplaceable environmental assets. Jeremy presented an overview of The New Climate Economy Project which provides independent and authoritative evidence on the relationship between actions which can strengthen economic performance and those which reduce the risk of dangerous climate change. For the last five years, Jeremy has led McKinsey & Co’s Sustainability and Resource Productivity Practice. He is on sabbatical from his role as a Director of McKinsey to head up his project. Jeremy has worked with a wide range of private, public and social sector clients in many different countries. He has advised both developed and developing countries on ways in which they can combine robust economic growth with the protection of irreplaceable environmental assets, and has worked with leading corporations across the energy, mining, consumer goods, engineering and finance sectors. Jeremy has also served many of the world’s public international institutions, with a focus on their sustainable development and resource productivity strategies. We thank Mr. Oppenheim for coming to New York from the UK to talk to Land Alliance members and friends about this important topic. We also thank those who attended in support of the Land Alliance! Special Thanks to Event Sponsors: Suzy and Carter Bales * Roberta and Steve Denning * Alison and Tom Franco * Edward Nelson & Gibson, Dunne and Crutcher Georgia and Donald Gogel * Anne and Michael Golden * The Stewart and Constance Greenfield Foundation Lawrence Linden Adrianna Ma * Anne and Vincent Mai * Bridget and John Macaskill * Avanti and Juno Madan Hollis Russell & the William C. & Joyce C. O’Neil Charitable Trust Kim Elliman and the Open Space Institute * Elizabeth and Douglas Paul * Carol and Nicholas Paumgarten * The Robins Island Foundation * Victoria Shaw and Edwin Cohen * Silda Wall Spitzer * Missie and Zach Taylor
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The Future of Nature Featuring Bill McKibben
The Future of Nature Featuring Renowned Environmentalist and Author, Bill McKibben On April 25, 2012, the North Shore Land Alliance hosted an event in Manhattan featuring renowned environmentalist and author, Bill McKibben. Mr. McKibben has written several books on the environment including Earth, Making a Life on a Tough New Planet and The End of Nature. He has been called by Time magazine “the planet’s best green journalist.” Bill McKibben founded 350.org, an organization to draw immediate attention to the threat of climate change as the by-product of the industrial revolution and fossil fuel consumption. The name, 350.org, refers to the goal of restoring the earth to carbon emissions of no more than 350 parts per million (ppm). With a group of university friends, they ran a campaign in 2007 called Step It Up that organized over 2,000 rallies at iconic places in all 50 of the United States. These creative actions – from skiers descending a melting glacier to divers hosting an underwater event – helped convince many political leaders to adopt a common call to action: cutting carbon emissions 80% by 2050. Mr. McKibben spoke to an audience of over 100 people about the current measured level of carbon which is 393 ppm. If sustained this level will raise global temperatures and contribute to rising sea level, devastating droughts, the inability for large and traditionally productive countries like Russia to grow enough food to feed itself and possibly even more seismic activity. For the past 10,000 years of human activity, the period of time called the Holocene, the atmosphere had remained stable at 275 ppm. With the current rate of energy consumption, the carbon dioxide emitted into our atmosphere could result in a catastrophic 3-4 degree centigrade rise in global temperatures over time. The only solution is to immediately stop consuming fossil fuels and make the transition to energy efficient appliances and sun and wind power. This will not be fast or easy but cannot be avoided. The Land Alliance is most grateful to Mr. McKibben for taking time out of his busy schedule to educate and inspire us.
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