HomeArchive by Category "Policy"

Lawsuit requires “climate-friendly beef” to be accountable.

All text is from a NYT post, Nov 19, 2025, authored by Claire Brown (we should all track the import of this lawsuit for any claim of ‘climate smart’ or ‘net zero’.)

‘Climate-friendly’ beef now has to prove it

As two of the world’s biggest meat companies began peppering marketing materials with phrases like “climate smart” and “net zero” over the last few years, climate and food industry experts thought it sounded too good to be true.

Last year, the New York attorney general’s office and the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organization, filed lawsuits against JBS Foods U.S.A. and Tyson Foods over the claims, accusing the companies of “greenwashing.”

Two settlements announced this month would force the companies to walk back some of their environmental claims. But this week in Brazil, where JBS’s parent company is headquartered, ranchers and meatpackers have descended on the U.N.’s annual global climate conference to make the case for a “low-carbon” label for beef products.

The developments highlight the tension between food companies eager to promote climate efforts and advocates who want to make sure the industry’s messaging passes a smell test. Here’s what to know.

Beef’s heavy environmental toll

Thanks in large part to the immense amount of land required to grow cattle feed, beef has some of the highest environmental costs of any food. Cows also belch methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas responsible for up to a third of global warming.

So when Tyson Foods began marketing “climate-friendly” beef and advertising plans to stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, experts were skeptical. According to the company, it produces about 20 percent of its beef, pork and chicken in the United States. Critics called its green claims unclear.

“Our concern was that they didn’t do enough publicly to explain what those definitions meant — what climate-smart beef actually meant, how they were actually getting to net zero,” said Caroline Leary, general counsel for Environmental Working Group.

JBS’s promise to reach its own net-zero milestone raised even more eyebrows. Attorney General Letitia James of New York sued the company’s U.S. subsidiary last year, arguing that the company’s statements were misleading well-intentioned consumers.

The settlements

Both cases settled this month. For the next five years, an independent expert will have to verify Tyson’s climate commitments before the company can continue to make certain advertising claims about its beef products or emissions. In the meantime, the company will need to remove phrases like “climate smart” and “climate friendly” from beef marketing materials.

Under its agreement, JBS Foods USA must characterize plans to reach net-zero emissions by 2040 as a “goal” rather than a “pledge” or a “commitment.” Going forward, if the company says it is taking steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it has to be explicit about those actions. JBS Foods USA will also pay $1.1 million to support sustainable agriculture in New York state.

In a statement, a Tyson Foods spokeswoman said the company is taking a holistic approach to identifying opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the supply chain. JBS said it is committed to sustainable agriculture. Both companies said the settlements are not an admission of wrongdoing.

A lesson from Listerine

It’s unclear how the legal agreements will affect ongoing efforts to market beef as a low-emissions product. When it comes to false advertising, individual lawsuits don’t tend to lead to big, industrywide changes, said Rebecca Tushnet, a Harvard law professor who focuses on advertising.

But sustained enforcement campaigns can make a big difference, she added.

Take Listerine, for example. Throughout much of the 20th century, the manufacturer of Listerine claimed its mouthwash treated and prevented colds. This wasn’t strictly true, and in the 1970s, the Federal Trade Commission cracked down. The mouthwash maker was ordered to spend $10 million, the rough equivalent of one year’s Listerine marketing budget, on “corrective” advertising to spread the message that its product didn’t actually treat colds.

That the Listerine brand no longer carries a cold medicine connotation is a success, Tushnet said. “Eventually, once the false advertising is removed from the market, things do tend to get better,” she said.

Misleading advertising from meat companies is what the JBS Foods USA and Tyson Foods lawsuits are intended to prevent. The point of the beef lawsuits is not so much to force all beef companies to change their business models, said Kelsey Eberly, a senior staff attorney at the legal advocacy organization FarmSTAND who worked on the Tyson case.

It’s more about making sure that a person buying a hamburger doesn’t think it has the same environmental footprint as a black bean burger.

“It’s a warning to other large companies that you cannot just claim that you’re magically going to erase your greenhouse gas emissions,” Eberly said. “You have to come with the goods if you’re going to claim meaningful climate improvement.”

US did not submit its annual GHG inventory to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change

For the first time the US did not meet its April 14 filing date for reporting US GHG emissions to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

“The ratification documents then-President George H.W. Bush submitted to the U.N. in 1992 after the Senate’s vote to approve the treaty stated that the U.S. would comply via EPA’s Clean Air Act authorities, among other tools. The U.S. began reporting emissions to the UN in 1997.”

Trump admin silent as UN deadline passes for reporting GHG emissions

For more: https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-epa-greenhouse-gas-reporting-climate-crisis

To learn about other kinds of deregulations made on March 12, https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-launches-biggest-deregulatory-action-us-history

 

 

State Engagement with Regional Transmission Processes: why grid design is key to sustainability!

The grid is the new ‘market place’ supporting everything we all do, every day.

Watch this 25Apr25 webinar to learn about our current grid, and how to help the grid evolve to meet our 21st century needs and goals.

 

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

The grid is not just part of de-carbonization. It helps us structurally respond to dynamic changes!

Imagine

  • a 6 day massive cold spell in the midwest causing a brown out in the midwest.
  • Then imagine the east coast that doesn’t have this extreme condition and the east grid electricity can flood to assist the mid-west.

It’s not imaginary – this webinar shows how our current grid responded to this very event in 2022.

The grid allows for large scale cross-state COLLABORATION for local resiliency and well-being!

  • What a great patriotic objective!
  • By the people for the people!

 

Well designed transmissions provides

  • optionality
  • resilience
  • insurance.

It’s in all our best interest to make a comprehensive and distributed electric grid.
Let’s work together for next generation transmission!

 

see this case study of MISO – Midcontinent ISO”

“Multi-value Grid project” designed to move power generated in the west (wind in the midwest) to east (loads in Chicago etc), approved in 2011.

RTO= regional transmission organization

ISO = Independent system operators

TRANCHE 1 changes:

TRANCHE 2 Proposals!!!

Anonymous survey about recent shifts in federal funding for scientific research

Survey from the New York Academy of Science

  • This 6-minute survey will help us better understand how recent changes to U.S. federal funding for scientific research may be affecting individuals across sectors, disciplines, and geographies.
  • We will share the aggregated results with our community, aiming to illuminate the broader impact of these funding changes.
  • Your responses will also shape how The New York Academy of Sciences prioritizes future programming and support initiatives.
  • All submissions are anonymous.
  • Link to the survey, here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/L3TM2YH?utm_source=nyas&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=&utm_content=survey

 

Spring Webinar Series: Climate and Communities 3rd wed/month 2pm EST, free

Join us for 4 free webinars scheduled for this spring from across the United States.

DATES

TIME

  • 2 pm EST
  • Please register for each event of interest

Most events will be recorded and shared publicly here, after the event recording has been processed.

 

January 22, 2 pm EST: Civic Engagement for Climate Action, recording, here.

We know that climate education can play a crucial role in raising awareness and building understanding of climate change, its causes, likely impacts, and potential solutions. However, we also know we need to go beyond learning about climate change to build individual and collective capacity for effective climate action and justice. We can do this through civic engagement. The question is how can we best design and implement effective civic engagement programs that truly empower action and justice?

In this webinar, we will introduce the new Educating for Climate Action and Justice: Guidelines for Excellence—the latest contribution to the North American Association for Environmental Education’s Guidelines for Excellence Series. The guidelines are designed to assist educators in developing and implementing effective programs that focus on climate change, address injustice, and prompt action. We’ll discuss how these guidelines might support Extension programs or inspire new initiatives. We will also introduce readily available resources that you can use in your climate action programs.

Co-PRESENTERS

  • Martha Monroe, Professor Emerita, University of Florida
  • Bora Simmons, Director, National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education

KEY RESOURCE:

SPEAKER BIOS

  • Martha Monroe was an Extension Specialist at UF’s School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences specializing in environmental education and conservation behavior. She used current issues (wildfire, water quality, biomass) to explore public perceptions and effective educational strategies, blending extension, research, and teaching responsibilities. She published over 120 peer reviewed articles and mentored 150 graduate students.  In retirement she is focusing on climate education, along with some pottery and a lot of baking.
  • Bora Simmons serves as the founding director of the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education. The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) initiated the Project in 1993 to help educators develop and deliver effective environmental education programs. Bora has been actively involved in environmental education research, evaluation, and professional development for over forty years. She is professor emerita of environmental education at Northern Illinois University. In addition, she served as president of NAAEE, serves on numerous steering committees and boards of directors, and was an executive editor of the Journal of Environmental Education. She serves as co-chair of NAAEE’s Advisory Council and is a founding editor of the International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education.

 

 

February 19, 2 pm EST: State Climate Mitigation Policies and Incentives, recording here!

In this 1 hour webinar, learn about 2 different national search platforms to identify your state policies and incentives to address climate issues at home. The goal of this webinar is to connect local citizens with their local mandates, goals, and financial levers to empower local action.

 

TITLE: Intro to NC Clean Energy Technology Center and Tutorial for DSIRE (Database of States Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency)

  • Rebekah de la Mora, Senior Policy Analyst, North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center, North Carolina State University
  • Learn about the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center, an extension center out of North Carolina State University’s College of Engineering specializing in clean energy. Among other things, the Center is home to the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE), a public good that provides information on incentives and policies that support renewable energy and energy efficiency across the country. Get a live DSIRE how-to on database navigation, the different types of programs included, and additional resources available.
  • Key Resource: https://www.dsireusa.org/support/tutorial/

TITLE: Introduction to Climate XChange and the State Climate Policy Dashboard

  • Ruby Wincele, Policy & Research Manager, Climate XChange
  • Climate XChange’s State Climate Policy Dashboard is an all-in-one tool that transforms how advocates and other climate actors research climate policy. The tool features information on over 60 climate policies for all 50 states, with in-depth state examples, model legislation, enacted policy text, and other resources to help craft the most effective policies, adopt best practices, and accelerate climate policy progress. Join us for a walk through of the Dashboard, focusing on how the tool can be used in practice by policymakers, advocates, and other state actors.
  • Key Resource: https://www.climatepolicydashboard.org/

SPEAKER BIOS

  • Rebekah de la Mora is a Senior Policy Analyst at the NC Clean Energy Technology Center at NC State University. The Center is home to the Database of States Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE), a public good that provides information on policies and programs related to clean energy at the federal, state, local, and utility level across the United States. She covers six states and territories for DSIRE: Connecticut, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, and Texas. Her areas of focus include distributed solar, grid modernization, electric vehicles, power decarbonization, microgrids and resiliency, and hydrogen.
  • Ruby Wincele is the Policy & Research Manager at Climate XChange, a national nonprofit with a mission to advance equitable climate policy at the state-level. She manages CXC’s State Climate Policy Dashboard and serves as CXC’s in-house expert on state climate policy landscapes. She also researches the economic, social, and environmental benefits of state climate policy, and provides technical assistance to policymakers and advocates working to pass equitable climate policy in their states.

 

March 19, 2 pm EST: Solar & Environmental Justice, recording Here!

Theme: Solar Power Opportunities for Redevelopment and Low-Income Communities

This webinar will bring together speakers from NJIT’s Technical Assistance to Brownfield Communities program, Rocky Mountain Institute, and NC Clean Energy Technology to discuss how to implement solar energy in the redevelopment of contaminated lands (brownfields) and in low-income communities. Audience members will walk away with a better understanding of the economic and workforce development opportunities offered by revitalizing brownfields with solar energy (brightfields) and an example of North Carolina’s efforts to provide low-cost energy and workforce opportunities to low-income households via solar energy.

 

PRESENTIONS

TITLE: Brownfields and their Economic and Energy Opportunities

TITLE: Brightfields opportunities and challenges

  • Speaker: Tansy Massey-Green, Senior Associate, RMI
  • Brightfields (or clean energy on brownfields) offer an exciting opportunity to revitalize contaminated sites, meet communities’ clean energy goals, develop a local clean energy workforce, and generate revenue for the community. They come with challenges unique to developing clean energy on contaminated lands, such as required clean up and special design considerations. This presentation will give you an overview of the opportunities, discuss the challenges, and discuss what RMI is doing to support communities in developing brightfields.
  • Key Resource: https://rmi.org/us-program/brightfields-accelerator/

TITLE: Solar for All – Engagement plans for rural communities

SPEAKER BIOS

  • Ms. Martin strives to create safe, vibrant, and resilient communities as an environmental planning professional. She currently serves as the subject matter expert on climate resiliency and sustainability at NJIT ‘s Technical Assistance to Brownfield Communities (TAB). TAB provides free technical assistance to state, regional, county, tribal, and local government entities and nonprofit organizations interested in learning about, identifying, assessing, cleaning up, and redeveloping brownfield sites in EPA Regions 2 & 4. Ms. Martin holds a Master of City and Regional Planning (M.C.R.P.) and a graduate certificate in Coastal Climate Risk & Resilience from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. She received her bachelor’s degree in public policy and environmental policy from William & Mary.
  • Tansy Massey-Green is a Senior Associate on RMI’s Cities & Communities team at Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), supporting RMI’s Brightfields Accelerator aimed at helping communities consider deploying clean energy in brownfields and closed landfills. She has supported cities in shaping their brightfield projects by identifying available funding, navigating utility engagement, and facilitating stakeholder engagement. She also manages the America’s Federal Funding Opportunities and Resources for Decarbonization (AFFORD) tool, designed to help subnational actors navigate federal funding and financing opportunities. Previously, Tansy worked on the America Is All In coalition at RMI, where she helped states, cities, businesses, and nonprofits understand and utilize clean energy tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act. Tansy has a double degree B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.   
  • Vincent Potter is a Policy Project Manager with the NC Clean Tech Center. Vincent’s focus is on community solar programs, community energy resiliency, grid modernization, and decarbonization in the power sector. He researches policy changes of states and utilities in the mid-atlantic region for the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIREUSA.org).

 

April 16, 2 pm EST: One Health & Climate

In this webinar, the speakers will discuss the frame work of “One Health” with a special focus on Climate.

PRESENTIONS

TITLE: Introduction to “One Health”

  • Speaker: Sharon Toth,
  • Sharon will cover the basics of One Health, including what is means and how it relates to Extension.

TITLE: Protecting the public from wildfire smoke

  • Speaker: Alistar Hayden
  • Wildfire smoke waves have been impacting communities from coast to coast. We will discuss the wildfire smoke hazard and what people can do to protect themselves, their families, and their communities from this hazard.
  • Key Resource: https://blogs.cornell.edu/wildfire/

TITLE: Collaboration Across Human and More-Than-Human Worldviews

  • Speaker: Scott Laursen
  • Extensive research in emotion, resilience, and adaptation suggests that experiencing meaning in life can buffer against negative stressors and that individuals with a greater sense of community and relational strengths are often better able to withstand adverse experiences while achieving mental wellbeing (i.e., adaptation and resilience). As an example of One Health’s foundation of uniting the health of human and more-than-human communities, Scott will touch on some of his experiences earning sustenance and relationships in remote locations while leading outdoor education expeditions. He will then share how such experiences led to the co-development of a graduate research program founded in engaging diverse knowledge forms and long-term, placed-based relationships.
  • Key Resource: PI-CASC Manager Climate Corps (MCC homepage) and MCC Program Approach (engaging multiple knowledge forms)

 

SPEAKER BIOS

  • Dr. Sharon Toth is a County 4-H Agent in New Jersey where she focuses on integrating One Health into her programming. Her research background examined ACL ruptures in the knee by using dogs as an anatomical model, utilizing her knowledge, skills, and experiences from growing up in the 4-H dog program.
  • Alistair Hayden is an Assistant Professor of Practice in Cornell’s Department of Public and Ecosystem Health, and former Division Chief in the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. His research and practice aims to help communities increase their preparedness and resilience, using geospatial and epidemiological methods to understand and link the physical aspects of natural hazards with the human aspects that can turn them into disasters.
  • Scott is a naturalist, facilitator, and educator. Over a few decades, he has rooted his path in engaging diverse knowledge forms within the human condition through immersion experiences that develop and strengthen holistic relationships across human and more-than-human interactions. The intent of such engagement is to unite diverse worldviews in support of local adaptation through unprecedented socio-ecological change by further developing our ancestral and evolutionary capacities.

 

HOST: this “CONNECTING CLIMATE to COMMUNITIES” webinar series is hosted by National Extension Climate Initiative (NECI) Curriculum Working Group (CWG) – a volunteer group looking to share resources amongst interested extension educators. We meet 2nd Wednesday of the month at 2pm EST.

THIS PROGRAM WAS CURATED BY NECI CWG ACTIVE MEMBERS SPRING 2025

David Kay, New York

James Shope, New Jersey

Sharon Toth, New Jersey

Patricia Townsend, Washington

Rebecca Ward, North Carolina

Jenifer Wightman, New York

Join us or any NECI working group -learn more here: https://nationalextensionclimateinitiative.net/workinggroups/

National NRCS offering Technical Support Provider (TSP) trainings, Dec 9 and 19.

NRCS is providing two opportunities to complete the TSP Orientation and Conservation Planning course required for the Technical Service Provider (TSP) application. If you know of anyone that needs to complete this course for their TSP Application, please share this information with them.  Additional dates for this live webinar in 2025 are being discussed.

This training will be offered through a live webinar, once on December 9, 2024, and repeated on December 19, 2024. Both options are free of charge and are offered as an alternative to the recorded training available in AgLearn (NRCS-NEDC-000191).  Please register by clicking on the TSP Orientation date and time you wish to attend in table below.  Your chosen link will send you to the Registration page where you will enter your name and email address, then you are all set!

Course Date Course Session Link Eastern Central Mountain Pacific
December 9, 2024 TSP Orientation Registration – December 9, 2024 12:00 – 3: 30 pm 11:00 – 2: 30 pm 10:00 – 1:30 pm 9:00 – 12:30 pm
December 19th, 2024 TSP Orientation Registration – December 19, 2024

Please contact the TSP branch at tsp@usda.gov if you have any questions, concerns, or need any accommodations including language interpretation services.

We look forward to having you attend the event!

The TSP Branch Staff

CPTAD | TSP Branch

Electrify NY! Panel November 19, 2:30pm (free online registration)

Join us for a panel presentation of opportunities for NYers to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions through efficiency and electrification!

 

Electrify New York (a Panel on Efficiency & eElectrification Opportunities)

  • November 19
  • 2:30-4pm
  • G01 Biotech
  • Recordings embedded in titles below.

See also the Nov 20 companion hands-on Energy Expo: Featuring fossil-fuel-free equipment, tools, tech, & management strategies

 

 

PANEL: Electrify New York (efficiency & electrification opportunities)

Efficiency+Electrification = Improved Air Quality + Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions + Conserved NYS Natural Resources

In 2019, New York State passed ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigating legislation. Most of NYS’s greenhouse gas emissions come from combusting fossil fuels for heating, cooling, and transportation used in our personal and professional lives. Anything we can do in our local communities to reduce this fossil combustion improves our air quality, reduces GHG, and reduces the demand on rural landscapes to support renewable energy projects. Come join a panel of Extension, Community Organizers, NYS Office of Climate, and Technical Service Providers as we discuss opportunities that mobilize energy efficiency and electrification projects in our local communities to conserve our shared natural resources.

Panelists (recordings accessed by clicking on the titles)

 

Did You Know

Most of our Greenhouse Gas emissions come from fueling our buildings and transportation?

    • These emissions can be reduced dramatically by efficiency and electrification while improving equity and well-being for all.

 

 

Did You Know

In 2019, NYS passed unprecedented legislation: Reduce GHG emissions 85% by 2050?

 

 

This panel is part of the larger 3-day Cornell Cooperative Extension conference: Agriculture, Food & Environmental Systems In-Service (Nov 19-21, 2024)

DEFINITIONS:

  • Decarbonization: reducing or eliminating carbon (fossil fuel) emissions from a sector (transportation, buildings, and power).
  • Electrification: replacing technologies that run on fossil fuels with alternatives that run efficiently on electricity. It also means generating all that electricity from clean energy rather than fossil fuels.
  • Weatherization: home improvements that reduce energy use and make homes more comfortable (moisture control, air sealing, ventilation, and upgrades to insulation, doors and windows).

Policy Dashboard – comparing climate work across the States

Haven’t had a chance to truly evaluate this dashboard of policies across the country – but it certainly covers 7 policy areas for compare, contrast and consideration.

so for example in NYS, there are 42 enacted policies

 

You can explore different features

They make a Business As Usual (BAU) graph which happily has a downward trend! But of course is far from our Actual Goals by 2050.

Notably, it appears that transportation sector makes the most progress with the BAU, and buildings have the least change in the current BAU.

I believe these BAU were created by Energy Policy Simulator here: https://rmi.org/energy-policy-simulator/

 

You can search within NYS, using a keyword such as “environmental justice” and see what policies NYS has for EJ.

And from that, you can see how different states are defining EJ

You can also select states and compare policies on a topic area. So for Working Lands, I chose 3 other states plus NY and it shares this composite info.

Remember, this is crowd sourced. So may not be comprehensive etc. But it certainly helps direct you to other states with model legislation to consider.

To see how Electricity is building out

See Model Rules from Legal Pathways to Deep Decarboinzation, a Dashboard contributor: https://lpdd.org/

See Georgetown Climate Center’s Adaptation Clearinghouse here: https://www.adaptationclearinghouse.org/?swcfpc=1

A great DB for energy policy is https://www.dsireusa.org/

State Policy Opportunity Tracker, with component-based clean energy policies: https://www.spotforcleanenergy.org/

 

To think about a single policy and what is happening, you can just search a term like Net Metering

you can see no states have policy enacted

then you can look at every state to see status and language

 

Or see who is funding weatherization campaigns

 

details by state

And then it links you to other tools like

Low-Income Energy Affordability Data (LEAD) Tool

An interactive map of each state’s energy burden, energy costs, an area’s median income, and key population demographics. State comparisons are available in the tool.

https://www.energy.gov/scep/slsc/lead-tool

 

Fall Webinar Series: Climate and Communities 2nd wed/month 1pm EST, free

Join us for 4 free webinars scheduled for this fall from across the United States.

 

WHEN:

  • 2nd Wednesday of the month
  • 1pm EST
  • Please register for each event of interest

Most events will be recorded and shared publicly here, after the event recording has been processed.

Scroll for more details about each event, below.

September 11, 1pm EST: YOUTH & Climate, all youth recordings Here!

This hour long webinar will  discuss multiple ways to engage youth with climate change: teaching the need to replace fossil fuels in our energy systems, programs to support youth climate digital app development, and working creating culturally inclusive curricula with indigenous communities.

TITLE: Where Does Gasoline Go? Why We Must Replace Fire in Our Energy System
PRESENTER: Don Haas (Director of Teacher Programming at The Paleontological Research Institution)

Did you know a gallon of gasoline weighs about six pounds? Burning ten gallons of gas a week means sixty pounds seemingly disappear from the tank. What becomes of it, when placed in the context of 374 million gallons that we burn in the US every day, is an astonishing but undeniably true tale. Where does it go? Why should we care?

Key Resource: Climate & Energy Resources on PRI’s Earth@Home: https://climate.earthathome.org/

NOTE: PRI has online workshop in mid-October, and we can do workshops for groups. You can subscribe for announcements here: http://eepurl.com/goSjST

TITLE: Youth Power to Reduce Carbon Power
PRESENTER: Donna Nuger (4-H Youth Development Educator, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Extension)

Nuger will discuss how youth are using their interest in technology and coding to increase awareness and inspire changes in people’s habits to decrease their carbon output, leading to a reduction in global warming.

TITLE: Creating a Culturally Inclusive Climate Change Curriculum with and for Indigenous People: Lessons Learned
PRESENTER: Ros McCann (Utah State University – Moab)

As part of a national science foundation project inspired by the NECI network, Ros will share her experience in building relationships with tribal members in the Colorado Plateau region. This will include an overview of how she formed a diverse team to co-create a climate change curriculum by and for Indigenous participants, what the curriculum entailed and the products that resulted from this process. Coverage here: https://www.usu.edu/today/story/usu-helps-host-unique-and-indigenous-student-specific-natural-resource-leadership-program

Curriculum can be found here:Utah NATURE Climate Module_ A Co-Created Menu Utah NATURE Climate Module_ A Co-Created Menu

 

SPEAKER BIOS

Don Haas (formerly, Don Duggan-Haas) is the Director of Teacher Programming at The Paleontological Research Institution and its Museum of the Earth & Cayuga Nature Center in Ithaca, NY. He is a nationally regarded expert in climate and energy education, place-based and technology-rich Earth and environmental science education; and is a past president of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers. He is co-author of the books, The Teacher-Friendly Guide to Climate Change and The Science Beneath the Surface: A Very Short Guide to the Marcellus Shale. He strives to help others thrive in their teaching and learning, especially as related to climate and energy and he wants you to talk more about fire.

Donna Nuger joined University of Illinois Extension in 2004. During her tenure, she has focused on STEM and Youth Leadership. Environmental education field trips for youth in grades K-8 have ranged from the half day program, Pumpkin Day for the little ones to full day events like Natural Resources Day and multi-day events that included Environmental Science in Action with hands on research and career exploration. Nuger initiated and implemented 4-H Science Ambassadors that encouraged 4-H Teen Teachers and individual projects/research. Nuger has received and coordinated Ag Innovators Experience grants through National 4-H, funded by Monsanto/Bayer for Illinois. She looks forward to making future contributions in the area of climate change and ensuring that our youth have a healthy planet for their future.

Roslynn Brain McCann is a Professor & Sustainable Communities Extension Specialist in the Department of Environment and Society, College of Natural Resources at Utah State University. She teaches undergraduates Communicating Sustainability, helps lead the National Extension Climate Initiative, is the coordinator USU Extension Sustainability’s Utah Farm-Chef-Fork, the USU Permaculture Initiative, and Sustainable You! kids’ camps, co-leads the Utah High School Clean Air Marketing Contest, and is engaged in tribal climate change resilience.

October 9, 1pm EST: Empowering Communities: 1890 Land-Grant Institutions Tackling Climate Change, Recordings here. 

This hour long webinar will discuss the crucial role of 1890 Land-Grant Institutions in tackling climate change faced by underserved communities.

TITLE: The Climate Crisis and Environmental Justice:  Ensuring Resilience for Underserved Communities
PRESENTER: Alton Thompson (Executive Director, Association of 1890 Research Directors, ARD)

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and addressing it requires a strong commitment to research and development. For too long, environmental policy have failed to adequately address environmental injustice, particularly the unequal and cumulative effects of pollution and climate change on low-income communities and communities of color. Researchers at the 1890 land-grant universities, informed by their lived experiences of these communities, play a critical role in developing student leaders, advocates, while also supporting rigorous scientific analysis on issues like community and agricultural resiliency, climate adaptation and environmental justice.

TITLE: Leveraging AI and Innovation to Empower Future Leaders in Resource-Limited Communities
PRESENTER: Ali Fares (Professor of Water Security, Prairie View A&M University)

Dr. Fares’ academic program uses cutting-edge technologies and artificial intelligence to address resource challenges in the water-energy-food nexus for communities with limited resources. By training future leaders and professionals from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) through various outreach activities based on his research, Dr. Fares empowers them to tackle climate change challenges effectively and develop and implement sustainable solutions.

PRESENTER: Raymon Shange (1890 Extension Administrator, Tuskegee University Cooperative Extension)

SPEAKER BIOS

Dr. Thompson provides leadership and coordination in representing ARD in developing multistate and national priorities and implementing a regional response for the 1890 system. In addition, Thompson promotes, articulates and advocates the priorities of the 1890 region’s research agenda within the framework of the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute for Agriculture (NIFA), other federal agencies and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). Thompson serves in an executive capacity on several committees and working groups focusing on legislative issues, federal, state and private appropriation of funds for 1890 multistate research and the long-term direction of established and developing 1890 universities initiatives. Key Resource: Foundation for Food Agriculture and Research (FAR)

Ali Fares is the Endowed Professor at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU), Texas and Chair of Water Security, Water Energy and Food Nexus. He is currently the editor of the Water Security Book Series.  He has edited two books and published 14 book chapters, over 20 conference proceedings, and over 74 articles in peer reviewed journals. His research interests include disaster preparedness and resiliency, flood prediction and mitigation, water security, water-energy-food nexus, watershed hydrology and management, water allocation, irrigation management, and adaptation and mitigation of climate variability. Currently he is doing research on Reducing Energy Barriers for Novel Water. Dr Fares’ research in artificial intelligence in agriculture as well as several inter-disciplinary, multi-institution projects, is supported by millions of dollars. His testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Agriculture Committee urged federal support to address “specific climate change needs of the underserved farming communities and train future professionals in climate-smart agriculture discipline.” Key Resource: https://works.bepress.com/fares-ali/

Dr. Shange’s research and teaching interests encompass the areas of: Ecology (Agroecology, Microbial Ecology, Molecular Ecology, and Ecological Engineering), Sustainable Agriculture, Impact of Climate Change on Ecosystems, Rural Energy & Water, Natural Resource Management, Integration of Art, Science and Nature, and Environmental Ethics and Justice. He has been an 1890’s Extension Administrator since 2022.

November 13, 1pm EST: ELECTRIFICATION & Climate, Recording here.

This hour long webinar will  discuss multiple ways to understand how ‘electrification’ can save money, decrease greenhouse gases, and improve health and well-being in our daily lives.

TITLE: Electrification: Climate Action or Personal Benefit?
PRESENTER: Brian Stewart (Co-Founder of Electrify Now)

Whether your motivation is to fight climate change, improve the safety and comfort of your home, reduce your health risks, or lower your energy bills, the sensible actions are the same – electrify your home and personal transportation. We will discuss how the topic of electrification can be approached from multiple entry points that each might resonate with our audience in different ways to help them to take action.

Key Resource: Electrify Now webinars on all things electrification: https://electrifynow.net/electrify-coalition-webinars

TITLE: Electrify your Landscaping Equipment: It’s Clean, It’s Quiet, It’s Healthy 
PRESENTER: Mark Puhlman (Lake Oswego Sustainability Network, Board Member)

Tackling climate change can seem to be an overwhelming proposition. But there is a key strategy that can make a major impact: Electrify Everything. Transitioning gas-powered landscaping equipment to electric helps the community take meaningful action addressing climate change while also improving air quality and reducing harmful noise levels in our community. This short talk will discuss the Lake Oswego Sustainability Network’s efforts to encourage a small community in the state of Oregon transition from Gas-powered equipment to electric landscaping equipment. Included are actions that the individual citizen can take to advance the transition.

Key Resource: https://mailchi.mp/15638b3e0577/losn-sustainability-insider-april-2021

TITLE: Energy Circuit Riders Spur Clean Energy Progress in Rural New Hampshire
PRESENTER: Sarah Brock (Clean Energy New Hampshire, Energy Circuit Rider Program Director)

New Hampshire’s unique Energy Circuit Rider (ECR) program embeds clean energy experts in rural New Hampshire communities, providing capacity and technical support to get projects done. Hosted by nonprofit Clean Energy NH and funded through a mix of philanthropic and federal sources, the program is currently supporting over 180 community-based energy projects in over 80 towns. The ECR program also supports small businesses statewide in applying for USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program, with grants for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. Join us to hear reflections from the field: what works to spur community-based clean energy action, and what you can do to move projects forward in your own community.

Key Resource: Direct Pay / Elective Pay Guide

SPEAKER BIOS

Brian Stewart is a co-founder of Electrify Now, a volunteer organization devoted to educating energy consumers and homeowners about the health and economic benefits of electrification and the role that all of us can play to accelerate the world to clean renewable energy and a sustainable future. Brian has over 40 years of experience in product design, engineering, manufacturing and sustainability and held many leadership roles at Nike Inc. including Vice President of Sustainable Innovation.

Mark Puhlman is a board member of the Lake Oswego Sustainability Network, a volunteer organization of concerned citizens in Lake Oswego, Oregon. He holds a doctorate as a nurse practitioner and has worked in the area of heart failure for 45 years. He became interested in sustainability in high school but became very active in this area about 5 years ago after he retired. He is a Board Member of the Sustainability Advisory Board of Lake Oswego as well as a Board Member of the Forest Highlands Neighborhood Association. He has been involved in electrification and urban forest preservation.

Sarah Brock joined Clean Energy New Hampshire as Director of CENH’s Energy Circuit Rider Program in 2024. Sarah works with our growing team of Energy Circuit Riders to help municipalities and small businesses plan, finance, and implement clean energy and energy efficiency projects. Prior to joining Clean Energy New Hampshire, Sarah spent over a decade implementing community-based climate, energy, and transportation programming at Vital Communities, a nonprofit serving the Upper Valley region of Vermont and New Hampshire.

December 11, 1pm EST: RESILIENCY PLANNING & Climate, Recording, here.

This hour long webinar will share three different examples for engaging resiliency planning in local communities.

TITLE: Building Climate Resiliency through Disaster Preparedness Education
PRESENTER: Kimberly Davis, Extension Emergency Management Specialist, FAMU Extension Disaster Education Programs, Florida A&M University (FAMU)

Key Resources: FEMA 2021 National Household Survey, Extension Disaster Education Network, EDEN, Student Tools for Emergency Planning (STEP)

TITLE: Preparing Agents of Change for Tomorrow: Building Youth Confidence and Capacity for Climate Resilient Futures in Appalachia 
PRESENTER: Megan Kruger, Evaluation and Research Specialist and Environmental Educator, West Virginia University Extension

Key Resources: NOAA community resilience education

TITLE: Filling Gaps in Coastal Communities with Asset Mapping
PRESENTER: Jack Voight, Coastal Community Resilience Immersive Training (C-CRIT) Program, Americorps Assessment Coordinator

This talk will discuss experiences working with the C-CRIT program and the work we completed. It will describe future plans for the program and how it can be improved to best fit the needs of different coastal communities. Also describe what I learned about Jones County, North Carolina and specific barriers that hinder the county’s ability to build back with resiliency.

Key Resources:https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/210678a3d94140febf96df453e60c76e

 

SPEAKER BIOS

Ms. Kimberly Davis is an Extension Agent/Emergency Management Specialist with the Florida A&M University (FAMU) Cooperative Extension Family, Youth and Community programs/4-H Youth Development. Her areas of specialization include natural resources, environmental education, disaster preparedness and safety. She has over 25 years’ experience in coordinating STEM and environmental education outreach programs including the Kids Involved in Math and Sciences (KIMS) Program, and the Forestry and Conservation Education (FACE) Summer Program. She also worked over 10 years with the Florida Division of Emergency Management as an Environmental Scientist and Planning Manager. She holds a M.S. degree in Agricultural Sciences with a major in Environmental Sciences from FAMU.

Jack Voight is an undergraduate student and researcher from North Carolina State University. majoring in Environmental Engineering and researching as part of the Coastal & Computational Hydraulics Team with mentor Dr. Casey Dietrich. Jack was born and raised on the Outer Banks, North Carolina.

To see our previous webinars, please visit our YouTube channel

Spring 2024 Topics

YOUTH & Climate, Recording Here.

STORYTELLING & Climate, Recording Here.

DIY–Self-Guided Climate Instruction, Recording Here.

COMMUNITIES & Climate, Recordings Here: WA Latine Co-created Materials, PA Women Forest Owners

AGING & Climate, Recordings Here.

 

 

 

HOST: this “CONNECTING CLIMATE to COMMUNITIES” webinar series is hosted by National Extension Climate Initiative (NECI) Curriculum Working Group – a volunteer group looking to share resources amongst interested extension educators.

This program was curated by NECI CWG Active Volunteers Summer 2024

David Kay, Cornell University

James Shope, Rutgers University

Patricia Townsend, Washington State University

Rebecca Ward, NC State University

Jenifer Wightman, Cornell University

Join us or any NECI working group -learn more here: https://nationalextensionclimateinitiative.net/workinggroups/

***NECI is actively seeking a Communications Lead, please contact David Kay if you are interested.

NYS passes Climate Superfund Act!

I personally think this is a Big Deal.

This bill uses the logic of “superfund” (where historic polluters, contribute funds with local, state, and federal governments to clean up local contamination) to apply to the historic atmospheric build up of CO2 from fossil fuel companies. The funds will help NY build infrastructure to address climate change.

It passed the NY house and the NY senate!

You can read more about the bill here, https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2023/S2129/amendment/A

S2129A

 

 

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