Category: Sustainability Education Forum

SEF News-Views Digest No. 134 (6-8-16)
Clifton Ware, Editor-Publisher

Citizens for Sustainability: Meeting-Forum, Sat., June 11, 10am-noon, Silver Lake Village Community Center, 3301 Silver Lake Rd. Free & open to public.

As the years go by, are you noticing any unusual developments in weather patterns in your area? Aside from experiencing warmer winters, later falls, and earlier spring conditions, the weather in the Twin Cities has not seemed to have radically altered. But then again, overall climate conditions change so slowly that day-to-day weather patterns don’t seem to make much of an impression. We’ve been rather fortunate—so far.

SEF News-Views Digest No. 133 (6-1-16)
Clifton Ware, Editor-Publisher

Citizens for Sustainability: Meeting-Forum, Sat., June 11, 10am-noon, Silver Lake Village Community Center, 3301 Silver Lake Rd. Free & open to public.

A very informative article—“Guess Which State Towers Above All Others on Wind Energy” (first in News section)— inspired this commentary. Remarkably, the newest and tallest wind turbine in the U.S. has been built in Iowa. A fascinating must-see 4-minute video reveals the entire construction of this gargantuan sized, concrete-and-steel monolith, as depicted in fast-motion time.

Aside from marveling at the technological achievement, one cannot but be impressed at the amount of effort expended during the planning and construction process. Even more striking is the volume of special equipment and expertise needed to complete such a complex project. It’s also mind-blowing to contemplate the total fossil-fuel energy used to extract, process, transport, and install all materials used in this enormous structure, plus cleaning up the site and providing ongoing maintenance to keep the turbine functioning well.

SEF News-Views Digest No. 132 (5-25-16)
Clifton Ware, Editor-Publisher

Citizens for Sustainability: Meeting-Forum, Sat., June 11, 10am-noon, Silver Lake Village Community Center, 3301 Silver Lake Rd. Free & open to public.

Ever since the coal boom, we moderns have been endowed with plentiful cheap energy that provides a wealth of positive opportunities, many of which have resulted in negative repercussions.

Thanks largely to the automobile and other modes of transportation, many Americans are able to move about within a particular geographical area to produce, manage, procure, or deliver essential goods and services. With sufficient means of transportation, it’s possible to live in one community, yet invest greater time, energy, and money in distant communities. Indeed, this pattern is typical of many Americans’ lifestyles. Needless to say, an awful lot of time, money, and psycho-emotional energy is spent in travel related to addressing personal and professional interests.

SEF News-Views Digest No. 131 (5-18-16)
Clifton Ware, Editor-Publisher

Citizens for Sustainability: Meeting-Forum, Sat., May 14, 10am-noon, Silver Lake Village Community Center, 3301 Silver Lake Rd. Free & open to public.

This topic has been uppermost on my mind 24/7 this week. You see, I underwent a root canal a week ago, followed the next day by catching what has developed into an insufferable cold, with all of the typical symptoms—off-on chills and overheating, lethargy, sensitive skin, runny or stuffy nose, and coughing. Ugh! After considering possible coping strategies, I think I’ve recalled the most effective one: maintain an attitude of gratitude!

SEF News-Views Digest No. 130 (5-11-16)
Clifton Ware, Editor-Publisher

Citizens for Sustainability: Meeting-Forum, Sat., May 14, 10am-noon, Silver Lake Village Community Center, 3301 Silver Lake Rd. Free & open to public.

A provocative, powerful new film, titled “Disobedience”, motivates this commentary (see the first listing in Views). [Note: This film is not to be confused with a 2003 film based on a story about a Mozambican peasant woman accused and put on trial for having caused her husband’s suicide by failing to obey him.]

The film focuses on a courageous new phase of the climate movement that’s taking place worldwide on a grassroots level. Disenchanted, angry citizens around the globe are locked in battles to counter the fossil-fuel industry’s enormous power and ongoing pollution of land, sea, and air. It’s heartening to know that there are numbers of world citizens who comprehend the growing negative effects of climate change and are actively pursuing ways and means of slowing CO₂ emissions, by promoting the message “Keep fossil fuels in the ground!” Putting pressure on institutional investors to divest is one strategy, in addition to placing bodies in harm’s way to block or shut down significantly harmful operations.