Free Climate Topics in Chicago

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  • Electric Vehicle Total Cost of Ownership and Role in Sustainability

    Tom Coleman, Sustainability Analyst, Climate Reality Chicago Metro Chapter

    Tom discusses electric vehicle (EV) costs from battery manufacturing to charging to driving. He also discusses a comparison of internal combustion engine and EVs on pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and costs. Other points covered are: MORE >

    • The current state of EV range and charging.
    • The role of hybrid, plug-in-hybrid, fuel-cell (hydrogen) electric, and battery electric vehicles.
    • Automaker initiatives and EV availability.
    • The value proposition of EVs.
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  • Solutions to Climate Change

    Andrew Panelli, Group Leader, Chicago South Suburbs, Citizens' Climate Education

    Here’s an opportunity to engage your audience in a fun way to learn more about the climate change issue, solutions, and the relative effectiveness of those solutions. As part of the exercise, we discuss various actions that can be taken. The audience is engaged to offer suggested solutions to slow climate change. MORE >

    Our trained facilitator will show the group how each suggested action(s) will impact climate change on a MIT/Sloan simulator that will model their proposed solution(s) instantly in “real-time”. This stimulates discussions as to why an action may or may not be as effective a course of action as expected. We’ll also share bipartisan actions that Congress is considering and evaluate what impact those actions have on climate change.

    Participants leave the discussion with new insights on how the problem should be addressed.

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  • En-Roads Climate Simulator

    Mark Ailes, Climate Advocate, Citizens Climate Education

    Can the audience solve the climate problem? They get to pick the levers they think will have the biggest impact and see what happens. Climate Interactive and MIT Sloan have worked together to build a simulator with most of the variables in a world wide climate model. I have been trained to run a workshop using the model that has also been used by the US Senate. It is interesting to see what is needed to solve the problem and what factors make the biggest difference. (About 1 hour) MORE >

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  • Climate Change in Illinois and Chicago: Impacts, Forecasts and Solutions

    Cynthia Linton, Chair, Climate Reality Project: Chicago Metro Chapter

    Although Illinois is not on a coast facing sea level rise, or in a severe drought area beset by wildfires, or in the South with it's increasingly severe hurricanes, we do have some serious climate impacts here in Illinois and they will grow in the future. Learn about severe weather, flooding and extreme heat in the Midwest and how Illinois and Chicago can cope with the changes. MORE >

    Linton will talk about what steps local and state government are taking and what you can do as residents.
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  • The Issues & Solutions to Climate Change

    Henry Moss, Outreach Educator, Citizens Climate Lobby Education

    Climate Change is humanity’s greatest challenge. Its solution depends on innovative policy and low-carbon technology that will catalyze and accelerate the global transition to a clean energy economy. Henry’s presentation will increase awareness of the urgency of Climate Change and how your members can be part of the solution to Climate Change. MORE >

    Presentation Overview:
    How to be part of the solution to Climate Change
    The importance of political will
    The basics of Climate Change
    The urgency of Climate Change
    An innovative bipartisan policy solution
    Pricing carbon to accelerate technical solutions
    Renewable energy to grow our economy & jobs
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  • What can I do to reduce my climate footprint and how effective is it?

    Dorelle Ackermann, Activist, Pachamama Alliance: Chicagoland Co-Hearts

    Are you concerned about our warming planet want to do your part to create a sustainable future? Is it possible to have a thriving economy today and protect our planet? According to Hannah Ritchie, a data scientist, it is! Now, let's learn how we, as individuals, can make this happen. Using Project Drawdown's "Explore" we will follow the science in choosing measurable actions to consider. Next, we will recognize that respectful conversations are key to magnifying our individual actions into community actions that will bend the warming curve down.
    This presentation will explore the work of Jonathan Foley (Project Drawdown), Hannah Ritchie (Our World in Data) and Katharine Hayhoe (Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy) to give participants the information and resources they can use to create meaningful change. MORE >

    The presentation will end by creating a group "word cloud" to remind us that in the words of Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
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  • Yes we Can! We are the solution to climate change.

    Dorelle Ackermann, Activist, Pachamama Alliance: Chicagoland Co-Hearts

    Climate change is an immediate and serious threat that must be addressed this decade. We will briefly touch on the impact of climate change that is evident today as well as the basic science of global warming. However, our main focus will be on the fact that the solutions to climate change are already here. We have the technology to "drawdown" our atmospheric carbon dioxide and prevent catastrophic climate change. MORE >

    The "doom and gloom" scenario often heard on the news is not the reality of sustainability. Instead, we will embrace grounded optimism that recognizes our achievements, acknowledges future uncertainites while remaining hopeful that what we do in the present will shape the future. We will invite participants to consider individual actions to reduce their carbon footprint while inviting participants to join us at a local level to advocate for community, state, national and international action.

    Presentations are individually tailored to your group and we are especially excited to present to youth and school groups where we provide raffle prizes to motivate students to take action.

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  • Reasons For Farmers To Switch To Regenerative Agriculture

    Donald Viecelli, Climate Reality Project Leader, Climate Reality Project - IL Chicago Metro Chapter

    Covered Topics:
    Climate Change Is Undeniable
    Carbon Cycle
    Loss Of Topsoil
    Benefits Of RA
    Studies on Profits, Soil Erosion and Tillage
    Pace Of Change Is Increasing
    Farmer Barriers To RA

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  • Reasons to Switch to RA and Support the Farm Bill!

    Donald Viecelli, Climate Reality Project Leader, Climate Reality Project - IL Chicago Metro Chapter

    Regenerative Agriculture (RA) is a wholistic approach to restoring healthy soil as nature intended. RA principles and practices are required to stop the loss of our topsoil and restore nature's balance between greenhouse gas emissions and CO2 draw down from our atmosphere. MORE >

    RA not only restores this balance, but can also reverse climate change and global warming through carbon sequestration much faster than any other means available. This presentation will show you why it is essential to keep global average temperature from surpassing 1.5 degrees Celsius to prevent irreversible climate change events. Much of this can be accomplished by implementing climate-smart policies into the 2023 Farm Bill.

    Covered Topics:
    Climate Change Is Undeniable
    The Carbon Cycle
    Loss Of Topsoil
    A Paradigm Shift
    Benefits Of RA
    Pace Of Change
    Tilling Practices
    Farmer Barriers To RA
    The 2023 Farm Bill

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  • What You Eat and How It Affects the Climate Crisis

    Cynthia Linton, Chair, Climate Reality Project: Chicago Metro Chapter

    Diet and food waste are two major drivers of greenhouse gases that cause the planet to warm. Learn the facts about food impacts and have a lively discussion about how you would be willing to change your diet to fight climate changes.

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