“We need a dramatic and profound shift in our energy consumption, and not only because of climate change. The billions of dollars we have sent to Russia, Iran, Venezuela, and Saudi Arabia have promoted some of the worst and most corrupt dictators in the world”. -Anne Applebaum, journalist & author |
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Silicon Valley Chapter
Monthly Newsletter
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In this issue:
- April Monthly Meeting: The Once and Future Bay: Change in the Estuary's Shore and How a Nature-Based Solution Can Help Build Future Resilience.
- Earth Day Events: Our Chapter is participating in three regional events. Join us!
- Climate Reality Leadership Corp Training and Mentoring: Las Vegas, June 11-13
- Decarbonization Action Team: How You Can Help California Go All-Electric.
- Legislation and Public Policy News: Letters we've signed and 2022 Bills to follow.
- Communication Team: Zimmerman's column and Social Media Growth.
- Speakers Bureau Updates and Regenerative Agriculture Talking Points.
- Silicon Valley Families Program News: Kids Voices Campaign and Climate summer camps. Climate education Bills.
- The Earth on Your Plate Presentation video.
- Book Review. The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming
- Simple Ways to Take Action
- Join a Committee: Make a difference!
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April Chapter Meeting: Join Us On Zoom
Monday, April 25, 6:00 - 7:30 pm
The Once and Future Bay: Change in the Estuary's Shore and
How a Nature-Based Solution Can Help Build Future Resilience.
This month's presentation will describe the physical and ecological changes that have occured in the San Francisco Bay estuary over time, the anticipated effects of climate change and sea level rise, and how the restoration and planning community is adapting to those anticipated changes through restoration and the use of nature-based solutions to protect valuable human and natural resources.
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Join Us!
Monday, April 25th, starting at 6:00 pm
Meeting ID: 815 6279 9335
Passcode: sfbay
+1 699 900 9128 US (San Jose)
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Meet Our Speaker: Donna Ball |
Donna has worked as a restoration ecologist with over 15 years of experience in tidal wetland restoration in San Francisco Bay. Donna most recently served as the Habitat Restoration Director for Save The Bay where she led a community-based restoration and education program engaged in wetland restoration. She graduated with a M.S. degree in Environmental Science with a focus on marine and estuary systems from Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA. |
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New member welcome...thanks for joining!
Marita Grudzen | Stephen Weir
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Please donate to support our Chapter's work to expand outreach, communication and our climate defense programs. Your financial support can make a big difference to protect our planet and ourselves from the ravages of climate change. Please donate whatever you can afford. Any amount will help us take action. Thank you! |
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Happy Earth Day 2022:
Celebrate With Our Chapter at These Events
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Did you know that Earth Day was co-founded in 1970 by a former San Jose State University alumnus, Senator Gaylord Nelson? The first Earth Day mobilized over 20 million Americans to take to the streets, parks and auditoriums to demonstrate against the impacts of 150 years of industrialization which created a growing array of serious human health problems. Earth Day, with it's far-reaching impact, also led to the formation of the Environmental Planning Agency. Over it's Fifty-two years, Earth Day has continued to grow in popularity. Learn more about the history of Earth Day at earthday.org. This year’s theme is “Invest in our Planet” and there are a myriad of events to participate in.
Our chapter is participating in the following three events. Come out and celebrate with our teams!
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San Jose State University Earth Day Fair |
San Jose State University
Wednesday, April 20: 10 am – 2 pm
We will be “manning” a table at the fair to build awareness Climate Change, our Chapter and our Mission. At the fair you can check out sustainable food, fashion, and transport; Enjoy a tree planting dedication; drop off e-waste; do yoga on the lawn. And visit the CRP Silicon Valley Table! Event info here.
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Rally For Our Earth, Palo Alto |
Palo Alto: King Plaza, 250 Hamilton Ave.
Friday, April 22: 4 pm - 6 pm
We will have a table at this celebration of the progress that has been made and the work that is still to be done. Events include a march around the plaza, musicians, guest speakers, hanging pledges on the Pledge Tree and checking out local organizations’ tables (including ours!) Come out to support us and have fun celebrating planet earth. Event info here.
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Mountain View Earth Day Celebration |
Mountain View Senior Center
Saturday, April 23: 11 am – 3 pm
This event will be filled with fun family activities, an EV test drive event, information booths, music, and great food. There will also be presentations from local sustainability experts including our Climate Reality Project: Silicon Valley Chapter. Plus, food trucks will provide a free vegetarian/vegan lunch for the first 215 people who check in at the event. Event info here.
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Make a Difference on Climate Change: Become a Climate Reality Trained Leader |
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June 11-13 in Las Vegas
Deadline for applying is April 20
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You see our climate changing and injustice growing across the planet. You want to make a difference. Join the Climate Reality Leadership Corps of activists and learn how by attending the next Climate Reality Leader training led by Al Gore and a team of world-renowned scientists, activists, innovators, and more. This is your chance to learn more about the climate and justice crises shaping our world – and how you can make a difference.
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Already A Trained Leader? Become a Mentor.
Now it’s time to take the next step and help create more climate leaders to join in the climate fight.
Here's what seasoned mentor and Chapter Chair Tracey MacDermott of the Denver, CO chapter has to say about the mentoring experience:
“Mentoring helps me re-energize my own work. It is invigorating to work with new trainees and to
breathe in their excitement about the change they are working on. It provides an opportunity
to start fresh, help guide them on new projects, and make important connections.
Mentoring is one of my favorite parts of being a Climate Reality Leader.” – Tracey MacDermott
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Decarbonization Action Team News |
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By Karen Nelson, Chapter Co-Chair and Decarbonization Action Director |
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Decarbonization Action Campaign: Teams Taking Action |
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The strategy for the Chapter’s Decarbonization Action Campaign has been defined for 2022 and we are actively pursuing phase 1 action goals for each team.
Five teams are actively working for decarbonization in the communities that our Chapter represents. These teams include:
- Decarb Education Development and Delivery
- Building's Decarb Action with key work as a Switch Is On organization ambassador
- Tools and Resources Development
- GoGreen: Educating and Encouraging Sustainable Action in Our Community
- Climate Corporate Governance
Download this document to learn about the teams and the focus of their activity. We hope you consider getting involved, whether it is to help with short-term tasks or to support longer-term goals. We are making an impact!
Email Karen Nelson at to find out more about how you can help.
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City of Santa Clara Climate Action Plan |
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After more than two years of community engagement, the City has developed a Draft Climate Action Plan (CAP) to update the current CAP that was adopted back in 2013. The draft CAP is tentatively scheduled to go to Planning Commission and then to City Council for adoption on the following dates:
Planning Commission Hearing: April 13, 2022
City Council Hearing: June 7, 2022
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Help The Community Green Our Buildings |
Want to help Silicon Valley dump fossil fuels and move to an all-electric lifestyle? Let Karen Nelson, Director of the Decarb Action program know you’re interested to learn more. Email Karen Nelson
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Legislation & Public Policy Update |
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By Laurence Gathy, Legislation & Public Policy Director
Legislation Support Letters
The chapter has joined many organizations this month to express the need for major budget allocations to drive climate change mitigation and resilience with a focus on prioritizing vulnerable communities most at risk from the worst effects of climate change. Here are letters we signed onto/sent:
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California State Budget to Prioritize Investing in Healthy & Resilient Homes and Communities. Our letter expresses support for the $922 million proposed in the January budget for a statewide low-income building retrofit and upgrade program and is also requesting an additional $1 billion for the construction of and upgrades to community resilience centers.
- Letter addressed to Bob Wieckowski, Chair of the Senate Budget Subcommittee to provide funding to retire old diesel trucks and to call for CARB to develop a plan to retire all medium and heavy diesel vehicles and establish incentive programs to replace them with zero-emission ones.
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SB 1314 (Limón) to ban the use of captured carbon for enhanced oil recovery. This bill would prevent carbon capture projects from resulting in increased fossil fuel production and will ensure we responsibly pursue our climate goals.
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SB 1328 (McGuire and Cortese) which will prohibit all public investments in California that are related to Russia or Belarus.
CARB ACC II Program
There is critical ruling taking place this year with CARB’s ACC II (Advanced Clean Cars II) regulations which will seek to adopt criteria for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from new light- and medium-duty vehicles beyond the 2025 model year. We continue to work with the ACC II Coalition to advocate for strong regulations that will get us to 75% of all new sales to be ZEV by 2030 and 100% by 2035.
We are also pushing for strong equity provisions which will be required for households and families that live in Disadvantaged Communities to access and benefit from the transition to 100% ZEV. The coalition recently wrote a letter to Chair Randolph and Members of the CARB Board asking for the equity provisions in the proposed rule to be stronger as opposed to voluntary by requiring non-participating automakers to meet additional requirements or pay in-lieu fees. The current equity provisions are almost never utilized by most carmakers - especially for the luxury ZEV manufacturers.
The chapter has a priority list of bills that we will focus on for the 2022 year. These fall primarily in the largest sectors of greenhouse gas emissions such as transportation and building decarbonization as well as areas that are impactful in our daily routines such as single use plastics, waste, and recycling. Finally, we will also support a few bills that we care deeply about for justice and equity, like corporate accountability and fossil fuel divestment from Russia. Click here to download a backgrounder sheet that lists the bills we are following, with descriptions and links to more information.
Seeking Volunteer Assistance
We are always looking for passionate volunteers who want to participate in the legislative committee. We need help to track bills, write letters, put pressure on state legislature committees and attend meetings with elected officials. We need strong voices to influence our elected officials into making the right decisions for a greener future and to advocate for bold climate action. If you’re interested in volunteering, email laurencegathy@me.com
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Communications Team Update |
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Erin Zimmerman: Monthly San Jose Spotlight Column |
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Take time to celebrate climate victories |
"One important aspect of environmentalism is knowing when to take a break. News feeds are dire right now, and without diminishing the gravity of contemporary events, we need a win. So, I am taking this opportunity to highlight some good environmental news. |
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The world, the United States and the residents of San Jose—and our elected officials—have made progress on the climate front which should be acknowledged and celebrated. Now more than ever.
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Speakers Bureau Team News |
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By Campbell Scott, Speakers Bureau Director
Have you given a presentation recently?
We do not always learn about talks and discussions that our members give. If you have made a presentation recently, or participated in a discussion group, please let Campbell know about it. Better yet, post it to the CRP hub, acts of leadership, and send him the link.
Help us to find new audiences
As always, if you know of a group that may want to learn more about climate change, what can be done about it, please provide them with contact information to Silicon Valley Chapter’s speakers’ bureau. Details and instructions can be found at https://conta.cc/2WMmjQQ
Talking points
Talking points are provided to assist you in preparing your presentations and to aid discussion with your family, friends, and colleagues. Here's this month's topic to research and get talking about!
Regenerative agriculture is good for the planet – and for farmers
There are many articles that tout the benefits of regenerative agriculture. Now, a recent, carefully controlled study, by the Ecdysis Foundation, of almond orchards, published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, provides evidence of improved soil health, higher levels of nutrients, more biomass and greater species diversity. Crop yields and pest populations were similar to those in orchards farmed conventionally, using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. As a result of the reduced expenses and additional saleable food products, profits doubled.
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Do You Have a Booked Presentation?
If any of you are giving presentations that we don't know about, please let Campbell know, so we can track it for our chapter records and for The Climate Reality Project national team. Or, if you have led a climate discussion or given a talk recently, however informal, and regardless of the size of the audience, be sure to let Campbell know about it so he can post to the CRP HUB.
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Silicon Valley Families Campaign
By Marn-Yee Lee, Chapter Co-Chair and Silicon Valley Families Director
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Kids Voices on Climate Change |
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Please reach out to young people in your life and encourage them to participate in our climate campaign for kids: Kids Voices on Climate Change.
Last month we launched our campaign to help kids 5-18 years old express what climate change means to them.
We are asking kids to create and submit a climate change-themed drawing, photo, video, poem, quote, poster, or musical composition that expresses how they feel and think about climate change. With parent/guardian permission, their creation will be showcased online, in print and at in-person events.
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Click here to see (and download) the full poster that was created by Sophie, age 11, of Mountain View. Share it with friends, family, teachers and classmates. Post it to your social media. We want as many kids as possible to raise their voices about the challenges of climate change to their lives and their futures. To learn more download the poster and/or go to: https://tinyurl.com/kids-voices
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Climate & Education
Looking for summer camp options?
Youngzine is excited to launch an interdisciplinary summer program for high school students (including rising 9th graders) in Summer 2022! In this three-week program, students will -
- Build a foundational understanding of climatology and how climate change affects sustainability
- Gain a deeper understanding of solutions and actions needed in different sectors from technology to policies
- Interact with climate experts from top universities and guest speakers from diverse fields such as industry and local government
- Develop a community-based capstone project to address a local issue and present it to a panel of experts
- Engage with a cohort of like-minded peers and grow communication, research, and leadership skills
Education Legislation
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Watch the Recorded Presentation
The Earth on Your Plate: Why Changing Our Diet is Essential to Saving the Planet
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If you missed this Chapter event last month with Mohan Gurunathan, food systems sustainability expert, you can watch his presentation here, or download a pdf of the presentation deck. In the presentation, Gurunathan explored why we need to swiftly adopt more plant-based diets to save the Earth and her ecosystems and presented the fundamental costs and consequences of our daily food choices.
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SV Family campaign volunteers
We continue to look for volunteers -- especially youth, parents and grandparents, to help us develop presentations suitable for kids of different ages, and to work on activities that we can do online or in-person, at libraries and schools. If you're interested in joining up with our team, contact Marn-Yee Lee.
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Take Action More Often, With Less Effort |
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Get the Climate Action Now App
The Climate Action Now app makes it exceptionally easy to take meaningful climate action on your phone in just seconds or minutes. Most actions you take earn points, and when you’ve earned enough points, CAN will plant a tree on your behalf.
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If you haven’t already downloaded the Climate Action Now app, consider getting started to quickly take action that takes only seconds to do. Go to https://climateactionnow.com/
When you sign-up, be sure to use CODE 141 that designates you are a Silicon Valley chapter member. CRP headquarters is tracking each chapter's CAN participation.
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Climate Change Book Review
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The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming |
Author: David Wallace-Wells
Publication year: 2019
Publisher: Tim Duggan Books
Length: 228 pages
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Review by Nancy Truher
This book is worth reading to inform your conversations and actions. Key points made in the book include:
Climate change is not merely one challenge among many facing the planet, but a whole sphere, which literally contains within it all of the world's future problems and all of its possible solutions. We have provoked the natural world, engineering first in ignorance and then in denial a climate system that will now go to war with us for many centuries. This is not 'a new normal'. It is the end of normal; never normal again.
When we dismiss the worst-case possibilities, it distorts our sense of likelier outcomes, which we then regard as extreme scenarios we needn't plan so conscientiously for. It is worthwhile to consider, and take seriously, unlikely-but-possible climate risks. The only factually appropriate language is of a kind we've been trained, by a buoyant culture of sunny-side-up optimism, to dismiss, categorically, as hyperbole.
The 260-foot total sea level rise is, ultimately, the ceiling-- but it is a pretty good bet we will get there eventually. Greenhouse gases simply work on too long a timescale to avoid it. In the Florida Keys, 150 miles of road need to be raised to stay ahead of sea level, costing as much as $1 billion. The county's road budget is $25 million.
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Our Monthly Book Reviewer:
Nancy Truher is a master reader on the subject of climate change and has curated a list of books (from the hundreds she has read on the subject) that she will be sharing book reviews of in our monthly newsletter. THANK YOU, Nancy!
Want to join our local climate book club?
Nancy Truher and Debbie Mytels established a popular Climate Change book club years ago!
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Get Active. Make a Difference. |
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To achieve our goals, we need your help. In 2022, any time you have, whether on-going or occasional, through individual or team actions, will advance our 2022 goals. To learn more about our campaigns and connect with team leaders, visit our website page, How We Take Action.
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Join the Climate Reality Project |
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For our readers who are not Climate Reality Project (CRP) members or members of our Chapter, we hope you join us. There is no cost and you’ll be able to follow CRPs efforts and hear from Al Gore and others on a regular basis. And be sure to join the Silicon Valley Chapter when you sign up.
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Newsletter created by Deborah Warner, Karen Nelson, our chapter leadership team and
chapter member contributors.
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The Climate Reality Project: Silicon Valley Chapter |
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