Climate Reality Dallas Fort Worth / Chapter

Presentation on "Using today's technologies to provide sustainable solutions for educational facilities" by Joshua Minor, Exec. Dir. - Facilities, Hurst Euless Bedford ISD

Topic: Transforming Ecological Anxiety
Presenter: Robert Bell from the Climate Coaching Alliance
This presentation is geared primarily towards adults. Using the concepts of existential psychology, Robert will helps people of all ages transform their thinking, feeling, and acting to face the climate emergency with active optimism

In June's chapter meeting, hear from guest speaker Janie Cisneros as she talks about environmental justice, GAFs Gotta Go, and what we can do to help support their cause.
Janie is from Singleton United, a resident empowerment group in West Dallas that was organized to help fight for environmental justice. Currently, they are leading the GAFs Gotta Go Campaign, which Climate Reality DFW is a part of.

In May's meeting, our guest speaker Benjamin Sackler, the Climate Reality Project’s Community Manager, gives an overview of Reality Hub. This online platform for Climate Reality provides many different resources, networking and collaboration opportunities, and more, so if you’re looking for slide decks from previous trainings, or looking to connect with another volunteer, or have ideas and actions you want to share, Reality Hub is the platform for you!

In monthly meeting in March, we had guest speakers Zach Kopkin (from New Orleans) and Bekah Hinojosa (from Brownsville) from Sierra Club this month, talking to us about topics of environment and environmental justice in Texas, and making connections between issues seen in the Gulf Coast with issues we see here in DFW.

In February meeting we have working group updates, upcoming events, and other ways to get involved.

In this month's meeting, we will be exploring the Inflation Reduction Act that President Biden signed into law on August 16th. Join us to learn more about what this means for the climate, our nation, as well as for each of us individually!

This month's meeting will be focused on what we have going on in the chapter, updates on current events, as well as information from some of our different Working Groups. You definitely don't want to miss this meeting, so mark your calendars and see you then!

In June meeting, we heard from Yevgeny Shrago, who is the is policy director for Public Citizen’s Climate Program, where he advocates for financial regulators to direct companies, banks, money managers, and other private actors to better identify and address the risks related to the climate crisis.

This presentation explains the serious risks that climate change poses to the financial system, the way that banks and other large financial institutions are fueling that crisis and its negative impacts on vulnerable communities, and the tools that financial regulators are implementing and can implement to address those risks.

May Chapter Meeting including presentation on Environmental & Climate Equity: A local perspective by Carolee Estelle, MD

Building the Movement: New Advocacy Science & Strategies

Advocacy expert Chip Pitts concisely reviews the surprising, yet practical advocacy strategies based on scientific insights, especially of the last decade, that can break through the barriers to climate action arising from unprecedented polarization, tribalism, dis- and misinformation, conspiracy theories, and resulting gridlock, so that we can all help build a larger and more effective social movement for climate action.

This month's meeting focused on chapter announcements and updates, as well as an in-depth information session about a few of our working groups.

In our first meeting of the year, we welcome Robert Egger to talk about "Activism Through Food".

Robert Egger is a power of food pioneer. Starting in 1989, he has led the effort to reduce food waste, and create jobs while producing healthy meals. He has also been involved in policy initiatives, like the Food Donor Act of 1996, which incentivized food donations nationally. Robert will talk about his journey, but also expound on the road ahead, and how climate issues, aging and public health will overlap.

Monthly chapter meeting and presentation on Regenerative agriculture: Training the interdisciplinary undergraduate leaders in a more resilient food system by Dr. Kara Casy, Director of Urban Agriculture and Renewable Resources

This month at the Chapter meeting, we will be hearing from Dave Kraft, safe-energy/anti-nuclear advocate, and co-founder of NEIS (Nuclear Energy Information Service). Dave will hold a conversation entitled "We Can't 'Nuke' Climate Change: The case against nuclear power as an effective climate change fighter".

More about our speaker! Dave Kraft has served as its director since its inception in 1981. Prior to becoming an energy activist, his academic background was in astronomy and psychology at Northwestern University and Northeastern University in Chicago. He worked as a para-professional therapist for 12 years in Chicago. Kraft’s interest in the environment moved him to found NEIS with seven other people, to provide the public with credible information about the hazards and effects of nuclear power and waste; and the viable alternatives to replace them. Kraft is an accomplished public speaker and writer on nuclear topics.  He has been called upon to testify in hearings related to nuclear power at the State and Federal level.  He created the “Know Nukes!” nuclear video series with CAN-TV Chicago; and is a co-founder of the Radiation Monitoring Project, providing training and field monitors to communities contaminated by radioactive substances. He has received recognition and awards for his work, most recently the Judith Johnsrud “Unsung Hero of the Year” award for his lifelong activism, in May, 2016.

March 2021 Chapter Meeting and presentation on "The Emergence of Electric Vehicles" by Scott Deatherage.

COP 26 Observations by Julie Hiromoto

Rethinking our Food Industry by Rebecca Pearce

Thanksgiving Reading from Braiding Sweetgrass by Jim Notman

Demo of Climate Action Now mobile app by CAN founder Brett Walter and content creator Matthew Vollrath

In the April Chapter meeting, we will have two speakers.
We'll first hear about the Dallas CECAP (Comprehensive Environmental and Climate Action Plan) update and its implementation from Pharr Andrews, the CECAP Implementation Manager and Katy Evans, Climate Coordinator for the City of Dallas. The second part is an introduction of Green Careers Dallas by Tracy Wallace. Our chapter has raised more than $1100 within a week in March to support Green Careers Dallas, and Tracy will provide an overview of its work and community Green Careers Dallas is serving, and how we can get involved!

A conversation on diversity equity inclusion and justice.

Talk from a powerhouse guest speaker, Jane Patton, Senior Campaigner at Center for International Environmental Laws focusing on the plastic crisis in the Gulf Coast and the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act in the US Congress.