“Before a child talks they sing. Before they write they draw. As soon as they stand they dance. Art is fundamental to human expression.” – Phylicia Rashad
“Feelings are much like waves, we can’t stop them from coming but we can choose which ones to surf.” – Unknown
ANNOUNCEMENTS
(notes provided by the unorthodox and unconventional Paul Conforti)
Allan Penwell presented the following CU Sunrise officer and director slate. This slate of officers was recommended by the CU Sunrise board of directors nominating committee, and will be voted on at our April 4th meeting:
President-Elect: Mary Kay Smith
Treasurer: Billy Stull
Secretary: Allan Penwell
Club Service Director: Keith Brandau
Community Service Director: Robb Patton
International Service Director: Charlie Smith
New Generations Director: Michelle Barbey
Vocational Service Director: Angie Schoonover
A write in nomination line will also be on the ballot.
Michelle said the Read Across America (Saturday March 2nd) event went great and kids in attendance loved it. Thanks to all who helped with their participation and support.
Charlie announced a planned upcoming meeting game tentatively called “Name My Rotarian.” CU Sunrisers will be given a questionnaire asking questions about themselves, and at subsequent meetings these facts and interesting tidbits about our members will be read aloud and we’ll be asked to Name My Rotarian!
Central Interact is co-sponsoring a trivia event Saturday, March 30th with proceeds benefiting Austin’s Place. Please see the announcement sent by Michelle on February 28th to our members.
Mary Kay is going to Rotary Leadership Institute on March 30th at Richland Community College in Decatur. Join Mary Kay for a great six hours in learning about Rotary.
PROGRAM
Phyllis introduced Dr. Don Wuebbles, The Harry E. Preble Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and University of Illinois Presidential Fellow, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Wuebbles (Don) gave his presentation titled Climate Change and the Four Way Test (Don is a Rotarian).
Dr. Wuebbles is an expert in atmospheric physics and chemistry, with over 500 scientific publications related to the Earth’s climate, air quality, and the ozone layer. His work provides analyses and development of metrics used in national and international policy and in developing analyses for understanding climate impacts on society and ecosystems, plus potential societal responses. He has co-authored a number of international and national scientific assessments, including several international climate assessments led by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that resulted in IPCC being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.
Dr. Wuebbles has two degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois (1970, 1972) and a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of California, Davis (1983).
Don and his wife Barbara are both from farming families in Illinois. They met at the University of Illinois when they were students and have been married for nearly 50 years. They have 3 sons and 5 grandchildren.
Dr. Wuebbles discussed the importance of distinguishing weather and climate. Weather describes the climate in terms of weeks whereas climate describes the weather in terms of decades. According to Dr. Wuebbles, The warmest years on record (since the 1880’s start of record keeping) are: 2016, 2017, 2015, 2018, and 2014. The year 2018 is the wettest winter on record in the U.S.
There have been warmer periods in Earth’s history; the difference is that recent warming activity is occurring more rapidly. At the arctic, changes are occurring twice the rate observed at more temperate latitudes. Our climate is changing, it is happening now, and it is happening at an extremely rapid pace. Natural cycles cannot explain these changes.
Climate change is largely happening because of human activities and associated pollution. There are no credible alternative explanations. This assessment is data driven. Comparisons over time (1860 to present) of land surface temperature, sea surface temperature, tropospheric temperature, ocean heat content, humidity, snow cover, arctic sea ice and glacier mass all indicate a significant warming trend over this timeline and increasingly so since around 1980.
Certain types of extreme events show important trends both globally and in the United States: Heat waves are increasing in number and intensity, cold waves are decreasing, increased precipitation as larger events occur in the NE, increasing intensity of droughts in the SW, increased incidence of wildfires in the west and Alaska. Increasing intensity of hurricanes are expected and tornado activity will be more variable with an increase in outbreaks. The recent deadly large tornado in Alabama was not unto itself unusual, but the number of tornadoes that day was unusual making the intensity of any single one more difficult to predict.
Many lines of evidence demonstrate that human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gases, are primarily responsible for the observed climate changes.
What should we do?
There are only three options:
> Mitigation: measures to reduce the pace and magnitude of changes in the climate.
> Adaption: measures to reduce the adverse impacts on human well-being resulting from climate change.
> Suffering: the adverse impacts and societal disruption not avoided by mitigation or adaption.
What can you do?
> Speak up!
> Write your representatives
> Vote with care
> Be energy efficient: LED light bulbs, efficient appliances, cold water washing
> Eat organic, less meat, buy local
> Use mass transit, walk, etc.
>Drive fuel efficient vehicles
>Use solar or other renewable energy
Don ended with a quote from his colleague Sir David King, head of the Chemistry Department at Cambridge and science advisor to the Prime Minister of the U.K., “Climate change is not the biggest challenge of our time, it’s the biggest challenge of all time.”
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| Mar 14th | Mar 21st | Mar 28th | Apr 4th | |
| Introductions | Keith Brandau | Michelle Barbey | Ethan Chew | Paul Conforti |
| Reflection | Adam Wright | Ondine Gross | David Henry | Mary Hodson |
| Greeters | Keith Brandau | Michelle Barbey | Ethan Chew | Paul Conforti |
| Candy Loyd | Ben Mast | John McDaniel | Phyllis Mischo | |
| Song Leader | Darrell Hoemann | Larry Johnson | Bob La Charite | Candy Loyd |
| Notetaker | Penwell | Penwell | Hodson | Conforti |
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UPCOMING SCHEDULE (with program committee member responsible listed in parentheses)
March 14th – Kimberly Kendall will discuss Leisure, Aging, and Wellness (Tom)
March 21st – Eric Freyfogle, Research Professor and Swanlund Chair, Emeritus, University of Illinois College of Law will discuss dwindling wildlife populations (Bob)
March 28th – TBD (Charlie)
April 4th – Kathy Sweedler, University of Illinois Extension, will speak about the Money Mentor program (David)
April 11th – TBD (Mary)
April 18th – TBD (Ondine)
April 25th – TBD (Phyllis)
May 2nd – TBD (Tom)
May 9th – TBD (Bob)
May 16th – TBD (Charlie)
May 23rd – TBD (David)
May 30th – TBD (Mary)
June 6th – TBD (Ondine)
June 13th – Nichole Millage, Environmental Sustainability Specialist, City of Champaign Recycling, will speak about recycling(Phyllis)
June 20th – TBD (Tom)
June 27th – TBD (Bob)
July 4th – TBD
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