Our event for Climate Impacts Day on Saturday (5/5/12) was small, but successful. Cindy Haynes of C. C. Blooms, who so generously allowed us to gather at her shop, was home sick, and we were bummed not to have her with us. But we were joined by Coyote (2nd from right) who is backpacking along the east coast, and walked to Lunenburg from Groton, MA specifically to attend the event. And later in the afternoon Jay Weiner (far right) stopped by to make some connections with our programs and share some local opportunities that we hope to be involved with in the future . The lovely Claudette isn’t pictured (because she took the picture, and was adamant about not having her photo taken), but was instrumental in the success of our little gathering in many ways.
Our focus on Saturday was the effect several severe storms have had in central Massachusetts over the past 4 years. Locally, we still talk about the ’08 ice storm that left many residents without power for nearly 2 weeks. And Hurricane Irene and the October Snowstorm of 2011 left widespread damage that will remain noticeable for some time to come. We chatted with a few folks who stopped by the store, and shared stories of how our lives have been impacted by the increasingly erratic weather.
If you’d like more information about how climate change will continue to affect the weather (and the world), visit 350.org, the ClimateDots.org website and download this Severe Storm fact sheet to help inform others. And please take some time to visit ClimateDots.org, and view some of the amazing – and heart-wrenching – photos that were taken around the world on 5/5/12. This is real. This is now. Severe weather threatens everyone. No one will be exempt from the damages of climate change caused by humans.
Although this doesn’t fall into my traditional Nature Notes activities, I’m including it for this week seeing as I was spending time outdoors, educating folks about the connections between human actions and the effects on our natural world. Rachel Carson said something to the effect of never being able to be at peace in nature if she didn’t speak up against the atrocities committed against our Earth. I couldn’t agree more.
Those are some amazing pictures on the climate dots website. It’s an interesting project. There was an event in my town as well, but we were leaving for vacation and couldn’t go.
I saw that there were a number of events in southern/coastal Maine! Hope you had a great vacation (are you back?)!
Nope. Just on my iPad sipping coffee by the beach and reading blogs. 🙂
Jealous! Sounds relaxing – hope it is! Enjoy the rest of your vacation, and have safe travels home.
I love the photo and I am going to go look at the links..this is scary….
If by scary, you’re referring to the already documented events linked to climate change, I’d have to agree. But one thing I did get from the ClimateDots.org website is just how many people around the world are also concerned, and are taking action. I actually found it more uplifting, seeing as I tend to be on the pessimistic side to begin with. 🙂
It’s good to know that people are trying..so much bad is in the news and not enough good….
Definitely not enough good news. My attitude on Saturday was, ‘at least we’re doing something, even if it’s a small something.’ I could have just as easily been informed about Climate Impacts Day and not taken action (as I too often do…).
I think this was a great, informative post for Nature Notes. I’m going to go and look at your links! (Also, I like the spider web in the background of your blog!)
Thanks Libby! And thanks for visiting – love your blog!
and still many people don’t get it
thanks for all work you and your group do
So true, Dianne. Thanks for visiting!
Awesome photo! Sorry I wasn’t there! Any sensible person should ‘get it’… we just can’t keep doing what we’re doing, and expect there to be no consequences.
You’d think so, and yet look at how much useless – and harmful – ‘stuff’ is still pushed on people every day through TV, computers, radio, print advertising, etc. Until corporations – who’s only interest is profit – are no longer controlling our economy (and our society, even if we don’t want to admit it), behaviors aren’t going to change for a majority of Americans.