President Linda Gerber welcomed members to the meeting before Harvey Newcomb led the group in the Why We Are Rotarians statement.  Harvey shared a Thought for the Day from Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel on this anniversary of Kristallnacht: “The opposite of love is not hate; it’s indifference”.

 

 

Using the phrase “full speed ahead,” Marisa Naujokas noted that the Holiday Sale website is open for orders.  Please don’t wait until the last minute to place your orders.  When possible, use your affiliate link (which creates records for you as the Seller) and share it when reaching out to friends and family.  This Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom, Jean Saunders will host a (recorded) training session for new members.   If you’re confused about affiliate links or any part of the sale, please email Jean to obtain the Zoom link.  You’re also encouraged to consider a ham donation.  This year we will be distributing donated hams equitably to the Chessmen, C & W Foundation, Connections for the Homeless, and Evanston Latinos.  In the words of Bryant Wallace and Clarence Weaver, let’s create a sense of comfort and eliminate a stress point for these families in our community.

 

Ann Weatherhead explained that our club has planned a food drive to support C & W’s grocery giveaway.  An email with product suggestions will be sent to all members.  Items will be collected at Sherman Plaza on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.  Clarence thanked the group and invited club members to help with the grocery distribution this Saturday at 8 a.m.   EL Rotarians are invited to come to the corner of Church and Dodge, where they’ll be directed to the appropriate area.  Distribution begins at 9 a.m. and concludes by about 10 a.m.  This is a great opportunity to see the impact we’re having in the community.  Simultaneously, we can show Evanston that diversity matters to us!   Clarence also offered to be a sounding board or conversation partner for questions you may have about diversity and race. 

 

Katherine Peterson announced that the Club Service Committee will meet next on Wednesday, Nov. 10, at 7:30 a.m. via Zoom.  Helen Oloroso summarized the results of a recent Christmas party survey.  With 46 members voting, the preference was for heavy hors d-oeuvres and beverages (beer, wine, non-alcoholic) provided by the club.  The party is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 12, 5 p.m., in the Sherman Plaza Hospitality Suite with details forthcoming. 

 

Kathy Tate-Bradish reported that President Linda Gerber has formed an ad hoc committee to explore financial sustainability for our club. The two main topics are first, the possibility of starting an endowment fund, and second, exploring solutions to the problem of budgeting and giving grants based on current income, as we do now, which requires waiting to hear how much we make from each of our events. One idea for the second endeavor could be that the club cuts spending across committees by approximately 30 percent for each of the next three years in order to build up a reserve equivalent to one year’s committee budgets.  At that point, we would be able to spend without depending upon the fundraising results of the same club year.   Anyone with an interest or expertise in this area should let Linda know to be invited to the next committee meetings.

 

Ann Searles reminded the club that the memorial service for Linc Janus will be held Saturday, Nov. 13, at 2 p.m. at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 939 Hinman Ave., at the corner of Lee Street, Evanston. Attendees are required to be vaccinated and masked.  Parking is often difficult in the neighborhood so please allow extra time.   The service will also be live streamed.  Here is the link:   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCbVL6j78IaO_NQS6g3O-ug   It is also accessible through the funeral home website. If people cannot watch it live, it usually takes a day or two for it to be posted on the St. Luke's website.

 

Bruce Baumberger suggested that online attendees use Zoom “Speaker View” to take advantage of the ‘spotlight’ that they’re using.

 

Club Service announced that to keep in-person events safe for everyone, they ask that you please wear a mask throughout the in-person club meetings at the Sherman Plaza Hospitality Suite.

 

 

 

Linda Gerber installed Dan Coyne as a new member of our club. She described Dan as a man whose heart is rooted in Evanston. He and his wife, Emily, have lived here for almost 30 years and have raised children Isaac and Julia.  An active member of Reba Place Church, Dan teaches peacemaking to young students at Lincoln and Oakton Schools and works with at-risk youth through Chicago Voyagers.  He’s also an active advocate for affordable housing in Evanston.  Dan encouraged all to get hold of their “time in between,” that is, between birth and death, using it to improve the world and foster community.

 

 

 

Highland Park resident Nancy Tuchman introduced herself as the Dean of the new School of Environmental Sustainability (SES) at Loyola University.  An ecologist who has studied the Great Lakes for more than 30 years, Nancy noted that Loyola University has been on a 20-year journey to be a more sustainable university with a low carbon footprint.  Loyola has begun to divest from investments in the fossil fuel sector and aspires to ‘net zero’ energy use on all four campuses. 

 

Environmental sustainability is important to young people who are interested in being part of the solution. The new SES has already attracted 500 students, at the undergraduate and graduate levels.  Nancy praised Evanston’s focus on environmental sustainability and the community’s progressive stand on race.

 

Nancy showed a schematic developed by the Stockholm Resilience Center. which quantifies the damage done to the world by major perturbations to the planet.  Concentric circles represent increasingly unsafe conditions and tipping points.  We, as humans, can utilize resources, but there is a limit to how much we can extract and pollute before a tipping point is reached beyond which the earth cannot repair itself.

 

In the areas of biodiversity, climate change, land system changes, biogeochemical flows (essentially nitrogen and phosphorus pollution), we are in dangerous territory. 

 

There are a number of major threats to the Great Lakes.  First, global climate change has caused unprecedented rising and falling water levels, erosion of shorelines and coastal wetlands, and warming and lower dissolved oxygen capacity.   The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a respected authority drawing from 350 nations, produces a state of the planet report every five years. 

 

Their recent report was titled CODE RED for Humanity, reflecting how we’re pushing the limits on the earth’s ability to maintain its major systems. 

 

We’re routinely exceeding the CO2 tipping point (350 parts per million) for climate change.  Yesterday’s reading was 412 ppm, part of an exponentially climbing curve.  Nancy voiced some hope, however, for the ongoing Glasgow COP26 Conference.   

 

Greenhouse gases have shot up since the Industrial Revolution.  Global temps and CO2 track up together.  Land development compounds the problem as trees are removed and replaced with commerce and human development.

 

With a series of maps, Nancy explained the climate extremes that we can expect to see (2041-2070): significantly more days over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, fewer days of frost (important for pest management), more intense precipitation and flooding, coupled with long periods of drought. Our own Lake Michigan’s water level was up 36” in 2020 and 22” in 2021.  The threat is very real and it is local!

 

A second key threat relates to nitrogen and chemical pollution.  The heavy use of fertilizers in agriculture practices, especially CAFOS (concentrated animal feeding operations), and industrial chemical pollution affect our rivers and ultimately the Great Lakes.  High intensity, industrial agriculture (often monoculture cropping) requires lots of chemicals and negatively impacts the soil.  CAFOS, where animals are permanently jammed into warehouses, release tremendous amounts of fecal material with no concern for water treatment. 

 

The loss of Biodiversity also negatively impacts our freshwater lakes.  As invasive species (zebra mussels, alewives, Asian carp) invade and take over, they crowd out native animals and plants.  This can also create potentially dangerous large algal blooms.  Similarly, invasive plant species – including particular reeds and purple loosestrife – squeeze out native vegetation, creating a monoculture. 

 

This means little support for native inhabitants of the area (fish, ducks, turtles, etc.)    Invasive species disrupt the balance of the food web, reducing biodiversity and habitat diversity, and they are nearly impossible to eradicate. When speaking of the Great Lakes, overfishing can be an additional problem.

 

How can we reduce our carbon footprint as individuals?  Most impactful is to reduce the meat in your diet (or be selective where you buy, supporting farmers that are producing food the right way). Meat consumption impacts climate change, nitrogen runoff, and the loss of biodiversity.  You can plant trees in your landscape, reduce turf grass, and increase the use of prairie plants.  You can support the time-tested organizations that are doing good work in the field. 

 

Consider backing Bill McKibben’s 350.org, the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, or the Nature Conservancy – and VOTE for people who will continue to fight the fight!