New Conservation Lecture Series Launched In Greenwich

From the Town of Greenwich:
September 27 2019

Conservation Commission Partners with Local Conservation Groups to Host a Wednesday-Night Environmental Lecture Series on Climate Change

The Conservation Commission is thrilled to announce a free environmental lecture series on Climate Change topics that will be held at several locations in Greenwich every Wednesday night during the months of October and November. Aleksandra Moch, Environmental Analyst with the Conservation Commission stated, “We worked with many local conservation partners to make this lecture series happen and are excited with the wide range of topics covered. Each lecture will provide an educational piece of a puzzle to assemble a coherent view of the problem and provide the solutions reachable to the attendees.”

Starting October 2, this program will run eight consecutive Wednesday nights. The target audience of the program is property owners, high school students, and anyone concerned about climate change. As the world warms, extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense, sea levels are rising, prolonged droughts are putting pressure on food crops, and many animal and plant species are being driven to extinction. It’s hard to imagine what we as individuals can do to resolve a problem of this scale and severity.

The good news: We are not alone. People, communities, cities, businesses, schools, faith groups and other organizations are taking action, and so are we! This Environmental Lecture Series is intended to prepare our community for what is coming and provide the tools to get ready at home and in town. Everyone can make a difference.

Well diversified, experienced speakers and panel discussions will convey a wealth of information to arm the listeners with practical knowledge. This lecture series wouldn’t be possible without the support of our local conservation partners, including the Greenwich Botanical Center, Greenwich Land Trust, Greenwich Audubon, Waste Free Greenwich under Greenwich Recycling Advisory Borad, and EV Club of Connecticut. This program consists of the following schedule:

10/2 EcoBeneficial Gardening: Boosting the Ecosystem in Your Own Yard

Location: Greenwich Botanical Center (7:00 pm)

Kim Eierman, CH, AOLCP, Founder of EcoBeneficial explains how the design choices you make, the plants you select, and the maintenance practices you use can make a huge difference in creating a beautiful, healthy ecosystem, filled with life.

10/9 Healthy Yards – Using Yard Waste to Improve Soil Health

Location: Arch Teen Center (6:00 pm)

Aleksandra Moch, Conservation Commission and Darrin Wigglesworth, Parks and Recreation with hands of experience will demonstrate how to reuse yard wastes (leaves and grass clippings) and food scraps to benefit soil. Free compost bins for participants.

10/16 What’s so Bad about Pesticides?

Location: Greenwich Botanical Center (7:00 pm)

Dr. German Cutz, UCONN Associate Extension Educator will answer questions such as: How much pesticides gets into our food? What are the effects on our health and the environment? Is there a safer alternative?

10/23 Coping and Coexisting with Coyote

Location: Greenwich Land Trust (7:00 pm)

Chris Nagy, Ph.D. Director of Research and Education – Mianus River Gorge and

Co-founder of Gotham Coyote will discuss how coyotes modify their behavior to live in suburban environments, and how they interact with and impact the habitat around them.

10/30 PFAS – Emerging Contaminants – What do You need to Know

Location: Greenwich Audubon (7:00 pm)

Anne Hulick, CT Director of Clean Water Action will introduce the contaminants and point out everyday items which contain them. Christopher Perkins, Laboratory Director at the Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Institute of the Environmental, UConn will present his study conducted off Greenwich shore.

11/6 Climate Change – What to Expect in Greenwich

Location: Greenwich Audubon (7:00 pm)

Alexander Felson, Director of Resilience Design, Deputy Executive Director of Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation will walk the audience through the new resiliency study in Greenwich and provide wealth of information to get the participants prepared for the effects of climate change.

11/13 Waste Management – Ecological and Economic Impacts (THMR)

Location: Town Hall Meeting Room (7:00 pm)

A panel of experts consisting of Julie DesChamps, GRAB, Sherill Baldwin, CT DEEP – Waste Diversion, Ron Schulhof & Michelle Sterling, Scarsdale Conservation Advisory Council, and Braeden Cohen, Sustainable Materials Management Inc. will discuss and answer questions pertaining to the changing economics and how Greenwich is stepping up their efforts in waste diversion exploring new markets and opportunities.

11/20 Trends to Watch in the Energy Transformation of 2020 – What is There for You

Location: Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich

Elizabeth Di Salvo, AIA, Trillium Architects will cover renewable energy trends in designs of residential properties while Bruce Redman Becker, FAIA, LEED AP, President, EV Club of Connecticut will talk about emerging trends in electric car industry.

For more information, please visit our website: https://www.greenwichct.gov/29... or Facebook page: @GreenwichConservationCommission

This press release was produced by the Town of Greenwich. The views expressed here are the author’s own.