Posted by Jeff Benson on Apr 16, 2019

President Cindy Carlson opened the meeting with a thank you to all who contributed in any way to the Gold Plate Dinner on Friday.  Careful planning resulted in a great event that we can be proud of.  Several Rotarians (and one exchange student) came away from the event a little richer than when they arrived.  Maria Klakegg and Dana Rebelein each won $100, Susan Hoel won $650 and Nils Friberg won the $1,000 grand prize!

 

Just two days after the Gala, Rotarians, spouses and friends gathered at the Exchange to stuff plastic eggs with jelly beans and prize slips for the Easter Egg Hunt.  Thank you to all who participated.  Everyone is asked to arrive at Driftwood Park on 5th St NW (just west of Silver Lake Rd.) at 10AM on Saturday April 20th.  If park conditions warrant it, we may move the event to the adjacent church parking lot.

 

Ed James is still looking for one more volunteer to help with the Arbor Day tree giveaway at Bel Air Elementary at 9:30AM on April 26th.  Please call Ed if you can help.

 

President Cindy Carlson made us aware of the Northeast Youth and Family Services (NYFS) Leadership Luncheon on May 1st at Midland Hills.  Cindy would love to have you at her table, so let her know if you can join her.

 
Our noon meeting on April 30th will be off-site at St. John’s for the Community Support Center (CSC) Annual Luncheon.  We are a founding organization of CSC so it’s great to be able to show our support the great work they do in our community.
 
The Benedictine Gala is on May 17th at St John’s.  Talk to Nicole Ulrich if you would like to attend this great event.
  
Ed James said that our Feed My Starving Children event will be on May 28th from 8-930PM. 
  
Our inbound Japanese exchange student has been determined.  His name is Hirama Nanase.

 

Cindy read a thank you from Ruth Marg-Patton for honoring her late husband John in several ways at the Gold Plate Dinner.

 

New Brighton is again having a Community Open House on May 12th, from 8-12 Noon at the Community Center.  This is an opportunity to promote the club and all the great things we do in the community.  If anyone would like to represent us at the Open House, please let Cindy know.

 

The Mounds View Police Foundation sent a thank you card for our contribution to their Daddy-Daughter Dance.

 

Our Speaker today was Carol Arney.  Carol was raised in International Falls and moved to Hawaii with her family at age 18.  After earning her B.A. at the University of Hawaii, she worked in sales and marketing in the travel industry for 25 years, but in 1992 she changed career paths and received her Masters of Divinity in 1995.  She returned to Hawaii, was ordained and served in the Episcopalian priesthood until her retirement in 2015.  Since that time her growing concern about climate change issues has led her to study extensively and speak to groups about the climate crisis.

 

Carol customized her talk for a Rotary audience by applying the Rotary 4 Way Test to the issue of climate change.  Here is a brief summary of her presentation:

 

·         Is it the Truth? 

 What are the facts on the issue of climate change?  The idea that Carbon Dioxide (CO2) contributes to warming of the planet has been around since 1912.  Today we are putting 110 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every day and this CO2 traps the radiant heat from the sun within the atmosphere.  This has led to rapid rise in the average global surface temperature, especially since 1980.  The main source of this CO2 is the burning of fossil fuels.  In addition, the jet stream has redirected so that it is pushing warm air over the north Polar Regions where it is rapidly melting the polar ice cap.  The rise in global temperature has also led to the extremely dry conditions in some areas, leading to drought and much more frequent wild fires.

·         Is it Fair to All Concerned?

Although everyone suffers the effects of climate change, Carol said that the poor are much more likely to experience hardship due to flooding, drought, wild fires and flooding than are their more well-off counterparts.  Low lying coastal areas will be the first to feel the effects of rising ocean levels and cities like Miami and New York City are at the top of the list.  Carol indicated that the current cost of climate change is 653 billion dollars per year but that figure would rise dramatically if coastal cities begin to flood.  Another effect of climate change is that some areas have experienced sustained temperatures above 1300 F., making them uninhabitable.  Food supply and medical concerns are also on the horizon.

·         Will it Build Goodwill and Better Friendships? &  Will it be Beneficial to All Concerned?

As green energy initiatives like solar power generation, wind power generation and better power storage become inexpensive enough they will make carbon fuels economically less desirable.  This is happening much more rapidly than had been predicted and Minnesota is a national leader in development and utilization of these new technologies.  The 2015 Paris Climate Accord was a landmark achievement that had almost universal support around the world and it is still in force until 2020. It’s rare to get universal support on anything in today’s world, so Carol hopes it can still be salvaged.

 

Carol and Cindy are pictured below.