Climate Change

We have a conversation about the new Office of Renewable Energy Siting. The office streamlines and expedites the siting of large-scale renewable energy projects in the state. We talk about the office's goals with local climate leaders.

Our guests:

• Neely Kelly, renewable energy advocate and community organizer
• David Alicea, NY lead organizing representative for the Sierra Club
• Dominique LePoutre, Caledonia resident
  

Plastic usage, and plastic waste, has risen during the pandemic. Part of that is because we're in the world of takeout dining, and plastic packaging is everywhere.

Our guests discuss how we can find ways to reduce our own contribution to landfills - plastic and otherwise. They bring thoughtful ideas to everyday living. Our guests:

• Harshita Sood, assistant director for campus sustainability at RIT
• Fenna Mandolang, MRF operations manager for Modern Corporation
• Gary Carrel, solid waste recycling specialist at Eric County, and board member for New York State Reduction, Reuse, and Recycling (NYSAR3)
• Melissa Young, assistant director at the Syracuse University Center for Sustainable Community Solutions, and board member for New York State Reduction, Reuse, and Recycling (NYSAR3)
• Marielle Jensen-Battaglia, local resident who has significantly reduced her use of plastic products
  

We discuss climate migration. According to the New York Times, one percent of the world today is a barely livable hot zone; by 2070, that percentage could increase to 19 percent. Millions of people around the world have left their homelands to escape extreme weather conditions that have destroyed crops and ways of life. Researchers say that number will only increase due to the effects of climate change. The California wildfires have left many Californians asking if they should move. Last February, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown declared his city a climate refuge. Rochester has become home to thousands of people from Puerto Rico fleeing the damage of Hurricane Maria.

This hour, we discuss climate migration from a number of angles. Our guests:

• Congressman Joe Morelle, co-sponsor of the Climate Displaced Person's Act
• Brady Fergusson, member of the Rochester chapter for Citizens' Climate Lobby
• Dennis Olmedo, native of Puerto Rico who moved to Rochester
• Abrahm Lustgarten, senior environmental reporter for ProPublica
  

Fires on the west coast turned skies a sickening orange color for days, and eventually all that smoke and haze drifted all the way to Rochester. Our ostensibly sunny days last week were eerily gray. The dark orange in the west scared children and caused health concerns, particularly for people with breathing challenges.

Three of our guests are Rochester natives who now live in California and want listeners to understand just how frightening the sky had become. And we discuss the impact of climate change on our lives. Our guests:

• Joseph Henderson, Ph.D., lecturer in the Department of Environment & Society at Paul Smith's College of the Adirondacks
• Alison Konecki, arts professional and avid camper
• Allie Larkin, author and avid hiker
• Alex Wegman, writer and full-time mother
  

More than 3,000 local households will be part of a brand new community solar program — the first of its kind in the country. Here's the idea: Community solar is designed to enable households to receive the benefits of solar energy—lower electricity costs and reduced carbon gas emissions—without having to install panels on their home or property. But how does it actually work? Who pays for it? What are the drawbacks?

Our guests sort through the sometimes-complicated details to explain community solar, and what is coming to local villages. Our guests:

• Sue Hughes Smith, member of Roctricity
• Ben Frevert, member of Roctricity
• Mayor Margay Blackman, Village of Brockport
• John Wadach, trustee for the Village of Lima
• Jessica Stromback, managing director for Joule Assets
  

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli joins us to discuss his latest actions regarding climate, and where the state invests its money. DiNapoli recently defended New York State as being among the most responsible governments in the world when it comes to investing or divesting from fossil fuels.

Youth climate leaders have called for aggressive action in making sure the state is not investing or propping up fossil fuels in any way. How do they view DiNapoli’s performance? We discuss it with our guests:

• Thomas DiNapoli, New York State Comptroller
• Hridesh Singh, board secretary for the Rochester People’s Climate Coalition, co-founder of the Brighton High School Climate Club, member of the leadership team for the Rochester Youth Climate Leaders, and executive director of the New York Youth Climate Leaders
• Liam Smith, co-director of governmental affairs for the New York Youth Climate Leaders
  

Back in March at the outset of the pandemic, we heard predictions that this crisis would change the way Americans view climate action. Months later, we're getting some real research into whether that's true. The Nature Conservancy wanted to find out what New Yorkers think about making parks and open space more accessible and permanent. They wanted to know what New Yorkers think about how we travel, what we build, and how many resources we use.

On Connections, they reveal what they've found, and what it means for climate action. Our guest:

• Jim Howe, director of the Nature Conservancy in Central and Western New York 

The Rochester Regional Group of the Sierra Club has postponed its Earth Day Environmental Forum, but its members are pushing forward with their work.

We’re joined by several of the forum’s presenters who discuss how climate change impacts at-risk communities, specifically in terms of health. It’s a conversation about environmental justice with our guests:

• Peter Debes, vice chair of the Rochester Regional Group of the Sierra Club
• Kim Smith, community organizer, and candidate for NYS Senate, 61st District
• Ron Garrow, Akwasasne Mohawk, Bear Clan, and cultural advisor for SURJ ROC 
• Dorian Hall, leader of the PLEX Neighborhood Association
• Terry Chaka, executive director of the Baobab Center
• Pastor Jonathan McReynolds, Aenon Baptist Church
  

Earth Day is coming, and even during the pandemic, there's a lot going on. We talk with guests who are engaged in the following efforts: Developing a "Go All Electric" campaign to promote beneficial electrification; working on a framework to support the formation of citizen action teams in local municipalities; partnering with the City Wide Tenant Union to engage renters in advocating for healthy, efficient, affordable housing; intervening in RG&E's rate case; and convening a formal, climate-focused collective impact initiative for the Finger Lakes region.

Our guests:

• Katie Rygg, co-lead for the Rochester chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby
• Hridesh Singh, senior at Brighton High School, board secretary for the Rochester People’s Climate Coalition, co-founder of the Brighton High School Climate Club, and member of the leadership team for the New York Youth Climate Leaders
• Calvin Eaton, executive director of 540WMain Communiversity
• Abby McHugh-Grifa, executive director of Rochester People's Climate Coalition