- JULY 11, 2024: Heat! How to Stay Cool, Sustainably, and How to Prepare for Hotter Summers
While the temperatures aboveº in June of 2021 still rank as the hottest days in Seattle, summers before and after have been hotter too. When we want to stay cool, using air conditioners or buying new clothes and gadgets can exacerbate climate change. Join us to learn about trends in temperatures in Seattle summers, what we can do to reduce the impact of higher temperatures on our bodies and homes, and how to stay cool in eco-friendly ways. We’ll also discuss research on innovative solutions such as topping buildings with white roofs, adding green spaces or water to urban areas, and developing materials that make buildings and clothes better able to reflect thermal radiation that can keep us cool without compounding climate change.
- AUGUST 8, 2024: How to Cope with Seattle’s Shift from Water Deluges to the now-frequent Droughts
Not long ago, droughts in Western Washington seemed unimaginable. Droughts now seem to happen on a regular basis, though, and water cutbacks have been required. We’ll share some of the science behind these shifts and the outlook for the future. We’ll then look at how we can prepare for drier times in our homes or gardens and how to participate in policy decisions that can help us cope.
- SEPTEMBER 12, 2024: How to Reduce the Huge Impact that Homes & Building have on Climate Change
The concrete, windows, lights, heat, furniture, fittings and other parts of our homes or office buildings cause more than 40% of global warming. How we manage these spaces matters. There are plenty of actions we can take and innovations we can use to reduce the climate impact. Learn what it is about your home or office that causes greenhouse gas emissions, then discuss what innovators are doing to come up with new solutions to reduce the climate impacts of buildings and what you can do at home and at work or even when you travel to minimize your impact.
- OCTOBER 10, 2024: Plant Trees for Cleaner, Healthier, Cooler Air
Trees provide a multitude of benefits, including reducing climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide, protecting against floods, providing shade that cools urban areas and gardens as well as fields or streams, and enhancing neighborhood ambience. Whether you plant a single tree or help communities plant trees, your efforts can help to care for creation. We’ll discuss why and how to plant trees, what species to select for a warmer future, ways to get free or low-cost trees, and how to participate in local or city tree-planting initiatives.
- NOVEMBER 14, 2024: Eat Pizza for the Planet—Making Meals that Reduce Climate Change
Two of the top 10 things people can do to reverse global warming, Project Drawdown found, are reducing food waste and eating a plant-rich diet. Our response is often, ‘Who, me? I don’t waste and I eat right!’ Despite what we think, our diets may not be as climate-friendly as we think. We’ll dig into the details to find out why our food has so much impact and what we can do about it. You can experiment with new dishes, for example, to eat lower-impact meals and reduce waste. If you’re a meat-eater, you can have less impact by doing something other than giving up meat. Learn how to change the way you shop, prepare different meals and use all the food you buy so you can be eco-friendly.
- DECEMBER 12, 2024: Reduce Plastic to avoid Gigatons of Carbon Emissions
Plastic is pervasive in our lives. Buying groceries in plastic bags or containers, gadgets and care parts made of plastic, plastic furniture and materials made of plastic and plastic bottles are just a few of the many places we see plastic. Reducing plastic production and usage could avoid 166 million metric tons of plastic by 2050 and avoid more than 5 gigatons of carbon dioxide emissions. We’ll start by considering all the places we use plastic, then discuss how to avoid it. We’ll also look at alternatives to plastic, how we can influence others to use less plastic, and new solutions that can replace plastic. Learn how to use less plastic in your everyday life.
