Lois Gibbs, Environmental Health & Justice Activist, to Speak in Lockport

                      Photo: James Neiss

Lois Gibbs, the former Niagara Falls resident who led the fight for evacuation of the Love Canal neighborhood plagued by toxic chemical pollution 40 years ago, will return for a speaking engagement and panel discussion.

Gibbs will speak on Saturday, November 3 at the Cornell Cooperative Extension, 4487 Lake Ave., Lockport [Map], for a discussion on local environmental issues. She will hold a meet-and-greet at 9 AM, a news conference at 9:30 and a panel discussion at 10 AM. The event is sponsored by the Niagara County Democratic Committee and is free and open to the public.
 
Lois Gibbs was critical in the creation of the Superfund, a federal government program designed to fund the cleanup of toxic wastes. Gibbs is the founder of the Center for Health, Environment and Justice and lives in Virginia.

The discussion panel will include:

• Lois Gibbs, Exec. Director of the Center for Health, Environment, and Justice

• Richard Lipsitz, WNY ALF President

• Russ Quarantello, IBEW 237 Business Manager

• Diane Lemanski, Babcock Neighborhood Organizer (Clean Air Coalition)

• Bev Kinney, Grand Island Town Councilwoman

• Representative for Citizens for Responsible Government  

Conference: World on Your Plate -- Food and Sustainable Living

FRIDAY Oct.5: Panel Discussion focused on the place-based “revolution” happening in the Buffalo-Niagara region. 

Panelists: Dennice Barr (Fruitbelt food and land trust), Deidra M. EmEl  (WNY Peace Center), Rahwa Ghirmatzion (Executive Director, PUSH Buffalo), Lynda Schneekloth (WNY Alliance & Sierra Club), Agnes Williams, (Indigenous Women’s Initiatives) and Alexander Wright (African Heritage Food Co-op).

SATURDAY Oct.6: Featured Speakers

• Jacqui Patterson - Director of NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program

• Sarah van Gelder - Author, columnist, founder & director of People’s Hub, co-founder of YES! Magazine

FOOD, WORKSHOPS, VENDORS & MORE: There will be a light dinner served on Friday. Refreshments and a local, organic, vegetarian lunch on Saturday, plus 14 workshops to choose from on a variety of issues, vendors, informational tables, music and more. 

WHEN: Friday October 5, 5pm-9pm and Saturday, October 6, 9am-4:30 pm

WHERE: Daemen College, Wick Student Center, 4380 Main St., Amherst [Map]

TICKETS:  $10 - $35; Students with ID & Pre-registered are FREE, scholarships are available. More information at WorldOnYourPlate.org

Presentations: Our Damaged Democracy - Can We Fix It?

Our Damaged Democracy: 

Can We Fix It?

Join us for what is certain to be a lively discussion, inspired by Our Damaged Democracy: We the People Must Act, the recent book by Joseph A. Califano, Jr. 

Featured panelists and their presentations are:
James E. Campbell, PhD, UB Distinguished Professor of Political Science, SUNY University at Buffalo, on polarization in American political life, plus the role and impact of the president
Jamie P. Pimlott, PhD, Associate Professor of Political Science, Niagara University, on the role of Congress, plus women in politics or the lack thereof
Peter Yacobucci, PhD, Associate Professor of Political Science, SUNY Buffalo State, on the role of the Supreme Court, current issues, plus ideas for conflict resolution

Monday, October 1 - 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site
641 Delaware Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14202 

The TR Site is easily reached via public transportation. Parking is free in the lot behind the building and is accessible from Delaware Avenue or Franklin Street (between Allen and North Streets. Note: Franklin Street is one-way northbound). 

Special thanks to our co-sponsors: The Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site and The Association for a Buffalo Presidential Center

 

Refreshments will be served. This event is free and open to the public. Please let us know you'll attend by making a reservation by calling the League office at 716-986-4898.

Public Meeting: Connecting Buffalo-Niagara and Toronto with Commuter Rail

CITIZENS FOR REGIONAL TRANSIT Quarterly Meeting

 
Connecting Buffalo-Niagara and the Larger Bi-National Region with Commuter Rail:
What's Feasible? Where to Start?

Free and Open to All
 

Tuesday, May 1, 2018
5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Doors open at 5:00 p.m.

First Presbyterian Church [Map]
1 Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY
 

The Citizens for Regional Transit quarterly meeting will feature Congressman Brian Higgins with panelists Pat Whalen, Director of the Niagara Falls Global Tourism Institute, and Bruce Becker, Vice President of the National Association of Rail Passengers.
 
When looking at a satellite image of the region between Toronto and Buffalo-Niagara, it becomes clear that it’s a contiguously urbanized area; we are part of a binational mega-region. This linear arrangement of urban centers has a population of nine million people and a combined GDP of $450 billion.

However, this mega-region is lacking one important feature: transit connectivity. With only one Amtrak train per day (in each direction), travel between U.S. cities and Toronto is largely limited to car. This creates recurring traffic congestion – especially at the international bridges and near Toronto. This impeded mobility also restricts economic opportunities.

 

The good news is that there have already been several steps toward making transit connectivity a reality, such as the opening of the new Niagara Falls, New York Amtrak Station; the planning of the new Buffalo downtown station; and the future extension of commuter rail from Toronto to Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Join Citizens for Regional Transit on Tuesday, May 1 to learn more about plans, challenges, and possibilities for the future of rail connections between Buffalo and Niagara Falls as a first step in linking Western New York to Toronto.

Buffalo Humanities Festival: ENVIRONMENTS

 

 Saturday, Sept. 30, 10:30 AM

Rockwell Hall, Buffalo State College

The full festival day begins with a performance by Deke Weaver of “BEAR and the Unreliable Bestiary” and continues with talks, panels, and community conversations focusing on issues of environmental justice and economic sustainability, activism and planning, and the global climate change crisis. 

Lunch by West Side Bazaar is included with tickets purchased by Sept. 25th. The closing reception features music by 12/8 Path Band and beer by Community Beer Works.


 Saturday Schedule

10:00 AM | Registration/Check-In Open

10:30 AM | Deke Weaver presents “BEAR and the Unreliable Bestiary”

11:30 AM | Session I

§  Panel Discussion: Listen! Youth Voices on Climate Justice | Members of Western New York Environmental Alliance’s Youth Climate Justice Campaign, Massachusetts Avenue Project, and Ujima Theatre

§  Reflecting on Earth’s Reflectance, or Adventures in Albedo Enhancement | Judith Goldman, Assistant Professor of English, University at Buffalo

§  Fostering Community Empowerment through Social Justice and Environmental Narratives | Erin E. Robinson, Professor of Sociology, Canisius College

§  Reimagining Education: Engaging Poverty in Higher Ed | Kevin D. Blair, Professor of Social Work and Chair of the Social Work Department, Niagara University and David B. Taylor, Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Niagara University

12:30 PM | Lunch by West Side Bazaar

1:15 PM | Session II

§  In Our Own Image | Eric Dolph, Professor of Interior Design, SUNY Buffalo State

§  Who Speaks for the Corals? Despair and Hope in the Anthropocene | Irus Braverman, Professor of Law and Adjunct Professor of Geography, University at Buffalo

§  Human Judgment and Environmental Impact | Jason Grinnell, Chair of the Philosophy Department and Associate Professor of Philosophy, SUNY Buffalo State and Amy McMillan, Interim Director of the Honors Program and Associate Professor of Biology, SUNY Buffalo State

§  Achieving a Regenerative Economy Through a Just Transition | Rahwa Ghirmatzion, Deputy Director of People United for Sustainable Housing, Inc. (PUSH Buffalo)

2:15 PM | Break

2:30 PM | Session III

§  Building The Future—What Makes An Effective Change Agent? | Ryan McPherson, Chief Sustainability Officer, University at Buffalo

§  My Walks with Olmsted | Adam Rome, Professor of History, University at Buffalo

§  Evolving Resistance and the Environmental Movement | Leslie James Pickering, former Spokesperson for the underground Earth Liberation Front and a Co-Owner of Burning Books and David Reilly, Director of International Studies and Chair of the Department of Political Science, Niagara University

§  Nature, Culture, Narrative | Barbara Porter, Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Canisius College

3:30 PM | Reception with music by 12/8 Path Band and beer from Community Beer Works

DOWNLOAD the Festival Program HERE

Panel Discussion: Solar-Powered Carousel Project - Learn about Progress and How to Get Involved

The Buffalo Heritage Carousel
A Solar Powered Carousel at Canalside!

At the Burchfield Penney Art Center
1300 Elmwood Avenue
Buffalo, New York 14222 
Saturday, September 30th at 10:30 am until 12:30 pm

~Free and Open to the Public~

Please join us on Saturday, September 30th at 10:30 am until 12:30 pm for an exciting and informative discussion of the wonderful progress that has been accomplished in the restoration of WNY 's own Buffalo Heritage Carousel, which will be Solar Powered! Find Out What's happening with the historic preservation of a locally manufactured treasure, and see how you can get involved in this extraordinary project, soon to be showcased at Canalside in  Buffalo,NY!

Featured Panelists will include:
 Principal Architect at Eco_Logic Studios,Kevin Connors
 UB Assistant Professor of Architecture, Martha Bohm
  Megan Hahin, Education Director of the Herschell Carousel Factory Museum
Rose Hirsch, Carousel Horse Restoration Specialist

For More Information Visit Us at:

http://buffaloheritagecarousel.org/

https://www.facebook.com/The-Buffalo-Heritage-CarouselInc-1002047593222179/

Panel Discussion: Buffalo at the Crossroads - Advocating for Climate Justice in a Cold City - Friday March 10 at 4:00 - 5:30 pm

Click for a Map to O'Brian Hall on the UB North Campus

Community Discussion: Problems and Solutions of Plastic Pollution in WNY

Free Film: CONTAINMENT - Nuclear Waste - What Can Governments Do to Protect Living Things Now?

Come See a Free Film: CONTAINMENT

Open to the Public
6:30PM, TUESDAY, February 21st
DAEMEN COLLEGE ~ Schenck Hall (Rm. 107)
4380 Main Street, Amherst [Map]

Panel Discussion after the Film:

 Hosted by:
Sierra Club Niagara Group
with NIRS, CEC, SNI/WaterWalkerz,  
Daemen College Global & Local Sustainability Program, and Paul A. Saffrin Center for Sustainability & Civic Engagement

Community Discussion: Problems and Solutions of Plastic Pollution

To REGISTER, click here

Report & Panel Discussion: Buffalo's Lead Poisoning Problem - What to Do About It?

EVENT

What to do about Buffalo's lead poisoning problem?

Investigative Post has painstakingly detailed the problem and our reporting has prompted city and county officials to take steps to begin addressing the problem.

On Wednesday, Nov. 16, Dan Telvock will recap his award-winning reporting on the topic and moderate a panel discussion with three national experts. Telvock's presentation and the panel discussion will identify the problems and assess the effectiveness of the measures put in place and consider what additional steps need to be taken.

Speaker panel participants include:

• Dr. Yanna Lambrinidou, an affiliate faculty member at Virginia Tech and founder of the non-profit children’s environmental health organization Parents for Nontoxic Alternatives.

• Elizabeth McDade, program coordinator of the Rochester Safe and Efficient Homes Initiative

• Dr. Marc Edwards, who the Washington Post described as “the heroic professor who helped uncover the Flint lead water crisis,” will participate via Skype. Edwards is professor of Civil Engineering at Virginia Tech. He and Lambrinidou also helped expose lead in the drinking water in Washington, D.C.

The Nov. 16 event is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site, 641 Delaware Ave.

Admission is $10 for the public and those who have purchased an Investigative Post membership at the Bronze level. There is no charge for Silver, Gold and Platinum members.

Tickets can be purchased online or at the door. A membership, which includes free admission to most Investigative Post events, can be purchased online.

Panel Discussion of Book: HALF EARTH - Our Planet's Fight for Life

FORUM: Taking Climate Action - Future of Western NY

WHEN: TUESDAY, December 8, 5:30pm Networking & more; 6:30pm Panel Discussion

WHERE: Buffalo Museum of Science, 1020 Humbolt Parkway [Map]

The WNY Environmental Alliance’s annual Environmental Congress is a future-oriented forum, exploring innovative solutions for a cleaner and sustainable WNY.

We're bringing together a panel of climate action leaders for a proactive and critical discussion of solutions being offered, their impacts on the WNY community and implications for climate justice. The panel represents a range of perspectives, including environment, science, social justice, local government, faith, labor and business.

Join us on December 8 at 5:30 pm!

There will be networking, refreshments and an exhibition of local projects demonstrating climate innovation. Also view the fantastic Museum of Science second floor exhibits that will be open to our guests.

RSVP HERE to attend

The panel discussion will begin at 6:30 pm  

PANELISTS:
- Business  – Joseph Mendelson, Director, Policy & Electricity Markets and Regulatory Counsel, SolarCity
- Environment – Adrienne Bermingham, Roots & Shoots Program Coordinator, The Jane Goodall Institute
- Social Justice – Anne Petermann, Executive Director, Global Justice Ecology Project
- Public Sector – Brendan Mehaffy, Executive Director, Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning
- Science – Jason Briner, Associate Prof. of Geology, University at Buffalo
- Labor and Economic Justice – Franchelle C. Hart, Executive Director, Open Buffalo
Moderator – Robert Shibley, Dean of the UB School of Architecture and Planning; One Region Forward

RSVP HERE to attend

Check out the Event and Activity on Facebook

EVENT PARTNERS:   
- Rise up for Climate Justice Campaign of WNY: visit their website and Facebook page 
- WNY Sustainable Business Roundtable: visit their website

Panel Discussion: How is Buffalo Niagara really doing?

Buffalo Niagara: How Are We Really Doing?

A panel of local experts will answer this question. The panel will be hosted by Larry Brooks, author of the new book Buffalo Niagara: Diagnosis and Prescription for Change.

The panel includes:

• Philip Haberstro, Executive Director, Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo & WNY
• Jay Burney, Founder and Chair, Friends of Times Beach Nature Preserve
• Sam Magavern, Co-director, Partnership for the Public Good
• Marlies Wesolowski, Executive director, Lt. Col Matt Urban Human Services Center

RIVERKEEPER FORUM: Unexpected Voices of the Great Lakes

 Join  Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper this Wednesday from 6:30pm-8:30pm for a very special event at the Albright-Knox Gallery: Unexpected Voices of the Great Lakes, a panel discussion featuring internally acclaimed photographer Edward Burtynsky, whose artwork is pictured below. Burtynsky will discuss how his connection to the Great Lakes shaped his craft and the predominant theme in his images, "nature transformed through industry." The panel discussion following Burtynsky's talk will include:
    •    Allan Jamieson, a member of the Wolf Clan of the Cayuga People. He has worked with numerous native communities on issues related to water access. He is a founder of Neto, a Native American nonprofit based in Buffalo that started the Buffalo Creek Treaty Canoe Paddle held annually on the Buffalo River.
    •    Sandy Smith Cunningham, an educator from Nichols School in Buffalo whose innovative seventh-grade science curriculum teaches the principles of chemistry through the lens of the Great Lakes and environmental resources. She has been deeply involved in Great Lakes education and outreach.
    •     Jill Jedlicka, executive director of Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper. Jedlicka is a recognizable local expert on water quality issues and Great Lakes policy. She will provide a rare insight and reflection of her own personal journey to lead one of the world's largest Waterkeeper organizations.

The panel also will include a student from South Park High School in Buffalo who is active in his school's efforts to educate and inform a new generation about the importance of the Great Lakes and its tributaries.

This event is a collaboration between Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper and the International Joint Commission's Great Lakes Water Quality Board.  


Please RSVP here. This event is free and open to the public. We hope to see you at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery (1285 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, New York) on Wednesday, May 13 from 6:30-8:30pm!

The Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper Team

[Click image to enlarge]

Symposium on Fracking and NY State Law [Updated 9.24.2013]

Fractured Communities -

Hydraulic Fracturing and the Law in New York State.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013.

---

Organized by the Albany Law Review

Co-sponsored by the Government Law Center

Where: Dean Alexander Moot Courtroom, Albany Law School, Albany, NY 12208

UPDATE - 9.24.2013: Watch the event via live webstream starting at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 24.

When: 11:00 a.m.

Welcome by Michael White '14, Executive Editor for Symposium

Opening remarks and introductions by President and Dean, Penelope (Penny) Andrews

Panel discussion: Four hydraulic fracturing experts will discuss climate impacts, land use and real estate issues, and economic impacts associated with natural gas drilling.

Speakers include:

• Elizabeth Burleson, Pace Law Professor and Fulbright Senior Specialist on Climate Change

• Sorell E. Negro, Associate, Robinson & Cole

• Karen Moreau '85, Executive Director, New York State Petroleum Council

• Elisabeth Radow, Chair, Committee on Energy, Agriculture and the Environment of the League of Women Voters of New York

Moderator: Tom Wilber, author, Under the Surface: Fracking, Fortunes, and the Fate of the Marcellus Shale

1:30 p.m.

Debate: The legal and policy implications of Norse Energy Corp., USA v. Town of Dryden, the Third Department's decision upholding municipal bans on natural gas drilling, and the future of natural gas extraction in New York.

Featuring:

Accelerating the Implementation of Renewable Energy

 7:30 p.m., Monday, November 26

 Daemen College, 4380 Main Street, Amherst, Room 336, 

Duns Scotus Hall

Free and Open to the Public

Keynote Speaker:

• Bill Nowak, Sierra Club Energy Committee member, Author of Clean Energy –FIT Report

Panelists 

• Dave Hahn Baker, Environmental and Political Consultant 
• Ellen Banks, Professor, Psychology, Daemen College 
• Sarah Carpenter, Sustainability Major, Daemen College

Moderator

• Walter Simpson, energy educator, Daemen College Instructor (www.energyreallymatters.com)

Printable Flier and Map: Click Here

Scientists have been telling us that global warming is likely to result in increasingly devastating extreme weather events as we continue to burn fossil fuels and add more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.  Superstorm Sandy is a horrific example of the type of extreme weather that is in store for us. But how can we respond effectively and achieve a clean energy economy with all due speed?  While renewable energy resources like wind and solar are said to be our future, the deployment of these technologies has been painfully slow despite existing government programs and incentives.  This public discussion will examine how a Feed-in Tariff (FIT) could speed up the transition from fossil fuels to renewables within a timeframe consistent with addressing climate change and providing needed green jobs.  In the last three years a Clean Energy FIT program has created more than 22,000 green jobs in Ontario!  Why not in New York?!

This panel discussion is presented as part of the Alternative & Renewable Energy Issues course in Daemen's Global & Sustainability program.  For information on this exciting new major and minor, visit www.daemen.edu/sustainability.  For more information about the panel discussion, wsimpson@daemen.edu or 839-0062.
 

CLIMATE CHANGE: What Can and Should We Do Now?

7:30 p.m., Monday, October 15

Daemen College

4380 Main Street, Amherst

Room 336, Duns Scotus Hall

Free and Open to the Public

Keynote speaker

Ross Gould, Energy & Air Program Director, Environmental Advocates of New York (www.eany.org)

Panelists

• Bob Berger, UB Law Professor (retired)
• Samantha Legros, Business  Major/Sustainability Minor, Daemen  College
• Terry Yonker, Chair, Energy & Climate Task Force, WNY Environmental Alliance

Moderator

• Walter Simpson, energy educator & activist, Daemen College Instructor (www.energyreallymatters.com)

Printable Flyer & Map: click here.

Scientists have known for decades that climate change is real and potentially catastrophic yet to a large extent we – as a society - have ignored and denied the problem and done little about it.  This panel discussion will present a positive statewide and national climate protection policy and activist agenda.  It will also address these questions:  Have we waited too long to protect the future for our children and avoid the worst consequences of climate change?  Is effective action -- proportionate to the threat we face -- possible given ongoing political conflict in our country and the power for fossil fuel interests?  What should those who understand the danger and care about the future be doing now?

This panel discussion is presented as part of the Alternative & Renewable Energy Issues course in Daemen's Global & Sustainability program.  For information on this exciting new major and minor, visit www.daemen.edu/sustainability.  For more information, wsimpson@daemen.edu or 839-0062.

Green Frontier: Clean Energy Roundtable

• WHAT: Roundtable Discussion on Clean Energy

• WHEN: Saturday, April 21, 2pm-4pm

• WHERE: Burchfield Penney Art Center, 1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo

Speakers at the Roundtable will address various aspects of the energy issue and are Lynda Schneekloth, Rita Yelda, Bill Nowak and Walter Simpson.  It promises to be a lively, interesting, and Earth Day-relevant event.

Free and Open to Public

To see an event flier, click here. 

Community Forum: Hydraulic Fracturing for Natural Gas

"Gas Wells: What You Don't Know Could Hurt You"

Information Program on

Horizontal Hydraulic Fracturing for Natural Gas

WHEN: Thursday, May 19, 2011
WHERE: Senior Center, Town of Colden, NY [Map]
HOST: Mike Essrow

AGENDA:

• 7:00pm - Welcoming Remarks and Introduction of Panelists

• 7:15pm - A film excerpt from "Split Estates" [Video]
  

• 7:40pm - Presentations by Dennis Holbrook, Norse Energy Corp., and Brad Gill, Independent Oil and Gas Association of NY
  

• 8:00pm - Presentations by Elise Able, Community Activist, and Albert Brown, Community Activist

• 8:20pm - Questions for Panelists - Questions from Guests (less than 1 minute long), followed by Responses from panelists
  

• 9:00pm - Wrap-up

For earlier reports and videos about Horizontal Hydraulic Fracturing, click here.