(Chelsea Update would like to thank Patty Roberts for the information in this story.)
The Chelsea District Library welcomes Eric Harrington, a member of the Climate Reality Leadership Corps, initiated by former vice president Al Gore, on Monday, April 21 from 7-8:30 p.m.
He will explore the causes and consequences of climate change in a talk “Climate: Our Chaotic Future.”
These consequences are real, they are happening now, humanity is contributing to them, and there are solutions, according to information about the talk.
This event is offered in partnership with the Adult Learners Institute and registration is required.
In anticipation of Earth Day 2014, Harrington will also share information about the effects of climate change on the Great Lakes and the state of Michigan.
His presentation is based on the work of the Climate Reality Project, founded by Al Gore following the release of the book and film An Inconvenient Truth.
Harrington spent three days in Chicago during the summer of 2013 training to be a member of the Climate Reality Leadership Corps, along with over 1,200 other people from all 50 states and approximately 75 countries.
“It was quite an experience, learning the ins-and-outs of the presentation, as well as methods of using stories to make such presentations personal and persuasive. In addition, meeting people from all over the country and the world was inspirational,” Harrington said in a press release.
The training has also led to his involvement in the Citizens Climate Lobby, which is campaigning to institute a carbon fee-and-dividend on fossil fuels.
The topic of climate change, while not new, is a timely one. On March 31, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report entitled Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. According to their press release, this report “details the impacts of climate change to date, the future risks from a changing climate, and the opportunities for effective action to reduce risks.” This report and its dire warnings were broadly covered by major news outlets, including New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Fox News.
Harrington is a sustainability consultant with a mission to help businesses save money, reduce risk, and enhance their brands by implementing sustainability strategies such as waste elimination, toxics reduction, and the like.
Before becoming a solo sustainability consultant, he did sustainability work for organizations as diverse as the US Department of Energy, Interface Corporation, and NSF International. He lives just outside of Chelsea with his wife Anita, daughter Megan, son Noah (when he is not off at college), two cats, one dog, and eight chickens.
