Medford Climate Action Network

Climate Change Lecture Series

Climate Change Lecture Series

To raise the level of awareness in our community about global climate change and what can be done about it, MedfordCAN has organized a lecture series at the Medford Public Library for 2004.

Spring 2004

Wednesday, March 31st, at 7:00 p.m.
BLUE VINYL
A film by
Judith Helfand and Daniel Gold,
Toxic Comedy Pictures (2001, 94 minutes)

http://bluevinyl.org

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is the second most common plastic today (after polyethylene); over 14 billion pounds are produced annually in North America, most of which are used in construction (pipes, insulation, siding, etc).

The widespread use of PVC, however, carries a large environmental cost. Some of its manufacturing by products, in particular dioxin and vinyl chloride, bio-accumulate in the food chain and are associated with a variety of health problems such as cancer. Some by products such as hexachlorobutadiene may breakdown the protective ozone layer. And PVC is useless without stabilizers (such as lead and cadmium) and phthalate plasticizers. In fact, PVC is one of the most significant sources of lead pollution in countries that have banned it from gasoline.
People often grow numb at the suggestion of the next toxic threat to fret about, so BLUE VINYL was made to transcend the expected. Never lingering on the fear of what might be lurking in our chemically infused environment, Helfand leads the audience on an international journey using a scrap of blue vinyl siding left over from her parents' renovation as a conversation starter. She shows us each step of the PVC journey from production to disposal.
BLUE VINYL has been nominated for two Emmys (best documentary and best research). It has already won numerous awards, including Documentary Award Winner for Excellence in Cinematography at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, and First Prize for Best Documentary at the 2002 Bermuda International Film Festival.

Tuesday, May 4th, 7:30 p.m.

Basics of Composting:
A Sustainable Solution for Garbage
Ken Perry, RedWorms for a Green Earth, Rollinsford, New Hampshire

We are all familiar with natural gas or methane. We use it to cook our food and heat our water and homes. You probably know that landfills and cows produce large amounts of it, but did you know that methane traps 23 times more heat than carbon dioxide? Although the bulk of global warming (over 60%) has been due to carbon dioxide, an estimated 20% has been due to methane. One surprising and fun way to reduce your contribution to global warming is to compost your food and yard waste. Composting decomposes food into carbon dioxide rather than methane, which is what would happen in a landfill.
Ken Perry of RedWorms for a Green Earth will talk about the many benefits of composting and discuss various methods of composting, with special focus on vermicomposting using redworms. A working worm bin will be displayed.

Past Lectures in the Open Forum

Wednesday, February 28 at 7:30pm
GreenUp Options: Renewable Energy Choices for Mass Electric Customers
Medford Public Library
representatives from MassEnergy, Conservation Services Group,Sterling Planet & Community Energy

Tuesday, February 17 at 7:30pm
The Future of Renewable Energy in Massachusetts and Your Role in It
Warren Leon
Program Director for Education and Public Awareness, Renewable Energy Trust mtpc.org/RenewableEnergy/index.htm
Warren Leon was also the Former Executive Director of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association and as well as Deputy Director for programs at the Union of Concerned Scientists, Co-author of The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices (Three Rivers Press, 1999).

MedfordCAN presented:
Sharing Cars in the City:
Bringing Zipcar to Medford

Mark Chase
Director of Business Development,
Zipcar (zipcar.com)

Zipcar is a company built around the concept of a car as a transportation service rather than an object of ownership.

On February 12, 2003 MedfordCAN presented:
Harnessing the Wind's Energy: Cape Wind
Mark Rodgers
Director of Communications,
Cape Wind Associates (capewind.org)
Cape Wind is planning to build the first offshore wind park in the US five miles off the Cape Cod shore.