League of Women Voters Washtenaw County Theresa Reid, Shelley Schanfield

Speakers Kris Olsson and Janet Kahan of the Huron River Watershed Council, and Diana Kern of Legacy Land Conservancy join in a panel discussion about the importance of protecting our watershed, and how conserving land protects our water. Kris gives an overview of the wide range of the Huron River Watershed and how it protects us from extreme rain and flood threats. Janet shares information about the Council’s school outreach programs. And Diana focuses on how preserving land protects our water quality and prevents flooding.

Much has been written in the last few years about the collapse of recycling worldwide. For decades after the first Earth Day in April 1970, American communities grew recycling programs from small drop-off sites where dedicated individuals could take their flattened, label-free cans and bottles, to municipally-operated and -funded weekly curbside pickups from single-stream recycling bins. By 2000, Americans were putting millions of tons of consumer waste into recycle bins annually, and watching it disappear, secure in the illusion of having done something good for the planet.

Dr. Gavin Edwards describes some of the history of Detroit as a city with a large history of diversity, and how federal, state and local policies have marginalized many groups over the years. He discusses the environmental movement and how air quality is everyone's concern and how these two issues are linked in the 48217 zip code. Residents are fighting for environmental justice.

Indigenous systems of care for the natural world and all its inhabitants are rooted in a belief in mutual moral responsibilities in the circle of life. Indigenous groups worldwide have cultivated deep knowledge and practices for living sustainably within the natural environment. The indigenous model is very different from the careless rapacity of the “extract, burn, dump” mindset that has created the existential climate crisis now threatening all living systems on the planet.

Charles Gould, MSU professor, speaks on issues regarding solar installations on agricultural land at public utility and residential scale. Hosted by Shelly Schanfield and the League of Women Voters of Washtenaw County.

Mary Garton and Missy Stultz, PhD, discuss the role of national carbon pricing in achieving our emissions goals on the international, national, and local levels, the status of carbon pricing legislation right now, and how this type of policy mechanism can be designed to be progressive and help communities of interest to transition to a cleaner energy world.