Our first meeting of the year was held in the Frith-Radcliffe Auditorium, chaired by President Lee despite a bad case of laryngitis.
Visiting Rotarians: ADG Bev Hilton, Nanaimo Oceanside Rotary; Joan Ryan, Rotary Club of Nanaimo.
Guests: in-bound exchange students Daniel & Saeko, Matthew Paule & Tev Uslu from Interact Club of Nanaimo.
Interact Installation Joan Ryan conducted the installation ceremony for the Interact Club of Nanaimo.
Matthew Paule is the incoming president and Tev Uslu is the Secretary/Treasurer.
Tev & Matt with the cake.
Delicious cake ordered by Lynne from Country Grocer.
President Matt said they have an active year planned.
The Interact bottle drive fundraiser is coming up shortly on Saturday, February 6.
Rotary Minute: Colin's topic was World Community Service Projects.
Announcements
50/50 Campaign: Ed Poli announced that he will have tickets available for members next week. They will also be available at Country Grocer and at Turley's Florist. Ed has lined up a number of sessions at Country Grocer and Walmart to sell tickets. The dates and times are posted on our club calendar. Tickets are available for the Beer n Burger at White Spot in two weeks. Donations are needed for the silent auction.
Community Breakfast: Rob said this month's event went smoothly, asked for ideas to promote it.
District Leadership & Training Assembly: Register before March 1st for discount rate. Click hereto go to District registration page.
Motion to Adopt revised constitution & bylaws (circulated by email to all members first on December 9, 2015):
Moved Craig Clarke, Lee Mason that: the revised Constitution of the Rotary Club of Nanaimo North be accepted as presented and
the revised Bylaws of the Rotary Club of Nanaimo North be accepted as presented.
The motion was seconded by Ed Poli and adopted unanimously. Printed copies of the documents were available at each table. Craig will post the documents in the online club documents archive.
Next meeting: Vocational talk by Jeff Tomlinson.
This edition was produced by Craig while Sue was on holiday.
Purpose:Assist Rotarians in implementing service projects, building awareness, and inspiring action toward environmental sustainability -- particularly reducing greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate the global warming humanitarian crisis.
It was a significant moment in world history Saturday 12th December, when the Paris Agreement on Climate Change was signed. 195 countries were united in addressing what many believe is the greatest moral challenge of our time. If it turns out to be a catalyst for transformation, then it will be recognized as a critical moment indeed.
The Agreement is an inclusive, ambitious commitment to tackle climate change and parts are legally binding:
aims to limit the earth’s warming to only 1.5degC,
bring fossil fuel emissions down to zero; target is 2100, and
regular 5-year reviews of national commitments to achieve these targets.
It addresses the need for a financial package of at least $100 billion from developed countries, for developing countries. This will aid both mitigation and adaptation and assist the vulnerable communities around the world most threatened by climate change, such as Pacific Island nations.
The Agreement is seen as a breakthrough and catalyst for new climate action. It imposes on many nations the need to increase their own specific climate commitments (up to 2030) as soon as possible, so they are sufficient for the world to at least meet the 2degC target. It encourages all countries to adopt tougher emission cuts over time in light of their differing national circumstances - there will be another stock take on how the world is doing in 2019.
Many countries came to Paris two weeks before with strategies and pledges that were estimated to limit warming to 3degC. However, with great leadership from the French and after night-long negotiations, the Agreement was signed saying that a limit of 1.5degC in world temperature increases was the needed target. This is ambitious and a huge step for the world community to take.
The reduction in emissions to zero by 2100 is less ambitious compared to the date of 2050 (desired by many). But it is still a significantly better outcome than was expected.
Overall, the Agreement signals a great start, into an era where the science of Climate Change is now acknowledged, and action - with the help of new science - is seen as essential. And the different perspectives between developed and developing countries, between the large continental states and small threatened islands, are all now more keenly recognized.
The impact on all of us will be changes to the way we source and use energy – especially with a new long-term goal for full decarbonisation. There will certainly be more carbon-pricing mechanisms, more opportunities for renewables, and there needs to be much less land clearing and deforestation.
Meanwhile, we will have more severe weather patterns, more glaciers melting and communities that are devastated by the changes already underway in the world’s weather.
However, the world has come together – uniquely – with a clear commitment to tackle the problem. Optimism reigns for the moment; now attention turns to HOW best to meet these targets. ESRAG is gearing up to lend the power of Rotary to this challenge. Stay tuned and in the meantime, please ask friends and family to join ESRAG at our 'placeholder' website, www.esrag.org. Thank you.
Jeremy Wright
Communications and Marketing Committee Chair, ESRAG
By Gregg Alexander, Rotary Club of Bozeman Sunrise, Montana, USA
For six years now, my Rotary Club has provided home repair assistance to local residents through the Bozeman Fix-Up Festival. Giving preference to elderly and disabled homeowners, we strive to provide home improvements to low-income residents who either can’t afford them or are physically unable to complete the work themselves. The impact of this one-day event stretches far beyond just benefits to the homeowners: The festival touches many lives and brings the community together.
Finding homeowners in need
We begin planning in January and wrap up in mid-November. We begin by developing a budget and conducting outreach to find applicants. We partner with local nonprofits to educate and identify homeowners who may be in need of assistance. We do require that they own their home and that they fall below the state of Montana’s poverty level.
We publicize the project on the radio, through TV interviews, and social media marketing to drive interested people to our website, where they can fill out an application. Once the April application deadline is past, our committee members conduct interviews, go on home visits, and verify applicants’ income.
Over the last five years, we’ve completed work on almost 60 homes.
Funding and volunteers
While homes are being evaluated, the festival committee seeks out businesses and organizations to sponsor each home. Sponsors must provide a certain level of funding, along with a number of volunteers on Fix-Up Day to complete the work. We’ve found that sponsors find the festival rewarding and a great team-building activity.
To make all this happen in one day takes many dedicated volunteers. Each project has to be detailed out, a list of materials created and delivered, skilled laborers assigned to work with sponsor teams, meals secured, trash and debris removal planned, material runners assigned for additional materials, and much more! All of this has to be done for each home, so it’s a large undertaking — made possible by lots of volunteer hours from the Rotarians on the committee.
The impact
After six years, our operations have become more efficient. But it’s still amazing to see the festival come together in a single day. Walking around and talking with volunteers and homeowners, you realize that the reward isn’t only for the people being helped but also for everyone involved. The day is filled with smiles, hugs, tears of joy, and pride and humility shared as a community. The day reminds us all that we are in this together and it is our duty to place Service Above Self.
In sub-Saharan Africa, more than 620 million people do not have access to electricity. Thirty seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa have a national electrification rate of below 50 percent. These endemic power shortages affect all aspects of life. Energy access is one of the most urgent priorities for people in sub-Saharan Africa with one in five Africans citing infrastructure – including electricity – as their most pressing concern.
The lack of electricity impacts people’s lives, with a disproportionately negative impact on girls and women.
The legislation will leverage private sector resources through loan guarantees to help 50 million Africans access electricity for the first-time and add 20,000 megawatts of electricity to the grid by 2020. Providing access to electricity will stimulate economic growth while also improving access to education and public health.
The bill requires the president to create a comprehensive strategy for United States’ engagement with sub-Saharan Africa in developing a broad mix of power solutions to increase electricity access and reliability. It encourages the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), USAID, the U.S. Department of Treasury, U.S. Trade and Development Agency, World Bank, and African Development Bank to prioritize loans, grants, and technical support that promote private investment in projects designed to increase electricity access and reliability.
