By Annie MartinThe Daily Northwestern
An Evanston environmental group met Thursday to discuss plans for an upcoming Earth Month event, which it hopes will inspire residents to make changes in their daily lives to help halt the process of global warming by limiting carbon emissions.
The Evanston Global Warming Initiative is working on the April 29 event, which will feature talks by Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and Evanston City Manager Julia Carroll.
Cieslewicz was chosen to speak because Madison is “one of the most aware cities in the country about global warming issues,” meeting organizer Steve Perkins said.
Carroll will give a report on what the city is doing to improve sustainability issues.
Perkins praised the city’s announcement that it will be using renewable energy through its new energy provider, Constellation NewEnergy. Under the agreement, 20 percent of the city’s electricity will come from wind generators to reduce carbon emissions.
After the presentations, attendees will participate in break-out sessions where they will discuss practical ways they can reduce carbon emissions. The event will be held at Beth Emet the Free Synagogue, 1224 Dempster St., at 2 p.m.
“Focusing on Earth Month is a way to get people to actually do something,” Perkins said.
Although just seven community members attended Thursday’s meeting, Perkins said he usually sees at least 15 people at the meetings. The group started last April, which is Earth Month, and is part of the Evanston Interreligious Sustainability Circle and the Network for Evanston’s Future.
April’s event is sponsored by The Network for Evanston’s Future, Perkins said. The activist group has been working to recruit co-sponsors for Earth Month. Thus far seven aldermen have agreed to be co-sponsors,along with several religious, charitable and political organizations, local businesses and individuals.
To become a co-sponsor, an individual or organization must have a liaison in the group, help publicize the event and outline what they plan to do about global warming, Perkins said. Last year about 180 people attended the event and Perkins said he hopes at least 250 come this year.
“The theory we are pursuing is if you’re going to decrease the carbon footprint you have to decrease carbon usage,” Perkins said. “The best way to do that is to organize sector by sector. Different sectors use energy differently.”
Group member Mary deJong said she hopes the event will get more people interested in environmental issues, especially those pertaining to global warming.
“What it accomplished for me a year ago is it got me involved, so I hope it will do the same for other people,” deJong said.
In addition to the speeches by Cieslewicz and Carroll, an award will be presented to the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation, 303 Dodge Ave. for its new building, which will be the first religious institution to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
“We’re convening people from different religious organizations,” said Perkins, who has been involved in sustainability organizations for about 25 years. “For me it’s a religious question,” Perkins said, “We’re responsible to be stewards of the earth.”
Evanston resident Elliot Zashin said different people want to be involved in environmental solutions in various ways and its important for the group to give people options. One easy way people can help, Zashin said, is replacing the light bulbs in their home with more energy-efficient lights.
“The real question for most people is what simple thing they can do,” Zashin said.
Reach Annie Martin at [email protected].
