From: Environmental Forum of Marin lectureseries@marinefm.orgSubject: Environmental Forum E-Newsletter

Date: September 19, 2019 at 4:06 PMTo: Gayle Marsh gaylemarsh@mac.com

A u t u m n 2 0 1 9

WELCOME MASTER CLASS 46!

We truly stand on the shoulders of these giants: EFM’s founding teachers, Dr. Marty Griffin,Kathy Cuneo, and Nona Dennis helped us welcome our 46th Master Class on September 7 at

Kathy Cuneo, and Nona Dennis helped us welcome our 46th Master Class on September 7 atRichardson Bay Audubon Center in Tiburon. We are grateful for their prescient wisdom tocreate an educational program for community leaders to learn about Marin’s unique naturalenvironment, the effects of population growth and development, strategies to mitigate andadapt to climate change impacts, and ways to successfully advocate for important causes.It all happens here!

Students paired up, to “speed date” or interview one other and introduced their partners tothe class. Some students are California natives and some are new to Marin. Our studentshave worked as nurses, archeologists, marketing directors, landscape architects, professors,and ministers. There are poets, motorcyclists, horseback riders, and oyster lovers. Manystudents are active volunteers who are already giving back to their communities, but feelcompelled to do more. Interests range from addressing homelessness, access to healthy food,improved air quality, ocean acidification, water conservation, regenerative design, renewableenergy and clean transportation, protecting pollinators, trail stewardship, zero waste, humanwellness, environmental justice, and expanding cross-generational efforts to work on climatechange related issues. Help us welcome Master Class 46, and get to know these futuregraduates who will be creating positive change in Marin.

President's MessageHappy Autumn to everyone! Master Class 46is off to a great start with 19 students. Weare making some of our field trips availableto non students this year, so please checkour website for details if you are interested.

Phyllis Faber’s Retirement:

The only way EFM has been able to put on46 Master Classes over so many years isbecause of the many volunteers that havegiven their time to make it happen. PhyllisFaber was one of the founding teachers ofthe Environmental Forum back in 1972 whenthe program got started. After obtaining agrant from the Junior League of SanFrancisco, Marty Griffin and Stan Pichercontracted with NSER (Natural ScienceEducation Resources) to develop and deliverthe initial curriculum. Phyllis, amicrobiologist, was a part of NSER (alongwith Kathy Cuneo and Nona Dennis) and wasinstrumental in developing the EFM programduring the first three years. After the firstthree years the graduates of the programtook over the coordination of the training,but ever since that time Phyllis hasvolunteered her time to ensure that the

Dr. Ellie Cohen, KeynoteSpeaker for EFM's MasterClass: Building a ClimateChange Toolbox

“In the history of the universe, humanshave in a very, very short time changed thechemistry of our planet so much so that it

volunteered her time to ensure that theprogram she initiated would continue toeducate hundreds of Marinites about thecompelling environmental issues facing us.

Phyllis Faber has made countlesscontributions to the Bay Area environmentalmovement, published and worked on manybooks, and was a leader in the campaign forthe California Coastal Commission. She hasstayed with the Environmental Forum all ofthese years teaching many classes, thehighlight of which has always been ourannual field trip to West Marin. This pastyear, Phyllis let us know that she would beretiring from managing the West Marin tripto visit MALT (which she co-founded withEllen Straus), Hog Island, and Straus FamilyCreamery. We will always be in gratitude forall of the contributions made by Phyllis overthe entire life of our organization.

Valuing Volunteers:

Continuing with the theme of volunteerism, Iwould like to thank and highlight our currentMaster Class Director, Norma Fragoso, who

is in her 4th year leading the Master Class.Norma can be found covering many tasksthat need to be done to run the program:obtaining speakers like Mark Hertsgaard andArlie Hochschild, and developing curriculumfor our new classes.

Norma has also raised scholarship money tocover tuition for students in need andrecruited many into the program. By thetime Norma’s fourth year is done, she willhave guided over 80 participants through theprogram and on to their advocacy work --quite an accomplishment!

EFM has had such a long history of dedicatedvolunteers and we are so appreciative of allof the time they have given to make ourorganization continue to function. Today wefind ourselves in need of a few morevolunteers: we need a Secretary for ourcurrent Board of Directors and we need a

chemistry of our planet so much so that itthreatens the future of our ability to live onthis planet. What can we do now to avoid acatastrophic fate?” Ellie asks.

She peels off her bike helmet and flashes abright, warm smile. Her electric bike was aretirement gift from Point BlueConservation, where she served asPresident and CEO. During her 20-yeartenure at Point Blue, the organization grewto include over 180 scientists where she andthe organization worked with hundreds ofpublic and private partners to developclimate-smart solutions. At the UnitedNations Framework Convention on ClimateChange, Ellie was honored to representPoint Blue as one of the nonprofit observerorganizations twice: the 2017 COP23 inBonn, Germany, and 2018 COP24 inKatowice, Poland.

First, Ellie dives headlong into explaining thescience of climate change. In May 2019,atmospheric CO2 measured 414.7 parts permillion (ppm), the highest seasonal peakand highest level in human history. Thisalarming rise is caused by human activity:the burning of fossil fuels -- petroleum, coaland natural gas -- creating soil depletion(less nutrient-rich) thereby destroyingfarms, as well as draining the ocean’s abilityto sequester and hold carbon. The last timewe had this much CO2 in the atmospherewas around 2.5 million years ago, whentemperatures were 3-5C warmer and sealevels were about 75 feet higher. Today theocean is about 30% more acidic than it wasin the 1800s and as it becomes more acidic,shellfish are unable to build shells they needfor protection, and coral reefs begin dyingoff. Ocean-life may become more jelly-dominated in the future. Perhaps youremember “The Blob”? Well, it’s back … seethis recent Marin IJ 9-12-2019 article.

Of all the CO2 being produced, it isestimated that 93% is held in the ocean.Without bodies of water on Earth, ourtemperatures would rise so high that itwould be uninhabitable. “Be thankful to theocean. It has prevented us from having

current Board of Directors and we need acouple of people who can organize andmanage our two Membership events (theHoliday Party and Annual Meeting). We couldalso use assistance running media at ourlectures. If you are interested in making acontribution to the success of EFM, pleasecontact me at President@MarinEFM.org.

Susan Rusche, President

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Upcoming Events @ EFM Plant Communities and Wetlandsof Marin - A Guided Tour September 24

Led by experts Kathy Cuneo, PhD, and NonaDennis, and Mia Monroe, we'll visit ChinaCamp State Park, hike part of the Boot JackTrail on Mt. Tam, and stroll through MuirWoods

Limited availability. Special member rate $85- Learn more and register here

Save the Date. Details will be postedon our homepage soon:

Join Master Class 46 on HowGovernment Manages ClimateChange (or Not)October 19

The Power of Climate Philanthropyand Carbon Offsets November 6

Environmental Events inour Community:

ocean. It has prevented us from havingdisastrous impacts much sooner; but,because of this, it’s easier not to take actionor think of it as an emergency,” Ellie warns.The ocean itself was the warmest on recordlast year. With permafrost melting, warmingis accelerating even faster, and we’re seeingmore and more fires in the Arctic. Globally,the last five years have been the warmeston record.

“Some call it a ‘tipping point,’ or, as GretaThunberg puts it, ‘our house is on fire.’ Toppublished, peer-reviewed science journalssince 2012 to present show that we arealready exceeding four of nine planetaryboundaries (or tipping points) for climatechange: species extinction, habitat loss anddegradation (including farm lands andoceans).”

It’s not just about cutting emissions, it’sabout removing the emissions we’ve alreadyadded to the atmosphere. Ellie asked us,“how can we sequester emissions?” Oursavvy Master Class students offered, “plantsea grass,” “plant trees,” and “changeagricultural practices.” “Yes!” Ellieencourages, “what we can do right away iswhat we already know how to do: managenature better.”

Ellie recently began working in her new roleas CEO at The Climate Center in Petaluma,and her goals are ambitious. One of thereasons Ellie is excited about joining TheClimate Center is that they are leading acollaborative effort for a bold climateemergency policy campaign statewide. Thevision is that by 2025, California will haveenacted a suite of climate policies with thegoal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030and carbon negative by 2035.

“No more ‘business as usual,’” Ellieemphasizes, “to achieve these goals, we’llneed clean, local, equitable power andstorage; sustainable transportation options;healthy soils for agriculture; habitatrestoration for biodiversity; clean water;and fresh air. Stop GHG emissions, stopplastic and nutrient pollution. Nature-based,

35th Annual CaliforniaCoastal Cleanup DaySaturday, September 219:00 am - NoonVarious locations - find one here

Drive Clean Marin atCollege of MarinSaturday, September 212:00 - 5:30 pm

Reduce your carbon footprint by 50%!Stop by College of Marin to test drive avariety of EVs and e-bikes. Attendeesget priority access to EV discountsavailable through a group purchase.This event is open to the public andfree! Join the pack and drive electric!Learn more here

Marin Conservation League

Walk into Conservation Historyat Samuel P. Taylor State ParkSaturday, September 289:30 am - NoonRegister here

plastic and nutrient pollution. Nature-based,multi-benefit approaches should be of equalpriority. Adopt planet-friendly and politically-engaged lifestyles at home, at work, andwithin communities.” Of course, doing thiscrucial work will need government supportand require swift advocacy action,commitment, and money.

Ellie waves and pedals away. Her dynamismwill stay with us for a long time, and hermessage brings our work into crystal clearfocus. Let’s do this!

by Nancy Benjamin

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West Marin Field Trip:Conversation andConservation

Straus' electric truck photo by Lena Zentall (MC46)

The conservation landscape of Marin Countyis also a conversation landscape betweennature, farmers, and several nonprofitsworking in concert to protect our future.

EFM clearly illustrates the commingling ofnonprofits and community benefits to theMaster Class students with an annual farmtour, which highlights key drivers inimproving conservation networks. OnTuesday, September 10th, we piled into abus at 8:00 am and set off to explore theconservation and conversation landscapesthat protect Marin. This tour explored manyof the positive outcomes of Marin

MCL hosts monthly issue committeesfocusing on preserving, protecting andenhancing Marin's natural assets. Referto MCL's website calendar for additionalupcoming events.

One Tam

One Tam transcends boundaries toinspire deep connections to Mt. Tam andto mobilize the skills and resources of itsfive partners and the community to carefor its long-term health. Help ensure avibrant and healthy future for Mt. Tam.

Volunteer opportunities, communityhikes, naturalist talks and more! VisitOneTam.org to view the full calendar.

Resilient Neighborhoods

The time is NOW to commit to climateaction with Resilient Neighborhoods. Getprepared for emergencies and loweryour carbon footprint. You will getsupport to personalize your climateaction plan and achieve measurableresults over 5-team meetings. Sign upfor a team or register for a class here.

Green ChautauquaPresents: Firestorm inRedding - Stories ofSurvivalCommunity Partner, EFMFirst Presbyterian ChurchSan Anselmo October 12, 7:00 - 8:30 pm

of the positive outcomes of MarinAgricultural Land Trust (MALT) and itspartnership approach to long-termconservation. Twenty-five years ago, AlbertStraus formed Straus Family Creamery thatbecame the first 100% certified organicdairy west of the Mississippi. Albert'smother, Ellen Straus and friend, PhyllisFaber, founded MALT in 1980 -- the firstagricultural land trust in the country and amodel for its success.

EFM begins its overview of the crucialconservation landscape with this dynamicfarm tour. It introduced us to therelationships between nonprofits, farmers,land, and food producers making a visceralconnection to the work that lies ahead.Within a few short miles of Point ReyesStation, we saw how the quality of our foodsystem is intrinsic to the quality of ournatural systems, and to the relationshipspeople have to that land. This is thefoundation to the mapping of the multi-agency approach necessary to conservationin Marin County. Through EFM's courseworkstudents are given an inside view of theorchestra of agencies that are protectingand restoring our watersheds, farms, andatmosphere. Protecting the quality of thisopen space for future generations of allspecies takes teamwork and EFM helps itsstudents get to know the team.

Journey to West Marin ... read the completearticle about EFM's West Marin field trip onCool Hive.

by Daisy Carlson (MC 45)

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What We're Listening toNow ...

Learn more here

Chasing Water & DustAcross California Bay Model Visitor Center, SausalitoOctober 17, 6:00 - 9:00 pm

Award-winning writer, Mark Arax, willdiscuss his new book, The DreamtLand, and the transformation ofCalifornia’s landscape by themanipulation of its water and soil.

Additional info and tickets here

Our podcast recommendation comes fromKirsten Nolan, MC 45, and part of EFM'sCommunications and Marketing Team. Shesays, "well, it's not a new discovery, but Ienjoy listening to the Bioneers podcast,especially when I need a break from theheaviness of the news cycle. It provides adose of inspiration and hope thatreinvigorates me. It's also a great precursorto their annual conference." Stay tuned:Bioneers will take place in San Rafael at theMarin Center from October 18-20.

www.MarinEFM.org

Board Members & StaffKim Rago, Executive Director

Susan Rusche, President

Bruce Richard, Vice President of Development / Operations

Helene Marsh, Vice President and Programs Director

Karen Mendelow Nelson, Vice President of Education

Barbara Ball, Treasurer

Sarah Loughran, Director-at-Large

Norma Fragoso, Master Class Director

Nancy Benjamin, Communications Director

Kirsten Nolan, Communications and Marketing

Tamela Fish, Social Media Director

Environmental Forum of Marin | P.O. Box 151546, San Rafael, CA 94915

415-484-8336

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