The following article summarizes the original event which is listed below the summary.
March speaker cites good news on clean energy front
J. Drake Hamilton, science policy director of the Twin Cities-based nonprofit Fresh Energy, urged UMRA’s March luncheon audience to look beyond the discouraging news from the federal level about climate change. A far larger portion of the fight against climate change, she suggested, takes place at the local and state levels. And there the news is better—especially in Minnesota, which has become a national and world leader in the transition to clean energy. “Smart states can make a difference, and Minnesota is leading the way,” Hamilton said.
Minnesota’s bipartisan Next Generation Energy Act of 2006, which set what were then considered aggressive standards for carbon reduction, helped fuel our state’s surge to the forefront. Subsequent progress has exceeded even the targets set then and, in the process, has produced more than 50,000 well-paying clean energy jobs.
Private sector leadership has been pivotal. Corporations such as Target and General Mills are striving to conserve energy in their own operations and shift toward renewable sources. They are also pressuring suppliers to reduce carbon.
Perhaps most crucially, Xcel Energy—Minnesota’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter—is moving rapidly toward total abandonment of fossil fuels. It expects to surpass its own 2030 goal of 60 percent CO2 reduction so early that it has raised that goal to 85 percent.
At the same time, renewable energy costs are dropping rapidly—by 30 percent last year alone in the case of solar. But even if coal and natural gas for the generation of electricity may be on the way out, Hamilton said, other sectors including transportation, heating, and cooling also produce vast quantities of greenhouse gases. So the next major step in the quest for climate solutions will be to electrify these other sectors.
Hamilton welcomes referrals for other (free) speaking engagements at civic or faith organizations. She can be reached at [email protected] and 651-366-7557.
— Chip Peterson, UMRA president
March Luncheon At a Glance
Tue, March 27 2018, 11:30am
Conference Room ABC, Campus Club, Fourth Floor, Coffman Memorial Union
MARCH
LUNCHEON MEETING
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.`
Featured Speaker
'J' Hamilton, science policy director
Fresh Energy
Location
Conference Room ABC
Campus Club, Fourth Floor
Coffman Memorial Union
Menu
Porketta pork loin, mashed potatoes with caramelized onion pan sauce; coffee and tea.
For special dietary needs, please request when making your reservations.
Reservations ARE required.
Deadline: Thursday, March 22, 2018
Prepayment of $16 per person.
Annual prepayers, please make reservations.
To reserve your place(s) and parking,
send your check payable to UMRA to:
UMRA Reservations
c/o Judy Leahy Grimes
1937 Palace Ave., St. Paul MN
55105-1728
Or, contact her before the deadline
at 651-698-4387; e-mail: [email protected].
Please honor the reservation deadline date;
to cancel, please call by Thursday, March 22
Parking
University ramps and reserved space in East River Road Ramp
with UMRA's discount coupon―$6 for the day.
Upcoming Events
We are fortunate to have UMRA member and former Minnesota Landscape Arboretum director Peter Moe to lead this approximately 3.7-mile hike at the Arboretum on Monday, May 6. Plan to have lunch together after the hike at the Eatery café inside the Oswald Visitor Center.
This session will continue the discussion begun in the May 8, 2023 session. See that article for details.
If you currently live in your own home or apartment, have you looked ahead to when you might want to consider a senior living option? Do you have any idea what those options might be? How much they cost? What they provide? UMRA’s May 14 workshop will provide an overview of the world of senior living and the basic information you need.
You’re invited to join the final Family History Interest Group meeting for 2023–24. This will be an opportunity to ask questions related to family history, share insights, talk about recent projects, and suggest topics for next year.
Stephanie Daily will lead the discussion of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by best-selling author Mary Roach when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 17.
The May 20 hike will start at the Historic Lift Bridge in Stillwater and go along the river to the new bridge, cross over and then back on the Wisconsin side, a total of approximately 5 miles. Most of the route is paved. We will eat lunch after at Brian's Bar and Grill in Stillwater. Car pooling will be available.
Climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley joined the U of M faculty in 1978 and has been a weekly commentator on Minnesota Public Radio since 1992. We are honored to welcome him as our guest speaker for UMRA’s May Luncheon Forum and 2024 Annual Meeting. He is always entertaining and informative.
UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club welcomes back, for the second time, author Julie Schumacher, U of M Regents professor of creative writing and English, for a conversation about her novel The Shakespeare Requirement.
We are in for a treat on June 3! Lynn Anderson, will lead us on trails at two parks near her Monticello home. Bring a bag lunch and we will gather in Lynn's yard along the Mississippi River for eating and socializing after the hike.
Get out to the ballpark with fellow UMRA members for the annual U of M Day at Target Field as the Minnesota Twins take on the Oakland Athletics on June 14 at 7:10 p.m.
Please join us at 9:30 on June 17, 2024 for a walk around Lake Como in St. Paul before attending the UMRA Summer Social and Picnic starting at 11 at the Como Pavilion. A perfect opportunity to get in a walk before we gather to celebrate summer.
Picnic under the covered, open-air Como pavilion, gaze at the water, spy some birds, catch up with friends and former colleagues, and meet new members. We’ll have lunch with plenty of time for visiting and then compete in teams as we are challenged by our Quiz master(s)!
Healthy aging, mindfulness, fighting ageism, and more will be the focus of the third annual Age-Friendly University Day to be held on the U of M Twin Cities campus.