Category: Green Drinks - PACG - Progressive Action for the Common Good

April Green Drinks - Davenport students provide clean water for Kenya

3/21/2023

April Green Drinks - Davenport Students Provide Clean Water to Thousands in Kenya
Tuesday, April 4th at 5:00 pm

El Patron Mexican Restaurant
1806 2nd AV
Rock Island, IL (map)

Environmental Forum

Davenport's West High School's project to bring clean water to people in Kenya started in 2017. Teacher Greg Smith and student Duro Johnson will share their challenges and learning experiences from their involvement in this water-filtration project with us in April's Green Drinks presentation. Read more about it on our PACG blog post here. There is also a registration link so that we can give the restaurant an idea of the number of attendees.

Susan Leuthauser

April Green Drinks - Davenport students provide clean water in Kenya

3/19/2023

April Green Drinks - Davenport Students Provide Clean Water to Thousands in Kenya
Tuesday, April 4th at 5:00 pm (in person)

El Patron Mexican Restaurant
1806, 2nd Avenue
Rock Island, IL (map)

Environmental Forum

Since 2017, Davenport's West High School students have been working with Fishers of Men Ministries to develop a water filtration system to provide clean water for families in Kenya. In 2020, teacher Greg Smith and a student made an initial trip there to collect data on the water.

COVID delayed the project by two years, but by 2021a fully functioning slow-sand water filtration system was developed. Duro Johnson, a senior at West High and native of Nigeria, designed a concrete building to house this water filtration system in Kenya. In January, four students led by teacher Greg Smith travelled to the village of Muamba in eastern Kenya to implement this slow-sand water filter system, which is now providing clean water for over 22,000 people.

Through the years, over 100 students participated in this project. Greg Smith and Duro Johnson will share their challenges, learning, and experiences from this project with us at this month's Green Drinks.

To make sure that we have enough space for our meeting, please R.S.V.P. at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcoduGpqTIsH9fD6ssFCjEteY09ZHZ41w6m

Susan Leuthauser

March Green Drinks - Climate Stories -PACG Event

2/19/2023

March Green Drinks - Climate Stories: From Diversity to Bridges
Tuesday, March 7th at 5:00 pm

El Patron Mexican Restaurant
1806, 2nd Avenue
Rock Island, IL (map)

Environmental Forum

Most Americans recognize humanity's role in climate change; however, an increasingly vast and conflicting array of stories are being told about specific causes, consequences, and interventions. Some are demonstrably misleading, aiming primarily to extend the status quo, while more accurate examples tend to be less widely considered.

Dr. Hamner, Professor of English and the Liberal Arts and Sciences coordinator at the Western Illinois University, will offer a quickly moving, upper-atmosphere tour of both commonplace and under-appreciated climate tales in popular media, literature, and cinema. Asking especially about the central problems and solutions that they imagine, he will contend that the stories we hear, digest, and amplify about our unfolding long emergency are crucial to the actions we undertake. These narratives can be the propaganda of would-be oligarchs, but they can also become bridges toward
tangible solutions.

To make sure that we have enough space for our meeting, we like to give El Patron a
head count prior to the meeting. Please RSVP here.

Susan Leuthauser

February 2023 Green Drinks - Insects in Art

1/31/2023

February Green Drinks - Insects in Art during an Age of Environmental Turmoil
Tuesday, February 7th at 5:00 pm

El Patron Mexican Restaurant
1806, 2nd Avenue
Rock Island, IL (map)

Environmental Forum

Scientists have been sharing data for over 50 years, warning of the negative impact humans are having on the biodiversity and the climate of our plane. But there has not been an adequate response to mitigate the damage being caused by human activity. As a result of this environmental destruction, there are recent reports of large-scale insect declines.

Dr. Tierney Brosius from Augustana College will discuss what the scientific community knows about insect declines, her research connected with insect conservation, and how scientists and artists are starting to find opportunities for collaboration to find new ways to communicate about the declining state of the environment.

To make sure that we have enough space for our meeting, we like to give El Patron a head count prior to the meeting.

Please R.S.V.P. at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcoduGpqTIsH9fD6ssFCjEteY09ZHZ41w6m

Susan Leuthauser

January Green Drinks - NAACP Climate Justice Committee

1/1/2023

Green Drinks - NAACP Environmental Climate Justice Committee
Tuesday, January 10th at 5:00 pm (in-person)

El Patron Mexican Restaurant
1806 2nd AV
Rock Island, IL (map)

Environmental Forum

Our speaker this month, Glenda Guster, is the PACG President and has led the NAACP Environmental Climate Justice Committee since January of 2021. The group educated and benefited the underserved community. For two years, they have given out potted tomato plants. In October of this year, Glenda and her husband, Mike, drove a truck full of donated bottled water to Jackson, Mississippi for those who were still without clean water due to the severe storms. Glenda will share the committee's past accomplishments and plans for this coming year.

This will be our first in-person Green Drinks meeting since COVID. We have an exciting year planned. Come and get re-acquainted with like-minded folks.

Although this is an in-person meeting, we ask that you use our Zoom account to RSVP so that we may give the restaurant an attendee count. Please click this link to RSVP and select the meeting on January 10th:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcoduGpqTIsH9fD6ssFCjEteY09ZHZ41w6m

Susan Leuthauser

December Green Drinks - PFAS in Iowa

11/18/2022

December Green Drinks - PFAS in Iowa: The prevalence of “Forever Chemicals” in Iowa's Aquifers, Surface Waters, and Drinking Water
Tuesday, December 6th at 5:00 pm via Zoom

Environmental Forum

Speaker: Matthew Graesch, Environmental Specialist, Iowa Department of Natural Resources

The “forever chemicals”, or PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), are a class of potentially toxic and highly persistent chemicals widely used in commercial products and industrial processes. For the past 3 years, Matthew has been working to better understand the extend of PFAS contamination in Iowa. He designed and implemented a surveillance program to test our drinking water supplies. More than 600 water samples from the aquifers and surface waters were analyzed for 25 different PFAS compounds. By the time this study concludes next spring, drinking water of over 75% of Iowans will have been tested for PFAS compounds.

Matthew will discuss with us where PFAS originate, why they are problematic, and how they are regulated. He will also review the results from the surveillance program, how PFAS chemicals affect our water sources and how to identify effective treatment to remove them from our drinking water.

R.S.V.P. at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcoduGpqTIsH9fD6ssFCjEteY09ZHZ41w6m

Susan Leuthauser

P.S. After our Zoom meeting, Matthew was willing to share his PowerPoint presentation with us in pdf format. Download it below.

Additional information from this meeting can be found at these links:
For more information on Iowa PFASs, go to:https://www.iowadnr.gov/Environmental-Protection/PFAS

For PFAS sampling results in Iowa, go to: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/b04e0e828a974e6e8962e47895ebb520

scott_county_pfas_dnrpresentation_120622.pdf
File Size:	3800 kb
File Type:	pdf

Green Lawn Care Practice - November Green Drinks

10/23/2022

Green Lawn Care Practice - November Green Drinks via Zoom
Tuesday, November 1st at 5:00 pm

Environmental Forum

Over 32 states are part of the Mississippi watershed which supplies our drinking water. What you put on or spray in your yard can make a huge impact on your health, the environment, and wildlife.

Runoff from lawn chemicals contributes to the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. Additionally, the EPA estimates that 5% of air pollution comes from lawn care equipment. The way we treat our lawn has significant impact on the environment.

Christian LaCarte of Sustainable Stewards will share his approach to green lawn care, zero-emission lawn care equipment, natural fertilizer and what you can do to ensure that you have a healthy lawn next spring.

RSVP at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcoduGpqTIsH9fD6ssFCjEteY09ZHZ41w6m

Susan Leuthauser

October Green Drinks - Is CC & S a Climate Solution?

9/25/2022

October Green Drinks - Is CC&S a Climate Solution?
Tuesday, October 4th at 5:00 pm via Zoom

Three companies seek to build thousands of miles of CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) pipelines across the Midwest to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) and transport it to underground storage sites. One of these pipelines will go through Scott County, IA and Black Hawk County, IL.

What is CCS?
What are the risks and benefits of this process?
Is CCS a viable solution to the reduction of CO2 emission from industrial sources?

Dr. McCue will help you answer these questions. She will share with us what CCS is, why the fossil fuel industry is excited about it and whether this is a true solution to our climate crisis.

Dr. McCue is a retired physician and professor of Global Health Studies Program at the UI Colleges of Public Health and Liberal Arts and Sciences. She has been the coordinator of the Iowa Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility for the past 20 years and served for many years as a provider and medical director at a local women’s clinic. Her efforts today remain focused on achieving a healthy and livable future confronting the interconnected threats of climate chaos, militarism, and environmental racism.

RSVP at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcoduGpqTIsH9fD6ssFCjEteY09ZHZ41w6m

Registrants will receive a link to the recording of the meeting the day after the meeting.

Download a flyer

Susan Leuthauser

September Green Drinks - Conservation at Niabi Zoo

8/27/2022

September Green Drinks - Conservation at Niabi Zoo
Tuesday, September 6th at 5:00 pm via Zoom

Environmental Forum

Joel Vanderbush, Curator of Conservation and Education, Niabi Zoo, will discuss how the conservation of species and habitats steers decision-making at Niabi Zoo regarding:

New exhibits - White Rhinos, African Painted Dogs, Prairie Dogs
Field projects - whale sharks in Mexico, freshwater fish and the Tuco tuco mole rat in Paraguay, African Painted Dogs in Zimbabwe, Snow Leopards in East Asia
Conservation breeding efforts - Amur leopards, Fennec foxes, red wolves

RSVP at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcoduGpqTIsH9fD6ssFCjEteY09ZHZ41w6m

A recording of the event will be sent to all registrants afterwards.

Susan Leuthauser

August Green Drinks in person!

7/27/2022

August Green Drinks - In-person event!
Tuesday, August 2nd at 5:00 pm

Nahant Marsh Education Center
4220 Wapello AV
Davenport, IA (map)

Environmental Forum

Summer Research at Nahant Marsh

Speaker: James Wiebler, Naturalist and Research Coordinator at Nahant Marsh Education Center

Did you know that Nahant Marsh has a summer research program where college students conduct research on ecological projects? Meet naturalist Jimmy Wiebler, who directs students on their projects. Jimmy also provides wildlife and ecological programs to the public. He will tell us about the current research projects at Nahant Marsh with the focus on turtle ecology.

Afterwards we will adjourn to El Campita Mexican Bar & Grill for networking and refreshments (Refreshment Map).

To register go to: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register (Please disregard the Zoom link sent to you after you register.)

Click here for a printable flyer.

Susan Leuthauser