InspireSeattle Social: Potluck – Climate Change, Saturday, Oct. 20th, 6:30pm
Invites YOU to join us at our Social Forum:Â Saturday, October 20th at 6:30PM.
Main discussion topic for this evening:Â Climate Change
Some twenty years ago, the shouts of many climate scientists around the world grew to a roar. Their findings indicated global climate change was accelerating and our planet was indeed warming, with potential dire consequences. But the actions necessary to change the direction of climate change came with real (and perceived) threats to free market capitalism. Many leaders in industry and government hired “merchants of doubt†to create confusion around the warnings of the scientific community. These efforts succeeded in severely slowing actions to lower carbon emissions.
In the 2008 presidential election, Barak Obama made tackling climate change one of the centerpieces of his campaign. Even his Republican opponent John McCain acknowledged the reality and the need to respond to this environmental crisis. But over the past four years, global warming has again fallen off the public’s radar screen. At a global energy summit in Houston this past June, the Chief Economist for PIRA, an international energy consulting group, explained to me that they no longer placed any emphasis on alternative energy because concern in America towards climate change has disappeared.  It is now a “non-issueâ€, even in the face of record high temperatures resulting in drought, extensive crop failures and extreme weather events.
In his recent Rolling Stone article, Bill McKibben stressed “the clock is tickingâ€. Has the time for sufficient action passed? Can solutions be found? Can we, as a human race, be inspired to make the necessary changes in our behavior to “save the planetâ€? Do we have the intellect? The creativeness? The willpower? Where do we start? What steps can we take now to help push our communities forward in this great challenge?
Both of our speakers have new books addressing these critical topics, and will share with us their findings and insights.
Please join us for this important discussion!
Guest Speakers:Â
Ramez Naam:Â
Ramez Naam is a computer scientist and award winning author. He spent 13 years at Microsoft where he led development on early versions of Outlook, Internet Explorer, and Bing. He’s the H.G. Wells Award-winning author of More Than Human: Embracing the Promise of Biological Enhancement.
His first science fiction novel, Nexus, about the development of and struggle to control an advanced technology that can link minds to machines and each other, will be released in December of 2012.
His second non-fiction book, The Infinite Resource: The Power of Ideas on a Finite Planet argues that innovation is the one and only force that can overcome climate change, finite energy, and other natural resource and environmental challenges that face us. The book shows how we can embrace, accelerate, and steer innovation to surmount those problems and usher in unprecedented prosperity. Ray Kurzweil calls The Infinite Resource “brilliant†and Peter Diamandis has endorsed it as “An amazing book.â€Â It will be released in March of 2013.
A-P Hurd:
A-P Hurd is a Vice President at Touchstone Corporation. Prior to joining Touchstone, she was Director of Strategic Development at McKinstry Co.
A-P is also a Runstad Fellow in the College of Built Environments at the University of Washington where she teaches a graduate seminar on development economics. Her recent research has focused on metrics for urban and regional policy in China and in the US. She has worked on numerous environmental policy initiatives at the state and local level and recently published The Carbon Efficient City with the University of Washington Press.
A-P is a board member of NAIOP Washington, Forterra and Friends of the Seattle Waterfront. She has received awards for her work on sustainable buildings and cities including the Better Bricks Advocate award and the Puget Sound Business Journal’s “40 under 40” award.
Come join us for what should be a very important and interesting evening!!!
About InspireSeattle:
InspireSeattle is a progressive network of Seattle-area people sharing ideas and supporting action. InspireSeattle’s vision is to create connection throughout our community and better community through activism. InspireSeattle’s mission is to provide a fun, supportive gathering for people who care deeply about our community, our country and our planet. We embrace progressive policies that improve our society and protect our environment. We discuss current issues, share ideas and activism efforts while striving to inspire additional action. Subscribe (or unsubscribe) to InspireSeattle by visiting www.inspireseattle.org/contact.html.
When: Saturday, October 20th at 6:30PM. Please try to be on time!!!
Where: Carrie Bogner’s place, 1120 24th Ave E, Seattle, WA  98112. Home # is 206-280-4214.
Click here for a map: http://goo.gl/maps/IIHhE
Directions:
From 520 Going Eastbound: Take the Lake Washington Exit, go right at the light on to E. Montlake which quickly turns into 24th Ave E. Go up the hill then go left onto Highland Dr. The entrance to the house is in the alley between 24th and 25th, but please park on Highland Dr or on 25th Ave. It is the 2nd house on the west side of the alley (from Highland Dr) and has a 3 car garage. Front door is on the south side of the house. Look for signs at the alley entrance!
From 520 Going Westbound: Take the Lake Washington Exit, go right at the stop sign, then go left at the light on to E. Montlake which quickly turns into 24th Ave E. Go up the hill then go left onto Highland Dr. The entrance to the house is in the alley between 24th and 25th, but please park on Highland Dr or on 25th Ave. It is the 2nd house on the west side of the alley (from Highland Dr) and has a 3 car garage. Front door is on the south side of the house. Look for signs at the alley entrance!
Special Note!: InspireSeattle will be hosting an election night party, November 6th. Stay tuned for further details.
FormatÂ
It’s a potluck: so please help out and bring something to eat and to drink!
6:30 to 7:45: Social time! Eat, drink, relax, and catch up with some other local progressives
Formal discussion and guest speakers, 7:45 to 9:30
Other Announcements – got any?
Rules of Engagement!
1. So that everyone has a chance to participate, please keep your comments short
2. Raise one’s hand to ask a question in lieu of shouting out
3. Respect the points of views of others
4. No arguing of politics during the formal discussion – save that for afterwards!Â