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Letters to the editor and feedback always welcome: newsletter@climatechange-action.com
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Photo provided by www.facebook.com
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Submitted by George Lorefice, CCAA President (loreficegj@gmail.com)
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We’re into the first few weeks of our new environment and need to remind ourselves to stick to our mission: reduce the planet’s dependence on fossil fuels. Efforts may slow down on a federal level but here in New York State efforts are continuing. New York’s Cap and Trade legislation is getting rules on its implementation. Read about it in this newsletter with Ethan Gormely’s article.
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Photo provided by Roseann Lorefice
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CCAA is moving along with our monthly presentation series. Barry Carr’s excellent January 14th presentation on Clean Transportation Opportunities will be followed on February 11 with Tim Volk’s presentation on Biofuels. Coming March 11 is Ian Shapiro’s presentation on Heat Pumps.
I recently viewed a Drawdown Zoom presentation given by Executive Director Jonathan Foley, Ph.D. that discussed where we are today on carbon reduction efforts and what we can do to get us all back on track. All is not gloom and doom! Drawdown, as I have said before, offers hope for the future by addressing what is realistic and feasible now to address climate change. What works and what doesn’t is outlined HERE. Very interesting and informative.
So, let’s stick to our goals and continue to encourage our village, town, state and federal officials to consider the importance of environment in their legislating.
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CLIMATE CRISIS: Climate Deadline Stripped from Hochul’s State of the State Agenda at Last Minute. The change was among a handful of eleventh-hour tweaks to Hochul’s policy briefing book.
Read here: https://tinyurl.com/4ssy969v
BUT THERE’S STILL TIME to make sure the state Senate and Assembly fight for NY HEAT in the final budget. Urge your state legislators to put the NY HEAT ACT in their budget. CONTACT THEM HERE.
The Sierra Club is sponsoring Monthly Climate Action Hours on Zoom where you can get key updates on the latest climate and environmental news. CCAA will share dates and times with you as they become available. Keep in touch with them by registering AT THIS SITE.
Bloomberg Steps Up to Help the Paris Climate Accord. Billionaire Michael Bloomberg announced that his foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, will step in to fund the UN Climate Body after President Trump declared that the US would withdraw. This marks the second time Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, has stepped in to fill the gap left by U.S. federal disengagement.
What is Cap and Invest? New York’s plan to put a price on carbon could arrive in 2025. This model holds out both a stick (the allowance price) and a carrot (green investment) for businesses and households in the hopes of driving a virtuous cycle of emissions cuts. By fixing the “supply” of emissions, the program lets the market decide what their price should be. In principle, this should allow economies to achieve targeted emissions cuts in the most cost-effective way possible. Read all about it HERE.
AND, Ethan Gormley, local climate activist, recently presented a program to explain the issue. Check it out at this LINK.
John Carroll University is having an online conference, “Envisioning a Livable Future,” hosting eight evening events throughout the year. Upcoming talks include:
March 11: The Political Economy of Climate Change
April 9: Environmental Politics
Check out this LINK.
Reminder: Application Deadline for Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Grant Program. DEC’s Municipal Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Grant program, which provides grants to cities, towns, villages and counties to install hydrogen fuel filling station components and Level 2 and direct current fast charge electric vehicle supply equipment for public use, is accepting applications until 4 p.m. on February 28, 2025, through the Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) website.
Find more information about the grant program for zero-emission vehicle infrastructure.
TWENTY FIRST ANNUAL SYPOSIUM ON ENERGY IN THE 21STCENTURY. This will be held on the SUNY ESF campus in the Gateway Building on April 4, 2025, from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. The Symposium will include top experts to help achieve a clear path toward a healthy world through renewable energy. More information is available when you register.
Environmental Podcast Streams on WAER. Every other Thursday, there is a new episode. Recent episodes include “Mining for Answers: in which Professor Fengqui You from Cornell University addresses the rising concerns over the intensive energy needed to power cryptocurrency mining operations. Check it out on this link. And a second podcast tackled the complex topic of carbon offsets. With insights from Glen Dowell, Professor of Management at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell the discussion focused on how businesses use offsets, their effectiveness in reducing emissions, and the critical mechanisms and policies needed to ensure real environmental progress. That episode is here.
THIS IS BIG!!! CCAA is looking for a few good people to help our organization. If you can spare a few hours a month, we’d like to invite you to apply to become our treasurer. Our current treasurer will help in training and mentoring. You can obtain more information by contacting Peter Wirth at pwirth2@ verizon.net. or calling 315-476-3396.
And if you have other skills to share, we’d love some help with our newsletter…editing articles, gathering appropriate environmental information, helping with graphics and tech issues. Let our editor know at news.ccaa@gmail.com
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Photo provided by Peter Wirth
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EVchargers. Pete Wirth, (far left) with friends from Ohio cross country skiing this January at Osceola Ski Center in Tug Hill. Note the chargers for 6 cars. Send a photo and/or story of your electric car trip to <news.ccaa@gmail.co Be
sure to tell us where the chargers are located.
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National Grid Program Offers Savings on EV Charging
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Do you own an electric vehicle? Then this program is for YOU! National Grid residential managed charging offerings provide financial savings to customers for at-home EV charging during off-peak hours: Voluntary Time-of-Use (VTOU) rate and the EV Charge Smart Plan. The charts below provide additional information on the offerings, including links to the websites, and attached are the EV Charge Smart brochure and Residential Managed Charging flyer.
VTOU: https://www.nationalgridus.com/time-of-use
EV Charge Smart: https://www.nationalgridus.com/Charge-Smart-UNY
VTOU vs. EV Charge Smart:
VTOU is designed to encourage customers to shift their whole home electricity usage to off-peak hours, whereas the EV Charge Smart Plan is focused on EV charging only.
Enrollment:
-VTOU enrollment is completing an application, having a meter installed, and there is a one-year minimum participation requirement.
-EV Charge Smart enrollment is completed via a smartphone app, Charge Smart NY, and leverages your NG online account credentials. Compatible equipment, which is listed on the website, is required.
Pricing:
-EV Charge Smart Plan is incentive-based and provides opportunity for customers to earn a one-time enrollment and monthly participation incentive.
Enrollment Incentive
A $25 one-time incentive will be awarded for actively participating in the program for a minimum of three (3) months.
Monthly Incentive
Customers can earn a $15 incentive, per National Grid account number, each calendar month. To earn the incentive, customers need to:
1. Charge a minimum of 50 kWh at-home and,
2. 80% or > of at-home charging occurs during off-peak hours
VTOU has a basic service charge and is rate-based. Please visit the National Grid Rates website for the most current rates:https://www.nationalgridus.com/Upstate-NY-Home/Rates/Service-Rates.
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Climate Activists Rally in Albany
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On January 22, the statewide climate justice coalition NY Renews hosted a Fund Climate mass mobilization at the State Capitol Building in Albany. Well over 300 activists joined from across the state, including a van and two cars with Syracuse-area climate activists.
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Photo provided by Ethan Gormley
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Following a rally on the Capitol’s Million Dollar Staircase, the NY Renews coalition led over 40 visits with legislators. Activists from Citizen Action of New York, AGREE, and other local groups met with the offices of climate champions Senator Rachel May and Assemblymember Anna Kelles, among other key legislators. The Fund Climate mobilization helped set the agenda for NY Renews’ Fund Climate Campaign, in which the nearly 400-organization coalition will continue to advocate for crucial funding for climate projects from sources of revenue like cap and invest.
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To get involved in continuing the fight to make polluters pay for the transition to a renewable energy future for all, contact Citizen Action Climate Justice Organizer Ethan Gormley at egormley@citizenactionny.org.
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My name is Kiran Hubbard and I’m a student at Syracuse University studying journalism and biology. In my free time, I love to read, listen to music, and practice gymnastics. I grew up surrounded by people passionate about the environment, which led me to pursue fields where I could try to make a difference as climate change progresses. I’m really excited to work with CCAA to spread awareness in the local community.
(khubba03@syr.edu)
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Photo provided by Kiran Hubbard
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This is Personal: A Father’s Plea Regarding Climate Change
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Photo provided by www.abc.com
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Our daughter and her family live in Altadena, California. Their house was spared, but in contrast to the tens of thousands of people whose lives have been devastated, their life is “simply” turned upside down.
The weather was warm. The drought was considered “moderate”. Winds more than 80 mph in very low humidity ripped across desiccated vegetation and quickly moved from a forest fire to an urban fire. The outcome: an utterly unstoppable fire – better known as a “fire storm”. Urban fires are hotter and dirtier than forest fires. The toxic mess left behind from burning plastic, metal, and other hazardous materials is hard to imagine and even harder to clean up. Think years, not weeks or months.
Our earth is surrounded by a ring of gases that are trapped in our atmosphere – many of those gases trap heat as well. As we change the concentration of those gasses, we change everything, everywhere. Anyone who fantasizes that extreme droughts, and high winds are not a feature of our changing climate here in CNY is not paying attention and does not understand what it means to change the world’s climate. Remember the smoke from the Quebec fires in 2023? The Fort McMurray fire in 2015? The fires in the Texas Panhandle in 2024?
Now we have a federal administration, elected by just over 50% of the approximately 64% of eligible voters who voted, that is determined to make climate change worse in all ways it can: deny that it’s happening, misinform the public about the science, stifle renewable energy development, and accelerate fossil fuel production.
I challenge you to refuse to silently accept all this as normal or good. The congressional election in 2026 is an opportunity for citizens to let their vote be their voice; now is a time to actively engage in local and state actions and support organizations working at the national level. We live in one of the two states most committed to addressing the climate crisis. California and New York, if they were countries, would have the 5th and 12th largest economies in the world. New York has power, pure and simple.
The importance of generating money to assist people in New York with the costs of living while providing an incentive to lower carbon emissions could not be more important. Governor Hochul must, by law, set a price on carbon, collect that amount, and use it to make life more affordable for low to moderate income New Yorkers and Disadvantaged Communities. The deadline was the end of 2024, and she missed it. In the coming months, Governor Hochul’s legislatively mandated establishment of the Cap and Invest requirements of the Climate Act will be considered by the Legislature and the Governor, and likely the Courts if she refuses to implement the law.
The HEAT Act and the NYS Packaging Reduction & Recycling Act (PRRA) are also on the legislative docket. The HEAT Act would eliminate subsidies that utilities provide to install gas lines to homes and businesses disincentivizing the use of natural gas. PRRA would reduce the plastic in packaging and require producers of packaging to be responsible for its disposal. Plastic is a petroleum-based product and the production of the raw material, and the plastics themselves have their own enormous carbon footprints.
All these measures have been and will continue to be opposed, in all ways possible, by the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries. This is not a time to “rest”. CCAA will continue to support these initiatives and will provide information and links for you to do so through CCAA and on your own. As always, please share your climate understanding, and concern with others whenever and wherever you can.
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Repair, Reuse and Recycle – An Update
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I have what I call “My Everyday watch.” This is the watch I wear if I’m camping, gardening or going out to a movie or dinner. I bought if from REI about 15 years ago.
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Photo provided by www.gq.com
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It was designed by Timex in 1997 to be a rugged, outdoor watch – water resistant down to 50 meters. I love this watch. While the crystal was quite scratched (Fred, who fixed the watch asked me if I was a welder.) it ran like a charm. It had an indestructible nylon band and a battery that seemed to last forever.
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In early December I noticed the crown and stem had fallen off. Easiest thing was to go online and buy another for about $50 plus shipping. However, the three Rs were rattling around in my brain. Repair, Reuse & Recycle
I called REI to see if it was still on warranty or if they would fix it. Nope to both. REI gave me an 800 number for Timex. The Timex representative asked me if the watch was more than three years old. Answer yes, response was Timex wouldn’t fix it. When I asked about repair options, I was told there was Fred in Florida. I called Fred and asked if he could recycle the watch parts if he couldn’t repair it. He said yes. I was sold and off went the watch.
Fred, as it turns out was not a watch repairman but a former high-level executive at Timex who as a kid took things apart. Now retired at 83 he repairs Timex watches. One fact I learned from Fred was that a Timex watch produced in the late 20th century would last for a hundred years if you took care of it. That is not the case today. So, I shipped the watch off and after $72 dollars I had a functioning watch with a new crystal, hands, battery, stem and crown.
Was this process time consuming? YES. Could I have bought a new Timex Expedition watch for less? Yes, for about $60.But if you believe in the three R’s there is a cost both in dollars and in time. The days where most things could easily be repaired and less expensive are gone. The easiest and often cheapest alternative is the “landfill.”
However, if you are willing to invest the time and incorporate the 3 Rs into your life you will find you are buying less, helping the environment and often having interesting human interactions.
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- Positive feedback from December Member Meeting with architect Brian Kelly
- Future member meetings in January, February and March planned at Fayetteville Library and on Zoom
- April Meeting will be offset by all the Earth Day events in the area and members will be encouraged to participate
- Discussion on meetings for May, June, etc.
- Discussion on tracking where attendees to our monthly meetings hear about the events
- T shirt discussion continues with modifications to the design
- Interest in new signage for CCAA
- Ongoing progress on incorporation noted. Need to re-submit our application with revised language
- Committee reports
- Discussion of membership on Board of Directors
- Discussion of applying for NYRenews grants
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ORGANIZATION: Alliance for a Green Economy
EVENT: Albany Mobilization and Rally for NY Heat Act
WHEN: February 4, 2025
TIME: 10:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
LOCATION: NYS Legislative Office Building
For more information, just CLICK.
ORGANIZATION: Climate Reality Finger Lakes Chapter
EVENT: Book Group Meeting: “How to Prepare for Climate Change”
WHEN: February 6, 2025
TIME: 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
LOCATION: Zoom meeting
Info & Registration: https://tinyurl.com/5dnptjfz
ORGANIZATION: United Climate Action Network (UCANN)
EVENT: Monthly Meeting
WHEN: February 10, 2025
TIME: 6:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Cazenovia Public Library Community Room
ORGANIZATION: GreeningUSA
EVENT: Green Bag Lunch
WHEN: February 14, 2025
TIME: 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Virtual
Registration: https://tinyurl.com/yy9hs8p5
TOPIC: PFAS: What are they, what do they do, and how did they end up in my blood? (forever chemicals)
ORGANIZATION: SUNY ESF, USGBC Upstate NY & SU Center of Excellence
EVENT: NYS 2025 NYS Green Building Conference
WHEN: March 27 & 28, 2025
TIME: TBA
LOCATION: Syracuse Marriott Downtown, Syracuse, NY
Info & Registration: https://tinyurl.com/39x4r4tu
ORGANIZATION: SUNY ESF
EVENT: 21st Annual Symposium on Energy in the 21st Century
WHEN: April 4, 2025
TIME: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
LOCATION: Gateway Building, ESF campus, Syracuse
And registration is now open.
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An innovative practice, known as solar grazing, has grown alongside the rapid expansion of solar farms across the country. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, more than 60 solar grazing projects are underway in the U.S., with 27 states actively participating. By combining renewable energy production with agriculture, this method—called agrivoltaics—creates a symbiotic relationship between solar developers and farmers. Check it out HERE.
Join the Climate Restoration Alliance. You are invited to commit to a proven, safe climate and play a role in making it and help make climate restoration an idea whose time has come. Accept the invitation AT THIS LINK.
There is currently in the Assembly a proposed bill that seeks to amend the public authorities’ law, in relation to establishing the green affordable pre-electrification program. This would be administered in consultation with the Division of Housing and Community Renewal, to fund and provide technical assistance for homes and buildings in need of a wide range of currently unfunded retrofits that are necessary for healthy buildings and achievement of New York’s climate mandates.
These unfunded retrofits prevent many households and building owners from being able to participate in energy efficiency and weatherization programs, because some residential buildings need certain types of rehabilitation work before they can do so. This pre-electrification work is usually too costly for homeowners and building owners to take on themselves.
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CCAA members are encouraged to attend the monthly member meetings, either in person or via Zoom. Below is a schedule of upcoming presentations. Be sure to mark your calendars and plan to attend!
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Biofuel: The Willow Project
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January Member Meeting. CCAA members who attended were treated to a very informative session on Clean Transportation Options. Presented by Barry Carr, Director of Clean Communities of CNY, the session explored means of transportation designed to mitigate the use of fossil fuels. It was eye-opening to become aware of the various alternative means of transportation such as diesel and biodiesel vehicles and to have access to Department of Energy (DOE) funded tools and resources. His presentation brought to us a review of low carbon transportation opportunities available for buses, short and long-haul trucks and personal vehicles. He pointed out the benefits and challenges facing us today in implementing low carbon options. We were given a view of fuel sources like batteries, hydrogen and biofuels that are or could be the future of transportation. Barry’s view of transportation solutions is that there is no silver bullet for Clean Transportation; we need all sorts of alternate fuels and technologies.
You can access this talk at this LINK with this passcode: ?.Vy?q7.
FEBRUARY: Do you know that shrub willow is a potential fuel? Willow systems can be multifunctional and produce sustainable energy along with other value-added benefits to ecosystems and communities.
On February 11 at 6:00 p.m. at the Community Room of Fayetteville Library, come hear Dr. Timothy Volk from SUNY ESF who will discuss his research working with university, private and public partners to develop shrub willow for renewable energy and environmental applications.
MARCH: Want to know All About Heat Pumps? Register for our virtual meeting (info will be sent) on March 11, 2025, when Dr. Ian Shapiro of Syracuse University will address the topic. Dr. Shapiro has designed heat pumps for production for the Carrier Corporation, consulted for several heat pump manufacturers, and authored original heat pump theory. He holds several patents and has done research on multiple types of heat pumps among other endeavors. Registration instructions will be sent to members. Since it will be a Zoom presentation, you can participate in it from the comfort of your home OR join us at the Fayetteville Free Library for the big screen effect and the ability to talk to other attendees.
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Feel like saving the world? Why not donate a few dollars to CCAA? Maybe it won’t be quite enough to save the whole planet, but it will help keep us going, and that’s the next best thing! We appreciate your support.
Donate here.
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CCAA Internships and Other Volunteering Opportunities
If you are interested in volunteering with CCAA in any capacity, please contact us at newsletter@climatechange-action.com or call 315-308-0846. Don’t worry about your skill level. We are all learning. We need people who can:
- Post to our social media pages
- Update our website using WordPress
- Help with our newsletter
- Organize events
- Work on legislative campaigns
- Create email campaigns
- And lots more!
NY Renews Youth Committee Opportunity
NY Renews is a coalition of over 300 organizations fighting for climate justice in New York State. Currently, we’re focusing on a budget campaign demanding NY State invest $15 Billion in the budget this year for climate justice.
Within NY Renews, the Youth Committee is a space mostly for high school and college age individuals. We’re moving towards bi-weekly trainings followed by community organizing to support our campaigns. Joining the youth committee is a great opportunity to level up your organizing, learn about campaigning, and get involved in the climate justice movement.
We meet every other week with additional time on projects for those interested. If you are interested, please fill out the sign-up form so we can get more info about your interests and experiences (it’s not competitive). We would love to hear from you!
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We encourage you to follow our social media accounts to support CCAA and stay up to date on other environmental news.
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CCAA OFFICERS
President: George Lorefice (loreficegj@gmail.com)
Vice President: Peter Wirth (pwirth2@verizon.net)
Secretary: Reena Tretler (reena.tretler@gmail.com)
Treasurer: Dr. Sonia Kragh (sykragh@yahoo.com)
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Carbon Challenge: Yvonne Chu
Education: Ken Johnson and Jim Doherty
Legislative: Jan Kublick
Membership: Ken Johnson
Micron: Yvonne Chu and Peter Wirth
Newsletter: Roseann Lorefice
Sustainability: Sonia Kragh
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Newsletter Committee
Interns: Andrea Hayman, Kiran Hubbard
Publishing and Design: Yvonne Chu, Annalena Davis
Technical Advisor: Gavin Landless
Editor: Roseann Lorefice
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Copyright © 2025 Climate Change Awareness & Action, all rights reserved.
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