It’s October.
And we enter into this month with a somber tone. We started Sept with a school shooting and ended the month with Hurricane Helene and a chemical plant fire. Our hearts go out to all those impacted.
It’s hard to write an upbeat peppy blog when everyone is struggling.
But as Mr. Rogers said, “Look for the helpers.” And it has been encouraging to see neighbors helping neighbors with water, food, chain saws, and generators. (Speaking of helpers, be on the lookout for more Climate Survival Trainings to empower you to respond to these changes.)
As we move forward, we will continue to beat the drum for evidence-based best practices can have a positive impact on the health, prosperity, and environment for all of Georgia.
This means practical adaptations in the face of an ever-changing climate: storm water buffers, green energy sources, alleviating impervious surface, addressing heat islands, reducing energy burden, etc. Addressing both the causes and impacts of severe weather.
We were formed, in part, to take science back from polarization and politicization – to ensure that someone was speaking truth to alternate facts, conspiracies, and gross overgeneralizations. Science offers valuable solutions, but scientists must be out there, in the community, speaking the truth and getting engaged.
This month we have several opportunities to engage with us:
- Oct 3 *rescheduled* Georgia Science Junction about the power-hungry nature of AI and Crypto, and how science can make it better
- Oct 6 – Climate Survival Training about homegrown protein sources (i.e. eating bugs in delicious cookies!)
- Oct 10 – Panel on Env Justice and Climate Anxiety
- Oct 10 – Monthly Membership meeting
- Oct 24 – Jazz Hands: Malignant Humor. Join our stand-up comics as we kill cancer with comedy. Half of the show’s proceeds will be donated to Emory Winship Cancer Center – where several of our comedians have been treated.
In the spirit of valuing facts and transparency above all, we wish to clear the air: without immediate financial support, programs designed to educate, activate, and empower our community in the name of science will be significantly impacted or terminated. This year, we’ve faced unexpected funding challenges that jeopardize our ability to deliver essential outreach and advocacy efforts.
We hope that you see the value of our efforts to bring science solutions to the people of Georgia and will support us with a donation today!
Thank you for all that you do to make Science Matter Here. We hope to continue to serve the people of Georgia.