Author: vandy

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“This is extraordinarily harmful”

“This is extraordinarily harmful.” Rachel Kyte, the United Nations special representative on sustainable energy, said today.

The NY Times reported that the Trump administration will announce that it will “sharply curtail the regulation of methane emissions….” The EPA will will eliminate federal requirements that oil and gas companies install technology to inspect for and fix methane leaks from wells, pipelines and storage facilities.

Exxon and BP America are opposed to the rule change. Susan Dio, the Chair of BP America wrote an op-ed article in March 2019 saying that “regulating methane is the right thing to do for the planet.”

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“The World’s Lungs are Burning”

There is a 79% increase in fires in the Amazon rain forest from the same time period in 2018.

Deforestation caused the loss of 8.9 million acres of primary rain forest, an area equal to the size of Belgium. If enough rain forest is lost and can’t be restored, it will become a savanna, loosing much of its carbon storing ability.

The Amazon rain forest produces over 20% of the world’s oxygen supply. It stores over 2.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide each year.

Survival of the Amazon rain forest is key to reducing the global climate crisis.

For more information on this topic:

The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/world/amp-stories/amazon-fires-causes-rainforest-climate-change/?noredirect=on

The New York Times https://nyti.ms/2ZwdB9i

The Telegraph (UK) https://youtu.be/MSL4fr6mOh4

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Climate Reality Leadership

What Is a Climate Reality Leader?

The Climate Reality Leadership Corps is a global network of activists committed to spreading awareness of the climate crisis and working for solutions to the greatest challenge of our time.


The program takes great leaders and makes them exceptional, providing training in climate science, communications, and organizing to better tell the story of climate change and inspire communities everywhere to act. The result is a dynamic group of world-changers shaping the conversation on climate everywhere from family dinners to international summits and building a twenty-first century movement for solutions. (from the Climate Reality Project website, www.climaterealityproject.org)

Vandy Johnson, Sleeping Bear Tree Farm’s Managing Member, completed training on August 4, 2019. He is now a volunteer Climate Reality Leader joining the over 20,000 members of the Climate Reality Leadership Corps. His focus will be on 100% Clean Utility Power and the effects of Climate Change on forests and wild life.

Want to learn more about the climate crisis? Watch Al Gore explain climate change in five minutes: https://youtu.be/jOKqYtRDGak

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University of Minnesota Master Woodland Owners Visit Sleeping Bear Tree Farm

On October 19, 2018, the Minnesota Master Woodland Owners class visited the Sleeping Bear Tree Farm to learn about Forest Stewardship, Sustainability, Protecting Water Quality and Responsible Harvesting. Tom Strack, Crow Wing County Environmental Services Specialist, Mike Reichenbach, University of Minnesota, Matt Russell, University of Minnesota and Diomy Zamora, University of Minnesota facilitated discussions.