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Bulletin Editor
John Fuller
Club Information
Welcome to Rotary E-Club of the Caribbean, 7020!
E-Club of the Caribbean
Service Above Self
We meet Saturdays at 9:00 AM
Online, Atlantic Standard Time
https://zoom.us/j/602689205
St. Thomas, USVI  00802
US Virgin Islands
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District Site
 
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Venue Map
Executives & Directors
President
 
President Elect
 
Immediate Past President
 
Secretary
 
Treasurer
 
Strategic and Visioning, Chair
 
Rotary Foundation, Chair
 
Club Administration
 
Sergeant-at-Arms
 
Upcoming Events
Club Assembly
Jul 25, 2015
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
 
Board Meeting
On-Line
Aug 08, 2015
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
 
Club Training by Club Trainers
On-Line
Aug 22, 2015
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
 
Butterfly Storybook Launch and Promotion
Sep 02, 2015
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
 
Introduction to Basic Educucation and Literacy
On-Line
Sep 05, 2015
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
 
Board Meeting
On-Line
Sep 12, 2015
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
 
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Member Birthdays
Lesli Prendergast
July 18
 
Camille Seaton
August 4
 
Spouse Birthdays
Ralph Smith
August 19
 
Anniversaries
Bernand Roy
July 11
 
Join Date
Bernand Roy
July 11, 1989
26 years
 
Anita Jourden
August 1, 2013
2 years
 
Henriette Raccah
August 1, 2013
2 years
 
Lesli Prendergast
August 12, 2012
3 years
 
Denis Stockman
August 19, 2014
1 year
 
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President's Message
Camille Seaton
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Dear Rotarians and Guests,
 
We are Almost through the first month and what a month it has been. July 18th each year is celebrated as Nelson Mandela International day {Mandela Day}. The day remembers Mandela’s achievements in working towards conflict resolution, democracy, human rights, peace, and reconciliation. It is also a global call to action for people to recognize their ability to have a positive effect on others around them.
 
Many people and organizations around the world take part in many activities to promote Nelson Mandela Day. These activities include volunteering, sport, art, education, music and culture. How did you celebrate this day?
 
Annually, July 30th is celebrated as World Friendship day. This day is intended to recognize and celebrate friendships amongst family members and acquaintances and one in which we share greeting cards, an email, and/or a call just to show our appreciation to and for them.
 
As Rotarians, let us participate by recognizing the friendships we have gained both professionally and personally. Let us ensure we thank those persons who have played a significant role being a friend and most importantly let us celebrate the great fellowship we have in our club.
 
“Friendship is a natural and willing servant…..There is no reason…..why the great power of friendship should not be harnessed to do its part in the world’s work” – Report of the President, 1912 Rotary Convention, Duluth, Minnesota, USA
 
“Friendship was the foundation rock on which Rotary was built and tolerance is the element that holds it- together”- My Road to Rotary.
 
Saturday July 25 will be our 1st club Assembly for the year.  I look forward to seeing you all there.
 
Warm Regards,
 
Stories
 
Just a short reminder, if you have not paid your club dues, now would be a good time to do it.
 
 
 
 
 
John Hunter, author of the World Peace Game and other 4th Grade Achievements puts all the problems of the world on a 4'x5' plywood board — and lets his 4th-graders solve them. The movie with that same title was written based on Hunter's story.
 
Rotary International President, K.R. Ravindran asks of himself what he asks of each of us.
 
 
 
Extreme weather events have been in the news a lot lately.  Hurricanes, tornadoes, super storms and prolonged drought are not only becoming increasingly commonplace, but tragically, increasingly destructive.  However, perhaps the biggest threat that humanity faces as the earth continues to warm is sea-level rise.
 
In the last few years, Greenland has hit its highest temperatures in recorded history.  It has also experienced the first full-surface melt of its ice-sheets in our modern era.
 
These two events have so much potential impact on our world’s oceans that many scientists have become concerned.
 
Wednesday at HHH we featured a short film is about Greenland.
All the information is taken from the film and represents the views espoused by those who have made the film.
 
The show is on HBO and it’s called Vice.
 
 
 
Greenland’s glaciers are in free fall.  Every year, Greenland loses over 140 billion tons of ice.
 
 
 
Sea level rise.  This net ice loss is now responsible for a significant amount of our current global sea-level rise. 
 
Ice calving, also known as glacier calving or iceberg calving, is the breaking off of chunks of ice at the edge of a glacier.
 
One of the leading experts on Greenland’s ice sheets is Dr. Jason Box.
 
The map below shows recent melting of the glaciers.  That strip is approximately 5 miles.
 
Ten years ago, what you see here would have been covered in several hundred feet of ice.
 
All freshly deglaciated -
 
This region has recently lost enough ice to supply Los Angeles with fresh water for about 2000 years!  It’s hard to put numbers on this that are not astronomical!
The ice sheet covers about 80 per cent of Greenland which, in turn, is about three times the size of Texas.
 
How fast is the ice sheet melting?
Last year, they measured 9 meters of melting – in one year. 
 
 
 
Above – a year ago.  Below - a year later –
 
One of the reasons for the rapid melting is visible on the surface of the ice.  Because of increased pollution and airborne soot, the actual surface of the ice is actually very dirty.
 
The dirty, or dark, ice accelerates melt because its color absorbs the heat rather than reflecting it.
 
The dark material absorbs about three times more sunlight than if it were not dark. 
 
Wildfires around the world are increasing (that’s been documented) and the soot from those fires becomes airborne and lands in this area of Greenland.  If global warming creates more fires, that will deposit more light-absorbing material on the ice.  It’s cyclical – the hotter it gets, the more fires.  The more fires, the more soot.  The more soot, the more dark ice.  The more dark ice, the more melting. 
 
Rising global temperatures are making the natural fire season much longer but also much drier.  Another contributor is the massive amount of industrial pollution carried by air currents.  These particles literally drill down into the ice, exacerbating the whole process.
 
Climate change has outpaced the worst-case scenarios that were observed about 20 years ago.  The result is that it is a serious situation.
 
We had a good discussion after the film – and if more of you can join, you will surely enjoy the education and the fellowship!
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