June marks the end of a Rotary year and thus my presidency term. I would like to express my deep gratitude to all the members of the club for the work we have achieved together. Even though we are experiencing troubled and unprecedented times, I am grateful for this amazing year.
Over the years, we have built strong friendship and valuable relationships through our common mission of educating ourselves and our community about environmental challenges and solutions. I would like to take the time to reflect on key activities that not only served our club mission this year but are also aligned with the current Rotary theme: Rotary Connects the World. Enhancing connection and relationships starts within our club, to reach our local community and expand to our global community.
The first annual retreat of the club helped share ideas, create cohesiveness, and understand each other aspirations for the club, as we crafted our vision and listed our common values and goals.
The speaker program keeps providing fundamental and valuable resources to help educate ourselves and our community about the environment.
Our Rotary Climate Action Team (RCAT) comprised of Climate Reality Leaders has visited over ten clubs in our District 5340 to explain the impact of climate change on Rotary's Areas of Focus.
The Zero-Waste committee was launched to help organize greener events and meetings.
The Membership chair and committee have exceeded our club goals and expectation by welcoming many new members, doubling our membership count in less than a year.
Thanks to the Foundation chair and committee, we keep successfully applying for District grants and we have been able to raise $3,850 for the Rotary Annual Fund. Over 60% of our members are now Every Rotarian Every Year! During this unusual year, we raised additional funds to support COVID-19 relief effort (over $2,200 of cash contributions and District grant). Thank you all for your support!
Members, joined by friends of the club, have undertaken various service activities, as a group through our community service at San Dieguito County Park or individually through service that supports youth programs, environmental awareness, and lately COVID-19 relief effort.
Nearly a third of our club members are also members of the Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG) - BTW you don't need to be a Rotarian to receive their newsletter nor to become an ESRAG member!
During these past few months, new social meeting formats and activities have appeared due to the health crisis. We are now entering in a recovering and rebuilding phase and I do hope this will be done with compassion to one another and to all living beings. We need to take the time to reflect on what works and what does not work in our society. And it is only with an open heart that we will find the courage to look at it and build a new norm, one in which diversity matters, one in which all human beings care for each other, one in which we understand that humanity is part of nature.
As I am finishing my year as a Club President, I am confident my successor will keep enhancing our service to the community and help reach new goals for our club. I will be happy to continue my service to Rotary by supporting our effort with Global Grants and through our Communication committee.
I would like to close this message by sharing my sadness and pain in the view of the violence and injustice that arose this past week in Minneapolis and across the country. I stand in solidarity with Black, Indigenous and People of Color Communities. I encourage everyone to educate themselves about systemic racism and social inequality, as finding solutions starts with understanding the issue, shedding light on unconscious biases, and connecting with each other with compassion.
I wish you well and look forward to seeing you at our next meeting.
With all my gratitude,
Yours in Rotary,
Amélie Catheline
Club President 2019-2020
Upcoming Events
Speaker Program
Due to the ongoing health crisis we are experiencing, we have moved our club meetings to an online format. We are extremely happy to be able to continue our mission to educate our members and our community despite the challenges!
If you are NOT a member of the Solana Beach Eco-Rotary, please RSVP to attend club meetings.
Links to our Zoom meeting rooms will be sent automatically to all Eco-Rotarians, and additional emails will be sent to guests who have signed up. Feel free to share the information and this newsletter!
Being a Zero-Waste Family
We are very pleased to host Fredrika Syren and her family, on June 2nd, 2020 at 6:30 p.m.
Fredrika and her family are a family of five living zero-waste, plant-based, & mindfully minimal so that both the kids and planet can enjoy a beautiful, thriving future. The family lives on an urban homestead ten minutes from downtown in the middle of San Diego, slowly integrating changes like eating vegan, going plastic-free, and buying organic and saving $18,000 a year as a result of this lifestyle.
Join us on June 9th, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. as we host Karen Kendrick-Hands, co-founder of the Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG).
On behalf of ESRAG, Karen presented to The Rotary Foundation’s Environmental Issues Task Force in Feb. 2020 in support of the creation of an Area of Focus for the environment. We will hear the presentation she did to The Rotary Foundation and why climate change is Rotary's business.
North SD County Watershed Monitoring Program
One Year In
We are pleased to host Karen Wytmans, Paige DeCino, and Mary Anne Viney on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2020 at 6:30 PM.
Come learn about the North San Diego County Water Monitoring Program, a citizen science group founded in April 2019. The NSDCWMP is picking up where the San Diego Coastkeeper left off to sample and monitor pollution and impaired waterways in North San Diego County. We will describe the goals of the organization, how we got started, and how we are measuring water quality of the 3 Carlsbad watersheds.
We are forced to cancel all community service at San Dieguito County Park, for the time being. Please stay tuned to join us when we resume!
In the mid-time, Park Ranger Alejandro Santos has shared pictures of the park to enjoy the beauty of wildlife. The flowers are blooming and bees are loving it!
Top left picture: Chaparral Bush Mallow (Malacothamnus Fasciculatus)
Bottom left picture: Mariposa Lily (Calochortus weedii)
Eco-Conscious Lifestyle
Story of the Month
Virtual Eco-Talk between Eco-Rotarians
and Youth of the BCK Program
The Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club organized a virtual Eco-Talk with students of the BCK Programs, which is focused on providing environmental education to students.
We hosted 36 people, including students, teachers, school principals, parents, a City of Encinitas representative, and Eco-Rotarians. Bill Dean, co-founder of the Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club, started the SWPPP Internship Program in 2013 and then the BCK Programs in 2016.
During this event we heard from the next generation of environmental stewards, what they have accomplished at their schools and the passion they bring to making a difference in our world. Supported by an amazing team of teachers and educators, they addressed stormwater and waste challenges observed in their schools.
Drew, Bill’s granddaughter, and Judah are both students from Ocean Knoll Elementary School. Through the SWPPP Internship Program, they studied water usage, conservation, and pollution, and became expert in recycling. With other students of their schools, they raised awareness through art and advocacy to the Encinitas city council. Additionally, they developed a project to address a stormwater problem identified in the back-parking lot of their school and worked with District Facilities staff to resolve it.
Two 4th grade students from Flora Vista Elementary School (Maddie and Zoë) talked about the Trash Amendment Action Plan they participated in, the actions they took and the outcomes it produced. It resulted in a full week of actions for the entire school and a campaign to educate students and parents.
Students enjoyed presenting to the Solana Beach Eco Rotary club. They are now ready to give presentations to other groups and schools. The next generation is made of passionate kids ready to advocate and implement solutions to protect our environment!
BCK Programs is focused on providing environmental education to students. All their programs are designed to have students participate in activities that provide meaningful solutions along with data valuable to schools, cities and hopefully the state. But even more important, these programs help change people’s behavior to make responsible decisions and motivate them to take actions toward improving our environment.
Events in North County San Diego
Many groups in the San Diego region are very active in promoting efforts and action taken to address environmental challenges.
Due to the ongoing physical distancing requirements, many organizations have adopted new gathering formats. Check out your favorite organization's website regularly as they may have transitioned to an online platform. Most of them are continuing taking action to protect our environment!
Eco-Rotarians are leaders and key players of other various groups in our community. Because it is critical to collaborate and share events and information as much as possible to support each other, I encourage everyone to follow San Diego Climate Action Network, which provides a great calendar of events happening in the region. If your organization has transitioned to an online format, contact SDCAN to promote your online events!
World Environment Day Forum
June 5th, 2020
The June 5 World Environment Day forum originally planned for Rotary International Convention in Honolulu will flow like daylight around the world as the virtual conference broadcasts four times. You can register here to receive the Zoom link and schedule for your time zone.
You can use the Zoom link to log in at any time that works for you:
Broadcast 1: 10 am - 12:15 pm Australian Eastern Time
Broadcast 2: 10 am - 12:15 pm East Africa Time
Broadcast 3: 10 am - 12:15 pm U.S. Eastern Time
Broadcast 4: 10 am - 12:15 pm Pacific Time (Hawaii)
Agenda of UNEP-ESRAG Forum
10-10:30 am: United Nations 50th World Environment Day: Daniel Cooney, UNEP
10:30-11 am: Tackling Hunger and Food Waste: Joe Richardson, Lunch out of Landfills
11:00-11:30 am: Rotary's New Partnership with Drawdown, Jonathan Foley, Drawdown
11:30-noon: Environmental Restoration: Brendan Foran, Greening Australia
Noon-12:15 pm: Q&A and ideas to take home: Pat Armstrong, ESRAG
Film Screening between Monday, June 1st and Thursday, June 4th.
&
Post-Screening Conversation on June 4th, 2020 at 7:00 - 7:50 p.m.
Participants will hear from environmental policy experts, local business owners and local elected officials on topics ranging from the economics of switching to reusables to the impacts of our plastic use on third world countries and front line communities. This is a great opportunity to understand the plastics industry and their efforts to keep us reliant on plastics to fulfill profit projections and what we can do about it!
Panelists Include: Priya Bhat-Patel - Carlsbad City Councilmember (Ph.D. in Public Health) Michael Doshi - From Algalita (Featured in The Story of Plastic) Alex Ferron - Surfrider Foundation San Diego (Executive Committee Chair) Mike Levin - U.S. House of Representatives (49th District) Jessica Waite - Owner of The Plot (Zero Waste Restaurant)
RSVP here on Eventbriteto secure your spot. links and details of the screening and video conferencing will be shared on June 1st to those who RSVP'd.
Plastic Free CA Initiative
Global plastic production is approaching one million tons per day and is set to double by 2030. If this continues, experts project that by 2050 there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish. It is time for Californian’s to take action, and the Plastics Free California initiative aims to do just that.
Plastics Free CA is a ballot initiative—an effort organized by the people of California to impact change through an upcoming election. If you have access to a printer or printing shop, here’s how you can help make sure that Californians have a chance to vote to stop plastic pollution: Sign the Petition PlasticsFreeCA.org
Clean Earth 4 Kids
CleanEarth4Kids.orgholds a weekly virtual webinar on Thursdays, at 5:30 p.m.to discuss important updates on environmental policies and regulations. The youth board provides updates on regulation and roll backs related to climate change, wildlife and ecosystem protection, clean air, clean water, toxic free neighborhoods and zero waste.
Visit their website to register and attend their meetings.
Climate Reality Leadership Corps
Global Training
July 18-26, 2020
If COVID-19 has shown us anything, it’s our tremendous capacity for collaborative and creative problem solving on a global scale. The Climate Reality Leadership Corps Global Training will explore how we can solve the climate crisis and build the world we want by embracing the principles of community, equity, and a commitment to opportunities and dignity for all. The training, which will be held virtually,will unite people from around the world to highlight what’s at stake for our planet and our future and help attendees develop practical skills to fight for a more just, sustainable, and healthy world.
What will the training be like?
This training experience will deliver the same great content that has made their in-person trainings so successful in the past, but through an interactive virtual platform that uses video, “table work,” networking, assignments, and action opportunities to help participants become a part of the global movement for climate action.
How long will it last?
To welcome attendees from around the world and provide flexibility for family and work commitments, the training spans nine days, with the expectation that attendees spend approximately 14 hours total with the content and activities.
In response to an appeal in the March 23rd District 5340 Newsbits for assistance delivering meals; Solana Beach ECO Rotary Club member John O’Halloran has delivered hundreds of meals and dozens boxes of groceries on behalf of Jewish Family Services (JFS) to San Diego County’s most vulnerable older adult residents.
First as an individual volunteer for JFS, and later as part of Team Rubicon, a nationwide disaster response organization which took over the JFS food distribution efforts on April 20th, John has been part of a task force of approximately 15 community volunteers that has stepped up to assist.
The Loonin Kitchen at the JFS facility on Balboa Avenue has quadrupled the number of meals they prepare per day from 400 to 1,600 as a result of a request from the County of San Diego, due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Using 6 donated vans, the task force averages 9 routes per day throughout the County, delivering meals and groceries from Vista to San Ysidro. To date, almost 50,000 meals have been delivered.
Permaculture in East Africa
We were pleased to host Colin Richard and Cecilia Njoroge and hear about the work they do in Kenya to create farms using permaculture and regenerative agriculture practices.
Not only do they support families to become food resilient in East Africa, they also help create businesses around agriculture and advocate for policy change, and environmental conservation.
Giving a Second Life to Hospital Assets
Lastly, we received Mimi Lively, Owner and CEO of ZRG Medical, a women-owned business located in Oceanside. We learned about their activity that helps give a second life to hospital equipment and furniture. They buy or will take hospital assets for a fee depending on their values, to repair and refurbish them, then sell or donate to other hospitals and facilities. As a last resort, they will recycle electronics in a responsible manner by partnering with R2 certified downstream organizations, that comply with the R2 Standards developed by Sustainable Electronics Recycling Electronics (SERI).
Their business supports a circular economy, helps charitable organizations that need medical equipment, and ensures that valuable hospital assets will not go to waste.
