Due to the unavailability of our meeting space at The Ridgeline Hotel, our club will NOT meet on Thursday, April 25.
Our next meeting will be Thursday, May 2. If you plan to attend the Thursday, May 2 meeting, please contact Club Administrator Karol Rinehart by 10a.m. Friday, April 26 to let her know the following:
You plan to attend and have lunch.
You plan to attend and have beverage service only.
You will be bringing a guest(s).
kj.rinehart@centurylink.net
Posted by Guy Van der Werf
Powering the future, battling climate change
Gordon McAlpine, retired astrophysicist and consultant for the Platte River Power Authority, will speak to the Rotary Club of Estes Park Thursday, April 17, at their regular noon meeting. MacAlpine will be speaking about climate change, electricity generation in Colorado, and the need to transition to renewable energy generation.
Gordon McAlpine
Global temperatures are rising, and they will continue to rise because of the well documented greenhouse effect. Burning fossil fuels has loaded Earth’s atmosphere with more carbon dioxide than prior to the Pliocene Epoch, when oceans were roughly 100 feet higher and many animals lived above the Arctic Circle and on the Antarctic continent.
Recent reports from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the United States Fourth National Climate Assessment indicate that humanity has only about a 10-12 year window of opportunity to cut back dramatically on fossil fuel use if we are to head off the most catastrophic climatic events. These climatic events include massive methane releases, which have occurred in the past and were associated with destruction of the biosphere and with global mass extinctions.
Here in Colorado, higher temperatures are causing drought conditions, increased wildfires, pine-beetle infestations, and wildlife stress and losses. In addition, economic impacts related to human health, agricultural productivity, property destruction, and ecosystem services are considerable. Coloradans are paying a huge “hidden tax” for electricity from fossil-fuel power plants.
Fortunately, technology and electric grid advances, along with price reductions such as economies of scale, have produced a situation where carbon-free electricity from renewable sources like solar and wind can be reliable and significantly less expensive compared with electricity derived from burning coal or gas. Detailed analyses suggest that Colorado utilities can make the transition to primarily solar and wind power within 10-12 years, with net savings of billions of dollars.
The municipalities of Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont and Loveland, along with the Platte River Power Authority which serves them, have set a goal of achieving 100% carbon-free electricity production by 2030. The state of Colorado has also committed to renewable electricity by 2040. There will be challenges, but these are realistic and necessary goals as we move forward with preserving the state’s environment and growing its clean-energy economy.
McAlpine has a BA in Physics from Earlham College and a PhD in Astrophysics from the University of Wisconsin. Following a stint as a member of the Institute for Advanced Study, he joined the Astronomy faculty at the University of Michigan. After retiring from Michigan, he accepted a position at Trinity University in Texas, where he continued to teach Physics and Climate Science. Gordon and his wife, Barbara, moved to Estes Park in 2014. He has been active with the Estes Valley Astronomical Society and has been working with the Platte River Power Authority as they transition to renewable energy generation.
April 11 Meeting Highlights
President Dave called the meeting to order at noon following an announcement by Bill Smith. Bill shared that Roger Thorp, a longtime and beloved member is now in Hospice. He would love to receive cards and/or phone calls.
The invocation was given by Dana Fritz, followed by a song and the Pledge led by Pete Sumey. Matt Comstock introduced guests, including: Jon Thompson, guest of Trudy Collar; Jennifer Comstock, guest of Karen Thompson; and our exchange student, Laura, brought by Susan Fereday. Scott’s joke was actually received with applause.
Happy Money
Harry Livingston and his wife, Mary, are celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary with an open house on April 27th. All are invited, but please RSVP to 586-8376.
Rita is happy her son proposed to his future wife and now she will have a daughter-in-law.
Wayne announced that Earl Matson is now at PPLC...he loves company!
Gregg Jurgens donated to Dave Boon’s fundraiser in Ft Collins...resulted in lots of money.
Bill Solms thanked Rotarians for bringing guests and new members into our Club.
Bob Brunson was happy, as usual.
Matt Comstock was happy for his 26 years of marriage.
Jim Austin and Jean are back in Estes, and we’re happy for that!
Announcements
Chuck Bonza explained Josh the Otter program and announced they have enough readers.
Karen Thompson said the Friendship Card program is a go!
Gregg announced all ducks are counted and sorted.
Our exchange student brought us up to date on her activities.
There will be a Foundation meeting next week after the club meeting.
Induction
Bill Solms inducted David Boon as an Honorary member of our Club. He holds a membership in the Ft Collins club.
Program
Rick Taylor then introduced our speaker, David Boon.
The meeting was adjourned with the 4-Way Test.
Submitted by Dana Fritz, scribe and Rita DuChateau, photographer
Amazing Amazon Opportunity -
Give to your Foundation while you shop!
The Rotary Club of Estes Park Foundation has been registered as a recipient of funds in the smile.amazon.com. Each order you place will send a portion of the sale to our Foundation. As of February 2019, the AmazonSmile program has donated $124.7 million to charities.
Now all you need to do its sign up to get the funds flowing. And SHOP!
Choose the charitable organization by typing in Estes Park Rotary Foundation. Our club and the Longs Peak club will come up in the search. Please click on Estes Park Rotary Foundation.
Create a bookmark so every time you shop Amazon, you will participating in the smile.amazon.com program.
Go shopping!!
Remember to do this each time you shop Amazon.
"This is a great way to give to the Foundation without any cost to the member," said Gregg Jurgens, Foundation Treasurer.
Friendship Card invites merchant partners
Help others while helping yourself: that’s the purpose of the new Friendship Card. Based on a simplified concept of the former Rocky Card, the new Friendship Card will be sold by the Rotary Club of Estes Park for $10. It will open the door to discounts at local restaurants and stores for a calendar year.Net proceeds from the sale of the Friendship Card will be used to support our club's many charitable projects,
Karen Thompson is launching the project with her committee members. They are currently asking business owners to become a part of the Friendship Card initiative. In exchange for discounts, merchants will be listed in promotional materials and display a decal advertising their membership in the program.
The Friendship Card will be available for sale at 8-10 area locations, which will be announced when the card launches in May.
For more information, send an email tot epfriendshipcard@gmail.com. A committee member will promptly follow up.
2020 Rotary Peace Fellowship seeking applicants
The spike in regional and local conflicts around the globe has boosted the need for peace and development leaders skilled in building positive social change. The fully funded Rotary Peace Fellowship, which covers tuition and living expenses, increases the capacity of existing leaders to prevent and resolve conflict through academic training, field experience and professional networking.
Up to 100 fellows are selected every year in a globally competitive process based on personal, academic and professional achievements. Fellows earn either a master’s degree or a professional development certificate in peace and conflict studies at one of the Rotary Peace Centers, located within seven leading universities around the world. More than 1,200 program alumni are working in over 100 countries as leaders in national governments, NGOs, social enterprises, the military, law enforcement and international organizations such as the United Nations.
The 2020-21 academic term deadline is May 31, 2019. Additional information on Rotary Peace Scholarships, including an application checklist video and a timeline for the application process is available at: https://www.rotary.org/en/our-programs/peace-fellowships Interested? Contact Ron Gordon, International Service Director, at rgordon@frii.com.
Rotary Quote of the Week
"April is Maternal and Child Health Month in Rotary... Every two minutes, somewhere in the world, a woman dies from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. And babies whose mothers die within the first six weeks of their lives are far more likely to die themselves than babies whose mothers survive. As I've traveled around the world as president of Rotary, I've met families for whom these aren't simply tragic statistics. But I've also met people who are devoting themselves to helping mothers and children — and because of them, I'm hopeful. And because many of those people are Rotarians, I'm also proud."
-Barry Rassin, 2018-19 Rotary International President
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