100 Grannies Lecture Series

March 12 Speaker: Kristin Shevis from Beyond Plastics will connect by Zoom from New York. Kristin is a NY State constituent passionate about reducing plastic pollution. She will " frame the problem" of the impact of litter on climate, the environment and on health. NYC has made progress since 2021 when the state Legislature banned plastic straws and plastic bags. No more straws in drinks. This also includes "Skip the Stuff" ie. no plastic utensils in takeout which end up in drawers or trash. People use their own utensils at home. There are over 500 bans on plastic bags across the US which includes stirs in drinks. She is fondly known as “the Trash Talker” amongst her friends and family after she took Judith Enck’s Master class on plastic pollution as well as Al Gore’s Climate Reality Leadership Training in 2024. She has spent over 30 years working in sales in the tech industry for startups and large companies.

March 19 will be joining over Zoom. Glen Merzer is a playwright, screenwriter, podcast host, and author. He has authored or co-authored more than a dozen books with a vegan message, including his book, “Food is Climate: A Response to Al Gore, Bill Gates, Paul Hawken, & The Conventional Narrative on Climate Change,” which argues that the only way to reverse climate change is to eliminate animal agriculture and to protect the oceans from industrial fishing. Dr. Michael Klaper called Food is Climate, “the most important book of the 21st Century.” He will discuss “The Only Way to Save Our Planet”

March 26 (in person) Dr. Jerald Schnoor, is a Professor in the Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Occupational and Environmental Health, and Co-Director of the Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research (CGRER) at the University of Iowa. Dr. Schnoor's research interests include phytoremediation, water quality modeling, groundwater, risk assessments, sustainable development, and the impact of carbon emissions on global change. He also serves as the Project 5 Leader of the Iowa Superfund Research Program. Phytoremediation uses plants to clean up pollution in the environment. Plants can help clean up many kinds of pollution including metals, pesticides, explosives, and oil. The plants also help prevent wind, rain, and groundwater from carrying pollution away from sites to other areas. Jerry will be discussing “Climate Change, Wildfires, and Hurricanes—Where are we heading?”