Join us for Earth Month talks & presentations at Cornell Art Museum!
The Cornell Art Museum in collaboration with the City of Delray Beach Sustainability and Resilience Office will host talks, presentations and environmental film for Earth Month 2024.
The day is focused on these talk topics and environmental film:
10:15 AM - Florida Habitat Restoration: Speaker: George Gann, Executive Director, Institute for Regional Conservation
Native ecosystems in cities like Delray Beach are resources to be protected, treasured, and restored. They are also key to preventing extinctions of native plants and animals and increasing resilience in the face of climate change. Learn how Delray Beach is restoring native habitats for the future and how you too can restore nature at home or work. Healthy urban ecosystems are resilient urban ecosystems that will provide myriad ecosystem services for people and nature far into the future.
11:15 AM - Plastics and Sea Turtles: Unraveling the Tangled Threat - Speaker: Heather Seaman & Rachel Southards, M.Sc., Florida Atlantic University PhD. Students
Dive deep into the heart of our oceans, where an invisible crisis unfolds, threatening the very fabric of marine life. In this compelling talk, we unravel the tale of how our seemingly insatiable appetite for plastic has led to an environmental conundrum, casting a shadow over the majestic sea turtles. With plastic production hitting astonishing highs and showing no signs of slowing down, our oceans have become a minefield for sea turtles. Mistaking plastic for prey, these creatures are ingesting deadly meals that lead to gut compaction, perforation, and a silent, toxic assault from chemical leaching. Sea turtles are not the only ones in danger, due to the widespread presence of plastics in the environment.
12:15 PM - Florida Corals and You: Speaker: Charis Peterson, Coral Biologist, Education Coordinator, The Reef Institute
This talk will explain what is happening to coral in Florida, why it should matter to the average person, and what we are doing to fix the problem.
1:15 PM - How many MILES PER GALLON does. your HOME get? or How I stopped worrying and learned to LOVE the SCIENCE - Speaker: Christian Chitester, Sustainability Coordinator, City of Delray Beach
An introduction to the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) ratings and the fundamentals of resilience through energy efficiency in homes. Learning objectives include…What is a HERS rating and what does it tell you about your home? Where does your home use and lose energy? How is a home’s performance tested? What does this mean to you and your community, and why should you care?
2:15 PM - Introduction to Building Performance Benchmarking and EPA Portfolio Manager; Speaker: Christian Chitester, Sustainability Coordinator, City of Delray Beach
In this presentation we will explore the concept of building performance benchmarking and its significance in enhancing energy efficiency
3:15 PM - Climate Action Planning: Raising Awareness and Gathering Public Input; Speaker: Kent Edwards, Sustainability Officer, City of Delray beach
The effects of climate change are already impacting Delray Beach. We are experiencing, hotter days for a longer part of the day and night; more frequent extremely heavy rainfall events; and more of the hurricanes that form are reaching a high category. This is a local and global issue, and there are things we can do to prepare our community, and address the global issue. This session will discuss climate planning in the south Florida region, including main topical areas used in climate action plans.
Cornell Art Museum is working with environmental artists for pop-up art exhibitions to be on view over Earth Day weekend.
WHEN: Saturday, April 20, 2024
WHERE: Cornell Art Museum
TIME: 10 am to 4 pm
Refreshments will be served.
For more information regarding Earth Month, visit City of Delray Beach