Cornell Art Museum and City of Delray Beach Recognize Earth Month
The Cornell Art Museum, in collaboration with the City of Delray Beach Sustainability and Resilience Office, is hosting a full day of lectures and presentations in honor of Earth Month on Saturday, April 20.
Topics will include Florida Habitat Restoration, Florida Corals, Plastics and Sea Turtles, Home Energy Ratings, Building Performance, Climate Action Planning and more. All events are free, open to the public and will take place at the Cornell Art Museum in Old School Square (51 N. Swinton Avenue, Delray Beach). Earth Day is officially celebrated on April 22.
WHEN: Saturday, April 20, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Full schedule of events is as follows:
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, M.Sc., Florida Atlantic University PhD. Student
* 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.
For more information regarding Earth Month, please visit: https://delrayoldschoolsquare.com/events/city-of-delray-beach-earth-month and https://www.delraybeachfl.gov/services/advanced-components/basic-pages/calendar-month-view.
