ECO-ANXIETY

The Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society is pleased to announce “Addressing Your Eco-Anxiety,” a new series of lectures and tours designed to highlight creative new responses to climate change. In four programs, RPWRHS will focus on important new environmental initiatives, some taking place in our own neighborhood. Don’t just worry. Come to learn about research underway to find solutions that mitigate and/or reverse the detrimental effects of changing climatic conditions, both globally and locally.

The series takes the four elements of Nature as its theme: EARTH, AIR, WATER, and FIRE.

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The Last Episode in the Series

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Fire: What is the Hydrogen Economy?

Rogers Park Library, 6907 North Clark Street, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

Presentation by Dave Rue, Institute Engineer, GTI Energy

In this 4^th and final presentation of our series, Dave Rue, Institute Engineer at GTI Energy will present on overview of the US government efforts to develop a Hydrogen Economy as part of its strategy to address Climate Change and reduce GHG Emissions.

In October 2023, the U.S. government as part of its Hydrogen Economy Strategy invested $7 Billion to develop regional Hydrogen research hubs. These “H2Hubs” will form the foundation of a national clean hydrogen network that will contribute substantially to decarbonizing multiple sectors of our economy, like heavy industry (steel and cement production) and heavy-duty transportation.

Join us to hear from speaker Dave Rue, who has been closely involved in this effort. Drawing on his year of work on the project, Dave will explain the ins and outs of hydrogen energy innovation, and update us on the likely future of the effort.

This event is free and open to all. Pre-registration lets us know how many people to expect, so help us out by pre-registering now.

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Earlier Events in the Eco-Anxiety Series

Water: Chicago’s Local Water Issues

Speaker: Dick Lanyon, former Executive Director, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago

Dick Lanyon returns to RPWRHS to give us his take on Chicago’s local water challenges. Changing climate conditions have put strain on the world’s water supply, but living next to one of the world’s largest surface freshwater ecosystems, we have not been as immediately impacted as other places. Closer to home, our water issues include quality, security, and accessibility. Learn about the current state of Chicago’s water system, issues that impact our drinking water, and the research and improvements being made today to make our water system resilient to climatic change in the future.

Earth: New Agriculture for the 21st Century

Presentation/Tour by Kevin Erickson, Senior Sustainable Agriculture Manager, June 13, 2024.

Loyola University School of Environmental Sustainability, 6349 North Kenmore Avenue, Chicago 60660

Visit the School of Environmental Sustainability at Loyola University and learn about the latest research in Hydroponics, Regenerative Agriculture, Mycology, Cannabis, and Soil Ecology from Kevin Erickson, the program’s Senior Sustainable Agriculture Manager. Discover the role this new research plays in addressing the effects of climate change, offering new hope for a sustainable future.

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Air: Solving Power-Grid Issues

Presentation and Tour of S & C Electric, 6601 North Ridge Boulevard, October 4, 2024.

The U.S. electric grid is an interconnected system of power plants, transmission lines, and connectors established in 1926 and the centerpiece of our Nation’s economy. Electric power production contributes 25% of U.S. Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions annually. The modernization and decarbonization of the power grid are critical to reducing GHG emissions. The event will start out with a presentation on rebuilding the US electric grid and the critical role S&C Electric is playing in modernizing the grid. This will be followed by a tour of the products demonstration lab.