KEC hopes you will join us for our monthly meeting on Thursday March 20th at 6:30 PM at the Kent Free Library.  This month our community conversations will include:

• Vernal Pool Ecosystems by Patty Spring
• Climate Crisis Project Opportunities for the KEC by Eileen Gross
• The History of the KEC by Ann Ward.

We hope to see you.

KEC hopes you will attend to participate in KEC and learn about our local water environment. After the short business meeting, there will be a brief talk by Holly Stoneberg about the Kent Bog Expansion and then the keynote speaker will be Dr. Robert Heath, who will talk about the Cleveland Water Alliance’s vision and efforts for Global Solutions in Our Backyard. This meeting is open to the public.

Date: Thursday, January 16, 2025 from 6:30 to 8:30
Place: Kent Free Library, 312 W. Main St., Kent, OH 44240
Second Floor Meeting Room –Free Parking

Please see the flyer below for agenda and presentation details.  To get a printable copy of the flyer, click here. Feel free to post or send to others you think may be interested.

KEC Board: Todd Cartner, President; Bob Heath, Vice President; Brad Brotje, Secretary; Bob Wilson, Treasurer; Lorraine McCarty; Renee Ruchotzke; Mary Starbuck, At-Large Members

Tis the season, and with this past election_1, minimal accomplishments of COP29₂ and more₃, it has never been easy to be an environmentalist or conservationist.  Personally, my passion stems from when I was in ninth grade when a catastrophic oil well drilling exercise went horribly wrong, cutting a huge swath of trees over three quarters of a mile through my childhood playground, only to have drilling brine spill to kill many additional acres.  Even the great Aldo Leopold₄ recognized that “One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds.“

While I know this is hard, the holidays are no time to be down but count our blessings and enjoy what we have of friends, families, and the world around us.  Ben Franklin can encourage us by remembering “Energy and Persistence Conquer All things.₅” We do have many memorable accomplishments to be proud of in 2024.

Environmental and Conservation Wins in Ohio, a short list:

1. Wetland Restoration through H2Ohio: Over 16,200 acres of wetlands were restored, enhancing water quality, wildlife habitats, and flood prevention. The program also launched 49 new projects and partnered with private businesses for key restoration efforts_6,7.
2. Trumpeter Swan Recovery: Trumpeter swans were removed from Ohio’s threatened species list after surpassing population goals, marking a major conservation success₇.
3. Dam Removal on Mohican River: The Ohio Mitigation Program completed its first-ever dam removal, restoring natural river flow and benefiting ecosystems₈.
4. Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation: The Friendship Park Highwall Project reclaimed hazardous mining areas, promoting safety and outdoor recreation₇.
5. Nutrient Reduction in Lake Erie: Collaborative efforts addressed harmful algal blooms by advancing nutrient reduction strategies in the Lake Erie watershed₉.
6. Tell us more in the comments.

And whether it is the local Portage Park District Plan Update_10, Big State and Local Wins for Climate₁₁, or the many great accomplishments mentioned in our KEC Environmental Watch Dec. 2024₁₂, we do have a lot to be thankful for. David Attenborough reminds us from his 2020 documentary, A Life on Our Planet₁₃, “No one will protect what they don’t care about; and no one will care about what they have never experienced.”  We have experienced a lot in 2024. I personally could not have imagined going through it without the energy and motivation of my good friends at the Kent Environmental Council.  We do have a lot to be thankful for.  With that, I wish everyone in Kent, Portage County, and beyond, glad tidings, good cheer, and hope for the new year.

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” Rachel Carson, A Sense of Wonder₁₄

Kindest regards, and best wishes, Todd

1. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ygplyg09ro
2. https://cop29.az/en/home
3. https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/causes-effects-climate-change
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldo_Leopold
5. https://www.ipl.org/essay/Energy-And-Persistence-Conquer-All-Things-Essay-FKG4ZAH4NDVV
6. https://dam.assets.ohio.gov/image/upload/h2.ohio.gov/H2Ohio-FY24-Report-Final.pdf
7. https://dam.assets.ohio.gov/image/upload/odnr/department/2024_ODNR_Annual_Report.pdf
8. https://www.nature.org/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/documents/FY24_Ohio_Annual_Report_FINAL.pdf
9. https://www.healthylakes.org/latest-news/2024-clean-water-wins
10. https://theportager.com/portage-park-district-plans-updates-and-listening-sessions-in-2024/
11. https://www.nature.org/en-us/newsroom/state-ballot-measures-2024-election/
12. https://kentenvironment.org/2024/12/09/environmental-watch-dec-2024/
13. https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/david-attenborough-a-life-on-our-planet
14. https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-sense-of-wonder-rachel-carson

Circularity and Sustainability – What’s Wrong with the Fashion Industry and How Can We Change It?

Join the Kent Environmental Council as Noël Palomo-Lovinski, MA, MFA, Professor, School of Fashion KSU, and Justine Gallo, owner of Sun in Leo, and Kelsi Biondo, manager Branded in Kent’s present this engaging topic of sustainability in the fashion industry.  The event is Tuesday November 19th, at 7:30 at the Kent Free Library and is open to the public.

Click here for full program handout.

Click here for a full schedule of KEC meetings and events in 2025.

Please Join the Kent Environmental Council for our

NEW!! KEC Evening Meeting: SEEK Presentations and Discussion

SEEK – Saving Earth with Environmental Knowledge

Making an impact in Kent, Portage County, and Beyond

Monthly Meetings will include:

• News and Updates from the KEC
• 2-3 Short Presentations on pressing topics from KEC and community members
• Note: This is in addition to the Weekly Breakfast that meets at the Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center at 8:00 AM.  Consider joining us for good food and engaging conversations.

Quarterly Speaker – A special invited guest who is an expert on key environmental or conservation topics

2025 KEC Special Events

• Kent River Days
• Edith Chase Symposium
• Kent State Earth Day
• Who’s Your Mama Festival
• Reeds and Roots Earth Skill-share Gathering
• Kent Heritage Fest
• And more…

Please check back for updates on dates and topics.  For questions, please reach out to https://kentenvironment.org/contact/

The KEC membership is constantly reading engaging books.  We thought we would share some of these titles with you.  Take a look at the titles shared by members.  Leave a comment below if any of these are meaningful to you, or suggest new titles.  Members will periodically share excerpts from titles they are reading during our 2025 SEEK Monthly meetings.

Brad Brotje’s suggestions:

1. A Short History of Everything, by Bill Bryson
2. A Reverence for Wood, by Eric Sloane
3. Great Heart, by James Davidson and John Rugge
4. Mark of the Grizzly, by Scott McMillion
5. The Greater Cleveland Environment Book, by David Beach
6. Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, by Janisse Ray
7. The Botany of Desire, by Michael Pollan
8. Cradle to Cradle, by William McDonough
9. A Natural Sense of Wonder, by Rick Van Noy
10. Hot, Flat and Crowded, by Thomas Friedman
11. Surviving the 21st, by Julian Cribb
12. The Uninhabitable Earth, by David Wallace-Wells
13. The Story of More, by Hope Jahren
14. Entangled Life, by Merlin Sheldrake

Patti Koch’s suggestions:

1. The Book of Eels, by Patrik Svensonn
2. Beaverland, by Leila Philip

Todd Cartner’s suggestions:

1. A Sand County Almanac,  Aldo Leopold, (75th Anniversary Edition now $7.50 at https://www.aldoleopold.org/products/75th-anniversary-edition-a-sand-county-almanac )
2. Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder, Richard Louv
3. The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World, by Peter Wohlleben
4. The Climate Action Handbook, by Heidi Roop
5. Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson
6. The Sense of Wonder, by Rachel Carson
7. Bringing Nature Home, by Douglas W. Tallamy (anything written by Dr. Tallamy)
8. Sacred Earth Sacred Soul, by John Philip Newell
9. Crossings, by Ben Goldfarb
10. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
11. The Social Conquest of Earth, by (EO) Edward O. Wilson
12. Dirt to Soil: One Family’s Journey into Regenerative Agriculture, by Gabe Brown
13. The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch
14. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, by Charlie Mackesy
15. The Alpha Female Wolf, by Rick McIntyre
16. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Pirsig
17. How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen
18. Braving the Wilderness, by Brene Brown
19. The Beast In the Garden, by David Baron
20. Finding Your Element, by Sir Kenneth Robinson

Lorraine McCarty’s suggestions:

1. Our Fragile Moment: How Lessons from the Earth’s Past Can Help Us Survive the Climate Crisis, by Michael Mann
2. The Future Earth: A Radical Vision for What’s Possible in the Age of Warming, by Eric Holthaus.

Bill Wilen suggestions:

1. Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed To Reverse Global Warming, edited by Paul Hawken
2. Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?, by Bill McKibben
3. The Climate Book, by Greta Thurnberg
4. The Climate Action Handbook, by Heidi Roop
5. This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate, by Naomi Klein
6. Hot, Flat, and Crowded, Why We Need a Green Revolution and How It Can Renew America, by Thomas L. Friedman
7. 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save The Earth, by John Javna
8. Cheaper, Faster, Better: How We’ll Win The Climate War, by Tom Steyer

Karl Liske suggestions:

1. When Smoke Ran Like Water: tales of environmental deception and the battle against pollution, by Devra Davis
2. Radiation: What It Is, What You Need To Know, by Robert Peter Gale
3. Tyranny of the Gene: personalized medicine and Its threat to public health, by James Tabery
4. Green Guide Families: The Complete Reference for Eco-Friendly Parents, by Catherine Zandonella
5. Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson
6. The Connection Cure: The Prescriptive Power Of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging, by Julia Hotz
7. Fatal Conveniences: The Toxic Products and Harmful Habits That Are Making You sick-and the Simple Changes That Will Save Your Health, by Darin Olien
8. How To Be a Conscious Eater: making food choices that are good for you, others, and the planet, by Sophie Egan
9. A Poison Like No Other: how microplastics corrupted our planet and our bodies, by Matt Simon
10. The Human and Environmental Impact of Fracking: How Fracturing Shale for Gas Affects Us and Our World, edited by Madelon L. Finkel
11. Animal Factory: the looming threat of industrial pig, dairy, and poultry farms to humans and the environment, by David Kirby
12. Better Basics For The Home: simple solutions for less toxic living, by Annie Bertold-Bond
13. The Long Reckoning: a story of war, peace, and redemption in Vietnam, by George Black
14. Sacrifice Zones: the front lines of toxic chemical exposure in the United States, by Steve Lerner
15. How to Sell a Poison: the rise, fall, and toxic return of DDT, by Eleena Conis
16. Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal, Film, screenplay by Jamila Ephron
17. Go Gently: actionable steps to nurture yourself and the planet, by Bonnie Wright
18. Start Now!: you can make a difference, by Chelsea Clinton
19. Islands of Abandonment: Nature Rebounding in the post-human Landscape, by Cal Flyn
20. Healthy House Building for the New Millenium: a design & construction guide, by John Bower
21. Not Just a Pretty Face: the ugly side of the beauty industry, by Stacy Malkan
22. Kennedy Green House: designing an eco-friendly Home from the Foundation to the Furniture, by Robin Wilson
23. Waste: one woman’s fight against America’s Dirty secret, by Catherine Coleman Flowers
24. Voices From Chernobyl, by Svetlana Alexievich
25. Mill Town: Reckoning What Remains, by Kerri Arsenault

For additional information, contact Todd Cartner @ (330)962-6792

Vote Yes on Ohio Issue 1
Ohio Constitutional Amendment Election,
November 2024

The Kent Environmental Council, dedicated to promoting sustainability and civic engagement, urges you to VOTE YES on Issue 1. This amendment is a vital change to the Ohio Constitution that will place Ohio’s congressional and State legislative districts in the hands of its citizens, not politicians.

Vote Yes on Ohio Issue 1

https://www.ohioredistrict.org

https://www.citizensnotpoliticians.org