The Adirondack North Country Association’s (ANCA) 2021 annual meeting will bring together experts in environmental justice, food systems, clean energy and climate action to discuss the importance of climate justice in shaping the region’s economic future, on Friday, September 17th.
The climate justice movement acknowledges that the global climate crisis is having and will continue to have more severe negative impacts on marginalized populations — including low-income communities and communities of color — and that strategies must be developed to address these inequities. ANCA and other organizations are working to make the region’s transition to a clean energy future as equitable and just as possible.
Meeting panelists include Alanah Keddell-Tuckey, public outreach specialist for the New York State Department of Conservation’s Office of Environmental Justice; Michael Reilly, executive director and co-founder of Foodshed Capital; and Adam Ruder, assistant director for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s Clean Transportation Group. Jen Kretser, director of climate initiatives for The Wild Center, will moderate the discussion.
Topics for the panel discussion are based on a survey ANCA conducted regarding climate impacts on local residents, businesses and communities. Panelists will speak about current challenges in the region’s energy and food systems, as well as initiatives and solutions for increasing equity in these arenas. Speakers will discuss efforts that are improving access to electric vehicle (EV) technology, supporting small-scale and regenerative farms and advancing New York State’s goals, as presented in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, to reduce carbon emissions statewide.
The conversations from the meeting will help inform ANCA’s ongoing work in its three program areas — clean energy, food systems and the entrepreneurial economy — and advance the organization’s goal to increase diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) across those programs. ANCA has served as the home of the Adirondack Diversity Initiative since December 2019, when the initiative hired its inaugural director, Nicole Hytlon-Patterson.
The annual meeting will take place via Zoom from 1:30 to 3:30 pm and will include opportunities for questions and answers via chat. ANCA invites community members, business owners, industry stakeholders, elected officials and nonprofit leadership throughout the North Country region to register for a fee of their choice, from $10 to $100. Registration can be completed online.
Leave a Reply