10/18/2007: "Climate Change Lecture Series Starts Friday"

A slide show and lecture by photographer Mark Abrahamson will be held on Lopez & San Juan. Friday, October 19, 7:00 – 8:30 pm at the Lopez Center, and then on Saturday, October 20, 2007, from 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. at the San Juan Middle School Commons. A series of stunning aerial photographs of our landscape will be on display prior to the slideshow and lecture. This event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by Friends of the San Juans.

"Since my childhood in the 1950's, 30 % of the glaciers in the Cascades have melted," stated Abrahamson who has lived in Puget Sound for the past 30 years. The artist, and former dentist, resides in Stanwood overlooking Port Susan Bay.

"One of the gravest threats facing the world today is climate change caused by global warming. Global warming is a natural phenomenon that has occurred many times in our planet's history. What is different with this warming trend is the rate of change which has increased exponentially in the past 2 decades. How do we tackle the problem of global warming?

We can start by slowing down the process by consuming less, conserving more, purchase local products, better educate ourselves, switch to green sustainable power, join an environmental group, recycle, telecommute, compost, drive an efficient vehicle, better insulate our homes, request that our local, state and federal government develop a comprehensive policy to address climate change, "stated Mark Abrahamson.

Friends of the San Juans is pleased to have Mark Abrahamson kick off our 2008 Climate Change Lecture Series," stated Executive Director, Stephanie Buffum Field. As an island community, we are vulnerable to sea level rise and climate change. For information on how you can sponsor a climate change lecture on your island, please contact our office at 378-2319.