April 18, 2024

NUCLEAR SAFETY | ABOUT | PROGRAMS | DONATE | SUBSCRIBE

Earth Day provides an opportunity to contemplate our relationship with the Earth. We remind ourselves how we would like to treat our favorite planet. 

We are seeing climate extremes with geopolitical consequences.

Climate change has dangerous consequences for San Diego and Orange counties. 3.6 million pounds of nuclear waste from the decommissioned nuclear power plant currently sits on San Onofre State Beach. The radioactive waste is buried in a fault zone so tectonically challenged that it’s called “Earthquake Bay,” and is contained in thin-walled metal canisters that don’t meet the specifications for our military. This is not a good formula for environmental safety. The lives of 9 million people are threatened with an increasingly unpredictable ocean dynamic. 

We will continuously advocate for solutions to this radioactive waste crisis in Southern California and around the globe.

Bart Ziegler, PhD

President, Samuel Lawrence Foundation

State of the Earth

Did you catch the April episode of First Fridays?

While many countries and companies regularly host State of the Union and State of the Corporation meetings to update their constituents and stakeholders on their progress, there's a notable absence of a State of the Earth event focusing on the planet's overall health, strengths, and weaknesses.

Earlier in April, we brought together a panel of experts representing the “four P's”: People, Planet, Policy, and Purpose.

Kristy Drutman is the founder of Browngirl Green. Kristy turns climate doom into humor, healing chats, and educational tools for action. She is also the co-founder of the Green Jobs Board, a community of 100,000+ members committed to building careers in climate work.

Patricia Sims co-founded World Elephant Day in 2012. World Elephant Day is a rallying call to stop illegal poaching and the trade of ivory. Patricia has built a global awareness movement that's resulted in partnerships with 100 conservation organizations worldwide and reached countless individuals across the globe.

John Holm is the Senior Vice President of Partnership Development at Pyxera Global. John and his team work to strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems by fostering enabling environments and removing barriers to inclusion while preserving and protecting cultural heritage and knowledge.

Mayte Gonzalez is the Head of Human Rights in Conservation for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Mayte has been involved in the creation and implementation of environmental legislation including Panama's the National Wildlife Law, the National Law for Aquaculture and the Law for the Coiba National Park. 

Our guests' inspiring work will certainly leave you feeling that our planet is in good hands.

Did you like our State of the Earth episode? Leave a comment on YouTube!

Barrio Botany

A decade and a half in the making, Barrio Botany is bearing fruit.

Fifteen years ago Christina Abuelo started a garden in a litter-strewn lot at her son’s school. Today, not only does the school garden have 14 raised beds, three composting stations, a tool shed, a produce sink, and pollinator habitats, but it has also expanded to 15 other schools in San Diego's most under-resourced neighborhoods.

Advocating for equity in school garden education is a cornerstone of Barrio Botany's mission. All students, regardless of their background or their zip codes, should have access to the transformative power of gardens and garden instruction. The program employs a multi-pronged approach that addresses both access to garden infrastructure as well as educational opportunities.

"We work closely with several partner organizations to ensure that the highest-need schools have all the necessary resources and support," Christina explains. "We strive to create inclusive environments where every child can experience the joys of gardening and reap its numerous benefits."

SLF is a proud sponsor of Barrio Botany, which provides students in urban San Diego the opportunity to cultivate their own organic gardens while learning about science, nutrition and healthy living.

Innovator of Floating Schools Visits SLF

Pictured: SLF President, Bart Ziegler with Mohammed Rezwan, Innovator of the Floating School and Executive Director of Shudulai Swanirvar Sangstha.

Photo Credits: Grace Chalmers

In the December edition of our Newsletter, we highlighted a program that is near and dear to our hearts: Floating Schools of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh faces great poverty and great challenges in educating its children, particularly when extreme weather causes massive flooding. In these flood-prone areas, Floating Schools aren’t just sanctuaries for teaching — they serve as school buses, libraries, health clinics, and playgrounds. As climate-change-induced flooding continues to challenge this low-lying nation, Floating Schools help to uplift at-risk children from poverty, particularly young girls who may not have access to education or job training.

Thanks to the creator of the Floating School, Mr. Mohammed Rezwan, there is a roadmap for navigating education impacted by floods. Mr. Rezwan launched Shidulai Swanirvar Sangstha (a.k.a. the Floating Schools of Bangladesh), which is fiscally sponsored by The Samuel Lawrence Foundation.

Mr. Rezwan's schools currently educate 2,340 students on 26 school boats, which serve 78 villages in the flood-prone areas of Bangladesh, particularly along the rivers and canals. And over the past 22 years, an astounding 21,545 students have graduated from floating schools.

We were delighted to host Mr. Rezwan at the Samuel Lawrence Foundation this week and be inspired by this international innovator.

Senate Passes Bill to Strengthen Radiation Exposure Compensation Act

The U.S. Senate successfully passed a bill that aims to strengthen and improve the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), which provides cancer screenings and compensation for victims of fallout from U.S. nuclear-weapons testing. That bill will now head to the House.

This bi-partisan recognition by the Senate of the dangers posed by nuclear radiation needs to be expanded to include compensation for those impacted by living near nuclear facilities — not to mention the toxic waste they generate.

This is one topic that will feature prominently in the Nuclear Waste Policy Symposium that The Samuel Lawrence Foundation is hosting in San Diego this summer, an event that will feature some of the foremost international experts on the perils of radioactive waste.

Check our website for updates over the next few months.

Check out The Samuel Lawrence Foundation's 2023 Annual Report to discover the profound impact we made last year as we continued our journey toward sustainable change.

In the latest post on his Substack Hot Globe, SLF Senior Fellow Steve Chapple talks about the necessary energy transition from fossil fuels to renewables.

Save the Date! On Thursday, May 16th, The San Diego Botanic Garden is holding an "Orchids After Dark" event as part of their annual spring orchids showcase. More information to follow.

Our friends at Mothers for Peace are raising funds for a legal campaign to stop the extended operations at Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. Thank you for any and all support of their fundraiser.

The International Uranium Film Festival is still touring the United States, so this month we were inspired to share our watch list of award-winning nuclear films.

↑ SOS: The San Onofre Syndrome is free to stream now until April 22. Don't miss this essential documentary!

You make an impact when you support our work.

Thank you for your generosity!

Forwarded from a friend? Sign up for our newsletter!