Rotary International Theme 2020-2021	THE ROWEL Rotary Club of Durham		Rotary International President: Holger Knaack Rotary District 5160 Governor: Mark Roberts Durham Rotary President: Jen Liu _____________ Editor: Phil Price Publisher:  Jen Liu
	February 23, 2021	The  2021 Harvest Festival scheduled for Sunday, September 19, 2021.

This was our twenty-fourth Zoom meeting.  It took place with our President still absent.  There were 15 members present, including President Jen Liu, from a train back to Taipei.

FUTURE MEETINGS:

All meetings at BCCC are cancelled until further notice.  But there will be meetings on Zoom as follows:   March 9th:   Kelly Lotti   March 23rd:   Mike Crump   April 6th:   Jen Liu   April 20th:    Phil Price   May 4th:  Dave Jessen   May 18th:  Roy Ellis   June 1st:  Steve Plume   June 15th:  Larry Bradley

 

 

  The Meeting

 

President Elect Eric Hoiland opened the meeting.   He then asked Ravi Saip to lead the pledge, which he did.  Following that he asked Jim Patterson to give the invocation, which he did.

Steve Plume reported that we had now received $3,031contributed for a Clint Goss scholarship.  Those who want to donate to this scholarship should send their check to Durham Rotary, P.O. Box 283, Durham, California 95958, with a note on the memo line that it is for the Clint Goss scholarship.

Kelly Lotti reported that 4 Durham Rotary Club members attended        

Rotary District 5160's Virtual Rotary Foundation Training Day event last Saturday, February 20, 2021.  They were Kelly, Steve Heithecker, Dave Jessen and Larry Bradley.  They learned a lot about how to get District grants.  Walt Schafer, a member of Chico Rotary with a lot of grant experience (he was here for our program) added that we should be determining the project we want a grant for now.  We should be drafting an application in May and submitting the final draft in June.  The grants to be made should be announced late in the summer and the checks sent shortly thereafter.  Once we receive the check it must be deposited in a separate bank account and spent within 2 years.

 

Program

Eric Hoiland introduced Walt Schafer.  Among other hats he wears or has worn, Walt is vice president of the Honey Run Covered Bridge Association.  He talked about the efforts to rebuilt the bridge and the progress so far.

 

The following is from the Associations web page but summarizes a lot of what Walt said better than I can.  The photos below are also from the Association’s web site as Walt had trouble getting his photos on Zoom.

“When the 131-year-old Honey Run Covered Bridge was destroyed in the November 2018 Camp Fire, this area lost a true icon. After 1965, the structure had been pedestrian-only, allowing walk-on visitors and special events like weddings and the annual Pancake Breakfast. The Covered Bridge and the adjacent Covered Bridge Park were revered by thousands of residents of Butte Creek Canyon, Chico, Paradise, Butte County, and visitors from beyond.

Until the Covered Bridge burned, it had been owned by Butte County and managed, except for major repairs, by the nonprofit (501c3) Honey Run Bridge Association (HRCBA). On October 27, 2020, Butte County transferred Bridge ownership to HRCBA with the understanding HRCBA will rebuild the Bridge with private donations.

Already, HRCBA has raised $1.1 million which has covered most costs of now-completed Phase 1 of the Rebuild—foundations, abutments, columns, and bank protection. Pending funding, we hope to complete Phase 2 in summer 2021—flooring and trusses. The current cost estimate for Phase 2 is $1.02 million. Pending funding, we hope to complete Phase 3 in summer 2022–siding and roof.”

The estimate for Phase 3 is about $600,000.

Walt added that they have rebuilt the caretaker’s lodge across the creek, in partnership with Chico State and its students that did a lot of the work.  In addition, the owners of the property across the creek intend to donate a slightly more that an acre to the Association, once the rebuilding is complete.

The Honey Run Covered Bridge Association is recognized as a 501c3 charitable organization and all donations are tax deductible in the U.S.A.  Donations can be made by sending a check to HRCBA at P.O. Box 5201, Chico, CA 95927. 

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be on March 9, 2021.  Kelly Lotte will present the program.

 

Reports and Anouncements

District Conference

2021 will be here faster than COVID testing at CVS. With the new year came hopes of a return to enjoying the company of our fellow Rotarians – in person!

But that will not be.  The District Governor has announced that, after a lot of research by District Conference Chair Arne Gustafson and other members of the planning committee, it was decided that the probability of being able to hold an in-person conference for 300+ people this spring in Sacramento were slim and none. So we’re converting our ALL ABOARD! Conference to a virtual format but on the original weekend: April 30-May 2. Folks who made their reservation with a $20 payment are all set – and you too can register for a total fee of $20 if you do so by February 15^th! Just visit the district website, Rotary5160.org, scroll down the home page and click on Learn More to register. More info to follow!

International Convention Holger Knaack International President 2020-2021 Dear Rotarians, Rotaractors, and friends, By now we have sadly grown accustomed to hearing of the need to shift major public events to being held virtually rather than face to face.  Unfortunately, the Rotary Board of Directors was compelled to again make the difficult decision to celebrate this year’s International Convention as a virtual event.  While this may not be an unexpected decision, it is still a deeply disappointing one — for us and for our friends in Taiwan who have been planning an exceptional event. I want to thank the Host Committee for the admirable job they did building support for what surely would have been one of Rotary’s finest events. We had hoped that a combination of vaccine uptake and public health measures would have brought the COVID-19 pandemic under control. We all know that in many parts of the world the pandemic is still raging and we must maintain our vigilance and patience before resuming major public gatherings. Taiwan has done an admirable job managing the pandemic — and local Rotarians were still eager to host and celebrate with us. Under the guidance of the World Health Organization and the local public health organization in Taiwan, it became clear that an event of this scale would be impossible to host safely.mm While we are disappointed that we could not have a traditional convention, we are excited about the virtual event being planned for all Rotarians worldwide. Last year’s convention attracted significant viewership during its weeklong program. This year, we will channel all we have learned about staging the very best in virtual events into a program that promises to open new opportunities for you to be entertained, enlightened and energized. We will share more details about the 2021 Virtual Convention soon. Convention, pre-convention, and ticket refunds We will automatically cancel and refund all existing registrations.  This includes purchases made for the Rotaract and Youth Exchange and the Intercountry Committees preconvention events, and ticketed meal events. We kindly ask that you do not contact RI Registration to inquire about your registration, ticket, or housing cancellations as we work diligently to inform all attendees and process cancellations and refunds.  For those who had already canceled prior to today, you will also receive a refund of the $50 processing fee. Host Organization Committee (HOC) ticketed event registrations The HOC event ticket fees will be refunded by the Taipei HOC.  For more information, please visit rotarytaipei2021.org. Hotel rooms If you have secured accommodations within Rotary’s official housing block, no action will be required on your end.  Maritz, Rotary’s official housing partner, will contact you with the details of your cancelation.  If you have secured a group room block and made a full or partial payment, you will receive a follow-up communication and instructions on receiving a refund. I want to thank all Rotarians and Rotaractors around the world for your understanding and your continued willingness to learn and adapt. We are becoming a stronger, more nimble organization because of this, and our Virtual Convention will be a reflection of this new Rotary. Please be safe and take care of each other. Kindest regards, Holger Knaack President, Rotary International, 2020-21

The Rotary Foundation Donations

When every Rotarian gives every year, no challenge is too great for us to make a difference. The minimum gift to The Rotary Foundation is $25.00.   An annual $100.00 gift is a sustaining member.  Once your donations accumulate to $1,000 you become a Paul Harris Fellow.

It is possible to learn more about The Rotary Foundation on the Rotary web site.  Your gift can be made online or by sending Jim Kirks a check made out to The Rotary Foundation.  Send your check to James Kirks, 1199 Diablo Ave., Apt. 246, Chico, California 95973.

Recognitions

Nobody had anything to be recognized for, so there were no recognitions tonight.

Membership
 

When we have live meetings again, bring guests, who you think you can interest in becoming a member, to meetings.  Your dinner and your guest’s dinner will be paid for by the Club.  In the meantime, please invite Durham business owners and/or managers to one of our Zoom meetings.  Actually, you can promote membership by having a guest sit with you during one of our Zoom meetings.  Also, bring a guest to one of our occasional social gatherings in the Durham Park.

Conclusion

Steve Heithecker presented, what he said was his last, quotation, in conclusion of the meeting.  He said that it was a Taiwanese quotation he got from Jen.

“A person who says that it cannot be done should not interfere with the person doing it.”

__________________________________________________________________________________

From Rotary International

As we stand at the threshold of the third decade of the 21st century, imagine where we’re headed

In 1915, writing in Rotary magazine, Paul Harris remarked: “What Rotary will be 100 years hence, none living can imagine.”

More than a century later, there’s no need to imagine: Rotary has thrived. As we stand at the threshold of the third decade of the 21st century, we are imagining where we’re headed — and what to expect when we get there.

 

 

(This article in the News and Features section of Rotary International’s web page is a led in to five separate but related articles.  The first one on “Philanthropy”, the second one on “Water”, and the third one on “Leadership” have been presented in prior Rowels.  Below is the fourth one on “Environmentalism”.  I intend to present the last one on “Migration” in the next Rowel.)

 

The future of environmentalism includes a focus on humanity’s well-being

We don’t need to trade a healthy environment for a thriving economy.

by Jonathan Foley

To some people, the term “environmentalist” seems to be a dirty word. In their minds, it denotes starry-eyed zealots who chain themselves to trees.

Or perhaps they envision out-of-touch elites who care more about spotted owls and humpback whales than people, self-centered activists who want to tell others how to live their lives, run their towns, and operate their businesses.

But that’s a wildly out-of-date assumption. Today, environmentalism has evolved into a much more helpful and engaging field. It’s a diverse community that looks to improve the lives of everyday people, as well as safeguard the natural world and our collective future. In addition, over the past couple of decades, rather than merely harping on the environmental problems facing the world, environmentalists have shifted more of their attention toward practical solutions. And they have done that by keeping the focus on people and their collective well-being.

Caring about the environment goes toward our ultimate mission, and we should give it the importance it deserves. As a humanitarian organization, we’re obligated to talk about it.

While it’s important to recognize the challenges facing the environment — and there are many — it is even more important to shine a light on the potential solutions to those challenges, especially those solutions that can benefit society by creating jobs, improving health, and making people more prosperous and resilient. That’s where the future of environmentalism lies. For example, addressing climate change will spur deep investments in energy efficiency, renewable energy, improved transportation systems, smarter buildings, better materials, a healthier food system, and more sustainable forms of agriculture. All of these have the potential to create new jobs, foster new economic opportunities, and generate huge savings and new sources of income.

In the future, as we address our environmental challenges, we can build smarter, more efficient ways of doing everything. We can build more efficient homes that save energy and money for everyone. We can design smarter and more efficient vehicles that emit no pollution; save fuel and money; and are safer, cheaper to run, and more fun to drive. We can reduce food waste, promote healthier diets, and help farmers become more sustainable and more profitable, even as we help to repair our broken food system and curtail its negative impact on the environment.

The idea that we need to trade a healthy environment for a thriving economy is simply wrong. In the future, we can improve the environment and the economy through bold new thinking, innovation, and collaboration. It’s essential that we do that. As Gaylord Nelson, the former senator and governor of Wisconsin who founded Earth Day in 1970, famously said, “The economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment.”

Nelson was absolutely right. At the most fundamental level, our economic systems are built on the environment. Clean water, breathable air, a stable climate, abundant resources, places free from toxins: These are all requirements for a healthy economy. A world where water and air are polluted, or where storms, fires, and heat waves are frequent, or where basic natural resources — water, food, fiber, and fuel — are running out, is a world headed to economic ruin. or about

Improving the environment is crucial not only to the well-being of the planet but to the health of the billions of people who inhabit it — another shift, over the past few decades, in the focus of environmentalists. Let’s step away from our focus on solutions for a moment and look at some examples of the tremendous challenges we face as we move into the 2020s. Look at the impact of the recent fires in California and Australia on the health of tens of millions of people, forcing entire families to take shelter inside for weeks as a precaution against dangerous air pollution levels. Or consider the devastating toll that toxic drinking water can take on all the residents of a single town, as we saw — and continue to see — in Flint, Michigan. And look at the effect of severe and prolonged heat waves on our most vulnerable neighbors, particularly the elderly and those with underlying health conditions.

A degraded environment doesn’t just degrade our health; it also undercuts our security. In a world where extreme weather events and natural disasters are more common and more lethal, growing environmental pressures, including those resulting from climate change, may force large numbers of people into extreme poverty or send them fleeing from their homes into other countries as environmental refugees. Such shocks could overwhelm entire nations and cause severe instability in numerous parts of the world.

In short, without a healthy environment, and without a long-term commitment to maintaining that healthy environment, we cannot have a healthy and thriving society. But let’s take a positive approach to this: If we are smart about it, addressing the most critical environmental issues facing us today is an opportunity for us to reinvigorate our economy and our communities. As Rotarians embark on a bold program of new environmental initiatives, it is crucial to keep this in mind. Solving environmental problems is a welcome chance to fix some of our out-of-date and broken systems and replace them with ones that are safer and fairer. In the process, we can create a world that is healthier and more prosperous for us and our children. Can there be any better future than that?

Jonathan Foley is the executive director of Project Drawdown, a leading resource for climate solutions. A climate and environmental scientist, educator, writer, and speaker, he was the 2014 recipient of the prestigious Heinz Award for the Environment.