Sunday Platform – Saad Amer: “Climate Action: Why Collective Action is The Answer”

With wildfires in California, devastating hurricanes across the Atlantic, and record temperatures across the US, climate change is more visible than ever. Despite the billions of dollars in damages and lives lost this last year, the US is moving backward in climate policy. While individual actions can make a difference, systematic change is essential in dealing with the Climate Crisis, especially given its impact on marginalized communities, human health, inequality and the economy. This talk will focus on the why voting is essential, how we can organize our communities, and how we can turn the momentum on climate into a movement to the polls come 2020.

Saad Amer is an environmentalist, activist and the Founder of Plus1Vote, an organization dedicated to improving voter turnout and improving representation in our democracy. The organization rallies voters on issues like climate change and reached million of Americans in the 2018 midterms. He works with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Youth Constituency, YOUNGO, is an Expert Reviewer for the upcoming IPCC report and is an advisor to the National Parks Conservation Association on their Next Generation Advisory Council. He has worked on environmental issues in India, China and the US, co-created Harvard University’s inaugural Sustainability Plan, and discovered a new hybrid species in French Polynesia. He has organized and educated hundreds of K-12 students at the Fish Thicket Land Preserve in New York and has worked with Brookhaven National Laboratory. He went to Harvard University where he studied Environmental Science and Public Policy with a minor in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. (Photo credit: Heather Walsh)

Shared Charity: Plus1Vote

Presider: Danny Hanson

FREE and open to the public.

Sunday Platform is our most important and long-standing community event. These gatherings educate, stimulate personal growth, inspire reflection and action, and strengthen our community. Sunday meetings usually begin with music, followed by greetings and a talk given by a Society Leader, member, or guest.  Platforms cover a variety of topics that reflect current events, pressing social issues, and Ethical Culture philosophy. A collection basket is passed and money is shared between the Society and a charity selected for that day.  While contributions are always appreciated, Sunday meetings are free and open to the public.  Each Sunday meeting is followed by a luncheon and social hour.

To view previous Sunday Platform addresses and interviews, visit the Ethical NYC YouTube channel.