A series of six climate change forums are being planned, including two in the month of October. The series is titled “Climate Solutions for the Vineyard: Be Proactive/Be Prepared.”
On Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 4 pm at the West Tisbury library, the first of the forums — titled “Be Emergency Wise” — is scheduled. The forum will be repeated on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 2 pm at the Oak Bluffs library.
Kate Warner, who is organizing the forums for Island Climate Action Network, said the forums are being repeated to allow the maximum number of Islanders to attend ahead of a nonbinding referendum on energy going before town meetings in the spring.
West Tisbury emergency manager Russ Hartenstine will talk about how to prepare for an emergency, which includes hurricanes, and how to handle the aftermath. Warner said she was surprised to learn the Vineyard has only one Red Cross–certified shelter, and that’s Oak Bluffs School, which can only hold about 140 people.
“We have some things to work on,” Warner said. “We’ll talk about what we have and what we don’t have. That’s why I’m hoping people will come.”
Future talks will include mitigation and other issues associated with climate change, leading into town meeting season.
