A word from our esteemed District Governor, Steve Weizen.
On June 9th, I met with Past District Governor Dick Stevens and soon-to-be past president of the Solana Beach Eco club, Amelie Catheline. Now, the Solana Beach Eco Club is only one of two caused-based Rotary clubs in North America whose sole focus is on environmental sustainability, including matters of climate change.
Most of the club members drive electric cars and are mindful about not using plastic straws and water bottles less they pollute the planet. Last year, Rotary International had before its Council of Legislation a proposal to add a Seventh Avenue Service: Supporting the Environment. That proposal died at the Council meeting.
So, Dick, Amelie and myself decided to create the District Environmental Sustainability Committee, chaired by Amelie. Amelie is in the process of soliciting Rotarians and Rotaract members to join her committee. And wouldn’t you know it, three weeks later, the mothership in Evanston, Illinois, changes directions and creates a Seventh Avenue of service: Supporting the Environment.
Here is the statement put out by RI:
“The Rotary Foundation Trustees and Rotary International Board of Directors have added a new area of focus: supporting the environment. More than $18 million in Foundation global grant funding has been allocated to environment-related projects over the past five years. Creating a distinct area of focus to support the environment will give Rotary members even more ways to bring about positive change in the world and increase our impact.
Supporting the environment becomes Rotary's seventh area of focus, which are categories of service activities supported by global grants. It joins peacebuilding and conflict prevention; disease prevention and treatment; water, sanitation, and hygiene; maternal and child health; basic education and literacy; and community economic development.
Grant applications for projects will be accepted beginning on 1 July 2021. Gifts and commitments from Rotarians and others will be sought to provide global grant support for the new area of focus.”
So there you have it: District 5340 was ahead of the curve. What does this mean to us? It means we can do more projects with DDF funds and Global Grants to bring about more meaningful environmental change for the better. It means we can have more Rotarians involved it sustaining the environment even if this is not your club's focus.
The District Environmental Sustainability (DES) committee will host a kick-off meeting on Monday July 20th, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. Rotarians and Rotaractors interested in learning more are invited to attend this meeting. Amelie Catheline, will share the vision and overall goals of this new committee. This meeting will also be an opportunity for members to introduce themselves and share their topics of interest and/or expectations.
Please register in advance for this meeting:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
If you have any questions, Amelie can be reached at amelie.catheline@gmail.com or (442) 287-9991.