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NPR Features Alumna’s Work to Cool Urban Heat Island

María Belén Power ’07 was recently featured in a WBUR story that also aired on All Things Considered from National Public Radio. Belén Power is associate executive director at GreenRoots in Chelsea, Massachusetts. The environmental justice organization is collaborating with the city and Boston University to pilot a host of cooling strategies on a densely populated Chelsea block, from planting trees to replacing asphalt with lighter-colored material.

In addition to improving local residents’ well-being, the Cool Block project serves as a template for other cities as climate change brings longer, hotter summers, increasing health risks in urban heat islands.

“Some days we feel like—what?—are we really having an impact? Like, is this really going to prevent the climate crisis?” Belén Power told WBUR’s Martha Bebinger. “And then I think, ‘It’s no longer about preventing it. It’s about protecting the most vulnerable communities.’”

Learn more about the Cool Block project from WBUR or listen to the full story from NPR.

Winona LaDuke presents Koryne Horbal Lecture

convo_ladukeThe fourth annual Koryne Horbal Lecture will feature internationally renowned activist and writer, Winona LaDuke. She will speak on Thursday, Nov. 20 at 11 a.m. in the Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center. A book signing in the Foss Atrium will follow the convocation.

Winona LaDuke works on issues of sustainable development, renewable energy, food systems, and environmental justice with Indigenous communities. She is the founder of the White Earth Land Recovery Project, one of the largest reservation-based nonprofit organizations in the country. In this project, she also continues national and international work to protect Indigenous plants and heritage foods from patenting and genetic engineering. The author of five books, including Recovering the Sacred, All our Relations, and a novel, Last Standing Woman, she is widely recognized for her work on environmental and human rights issues. Continue reading “Winona LaDuke presents Koryne Horbal Lecture”