Democratic women host discussion on climate change on Monday

Climate change will be the focus of a panel discussion presented by the Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club at 6 p.m. Monday, October 26. The discussion will be at the Clinton Community Center, which is at 101 South Hicks Street in Clinton. Panel members will be Ellen Faby, Jo Ann Garrett, Jan Newsome, and Ellen Smith.

Mary Headrick, a retired physician who was a Democratic candidate for the Third Congressional District, will facilitate the discussion, which will focus on protecting the environment and the effects of climate change on health.  A question-and-answer session will follow presentations by the panelists.

Those attending are invited to bring a pot luck item to share. Beverages will be provided.

Faby, who worked more than 30 years as a computer applications software developer, will discuss the impact of food production and consumption on climate change. She has a master’s degree in engineering and policy from Washington University in St. Louis and a bachelor’s degree in physics from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota.

Garrett, a former Anderson County administrator of elections, will offer a general overview of the effects of climate change. She served as administrative assistant for former Third District Congresswoman Marilyn Lloyd. Now retired, Garrett is focused on community volunteer work, serving as co-president of the Women’s Interfaith Dialogue in Oak Ridge and on the board of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church. She is vice president of the Tennessee League of Women Voters.

Newsome, a civil engineer who has worked with engineering firms, at the K-25 site, and as a planner, will discuss the contrast of carbon tax versus cap and trade for control of emissions. Most recently, she worked as the principal planner for five municipalities and a county for the State of Tennessee’s Local Planning Assistance Office in Knoxville. She received her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Georgia Tech.

Smith, an environmental scientist on the research staff of the Environmental Sciences Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will discuss how greenhouse gas from fossil fuel disrupts the atmosphere, oceans, and climate. Smith serves as mayor pro tem on Oak Ridge City Council. She holds a bachelor’s degree in geology from Carleton College and a master’s degree in water resources management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

For more information, email Ann Mostoller at [email protected] or call Mary Matheny at (865) 483-8937.

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