Café Inquiry (Grand Rapids) – Recent Environmental Rollbacks (Part 1?)

It’s Earth Month! The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970, and a little over 7 months later the Environmental Protection Agency was established as an independent body to handle environmental issues. Good times! Since then, we have made mostly steady progress toward cleaning and continuing to protect our environment. Sadly, that progress has come to a screeching halt and is in jeopardy of being thrown into reverse – ever since the current administration came into power. At the next Café Inquiry, we’ll take a look at some of the recent policy changes that have the potential to cause major harm to our environment and the health of our population – from regulatory rollbacks and budget cuts to outright attacks on environmentally friendly policies. This Brookings institute article looks at the EPA’s repeal of the endangerment finding that allows the regulation of greenhouse gases. This Time article discusses the repeal of stricter limits on mercury and other toxic emissions from power plants. See you there!

Café Inquiry starts with a short introduction of the day’s topic, followed by casual discussion.

This event is free and open to the public. Donations appreciated, but not expected.

Attendees are able to future propose topics which would align with Michigan Humanist’s purpose: from atheism, agnosticism, humanism, secularism, and freethinking to broader subjects in science and humanities, such as religion, philosophy, social issues, politics, evolution, morality, ethics, and psychology.

To access the choir room enter the building via the Fountain Street entrance. (There may be scaffolding in place due to construction, but you can walk under it). Take the elevator or stairs to the second floor, and follow the Michigan Humanist signs. Or ask directions from someone. The choir room is located on the left at the south end of the west hallway.

Parking information – Street parking, if you can find it, is free on Sunday. The nearby GRCC Parking structure is free until 3 PM on Sunday, although this is not advertised. You will need to take a ticket to enter the structure but the exit gate will be open if you leave before 3 PM. Parking is also available free for up to 2 hours in the Public Library lot for patrons. You will need to have your ticket validated in the library. If walking for any distance is a problem for you, please contact us and we’ll see what can be arranged.

Café Inquiry (Grand Rapids) meets each month IN PERSON on the second Sunday and ONLINE on the fourth Sunday.

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Michigan Humanists values the participation of all guests — requests for reasonable accommodation may be made by contacting the event host at least three days prior to the event.

Michigan Humanists expects all guests to engage in respectful discussion. Please visit the Michigan Humanist Culture and Expectations page for more information. Speak to the event host or contact info@michiganhumanists.org if you feel these expectations are being violated.

Events are made possible by your financial support. Michigan Humanists is a 501(c)3 non-profit. All donations are tax-deductible as provided by law. Donations to Michigan Humanists can be made at https://www.michiganhumanists.org/donate/