Columbia Climate Scientist to Explore Faith and Environmentalism at MCLA

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) welcomes Dr. Alexander de Sherbinin, Director and Senior Research Scientist at Columbia Climate School's Center for Integrated Earth System Information (CIESIN), as part of its Green Living Seminar Series on Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 5:30 p.m.
 
Dr. de Sherbinin will present "How Religion Influences Our Relationship with the Environment," examining the complex connections between spiritual beliefs and environmental stewardship. The talk will explore how different faith traditions shape attitudes toward nature, conservation, and climate action.
 
According to a press release:
 
A geographer whose research focuses on climate-related mobility, climate vulnerability mapping, and population-environment interactions, Dr. de Sherbinin manages the NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) and leads the UN Global Centre for Climate Mobility's Global Knowledge Hub. His work integrates geospatial data to address critical questions about human dimensions of climate change. He holds a PhD in Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation from the University of Twente in the Netherlands and has served as an agricultural extension agent with the U.S. Peace Corps in Mauritania, West Africa.
 
All presentations take place Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. in MCLA's Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation, Room 121, and will be recorded as podcasts available at mcla.edu/greenliving.
 
This event is free and open to the public.
 
MCLA's Green Living Seminar Series brings environmental experts to campus throughout the academic year to engage students and community members in conversations about sustainability, climate change, and ecological responsibility.

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North Adams Airport Commissioners Review Badge Policy

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Airport Commission will rethink its badge policy after a discussion with airport users who shared their grievances regarding the current system.
 
The commissioners voted last week to approve a new fee structure for the airport — minus badge fees — as they hope to continue their discussion and craft a policy that creates fewer barriers for airport users.
 
Three years ago, former manager Bruce Goff was charged with cleaning up the badge system. At the time, it was unknown how many badges were in circulation; some airport users had multiple badges, while others had moved away or passed away.
 
Badges are required to access the airside of the airport. Under the current rules, all new badges were set to expire in three years, leaving airport users currently scrambling to obtain new ones. This process comes with a $50 fee.
 
Airport user and former commissioner Trevor Gilman said the sticking point for him was not the price, but the automatic shutdown of the badges upon expiration, as well as the process by which users must obtain brand-new physical cards.
 
"Why change out a badge for the same person? They are perfectly good badges. It is not the cost, it is the process. All of a sudden my badge expired and I can't get in. It takes forever to get one from the state," Gilman said. "If you lose a badge, certainly you should have to buy a new one because there is a cost. That is not the problem; it is the process."
 
He said other airports do not have expiration dates on their badges, adding that he has held one from another airport for 10 years. Gilman argued there should be no barriers to users obtaining a badge, suggesting that higher badge adoption allows the city to better track airport activity.
 
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