Zin E. Rocklyn’s Cli-Fi “Flowers For The Sea”, Climate Champ–Anote Tong, Green Roofs’ 2022 Jeffrey L. Bruce Award Winners!

CLI-FI AUTHOR ZIN E. ROCKLYN’S “FLOWERS FOR THE SEA”

 Many will agree that humans have pushed Earth to a brink unrecognizable by recent history, and that we have those in power who vehemently deny the facts — on more than just the weather — deciding for the rest of us that we as a human race do not matter. You could say the planted tree means nothing in the face of greed.

Cli-fi author Zin E. Rocklyn would agree. But, “At the heart of it, I do believe humans will make it. We will forever be changed. I am hopeful it’ll be for the better.” Her hope is found in, “Flowers for the Sea,” Rocklyn’s climate migration novella. The story is about Iraxi and a new kind of boat people. When the land got submerged under the waves of the seas, people moved to boats. This story starts on one of those boats, where Iraxi is heavily pregnant – and everyone hopes that this will be the first child to be born after years on the waves and all other newborns being lost.

According to online book reviewer “WhiteWaveDarling”, Flowers for the Sea is not an easy read–the story itself, the prose, and the progression all make for a journey that a reader must embrace and travel through in a fashion that might well involve working for meaning as well as cringing away from some of those very same meanings. And yet, this is a gorgeous book worth appreciating in all its facets, and I’m glad to have read it, just as I’ll be glad to pick up anything else Rocklyn writes.

Why does Flowers for the Sea matter to us/? The power of this tale is so timely, the immediacy of the content is almost crushing if you allow yourself to think about it.  

DEEPER DIVE: McMillian Co., Flowers For the Sea, Zin Interview

CLIMATE CHAMPION, ANOTE TONG

You might never have heard of Kiribati, an atoll-island nation in the globe’s Oceana region. You also may never have heard of former Kiribati President Anote Tong. Now you have.  Tong’s originally from the island of Maiana, located in central Kiribati and is a strong climate change advocate. 

During his three presidential administrations (2003-2016) Tong was at the forefront of raising global awareness about catastrophic risks caused by climate change.  That’s because his atoll nation of Kiribati sits only about two meters above sea level on average. Rising sea levels due to climate change pose an existential threat to Kiribati and other small island states in the Pacific. Tong has stated on several occasions that Kiribati may cease to exist altogether, and that its entire population may need to be resettled not as climate change refugees but citizens who should be allowed to migrate on merit and with dignity. 

In fact, Tong directed Kiribati’s purchase of approximately 20 square kilometers of land in Fiji in 2014 as a contingency refuge for his people. This followed advice from the IPCC following its fifth assessment that many Pacific Island states such as Kiribati could be submerged by rising sea levels within a few decades. 

Tong is responsible for a number of other initiatives to combat climate change and protect the environment, such as calling for a global moratorium on using coal in 2015,  as well as overseeing the creation of a 480,000+ square kilometer marine park, the largest protected marine area in the world. The marine park was later adopted as a UNESCO World Heritage List site (Phoenix Islands Protected Area, or PIPA).

Tong currently serves on the board of Conservation International. He’s also a 2012 Hillary Laureate. Why does Anote Tong matter to us? Because in the coming era of climate migration, climate warrior Anote Tong’s concept of ‘migration with dignity’ is a gold standard for all nations to follow.

DEEPER DIVE: Hillary Laureates, Wikipedia, Kiribati

GREEN ROOFS’ 2022 JEFFREY L. BRUCE AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE DESIGN ANNOUNCED

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities is excited to announce the Jeffrey L. Bruce Awards of Excellence winners for 2022. The Awards of Excellence winners have again pushed the boundaries of living architecture. Designers expertly integrate nature into projects and bring their unique sense of style. Category: Extensive Commercial/Industrial/Institutional Green Roof :Project: University of Hartford; Winner: Recover Green Roofs

Category: Intensive Commercial/Industrial/Institutional Green Roof: Project: 4131 State St; Winner: Omni Ecosystems. Category: Interior Green Wall: Project: Drexel University Living Green Wall; Winner: Parker Plants. Category: Small Scale Residential Green Roof; Project: 5665 Woodlawn; Winner: Omni Ecosystems. Category: Urban Agriculture: Project: Javits Farm; Winner: Brooklyn Grange

DEEPER DIVE: GreenRoofs, Living Architecture, JLBruce Co.