Alamo Sierra Club Monthly Meeting

Our general meetings are on the third Tuesday of each month at William R. Sinkin Eco Centro. They are free and open to everyone. Socializing begins at 6:00 p.m., program at 6:30 p.m.. Presentations last about an hour. 

Our June general meeting features Andre Felton, M.S., discussing microplastic pollution and his research into its environmental and biological threats.

MEETING SCHEDULE
Informal get-to-know-you 6:00 pm to 6:15 pm
Announcements 6:15 pm to 6:30 pm
Featured program 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm

VENUE
This will be a hybrid in-person/Zoom meeting.

Zoom meeting access info is at: https://act.sierraclub.org/events/details…

PROGRAM TOPIC
The global plastisphere is a marvel of human generation and a testament to the scale of our collective impact on the planet. In less than a century, we have created a novel biogeochemical cycle akin to naturally occurring ones such as the water cycle, carbon cycle, and nitrogen cycle.

Following World War II, plastic production became an industrial commodity advertised to shape the future. And it has in many ways. Since then, there is not one facet of modern life that doesn’t involve or require a plastic polymer.

The other side of that equation is the amount of plastic waste production and consequential emersion into the natural environment. The magnitude of plastic waste is shifting to represent a selective pressure on microbes around the around. Additionally, these tiny compounds are an unknown component of the global carbon budget and climate heat model that we are recently coming to realize.

Our understanding of the global plastisphere is still in its infancy, but there are also innovative and exciting solutions that will require holistic perspectives of the global scale and human dimensions to be effective. The plastisphere is here to stay, but we must find the balance.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKER
Andre Felton, M.S. is a doctoral candidate in the Integrative Biology department at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Currently, he works in Jeffrey Hutchinson’s lab investigating ephemeral freshwater systems and conducts research aimed at understanding the environmental and biological threats of microplastic pollution.

Additionally, in collaboration with a fellow UTSA doctoral student, he has developed novel methods to extract microplastics from both hail and sediment samples, and reported the first evidence of microplastics in hailstone formation and deposition. He was recently awarded the NISOD Teaching award and the NVC Excellence in Teaching award as an adjunct instructor for Alamo Colleges in San Antonio.

Andre is passionate about research to understand current and future biodiversity trends. He hopes to share that passion with minority-dominant communities and contribute to diversifying the natural sciences.

Zoom meeting access info

• Meeting ID: 966 5254 0606
• Passcode: 377093
• Link: https://sierraclub.zoom.us/j/96652540606?pwd=UUVISUw3OHluQ2xsQk5IeENxeXFZdz09

Eco Centro is located at San Antonio College, 1802 North Main Avenue @ Locust Street. There is a parking lot adjacent to Eco Centro which is entered from Locust Street. We can also use SAC parking lots 14, 15 and 17 (map of parking lots) to the north, west and south of the STIC building across North Main Avenue from Eco Centro.

Parking is also allowed on the residential streets to the east, north and south of Eco Centro.

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