I am committed to creating the experience of community wherever I am and to having people around me succeed in realizing the full expression of their potential in whatever they are going for in life!
Judith Owens-Manley
Climate Restoration Ambassador
Central New York and Anchorage, Alaska, USA
My Stand is to be a Connector and Listener for empowering each and every person’s unique expression and contribution in life.
My objective as a Climate Ambassador is to educate and empower our families and communities for their own climate journeys and a greater demand for action on climate restoration, including an awareness of the need for climate justice.
I am an Educator, a Psychotherapist, and a Writer, and I utilize all of my background and skills as a Climate Ambassador.
I contribute to The Grandparent’s Fund and encourage others to do so for the future of my young grandchildren and for all children on Planet Earth.
I live in two communities, Central New York and Anchorage, Alaska, both of which experience the impact of climate change and are also taking some actions to mitigate or adapt.
The quote that grounds me as a Climate Ambassador: ” The fundamental role of imagination and hope is just the ability to imagine a world that’s different from what it is now.” –Rebecca Solnit
Who I plan to have an impact with as a Climate Ambassador:
- Rotary Clubs in Anchorage
- Personal friends and family
- Establishing new Women & Climate groups in Anchorage, Alaska and Utica, New York
- Writers
- Social Workers, Psychologists and other Mental Health Professionals
What is Climate Restoration?
Published here with permission from the Foundation for Climate Restoration.
When we think about climate restoration, our minds often jump to large-scale initiatives—cutting emissions, removing carbon from the atmosphere, and transitioning to renewable energy. But one of the most immediate and impactful actions we can take starts much closer to home: sorting waste at the source.
Why Source Separation Matters
Every piece of waste we generate has two potential fates—either it becomes a resource or a burden. The difference? Sorting. When we separate waste correctly from the moment it’s discarded, we unlock its potential for recycling, composting, or repurposing. On the other hand, mixed waste is harder to process, contaminates recyclable materials, and often ends up in landfills or incinerators—contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation.
From my experience conducting waste surveys and developing management strategies for municipalities, businesses, and institutions across Israel, I’ve seen firsthand how small changes in waste sorting can have a massive impact. When properly sorted, organic waste can be transformed into compost or biogas, plastics can be recycled into new products, and hazardous materials can be kept out of our water and soil.
The Cost of Contamination
When recyclable materials are thrown into general waste bins, they often get contaminated—rendering them unusable. This contamination isn’t just an inconvenience; it increases the cost of waste treatment and significantly reduces recycling rates. Many of the organizations I’ve worked with were shocked to realize that a simple change in internal waste management—adding separate bins, improving signage, or training staff—led to a drastic improvement in their waste diversion rates.
For example, a waste survey I conducted at a major commercial center revealed that up to 40% of “general waste” was actually recyclable. With clear sorting guidelines and a simple bin system, we cut down landfill-bound waste by half, saving the company money and reducing its environmental footprint.
Waste Sorting as Climate Action
Climate restoration isn’t just about removing excess CO₂ from the atmosphere—it’s about preventing further damage. Landfills are among the largest sources of methane, a greenhouse gas that is 80 times more potent than CO₂ over a 20-year period. Every ton of organic waste that is properly composted instead of landfilled helps reduce methane emissions.
Beyond methane reduction, efficient waste sorting supports a circular economy—one where materials are reused rather than extracted anew. This reduces the demand for raw materials, cutting down on deforestation, mining, and fossil fuel consumption.
A Call to Action
The good news? Waste sorting is one of the easiest and most immediate steps we can take for climate restoration. Whether you’re an individual, a business, or a municipality, implementing better waste separation practices requires minimal effort and delivers immediate benefits.
Here’s how you can start:
✅ Use separate bins for organic waste, recyclables, and general waste.
✅ Improve signage to make sorting simple and intuitive.
✅ Train employees and residents—education is key to compliance.
✅ Conduct a waste audit—you can’t improve what you don’t measure.
✅ Advocate for better policies—support local initiatives that promote source separation and circular waste systems.
Every discarded item is a choice—between contributing to the problem or becoming part of the solution. Sorting waste at the source isn’t just a logistical matter; it’s a climate action strategy that every one of us can take part in today.
Let’s restore the climate, one bin at a time.
Dear Friends and Supporters,
Realizing the vision of a safe climate for our grandchildren requires significant funding.
Thanks to your commitment and generosity, we successfully raised the funds needed to complete the first step: The Buoy Test (budget: around $80K).
While The Buoy Test enters its final stages, we are shifting our collective focus to our next milestone: the CRA OIF project.
To complete the project we’ll need to raise millions of dollars, which may come in the form of donations, investments or both.
To help us succeed, we are forming two groups:
The CRA Fundraising Committee will help develop and implement fundraising strategies to invite more people to contribute and ensure we have sufficient funds to support and grow our operations.
The Climate Restoration Investors Club will bring together forward-thinking impact investors dedicated to restoring the climate for their/our grandchildren, while generating meaningful financial returns. Members will gain access to curated, high-impact investment opportunities that drive meaningful change.
Founding members of this exclusive club will help design the ethical and practical principles of investments within the Climate Restoration Industry, where the mission always comes first, and profits are a second priority.
If you are interested in participating in or shaping either one of these initiatives, I invite you to connect with me at ilan.mandel@gcr.fund and we will schedule a time for a personal conversation.
Together, we can restore the climate for future generations!
With hope and determination,
Ilan Mandel
Central Coordinator, The Climate Restoration Alliance
Managing Director, The Grandparents Fund for Climate Restoration
Climate Restoration Ambassador
Can we restore the climate with a simple, cost-effective process? The math behind ocean iron fertilization (OIF) suggests we can.
In his post, Peter Fiekowsky breaks down the astonishing efficiency of OIF—how adding a small amount of iron to specific parts of the ocean can trigger massive phytoplankton blooms that pull CO₂ from the atmosphere. The numbers are staggering:
Key Takeaways:
- 1 ton of iron can capture up to 200,000 tons of CO₂.
- OIF could scale up to remove 60 gigatons of CO₂ per year, enough to restore pre-industrial levels.
- The 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo unintentionally demonstrated OIF’s potential when volcanic ash triggered a phytoplankton bloom, leading to a measurable cooling effect.
At the Climate Restoration Alliance (CRA), we focus on science-backed, scalable solutions that don’t just slow climate change but reverse it. OIF is one of the most promising tools we have to achieve that goal.
Read the full post by Peter Fiekowsky here.
https://climaterestoration.substack.com/p/the-startling-math-of-ocean-iron
Dear Friends and Supporters,
Thank you so much!
The webinar last week was a great success and the responses we got were extremely supportive and encouraging!
We have raised all the money we need to complete the buoy test!
Together, we can build a thriving future for Planet Earth and all of humanity!
With hope and determination,
Ilan Mandel
Central Coordinator, The Climate Restoration Alliance
Climate Restoration Ambassador
Here is the webinar recording:
While much of the world was focused elsewhere on November 5, 2024, a major milestone in climate restoration quietly took place—the Climate Restoration Resolution was officially introduced in the U.S. Congress.
In this post, Peter Fiekowsky highlights this critical step toward institutionalizing climate restoration as a global priority. Unlike traditional climate policies that focus on slowing emissions, the Climate Restoration Resolution sets an ambitious goal: returning atmospheric CO₂ to safe pre-industrial levels by 2050. This is a shift from merely mitigating damage to actively restoring the climate for future generations.
Key Takeaways:
- The Climate Restoration Resolution was introduced in Congress, marking a historic moment for the movement.
- This resolution is unique in that it goes beyond net zero—it establishes the need to remove excess CO₂ and restore the climate to safe levels.
- The resolution supports large-scale climate restoration solutions like ocean iron fertilization (OIF), direct air capture, and ecosystem regeneration.
- To truly restore the climate, we must move beyond incremental progress and implement high-impact, science-backed interventions.
At the Climate Restoration Alliance (CRA), we are committed to turning this vision into reality. The Climate Restoration Resolution is a key step in securing governmental and institutional support for the large-scale deployment of CO₂ removal solutions. Our mission is to ensure that climate restoration becomes an actionable, funded global priority—because the world cannot afford to wait.
Read the full post by Peter Fiekowsky here:
https://climaterestoration.substack.com/p/on-november-5th-while-you-werent
Dear Friends and Supporters,
As I write this, countless people around the world are being displaced by the effects of global warming, with many of the hardest-hit communities located in developing countries.
Most recently, we have witnessed the devastating fires in Los Angeles, which have resulted in at least 24 fatalities and left over a dozen individuals unaccounted for. The fires have burned more than 30,000 acres—an area larger than San Francisco—and destroyed over 12,000 homes and businesses. Approximately 150,000 residents have been displaced, with many seeking refuge in shelters.
Our thoughts, prayers, and, in some cases, direct assistance have been extended to the people of Los Angeles. At the same time, we must remember that these are some of the wealthiest communities on the planet. What about the tens of millions of forcibly displaced individuals worldwide who lack such resources and support?
As we enter 2025, a pivotal year for Climate Restoration, we recognize these sobering truths and renew our commitment to achieving full-scale carbon dioxide removal (60 Gt/year) by 2030:
- We are all in this together.
We are all crew members aboard Spaceship Earth. - The road ahead will be challenging.
The situation may worsen before it improves. - We must stay the course.
Climate restoration efforts must persist regardless of social, political, or financial instability—or who holds power in government.
Indeed, Climate Restoration is the bridge that can lead us safely across the chasm into a new era of humanity flourishing for millennia.
Our commitment to our children, grandchildren, and future generations may well be our guiding light in the challenging years ahead.
As we reflect on 2024 and plan for 2025, we are designing a strong foundation to carry us to the end of the decade.
Initiatives such as the Ocean Iron Fertilization (OIF) Project, the Buoy Test, the Satellite Data Analysis Algorithm, the First Annual Climate Restoration Summit, and the Climate Restoration Alliance itself are being launched and organized into a cohesive platform.
This platform is designed to scale our efforts so that Climate Restoration becomes fully operational by the end of the decade, putting humanity on a path to a safe and sustainable climate like we had 100 years ago.
We will report on our progress on January 30 – SAVE THE DATE!
The urgency of restoring our climate to pre-industrial levels has never been greater.
Together, we can create a future where Planet Earth thrives, and humanity flourishes.
With hope and determination,
Ilan Mandel, Central Coordinator, The Climate Restoration Alliance
Climate Restoration Ambassador
I have chosen to endorse the Rotary District 7150 Climate Restoration Resolution thereby joining with the Climate Restoration Alliance in making Climate Restoration be an “Idea Whose Time Has Come”
Individuals: Please fill the form below.
Organizations: Please follow these steps:
- Create a copy of the Climate Restoration Resolution Template.
- Edit and adapt it to your organization’s language and mission.
- Sign it, scan it, and upload the file using this form, by uploading the signed resolution you are giving us permission to post your organization name, logo, and resolution on our website.