PEXELS PHOTO BY MATTHEW SIMMONDS

Many years ago I wrote a short story of the same title, BUFFALOVIA, a warm, tropical paradise.  I can remember sitting in a  cafe along artsy Elmwood avenue enjoying the company of a latte. It was a cold winter day and I had those old mid winter Buffalo blues. Even at that time, there had been some discussion about EL NINO AND GLOBAL WARMING on the news. And how some scientist were attributing global warming and climate change to frequencies of catastrophic events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires and floods. I would, of course, be remiss not mention the melting of the polar ice cap and all of the animals  their lives also in jeopardy.  Perhaps, that’s what instigated my imagination into visualizing myself sitting outside in the warmth of the sun, looking in such amazement at the palm trees that lined the street. I guess I was really  CALIFORNIA DREAMING  on such a winter’s day.

My hometown, BUFFALO, NEW YORK,  has long been associated with SNOW, SNOW and more SNOW. Our region offers great skiing in the wintertime. And although I’m not a downhill skier (much too fast for me and I’m afraid of running into a tree), I do enjoy cross country skiing and the cardio benefit from the workout. We also have some of the best restaurants , good food and of course we’re known for the “BUFFALO CHICKEN WING.”

As it has been said, “seasons come and seasons go.” The transition from winter to spring, witnessing the return of life to plants and vegetation that had been dormant for months and seeing migrating birds return represents the circle of life.  Our summers, of course, are not as long as we would like them to be, but like any other red-blooded American city, there are plenty of festivals, tours, music and other events.  There are many beautiful golf courses in western New York.  Buffalo is also home to six OLMSTED PARKS.  And LAKE ERIE has some of the best bass fishing in the country. There is a wealth of history here including the war of 1812 , the DARWIN MARTIN HOUSE designed by the architect FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT,  the MICHIGAN STREET BAPTIST CHURCH AND BRODERICK PARK sites of the UNDERGROUND RAILROAD. 

Things To Do In Buffalo

Many years ago I got fed up with the cold weather and moved to sunny Los Angeles. My reasons for moving was not only to thaw out but to also pursue screenwriting. While I did fall in love with the warm weather and beaches, and YES! NO SNOW, I found myself annoyed by the insouciance of some of Californians, especially when it came to geography. “Where are you from?”  “Buffalo, New York.”  “How far is that from Brooklyn?”  I would answer somewhat jokingly, “Not too far. Over four hundred miles.”

After I studied their perplexing gaze , I would usually give them a geographical lesson, without sounding too condescending. “We’re more upstate. Western New York. Closer to Canada. Near NIAGARA FALLS.”  I figured everyone heard of NIAGARA FALLS.  “Oh, way up there! Yeah, I’ve heard of Niagara Falls. Wow, you get a lot of snow. Don’t you?” Then there were people whom I found to be rather sarcastic. “Where are you from?”  “Buffalo, New York.”  “Nice place to be FROM.”

I lasted two years in Los Angeles. The high cost of living along with my unshakable longing for family and the change of seasons caused me to move back to Buffalo, despite the sunshine. All these years, two children and one grandchild later Buffalo is still home. The city is undergoing a tremendous resurgence. A former rust belt city (steel industry)  transformed like Cinderella at the ball. However, it didn’t happen over night. It took some years. Now It has  become a destination place.  More and more people are migrating here to live. People are finding that the cost of living is a little less compared to some of the larger cities. A place where some people thought  was a nice place to be ‘FROM.’  Is now a nice place to go ‘TO.’  And the SNOW and COLD?  Well, we deal with it. Just part of our four seasons.

There is a running joke among Buffalonians ; if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes and it will change. Now, the problem is the weather ” is” changing, extreme weather is happening all over our country and the world. There are many climate change activists old and young, in this country and all over the world lobbying, bringing awareness to the effects of global warming. Which brings me to mention GRETA THUNBERG, a 16 year old from Sweden who has become the face of climate change. It is amazing that someone so young started a school strike in 2018 for CLIMATE CHANGE AWARENESS. Perhaps, this rally for change, this call for environmental justice from young people, who will inherit what is left of our mass consumption and over indulgence, will give us adults pause enough to not only realize but take the necessary steps in reducing our CARBON FOOTPRINT.

On a local level, on September 20,2019 between 350-400 young people and adult allies gathered in the heart of Buffalo at Niagara square to strike for climate change. The strike was organized by the  WESTERN NEW YORK YOUTH CLIMATE COUNCIL a youth led organization. The young people were supported by more than 20 other organizations to include the SIERRA CLUB NIAGARA GROUP, THE WNY PEACE CENTER, PUSH BUFFALO, STANDUP WNY, THE SUNRISE MOVEMENT, EXTINCTION REBELLION, WNY MASTER TEACHER’S PROGRAM, INTERFAITH CLIMATE, THE WNY ENVIRONMENTAL ALLIANCE to name a few. The youth plan to follow up their demand of a Climate Emergency declaration by visiting the office of elected officals.

So what does all of this discussion about global warming and climate change has to  do with my story, ‘BUFFALOVIA ‘, written twenty years ago? Well, as I said, it was a cold winter day and my imagination had its way with me. I was sitting on  Elmwood  avenue enjoying the warmth of the sun and watching people walking by. I looked out at the hills beyond and saw the famous HOLLYWOOD sign bathing in the sunshine.  Because of CLIMATE CHANGE the Hollywood film industry had moved to our region, sunny BUFFALOVIA. The MARGARITAVILLE of the north.  A short story. Just fiction, not fact. But could  it be a possibility?  Could it happen? I certainly don’t want it to become a reality. I like our four seasons: winter, spring, summer and fall.  We need more people to advocate for change.  We must  become better stewards of our planet . And it isn’t just about us humans. We also share the planet with various wildlife.  But if our planet continues to warm at an accelerated rate…

LIFE AS WE NOW KNOW IT-WILL NEVER BE THE SAME.

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