
Rowman and Littlefield Publishers
CORNWALL — Should potential parents fear the future? Yes and no.
A new book released this February from Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, “The Conceivable Future: Planning Families and Taking Action in the Age of Climate Change,” tackles reproductive planning from the point of view of millennial couples — ages 28 to 43 — contemplating bringing new life into an environmentally uncertain world. Written by Meghan Elizabeth Kallman, a member of the Rhode Island Senate from the 15th district, and Josephine Ferorelli, a writer and climate activist, the two met ten years ago at a concert. There they bonded over their views on how inequality, heat, fossil fuel pollution and other eco-concerns intersect with reproduction.
At Cornwall Library on Friday night, Feb. 9, Kallman and Ferorelli celebrated the launch of their book and discussed challenging rhetoric on population control as a remedy for climate change and messaging that burdens those with the least power with the responsibility of solving the Earth’s problems.
So what are millennials’ significant concerns regarding family planning and climate change, and is anxiety around global warming actually halting childbirth for this generation in their prime childbearing years?
As Business Insider, among several other publications, reported recently, “Since 1950, the worldwide fertility rate dropped from an average of 4.7 children to 2.4 children. U.S. fertility rates peaked in 2007 before declining in 2008 during the Great Recession, and they accelerated their slump when the pandemic hit. Last year, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report found that the U.S. birth rate fell by 4% from 2019 to 2020, the sharpest single-year decline in almost 50 years, and the lowest number of births since 1979.”
It’s harder to pinpoint this data to one specific cause — recent decades have seen more significant access to birth control, increased student debt in the face of an exuberant child care affordability crisis — studies show numbers ranging from $20,000 to $50,000 for the child’s first year of life — and more career and workforce opportunities for women which might be hindered by maternity leave. As the U.S. Census Bureau reported, more women are delaying marriage, with the median age for an American woman’s first wedding increasing from age 20 in 1950 to age 28 in 2023.
“So much of the discourse around the climate crisis says we must avert disaster for the children,” said Ferorelli. “When we love our children, our students, our siblings, our [nieces and nephews], our young friends, we understand it’s visceral. But in an equally true way, we are the children. [Millennials] were all born into this crisis.”
She addressed that the focus on reproductive planning in the book was a way to open a broader conversation on eco-activism, specifically geared toward women, whose bodies are centered in conversations around population control or decline. “For us, reproduction isn’t the whole story, but it reveals the story’s heart. Focusing on reproduction in the context of climate change exposes the same unjust core that motivates many other social movements. It shows what’s at issue for all of us. As the climate changes, all stakes are raised. Some non-parents feel that their commitment to climate work would foreclose the possibility of parenting. At the same time, parents have described feeling locked out of activism or struggling to stay involved because time and money are short, activist spaces do not often accommodate children, or they find themselves dismissed as mere mothers, not meeting the conventions of radicalism.”
As Bryan Walsh wrote for Vox last year, “While it’s true that a child born today will be responsible for adding more carbon into the atmosphere…In a rich country like the U.S., a baby born today will emit less CO2 on average over their lifetime than their parents did; according to the International Energy Agency, if the world achieves carbon neutrality by 2050, the carbon footprint of those New Year’s babies could be ten times smaller than that of their grandparents.”
Using an extreme angle, Kallman pointed out that forgoing childbirth for the sole sake of reducing harm to the planet is as radical and unnecessary as suicide: “Rather than identifying the bigger forces acting on our lives, the innate climate problem of scale, that we’re tiny and helpless, is aggregated by isolation. But this cognitive dissonance is paralyzing and demoralizing. So, if you follow the personal footprint reduction strategy to its logical end, the most effective action you can take for the planet alone is to kill yourself now. And we don’t say this to be callous or macabre. The tragic reality is that some people who are no longer able to bear this devastation have ended their lives. But the example proves the point. Suicide doesn’t solve the climate crisis. One person fewer on the planet does not fix systemic injustices. So we can move beyond the view that our individual consumer or reproductive choices are the most meaningful contribution to the fight against climate consequences.”
Former President Joe Biden and his family dined at The Woodland in Lakeville Thursday, May 22.
LAKEVILLE — A fleet of black SUVs maintained a watchful perimeter outside The Woodland Thursday, May 22, as a former president dined inside.
After attending his grandson’s graduation at Salisbury School, Joe Biden and his family shared a meal at the Lakeville eatery.
Brandon Scimeca, owner of The Woodland, said the reservation was made a few days in advance. The day of the dinner, Secret Service agents arrived in the afternoon to review a security plan with Scimeca.
“They told me where he would enter and exit from, where he would sit, where Jill would sit,” said Scimeca. Later that evening, he said, 10 agents were stationed inside the restaurant with about 15 more outside.
Scimeca said Biden “treated the busboy as nice as the waiter. He was so nice to everyone.”
He ordered a hamburger well done with extra tomatoes and a cola.
Other patrons, able to avoid Secret Service, snapped selfies when Biden got up to go to the restroom, but for most of the meal he and his family quietly enjoyed their dinner.
That is, until dessert arrived at the table next to him.
Billy Sheil, who was dining with his wife and three of his four children, said Biden raised his fork and gestured at the arrival of sweets, “suggesting he wanted to sit with us or come over and take a bite,” Sheil explained.
Sheil scooted to make room in the booth and waved him over. “No fanfare. He just introduced himself and started chatting as a regular guy.”
Biden had a bite of ice cream from Sheil’s daughter Islay’s plate and chatted for about 15 minutes.
Sheil said he shared wisdom, spoke of family, the importance of siblings and the role his sister played throughout his political career.
“He spent real time with us, asking thoughtful questions and sharing in our evening like a grandfather would,” recalled Sheil. “We told him and Jill that we have four kids too — just like them — and mentioned that our second, Quin, was ironically in Washington, D.C., on a school trip. I told them, ‘He’s going to be bummed when he hears what he missed tonight!’”
The family took a photo with the former president before parting ways. Sheil noted, “When we got in the car afterward, Aerin turned to me and said, ‘Dad… was that a dream?’ It kind of felt like one.”
The Sheil family made room for Biden in their booth at The Woodland May 22.Photo provided
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy walks through Sharon on the first day of his annual statewide walk.
Decked out in a blue T-shirt, khaki shorts and a UConn cap, the man walking along Route 41 in Sharon Wednesday morning looked like others who just enjoy getting out to commune with nature. But U. S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D) had some other thoughts on his mind.
For the ninth year, he was walking across Connecticut to connect with citizens of the state. This year’s route began May 28 in Salisbury and took him to Sharon and Kent for the day.
People along the way wanted to chat with the lawmaker, and despite some gentle prodding from his staffers to keep on pace, Murphy took time to converse with those he met covering a variety of topics. On Route 41 between Lakeville and Salisbury, he encountered longtime friend, former State Rep. Roberta Willis, of Salisbury, who along with her sister Sherie Berk, greeted him with a sign stating “Chris, We’re proud of U.”
Continuing his walk, he made a stop at Sharon Center School where he spoke with sixth- and seventh-graders. Then he met with some of the younger children, who, he said, “had a million ideas about what they could do for our country.”
Sharon First Selectman Casey Flanagan, left, speaks with U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy outside Town Hall.Photo by Ruth Epstein
Following a stop at Standard Space art gallery, he proceeded to Town Hall, where First Selectman Casey Flanagan presented him with a tiny step counter. Pleased with the gift, he said he had been wanting to get one but never got around to it.
At Town Hall, the subject of Mudge Pond came up, with the selectmen telling him how important that natural resource is to the town. Selectman Lynn Kearcher said so far, its condition is not too bad, but the threat of an invasion of hydrilla is a constant worry. “Lynn and I both grew up on that lake. We want to save it for generations to come,” said Flanagan.
Kearcher asked what the citizens of Sharon can do to combat the current administration in Washington. Murphy recommended joining activist groups and getting involved. “All that can make a difference.”
He acknowledged the latest big bill proposed by the Republicans which was approved by the House of Representatives is bad for Connecticut. One of its features calls for reducing Medicaid payments in blue states by 10 percent. It will throw millions around the country off the plan, he said. The bill will also result in adding $3.5 trillion to the national debt.
“It’s an ugly bill,” said Murphy.
As he headed off to Kent, he was met by some Sharon Playhouse employees who excitedly told him about this year’s productions. The walk to Kent proved to be a strenuous one, with a long steep mountain to climb. Once in the center of Kent, he crossed over the Housatonic River on the bridge next to Kent School.
From left, former State Rep. Roberta Willis and Sherie Berk talk with U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy in Salisbury.Photo by Ruth Epstein
Murphy explained the purpose of the walk, which over the nine years has touched all areas of the state. “My job is to listen. I can’t do my job well unless I listen to what people are saying.”
On this trip, he found the issues of housing and Medicaid were what people were talking about. The push and pull between conserving land and the need for housing was also on people’s minds.
In Kent, he made a stop at Motoriot, where owner Jason Doornick explained he refurbishes vintage 4 x 4s. Murphy was impressed with what he saw. He also visited Kent Wine & Spirits and the Mobil station and convenience store where customer Tom Connors approached him and asked, “When did bravery go out of fashion?”
Murphy planned to walk another four days with the aim of reaching Long Island Sound.
SHARON — Marion J. (Cookingham) Pedersen of Sharon, passed peacefully on May 20, 2025, at the age of 91.
Born in Pine Plains, New York, she lived a life of love and unwavering strength. She was a devoted mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and wife known for her cooking skills.
Her greatest joy was taking care of and feeding her family. For over 50 years she knew most of the children in Sharon, either by driving them to and from school on the bus or by feeding them lunch in the Sharon Center School cafeteria. She will be missed by so many.
She is survived and missed by her husband of 74 years, Niels (Pete) Pedersen, her two sons Niels (Peter) Pedersen Jr., and wife Lori of Sharon, Dennis Pedersen and wife Bonnie of Winchester, and her daughter, Deborah Pedersen of Winsted. She will forever be cherished and remembered by her granddaughters, Hollie Boyuk and husband Michael, Sarah White and husband Michael, five great-grandsons, Dylan and wife Ashley, Brandon, Caleb, Christopher and Jacob, and numerous other family members who will miss her dearly.
Marion was the youngest of 12 children and predeceased by her 11 siblings.
All services are private.Memorial contributions may be made to the donors choice. Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
LIME ROCK — Eleanor Anne Sternlof (née de Guise) of White Hollow Road passed away on April 25, 2025 at Geer Village in North Canaan, Connecticut. She was 94 and the loving wife of the late Paul William Sternlof, who died on August 12, 2005.
Calling hours will be held on Saturday, May 31, from 11am to 1pm at The Kenny Funeral Home, 41 Main Street, Sharon, CT.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.