Hello Friends, I just want to draw attention to the idea that we can all be helping each other make this transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. For example, many of our friends in the fracking fight have expressed a wish to also be involved in taking positive steps -- both because it sounds like more fun and because they know we have to work on shrinking both supply and demand to starve the Fossil Fuel juggernaut.
Sustainable Tompkins has been working with the good folks in O-RAFT (Owego branch of Residents Against Fracking Tioga) for the past couple of months to help them get smart on energy conservation and renewables and making changes in their own homes. This Saturday we are co-hosting a film screening of Sun Come Up, a film about the world's first climate refugees - the Carteret Islanders. Afterwards we'll talk about the programs ST has to offer on energy and climate and hear from other panelists on local climate impacts and what we can do to mitigate and adapt. Details here<http://sustainabletompkins.org/st-events/bringing-the-finger-lakes-energy-challenge-to-owego/>. On February 23, our two groups are hosting an Energy Teach-In to get into the nitty gritty details of reducing emissions and investing in renewables. ST is also coordinating a regional climate conference with Barb Lifton and others for April 19-21. The Climate Smart & Climate Ready conference is all about making the transition and finding solutions. I agree with George that not enough has been done and the pace is slow and many are not involved. But Sam and others have made a good case for the many many positive things that are being done. Today's Ithaca Times had a letter to the editor from someone in Tburg who has awakened to climate issues and is starting to swim toward taking action. I salute him for that important step. The Yale/George Mason University ongoing survey of the "Six Americas" looks at attitudes, beliefs, and values around climate change. The good news is the number of Dismissives has gone down to 10% while the number of Alarmed has risen to 13%. Further good news is that 26% are Concerned and 29% are Cautious. Only 6% are Disengaged on this topic while 15% are Doubtful. That means 70% of the population is reachable on climate change. The huge challenge is getting people to move to Action on their beliefs and concerns. We need to socialize the climate movement. Sustainable Tompkins is here to help. We offer the infrastructure of our energy and climate programs to any group who wants to use them. We are starting a pilot around catalyzing solar-buying clubs. Let's figure out how to create a social setting for taking action on climate. We're more likely to get the job done if we're working together. Gay On Wed, Feb 6, 2013 at 10:34 AM, Maura Stephens <[email protected]>wrote: > I must concur with Sam here, George. Many if not most of us on this list > serve are hardly "NIMBY" types. And that includes those of us from the > outlying areas (Sam in Chemung, I in Tioga) who have been working toward a > fossil-free world since, well, in my case, childhood four decades ago, and > others longer. (Vast swaths of the USA have only recently become the prime > battleground, as Big Oil Big Gas Big Oil have been ravaging other countries > and sections of our own throughout our lifetimes.) And I'd like to mention > that in his own lifestyle, Sam has gone beyond what I've been able to > achieve, and long ago created an off-grid home in a rural area. Personally, > I love the IDEA of clustered urban self-sufficient homes that you and many > others support, yet in practice I could not live in a "conscious > community." > > Many of us still do have a bigger footprint than we'd like, but everyone I > "activate" with is working toward a lighter one. We all would have been > able to lighten up long since had we any political leaders willing to drive > through (excuse pun) support of the many (currently too expensive for many > to reach) conservation, renewable-energy, efficient-mass-transport options > out there. Fortunately, many of those are becoming cheaper just because of > demand, and unfortunately, in any case it will all too soon come down to > not political will but sheer necessity. > > As Simon points out, city, county, and local municipalities, as well as a > rapidly growing number of residents and businesses in our area are doing a > lot on their own to reduce energy consumption and implement ways to deal > with survival on our changing planet. > > We all have a lot on our plates, George. Those in the trenches fighting > fracking hardly have time to use the toilet, let alone clean it, and let > alone pack the crawl space with better insulation. Many of us have spent > all or most of our "disposable" money (and some have dipped deep into our > retirement and other safety savings) fighting fracking and can't afford to > do much that we'd like to do as far as lightening our footprints (e.g., > moving closer to town, or finding a job that enables us to work hours that > coincide with a bus schedule, or finding a reasonable job that actually > pays the bills). And we've had to drive all over creation to meetings, > forums, hearings, etc., when we'd much rather have stayed home reading > books by candlelight. That stings, believe me. We try to teleconference > whenever possible, but sometimes it is necessary to be there in person, all > over NYS and PA and other states. > > When you're in the middle of a battle, with a constant volley of bullets > to dodge daily, it's hard to take the long view. Despite this, in my > experience antifracktivists do, individually and collectively, keep the > long view and simultaneously work to lighten their own footprints while > busting their butts to keep fracking from destroying everything worth > living for -- here and around the planet, because it is not and has never > been a NIMBY issue. > > Basically I think what I want to say is, Lay off the good people working > to fight fracking. Recognize that everyone has a part to play, even if > we're not all playing the lead. We are all learning from each other, and I > for one tend to shut down when I'm being lectured. I'll try to remember > that myself when I get strident and preachy, which is easy to do these days. > > Instead of taking on the people who are doing their best and giving their > all to make a better world for everyone -- probably everyone on this list > -- we should be taking on the crooked collusionist politicians on the local > (not so much in Tompkins County, but you should visit a town board meeting > in Tioga or Chemung or Steuben or Broome or Chenango) municipalities, in > Albany, and in Washington DC. And the horrific industry that is pillaging > the planet. Those are our enemies. The rest of us are struggling to ensure > they don't defeat us, because if they do, everyone loses. > > Cordially, > > Maura > [email protected] > > www.maurastephens.com > www.coalitiontoprotectnewyork.org > www.raft-ny.org > www.frackbustersny.org > www.savesve.org > > > On Feb 5, 2013, at 10:36 AM, [email protected] wrote: > > Sorry I have to take strong issue with this line---" Natural gas use to > also be touted as "clean energy" here in New York, at least until the > prospect of drilling in our backyard arose on the horizon." That is simply > untrue. I and most of those who oppose FRACKING have always opposed it not > because it may be done in our backyard but because it is an extractive, > highly diesel fuel dependent, high energy consuming, environmentally > destructive, water consuming and water, soil, and air polluting method, and > it causes noise and light pollution and it destroys communities... Without > question FRACKING industrializes rural regions and yes all it does is KEEP > US ALL DEPENDENT on fossil fuels. We have known all this a long time and we > have opposed FRACKING based on those "merits" or lack thereof. > > That's the truth. Those are the facts. > > I would appreciate if misinformation does not get broadcast which serves > to revise history and facts. (e.g. Fox "News" like). > > Vigilance, > Sam > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: "Simon St.Laurent" <[email protected]> > Sent: Tuesday, February 5, 2013 9:26am > To: "Sustainability in Tompkins County" < > [email protected]> > Cc: "George Frantz" <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [sustainable_tompkins-l] Fw: George Frantz sent you an article > > On 2/5/13 8:39 AM, George Frantz wrote: > > Natural gas use to also be touted as "clean energy" here in New York, at > > least until the prospect of drilling in our backyard arose on the > > horizon. Now it's filthy dirty energy, although of course Tompkins > > County is doing nothing to correct the fact that natural gas provides > > some 85% of our thermal energy. > > > People may not be doing what you want, but that doesn't mean they're > doing nothing. > > The county and local municipalities have been working on a variety of > programs to reduce the amount of energy used for heat, and to shift > toward other fuels. Some is their own energy, some is encouraging or > funding that of residents. It's not quick or easy, Insulation is a lot > less exciting to people than solar panels, and biomass isn't incredibly > exciting, but a lot of things are actually happening around the county > and the area. > > On the biomass front, see: > <http://tclocal.org/2009/10/burning_transitions.html> > <http://tclocal.org/2010/01/heating_with_biomass_in_tompki.html> > <http://tclocal.org/2010/04/funding_and_finagling_the_tran.html> > > I keep hearing of more and more geothermal installations - granted, some > work better than others - and more and more solar hot water. A Tompkins > County resident and a Tompkins County installer pushed through a first > NYSERDA-supported installation of a heat pump hot water heater that I > hope will both shift resources away from natural gas and use a lot less > energy, period. > > Even Cornell, where their power and steam plant recently increased the > county's natural gas consumption substantially by shifting from coal, is > working hard on ways to at least ensure the energy isn't wasted. > > There is a lot going on. It might be fun to complain that it's not > happening fast enough, or maybe you mean "Tompkins County" to mean one > office of county government that isn't doing exactly what you want, but > "doing nothing"? Not at all. > > -- > Simon St.Laurent > http://simonstl.com/ > > For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, > please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ > If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom > Shelley, at [email protected]. > > > > For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, > please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ > If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom > Shelley, at [email protected]. > > > > > -- ---------------------------------------------------- Gay Nicholson, Ph.D. President Sustainable Tompkins 109 S. Albany St. Ithaca, NY 14850 www.sustainabletompkins.org 607-533-7312 (home office) 607-220-8991 (cell) 607-216-1552 (ST office) 607-216-1553 (ST fax) [email protected] For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom Shelley, at [email protected].
