Renewable energy has a way of generating excitement and joy in people – along with its clean power for our homes and businesses. Sustainable Tompkins has been expanding our programming for the Finger Lakes Energy Challenge by hosting monthly meetings for residents in the Village and Town of Lansing where we are looking at the possibilities of investing in community-owned sources of clean energy. It’s been a lot of fun as we get to know each other, and sense our own power to help Lansing reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.
We began in August by showing ‘Empowered’ – a film by ST board member Shira Evergreen about the many ways county residents are leading the way on climate protection. In September, we hosted Solarize Tompkins and learned the details of their 2014 round for group purchasing of solar electric systems and how our Lansing group can participate. In October, we agreed to form 3 working groups to support the countywide solar electric program, organize our own solar hot water group purchase, and begin researching how we can do a pilot community-owned microhydro project on Salmon Creek. We believe that forming these smaller community-based teams will let us grow the movement for locally-owned clean energy and provide a setting for inspiring efficiency investments and conservation measures.