GREEN TEAM

VUMC Solar Panels Research

   The VUMC Green Team is currently pursuing the possibility of having solar panels installed on the sanctuary roof. The solar panel installation was previously pursued in 2009 and was submitted for a possible NYSERDA grant but that effort fell through and the available grants were distributed elsewhere.

   NYSERDA has funds available again and although not available for total cost, they are available for a percentage of the cost. Solar panels are expensive but their cost has been dropping. The GT believes this is an effort worth pursuing at this time. Lois Rose has been spearheading the action items to move this forward.

   Action items:

(1)                        GT contacted NYSERDA to review process for obtaining incentive funding.

(2)                        The GT received tentative approval from VUMC Trustees to pursue and also developed answers to a number of questions and concerns from the Trustees.

(3)                        Solar Panel fund set up with VUMC Treasurer to keep track of donations that are already coming in.

(4)                        GT has met with installers at the sanctuary to review needs and obtain estimates for the work.

(5)                        Preliminary structural analysis of the roof has been completed and is being reviewed.

(6)                        Possible funding for the project is being researched.

Doug Gausman / VUMC Green Team

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GREEN TEAM

Bill McKibben Lecture

Cornell University

April 21, 2011

   On April 21, I had the opportunity to attend the 2011 Jill and Ken Iscol Distinguished Environmental Lecture at Cornell University. The speaker was Bill McKibben from Vermont who is the driving force behind 350.org.

   The lecture was impressive and was very well attended. The primary topic was global warming and he spoke eloquently about it. Mr McKibben has written a number of books on the topic and his latest book Eaarth is about what changes we are going to be making in the future since we are already beyond where we should be in carbon levels in our atmosphere.

   Our problem is that this future is NOW! We are already seeing the results of global warming or climate change. We aren’t the only causes but we are certainly adding to it.

We need to act now and work to control and reduce our impact and we also need to get ready to live on a new world. This is his point behind Eaarth rather than Earth. Eaarth is a depiction of our world climate conditions in the not too distant future. Doing nothing will only make matters worse.

   Mr McKibben recommends some action issues and I’ll post them in a later item here.

I sincerely recommend the book Eaarth by Bill McKibben to anyone interested in knowing more about climate change.

                                                Doug Gausman / VUMC Green Team