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A MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR |
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A Day (or Month) to Honor the Earth
We are on the verge of Earth Month! Indeed, celebrations of Earth Day have extended throughout the entire month of April in recent years. We all remember that most of last year’s events had to be cancelled – especially frustrating for the 50th anniversary – yet people found COVID-safe ways of honoring the spirit of the movement. As we begin to see more celebrations announced this year, we are reminded of the overwhelming support for environmental protection globally. In fact, according to EarthDay.org, Earth Day is widely recognized as the largest secular observance in the world, marked by more than a billion people every year as a day of action and opportunity for civic engagement and volunteerism.
Just as we track New Year’s Eve celebrations across the globe, we can follow Earth Day activities as well. As Earth Day dawns in Australia, we find beach clean-ups, tree plantings, and a two-day Ecopreneurs Virtual Retreat. A poster competition for high school students in Jakarta, a day in the forest with Buddhist prayers for conservation in Cambodia, and a virtual Swap Meet to reduce waste in Mumbai are a sampling of the events across Asia. In Africa, there’s a Green Climate Teach-in in Uganda and an Artists for the Earth event in Nigeria. Heading north to Europe, we discover an Environmental Film Festival in France, a Care for Our Common Home conversation in Italy, and a nature excursion on the Beijames River in Portugal. There’s reef restoration in Honduras, a project to integrate a modular solar system into the facades of an apartment building in Mexico, and a virtual scavenger hunt in Jamaica. We end our day with an Arctic Adaptations virtual field trip in Canada at the Vancouver Aquarium. Take your own world tour on the Earth Day 2021 map and discover the diversity, ingenuity, and commitment of global citizens.
Here in the U.S., you can find examples of every possible way to honor Earth Day. There are many reasons for celebration, including the fact that the federal government is once again committed to policies that protect public lands, reduce pollution, support clean energy, seek environmental justice, and fight climate change. The private sector – from large corporations to small businesses – are pursuing sustainable strategies that decrease costs, improve productivity, and resonate in the marketplace. We are particularly proud of the progress being made in local communities across Ohio, from adopting net zero goals and electrifying their fleets to investing in renewable energy.
This year GEO is hosting a new event in honor of Earth Day—a virtual 5K Run, Walk, and Bike intended to move us all outdoors this spring, restoring our appreciation of the natural world and improving our well-being in the process. Details can be found below. I hope you will join GEO virtually this Earth Day weekend on a run, walk, or bike ride. Be sure to take pictures of the natural beauty around you and share them with us so we can highlight your activism.
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Jane Harf, Executive Director |
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CELEBRATE EARTH DAY WITH GEO |
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Since 1970, Earth Day has been a time to celebrate social movements that work to protect the environment. Earth Day is a time of honoring our common home and focusing on the importance of its health. As a result of the pandemic, we can see even more clearly how interconnected humanity is to the environment. Our lives affect the health of the Earth, and the health of the Earth affects our lives. This year, as we look forward to brighter days ahead, GEO has decided to promote our own healthy habits and the health of the natural world around us.
In order to reconnect with our well-being and with nature, GEO has created a virtual Earth Day Weekend 5K Run, Walk, or Bike! GEO's virtual 5K is meant to be a COVID-friendly way of recognizing the importance of exploring the outdoors, whether it’s your neighborhood, a nearby park, a college campus, or a bike trail.
Starting on Earth Day, Thursday, April 22 and continuing through the weekend until Sunday, April 25, run, walk, or bike 3.1 miles to complete your 5K, and send us photos of your experience. You can go solo or create an Earth Day team -- the team can participate together or link up virtually. Please share photos of your adventure on social media using #GEO5K or #HealthyMeHealthyEarth so we can celebrate with you!
It's free to register, but please consider an Earth Day donation to Green Energy Ohio. A suggested donation of $20 or more will receive an Earth Day Thank You package including a Starbucks latte compliments of GEO.
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There's more to Dayton than the Wright Brothers
In each newsletter between now and our EV Tour, I'm going to point a spotlight on our team's work, and this month it's shining on Dayton. Led by Drive Electric Dayton Chapter President Tim Benford, the planning for Wednesday, June 9 is well on its way. Tim and his team have already enlisted the participation of the Carillon Historical Park, Sinclair College Automotive Technology Program, the Hanley Sustainability Institute of the University of Dayton, and Plug Power, Inc.
Sinclair Community College hosts one of eight Tesla START training centers across the country. The program is 15 credit hours of classes over a single 12-week term, and upon completion, Tesla works with successful students on a smooth transition from college to full-time employment as an electric vehicle service technician.
Plug Power Inc., a leading provider of clean hydrogen and zero emission fuel cell systems for electric lift trucks and materials handling equipment, has made a significant commitment to the Dayton area. Starting in 2016 with a service center in West Carrollton, the company expanded their local operations last year.
Although not yet part of the EV Tour but worthy of mention in any conversation on vehicle electrification is the work being done at the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport on electric powered air transportation or "flying cars." With companies like Beta Technologies and Joby Aviation using the airport to test their vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) technologies, Southwest Ohio is building on its reputation as the "Birthplace of Aviation."
Thanks to other members of the Dayton team: Rob Langford, Chris Meyer, and Eric Johnson.
We greatly appreciate the generosity of those who have signed on as Tour sponsors: Southwest Regional Sponsor Duke Energy; Northeast Regional Sponsors Laketran, BRITE Energy Innovators, and NAPA Auto Parts; and Southeast Regional Sponsor SOPEC. If you would like to become a regional or statewide sponsor of the Tour, please visit the sponsorship page on the GEO website.
The Tour website is now live, and we will constantly be updating it with more information and special features.
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The Statehouse has been a busy place recently, including work on several bills of interest to GEO and the clean energy community. We recently sent an Action Alert about Senate Bill 52 and House Bill 118, which would undermine future utility-scale solar and wind development in Ohio by allowing township trustees to initiate a referendum on the location of projects after they have received their certification from the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB). Green Energy Ohio submitted opponent testimony on these bills to committees in both the House and the Senate.
GEO also submitted testimony on House Bill 74, the Transportation Budget, which is considered separately from the Biennial Budget. Specifically, we joined others in asking for a reduction in registration fees charged for electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and elimination of the fee for hybrid vehicles. Unfortunately, language addressing the fee structure was removed from the bill at the end of the process. It received a unanimous vote in the Senate on March 24 and was sent to the Governor for his signature. As GEO and our partners travel the state on the 2021 EV Tour, we will be sure to educate policymakers on the importance of supporting fair treatment for this growing segment of the economy.
Working with Solar United Neighbors, GEO testified in favor of provisions in Senate Bill 61 that would limit the extent to which Homeowners Associations could set unfair requirements on a resident's plan to install a solar system on their home.
Governor DeWine has appointed Jenifer French as Chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO). French served as a judge on the Franklin County Common Pleas Court for six years, presiding over civil, criminal felony, and administrative cases. She previously practiced law and served on the Westerville City Council, including in the position of vice mayor.
In March, the OPSB approved applications for the Madison Solar Project in Madison County and the New Market Solar Project in Highland County. New Market was developed by Hecate Energy, a GEO Sponsoring Business member, and we submitted a letter of support for the project.
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Growing in Knowledge with GEO
Green Energy Ohio is pleased to promote opportunities for solar training with our long-time partner, Blue Rock Station. A variety of online courses are offered at Blue Rock Station, with different price points, requirements, and training goals.
Beginning on April 6, instructor Jay Warmke will be offering a self-paced six-week online solar installer course that includes the chance to become a certified technician through the Electronic Technician Association (ETA). This class will allow students to develop the skills needed for employment in the solar industry. The cost includes access to the online course, a textbook (hard copy and pdf), and online sessions with the instructor. On May 22-23 students will have the opportunity to participate in a solar array installation in Columbus at no extra charge. Learn more about this class and other opportunities at Solar PV Training.
Jay and Annie Warmke founded Blue Rock Station in 1993. Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Southeastern Ohio, the 40-acre center is a living laboratory to demonstrate sustainable lifestyle concepts and options. They have hosted over 35,000 visitors since 2004, offering earthship tours, solar PV electric certification training, goat and cheesemaking workshops, and more. Don’t know what an earthship is? It’s a type of passive solar earth shelter that is made of both natural and upcycled materials such as earth-packed tires.
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There's a lot going on in springtime, and it's not always easy to find time to sit down and read. Our recommendation this month will help you stay informed on the latest environmental news in about 30 minutes a week!
Resources Radio is a weekly podcast created by Resources for the Future (RFF), an independent, nonprofit research institution located in Washington, D.C. The goal of Resources Radio, like RFF, is to make the latest research insights and policy solutions accessible to everyone. Each week, host and RFF Senior Research Fellow Daniel Raimi interviews leading experts about climate change, electricity, ecosystems, and more.
In a recent episode, Raimi talks with Erin Mayfield, a postdoctoral research associate at Princeton University and coauthor of a new report, Net-Zero America, which outlines a variety of pathways for the United States to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. With an aim toward guiding policymakers and investors through an uncertain future, the report looks closely at how a transition to clean energy could create jobs, transform the physical environment, and affect specific states and regions in unique ways. Mayfield notes that oil and gas workers could face hardship as a result of declining fossil fuel production, but that policymakers can mitigate these risks by incorporating equity concerns into how they plan around the transition.
You can find all episodes of Resources Radio here and on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and most other listening platforms.
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