Niagara
20 Buffalo schools get solar panels
After several years of effort, the Niagara Group’s Energy Committee secured the final approval by the City of Buffalo School District for the installation of more than 10,000 solar panels on 20 city schools. It is estimated that the panels will save the district over $1 million annually in energy costs and provide some 20% of the electricity needs for each school. The Group is hoping that the 3MW installation will be the forerunner to other municipal and school installations in Western New York. Thanks go to Rick Steinberg who led this effort.
More than 20 members of the local Sierra Club testified at Public Service Commission hearings on the proposed Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) plan. Our members advocated that the state set targets for the installation of renewable energy (50% by 2025), reduce greenhouse gas emissions (including methane gas) in order to protect our children and grandchildren, and provide for more community input concerning energy generation and distribution.
The Group is also working on promoting wind power, low- temperature geothermal and solar power. We are co-sponsoring “A Solar Home Companion” presentation featuring Josh Fox and Zephyr Teachout scheduled for March 1.
Bob Ciesielski
Susquehanna
Zephyr Teachout keynote speaker at People’s Climate March kickoff
The Susquehanna Group sent two buses to the People’s Climate March on September 21. We held a kickoff for it in late August and hosted Zephyr Teachout as the keynote speaker; more than 40 people attended. Since then, we have held a picnic during which some of the marchers shared their experiences.
We also co-hosted a book discussion on Naomi Klein’s “This Changes Everything,” which led to the formation of a Climate Action group of more than 30 people.
Scott Lauffer, chair