On April 21, 2021, the evening before Earth Day, the Sierra Club York River Group held an “Earth Day Celebration” virtual meeting. It has been 51 years since Earth Day began in 1970. Even though every day should be treated as Earth Day, it is officially celebrated once a year around this time. You can learn more about Earth Day at https://www.earthday.org/.
To celebrate in 2021, the attendees were treated to special inspirational messages by some of our local elected officials who stand strong for the environment:
- U.S. Congressman Bobby Scott
- Virginia House Delegate Martha M. Mugler
- Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck
- Newport News Councilmember David Jenkins
Then, Eileen Woll (Offshore Energy Program Director, Sierra Club Virginia Chapter) and Ann Creasy (Conservation Program Manager, Sierra Club Virginia Chapter) spoke about offshore wind energy and solar energy, respectively.
Offshore wind in Virginia could mean a dramatic increase in clean energy availability, as well as many new jobs in this burgeoning field. Moving into the future, Virginia could very well be a hub for offshore wind development on the east coast! Are you interested in helping make this happen? Join the Offshore Wind Team.
Solar power is also a source of clean energy. We encourage individuals, businesses, churches, schools, and local governments to join the movement, and consider making the move to solar power. There are opportunities for some groups to go solar at little or no up front cost, through Power Purchase Agreements. Here are some relevant websites: