Real World Solutions for Homes and Businesses
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| Energy Independence: Real World Solutions for Homes and Businesses |
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| PRESS RELEASE Date: April 15, 2003 Contact: Edna Sussman, Federated Conservationists
of Westchester County Inc. Westchester to Host Comprehensive Energy Conference Conference emphasizing energy efficiency
and sustainable Federated Conservationists of Westchester County, Inc. (FCWC), with over twenty-five other groups, will hold a daylong conference entitled “Energy Independence: Real-World Solutions for Homes and Businesses” at the Westchester County Center, 198 Central Avenue, White Plains on Saturday, May 3, 2003 from 9AM -5:30 PM. The conference will focus on ways to reduce energy demand in homes and businesses through energy efficiency improvements, construction and material choices, renewable energy sources such as solar and geothermal, and sustainable energy practices and conservation, and will include information on the funding available to assist with taking such steps. The conference will offer two tracks, residential and commercial/industrial/municipal. An all-day trade show will be offered to enable people to see the products and meet the service providers. FCWC’s Energy Conference Chair, Edna Sussman, spoke of the urgency of the subject: “FCWC has made promoting sound energy planning and reducing electricity demand to the grid one of its principal goals because of the confluence of so many factors which suggest that our future turns on our ability to influence real change in energy consumption. First, national security calls for us to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and representatives of the Department of Energy have recognized that the implementation of distributed on-site energy generation facilities, such as solar or geothermal, will make us less susceptible to terrorist attacks. Second, our communities in Westchester have made it clear that they do not want to be riddled with more and more intrusive energy infrastructure like the Millennium Pipeline or dangerous facilities like Indian Point. There are many affordable ways less damaging to the environment to respond to energy needs. Third, global warming must be addressed by reducing the production of greenhouse gases. Global warming was recently recognized as a real phenomenon by the US Environmental Protection Agency when it issued a report that concluded that greenhouse gases were in fact accumulating as a result of human activities.” Sussman added that “all of these objectives can be met if we take the cost-effective steps available today to curb demand to the grid and begin to substitute clean energy sources. We can all begin to make a significant contribution by looking at energy demand in our buildings. For example, 30% of the green house gases produced are attributable to the energy load in buildings. And the beauty of the whole thing is that people can save money while they protect the environment and contribute to our security.” Practical advice on how to get started on saving energy will be offered at the conference. “Energy audits can be conducted for both homes and larger buildings to ascertain what measures can be taken to improve efficiency and reduce demand. Incentives as well as low-cost loans are available to finance many improvements such as replacing old, inefficient equipment. These improvements can improve the comfort of your building, and by saving money you spend on energy, many can pay for themselves fairly quickly ”, reported Nikki Coddington, the new Energy Conservation Coordinator for the Town of Greenburgh, which has implemented energy-efficiency measures in the past and is pursuing new opportunities to save energy. The conference literature points to the savings possible with specific examples like the office building in White Plains that reduced its electricity demand and cost by 50% with a variety of energy related retrofits, the small store owner in Hartsdale that saved $30,000 by changing its light fixtures, and the school system that saved $1.7 million over 5 years with energy improvements. New construction will also be addressed at the conference. "It not hard to build green if you learn the principles and pay careful attention to your choice of materials and construction practices. The initial investment in infrastructure pays for itself several times over in reduced energy consumption and maintenance costs, and your home will be much more comfortable with a healthier indoor environment," said Manna Jo Greene, environmental director for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater Inc., which is committed to promoting progress along the energy continuum towards a sustainable energy future. Ms. Greene, who has made many energy improvements to her own home and reduced her fuel bills by 90%, reports that the technology is eminently available and affordable. The expanding role of renewable energy sources like solar and geothermal will be emphasized at the conference. “These energy sources which are the wave of the future are practical now” says Sue Morrow Flanagan, Executive Director of the Kitchawan Institute. “If we can succeed in educating people about these options, you will see it catching on quickly. People just aren’t used to thinking about these options that are so much better for the environment.” The conference is intended to address just this problem--getting people to think about all of the energy saving options available and cost effective today. “With all that has transpired in Westchester in recent months related to energy, Indian Point and the Millennium Pipeline, the Westchester community is sensitive to energy issues,” says Sussman, “and interested in resolving them in ways that don’t endanger our health and safety, don’t harm the environment, and assure our energy supply. This sensitivity makes this the optimal time and place for an energy conference of this magnitude to reduce energy demand and provide for a safe, comfortable and sustainable energy future.” The conference, made possible by the generosity of Gigawatt Sponsor Con Edison, Megawatt Sponsor the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Kilowatt Sponsor Community Energy, and Sponsor New York Power Authority, is expected to draw a large crowd of architects, homeowners, building owners, engineers, contractors, developers, renewable energy business people, environmental advocates and policy makers, purchasing agents, facility managers, and municipal officials. Admission to the conference is $40 (includes breakfast and lunch). The charge for the trade show only is $5. For full conference details and to register visit www.fcwc.org or call FCWC at 914-422-4053, e-mail fcwc@law.pace.edu. Advance registration is required for the conference, and early registration is urged as space is limited.
E House, Pace University School of Law l 78 North Broadway l White Plains, NY 10603 l Tel (914) 422-4053 l Fax (914) 289-0539 |
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