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Category: Conservation and Energy
Cooperstown Farmers’ Market – May 12, SATURDAY, 8-2 Opening Day
Upcoming Field Trips with Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society
5 May conference on Local Energy Conservation & Renewables
Cooperstown, NY
MEETING THE ENERGY CHALLENGE FOR OTSEGO COUNTY:
LOCAL SOLUTIONS, LOCAL CONTROL
Sustainable Otsego, with the co-sponsorship of Otsego 2000, the Otsego County Conservation Association, and Brewery Ommegang is planning a half-day conference, “Meeting the Energy Challenge for Otsego County: Local Solutions, Local Control,” on Saturday, 5 May, 2012, at Templeton Hall, 63 Pioneer Street, in Cooperstown, NY, from 9 am till 2:45 pm
Attendance is free and open to the public, but registration is required by May 1. Go to www.sustainableotsego.org to register. There you can also reserve a $10 box lunch. Ommegang will provide complimentary beer.
The morning session will focus on conservation and how to finance and carry out retrofits of older homes and buildings. New funding opportunities and technologies will be discussed .
The afternoon session will focus on exploring a variety of local, renewable energy options including biomass, solar, geothermal, and wind, with emphasis upon the implications for our community’s economy, culture, and long term viability.
The energy challenge is a real one. Our dependence on fossil fuels and other non-renewables has reached a tipping point. Large-scale industrial responses to this challenge — such as fracking for natural gas — are increasingly disruptive of local communities and the environment. Out intent is to explore local, environmentally-friendly solutions to the energy crisis.
Come and discover what you can do to make your home, business or other property more energy efficient. Learn about innovative financing opportunities and local renewable energy sources.
Program:
9:00 am — Welcome and Introduction: Adrian Kuzminski, Moderator, Sustainable Otsego
9:10 am to 9:35 am — Understanding Energy and Money; Karl Seeley, Prof. of Economics, Hartwick College
9:35 am — 9:45 am — Q and A
9:45 am to 11:00 am — SESSION I: WASTE NOT, WANT NOT: RETROFITTING OUR HOMES AND BUSINESSES
9:45 am –10:10 am — This Old House; Bennett Sandler, Equity Energy
10:10 am –10:35 am –Financing Retrofits: NYSERDA Representative (Robert Walsh and Mike Fuller)
10:35 am — 10:45 am — Tightening Up Cooperstown and Oneonta: Martha Clarvoe, OCCA; Dave Hutchison, City of Oneonta Environmental Board
10:45 am — 11:00 am — Q and A
11:00 am to 11:15 am — Coffee Break
11:15 am to 11:35 — How to Think About Renewable Energy; Norm Farwell, Equity Energy
11:35 am — 11:50 am — Q and A
11:50 am to 12:30 pm — Break/box lunches
12:30 pm to 1:30 pm — SESSION II: THE POTENTIAL OF BIOMASS
12:30 pm to 1:00 pm — The Potential of Biomass; Charles Leibling, NYS Biomass Energy Alliance
1:00 pm to 1:20 pm –Our Local Grass Pellet Industry: Garry Ruestow, Fermata Consulting
1:20 pm — 1:30 pm — Q and A
1:30 pm to 2:45 pm — Session III: BIOFUELS, SOLAR, GEOTHERMAL, WIND
1:30 pm –1:45 pm — Local Biodiesel: Paris Riedhead, Mohawk Biofuels Cooperative
1:45 pm — 2:00 pm — Solarizing Your Home: Tom Huntsman, Homeowner
2:00 pm — 2:15 pm —Geothermal, Photovolatics, and other Options: Dave Austin, Great Brook Enterprises
2:15 pm — 2:30 pm –Community Wind Power: Andy Minnig, Advocates for Cherry Valley
2:30 pm — 2:45 pm Q and A
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Contact information:
Adrian Kuzminski
Moderator Sustainable Otsego
607-547-8586
adrian@oecblue.com
www.sustainableotsego.org
OCCA MOVES MAIN OFFICE TO MOHICAN FARM
As of Monday, April 2, OCCA will be moving its main office to Mohican Farm, 7193 State Highway 80, Cooperstown, NY 13326. Please stop by for a tour of the new site when we are settled in, on the corner of Allen Lake Road in the Town of Springfield! Executive Director Darla M. Youngs, Environmental Planner Rima Shamieh and Program Director Travis Sauerwald will be based in this new location. Martha Clarvoe, OCCA special projects manager, will retain a satellite office at 101 Main Street, Cooperstown. Our phone numbers will remain the same. Please note: We may have limited phone and e-mail access until April 3.
Stream Bank Restoration Strategies Topic of Next Week’s WQCC Meeting
Otsego County Water Quality Coordinating Committee, 967 County Highway 33, Cooperstown, NY 13326 (607) 547-8778
Stream Bank Restoration Strategies Topic of Next Week’s WQCC Meeting
COOPERSTOWN – Carl Schwartz of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will give a presentation on stream bank restoration strategies to stabilize stream banks and enhance wildlife habitat at the next Otsego County Water Quality Coordinating Committee meeting on Wednesday, March 28.
The WQCC meeting, which begins at 1 p.m. in Classroom A, will be hosted by the Otsego County Planning Department at The Meadows Office Building, 140 County Hwy. 33W, Cooperstown. This event is free and open to the public; pre-registration is required by Monday, March 26. Those interested in attending should e-mail WQCC Facilitator Darla M. Youngs at admin@occainfo.org or call (607) 547-4488.
Attendees can expect to walk away with an understanding of stream bank restoration techniques, features that most benefit and enhance wildlife habitat, and a basic awareness of how the various restoration strategies generally compare to one another. This meeting is intended for property owners, highway superintendents, conservationists, and municipal officials, but all interested parties are welcome and invited. Discussion and a question-and-answer session will follow the formal presentation.
This event is made possible thanks to the Otsego County WQCC which, in order to better satisfy the educational component of its mission, has restructured its monthly meetings to include public information sessions. The OCWQCC was established in 1992 as a sub-committee of the Otsego County Soil and Water Conservation District. It is comprised of a diverse group of people representing state and local government agencies, non-profit organizations, academic institutions, and lake associations. These members have technical expertise and knowledge and are committed to working to improve and maintain the quality of water in Otsego County through the reduction of nonpoint source pollution within its boundaries.
For more information on the WQCC, visit www.otsegosoilandwater.com/