Sustainability on the Green
East End Climate Action Network, an organization aiming to address and educate the public about climate change and resiliency, and Renewable Energy Long Island, a not-for-profit organization based in East Hampton that promotes sustainable energy use and generation, will co-host the Renewable Energy and Sustainability Fair on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the grounds of the Amagansett Historical Association.
The event is intended to increase awareness of climate change and its potential solutions, including renewable energy. The day will include exhibitors, teach-ins, entertainment, food, and children’s activities.
In May, East Hampton Town announced the goals of meeting 100 percent of the community’s electricity needs with renewable energy sources by 2020 and all of its energy consumption in other sectors, including heating and transportation, with renewable sources by 2030. At the fair, Gordian Raacke, Renewable Energy Long Island’s executive director, will describe how those goals can be met and what residents will need to do in order for them to be realized at 1 p.m. and again at 1:30.
“We’re helping their mission,” Dea Million, a member of the climate action network and one of the fair’s organizers, said of Renewable Energy Long Island, “and East Hampton Town’s. They’re good partners and great mentors.”
The fair is a manifestation of the efforts of a core group of individuals who have led the network since its founding last year. “We decided to do the fair to build membership and show awareness and education,” Ms. Million said, “and get more of the public involved so that they know they can be. We want to show them how.”
“She’s doing a good job, and thank goodness,” said Don Matheson, a climate action network member and a builder of “zero energy homes,” in which the building’s energy consumption is equal to the amount of renewable energy created on the site. Mr. Matheson will be representing Citizens Climate Lobby, a group working to create the political will to address climate change and empower individuals to exercise political power. The group advocates a tax on fossil fuels, revenue from which would be returned to the public.
Citizens Climate Lobby will have a booth at the fair, Mr. Matheson said, “and there will also be a couple of very smart ‘C.C.L.ers’ from the Long Island chapter to answer questions about this program.”
At 11:30, 2, and 4:30, Deborah Klughers, an East Hampton Town trustee and founder of Bonac Bees, will discuss beekeeping, pesticide usage, the phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder, and the importance of honeybees to a sustainable future. At 3:30, Scott Bluedorn, an artist and co-founder of East End Climate Action Network, will explain vermiculture, a composting system utilizing living worms to create high-quality castings for use in growing organic food. Dan Asselin, a group co-founder, activist, and musician, will discuss his creative process and perform at 2 and 4 p.m. Other teach-ins will include Living Green and Reducing Common Household Toxins and Conscious Environmental Consumerism.
Sponsors include the renewable energy companies GreenLogic Energy and EmPower Solar, as well as Hamptons in Transition, part of Transition Network, a charitable organization that supports and trains communities as they self-organize to build resilience and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Participants will be able to test-drive a Tesla electric car between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The town’s Natural Resources Department will also be represented at the fair.