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Tuesday, March 24th Community Church of NY 40 East 35th St. 6:30pm Join the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal NY State effort to put pressure on Cuomo this year to close the remaining coal plants in NY State while making sure the people who live in those towns are taken care of, and putting in place the first offshore wind turbines off Long Island.

New York stands at a crossroads; this is our moment to decide the course of history. Come to the New York Crossroads : Rally to Stop Fracking and Demand Renewable Energy in Albany. When : Monday, June 17th, 12pm-3pm Where : Rally and March in East Capitol Lawn, Albany, NY Transportation : Busses are leaving from Manhattan ( sign up here ) and Brooklyn ( sign up here ) at 8am. Car Pool : If you would like to set up a car pool please email Corinne Rosen at crosen@fwwatch.org Hope to see you there!

Those who erroneously assert that such environmentally friendly power sources as solar are impractical  apparently overlooked the kind of conditions found in some coastal NYC neighborhoods since Sandy.  After flooding, using electricity from the grid is impossible until all electric has been replaced and approved.   This is  one situation in which solar can do what grid electricity cannot:  simply provide power. Mobile solar generators provided by the Solar Sandy Project are already helping  New Yorkers left without electricity by Sandy's flooding.  The solar generators, brought in by truck and set up in community gathering places in the Rockaways, Queens, Red Hook, Brooklyn, and Midland Beach,  Staten Island, make it possible for people to charge phones, power tools, and laptops, heat food, and run other critical equipment. At the Solar Sandy Project's website you can see a map of the solar installations, look at photographs, find about about...

Wildpoldsried,  a village of 2,600 in Germany, produces 321% more energy than they use.  Employing a variety of methods including wind turbines and solar panels, the village is now in a position, both earth-friendly and enviable, of making money by doing the right thing. Currently they earn $5.7 million in revenue a year by selling their extra energy back to the national grid. They made their changes over a period of 14 years, and they did it without going into debt.  See their story and slide show here . For more information on this village's energy transformation, see this article , or do some googling. Wildpoldsried's experience and inspiration is now available not just online but in person.  The mayor visits other towns, giving advice on how to make changes.  Also, the village council offers energy tours and talks for people who want to visit the village to see for themselves. Don't know about you, but I've been waiting 40 years for a story like this.  On one ha...

Several co-workers, friends and relatives have been without power since Saturday’s storm, and not for the first time, as each year brings several bouts of extreme weather. If any of them had thought to install some solar panels, they would currently have lights, refrigeration, and many other electric powered conveniences. Once solar panels are installed, the actual energy generated by it is free. After a few years, the solar panels pay for themselves. And yes, you can use the energy when it is dark—it is generated and stored during sunny days for use later on. Best of all, it is non-polluting, which cannot be said of the energy from the grid which is largely powered by coal burning power plants. So maybe it’s time for more people to go solar. Rebates and tax credits are available in some areas. Learn more about solar panels.

The recent heatwave may have convinced more naysayers that global warming is real. Those of us already convinced will be glad to hear of more energy efficient options, especially on a large scale. A recent CNN article reported that two-thirds of the one million rooftops in New York City are suitable for solar power. Right now, the city only gets a small amount of it's energy from solar. Increasing our solar energy use would not only decrease the amount of pollution our energy use generates, but reduce the stress on our energy grid, which is always a worry, especially in times of extreme heat. Consider also that once the initial installation of solar panels is made, the energy itself is free. Solar panels can be used on individual homes as well as larger buildings. Learn more about solar energy options for New York City.