Upcoming Event

NEPA Gives Annual Event Begins Thursday, June 1

This year, if you are in a position to do so, please consider donaing to SEEDS during the annual NEPA Gives event.

SEEDS maintains a vision of a future where our northeast Pennsylvania community is a model for a sustainable and healthy future, using efficiency, conservation, renewable energy, and local food production for the good of all.

SEEDS’ mission is to promote energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable living in our communities.  We offer a variety of opportunities for our members and neighbors to learn more about sustainable living on scales ranging from individual to community; information about legislation that impacts our collective sustainable future; community events that promote and or contribute to our mission.

We forward this mission with events like the Annual Book Swap, the Farm & Chef celebration of local food; projects like Today’s Main Ingredient podcast, and our annual scholarship award, plus the free energy assessments we offer to all our members.  Our newsletter reaches over a thousand readers each month to share important information about upcoming events, learning opportunities, local, national and global environmental news, civic engagement opportunities, and our social media platforms are able to reach more readers, expanding our community further.

With donations we can expand our programming to serve a growing membership as well as the friends and neighbors for whom we care.  Building a more sustainable future starts on the grassroot level, and we are dedicated to growing that through education, development and support.

Thank you for thinking of us during this year’s NEPA Gives event.  And if a monetary donation is not possible at this time, consider donating your expertise, time, and passion as a volunteer.  Learn more about volunteer opportunities here.

SEEDS News

Want a FREE Energy Efficiency or Solar Assessment?

If you live in northeast PA or nearby in New York and want an energy efficiency or solar assessment (or both), please become a SEEDS member and sign up here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdT4VvVeU6Xw7NEYIWwP3YNn7W4l64qjfb2FWF3dJDe6sL-MQ/viewform

Our teams have already started the 2023 season, and the waiting list is shrinking.
See our energy saving tips here: EE check list and the electricity saving worksheet

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) includes benefits relating to upgrading appliances, weatherization, electric vehicles, etc. Here is a link to help you calculate what is available to you based upon your income:  https://www.rewiringamerica.org/app/ira-calculator Benefits should be available to you in late 2023 (depending upon your income level). Don’t go out and spend a lot of money on upgrades until you find out more about these opportunities for you. We hope Congress doesn’t succeed in gutting this legislation during debt ceiling negotiations!

Finally, we are happy to announce that Zoe Spaide is with us again this summer as Assessment Coordinator and Administrative Assistant to our SEEDS Chair Jenna Mauder. Holly Zaluski will again be our high school intern, as well as helping us with our SEEDS social media work.

–Your Friends on the SEEDS Energy Circle

#SEEDSGoodNews

New York State Passes Legislation to Scale Up Renewables in “Historical Climate Win”

The Guardian recently reported that New York state has passed legislation that requires the state’s public power provider to generate all electricity from clean energy by 2030, while allowing the public utility to build and own renewables and phase out fossil fuels. The Build Public Renewables Act (BPRA) ensures that state-owned properties and municipally owned properties, including hospitals, schools, public housing, and public transit, switch to renewable energy by 2030 and 2035, respectively. The law is seen as a historic win for the climate and clean jobs, with advocates believing it will create a model of public power for the entire country.

The legislation targets the New York Power Authority (NYPA), the largest state public utility, which primarily relies on hydropower. It mandates the closure of NYPA’s six natural gas-fired plants by 2030, located in areas with high asthma-related death rates. The law also requires NYPA to offer lower utility rates for renewable energy to low-to-moderate income customers. The passage of this law follows years of grassroots campaigning by climate and environmental organizers in New York.

The legislation aims to address issues of environmental justice and affordability, ensuring that low-income communities are not burdened by high energy costs. It also guarantees union jobs in the renewable sector, protects pay rates, and provides retraining opportunities for workers transitioning from non-renewable energy jobs. However, a provision to expand the NYPA board to include members from labor and environmental justice groups did not make it into the final version of the bill.

To read more about this historic legislation, and how publicly owned power sources lower consumer costs, and the environmental gains this bill will bring, read the full article here.

#SEEDSGoodNews

Do you have any #SEEDSGoodNews stories to share with the SEEDS community? Send them to us at  newsletter@seedsgroup.net or tag us on social media!  They can be local stories from your community, or stories from around the world–anything to celebrate and spread the word about the progress of energy efficiency, renewable energy or sustainable living wherever you hear about it!

Call to Action

Solar for Schools Grant Program Bill Unanimously
Passes Committee Vote
See this message from Generation 180 and contact your legislators 

[On May 23, 2023,] The Solar for Schools Grant Program (HB1032) received unanimous support from the Pennsylvania House Consumer Protection, Technology, and Utilities Committee. The program aims to offer financial assistance to schools for the installation of solar energy projects. The bill will proceed to the House of Representatives for a vote, and your legislators need to know that you support this bill.

Energy is typically the second highest expense for schools, and rising energy costs are creating budget challenges for schools across the Commonwealth. Installing solar energy projects is a dependable and efficient solution that reduces energy costs for schools, generates local clean energy jobs, and creates opportunities for hands-on job training and STEM education.

Let your legislators know that you want to bring the benefits of solar to your community’s schools through the Solar For Schools Grant Program (HB1032). Use the link below to voice your support for access to solar.

Stand with us to support Solar For Schools
Join Representative Elizabeth Fiedler, Generation180, and other partners on the front steps of the Harrisburg Capitol Complex on Monday, June 5th at 10 am to show your support for the Solar for Schools Grant Program.

Thanks for raising your voice!

Shannon Crooker,
Pennsylvania Director, Solar for All Schools

#SEEDSRecommends
Upcoming Event

Wayne County Comprehensive Plan Public Meetings

#SEEDSRecommends

Will the US become a Clean Energy Superpower? Is it already?

Check out this episode of the Economist podcast The Intelligence to hear an interesting discussion of the global role of the United States in climate change action, and how recent acts by congress are influencing the clean energy landscape.  The Economist Global Energy and Climate Innovation Editor Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran explains how the US moved from relative inaction on climate change for decades to becoming a leader with 3 recent legislations.  Also in this episode is an examination of the modern monarchy through the lens of King Charles’ recent coronation and a reflection on the life of Carolyn Bryant, whose testimony led to a lynching that set off America’s civil-rights movement; to jump to the climate change discussion skip to minute 14.

Google Podcasts: The Intelligence from The Economist