You Are Invited!

Come Share Your Thoughts With Us

Are you trying to live more sustainably but find that you’re constantly facing challenges? Do you have sustainable-living questions, environmental concerns, or ideas that you would like to see put into action? Please join us for a Community Conversation event:

What: Pike County Community Conversation
When: Saturday, February 24 from 3:00 – 5:00 pm
Where: DVA!’s Community Engagement Center – 315 Broad Street, Milford, PA
Cost: It’s free to attend! And snacks will be provided.

Secure your spot now – please sign up to attend today!

This will be an open discussion among community members and a chance for you to get to know like-minded, environmentally conscious people. This in-person event is hosted by SEEDS, in collaboration with Conservation Voters of PA (CVPA), Delaware Valley Action! (DVA!), and PennFuture (PF). We would love to hear your thoughts on how we can help with your sustainable living journey and address local environmental concerns. We apologize that this may be a distance for some of you who are not in the Milford area.  Please know that if you’re unable to attend this event, we do plan to host more of these events as we continue to grow here in the Poconos!

Upcoming Events

Upcoming SEEDS Solar Forum Begins Soon
Register Now!

Solar 101 Webinar
February 7th, 12-1 pm
Learn the basics of solar energy, including the various types and technologies. Learn the factors that make for a good or poor site for installing solar and the economic benefits from residential solar electric in northeast Pennsylvania.
Presented by Jack Barnett who after nearly a 30-year career in the telecommunications industry, is a local advocate and volunteer for sustainability, solar energy, small-scale farming and locally grown food. He and his wife, Mary Anne Carletta, live in a super-insulated, net-positive solar home and eat mostly from their orchard and vegetable garden near Hawley, PA. Jack has served as a past chair of a chapter of the American Solar Energy Society, and is a co-founder and treasurer of the Clean Energy Co-op Inc. (which spun out from SEEDS in 2014). Jack holds Electrical and Computer Engineering degrees from Clemson University and Carnegie Mellon University.

Solar 101 Webinar Registration

Off-Grid Solar Webinar
February 21st, 12-1 pm
The allure of off-grid life can be strong. Cut out the utility company. Become grid independent. Prepare for emergency scenarios. Plus, many aspects of rural life are already off-grid; for example, well water, septic systems, and homesteading practices. When it comes to electricity, does off-grid independence actually make sense financially or practically? Join Adam Freedgood and Dan Quilty to discuss their foray into off-grid living with solar power.

Off-Grid Solar Webinar Registration

Agrovoltaics Webinar
March 6th, 12-1 pm
The fast growing concept of Agrovoltaics refers to the joint development of the same land area for solar PV and agriculture, allowing the cohabitation of two key sectors.  Several types of Agrovoltaics have already been developed around the world, with a wide variety of innovative approaches emerging in recent years that will be a key part of the energy and climate transition. Join Chelsea Hill from Penn State Extension to explore this exciting development opportunity.

Agrovoltaics Webinar Registration

Build Your Own Portable USB Solar Charger Workshop
April 20, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Tony Komar from Penn State and Siemens leads this hands-on workshop at the Stourbridge Project. Tony teaches System Architecture and Models for Penn State’s online Master of Engineering in Systems Engineering program and is a systems thinker, a systems engineer, an innovator, an architect of product and business processes.
In person at The Stourbridge Project Business Incubator
646 West Park Street, Honesdale, PA 18431
Learn how to build a solar powered charging station for your cell phone and other devices. The workshop gives the participant an understanding of all the components required to produce a portable USB power source and storage device.
Knowledge of middle school math is required.
On completion of the workshop, the student will be able to:

• Understand how to hook up a simple Solar Cell
• Understand how to construct fused Lithium Ion Battery Pack (Tesla approach)
• Understand Li-Ion Battery Ratings
• Understand concept on Maximum Power Point for Solar Cell and a module used to gain it.
• Understand Battery Ratings
• Solder electronic modules.

limit 10 participants
$30.00/registration for full kit

Do-It-Yourself Solar Installation Workshop
April 30th & May 1st, 6:30-8:30
In-person at the auditorium at the 648 Park Street complex in Honesdale, PA.

Suggested $10.00 donation

• Learn all about solar power: how it works and how to DIY
• See if your roof is well positioned to generate solar electricity
• Hear how much it costs and how much $$$ you will save
• Walk-through the installation steps, including the paperwork
• On-site demonstration and hands-on practice
• Order solar panels if you choose (no obligation at all)

May 4th & 5th hands-on installation in Equinunk, PA-limited seats. (Rain date for hands-on portion is May 11 & 13). Attendance at April 30th & May 1st workshop or attendance at a previous SEEDS DIY Solar Workshop is prerequisite to attending the hands-on portion.
Email kathy@seedsgoup.net to sign up for these dates.

The Presenters
Blair Buselli co-owner of Buselli Solutions a local business that provides renewable and energy efficient installations for residential home owners such as solar panels, ductless mini splits, and generators. Blair is a PA and NY licensed contractor, electrician and a North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) Certified Solar Installer.
Jack Barnett who after nearly a 30-year career in the telecommunications industry, is a local advocate and volunteer for sustainability, solar energy, small-scale farming and locally grown food. He and his wife, Mary Anne Carletta, live in a super-insulated, net-positive solar home and eat mostly from their orchard and vegetable garden near Hawley, PA. Jack has served as a past chair of a chapter of the American Solar Energy Society, and is a co-founder and treasurer of the Clean Energy Co-op Inc. (which spun out from SEEDS in 2014). Jack holds Electrical and Computer Engineering degrees from Clemson University and Carnegie Mellon University.

Good News

AI, Robots and Manufacturing Tech Put to Work to
Help Regrow Coral Reefs 

According to this BBC article, doctoral candidate Taryn Foster was conducting research for her dissertation on coral reefs when she started thinking about applying her expertise towards strategies for helping regrow the reefs, not just understanding their mortality.  Foster explained that as oceans absorb 90% of human-driven climate change heat, this results in warming oceans that are catastrophic for coral reefs, which are home to about 25% of marine lifeforms.   In the article Foster explained how existing systems for regrowing coral reefs are time and labor consuming, which results in very expensive processes; but because they involve repetitive systems, they are actually conducive to manufacturing approaches like automation and mass production.   While addressing the causes of warming oceans and climate change will have the most positive impact on coral reefs, the company Coral Maker, led by Foster in Western Australia, applies robots and artificial intelligence to attach nursery-grown coral fragments onto mass-produced coral skeletons, potentially restoring 250 acres (100 hectares) of coral reef per year. Read more about it here.