VCN: Events: Take part in one of the upcoming events near you

VCN:   Events:  Take part in one of the upcoming events near you

Virginians cannot afford to ignore the relationship between energy and the environment. The wayswe produce and consume energy in Virginia impact our forests, rivers and ourair.  The finite nature of coal and gas, as well as their potential todangerously destabilize our climate, demands that Virginia look to renewableenergy.

This transition tocleaner energy won't be easy. Questions remain about the carrying capacity ofour forests for wind and biomass. Industrial-scale offshore wind must beconnected to the transmission grid. However, the chief hurdle facing cleanenergy is neither technological nor regulatory; it is financing.

While renewable energymay be cheaper in the long run because it doesn't require fuel, the up-frontcosts are significant.  Not so significant that banks and investors can'tfinance them, but those institutions won't put capitol on the line unless theybelieve regulators and utilities are committed to clean energy.  Rightnow, tepid goals and draconian laws arekeeping clean energy investors out of Virginia.  What can you and I do tochange that?

Read the recently released VCN report aboutVirginia's untapped renewable energy potential. Using a conservative estimateof clean energy supply, the report still shows tremendous in-state job creationif Virginia will harness its renewable resources. Using renewable energyto meet half of the projected increased electricity demand by 2035 will provideup to 172,328 jobs and produce $20.8 billion in Gross State Product. (View Report)
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Sarah Fields will give a series ofpresentations entitled “Uranium Mining and Milling in Your Community: What ToExpect?”  May 2 in Martinsville and May 3 in Danville at the Institute ofAdvanced Learning and Research, both from 6:30-8 p.m. Sarah Fields is a citizenexpert who has a first hand knowledge of the issues faces by communitiesimpacted by uranium operations in the western United States.  Bring afriend and meet other Virginians concerned about the prospect of uranium miningand milling in Virginia.

OnMay 5th Northern Virginia Climate Action Network will host "Climate Changein Virginia: Local Impacts, Local Action." Meet Virginia ClimateCommissioner Delegate David Bulova, who will discuss specific risks Virginia isfacing from the impacts of climate change, and Chesapeake Climate ActionNetwork’s Keith Thirion, who will explain what is blocking development of morerenewable energy in Virginia. (Details and to RSVP) 

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On May 8th Dominion Power will be seeking theState Corporation Commission’s (SCC) approval of their 15-year plan in ahearing in Richmond. This plan includes no large-scale wind or solar and failsto meet even the conservative benchmarks for energy efficiency and renewableenergy set by the General Assembly. You are invited to attend a rally in frontof the SCC’s building (1300 East Main Street) on May 8th at 12 PM to tellDominion to put clean energy in the plan!   (Details and to RSVP).

Events
Take part in an event near you.
May 2 Livable Communities Leadership Awards - DC
May 2 Uranium Mining and Milling and Your Community -Martinsville
May 3 Dyke Marsh Survey
May 3 Uranium Mining and Milling and Your Community -Danville
May 3 Discovery Day: Marvelous Mommies - Virginia Beach
May 4 Water is Life Luncheon - Roanoke
May 5 Chesterfield County Rain Barrel Workshop
May 5 Bald Cypress Canoe Trip
May 5 Spring Float Trip – Powell
May 9 Make and Take Rotating Compost Bin Workshop -Shenandoah County
May 10 Rain Barrel Workshop - Edinburgh
May 11 BikeFest - DC
May 12 North Fork Rafting Trip
May 12-13 - Camping in Spruce Knob Area - WV
May 12 Eco-Paddle at Presquile National Wildlife Refuge

Click here for all events and info:
http://www.vcnva.org/anx/index.cfm/1,93,0,0,html/Events