Forum on Residential Wind Power on April 27^th

A forum on residential wind power will be held on Tuesday, April 27^th from 7 to 9 PM at the Park Street Complex in Honesdale, PA. So, will wind power work? How do we get it? What are the costs? What are the pitfalls? These are questions that will be addressed at this first forum of 2010 presented by the group SEEDS (Sustainable Energy Education & Development Support). The Park Street Complex (formerly the Stourbridge School) is located at 648 Park Street just west of Wayne Memorial Hospital.

Speakers will include Greenfields Energy Solutions of Mayfield, PA, Sandy Babuka of Trehab Renewable Energy in Montrose, and two homeowners who have installed windmills: Steve Adams of Tyler Hill and Michael Wood of Beach Lake, PA.

“Our very first forum held back in 2008 was on small scale wind power, and, by the large numbers of people attending, we knew we were dealing with a subject people were really interested in,” says Michele Sands, the chair of SEEDS. “But, the technology has advanced in just the last few years, so we thought it was time to discuss wind power again, especially when energy costs are blowing us away.”

The event is open to all, and free-will offerings will be appreciated. Refreshments will be served.

Press Conference to Announce the 350 Project!

Do something really green this year!

Please join us at 12 PM ET at the Meyers Pavillion in Honesdale on Wednesday, 3/17. We will officially launch our project that will see 350 kW of renewable installed in Honesdale this year, as well as encouraging local families to save 350 kwH of energy on their electric bills year over year.

See you there to hear about all the details! (Or click the link at the top to read our separate 350 page.)

Upcoming Transition Town Potluck, and an Update on the Vigil

First, there were 18 people in all who came out last night for the candlelight vigil in Central Park in Honesdale to show support for action on climate change. Here is the picture we took for the 350.org website:


And next week, December 15 from 6 to 9 pm, there will be a potluck hosted at Journey's End farm in Sterling to discuss strategies for moving forward with a Transition Town initiative in the area.

Candlight Vigil for Climate Change

All are invited to bring a candle to Central Park, Honesdale at 5 PM on Friday, December 11th to join a vigil for hope during the climate change talks being held in Copenhagen. SEEDS is holding the vigil locally, while 350.org is calling for similar events around the world.

Here in northeast Pennsylvania, our Maple and Black Cherry trees are already being challenged by the effects of a carbon-overloaded atmosphere, and are expected to disappear completely within our children’s lifetime when the climate here will be similar to that of present-day Alabama and Georgia, according to a recent report specific to Pennsylvania published by the Union of Concerned Scientists. While we are already getting a taste of devastating floods in our region, countries like the Maldives and Bangladesh will soon be devastated and are fighting for their very survival.

“Our atmosphere has almost 400 parts per million of carbon, mainly from fossil fuel burning for electricity and cars,” says SEEDS chair, Michele Sands. “We need to get down to under 350 to continue life as we know and love it in northeast PA. SEEDS is promoting renewable energy sources and sustainable food choices locally, but we need our government leaders to respond to the urgency of our situation, here and in Copenhagen.”

CNN called the previous worldwide 350 event in October the biggest day of political action in the planet's history. Several local groups including SEEDS took part, SEEDS announcing an ambitious plan to encourage installation of 350 Kw of renewable energy in our local area within a year and save just as much through conservation.

“We hope these vigils will surpass the October action,” says Kathy Dodge, organizer of the local vigil. “And this will be as easy as a walk in the park. So, please come with your candle or lantern to help send a message to Copenhagen.”

In Transition, Showing in Honesdale on November 17

In case you missed it the first time at the Manchester library, SEEDS will be showing the documentary "In Transition" again on November 17 at the Park Street Complex in Honesdale (the old Stourbridge school, across from the hospital). The event will begin at 7 and end at 9. The documentary is about an hour long, and we will save time at the end for brainstorming ideas about transitioning our local economy toward sustainability. The documentary was made by the Transition Towns movement.

As usual, there will be snacks (including popcorn) and a free will offering. If you have questions or need more information, call 570-224-0052 or e-mail seedsgroup@gmail.com. More information about the film is available at

And Now for a Very Special Announcement...

SEEDS will officially launch a program to challenge our community to save electricity and heating fuel, on Saturday, October 24th at 1 PM at the Manchester Public library in Manchester Township, Wayne County. October 24 is world-wide “350 Day,” to help bring awareness of rising carbon levels in the earth’s atmosphere. A level above 350 parts per million of carbon risks irreversible run-away climate change. We are now at 390 ppm so we must reduce to get back to the magic “350.”

SEEDS is calling for a surge in reduction of kilowatt usage and carbon output through conservation, efficiency, or by installing renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar power. Anyone who does so should report their actions to SEEDS to have them tallied on the website and on big thermometers placed around the county over the next year in an effort to reach a goal of 350 “greening credits.” Prizes will be awarded for big and unusual saving suggestions; group competitions are encouraged.

“We’re hoping people, will look at their household electric and heating bills, with their families and maybe even make a contest out of it,” says Michele Sands, SEEDS chair. “You can turn off the coffee pot, hang your clothes on folding dryers, only have one TV or Radio on at a time, cover drafty windows with plastic. Then when your next bill comes, reward yourselves for how much you are saving for yourselves and the planet. And, let SEEDS know and we’ll reward you, too.”

“Now is also a very good time to install solar photovoltaic panels as the price for panels has dropped, and there are a number of financial incentives to do this,” she says. “There are also tax rebates for exchanging your old refrigerator or freezer for a highly efficient one. And if you start saving energy now, you’ll be ready to really protect your pocketbook when the electric caps come off in January.”
Specific financial benefits of solar installations will be presented at a SEEDS forum on October 20th at the Park Street Complex in Honesdale from 7 to 9 PM. All are welcome.

Other ideas include changing light bulbs, upgrading the insulation in home or business or installing solar thermal panels for heating water--an economical way to save money by using the sun.
“The launching of this initiative is just a start,” says Katharine Dodge, assistant chair of SEEDS, who is in charge of the 350 project. “We hope this will lead to more comprehensive actions that will help our community maintain its resiliency with compassion and dignity, capable of withstanding changes that will inevitably come with peak oil and climate change.”

The October 24th event at Manchester Library will also feature a film called “In Transition: From Oil Dependence to Local Resilience.” It presents a practical vision for creating community sustainability in a period of energy, economic, and environmental changes. All are welcome. There will be refreshments and a free-will offering. The library is located approximately two miles south of the center of Equinunk, or about 20 north of Honesdale.

“350 Day” actions will help convince world leaders of the importance of cutting carbon levels as they meet at the climate change conference in Copenhagen in November. Anyone wishing more information may visit 350.org, or may contact SEEDS at (570) 224-0052 or by e-mail at SEEDSGroup@gmail.com.

Fourth Solar PV Installation Course Scheduled!

The course will start on 11/5/09 and run through 11/9/09.

This five-day course is limited to 15 attendees, and will run from 9 am to 4 pm culminating in a hands-on installation the final two days. The cost will be $400, including text. To register, interested persons may call 570-224-0052.
This is the fourth solar PV course being offered by SEEDS due to popular demand. Previous courses in January, March and June were quickly filled with a waiting list.
The course will include siting, sizing, installation techniques, codes, NABCEP (North American Board of Certified Energy Professionals) certification requirements, use of the Solar Pathfinder and its accompanying software, grid-tie and off-grid systems, and will culminate in a hands-on installation.
The instructor will again be Roy Butler, owner of Four Winds Renewable Energy in Arkport, NY. He holds a PV (photovoltaic) certification by NABCEP, and is a NYSERDA (New York Energy Research & Development Authority) eligible installer of wind and PV grid tie electric systems in NY State. He has more than 12 years of design and installation experience, covering grid-tie, and off-grid wind electric, solar electric and solar water pumping systems. He has installed over 200 renewable energy systems for home, farm and industry.
Butler is on the NABCEP Technical Review Committees for PV and wind installer certification, and a technical editor for Home Power Magazine. When he is not out designing and installing renewable energy systems for Four Winds, Butler is teaching at Ulster County Community College, Alfred State College of Technology, and at many workshops throughout the nation.
“We are sponsoring all this training to ensure local jobs for local people in the renewable energy industry,” says SEEDS chair Michele Sands. “The increase in electricity costs scheduled for January make renewable energy training a win-win choice for our community. We really need local people to install and maintain these systems for residences, community buildings and business.”
SEEDS is a local non-profit corporation committed to developing a renewable energy infrastructure and promoting more sustainable living in our area. It was given the Green Powerhouse of Northeast Pennsylvania award for Non-profits by the Northeast PA Business Journal, this summer. To further its aims, SEEDS is working with Penn State extension offices in Pike and Wayne, the Wayne Conservation District, the Pocono Northeast Resource Conservation and Development Council of the US Department of Agriculture, the Pike Wayne Conservation Partnership and the Northeast Pennsylvania Audubon Society.
To reserve a spot in the upcoming course send your contact information to SEEDSGroup@gmail, or call Michele at (570) 224-0052.