Green Summit III
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Green Summit Archive
Wethersfield Teams Up With Energy Provider To Offer Better Electricity Rates
10:53 p.m. EST, February 10, 2010
Town Hosts Forum On Green Energy
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By Susan Corica
Town Hosts Forum On Green Energy
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By Susan Corica
| 03/27/2008 |
| First green summit a hit |
| By: Ted Glanzer , Correspondent |
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While certainly not on the scale of the first Woodstock or the Million Man March, the Wethersfield Green Summit, held on March 13 at the Pitkin Community Center, may have been one of those moments where those in attendance, like those who experienced firsthand the aforementioned iconic events, proudly tell members of later generations, "I was there."
In keeping with the mantra "Think globally, act locally," the event - organized by the Conservation Commission, the Clean Energy Committee, the Wethersfield Interfaith Green Committee, the Recycling Committee and members of the town council, most notably Matthew Forrest - was an opportunity for the 70 participants to discuss and possibly implement a variety of measures that would move the town toward becoming a "green community."The idea behind the event was for residents to come up with "fantastic ideas and discuss what should be the future of our town," Forrest said. "If we collaborate, we will achieve those mutual goals." Toward that end, during the first portion of the event, participants, including state Rep. Russell Morin, Town Manager Bonnie Therrien, Superintendent of Schools Michael Kohlhagen, Forrest, Town Councilor Martin Walsh, Deputy Mayor Paul Montinieri and school board Vice Chair Julie Montinieri, formed small discussion groups in which they offered suggestions for the following: * How can Wethersfield be known as a Green Town? Based on a sampling of the brainstorming sessions, Forrest got his wish for ideas that ranged from the practical and easy to the fantastic. Indeed, many suggested the simplest of measures, such as drying one's laundry outside instead of using machines and increased recycling programs. Many required more money and planning, such as making the high school - which may be renovated over the next few years - a green building by fitting it with solar cells and furnaces that work more efficiently. Some were a bit more creative, such as one group that came up with the suggestion of potty training infants at an earlier age to reduce the usage of disposable diapers. All of the suggestions were written on large sheets of paper; after a short break, participants were each given red, blue and green stickers - five of each color - and were told to place those stickers by the suggestions believed to be the most urgent (red), have the biggest impact (blue) and the easiest to implement (green). The results of the prioritized portion of the summit will be reduced to a report, which, according to Forrest, will not be available until after budget season. The participation was all that Forrest hoped for. "It ended up being quite successful," Forrest said afterward in a telephone interview. "We may do a follow-up summit to get specific ideas, invite experts and then brainstorm. This was a first shot to get the foundation laid to get an impression on what the town could be looking at." Forrest said that in addition to the work that comes out of the summit, the town council is in the process of creating a Conservation Energy Advisory Committee, which will act as a sort of steering body to assist in the coordination of the efforts of all the various environmental groups in town. "Its a sort of steering committee that will help everyone get on the same page," Forrest said.
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