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 With generous support from the Overbrook Foundation, Clean Air-Cool Planet will be taking applications from local groups for grant funding of environmental sustainability projects in New Jersey, Connecticut and New York. The new Community Catalyst Fund will provide small grants of up to $2,500 (up to $5,000 in some cases) for grassroots efforts that improve the environment, reduce wasteful energy and resource consumption, or promote local climate action.
The Community Catalyst Fund was established primarily for organizations that are taking community sustainability into their own hands. The fund will support a variety of grassroots environmental projects in the belief that local action makes a real difference; that inspiration often comes from the bottom up; and that the best way to lead is by example.
Priority will be given to projects supporting processes and actions that lead to real advances in community sustainability. Organizations in small towns and under-served communities are encouraged to apply. The application process, which has no deadline, will begin on March 8. Watch for information at www.cleanair-coolplanet.org/for_communities.
On April 22nd in celebration of Earth Day, Whole Foods Market has committed many of their stores in Massachusetts and three others in Connecticut to donate 5% of profits to Clean Air-Cool Planet. The donation received will support the company by funding its residential carbon reduction programs, and its educational outreach on climate science to youth.
Clean Air-Cool Planet is grateful to be part of Whole Foods Market’s region-wide Five Percent Day fundraiser. To Whole Foods Markets, it is one of their multiple ways of giving back to the community and replenishing the environment, ideals that are a part of the company's core values.
Whole Foods Markets support organic farming and sustainable agriculture, and are also increasing the energy efficiency of their stores. They support local community events and donate to local non-profit organizations. Please visit Whole Foods Markets in Connecticut and Massachusetts on Earth Day, April 22, and tell them you're there to support Clean Air-Cool Planet.
 The Department of Political Science Graduate Program at the University of New Hampshire in Durham is now offering a certificate in Sustainability Politics and Policy. The new program is directed by is Professor Stacy VanDeveer, the Graduate Program Director. His belief is that graduate students are just a small segment of the people that the new program will attract.
"We think that that there will be people in the workforce [interested in the program] and hope that those new people will be drawn into campus," he said. VanDeveer is also looking to attract students from disciplines other than political science, such as environmental education, economics, and international affairs.
VanDeveer said the new program "is designed to give current graduate students, alumni and others in the community training and analysis on issues connecting environmental and social sustainability, politics and policy making initiatives.
For more specifics about the new program or to get involved, visit UNH's webpage on the Certificate: Sustainability Politics and Policy.
By Karin Jakubowski, Manager of Science Education and Outreach, Clean Air-Cool Planet
Last week, my colleague Zach Smith from the Wright Center for Science at Tufts University, and I attended the AAAS conference as part of a special workshop on Promoting Climate Literacy through Informal Science. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation, more than 150 educators from informal science institutions and projects, including science centers, museums, zoos, and aquariums came together to expand our understanding of climate change science and public outreach and explore a wide range of informal science experiences aimed at climate literacy.
During this two-day workshop, we had the opportunity to participate in a number of presentations and discussions on climate literacy and what it entails for informal science professionals and for the public. Topics included a recent report on the public’s attitudes and knowledge about climate change, strategies for framing this issue, and how to define climate literacy goals. The knowledge and skills acquired during these sessions will certainly be applied to Clean Air-Cool Planet’s climate education and outreach programs.
 Day One of the conference took place at the Birch Aquarium, part of the world-renowned Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla. While at the Birch Aquarium, we had the opportunity to tour their latest climate change exhibit “Feeling the Heat.” Highlights of the exhibit included a series of images that visualize how climate change is already under way and a hands-on demonstration that allows a visitor to test one’s knowledge of whether everyday items help or hurt the planet.
Day Two activities were held at the San Diego Convention Center, site of the AAAS Annual Meeting. During the second day, Zach and I presented the work we do with teachers in both formal school settings and at science centers. I explained my work through the Northeast Science Center Collaborative, including the development and dissemination of teaching tools – like the Climate Change Backpack (revised with funding from NJPSEG) and the Clean Energy kits (developed with funding from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund). Zach discussed his programmatic offerings which include taking teachers to natural places in order to make observations, collect data and see first-hand the changes brought about by global environmental change. We stressed the importance of going beyond basic "outreach" and directly involving both formal and informal educators in conversations and investigations about the issues associated with climate change. Our methods include direct interactions with teachers and scientists, hands-on, problem-based experiences in the field, experiments in the lab, resources, and continued support. The most important message I took away from the conference is that climate literacy requires a package-plan of multiple methodologies to access educators of every grade and experience level.
Across the country, colleges and universities are leading the way in taking up solutions to global warming, from reducing energy use and educating tomorrow’s leaders about energy and climate to leading research on new energy technologies.
Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina is one such school – and their unique approach to planning, resulting in climate action that is integral to their master plan, is a model for other colleges and universities, according to a new case study by Clean Air-Cool Planet (CA-CP), the leading non-profit working exclusively on solutions to climate change. The Furman case study, available here, describes the rationale and the process Furman used to generate its climate action plan, beginning with formation of a formal climate-action steering committee.
If you’ve heard or said things like this, then “Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, and Historic Preservation: A Guide for Historic District Commissions” is for you. As you might guess from its title, the “Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, and Historic preservation” guide covers the particular challenges of installing efficiency and renewable energy solutions in older buildings, particularly in older buildings in historic districts.
In addition to downloading and reading the guide, we hope you’ll join us at three conferences where we’ll be speaking on this topic. The CA-CP workshops at all three conferences will cover weatherization techniques for older buildings, how to hire an energy auditor, financial resources for undertaking efficiency measures, how homeowners and historic district commissions have effectively applied renewable energy within district regulations, and more. Click on the conference titles for more information.
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The New Hampshire Old House and Barn Exposition in Manchester, NH on March 21st
- The New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning Conference on May 8th
On Saturday, February 20, staff members from Clean Air-Cool Planet, SDES Group, and the EPA who are working together on the Municipal Energy Assistance Program held a mid-project gathering at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Concord. This all-day working session provided the geographically dispersed team with an opportunity to check in on their progress as they approach the mid-point of the year-long project, share insights and best-practices for reaching benchmarks in their grassroots work, and strategize on how to suc cessfully carry out the second half of the project.
The working session focused primarily on the work of the eight Energy Project Assistants, each of whom is tasked with initiating the MEAP project with 4-6 towns, mobilizing citizens and local leaders to engage in the process of planning for municipal energy conservation, and creating a baseline energy inventory for each town. The MEAP project is on target to complete their work with 48 New Hampshiremunicipalities according to the original project schedule. The team expects to complete municipal baseline inventories in the summer of 2010 and building audits and community energy advocacy in the fall of 2010.
The Municipal Energy Assistance Program is continuing to work with 48 NH municipalities to help them measure energy use and prioritize their energy conservation efforts. Project Assistants are completing Municipal Baseline Energy Inventories for the towns of Dunbarton, Franconia, and Newfields last month. Baseline Inventories use accessible software tools to give a general snapshot of energy use in various municipal sectors and help municipalities set their sights on the most important energy conservation priorities in their towns.
In the second phase of the MEAP project, SDES Group, a Dover, NH-based energy consulting firm, provides one Decision Grade Audit for a municipal building in each participating town. SDES Group also supports each town with 25 hours of community energy advocacy services. For more information about the MEAP project, please visit:
Municipal Energy Assistance Program
Donations, reports, registrations for conferences and workshops, and webinar signups will all be handled by the Clean Air-Cool Planet online store beginning this week. The new section of the CA-CP website was designed to streamline the processing of credit card purchases and make it easier for participants to sign up for programs or to make a donation "for the planet." Come in and browse....
Featured events and initiatives
For more information on global warming solutions, visit CA-CP's website.
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