October 9, 2018 – 7 PM
Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation
2315 Division St NW, Olympia
Where does our energy come from? Where does it go? How can we change to
help avert a global climate crisis? See the following link for registration for this 2-part course: register here.
Session 2, Oct 9: How can we reduce climate emissions in time to avert the crisis?
Our local carbon footprint is dominated by energy used in buildings, and energy used in transportation. An 80% reduction in emissions below 1990 levels is the target to stabilize the climate. In this class we will review the list of methods to reduce emissions covered in the book Drawdown, which addresses global level actions.
We will also review specifics for our local emissions reduction potential. We’ll discuss changes we can make individually and as a community in how we heat and cool our homes and businesses, and changes that will be necessary to transportation. We can each make a difference, and it does not require a sacrifice of our quality of life.
While not required, you will find the following resource helpful to review in advance of the class, or to use after:
- Thurston Regional Planning Council Energy and Carbon Footprints–Map of most of the generation sources and end use carbon emissions in our county. https://www.trpc.org/870/Energy-Carbon-Footprints
- Drawdown–100 Solutions to Reverse Global Warming, Executive Summary at the following link: https://www.drawdown.org/
- Thurston Regional Planning Council Carbon Wedge–Analysis of our local potential to reduce emissions at the following link: https://www.trpc.org/871/Carbon-Wedge-Analysis
Jim Lazar is an economist with over 40 years of experience in energy and utilities. He works with utilities and regulators to adapt to a lower carbon and renewable energy world. He is the author of several important handbooks on electric utility regulation and rate making. Jim has worked on energy planning and policy throughout the United States, as well as in Canada, the Philippines, India, Indonesia, China, Brazil, Mexico, Namibia, Mozambique, Mauritius, Hungary, and Poland.
Karen Messmer has thirty years’ experience administering and implementing energy efficiency programs at the local, state, and national level. At Washington State University Energy Program she managed programs to help businesses, industries, farmers, and government facilities become more energy efficient. She also has been involved in active transportation advocacy for over thirty years. She was a member of the City of Olympia Planning Commission and on the City Council. She is actively involved in the Thurston Thrives Community Design Action Team and represents that group on the Thurston Thrives Coordinating Council. She has been a Citizen Representative on the Transit Authority Board for seven years.
See the following link for registration: Register Here.