SIERRA CLUB announces charter bus to Feb. 17 Climate Rally
A bus has been chartered to transport local residents to the February 17 Climate Rally (details in previous post, below). Cost for the round trip is only $37.92. CLICK HERE to be transported to the signup page for bus reservations.
Bus to Washington Rally available from Charlottesville
If you have been thinking about going to the Climate Rally (Feb. 17, Washington DC) but reluctant to drive up there on your own, you’re in luck! The Piedmont Group of the Sierra Club has two buses going from Charlottesville, which will save you half the driving and nearly all the aggravation, The first bus is already filled, but there are seats available on bus #2. Cost is only $26 for adults, $10 for students. For all the details, review the fact sheet:
DETAILS EMERGE ON PRESIDENTS DAY WEEKEND RALLY
Roanoke Valley Cool Cities Coalition is a supporting partner of what we expect will be the biggest rally in history for action on climate change. We hope that many of our affiliate members will plan to be there. Here are details:
WHAT – Supporters for action on climate change will gather in our nations capital. There will be a rally with high profile speakers and entertainment, followed by a march to the White House and returning to the National Mall for more entertainment and camaraderie.
WHERE – The rally will be staged near the Washington Monument at Constitution Ave. & 15 St.
WHEN – Sunday, February 17 (Presidents Day week end) – rally starts at 12:00 noon – plan to be there by 11:30 or earlier to get a good spot.
WHO – Dozens of organizations are partners in this event. For a list of all of them, see
forwardonclimate.org (click the PARTNERS menu item)
RSVP - Visit the rally web site forwardonclimate.org and fill out a brief form to register. Volunteers are needed, and you can indicate that from the same page. Look for other details and news on the Cool Cities Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/47868112541/
GETTING THERE:
Driving - It is STRONGLY recommended that you park your car in one of the outlying Metro stations (Vienna is right on I-66). Take the metro to Metro Center station and walk a few blocks to the rally.
Public Transportation - Amtrak (from Lynchburg), Megabus (from Christiansburg), Greyhound (from Roanoke) and United Airlines have direct service to Washington. Unless you fly, you should plan to come up the day before. The Rally web site forwardonclimate.org has information on finding lodging in Washington.
Charter Bus – at this time, there are no plans for a charter bus from this area, but the event web site will post any that emerge.
Lea Lupkin, who served on the original Cool Cities board when she was a student at Roanoke College, has taken yet another exciting job in the world of sustainability. She is now Sustainability Coordinator at Greener U, a unique energy and sustainability services company dedicated to helping colleges and universities reduce energy costs while lowering carbon emissions and becoming climate leaders. Through innovative and large-scale energy efficiency, renewable energy, cogeneration, behavior change and climate projects, the company brings a highly tailored approach to the higher education community. Lea reports that she work on “the development and implementation of Sustainability Services at this growing company which works with higher education institutions to reduce their carbon footprint and create good environmental stewards. My duties include:
- Conduct research on best practices in campus sustainability, write reports or present findings, and manage internal content management system. Integrate findings into our portfolio of service offerings. As the types and amount of content handled grows, drive improvements to tools and processes.
- Develop, customize and edit sustainability and energy efficiency programs for schools.
- Track and analyze key performance metrics.
- Prepare polished client-facing deliverables.
- Ensure published information is correct, communicated effectively, and targeted appropriately.
- Support the CEO and business development team as needed for marketing, hiring, communication, programming, and more.
- Collaborate with technical and non-technical team members to develop and test innovation ideas.
- Ensure the company is acting on its values, making decisions internally that minimize environmental impact, and optimizing the office space for employee productivity and enjoyment.
Solar goes big in Salem
Roanoke Valley Wine company cut the ribbon for the biggest private solar array in Southwest Virginia today in Salem. Joyce Waugh of the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce was part of the ribbon cutting team. See more about the project here http://www.rvwc.com/solar-cooling-system.html
Cabell Brand Center names Risa Pesapane as Executive Director
Please join us in welcoming Risa Pesapane as the new Executive Director at the Cabell Brand Center, effective November 1, 2012. Risa earned Bachelor’s degrees in Wildlife Science (2006) and Biology (2007) from Virginia Tech as well as a Master’s degree in disease transmission dynamics at the interface of human and wildlife populations (2011). Risa is passionate about interdisciplinary research and educational outreach endeavors. She was the President and founding member of the Nation’s first Interdisciplinary Research Honor Society, striving to promote and facilitate collaborative and integrative approaches for creative solutions to modern problems. Risa also chaired a novel mentoring initiative at Virginia Tech and participated in the university’s strategic planning process. For her graduate research, she partnered with a non-profit organization aimed at sustainable community development, mitigating wildlife conflict, managing human and wildlife health, and overall improving the livelihoods of local citizens. As a professional, Risa has several years of experience in researching human and wildlife health, project management, office administration, and business. She currently serves as Project Director for Rural System, Inc., Blacksburg. Risa’s interests include dynamics of human and wildlife interaction, ecology, water quality and health, sustainable development, zoonotic diseases, global health, wildlife conservation, mentoring and educational outreach, urban agriculture, and non-profit management.
Save a Ton Campaign Wins Innovation Award
Great news! The Roanoke Valley-Allegheny Regional Commission has received the 2012 Innovation Award from the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) for its Save-a-Ton campaign. The campaign was recognized for its regional approach to energy conservation education awareness program, and the effort to reduce duplication across local governments. More on the story is here: http://www.smithmountaineagle.com/news/article_c97b9360-08a3-11e2-98a1-0019bb2963f4.html
Roanoke Valley Cool Cities Coalition is a partner in the Save a Ton Campaign. Take a look at the website here http://saveaton.org/. Roanoke County, the cities of Roanoke and Salem, and the town of Blacksburg are also involved in this program.
Your challenge: take a look at the calculator and see how to save a ton of money, energy and carbon dioxide emissions all at once.
