— by Margie Doyle —
Photos: The featured image shows OPALCO retiring Manager Randy Cornelius, SJ Conservation District Director Linda Lyshall (who led the efforts for the three-island Energy Fairs), and OPALCO consultant Jay Kimball. Photo collage above shows, clockwise from top right: John Mottl’s RainShadow Solar booth; future OPALCO Manager Foster Hildreth and Eric Youngren at Youngren’s Solar Nexus booth; Tina Whitman with Montessori school kids displaying the solar oven; Steve and Jean Henigson with solar protective gear at a solar mechanics display; Amy Saxe at the OPALCO energy-saving light bulb and energy-saving pyramid display; Lucas Limbach and kids at his Sage energy-savings inspection and construction booth; and Chris Graecen at his energy advice booth.
The energy was high at the Orcas Island Energy Fair on Saturday, June 7.
Visitors collected their passports at the San Juan Conservation District booth, and then roamed booths of Orcas Power and Light Co-operative (OPALCO), home energy inspectors, Montessori School Energy Efficiency Projects, solar power providers, Island Steward grantseekers and photo-takers, Haitian relief non-profit agency Noramise, the Community Solar project and even an advice booth provided by World Bank energy policy consultant Chris Graecen. (The best thing you can do to save energy? “Get an energy audit,” he says.)
“Zero-net Energy Growth by 2016” fabric goody bags were handed out with information and a choice of three energy-saving products and nearly every booth handed out information from Project Energy Savers, the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Opportunity Council, the Community Energy Challenge, Islanders Bank, Puget Sound Energy, NW Clean Air Agency and OPALCO’s MORE Local Power project.
Musicians provided the backdrop as Saturday Market-goers roamed the booths of the Energy Fair, the third held this spring, with fairs on Lopez and San Juan Islands happening in May.
The San Juan Conservation District partnered with Islands Energy to present the Fairs. Islands Energy is a collaborative group of local and regional nonprofits, sponsored by OPALCO, that is working together to increase energy efficiency, conservation and local energy generation in San Juan County. OPALCO is our member-owned cooperative, powering about 11,000 members on 20 islands in San Juan County since 1937.
Please visit www.islandsenergy.org for more information
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