The Political Climate: an ongoing commentary on the NH Primary and Climate Change

Over seventy people and fifteen energy committees attended last night’s first ever Rockingham/Strafford Energy Committee Alliance workshop.  This regional alliance aims to facilitate the sharing of information, skills, and experience between the various energy committees in the Seacoast and is a model that could aid burgeoning local energy committees all over the Granite State.

The most promising sign of the night was the energy committees in attendance that the alliance organizers and the Carbon Coalition did not even know existed.  This speaks to the grassroots nature of the emerging climate movement in New Hampshire.  It is a sign that the local energy committees are growing beyond our reach and will continue to spread across the state. 

Clay Mitchell discussed how to conduct a simple energy audit of a town building.  It was interesting to see how many simple, cost-effective measures are available to ensure energy and emissions savings for municipal buildings.  Mitchell included a picture of one window in Epping Town Hall that even in a closed position allowed a full grown arm to reach outside into the cold.  Hmm…why is our heating bill so high?  Mitchell also shared a few web-tools that help to set benchmarks like the EPA Portfolio Manager, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, RETscreen International, and the EPA Combined Heat and Power Partnership.

Obama and Richardson campaign staff members attended the workshop to see the local action first hand before heading up Hanover for the debate.  Hopefully, the workshop’s message makes its way up the chain and the candidates recognize that the effort and sacrifice going into these committees is a true representation of the dedication that NH citizens have for the climate.

For more information about these committees, visit the Local Energy Committee page of our website.