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Officials deem Energy Expo successful
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By DREW HARDMAN
Staff Reporter - Steady snowfall on Monday evening left the roads and
sidewalks of downtown Spencer a stark white, but inside the Heritage Park
Community Building, things were looking green.
Despite the weather, around 70 people were on hand to share ideas at Spencer’s first Energy Expo, sponsored by the local activist group Green Energy Action and Research, or GEAR.
“We got together because of serious issues with the environment,” GEAR co-leader Dan Dial said at the event. “It’s important to know what we can do to change things in this area.”
Robin Wilson, the group’s other co-leader, said the idea for GEAR initially came from the Roane County Possibilities Forum as a way to address environmental issues in the community. Members of both groups sponsored the event, while the city of Spencer donated the facilities at Heritage Park. Refreshments were available courtesy of Serenity Cup Café in Spencer.
The expo began at 6:30 p.m., when guests had the chance to visit several “green-minded” displays. Members of the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition were present with pictures and pamphlets concerning the effects of mountaintop removal mining, and interns with W.Va. Sustainable Communities were on hand to give out free fluorescent light bulbs and information on daily energy conservation.
The Roane Solid Waste Authority recycling center and the county library also had educational displays, and representatives from area businesses were in attendance to discuss energy-saving products and tactics.
Dial introduced Mary Wildfire, Spencer resident and OVEC representative, who spoke on the “environmental threats facing the earth today.”
Wildfire first addressed global warming, a problem she called “the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced,” before focusing on the issue of “peak oil.
“This refers to the point where half of all the oil there ever was has been used,” Wildfire said. “After that, we will not be able to increase production no matter what we do.”
Wildfire finished by saying that in order to combat environmental issues, the public will have to endorse policy changes.
“And we’ll need a huge push to do it,” she said.
Calhoun County’s Bill Howley gave a brief presentation concerning ways to change driving habits to “take control of your energy responsibilities and save gas mileage.”
Howley recommended a number of driving tips, including the use of neutral gear when heading downhill, avoiding interstates whenever possible and, of course, slowing down.
Ron Rogillio, program director of power plant technology at W.Va. State University, handed out a list of Web sites with effective strategies to conserve energy.
“There are just a ton of resources out there that can help you control your energy bill,” Rogillio said.
Wilson and Thom Worlledge, Charleston resident and member of the American Institute of Architects, gave a slide presentation regarding “passive solar” architecture, a practice that implements the use of house and window placement to conserve energy and save money on heat and lighting bills.
Worlledge closed the evening‘s activities with a lecture on the importance of recycling. He displayed examples of several energy-efficient products, including paper bricks, re-used carpet and bamboo wood.
“There is a limited supply of every material in our Earth,” Worlledge said. “We need to rethink how we use our materials.”