Some 40 Solebury residents came out Oct. 13 to hear about the climate and how to deal with its pending changes and excesses.
The township’s Environmental Advisory Council’s (EAC) Climate and Energy Forum drew speakers from the township, county and even the New Hope-Solebury High School Environmental Club – all offering information, citing progress, but warning that much more needs to be done.
Township Supervisor John Francis, liaison to the EAC, chaired the forum.
He emphasized that the Ready for 100 (Rf100) plan, adopted by a Solebury resolution two years ago, “is not a mandate,” but asks the municipality to solve its climate problems and attempt to remove barriers to doing that.
Jim Mansfield of the EAC said the Ready for 100 plan, initiated by the Sierra Club and already adopted by several municipalities, calls for 100% clean (non-fossil fuel) electricity by 2035 and clean energy, including vehicles, heating and cooling by 2050.
The EAC’s Shannon Pendleton warned that “doomerism” – such as “that’s the way we’ve always done it” and “that’ll never work” – must be replaced by optimism because the stakes are too high, plus progress is being made.
Solebury resident Neale Dougherty, the new sustainability director at the Bucks County Planning Commission, listed his main efforts as creating a county sustainability plan, working to improve solar energy access throughout the county, creating a model renewable energy ordinance and gaining insights through discussions with municipalities.
Environmental sustainability must be strengthened through economic, social, and holistic means because the enemy – in the form of population growth, greenhouse gases and resource limits – is closing in, was the warning from planning commission member Peter Brussock.
Eleventh and 12th grade students – all in environmentally friendly green T-shirts – from the high school’s Environmental Club also had their say, since it’s their future everyone was talking about.
Attending were Olivia Shea, Cadence Scott, Sofia Tasoiuk, Ila Pendleton, Olivia Naranjo, and their teachers, Leo Macdonald and Carey Lever.
The students suggested putting solar panels on the school roof, replacing plastic utensils at lunch with silverware, fundraising for environmentally friendly items, improvements for dealing with trash, and more club outreach.
Solebury Board of Supervisors Chair Mark Baum Baicker promoted the benefits of converting home energy systems to solar or geothermal.
“The recently passed Inflation Protection Act increased the federal tax credit for those systems to 30%. A tax credit is worth far more than a tax deduction. For example, a $40,000 investment into a solar or geothermal system would yield a $12,000 tax credit, which means that the federal government would effectively cut you a check in that amount,” he explained.
For people who cannot afford such an investment, he said, heat pump systems are more efficient than traditional oil or gas-only systems and new window, attic and basement insulation can also make a big difference.
Speaking from personal experience, Baum Baicker recommended hybrid vehicles, electric-only or plug-in.
“I recently purchased a plug-in hybrid and, based on my driving habits, have so far tripled my gas mileage compared to the hybrid I drove previously. So try to make a commitment that your next vehicle will be a hybrid at the very least,” he said, adding a new law makes many hybrids eligible for a federal tax credit of up to $7,500.
Following the presentations, the audience divided into groups to discuss the issues and recommend solutions.
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