TO: Mayor Perry and Amy Sarrinikolaou,
Three weekday evening talks at the Middletown Library. First event around Earth Day, April 22, followed by second event in May, and final event in June. The overall theme would be Middletown’s Clean Energy Future. The first talk would be an overview, adapted mostly from talks we have given recently, and entitled something like “What Will A Clean Energy Future Look Like in 2050? And How Do We Get There?" It would be preceded by a display of EVs in the Library parking lot. The second and third talks would have more detail about the Gold Star actions, including renewable electricity aggregation. We would hope that Mayor Perry could attend and speak at at least one of the talks (about municipal complex and some of the things you talked about in your office, like solar canopy and green building requirements), and we would hope to have other township officials and administration, and Green Team as well.
ADVANTAGES
- Far-reaching benefits of engagement with the community.
- These presentations are what we do and like to do.
- Middletown for Clean Energy has a large citizen team that can do the bulk of this outreach without intensive effort (or cost) of township employees, and gain the public’s support.
- Opportunities for press coverage and positive PR for Middletown.
SUPPORT FOR SILVER RECERTIFICATION and ACTIONS FOR “GOLD STAR IN ENERGY”:
- Support silver recertification AND extend the expiration date 2 years, by incorporating the appropriate “flyers, social media posts, newspaper articles, sign-up sheets for events or other similar documentation” required for following years’ recertification for the residential and commercial energy efficiency
- The EV Earth Day exhibit would provide required evidence of activity for the Gold Energy Star Action: “Make Your Town EV Friendly”
ASKS
- Your authorization (so we don’t have to pay the library fee of $300 for 3 nights).
- Participate in the celebration; provide whatever comments and information you would like to share.
- Arrange PR coverage: pictures and coverage in local press, Middletown media, and the library.
- Initially use Green Team picture from last year’s Energy Efficiency outreach.
STATUS OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE EARTH DAY EVENT
Elaine Hinckley told us it is not suitable to add an EV display to the Poricy Park Antique Car Show on May 2.
Instead, we plan to get library permission to hold the Earth Day EV event in the rear library parking lot in the two hours just before our first Earth Day presentation. [2/26/2020 note: We will leverage promotion of this Earthday Drive Electric event by Sierra Club, Plug in America, and Electric Vehicle Association.]
Elaine explained that the Antique Car Show is a big fund-raiser for the Conservancy. They hope to have ALL parking slots filled with antique cars. In addition, at the entrance, on the grass is a display and banners by two participating dealers which each donate $500. There is no room for 10 more non-paying EVs, which would seem out of place even if room among the antique cars.
A synopsis (for library approval) is below. Let us know what changes you would like.
Thanks, Pat and Steve Miller
Middletown’s Clean Energy Future
A Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day
And Middletown’s Achievement of Sustainable Jersey’s Silver Certification
(description of 3 presentations at the Middletown Public Library)
In 2019 Middletown and its Green Team achieved Sustainable Jersey’s Silver Certification, as a result of a 10-year effort to make the Town more sustainable and preserve its pristine environment and quality of life for future generations. We are proposing a set of three presentations to members of the community to celebrate this achievement and to apprise them of our present and future efforts to recertify for silver certification, and attain the Gold Star in Energy.
We propose the first event be an evening during the week of Earth Day, April 20-24. Pat and Steve Miller, founding members of Middletown for Clean Energy, will provide a vision of a clean energy future for our town, state and beyond, and an overview of actions that will be undertaken toward the Gold Star in Energy. This will be accompanied by a ceremony by the Mayor and the Green Team, congratulating them and Middletown on this achievement.
We also propose an Earth Day Electric Vehicle (EV) display in the hour or two immediately preceding the Earth Day ceremony and talk. The library’s rear parking lot could display about 10 EVs, both personal vehicles and dealers’ latest models, for public examination.
The initial Earth Day presentation, entitled “What Will a Clean Energy Future Look Like in 2050? And How Do We Get There?”, will include examples of the clean energy future vision, such as wind and solar energy, changes in home heating and appliances, vehicles we will be driving and using for transport, and the future job market. The talk will also describe the path Middletown will take to get to clean energy and a sustainable future, as documented in a recently released draft Middletown Energy Plan, and steps toward the Gold Star in Energy.
The second and third talks in the series, at approximately 1 month intervals in May and June, will go into more detail on the seven actions that may be taken to “Get to Gold.” These include Energy Efficiency (Residential and Commercial), “Make Your Town Solar Friendly”, “Community-Led Solar Initiatives”, “Renewable Energy Aggregation”, “Make Your Town EV Friendly” and “Public EV Charging Infrastructure”. Each of the three presentations may include talks by the Mayor or Green Team describing recent progress on Middletown’s clean energy initiatives.