Category: Climate Change

Resounding Threats. Threatening Sounds. Metal as the sound of global risk.

October 21, 2019

This Friday at noon, come to Penn State’s HUB to see my presentation “Resounding Threats. Threatening Sounds.” as part of the Sustainability Showcase series. What does a global threat sound like? The Pentagon, the United Nations, the World Economic Forum, and the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists all diagnose risks to global society. In the formal language … More Resounding Threats. Threatening Sounds. Metal as the sound of global risk.

It’s time for higher education to engage democracy and climate change.

October 21, 2019

Join members of the Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium to deliberate about climate change and build our capacity for citizenship on November 9th. All over the country, citizens are concerned about climate change. And young people, as the Climate Strikes show clearly, are most concerned of all. But what can we as citizens do about it? … More It’s time for higher education to engage democracy and climate change.

With great power comes great responsibility: Pennsylvania joins RGGI

October 4, 2019

As Uncle Ben tells Peter Parker (a.k.a. Spider Man), “With great power comes great responsibility.” Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced today that he’s moving to get the Commonwealth into the northeast’s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). In a statement, Wolf said, “Climate change is the most critical environmental threat confronting the world, and power generation … More With great power comes great responsibility: Pennsylvania joins RGGI

Penn State set a climate goal they are reaching

September 8, 2019

On Friday, Penn State and Lightsource BP broke ground on the Commonwealth’s largest solar purchase. “The 70-megawatt project further supports Penn State’s goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35% by 2020 and to diversify the University’s energy portfolio through the incorporation of solar power, aligning with the Penn State Strategic Plan, which cites stewardship … More Penn State set a climate goal they are reaching

Join me for “A Solar PPA Designed for Positive Externalities”

July 15, 2019

Webinar: A Solar PPA Designed for Positive Externalities  on July 17 @ 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm EDT My colleague, Meghan Hoskins from Penn State’s Sustainability Institute, Elizabeth Johnson from The Nature Conservancy, PA and Emilie Wangerman from Lightsource BP will share the rationale for and process of including criteria for institutional benefits, community benefits, and … More Join me for “A Solar PPA Designed for Positive Externalities”

“Only the Ancestors Bring Fire” on the Short Edition

May 26, 2019

My story, “Only the Ancestors Bring Fire” is available on The Short Edition. They love sharing short stories and have provided a platform online for doing just that. The story: A few years ago, I was mountain biking on Tussey Trail with my friend Paul. We scrabbled over the rocks of the portion we call the Extension … More “Only the Ancestors Bring Fire” on the Short Edition

Community safety, people’s rights, and climate optimism: My legacy of service in Ferguson Township

April 13, 2019

As I’m getting ready to step down at the end of June, I will be reflecting on my three+ years on the Ferguson Township Board. I’ll start with accomplishments that I have spurred or been truly honored to be a part of. While I’ve initiated some of these, they all required work from the other board members, our (awesome) staff, and citizen volunteers. We have… … More Community safety, people’s rights, and climate optimism: My legacy of service in Ferguson Township

Pennsylvania’s local governments can go solar…together

March 27, 2019

Local governments can go solar together. That’s what we are trying to do here in the middle of Pennsylvania. It’s environmentally sound and makes sound financial sense. It’s just common sense at this point. A couple of years ago Penn State (where I work but don’t speak for) received an unsolicited bid for a solar … More Pennsylvania’s local governments can go solar…together

Our statement to the Auditor General on the Climate Crisis

March 15, 2019

Today, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale held his first public hearing on the climate crisis. He has stated that Pennsylvania faces grave flooding risks among other problems and that we cannot rely on Washington to tackle the problem. If you didn’t know, last year the Centre Region where I live had record precipitation at about 64″. … More Our statement to the Auditor General on the Climate Crisis