If we want to decarbonize our communities, one of our best pathways is to decarbonize the electricity generation sector. But who gets to plug in and in what order? That’s why we have grid operators who regulate which sources of power–solar farms, wind farms, natural gas power plants, nuclear power plants, battery facilities, hydropower plants–get … More Do natural gas & nuclear get to jump the line?
Let me start by saying this: hypocrisy is a killer. If we don’t keep our promises to ourselves, we can’t keep promises to the Creation. Where climate action is concerned, we need to do right, do it well, and do it consistently. If we are consistent as individuals and work well together, we can effect … More Climate change is…about each of us.
In the coming weeks and months, Peter Walks for Democracy will have an intentional focus. From this post through December 31, 2025, I will focus my efforts on creating a just and convivial world of mindful ecological citizens. I’ll share stories of my own and invite others to contribute. Through those stories, I will show how solidarity and conviviality matter. Along … More Mindful Ecological Citizenship: The Next 404 Days
Tomorrow night, the State College Area School District will be the first of Centre County’s local governments to vote on whether we enter into a 15-year solar power purchase agreement (SPPA). As the project’s instigator, a member of the working group over its five years, and its first and last Chair, I am excited to … More A major step for solar power in Pennsylvania’s local governments
My community is ground zero in the fight for America’s future. We affectionately call our home “Happy Valley.” It surrounds Penn State University (where I work). A blue dot in the middle of red counties, we believe in the promise of a democratic republic rooted in freedom, individual dignity, environmental integrity, innovation, and equal opportunity. … More We fight for freedom. The Christo-fascists want to steal it.
Today, Spotlight PA ran an excellent story on how “local governments can struggle to work together in Pennsylvania even when they have a common and seemingly mundane goal like saving money on electric bills.” I’ve written about this project here pretty extensively. In the next month, ten local governments will vote to adopt affordable, carbon-free, Pennsylvania-supplied … More An inspiration — or a cautionary tale? Definitely an inspiration.
Just want to give a big shout out to the Sierra Club Moshannon chapter for hosting a session last night on the Centre County Solar Working Group’s power purchase agreement at Webster’s Bookstore and Café. We had a good turnout of folks who are eager to learn how we can collectively move the ball down … More Let’s go solar! Thanks Sierra Club Moshannon!
The people of west Ferguson Township have faced water hardships for years. As this Spotlight PA story shows, the local water company, Rock Springs, has been running with low water pressure, frequent outages & boil water notices, crumbling pipes, and an inordinately high leak rate that violates the law. Despite regular complaints, attempts at discussions … More More boiled water notices or clean drinking water?
In living rooms and at professional development workshops, on opinion pages and the halls of Congress, the people of the world’s only superpower are attacking one another. Fueled by disinformation, our representatives, party leaders, pundits, clergy, and other hyper-partisans have driven division so deeply into our collective psyche that many people — maybe most people … More The real and present danger of The United States vs. Itself
“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or … More With climate change, what happens on campus doesn’t stay on campus
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