8th Environmental Forum

The Rochester Regional Group held its annual environmental forum on April 20^th .The forum, as always featured a number of local environmental group that had set up tables around the perimeter of the Unitarian Church auditorium, where they were available to hand out information, sign up new members and get to meet the public at large. This “browsing session” lasted until 7:00 when the formal program began. The group was very lucky to have two outstanding outside speakers, both from the business community and both heavily involved in the area of alternative or renewable energy.

The program was entitled “Global Warming Solutions that Work”. After some brief introductions, the program began with a brief overview of global warming given by our state conservation chair, Hugh Mitchell, who assured us that the crisis is real.

The first guest speaker was Bob Bechtold, President of Harbec Plastics, a local injection molding company that has done outstanding work in reducing energy usage and creating a high-intensity business that is highly sustainable. Bob pointed out that one acre of trees will absorb roughly 3 tons of CO₂ per year. Among the initiatives Harbec has undertaken to reduce their CO₂ output are a 250kW Fuhrlander wind turbine which provides a significant portion of Harbec’s electrical requirement. or about 350,000 kWh per year. Next, Harbec purchases 1,800,000 kWh of renewable (wind) energy per year. Harbec also uses Capstone micro-turbines to produce 1,030,000 kWh of combined heat and power (CHP) which produces either space heat or air conditioning as a by-product of electric generation. On top of that, Harbec has a 100% green vehicle fleet, meaning all of their vehicles are either gas-electric hybrids or are totally electric vehicles. Finally, Harbec selected all-electric molding machines over the less-efficient hydraulic type. All told they are saving 3600 tons of CO₂ annually compared to a more conventional competitor producing the same volume of material. This would be equivalent to planting 1200 acres of trees.

The event’s keynote speaker was Roger Saillant, President and CEO of Plug Power, a major fuel cell manufacturer, located outside of Albany and another company seriously dedicated to sustainability. A former VP, Roger is considered a visionary in this area. Roger said that the question of energy was inextricably linked with those of food and water. Then he displayed a system model that should the progression of unrestrained human activity through the emergence of environmental problems and into despair, but emerging, hopefully, to a new level of human activity with limits, that some people have come to call sustainability. He went on to talk about the emergence of China and India putting increased pressure on both oil prices and global warming. He said that long term petroleum-free solutions such as fuel cell powered vehicles was still fifty years away. But there is still reason for hope because:

v Insurance companies, not Greenpeace, may spark widespread corporate policy changes around climate change

v U.S. cities, states and the local governments, not the federal government, are leading the way on reduction of greenhouse gases

If you missed the Environmental Forum, you can see two power point presentations of the meeting:

Hugh Mitchell, former chair of the Rochester Group of the Sierra Club and present Chairperson of Conservation for the Atlantic Chapter of the Sierra Club. Hugh is becoming a renowned speaker on the topic of Global Warming in the Rochester area and, as Chapter chair; Hugh is committed to bringing the Global Warming to the forefront of our attention here in the Northeast.

Read Hugh's article in the Fall 2005 edition of the Sierra Atlantic.

Our second speaker was Bob Bechtold, President of Harbec Plastics, Ontario, NY. Harbec is a sustainable manufacturing company that derives a substantial amount of its power from the large windmill located right on the premises. Many of you have seen the windmill on Route 104 just east of Webster.

His talk is entitled: How Can Western NY Respond to the Challenge of Global Warming? Bob will talk about the promise of wind power in this region as one element in a broad movement towards a more sustainable presence on the planet.

He will also share his experience running a successful, sustainable business on the premise that being green is not more expensive.

In fact, if business leaders are willing to take the long view, both in their thinking and their investment decisions, they will find that considering both the environmental, as well as the financial bottom line, will result in improved performance on both. Harbec Plastics is an injection molding company in Ontario, NY that is well on its way to becoming a fully sustainable manufacturing facility.

Our keynote speaker was Roger Saillant, President & CEO of Plug Power a leading manufacturer of stationary fuel cell systems, located just outside of Albany, NY. Not only do they produce sustainable products, but the entire company is run with the intention a becoming a model of how a company can exist and function in a sustainable manner.

Roger is a member of the Board of Directors of the New York State Audubon Society, the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York and The Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Bowdoin College, a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Indiana University and a post-doctorate degree in Organometallic Chemistry from the University of California at Los Angeles.

His talk will be entitled: “A Workable Transition to Renewables.” Dr. Saillant will speak about the energy picture facing the inhabitants of our planet and the necessary transition to renewable energy. How can this be done both quickly and in an orderly fashion? What is the end point and what are the intermediate steps? How long will it take and what are our best hopes? What can each of us do to maximize our chances of success?

Resources for our 8th Environmental Forum:

1. Windmill Fuels Power - Wayne Co. Company Saves Money A new addition along Route 104 in Ontario is fueling a lot of talk. This new spectacle is also driving down energy costs for one local company. "The number one rule is to make good economic decisions,” said Bob Bechtold, President and founder of Harbec Plastics. At Harbec, it's more than that. A commitment to the area, to its employees, and to the environment, is what has driven this company, into the future, and beyond. (Published Dec 14, 2002) R News: As It Happens, Where It Happens

2. Read some of the articles in the Sierra Atlantic Newsletter which focus on Global Warming in the New York area.

3. Read Atlantic Chapter - Sierra Club - Global Warming Global Warming Committee -Global Warming - Why it Threatens Us

4. Global Warming and Clean Energy Main - Sierra Club What we do: Work to promote solutions to global warming using current and cutting-edge technology that will reduce our use of fossil fuels. By switching to energy efficient cars and trucks, and clean, renewable energy, we can curb global warming pollution, save consumers money and curtail our reliance on oil.