We had a great time at the second Neighbors in the Know Salon. People from the Suncoast Sierra Club, USFSP, CONA, the City of St. Pete Office of Sustainability and Resilience, The Cleo Institute, and the St. Pete Innovation District participated. Our goals are to provide a place where environmentalists from different spheres can chat with each other in a relaxed setting, and to build an expert base for the Neighbors in the Know project.
Geothermal in Florida
Jay Egg, of Egg Geo, spoke (via zoom) about geothermal energy, and how its use is quickly growing. There is geothermal everywhere it seems. Schools, Walt Disney properties, apartment buildings – it is endlessly adaptable for large structures. Very interesting as a renewable and inexhaustible (the trendy new word for sustainable/renewable energy sources) power source. Geothermal seems to be pretty clean and green.
Geothermal 30% tax incentives are around for businesses and organizations. Unfortunately they expired for residential programs. Locally, Largo City Hall, the Pinellas County Emergency Management Building, and the Pinellas County School Board Administration Building all run on geothermal energy.
Getting involved with Neighbors in the Know
We also put out the ask to our attendees (and to the wider planet loving community) for volunteers. Our theory is that people already interested in helping environmental organizations would be great advocates for the planet in their neighborhoods. We also need experts in the environmental community to help us provide factual, nonpartisan information to neighborhoods. Lastly, we are looking for people who stay abreast of legislative developments that will impact the environment, so we can let our neighbors know what is going on.
Another part of the Neighbors in the Know program is a quarterly newsletter. We handed out an example, to show how it can compile local environmental events, upcoming legislative concerns, specific neighborhood information about elected representatives, and more. We can gather information from participating organizations to share online and in print. You can look at (and even download!) it below.
Lastly, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the AMAZING paella!
What a treat. It smelled, and tasted, so YUMTASTIC. Please let us know
if you are interested in getting involved in Neighbors in the Know, and/or attending the next salon, by email us at info@seausrise.org.
