Executive Director Needed – Pennsylvania Organization Wayne County Pennsylvania – SEEDS

Seeking Part-Time Executive Director for Environmental Non-Profit in Wayne County, PA

SEEDS (Sustainable Energy Education & Development Support) of Northeastern PA is seeking a part-time Executive Director to continue its mission of promoting energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainable living in our region. The Executive Director is responsible for overseeing the administration of the organization and its fundraising, and reports to the SEEDS volunteer Board of Directors. The ED may be involved in programing and the strategic direction of the organization.

Qualifications

  • Transparent and high integrity leadership;
  • Understanding and passion for sustainability, especially sustainable energy and energy efficiency;
  • Experience managing and successfully completing projects;
  • Experience budgeting, grant-writing, fundraising, and fiscal planning;
  • Excellent written and verbal skills; strong public speaking skills; and experience with print, radio, online, and social media;
  • Strong leadership and team-building skills; and also able to work independently;
  • Experience collaborating with other organizations and inspiring and mobilizing volunteers;
  • Degree in social sciences, environmental sciences, journalism, humanities or other related fields is strongly preferred, as this position is the very public face of a reputable community benefit organization.

Position offers part time salary, based on experience, flexible work hours and some telecommuting hours. The SEEDS office is located in Honesdale, PA. To apply, please send cover letter, resume and writing sample by 11/9/18 to kathy@seedsgroup.net. SEEDS is an equal opportunity employer.

Jocelyn Cramer

Executive Director of SEEDS

Sustainable Energy Education and Development Support

www.SeedsGroup.net

(570) 245 – 1256

Links

  1. Training for Professionals – http://online-training-courses.info/index.php/categories/professional

 

100% Renewable is the a Realistic Goal or a No Pipe Dream

100% Renewable is the a Realistic Goal or a No Pipe Dream

This is not a standard article but a look just specifically at the issue of energy. To set some basic ground rules we have to agree on some facts:

We are not in an energy crisis, we are in a crisis related to energy waste and poor and ineffective distribution and storage.
1. We waste over 58 % of the energy we use in the USA.
2. This energy waste is double what we actually need.
3. This annual energy waste, production, lack of use, distribution inefficiencies, and waste heat, in just one year in the USA could power the UK for 7 years.
4. We are leaving money on the table that could go economy and help our countries and others.

 

Inefficient Production
1. Wind and solar have low inefficiencies for energy production compared to other source. So they really only make sense NOW in specific corridors or regions. 
2. The primary problem is these regions are not were the core demand in the USA is located and we lack an energy distribution network. 
3. Inefficient distribution, production, and waste requires building multiple times demand capacity to meet peak demand. Because of the lack of solid storage systems, such as battery technology, inefficient distribution and production we need to overbuild to meet peak capacity if we rely sole on renewable. A thought process:

How to Get There !-   1 Quadrillion Btus per year = 2,739,730,000,000 BTUs/day
Solar (100 % Efficiency) – 433 Btu/hr per square foot
Available 24 hours per day
Need 6100 acres of Solar Panels

Wait – Solar-Assume Solar Efficiency Assume 10% (high) – Only Available about 8 hours per day
Need 182,000+ acres of Solar Panels, plus storage and duplicate capacity.

Wind- 25 % Conversion
Need about 270,000 10 MW Turbines, plus storage and duplicate capacity.

These analysis does not factor in transmission losses.  If there was only a 10% loss and no other inefficiencies, we would multiple the calculated values by 1.1, but we have a use inefficiency of 58%.  This means are multiplication factor is at least 1.9 to 2 +.   So – 360,000 acres of solar panels and 540,000 10 MW turbines.

The goal for renewable should not be based on a Carbon or CO2 hammer and we must stop this myth of Man controlled climate.  Climate on this Earth has not been constant, it is in dynamic equilibrium with Sun, Earth Process, and to a lesser extent life on Earth.

It is very likely man is having an influence on the climate, but this is not likely CO2 production but deforestation, building in the wrong places, heat island effects, and not adapting to our environment.  As an alternative approach, we are suggesting the following:

  1. Fact based discussions about energy, economy, politics, and culture.  We are humans so science (facts) and cultural discussions are linked, but we should not be using Fear as a rally cry.
  2. Concentration on energy waste reduction  – individuals, homes, small business, and government.
  3. Distribution – We should focus on “hardening” the grid and creating capacity and duplicity were needed.  We must start linking “renewable and other energy sources” and take advantage of the energy diversity in the USA.
  4. Storage – we must develop efficient storage technologies.
  5. The solution is not a CO2 hammer, electric cars, or a 100% renewable life cycle, but an all the above approach.  
  6. Remember our beaches are moving, we live on a planet with the plates move and we have the Great Earth Engine.  (Geothermal is a great asset for the USA).
  7. Energy and energy technology – we must not be hoarders, but exports of energy and energy technology and I do not mean low cost solar panels, but micro-grid energy systems that use multiple fuel stocks that can power rural villages and towns and not a Carbon Tax.
  8. If we cut our waste, we cut CO2 emissions. This makes the CO2 emissions benchmark useless and to be honest the arguments based on climate change and CO2 are weak.
  9. Stop the 100 % renewable myth (all the above approach).

I have never recommended a book to read – this is the first, but I strongly recommend “Scare Pollution“, 2016.

I also like “Human Caused Global Warming“, but I really wish the author hired and used an editor.

Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters

I really enjoyed – “Global Warming-Alarmists, Skeptics and Deniers: A Geoscientist Looks at the Science of Climate Change

Heating and Cooling from the Earth Engine

When people think of renewable energy, their first thought is typically solar power or wind energy. In Pennsylvania, the most natural and renewable energy system available to meet the heating and cooling needs for residential, commercial and recreational needs is a geothermal or a ground-source heating and cooling system. These systems come with a variety of configurations and a single system can heat or cool a home without natural gas, coal, oil or biomass. However, some electric is required to run the system.

Geothermal Concept House

This relatively obscure technology is robust, proven and available now to those willing to understand the simple beauty of these systems.

A geothermal system moves and stores energy rather than producing energy through combustion or resistance. Geothermal systems work by exchanging hot or cold air from the home with the stable stored energy in the ground, rather than by converting chemical energy to heat. This is a renewable energy system that is very efficient and has enough flexibility to fit a variety of applications. Some added benefit in addition efficiency is that geothermal energy creates no pollution to our air or water and other than electricity, they eliminate the need to purchase highly processed petrochemical fuel from less than environmentally conscious producers.

While the air temperature in Pennsylvania can vary from -20 degrees Fahrenheit in the coldest part of winter to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer, the Earth’s temperature a few feet under the surface is essentially the same in winter and summer. In the winter, the system can heat a home using the Earth’s relatively warm core energy. In the summer, the same system can cool the home with the Earth’s relatively cool mass. Year-round, geothermal systems can produce hot water. Geothermal heat pumps have an efficiency of over 300 to 500 percent (meaning they get a payback of 3 to 5 times the energy used to run the system). This efficiency provides the heating/cooling needs at a cost that is 30 to 70 percent less expensive than conventional energy systems, without combustion, carbon dioxide, methane, water pollution or the waste generated by other energy systems.

Geothermal ground-source heating and cooling systems work during the night when the sun is blocked by clouds and when the wind is not blowing. While electricity costs may vary, geothermal costs don’t fluctuate like natural firewood, gas, coal and heating oil. The ground-source system comes in a variety of configurations to easily fit new home construction or homes with a more conventional, existing duct-based heating and cooling systems.

The Way System Works

The geothermal system has three main components: connection to the Earth, delivery and distribution system and a geothermal heat pump. The Earth connection allows the system to pull or store heat in the Earth. In heating mode, the system uses the Earth connection to pull a small quantity of heat from the Earth to heat a person’s space. In cooling mode, the system does the reverse and transfers heat from the air back to the Earth.

The distribution system can be a series of vertical connections or loops buried in the ground that transfer and help to distribute the energy. The geothermal heat pump is very efficient energy transfer system that moves the energy from the building to the transfer fluid.

The system does require an electrical source to run the heat pumps and circulation system and it is critical that an existing home have a formal energy audit done prior to installing a system. New construction should use green building and energy efficient insulating systems so the system can be properly sized. The Residential Energy-Efficient Property Credit provides a 30 percent tax credit toward the cost of alternative energy equipment installed on or in a home or business. With these credits, payback on installation is about 10 years+.

 

Pennsylvania residents could benefit from lower energy costs, elimination of water and air pollution and a significant reduction of the expensive and environmentally destructive infrastructure of fossil fuels by adapting geothermal systems as soon as possible.

 

To learn more about geothermal energy, visit the Keystone Clean Water Team at CarbonWaters.org or Duane Moyer Well Drilling at MoyerWellDrilling.com.

Article published in the April Addition of  Natural Awakenings Magazine

We exist to promote Natural Living in the communities that we serve. Visit HealthyLehighValley.com for online news, events, articles, archives, resources, contests and more information. To sign-up for our newsletter simply reply to this email.

Everything we do began with an idea.

We have offered “Free” Assistance to this effort, but if you are a private well owner that needs assistance we are happy to help.

We realize your time is precious and the world is hectic. CCGG’s volunteers do only what they’re comfortable with. It can be a little or a lot.  Get YOUR WATER Tested – Discounted Screening Tests !

For more information, please go to CCGG’s About Page or contact us.  Follow us on Twitter 

Keystone Clean Water Team is a 501(c)(3) IRS approved nonprofit, volunteer organization and your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.    Unsolicited donations are appreciated (Helps us complete our mission), but we also do local educational workshops and local cellphone/small electronic recycling programs. If you would like to set up a program to help recycle cellphones at an event, business, or other organization.  Through our program we can recycle  cell phones, iPods, game systems, and small digital cameras.  If your interested, please contact us.  Our new PSAs.

Help the Organization and Get Your Water Tested or Order the Private Well Owner Guide (proceeds benefit This Organization). Water Science Basics!

Careers In Energy Education Outreach

Keystone Clean Water Team participated in the “Careers in Energy” Event at Tunkhannock High School in February 2014.   The series of classes, titled “Careers in Energy: Learning from the Industry,” was coordinated by Northern Tier Industry & Education Consortium, a Susquehanna County-based group that helps prime college and high school students for job placement in growing industries.  During the event, we meet over 200 students and discussed energy efficiency, alternative energy, the direct careers in Energy, and indirect careers in Energy.  We also discussed changes that are needed and how they can be part of the solution to conserve energy and promote a national energy policy that includes renewable energy systems.  During the education session, we showed working models of some wind turbine and solar energy kits.

The presentation can be found at  Careers in Energy – Tunkhannock High School – Earth Sciences, Green Building, Renewable Energy, Energy Audit, Weatherization/ Efficiency, Sustainability and More (Presentation- Feb 2014)

We are participating in a similar event in April 2014 in Kingsley, PA and we are conducting a two day training session for young adults for the DCNR in March 2014 in Tunkhannock, PA.

Volunteer

We seek new people at all skill levels for a variety of programs. One thing that everyone can do is attend meetings to share ideas on improving CCGG, enabling us to better understand and address the concerns of well owners.  We look for people that can forward solid articles, help coordinate local education efforts, and more.  Become part of the Keystone Clean Water Team!.

Everything we do began with an idea.

We realize your time is precious and the world is hectic. CCGG’s volunteers do only what they’re comfortable with. It can be a little or a lot.  Get YOUR WATER Tested – Discounted Screening Tests !

For more information, please go to CCGG’s About Page or contact us.

Carbon County Groundwater Guardians is a 501(c)(3) IRS approved nonprofit, volunteer organization and your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.  Waiting on Official Name change to the Keystone Clean Water Team by the IRS.  Unsolicited donations are appreciated.

Help the Organization and Get Your Water Tested or Order the Private Well Owner Guide (proceeds benefit This Organization).

Energy Conservation and Energy Audits

We have been in this heated discussion over the use of fossil fuels and natural gas and the need to switch to renewable energy options.    The main problem with the individuals leading this decision is that the approach is wrong.   We need to first talk about energy conservation.   We waste nearly 58% of the energy that we produce.  Now, I agree much of this energy is lot in the form of heat, but it is still energy that we should be able a way to figure out how best to use.  To some individuals this may seem like a relatively ok number, but I will put it another way we produce enough energy in the United States to power 2 Countries.  Is it sinking in yet?

What we need

1. Taking a very hard look at energy efficient and using energy wisely.  In the home, get a home energy audit.  If you are looking for a business or career, start an energy audit or weatherization business,   Green Building/LEED Design, or green building design/analyst.

2. Stop wasting energy – purchase energy efficient products “Energy Star” etc and unplug items when not in use.

3. Do a self energy audit and maybe

a. Change to More Efficient Light Bulbs
b. Install a programmable Thermostat
c. Install Ceiling Fans
d. Maximize the use of landscaping.
e. Use a Microwave over an oven
f. Clean Filters
g. Clean Ducts and Fix Leaks
h. Insulate / Seal Window
i. Conserve Water

4. All energy solutions should be on the table, but if you can afford -you may want to consider the use of a ground source heating and cooling system, biomass (switchgrass, waste wood, pellet stoves, outdoor wood stoves)on-demand water heater, and maybe solar water heating system.

5. Other options are also available that may work for you and your family.  Look at the options from your energy supplier.

We all need to be part of the solution !

Recent Presentation to Teens In the Wilkes Barre Area.

Sponsor – Renewable Energy Products and Information

Note:  Carbon County Groundwater Guardians is not for or against natural gas drilling. We are for the facts, making good decisions, and helping to inform the public on all sides of this issue.

 

Volunteer

 

We seek new people at all skill levels for a variety of programs. One thing that everyone can do is attend meetings to share ideas on improving CCGG, enabling us to better understand and address the concerns of well owners.

 

Everything we do began with an idea.

 

We realize your time is precious and the world is hectic. CCGG’s volunteers do only what they’re comfortable with. It can be a little or a lot.

 

For more information, please go to CCGG’s About Page or contact us.

 

Carbon County Groundwater Guardians is a 501(c)(3) IRS approved nonprofit, volunteer organization and your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.  Unsolicited donations are appreciated.

 

Help the Organization and Get Your Water Tested or Order the Private Well Owner Guide (proceeds benefit This Organization).