Hosted on May 24 at the beautiful Phipps Conservatory, the "Clean Energy Matters" conference, organized by PennFuture, showcased innovative alternative energy solutions and emphasized the importance of integrating these energy solutions into our cities.
Keynote speaker Andrea Luecke, Executive Director at The Solar Foundation, gave an engaging presentation on the feasibility and attractiveness of solar power, asserting that “Solar power is the most abundant and most available energy resource on our planet.”
Luecke and other analysts foresee the United States leading the world in solar power consumption as soon as 2014. However, the underlying objective of the event was not to simply push solar–it was to bring to light new innovative ways that our state and our nation can move forward in sustainably powering our way of life.
For example, combining renewable energy such as solar, wind, or geothermal-generated power into buildings, while also retrofitting those buildings to be more energy-efficient, can be a way to accelerate savings and lower energy consumption.
Altogether, keeping renewable energy on the government agenda is paramount to enacting creative solutions to breaking our nation’s fossil fuel dependency. With the attainment of energy independence, a strong economy grown with green jobs, and cleaner air all on the horizon, the time is now to make clean energy matter.
You can immediately make an impact by switching your electricity provider–learn more about buying cleaner energy in Pennsylvania by visiting here, here, and here.
The path to a sustainable Pittsburgh starts with you.
Become a member of GASP to stay up to date and learn how you can become more involved in these issues.
Written by Matt Ferrer, GSPIA Masters Candidate and GASP Intern