Dr. Judy Lindamood
Chair: Department of early Childhood Education and Human Services

Northeast Sustainable Energy Association Conference 2010

"I attended the Wednesday Keynote and then Educator's Summit which was on one day and included three workshops--two that had to do with education issues with children and a third of a general nature. The keynote was very interesting looking at how Oberlin College (from my home state of Ohio) is changing the landscape in a very small Ohio "college" only town and looking at the whole systems approach with greenspace surrounding, sustainable farming, as well as building for the future. Very interesting information I wasn't aware of. (The only thing I know about Oberlin in addition to its great academic reputation is that it is "way out there in the middle of nowhere!).

I then attended a hands-on workshop on wind power which allowed us to use real materials for curriculum experiences with younger children around wind, wind farms, etc. I have the materials and will use in my science for children class. The second workshop was on Biomimicry in Building and was fascinating since I knew absolutely nothing about it. The guy doing the presentation had many, many photos and was absolutely passionate about what he is doing as a builder. A great presentation and easy to understand for a novice like me.

The final was a look at the way Austria and Germany are doing work in this field. It is interesting to see how much further along some of the European countries are in their belief in how the government and citizenry must be involved in stemming the tide of "doom" as we deny the real issues of needed sustainability. There are so many avenues to pursue. I don''t know where to begin. Also, the trade show was interesting. I didn't know there were so many ways to do solar panels!! Thanks for the opportunity to attend. It was very much useful to me as hooked me to several local areas of inquiry to use for my mini-grant activity."

Dr.Karen Anell
BHCC Adjunct Faculty, Behavioral Sciences

Northeast Sustainable Energy Association Conference 2010

"I participated in a full-day seminar entitled "Thriving in any future", hosted by Chris and Rebecka Martenson. The different lectures focused on major contemporary threats, summarized by C Martenson as four facts:

1. The developed world is broke and credit markets are failing (hyperinflation or worse is to be expected)
2. The economy is built on growth and growth is no longer happening at the same rate
3. Economy is built on oil and its supply is finite - we will hit peak oil
4. Population growth is hitting unsustainable limits

Based on this, people (the world) has to change, but change is hard and most people do not change unless they reach insight OR feel enough pain to motivate change. According to Martenson(s), most people are in denial about the world crisis. C Martenson went on to describe how we hold deep held beliefs that will prevent change. The rest of the lecture focused on how Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) Conference BHCC Faculty Testimonials we as individuals and communities can prepare for the impending threats, including securing our finances and bunkering food and water.

I left the seminar with conflicting emotions. On the one hand it was informative and thought provoking, C. Martenson is well-read and convincing. On the other hand it did have a flair of impending doom and the focus on how individuals can help prepare for a disaster rather than joining forces to prevent it was somewhat disconcerting. Overall, I would have preferred to have C. Martenson and his wife participate in a debate with someone who has a different view of our ecological future - to create a more balanced view. Overall, the seminar helped me prepare for mainstreaming sustainability in my PSY-101 curriculum but I left the seminar wanting more meat to the bone re what we can actually do to help our environment today rather than prepare for a crisis."

Jamie L'Heureux
Assistant Professor of Computer Information Technology

Northeast Sustainable Energy Association Conference 2010

"On March 9, 2011 I attended the Opening Keynote Speaker presentation and Educator Summit of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association's (NESEA) 2011 Building Energy Conference at the Seaport World Trade Center. I have to admit the most impressive part of the conference to me was the Keynote Address by David Orr of Oberlin College. Apparently Mr. Orr is well known and highly respected in the area of advocating for sustainability and as an orator. He was very impressive and learning about what Oberlin College is doing, including working with the community and businesses to create new commerce activity and job opportunities all with the goal of sustainability at the forefront is impressive to say the least.

The first breakout session I attended for the Educators Summit was titled Green School Solutions presented by Susy Jones and Carolyn Sarno of Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership. The focus of the presentation was on the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) standard for building new or adapting old schools to meet or exceed requirements for Green Schools. The presentation was very informative with regard to what several schools across the New England region have done. Further the presentation talked about the impact the changes had on student attitudes towards the buildings (for example, less graffiti) and how they begin adopting sustainability into the curriculum and into clubs at the school. I was impressed with the content, the questions asked by attendees, and the knowledge the presenters possessed. I believe some of these ideas could be incorporated into what Bunker Hill Community College does in terms of engaging students to modify behavior and in terms of modifying our buildings to decrease our negative environmental impact.

The second breakout session I attend was called Building as a Teaching Tool. I should preface my statements here by saying that this isn't the session I wanted to attend. I had registered for Energy Intelligence which would have been perfect given my mini grant focused on energy consumptions by computers and other electronic devices. However, the session was booked by the time the registration reach NESEA. So, Building as a Teaching Tool was presented by Indigo Raffel of Conservation Consultants, Inc.

Ms. Raffel works in a zero net energy building in Pittsburgh. The presentation showed promise initially. She asked us to complete a survey to determine how many earths we would need to sustain us if everyone behaved like you do. The survey was great, it is available online, and as such I think I might use this with students. However, after the survey, the session held little else of value for me. The rest of the session focused on what she was doing in her building and how to apply it to other buildings. I failed to see how she was using building as a teaching tool.

Overall, I felt the conference was a positive experience and overall well done. Unfortunately, I didn't get as much out of the conference as I would have liked in terms of energy conservation as it relates to my mini grant because of being locked out of the Energy Intelligence session."

Brian Alves
CHCC Student and Co-President of the Sustainability Club

Northeast Sustainable Energy Association Conference 2010

"I think the conference was very informative. I especially enjoyed the initial opening dialogue with our four panelists. This happened to be the most interesting part of the conference because it allowed for each  to talk about the benefits of becoming green in their respective fields.

We were given the option to attend one session from three different segments (time slots) throughout the day. Fellow students Elsa John and Garcia Lam and I decided to attend different sessions so we could maximize this opportunity and later discuss what we learned in each session. The first session I attended was on "The Green Economy & Careers in Massachusetts" and the second session I attended was on Renewable Energy with a focus on Solar Panels. Our speaker described the benefits of adopting solar panels as a source of energy conservation as opposed to the general way of capturing energy.

The final session I attended was on "Entrepreneurial Success Stories." One speaker talked about the business of building and installing wind turbines. It was interesting to see the how people turn their passion for greening the future into an entrepreneurial venture."

Wayne Johnson
CHCC Student and Co-President of the Sustainability Club

Northeast Sustainable Energy Association Conference 2010

"Last Fall I attended the Massachusetts Green Career Conference. One of the primary goals of this event was have participants reflect and answer one question, "What is My Role in the New, Green Economy?" Ultimately, organizers wanted participants to recognize how they could become part of this developing and emergent tour-de-force of our economy and also how to holistically improve our planet. To facilitate answering this question, the conference was home to a distinguished number of knowledgeable professionals from business, education, and government, and others that could offer career guidance to job seekers. There were a vast number of exhibitors who were offering original and innovative training programs, businesses hiring new employees and accepting resumes, career counselors supporting workers who want to change careers, and several companies discussing the role of interns in their establishments.

Companies were interviewing and hiring for a great number of positions, everything from Business and Home Energy Advisors, Customer Service Representatives, Electrical Energy Specialists, to Weatherization and Insulation Technicians. The speakers were excellent, coming from a variety of industries and educational institutions. Their goal was to increase participants' awareness about how to contribute to the greening economy, discussing such topics as sustainability, weatherization, renewable energy, waste management, and green production. I am looking forward to the event next year—I am sure it will be a great success.".