forum ideas from members

from Jenny French jennyf@sunrnr.com 8/12/2013:

I have two rough ideas for you, but please understand I am just suggesting, not volunteering people. If you like the ideas, it'd be CAAV requesting their participation, not "SUNRNR said you might be interested in ... "

One's indirectly related to CAAV by possibly linking weather changes to disaster response, preparedness, etc. SUNRNR joined Ready.gov's National Preparedness Month Coalition and we really should try to be involved in some kind of outreach before end of Sept, not just our free second panel sale. Maybe someone from fire and rescue (Wanda Willis? Chief Shifflett?) or American Red Cross could talk about a recent weather-related, local "disaster" (derecho, storm, big snow, ...), its effects, future preparedness. We could do non-gas, backup electricity side.

Other idea (less time-critical): Isn't some organization monitoring air pollution above Skyline Dr or something? It'd be interesting to hear if our beautiful blue (less hazy) summer skies might be related to a decrease in pollution.

from John Reeves jbr1948@comcast.net 8/12/2013:

1- IMPACT Investing- We're finding lots of recent info on web & sense lots of concerned folks are like us in seeking

*better ways to invest for Good Results to society, and well as to us, with market-typical returns.

We've experimented for 3 years with investments in "Lending Club"- which does all online for peer-peer (sorta) loans, any pays decent returns.

Mosiac is on another. Suggest finding 2- 4 local folks who could help rest of us through these investment thickets??

{ copied- below- from Mosiac web site....}

It’s not quite socially responsible investing (SRI), and it’s definitely not a philanthropic donation. So what is it? Impact investing is a new form of equity investing that targets environmental and social improvements while seeking financial return for investors. Due to increasing demand for investments that help the world rather than hurt it, impact investing is a rapidly growing alternative investment market.

It is a rare moment when a new investment strategy simultaneously grabs the attention of enormous institutional investors, billionaires, social entrepreneurs, startups looking to save the world, and people like you and me who may have never invested much money in anything other than a savings account. That sort of holistic demand for alternative investment mechanisms is the support that impact investing needs. With such support, impact investing can successfully combine the power of capitalism and human drive to change the world.Different than SRI, which often just avoids investing money in certain “sin” sectors (tobacco, casinos, guns, oil, etc.), impact investing works to achieve societal or environmental progress. From someone who is just getting started with investing –perhaps exploring the world of microfinance to combat poverty—to global financial firms creating brand new impact investing options for their clients, impact investing is taking off in a big way. Morgan Stanley claims 1 in 8 dollars, or $3 trillion, already supports SRI; impact investing goes further –allowing customers to pick which sort of social impacts they want to create.

2- IMPACT Purchasing--Ever since era of Earth Day 1970 (when I was involved some as a senior at Va. Tech) I've researched/ read from folks about

the overall POWER of consumers in USA and why & how informed consumers should/ must support some responsible vendors and boycott many of

the un-ethical/ polluting vendors/ suppliers. With all the latest web resources/ smart-phones and transparency, there must be better/ reasonable ways

that we- the powerful consumers- can more powerfully give thumbs-up and our dollars to responsible companies and thumbs-down and boycott to

irresponsible firms, like all the KOCH Industries companies- with their wide-span of products that few know are part of KOCH (like Brawny paper towels).

Ideas/ Options for us "powerful", "sustainability-aware" consumers?? Any local folks willing to lead discussion on this?

Yes, there's lots of issues/ potholes with all this--yet, there's got to be better ways to implement our boycotts??

3- IMPACT petitioning--another major area of discussion. For example, we've been trying to help the many "Stop Rush" efforts & petitions--such

as via Facebook and many folks calling/ e-mailing advertisers with message that they should NOT advertise with Rush, or we'll not patronize.

More info/ discussion worthwhile? Or, needed from us to help jjustify? thanks & best regards, John Reeves Rockingham Co.

from Doug Hendren dhhendren@gmail.com 8/6/2013:

I think fracking would be a useful and manageable subject. The key pieces to convey would be:

1) We have a ton of methane from fracking, therefore the new claim of "US energy independence."

2) It's being embraced as a clean fuel.

3) It is cleaner to combust than coal (half as much CO2)

4) However, fugitive methane emissions are much, much stronger GHG than CO2 (25-100X depending on time frame).

5) Studies have estimated fugitive emissions at 3% at the fracking sites, and 3% at old urban delivery networks. It may be higher.

6) This means it's actually worse than coal, using current methods.

7) Water contamination is also a big issue. There are recent pieces in the news about EPA info suppressed a few years ago.

8) Not the least, very cheap, hastily and carelessly produced natural gas has really upset the energy markets in the US, and set very unrealistic price levels against which wind and solar are forced to compete. Although renewables are getting by, think of where they would be if we had more responsibly harvested and realistically priced gas!

I just posted a this song on fracking, which has some of these references listed after the lyrics. The song is about the water issue, although the fugitive methane emissions are even a bigger issue, from the climate change standpoint.

from Emily Blake blakeed@jmu.edu 8/13/2013:

I don't know what you've done in the past, and these suggestions may be better suited to a different event than one of your forums, but nonetheless…

Here are a few ideas for CAAV forum topics at the library:

- tax credits currently available for eco-friendly purchases and renovations

- more broadly: ways to save money while saving the environment

- host a SHARE Fair (skill sharing event where presenters volunteer their time and nobody pays admission): https://www.facebook.com/groups/113099585487191/

- bring in organizers from Transition Staunton to see if we can start Transition Harrisonburg: http://transitionstaunton.org/

You could also contact JMU professors Lori Britt and Pete Bsumek who are organizing community forums at JMU this fall and ask them to advertise yours.

brittll@jmu.edu and bsumekpk@jmu.edu