NEWS
Sunshine into Electricity: Affordable Renewable Energy
01/12/2009
Event Details: The White River Group of the Sierra Club invites the public to attend “Sunshine Into Electricity: Affordable Renewable Energy” at its Jan. 13 meeting at 7 p.m. at the Springfield Conservation Nature Center. Refreshments and networking begin at 6:30 p.m.
Access to clean, renewable energy to power our homes is a key component of a sustainable lifestyle. Geothermal energy has been tapped already to heat and cool some homes in Springfield, but what about solar and wind?
The speaker, Carla Klein, former director of the Missouri Ozark Chapter of the Sierra Club and currently a sales representative for The Energy Store, will discuss affordable solar and wind options, including solar sheets, hot water heaters and small wind turbines suitable for homes and other buildings. She also will discuss methods for calculating return on investment (the years to recover the initial investment).
As a Sierra Club director, Klein was the state lobbyist for the Ozark Chapter, also representing the state on major environmental issues affecting Missouri. She also served as global warming and energy conservation organizer for the Missouri Sierra Club, developing informative presentations on global warming impacts in Missouri.
Klein was president and treasurer of the Lake Area Keepers for the Environment in Reeds Spring, later developing the area’s first recycling center. She is a graduate of Missouri State University with a B.S. degree in political science and a minor in environmental sciences and policy. As a student, she interned with the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks and with Representative Emmy McClelland.
The White River Group of the Ozark Chapter of the Sierra Club includes more than 900 members of the national Sierra Club in southwest Missouri. The Group offers a program for members and the interested public at 7 p.m. the second Tuesday of every month at the Springfield Conservation Nature Center. The Group also offers outings and the opportunity to become involved in regional, state and local conservation and environmental issues. More information is available at http://www.missouri.sierraclub.org/wrg.