ReThink Energy Florida!

Do you know a Young Person, Elected Official, Business Leader, Non-Profit Organization (including Student Organizations and other Community Organizations) or other Individual who deserves special recognition for energy innovation? Use this form to nominate them for ReThink Energy Florida’s 2013 Energy Innovator Award! The 2013 Award for Youth in Energy Innovation is sponsored by Representative Alan Williams.

We are currently in need of volunteers for the Energy Ball! There are opportunities within our three Energy Ball committees:

1. Donations Committee
2. Logistics Committee
3. Publicity Committee

There are also additional opportunities if you are not interested in the commitment of meeting and being apart of a committee! Email our Volunteer Coordinator at michelle@rethinkenergyflorida.org for more information!

We’re now taking interest applications in Energy Camp and the Songwriter’s Competition. Please see the above links for more information.

Thanks for a Great Year! We hope your new year will be peaceful and fun! Thanks for all you’ve done toward making this a Green year too! As we come to the end of the year, we have a few small requests!

End of year survey: As we plan our next year, we’d love your feedback! Please take just a few minutes by completing the survey here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/W8JV7RS

Green Shopping Holiday Extravaganza Survey: If you attended our event, we hope you had fun! Please help us improve by providing feedback at the survey here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LBMG2LS

Gifts for the End of Year As you plan your end of year tax-deductible donations, please consider Rethink Energy in your plans. Financial Donations can be made at the paypal link or mailing address here: http://rethinkenergyflorida.org/donations

In addition, the following in-kind donations are always appreciated:

• Office supplies (including pens, pencils, recycled (but not reused) paper, ink cartridges for HP Officejet Pro 8500)
• Software: mass-mailing and postage software, the Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Acrobat Pro
• Tools for some of our regular workshops: Soldering irons, solder, glue guns, spray glue
• A Projector (for showing movies) – we’ve been borrowing, but would love to have a donated one
• Your Volunteer Hours in the New Year! There are always things to be done in the office and at events – volunteer regularly or help up with specific events. As a 501c3 on-profit, we are able to give credit for service learning hours

Stay Tuned for Next Year’s Events! (And remember to give us feedback in the Survey above)

We had a ton of fun at the Solar Charger workshop last Saturday! A wide variety of people came, all of whom wanted to put the power in their hands… and in small Altoid Tins! Special thanks go to Patrick Breslend, the President of Sustainable Engineered Solutions (SES), for helping us understand the power behind solar! An excellent group of young student engineers dedicated to helping people understand sustainable energy!

The Energy Ball was a huge success, but it wouldn’t have been without a ton of people and businesses stepping up and helping… so, here goes!

First, a big Thank you goes to The Bothys, the Bedhead Betty Duo, and especially Christy Crandall, who ran sound for the entire evening! Christy was actually at the venue before me setting up, making sure everything would be perfect for the event!

Also, thanks to Native Nurseries for the gifts of 4 native wild flowers for each of our award recipients!

Second, huge thanks to Lisa’s Bartenders, Wine-Warehouse Tallahassee, and Fermentation Lounge – Lisa donated their services, and the Wine Warehouse and Fermentation Lounge donated wine and beer at cost! Also many thanks to Native Nurseries, who donated the native wildflowers given to the Energy Innovator Award Winners.

Third, thanks go to the food venues that donated platters: Los Amigos, Miccosukee Root Cellar, Olive Garden, Posey’s Steam Room & Oyster Bar, Sahara, Samrat, Tastebudz, Tomato Land Produce, Treva’s Pastries and Fine Foods, and Uptown Cafe and Catering.

Of course, a huge thank you to our two Hydro Sponsors: Kraft Nissan and EarthSTEPS, LLC. And Friends: Environmental Visions Achieved, Eric Friall, June Noel, Rebecca Bruce, LMT, Coastal Reflections, Tonya Mantay, LMT, Pattie Maney, Dr. Rachel Sutz-Pienta, Melissa Forehand, LMT, and Ron and Eileen Patrick.

Then there were the silent auction donations: Coastal Reflections, Rebecca E Bruce, LMT, The Great Bicycle Shop, Mickee Faust Club, Black Dog Cafe, Cabos Island Grill And Bar, Bike Eat Shop Tallahassee BEST, Nan Currance, Acme Rhythm and Blues, Joe’s Bike Shop, Tallahassee Nurseries, Rachel Sutz Pienta, Bali Hi Trading Company, Consignments By Jane, Tish Cunningham,  Dorothy Skofronick, Athena’s Garden, Melissa Forehand, LMT, Quarter Moon Imports, Loud Voice Books, Tonya Mantay, LMT, The Other Side Vintage, Ken and Joan Hendrix, Momo’s Pizza, Kool Beanz Cafe, Pattie Maney, Yarn Therapy, Really Knit Stuff, Kim McShane, Ron Patrick and friends, and Gentle Nails.

Finally the people: Hosts: Commissioner Gil Ziffer and Representative Alan Williams, Tabitha Frazier, Rachel Sutz Pienta, LaRae Donnellan, Tammy McShane, The FAMU Green Coalition, FAMU ESSO, Brian Lee, Bike Eat Shop Tallahassee BEST members, Shelly Searcy, Anne Allen, and Samantha Allen. Also Paul Beich and Ron Patrick for working to help find Music when I was panicking

Several of these local businesses told me  that in these economic times, they are still struggling – yet wanted to do something positive in the community to support our cause. So, please, if you are able, support the local businesses. Thanks!

Whether you stayed in or celebrated with friends, Earth Hour was a beautiful moment across the planet. It was a moment to come together as families and communities and realize that perhaps the world will be more beautiful if we turn off the TVs, the gamecubes, and, yes, the lights, and enjoy each others’ company. So – if you joined in in your own way, in Florida or elsewhere, thanks!

Don’t let that moment be isolated! it is now time to carry on the momentum! We have encouraged people to eat locally for a week. With its transportation, processing and packaging, our current food system puts tremendous stress on the environment through its fossil fuel and energy use.  A typical carrot has to travel 1,838 miles to reach you. In the U.S., a wheat farmer can expect to receive about six cents of each dollar spent on a loaf of bread, whereas farmers’ markets enable farmers to keep 80 to 90 cents of each dollar spent by the consumer! (Facts from http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/eatlocal/)

So, we encourage you to cut out as much of that transportation, processing and packaging by buying local. Whatever you do, figure out a way to keep the beauty of Earth Hour going. You can read what others are doing to keep the momentum going here: http://rethinkenergyflorida.org/earth-hour-2012/leaders

Rethink Energy is challenging Floridians to power down and turn out their lights from 8:30-9:30 PM, Saturday March 31, 2012 in support of Earth Hour. Hundreds of millions of people across the world will turn off their lights for an hour to show their commitment to taking action to reduce our impact on the Earth.

More than 1000 of the world’s man-made marvels and natural wonders, including the Pyramids in Egypt, Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building, Niagara Falls, Beijing’s Forbidden City, Cape Town’s Table Mountain, Sydney Opera House, Buckingham Palace and Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil, stood in darkness symbolizing a landmark moment in the planet’s environmental consciousness.

Take the pledge to turn out your lights 8:30-9:30 PM, Saturday March 31, 2012. We also challenge you to take it a step further! What can you do that is a next step in taking care of this planet? Make your pledge online here: http://rethinkenergyflorida.org/earth-hour-2012/pledge

Also, we can use assistance getting people to complete the pledge online or on paper cards. If you are able to take the pledge cards to events to get them completed, let Kim Ross know at kim@rethinkenergyflorida.org or 850-766-1300

Finally, make plans to come to Lake Ella in Tallahassee on the 31^st, from 8 PM to 9:30 to celebrate Earth Hour. We’ll have a candlelight celebration followed by a musical jam. All family friendly activities that don’t use electricity are encouraged and alternative methods of getting there are encouraged as well.

More information about Earth Hour can be found here: http://earthhour.org

A word on hope: Hope has gotten a lot of negative attention lately. Indeed, I meet a lot of people who are tired of the status quo, but don’t have any motivation to make anything different. They’ve given up.

Yes – we’re living in a difficult time, and yes, the magnitude of climate change and fossil fuel consumption is huge, while it seems, many people just don’t get it! But – don’t give up hope yet! A quick search of the online dictionaries tells us hope is a wish or desire accompanied by confidence and expectation of fulfillment. I dare say, none of us on this email list has given up wishing for a sustainable and clean energy environment. And It is in our action that we find confidence – because we can’t afford not to move forward and act!

One of my favorite quotes is from Vandana Shiva: “The uncertainty of our times is no reason to be certain about hopelessness.”

It is in that spirit that I invite you to be a part of Energize Florida Week next week – along with all of the other transformational activities we have planned.

“Forget that this task of planet-saving is not possible in the time required.

Don’t be put off by people who know what is not possible.

Do what needs to be done, and check to see if it was impossible only after you are done.”

-Paul Hawken

Rethink Energy stands with many other environmental groups in opposition to the KeyStone XL Pipeline. The Keystone XL Pipeline represents a single decision that would do great detriment to the fight against climate change. Only President Obama will make this decision. Therefore we are asking our supporters to write letters and make phone calls to ask President Obama to reject the Keystone XL Pipeline. Click here for talking points and how to be a part of the organized movement.